Nice signs of a fightback against the age of austerity. This is the second factory occupation in Taranaki in a week, after a group of metal workers also held a sit down strike to get their company to recognise their delegate’s right to represent them at pay talks:
The latest annual accounts from Tegel’s parent company show total comprehensive income for the year to April 25, 2010 of NZ$18.3 million up from NZ$10.2 million the previous year. The profit rose as revenue fell to NZ$401.7 million from NZ$464.3 million and cost of sales dropped to NZ$282.9 million from NZ$340.8 million.
And. Ports of Tauranga made a record profit. Guess who is now trying to get staff to take wage cuts and sit around on call.
Along with POAL trying to make the rest of their skilled staff, planner, pilots etc. take cuts to help pay for Gibson’s 34 mill fuckup. And presumably his 750k salary.
I have been thinking lately, that it’s worth looking more at local newspapers, because they often print articles more relevant to ordinary people than the big dailies.
A fair comment Karol. The regions do appear to get ignored by City newspapers and TV news in general unless theres a mountain exploding or a multiple car crash involving tourists. News seems to be shaped into a top down format. People/community centred news that is still relevent to the country as a whole probably never makes it out the area.
Agreed, but the Herald has already morfed into a small minded Auckland local paper.
Others in the same ownership only repeat what the Herald says, so why waste money ?
Ahhh Tegel, those were the days…back in early 04 I did 2 weeks there as a casual worker. At that time, Allied Workforce (which was in a great growth period under the supposedly worker-friendly Labour government), had a contract with Tegel to supply casual workers to the plant, it bascially involved sitting by the phone, waiting for AWF to ring for you to come into work — if you missed the call, too late, someone else got the work, anyway, the guys at AWF would tell you about how their workers would be subjected to nasty harrasment by the permanent workers, but I experienced none, though in the cafeteria the AWF workers and the permanent workers tended to keep apart, with the permanent workers having the luxury of having purchases from the cafeteria deducted from their next pay slip.
But anyway, the work was hard, and one would come home at night very sore and stinking of chicken. Also, I found training to be more or less a senior worker spending 5 mins telling me what to do, and then leaving me to it to bumble round.
After being shifted to about 4 different departments (and having the privilige of pulling innards out of dead chickens), I left after getting chemical burns on my wrist when I was washing out dixie creates — something that I was responsible for, as I had deliberately not worn correct PPE when working, in the belief that it would be easier. The scars sometimes still itch to this day. And I havent been to Tegel since — the office job that I have spent 7 years in is more suited to me.
I belive Addeco has the contract now, but Tegel is a shit place to work. I dont blame the workers for striking for more pay — the money is the reason why so many people work there.
Mallard’s appallingly prepared and badly communicated Auckland Waterfront RWC Stadium Proposal comes to mind.
Did Annette get coaching on her Auckland Housing Solution from Mallard?
Annette and Mallard have had their last Hurray’s too many times.
Shadbolt should be retiring in Invergiggle soon, Trev!
Nothing looks more desperate than someone trying to start a meme.
I had to laugh when I heard Vogon Commander Joyce in parliament yesterday claiming that Labour have been nicknamed “the hobbit haters” by the nz media.
I’ve never noticed anyone in the media use the term, unless they were directly quoting a script-reading Nat MP. Has anyone?
“Hobbit Love” is more of a worry, when a union buster is celebrated by thousands of grinning kiwis.
Hobbit hater is attempted code for ‘unkiwi’, or not sticking to the default kiwi setting of twisted nationalism and subservience. The type that sees support for troops in Afghanistan, youthful trips to Gallipoli and ANZAC day, tears during Dave Dobbyn songs as patriotism.
Key and business has been “storming the shire” since ’08 and the kiwi hobbit lovers do not seem to care a bit.
@ weka, the implication I took via Lord Jackson’s shifty look was that “you” (The Prime Minister) by implication meant “us” (the taxpayers). Jackson knows well it did not come out of Key’s pocket, and that he was the bagman for Warners.
Hey TM. That unpatriotic vibe you’re referring to was disturbingly evident on 3’s coverage of the hobbit premiere last night. The whole angle on “if we didn’t act (meaning bend over for Hollywood) we wouldn’t be here today” was devisive and nauseating. Key was so fill of ‘told you so” smugness and was smirking and grinning like the cat who got the cream. Ugh!
And yes, the Tom Scott cartoon in todays dompost was a good leveller.
Kia Ora Muzza:-)
Yep. Ignorance is bliss.
Its’ been particluarly tiresome here in Wgtn with the whole Jackson adoration and “isn’t the Hobbit great for Wellington, blah blah blah” going on ad nauseum.
There are big things to worry about and legitimate things to crticise this corrupt government about. But the message gets lost when we cry about Mr Joyce saying nasty things in Parliament which may not be true.
“Does anyone in the media use the meme “Planet Key”?”
Actually, yes. And that meme was created by Key himself (and picked up by the Greens), which is quite different from an opposition party manufacturing a meme entirely, as National are now attempting to do.
Ambassador’s rage doesn’t dispel facts
by Elizabeth Farrelly, November 29, 2012
‘Swedish ambassador goes berserk over Assange,” read Monday’s Wiki-tweet. It rang a bell, as it bounced around the globe, for while most diplomats are polite to the point of somnambulism, my sole encounter with the Swedish ambassador had been distinguished by rage (his). This rage, rooted in WikiLeaks, had itself been Wikileaked.
Sven-Olof Petersson is Sweden’s man in Yarralumla. By now he may be wishing he’d followed the advice I give my 13 year-old.
It’s this. If you have something savage to say, sleep on it. Then, if it really must be said, pick up the phone. Say it in person. Shout it from the rooftops, if need be. But under no circumstances commit it to cyber-space. Cyber-speech, seemingly ethereal, is etched in stone.
Back story: last April I wrote a column about Julian Assange. ”It’s quite clear,” I said, ”that Assange is not guilty – not of rape, not of treason”, but it was more a logical deduction (from the definition of these things) than a claim to knowledge of the events. In particular, I wrote of my dismay at what can happen to speakers of truth, especially at the hands of those who pretend to uphold it.
It made the Swedish ambassador mad. Really mad. We now know it made him, by his own admission, out-of-control mad.
