Some people just don’t learn

Written By: - Date published: 1:17 pm, March 11th, 2012 - 83 comments
Categories: business, class war - Tags:

The support for the workers at POAL is growing by the day. Thousands of people turned out to march yesterday and the mainstream media has woken up to just how vicious the port’s tactics are.

But it’s not just the public support that is with the wharfies and their families. They’ve got the industrial muscle too – with port workers from around the world announcing they’ll blacklist ships loaded at POAL by strike-breaking labour.

And from what I hear POAL is in serious legal trouble as well.

All that could save POAL now would be the government intervening. But this government doesn’t have spare political capital to throw away by legislatively backing a despised port board against ordinary working Kiwis. It would have done so in the first sitting week if the management had managed to run a decent PR campaign against the union (in fact my sources tell me that was the original plan cooked up between the port board and the NACT crew – demonise the port workers over the xmas break and then invoke strategic economic interests to bang through more anti-union legislation).

Instead POAL is f**ked. They’re not going to get the contractors they need (and in fact the contracting companies themselves may yet discover that getting involved in this was a poor business decision), and the contractors they do get will be sitting idle because nobody will want to risk running cargo through Auckland unless they have to. They may even find they can’t legally employ a new workforce anyway.

In fact I’m calling time on Tony Gibson. This dispute will finish him. Sure he’ll stay on as CEO in name while someone else sorts this mess out but once the deal is done and the dispute leaves the spotlight he’ll be down the road. Probably for “family reasons”.

The thing is, I’ve seen this happen over and over again. Union members and their supporters have a long history of handing these wannabe Roarks their arses. Every major company that has tried to screw its workers in the last ten or so years has had a taste. International Paper had a taste, Progressive Enterprises had a taste, Air New Zealand had quite a few. And, despite getting his law change, Peter Jackson got a taste when he attacked union members after they settled (as did Key – another reason he’ll be keeping away from this one).

And yet Tony Gibson and his dad’s army of board members thought they’d get away with this? It just goes to show the calibre of corporate leadership we have in this country.

And just as an aside – Len Brown (and to a lesser extent David Shearer): you should have realised right from the start which way this was going to go. Backing union members wasn’t the political risk you faced. It never is.

83 comments on “Some people just don’t learn ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. mickysavage 1
    11 March 2012 at 1:44 pm

    The news that should more than anything else show that POAL was engaging in bad faith bargaining is the recruitment drive it started two weeks ago, before the decision to deunionise the site was made and before MUNZ had a chance to respond or present its thoughts on the proposal.

    Good faith bargaining means keeping an open mind, not predetermining the issue before the union can respond.

    Len still has a chance to show leadership and I hope he does.  There is a meeting of Council this Thursday where the issue will be discussed and the outcome may determine how the issue is going to finish.

  2. John H 2
    11 March 2012 at 1:52 pm

    Nice spin. However the battle’s over, even if a handful of unionists march through Auckland.

    Companies are run by managers and boards, not unions.

    If you don’t like that, buy a company and just see how realistic you find the union “demands”.

    IrishBill: I think you’ll find I’ve a lot more experience in business than you ever will.

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 2.1
      11 March 2012 at 1:56 pm

      “The battle’s over.”

      Yes, the blacklisted ships are being unloaded by happy little serfs as we speak…

      Aren’t they?

    • mickysavage 2.2
      11 March 2012 at 2:01 pm

      Funny I thought that we did own the company.  And as a shareholder I think the Board’s performance has been appalling.

      • Frank Macskasy 2.2.1
        12 March 2012 at 12:01 pm

        Indeed, Micky. And Holmes’ interview on Q+A yesterday didn’t help much.

        From my blogpost analysis on Holmes’ interview with Richard Pearson,

        Towards the end of the “interview”, Pearson again slips up, when he states,

        ” Paul, that is absolute nonsense. People talk about waiting by the phone, etc. Ships are on schedules. 90% of all the ships that come into the port are on their schedule, on their slot, within one hour of ETA. We know months ahead. We can actually plan shifts weeks and weeks ahead. It is absolute nonsense to say that, and all I could also say is talk to the people at Tauranga. They’re quite happy. Everything works well. “

        That statement is a flat-out contradiction of Pearson’s earlier assertion, at the beginning of the interview, where he makes the claim that,

        “Well, from my perspective, Paul, I came into this situation, and I’ve been 37 years in the container port business and ports all around the world. I have never seen such a waste of resource going on here. I have never seen a situation where you pay someone for 43 hours and they work 26. I’ve never seen a situation where ships wait to come in to start waiting for the start of a shift. You know, that’s like aeroplanes flying around waiting for- “

        On the one hand, Pearson claims that “I have never seen a situation where you pay someone for 43 hours and they work 26. I’ve never seen a situation where ships wait to come in to start waiting for the start of a shift” – and then goes on to contradict that claim by stating that “Ships are on schedules. 90% of all the ships that come into the port are on their schedule, on their slot, within one hour of ETA. We know months ahead. We can actually plan shifts weeks and weeks ahead“.

        POAL’s Board and CEO should be sacked. As their leaked memo demonstrated, they had a secret agenda lined up to casualise the workforce and undermine job security.

        If this is what John Key meant when he pledged his government would “raise wages”, then he’s going a funny way about it.

        • Bafacu 2.2.1.1
          12 March 2012 at 5:38 pm

          What a load of rubbish.

          The ships do come in within a very short timeframe of their stated arrival time … BUT then have to wait for the “workers” to arrive at their 9 – 5 job to do the work, rather than when they arrive.

          Portsa re not a 9 – 5 environment and if people want that then the Port is not the place for them.

          No contradiction from my perspective.

    • tc 2.3
      11 March 2012 at 8:28 pm

      ‘Companies are run by managers and boards, not unions.’ very true and in this case being run badly with little if any respect for its workers, without which it doesn’t have a business.

      Expecting an unrealistic ROI against the industry average and with little investment in capital or technology over the last decade or more Hides board are typical of many, not living in the real world just their own little mates club of spreadsheets and PR spin.

    • Frank Macskasy 2.4
      12 March 2012 at 12:48 am

      5,000 people was a “handful of unionists”?!

      My, that’s quite a spin…

  3. Mark G 3
    11 March 2012 at 1:54 pm

    Your commentary is reminiscent of Comical Ali from the 2003 Iraq War. He too was deluded about what side had won.

    IrishBill: I’ve seen a lot of disputes Mark, and I know how the real world works. Now take a month long ban for comparing me to a mass-murderer.

    • Kotahi Tane Huna 3.1
      11 March 2012 at 2:32 pm

      Anyone who believes Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf was deluded obviously missed the little smile that would flicker at the