“In particular, I wrote of my dismay at what can happen to speakers of truth, especially at the hands of those who pretend to uphold it.”
You can include the hands or should I say paws of “Cry rape!” Feminists like Felix and QofT who are CIA dupes. They’ve jumped on board the trial by media smear campaign against Assange like good little toadies – “Rape culture! Rape culture!” they wail on cue, like professional mourners.
Of course what makes Julian Assange ‘guilty’ in their eyes is A) he is a man, B) his political activism against the rich and powerful that dwarfs anything Team Feminists and other Assange haters, have or ever will accomplish.
How can one logically deduce that someone did not commit rape without any knowledge of the events?
That entire piece is moronic. But thanks of regurgitating the “sex without a condom is illegal” lie. Just to remind us that even nice anti-establishment people will perpetuate rape myths if they think it will piss of America.
naaaah, not at all, just wondering if there is any merit in offloading some more sociological precis allah 🙂
Ellul, which I have to share, is dead on the money; everything he thought and wrote across the 20th
Century, Fox, (she’s a twentieth century fox) came to fruition and he is referred to as the prophet of
the 21st; sees social phenomena corresponding to waves, currents and depths 😉 ; present events and
personalities which the MSM and increasingly the academic social scientists focus on, deeper abstract philosophical concerns and of course, his interest in the middle of the trending currents.
His corpus has a foundation in Marxist analysis but it goes way beyond money and settles on technique
so I’ll search for a link and tell me what your thoughts are; many of the Sounds of Silence tell me it’s all
happening at The Zoo 🙂
interestingly there is a work entitled Presence amidst consideration is given to
lived experience
“common places”
and the
Sacred (isn’t it interesting where the teleology of one’s ontological project can lead?)
I really recommend this text Living the Word, Resisting the World: The Life and Thoughts of
Jacques Ellul, there are rooms in the reason for everybody, but then what would I know, I am
just a weary gardener 😉
So how about those ridiculous predictions of 100,000 people turning out for the premiere? Seems the actual turnout was around 20k.
As Wellington City itself has a population of approx 200,000, that would have been half the city turning out and squishing into downtown, just to see some famous people walk on a red-coloured carpet and hear the same old suspects have some speeches.
2 and one half internet points for trying there son, but a 15 point deduction for trying to pull some shit that might fly on a trade me forum in the wee small hours but otherwise should have sent the abort abort woop woop sirens ringing well before you got the actual typing part.
I wouldn’t be too down on Trademe forums Pascal’s bookie… They have a huge readership if the large amount of hits are anything to go by whenever somebody links to a Jackal post there.
Besides, BM’s reasoning is far more simplified… How else to explain him/her thinking that CNN article is the only negative international attention Key and the Hobbit has recently received?
The trend is very worrying indeed, with the world clearly starting to think New Zealand is backwards and run by morons. Unfortunately people like BM and the politicians he/she supports do nothing but encourage people to form those beliefs.
Do you know haow many people drink Coke? Neither do I, but it’s an imperial shit-tonne. Doesn’t mean I’m going to start drinking it, and it doesn’t mean there’s any reason for me to start trying to get them to make it drinkable for me.
lolwut? From your link, the only mention of Labour is this:
Pattrick Smellie is a co-founder of BusinessDesk an independent business news wire agency. He has spent 21 years working in journalism in New Zealand and for publications across the Tasman. He also was a press secretary for Labour’s Finance Minister Roger Douglas from 1985 to 1988 and has worked in corporate communications with Fonterra and Contact Energy.
The phrase “bread and circuses” came to my mind. The film evidently cost each and every one of us $8.00/head and then they will still expect us to pay full price for admission should we really want to go.
Cripes Janice – can’t you lift your sights above your personal cost to attend the film. If you want to comment why don’t you have something to say about the multiplier effect for every $8 (or whatever) spent. And that it comes from an continuing film making niche here providing opportunities for creatives and actors. And that it raises our profile overseas so we seem like a vital alive and beautiful country, which objectively, we probably still are.
But people grousing about the cost of any initiative and heaping loads of brown stuff on ‘the man they love to hate’ helps to drag us down to the boring, conservative, dour sadarse place we can still morph into.
very waltzing in black, strangle the life out of me there is plenty more I could say to make you change
your mind, didn’t have much money but I had a morrie thou’ sand ways to leave your lover and step out
the back Jack White is a very talented man with a beat full of eye candy. (deep inhalation) Shandi,
say goodnight and gooo home because you Sure Know Something ahaaa…
“cos we gotta mighty Convoy truckin on through the night, come join our convoy…see what’s outta
Sight. Breaker 1 9 you got your ears on? I seen a cab-over Pete with a Reefer on and a PM hauling hogs”
This whole Hobbit-hater thing is getting a bit overboard though. Anyway, the same people who go on about this stupid movie and the jobs that it will create are the same people who support the closure of the rail workshops at Hillside, the jobs there were secure, high wage and high skilled. They turned out some pretty good stuff. KiwiRail flash carriages being the latest — could have exported them to other countries as well.\
But oh no, appareantly we should all be independent contractors on Lord Jackson’s Tolkein adaptions.
That was a remarkable contrast to the ‘Campbell Caravan’ or whatever they call it where (if we are to believe the editing was done in an even handed way) absolutely everyone sampled in Lower Hutt was of the opinion that Shearer was ‘the man’…if they knew who he was… and most didn’t know who Cunliffe was.
The TV3 news straw poll asked a different question – quite a narrowly defined one: basically Shearer or Cunliffe? – and that was immediately after the MSM was giving Cunliffe bad press, while Shearer was identified as the legitimate leader.
The Dunedin-9 poll asks whether the Labour leadership problems have been ended with Cunliffe being sent to the back benches.
It’s hard to understand what David Cunliffe’s demotion was actually supposed to achieve for the Labour Party, or for the chances of a Labour Government getting elected. I took a look at the latest Roy Morgan results but the next one will be telling, I believe.
Yeah well, rumour has it that Clare Curran’s electorate members clearly indicated a preference for Cunliffe at the time of the leadership contest 12 months ago and she ignored them. What does that say about Clare Curran I wonder?
The Director General, Department of Conservation, Mr Al Morrison
We wish to register our collective dismay at the current restructuring of the Department of Conservation. The effect of these changes is of particular concern with regards to science and technical support staff. The dedicated staff in these positions are intimately involved in planning and advising field based conservation management and research. Therefore, to suggest that rangers and field based staff will not be affected by these changes, as the Minister and Director General claim, is ludicrous.
The Department of Conservation is characterised by an incredibly dedicated staff who are passionate about their jobs. Unfortunately, this dedication to conservation is not reflected by government. There is an ongoing reduction in capacity, support and funding for New Zealand conservation, along with the continual threat of restructuring and reprioritisation of resources. The loss of positions coupled with those who chose to leave an under-resourced and uncertain future within the department is to the detriment of New Zealand Conservation and ultimately to New Zealanders.
New Zealand has an outstanding international reputation for innovative and effective conservation management.
This reputation has been hard won through snatching iconic species from the brink of extinction the Chatham Island black robin, kakapo, takahe and saddleback. Many more species and ecosystems teeter on the edge of oblivion. We have the expertise to prevent this from happening but the experts require funding, support and job security.
This week over 1300 conservation biologists from more than 75 countries will converge on Auckland for the International Congress on Conservation Biology. As academics and scientists with intimate links to New Zealand-based conservation management, science and research what will we say when our international colleagues ask about conservation in New Zealand? We have many good things to tell them because conservationists are, by necessity, a dedicated and determined group of people. But we cannot say that this commitment is reflected by our government and we will doubtless relay our fears for the future of New Zealand conservation.
100 per cent Pure New Zealand has to be more than a marketing slogan to attract tourists and buoy exports of our agriculture products. It requires a well-funded Department of Conservation and secure roles within the department for the dedicated staff to simply get on with their job of protecting New Zealand’s biodiversity. We acknowledge the current economic challenges facing the globe but we also ask that conservation management and science be properly acknowledged as a strategic asset for the wealth of all New Zealanders and funded as such. Recessions come and go: extinction is forever.
Some homosexual, celebrity hairdo working as a “reporter” for the ET! channel “Close Up!” program, blubbering about Daddy not being able to see his son get married – boo hoo hoo!
Looks like Team Pro Gay are really scraping the bottom [ no pun intended ] of the barrel now in their social engineering attempts.
Well when the whole pro gay marriage crusade hinges on flakey Academic Left deconstructionist mumbo jumbo like Carol’s “binary opposites”, what else can they do?
That’s ‘pretty much’ because possibly, (possibly), you could come up with some word that is the only possible word to use, and it makes a pun that makes no sense, or that conveys some shit you don’t want to say.
Your case here?
Total tool move.
If you didn’t like the pun, get fucking rid of it. If you don’t want to get rid of it, own it, especially if you go out of your way to highlight the lame arsed piece of weak.
Holy shit, you found a homosexual person who’s in favour of gay marriage? I’m fucking stunned. Oh, wait, you meant “homosexual” as a perjorative. Interesting.
If you are genuinely concerned about overpopulation, then you should support gay marriage. The simplest, least invasive way of curbing overpopulation is not having so many children in the first place.
Logical fallacy – same sex couples are no less likely, and quite probably more likely, to pursue having children if married. Gay people have all the functioning bits, and what we don’t have we can go get. You’re actually being a bit patronising – especially if you are assuming that gay marriage will make more people gay, or whatever weird idea you have in your head.
A culture that accepts gay people will see fewer of them live unfulfilling heterosexual lifestyles. I would suggest it probably isn’t uncommon for closeted gays to shack up and have children under some mistaken belief that it might ‘fix’ them or whatever. So there’s that.
But otherwise, yeah, doesn’t really make any sense.
Another giant step forward for NZ on radio today! No. Sorry just another case of the wealthy playing monopoly with NZ people’s money. RAM otherwise Ross Assets Management or some lying name, has gone belly up with just $400 million somewhere and about $10 million assets can be found and another $67 million that might be raised from the dead hands of investors paid out with newcomers money, also the IRD receiving real tax on mythical profits. When will this stop!!!!!!
We can’t get anywhere in this country if we allow some bloated, calaculating business fatneck to swan along and pick our pockets. Who can you invest with and trust? When is there going to be close monitoring and regulation of financial entities from government? We don’t want the Goldman Sachs copycats doing an Antiques Roadshow on our bits and bank balances and then conniving to acquire them, and we don’t want the Standard and Poors acting stable assessing our businesses. We want integrity, and by god if we have to pay for it we should shut up and fork out. It would be advantageous in the long run.
The ASB has just done a city by city chart as to the most financially active business centre and Aucland wins – why because they have more housing start ups. I would like to see two separate lots of figures, one for housing only and the other for real business which would include commercial buildings. Housing masks other activities and it is a relatively easy option for business investment. We need reassurance that there is actitivity and investment in other areas of enterprise in NZ.
And another ruined golden goose – the kiwifruit debacle continues. All those great people mortgaging themselves, doing hands on productive work, refining methods to meet quality standards – putting muscle and thought and innovation into a growing market have been severely checked if not wiped out by this pollen business. Bring back hanging? No no that’s the wrong attitude but directing passion to introducing tight precautionary actions to prevent this sort of commercial sabotage, whether un- or intended, is where strong feelings should be channelled.
I been for a wonder and a quick look at the BBc before communion. The options before the UK
parliament at the mo’ are to either get the press to self-regulate or be under government regulation.
According to RT television, which is really a humurus watch at times, the Spaniards are loosing
1000’s more Jobs in an exchange for MORE bankier support from EU Central and the French
are exibiting fears of disenfranchised Islamists; remember Algeria? oui oui
Remember when you walked home from school for lunch and Mum had made fresh ham and chicken
sandwiches while Dad pulled up out front in the bright Red CA Bedford van. Family home for Lunch.
and the son of the men who founded the company died recently in an industrial accident, along creep
of increasing competitiveness and Size in the Transport Industry; very sad,
Oh well, there is always Question Time for a laugh 🙂
The things they say in parliament are interesting because they go in the Hansard and and not to mislead
i wear baggy pants and i can not lie Stag and me ‘ad our own litle mag with Stars on Radio with
Pictures in our eyes like Talking To A Stranger sow the NZIER also recognise that NZ imports to ausie
are down non-people anyways “she’ll be right” and the germ Joyce acknowledges NSW and Queen Vic.
economies are “struggling” while the MC assail the Battered seas Power Station. Russell was sowing
them memes Pa, sure did look purty Metiria (although there are burgeoning Mass Body issues in NZ)
we seem a “fattist” society as a generalization, which thankfully has been reframed thanks to Pacifica
30 Years Tenure, figurative rhetoric bites them apples deep.
Unbelievable boiled lolly behaviour over a hard-to-swallow sweetie we’ll modify statistical reporting
frequently to maximize the fleece between Shares.
Funny fred Brown-stone just needed Pebbles-dash splattered down his tie; Wilmah!..Wilmah!
f.ism = Mob Rules thats why ya’ need the Hounds Of Love Running Up That Hill to see Black Sabbath
playing April. Fools in Cuba? Alright! Alllllright! as Tool?s have always boot-strapped the apex predator
wannabee a Hot Child In The City as National lampoon democracy.
-All Fred Einstein Gary Numan 😉 (craig, you’re a fossil alright yeah, just lay your hands on me…lay your hands on me Alright Yeah)
You might have thought that his tuneless singing of this witless, plodding campaign tribute in 2008 was the low-point of Stevie Wonder’s foundering career….
I have just sent this letter to the Honourable Lockwood Smith.
“Dear Sir
I am deeply disappointed by what took place during Question Time, no.4 today (29/11/2012). I am astonished that you allowed the derogatory phrase “shut it sweetie” to pass by without stern censure. This type of language is more likely, for example, to be found in the build up to a bar room brawl between drunk females, or by an adult trying to bully a child into submission. “Shut it sweetie” is neither appropriate nor fittting language for use in the House, and especially by a Minister of the Government. I expect far greater competence from those in positions of great responsibility.
Whilst there may be loud and rude comments made in the to and fro of the House’s business, I find this comment to be quite offensive.
The Minister of Social Development has an important portfolio to care for some of the weakest and most vulnerable people in our country. This is especially pertinent in the context of today’s question dealing with vulnerable youth. As you will no doubt be aware, many of these youth are the victims of abuse, both physical and verbal. The Minister just compouded that abuse by her offensive remarks
Furthermore, I would suggest that there was very little provocation that caused this gross remark. The remark was not just “less that ideal.” The remark is offensive.
I found this interchange disgusting and your involvement was especially disappointing. Both the dignity of the House and the responsibilities the House has to the people of New Zealand were seriously belittled today.
I expect more that to hear Ministers of the Crown say “shut it sweetie.”!”
To the tune of “Little Buttercup” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance
For I’m called Paula Benefit — plump Paula Benefit,
Though I could never tell why,
But still I’m called Benefit — plump little Benefit,
Though benefit no one do I!
I’ve slashed solo mothers and plenty of others,
My clothing puts Bett Lynch to shame;
I hiss “Zip it, Sweetie,” at all who’d defeat me,
And ethics can go to the flame.
I’m a leopard-print manatee, I lack all humanity,
My office leaks like a sieve;
All of those unemployed just make me so annoyed,
I strike them wherever they live.
Then ask for a Benefit – beg for a Benefit;
Of jobs there are never enough;
So, come to your Benefit — plump little Benefit;
So I can say go and get stuffed!
cool Pop Music M People “movin’ on up yes we’re movin on up…”
2.2M FB users in NZ and only 15K tax after “legitimate tax avoidance” save Facebook now!
Horan, what a cheeky wee dog; is the forecast for cloudy or fine?).The Retirement Watchdog
Commission warns that housing affordability for the smothering litter will be in the dog-house
(of course) while MFAT is further trimmed we’re givin the dog a bone just givin the dog a bone
The New Demons http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1362676.The_New_Demons
they sound attractive
nothing tautological about it Word
you reap by the technique you sow with language sticks to mark out the rows, all in all we are just
bricks in a wall from Te Mata peak look down where The Mushroom Farm grows beneath a
Golden Gate Ellulian arche, underline, that spans civilisation, modernity and technique employing
the tools of a christian Post-Christian ethique.
There was some excellent representative television on Close-UP 7PM in my view.
Third, we don’t need the workers. Productivity gains and cheap imports mean that we can and do enjoy far more farm and factory goods than our forebears, with much less effort. Only a small fraction of today’s workers make things. Our problem is finding worthwhile work for people to do, not finding workers to produce the goods we consume.
Which is what I’ve been saying for a long, long time.
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
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Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
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Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
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I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
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Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
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The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
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Nice signs of a fightback against the age of austerity. This is the second factory occupation in Taranaki in a week, after a group of metal workers also held a sit down strike to get their company to recognise their delegate’s right to represent them at pay talks:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/8011469/Unionised-Tegel-staff-push-for-5pc
Some context:
My emphasis.
Yep, belt tightening is for workers only. Bonuses and trebles all round for the bosses!
And. Ports of Tauranga made a record profit. Guess who is now trying to get staff to take wage cuts and sit around on call.
Along with POAL trying to make the rest of their skilled staff, planner, pilots etc. take cuts to help pay for Gibson’s 34 mill fuckup. And presumably his 750k salary.
I have been thinking lately, that it’s worth looking more at local newspapers, because they often print articles more relevant to ordinary people than the big dailies.
A fair comment Karol. The regions do appear to get ignored by City newspapers and TV news in general unless theres a mountain exploding or a multiple car crash involving tourists. News seems to be shaped into a top down format. People/community centred news that is still relevent to the country as a whole probably never makes it out the area.
Local dailies always have the juicy bits and they are pretty much all I read when trundling around our vast country. They are also very entertaining.
Karol
Agreed, but the Herald has already morfed into a small minded Auckland local paper.
Others in the same ownership only repeat what the Herald says, so why waste money ?
Ahhh Tegel, those were the days…back in early 04 I did 2 weeks there as a casual worker. At that time, Allied Workforce (which was in a great growth period under the supposedly worker-friendly Labour government), had a contract with Tegel to supply casual workers to the plant, it bascially involved sitting by the phone, waiting for AWF to ring for you to come into work — if you missed the call, too late, someone else got the work, anyway, the guys at AWF would tell you about how their workers would be subjected to nasty harrasment by the permanent workers, but I experienced none, though in the cafeteria the AWF workers and the permanent workers tended to keep apart, with the permanent workers having the luxury of having purchases from the cafeteria deducted from their next pay slip.
But anyway, the work was hard, and one would come home at night very sore and stinking of chicken. Also, I found training to be more or less a senior worker spending 5 mins telling me what to do, and then leaving me to it to bumble round.
After being shifted to about 4 different departments (and having the privilige of pulling innards out of dead chickens), I left after getting chemical burns on my wrist when I was washing out dixie creates — something that I was responsible for, as I had deliberately not worn correct PPE when working, in the belief that it would be easier. The scars sometimes still itch to this day. And I havent been to Tegel since — the office job that I have spent 7 years in is more suited to me.
I belive Addeco has the contract now, but Tegel is a shit place to work. I dont blame the workers for striking for more pay — the money is the reason why so many people work there.
Cheers, millsy, that’s a good summary of the place from what I’m told. And also testament to the need for a living wage.
Mallard’s appallingly prepared and badly communicated Auckland Waterfront RWC Stadium Proposal comes to mind.
Did Annette get coaching on her Auckland Housing Solution from Mallard?
Annette and Mallard have had their last Hurray’s too many times.
Shadbolt should be retiring in Invergiggle soon, Trev!
Nothing looks more desperate than someone trying to start a meme.
I had to laugh when I heard Vogon Commander Joyce in parliament yesterday claiming that Labour have been nicknamed “the hobbit haters” by the nz media.
I’ve never noticed anyone in the media use the term, unless they were directly quoting a script-reading Nat MP. Has anyone?
Noted entertainer John Key has been using it a lot. Maybe that’s what he meant?
I’m a Hobbit-hater, and not ashamed to say so.
http://t.co/80MRdynR
“Hobbit Love” is more of a worry, when a union buster is celebrated by thousands of grinning kiwis.
Hobbit hater is attempted code for ‘unkiwi’, or not sticking to the default kiwi setting of twisted nationalism and subservience. The type that sees support for troops in Afghanistan, youthful trips to Gallipoli and ANZAC day, tears during Dave Dobbyn songs as patriotism.
Key and business has been “storming the shire” since ’08 and the kiwi hobbit lovers do not seem to care a bit.
More on the H****t. quite good from Tom Scott.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/cartoons/6736460/Tom-Scott-2012
Scott got one thing wrong though – Key didn’t pay for some of it, we did.
@ weka, the implication I took via Lord Jackson’s shifty look was that “you” (The Prime Minister) by implication meant “us” (the taxpayers). Jackson knows well it did not come out of Key’s pocket, and that he was the bagman for Warners.
According to Key, it was Peter “Jackshon” who made the “Hobbits”. Our very own George W. Scott should do a cartoon about that.
“I’m goin’ back in Jachshon…Jackshon’s who I want to be…”
-in Key j minor
Hey TM. That unpatriotic vibe you’re referring to was disturbingly evident on 3’s coverage of the hobbit premiere last night. The whole angle on “if we didn’t act (meaning bend over for Hollywood) we wouldn’t be here today” was devisive and nauseating. Key was so fill of ‘told you so” smugness and was smirking and grinning like the cat who got the cream. Ugh!
And yes, the Tom Scott cartoon in todays dompost was a good leveller.
Hi Rosie,
The whole thing is disgusting, and seeing the thronging masses fawning over the event makes me shake my head.
These are the spells weaved by the “magic” of hollywood, which is what people seem to “care’ about these days.
Kia Ora Muzza:-)
Yep. Ignorance is bliss.
Its’ been particluarly tiresome here in Wgtn with the whole Jackson adoration and “isn’t the Hobbit great for Wellington, blah blah blah” going on ad nauseum.
Seen it used a lot by right wing blog commenters. Does Joyce consider them to be part of the media?
Stop being so precious.
Does anyone in the media use the meme “Planet Key”?
Does it matter?
The point was, that Joyce was trying to claim the term is used by the media.
And my point is – so what…?
The media has reported the “hobbit Hater” meme.
There are big things to worry about and legitimate things to crticise this corrupt government about. But the message gets lost when we cry about Mr Joyce saying nasty things in Parliament which may not be true.
No, the media has reported that Key has used the term “hobbit haters” to describe Labour.
Joyce is pretending that the media themselves used the term to describe Labour which is an entirely different thing altogether.
and…
…and it’s the opposite of what you said, yet just over an hour later you’re agreeing with it. Duh.
I don’t think any ‘message’ is going to get lost due to an open mike discussion.
Hey now, Joyce has a point. The media does use it. When reporting on how it was entirely coined by the Nats. But that still totally counts!
“Does anyone in the media use the meme “Planet Key”?”
Actually, yes. And that meme was created by Key himself (and picked up by the Greens), which is quite different from an opposition party manufacturing a meme entirely, as National are now attempting to do.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/ambassadors-rage-doesnt-dispel-facts-20121128-2ae99.html
Ambassador’s rage doesn’t dispel facts
by Elizabeth Farrelly, November 29, 2012
‘Swedish ambassador goes berserk over Assange,” read Monday’s Wiki-tweet. It rang a bell, as it bounced around the globe, for while most diplomats are polite to the point of somnambulism, my sole encounter with the Swedish ambassador had been distinguished by rage (his). This rage, rooted in WikiLeaks, had itself been Wikileaked.
Sven-Olof Petersson is Sweden’s man in Yarralumla. By now he may be wishing he’d followed the advice I give my 13 year-old.
It’s this. If you have something savage to say, sleep on it. Then, if it really must be said, pick up the phone. Say it in person. Shout it from the rooftops, if need be. But under no circumstances commit it to cyber-space. Cyber-speech, seemingly ethereal, is etched in stone.
Back story: last April I wrote a column about Julian Assange. ”It’s quite clear,” I said, ”that Assange is not guilty – not of rape, not of treason”, but it was more a logical deduction (from the definition of these things) than a claim to knowledge of the events. In particular, I wrote of my dismay at what can happen to speakers of truth, especially at the hands of those who pretend to uphold it.
It made the Swedish ambassador mad. Really mad. We now know it made him, by his own admission, out-of-control mad.
Read more….
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/ambassadors-rage-doesnt-dispel-facts-20121128-2ae99.html
“In particular, I wrote of my dismay at what can happen to speakers of truth, especially at the hands of those who pretend to uphold it.”
You can include the hands or should I say paws of “Cry rape!” Feminists like Felix and QofT who are CIA dupes. They’ve jumped on board the trial by media smear campaign against Assange like good little toadies – “Rape culture! Rape culture!” they wail on cue, like professional mourners.
Of course what makes Julian Assange ‘guilty’ in their eyes is A) he is a man, B) his political activism against the rich and powerful that dwarfs anything Team Feminists and other Assange haters, have or ever will accomplish.
Not sure I’ve passed any opinion on those matters, k_p.
Care to show where I have? Otherwise an apology and retraction will be fine, thanks.
Still really, really desperate to deny there’s rape culture, k_p. Interesting.
How can one logically deduce that someone did not commit rape without any knowledge of the events?
That entire piece is moronic. But thanks of regurgitating the “sex without a condom is illegal” lie. Just to remind us that even nice anti-establishment people will perpetuate rape myths if they think it will piss of America.
carry on Shrek?
you calling me fat? 😉
naaaah, not at all, just wondering if there is any merit in offloading some more sociological precis allah 🙂
Ellul, which I have to share, is dead on the money; everything he thought and wrote across the 20th
Century, Fox, (she’s a twentieth century fox) came to fruition and he is referred to as the prophet of
the 21st; sees social phenomena corresponding to waves, currents and depths 😉 ; present events and
personalities which the MSM and increasingly the academic social scientists focus on, deeper abstract philosophical concerns and of course, his interest in the middle of the trending currents.
His corpus has a foundation in Marxist analysis but it goes way beyond money and settles on technique
so I’ll search for a link and tell me what your thoughts are; many of the Sounds of Silence tell me it’s all
happening at The Zoo 🙂
interestingly there is a work entitled Presence amidst consideration is given to
lived experience
“common places”
and the
Sacred (isn’t it interesting where the teleology of one’s ontological project can lead?)
I really recommend this text Living the Word, Resisting the World: The Life and Thoughts of
Jacques Ellul, there are rooms in the reason for everybody, but then what would I know, I am
just a weary gardener 😉
So how about those ridiculous predictions of 100,000 people turning out for the premiere? Seems the actual turnout was around 20k.
As Wellington City itself has a population of approx 200,000, that would have been half the city turning out and squishing into downtown, just to see some famous people walk on a red-coloured carpet and hear the same old suspects have some speeches.
look at what the world thinks of us
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/blistering-cnn-report-calls-kiwis-desperate-over-hobbit-5247237
John Key has made us the laughing stock of the world.
New Zealand truly does suck while he continues to embarass us all
“John Key has made us the laughing stock of the world.”
Clark did the same thing with Return of the King don’t forget.
Clark did what? Rewrite employment law or just build an international reputation as a suck-up?
Really The Contrarian? Helen Clark drew the ridicule of international media for sucking up?
Do go on…
Article written by a one Pattrick Smellie
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1209/S00629/pattrick-smellie-wins-scholarship-to-london.htm
Once again Labour aligned people taking a dump in the Hobbit punch bowl, in a feeble attempt to sling shit at John Key and National
Notch another one up for the “Hobbit haters”
Fark.
2 and one half internet points for trying there son, but a 15 point deduction for trying to pull some shit that might fly on a trade me forum in the wee small hours but otherwise should have sent the abort abort woop woop sirens ringing well before you got the actual typing part.
Trade me forums aye.
I assume you post in opinions, what handle do you go by over there?
Don’t.
You should do, the left side could really do with some help.
Reckon seeing how Trademe forums are for people who can’t figure how to make Stuff comments work, losing a flame war is the least of their probs.
I wouldn’t be too down on Trademe forums Pascal’s bookie… They have a huge readership if the large amount of hits are anything to go by whenever somebody links to a Jackal post there.
Besides, BM’s reasoning is far more simplified… How else to explain him/her thinking that CNN article is the only negative international attention Key and the Hobbit has recently received?
The trend is very worrying indeed, with the world clearly starting to think New Zealand is backwards and run by morons. Unfortunately people like BM and the politicians he/she supports do nothing but encourage people to form those beliefs.
Do you know haow many people drink Coke? Neither do I, but it’s an imperial shit-tonne. Doesn’t mean I’m going to start drinking it, and it doesn’t mean there’s any reason for me to start trying to get them to make it drinkable for me.
BM: “… Labour aligned people …”
lolwut? From your link, the only mention of Labour is this:
Damn libril medja.
The phrase “bread and circuses” came to my mind. The film evidently cost each and every one of us $8.00/head and then they will still expect us to pay full price for admission should we really want to go.
Cripes Janice – can’t you lift your sights above your personal cost to attend the film. If you want to comment why don’t you have something to say about the multiplier effect for every $8 (or whatever) spent. And that it comes from an continuing film making niche here providing opportunities for creatives and actors. And that it raises our profile overseas so we seem like a vital alive and beautiful country, which objectively, we probably still are.
But people grousing about the cost of any initiative and heaping loads of brown stuff on ‘the man they love to hate’ helps to drag us down to the boring, conservative, dour sadarse place we can still morph into.
very waltzing in black, strangle the life out of me there is plenty more I could say to make you change
your mind, didn’t have much money but I had a morrie thou’ sand ways to leave your lover and step out
the back Jack White is a very talented man with a beat full of eye candy. (deep inhalation) Shandi,
say goodnight and gooo home because you Sure Know Something ahaaa…
Rogue Trooper
Your special weirdness gives an interesting counterpoint to our often banal comments. What are you on? Is it legal? Watch your dosage.
Yes, I like RT’s style. I like the song titles woven into the free form conversation. Even if they’re bad songs I still like it. Keep on truckin’ RT.
“cos we gotta mighty Convoy truckin on through the night, come join our convoy…see what’s outta
Sight. Breaker 1 9 you got your ears on? I seen a cab-over Pete with a Reefer on and a PM hauling hogs”
Yeah, I got my ears on RT! Thigh slappin’ and hat doffin’ right back at ya:-)
I’ve had “send me an angel” playing in my mind, off and on, since you mentioned it a couple of days ago 🙂
Im going to download it myself, down the track.
This whole Hobbit-hater thing is getting a bit overboard though. Anyway, the same people who go on about this stupid movie and the jobs that it will create are the same people who support the closure of the rail workshops at Hillside, the jobs there were secure, high wage and high skilled. They turned out some pretty good stuff. KiwiRail flash carriages being the latest — could have exported them to other countries as well.\
But oh no, appareantly we should all be independent contractors on Lord Jackson’s Tolkein adaptions.
http://www.ch9.co.nz/content/your-word-labours-leadership-problems
Duneding Labour Supporters are unhappy with the state of the Leadership.
90% of poll believe Cunliffe’s demotion does not address the Leadership problems.
Clare Curran has her work cut-out.
That was a remarkable contrast to the ‘Campbell Caravan’ or whatever they call it where (if we are to believe the editing was done in an even handed way) absolutely everyone sampled in Lower Hutt was of the opinion that Shearer was ‘the man’…if they knew who he was… and most didn’t know who Cunliffe was.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Who-should-lead-Labour/tabid/367/articleID/277266/Default.aspx
The TV3 news straw poll asked a different question – quite a narrowly defined one: basically Shearer or Cunliffe? – and that was immediately after the MSM was giving Cunliffe bad press, while Shearer was identified as the legitimate leader.
The Dunedin-9 poll asks whether the Labour leadership problems have been ended with Cunliffe being sent to the back benches.
It’s hard to understand what David Cunliffe’s demotion was actually supposed to achieve for the Labour Party, or for the chances of a Labour Government getting elected. I took a look at the latest Roy Morgan results but the next one will be telling, I believe.
Yeah well, rumour has it that Clare Curran’s electorate members clearly indicated a preference for Cunliffe at the time of the leadership contest 12 months ago and she ignored them. What does that say about Clare Curran I wonder?
.
Can’t say you weren’t warned, eh John?
More pro gay “marriage” propaganda in the NZ Herald.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10850682
Some homosexual, celebrity hairdo working as a “reporter” for the ET! channel “Close Up!” program, blubbering about Daddy not being able to see his son get married – boo hoo hoo!
Looks like Team Pro Gay are really scraping the bottom [ no pun intended ] of the barrel now in their social engineering attempts.
Well when the whole pro gay marriage crusade hinges on flakey Academic Left deconstructionist mumbo jumbo like Carol’s “binary opposites”, what else can they do?
^^^DFTT
Fuck that “no pun intended” crap.
Pretty much the only legitimate use of that phrase is here:
http://t.co/80MRdynR
That’s ‘pretty much’ because possibly, (possibly), you could come up with some word that is the only possible word to use, and it makes a pun that makes no sense, or that conveys some shit you don’t want to say.
Your case here?
Total tool move.
If you didn’t like the pun, get fucking rid of it. If you don’t want to get rid of it, own it, especially if you go out of your way to highlight the lame arsed piece of weak.
Holy shit, you found a homosexual person who’s in favour of gay marriage? I’m fucking stunned. Oh, wait, you meant “homosexual” as a perjorative. Interesting.
Seems our resident doom sayer Robert A isn’t the only one crying wolf.
http://www.businessinsider.com/were-headed-for-a-disaster-of-biblical-proportions-2012-11?op=1
70 million extra human beings squeezed onto the planet every year.
If you are genuinely concerned about overpopulation, then you should support gay marriage. The simplest, least invasive way of curbing overpopulation is not having so many children in the first place.
Logical fallacy – same sex couples are no less likely, and quite probably more likely, to pursue having children if married. Gay people have all the functioning bits, and what we don’t have we can go get. You’re actually being a bit patronising – especially if you are assuming that gay marriage will make more people gay, or whatever weird idea you have in your head.
A culture that accepts gay people will see fewer of them live unfulfilling heterosexual lifestyles. I would suggest it probably isn’t uncommon for closeted gays to shack up and have children under some mistaken belief that it might ‘fix’ them or whatever. So there’s that.
But otherwise, yeah, doesn’t really make any sense.
Well he is not wrong. Except I think he is just as bad as the deniers in one way.
Why bother doing anything if we are doomed anyway!
And on a lot more modest scale, those of you who’ve ever been tramping will get a mild chuckle from pg.2 of the latest FMC Newsletter:
http://www.fmc.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Newsletter/Club1210.pdf
Well, Hope the MSM responsibly broadcast this to the people joe
Another giant step forward for NZ on radio today! No. Sorry just another case of the wealthy playing monopoly with NZ people’s money. RAM otherwise Ross Assets Management or some lying name, has gone belly up with just $400 million somewhere and about $10 million assets can be found and another $67 million that might be raised from the dead hands of investors paid out with newcomers money, also the IRD receiving real tax on mythical profits. When will this stop!!!!!!
We can’t get anywhere in this country if we allow some bloated, calaculating business fatneck to swan along and pick our pockets. Who can you invest with and trust? When is there going to be close monitoring and regulation of financial entities from government? We don’t want the Goldman Sachs copycats doing an Antiques Roadshow on our bits and bank balances and then conniving to acquire them, and we don’t want the Standard and Poors acting stable assessing our businesses. We want integrity, and by god if we have to pay for it we should shut up and fork out. It would be advantageous in the long run.
The ASB has just done a city by city chart as to the most financially active business centre and Aucland wins – why because they have more housing start ups. I would like to see two separate lots of figures, one for housing only and the other for real business which would include commercial buildings. Housing masks other activities and it is a relatively easy option for business investment. We need reassurance that there is actitivity and investment in other areas of enterprise in NZ.
And another ruined golden goose – the kiwifruit debacle continues. All those great people mortgaging themselves, doing hands on productive work, refining methods to meet quality standards – putting muscle and thought and innovation into a growing market have been severely checked if not wiped out by this pollen business. Bring back hanging? No no that’s the wrong attitude but directing passion to introducing tight precautionary actions to prevent this sort of commercial sabotage, whether un- or intended, is where strong feelings should be channelled.
This is as good as we can expect under this National led Government:
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/aspiring-to-become-average.html
This government isn’t even aspiring to average – they want to keep as as backwards hicks.
I been for a wonder and a quick look at the BBc before communion. The options before the UK
parliament at the mo’ are to either get the press to self-regulate or be under government regulation.
According to RT television, which is really a humurus watch at times, the Spaniards are loosing
1000’s more Jobs in an exchange for MORE bankier support from EU Central and the French
are exibiting fears of disenfranchised Islamists; remember Algeria? oui oui
Remember when you walked home from school for lunch and Mum had made fresh ham and chicken
sandwiches while Dad pulled up out front in the bright Red CA Bedford van. Family home for Lunch.
and the son of the men who founded the company died recently in an industrial accident, along creep
of increasing competitiveness and Size in the Transport Industry; very sad,
Oh well, there is always Question Time for a laugh 🙂
The things they say in parliament are interesting because they go in the Hansard and and not to mislead
i wear baggy pants and i can not lie Stag and me ‘ad our own litle mag with Stars on Radio with
Pictures in our eyes like Talking To A Stranger sow the NZIER also recognise that NZ imports to ausie
are down non-people anyways “she’ll be right” and the germ Joyce acknowledges NSW and Queen Vic.
economies are “struggling” while the MC assail the Battered seas Power Station. Russell was sowing
them memes Pa, sure did look purty Metiria (although there are burgeoning Mass Body issues in NZ)
we seem a “fattist” society as a generalization, which thankfully has been reframed thanks to Pacifica
30 Years Tenure, figurative rhetoric bites them apples deep.
Unbelievable boiled lolly behaviour over a hard-to-swallow sweetie we’ll modify statistical reporting
frequently to maximize the fleece between Shares.
Funny fred Brown-stone just needed Pebbles-dash splattered down his tie; Wilmah!..Wilmah!
ugh Gee Fred.
-Barney Rubble
f.ism = Mob Rules thats why ya’ need the Hounds Of Love Running Up That Hill to see Black Sabbath
playing April. Fools in Cuba? Alright! Alllllright! as Tool?s have always boot-strapped the apex predator
wannabee a Hot Child In The City as National lampoon democracy.
-All Fred Einstein Gary Numan 😉 (craig, you’re a fossil alright yeah, just lay your hands on me…lay your hands on me Alright Yeah)
How morally blind is Stevie Wonder?
You might have thought that his tuneless singing of this witless, plodding campaign tribute in 2008 was the low-point of Stevie Wonder’s foundering career….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svogqpLuXyI
But you would be wrong. He’s sunk about as low as anyone who is not Clint Eastwood could sink….
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/alexander-billet/will-israeli-apartheid-steal-stevie-wonders-soul
Interesting thoughts.
https://www.streettalklive.com/component/content/article/9-off-the-street/1302-a-capitalists-dilemma-whoever-wins-on-tuesday.html
Typical RWNJ with no solutions just more suggestions on giving the rich even more wealth.
I have just sent this letter to the Honourable Lockwood Smith.
“Dear Sir
I am deeply disappointed by what took place during Question Time, no.4 today (29/11/2012). I am astonished that you allowed the derogatory phrase “shut it sweetie” to pass by without stern censure. This type of language is more likely, for example, to be found in the build up to a bar room brawl between drunk females, or by an adult trying to bully a child into submission. “Shut it sweetie” is neither appropriate nor fittting language for use in the House, and especially by a Minister of the Government. I expect far greater competence from those in positions of great responsibility.
Whilst there may be loud and rude comments made in the to and fro of the House’s business, I find this comment to be quite offensive.
The Minister of Social Development has an important portfolio to care for some of the weakest and most vulnerable people in our country. This is especially pertinent in the context of today’s question dealing with vulnerable youth. As you will no doubt be aware, many of these youth are the victims of abuse, both physical and verbal. The Minister just compouded that abuse by her offensive remarks
Furthermore, I would suggest that there was very little provocation that caused this gross remark. The remark was not just “less that ideal.” The remark is offensive.
I found this interchange disgusting and your involvement was especially disappointing. Both the dignity of the House and the responsibilities the House has to the people of New Zealand were seriously belittled today.
I expect more that to hear Ministers of the Crown say “shut it sweetie.”!”
To the tune of “Little Buttercup” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance
For I’m called Paula Benefit — plump Paula Benefit,
Though I could never tell why,
But still I’m called Benefit — plump little Benefit,
Though benefit no one do I!
I’ve slashed solo mothers and plenty of others,
My clothing puts Bett Lynch to shame;
I hiss “Zip it, Sweetie,” at all who’d defeat me,
And ethics can go to the flame.
I’m a leopard-print manatee, I lack all humanity,
My office leaks like a sieve;
All of those unemployed just make me so annoyed,
I strike them wherever they live.
Then ask for a Benefit – beg for a Benefit;
Of jobs there are never enough;
So, come to your Benefit — plump little Benefit;
So I can say go and get stuffed!
+2 !
+9.9 Populuxe1
cool Pop Music M People “movin’ on up yes we’re movin on up…”
2.2M FB users in NZ and only 15K tax after “legitimate tax avoidance” save Facebook now!
Horan, what a cheeky wee dog; is the forecast for cloudy or fine?).The Retirement Watchdog
Commission warns that housing affordability for the smothering litter will be in the dog-house
(of course) while MFAT is further trimmed we’re givin the dog a bone just givin the dog a bone
The New Demons
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1362676.The_New_Demons
they sound attractive
nothing tautological about it Word
you reap by the technique you sow with language sticks to mark out the rows, all in all we are just
bricks in a wall from Te Mata peak look down where The Mushroom Farm grows beneath a
Golden Gate Ellulian arche, underline, that spans civilisation, modernity and technique employing
the tools of a christian Post-Christian ethique.
There was some excellent representative television on Close-UP 7PM in my view.
ACTUALLY, THE RETIREMENT AGE IS TOO HIGH
Which is what I’ve been saying for a long, long time.
Yeah. Labour’s policy of increasing the retirement age is dumbass.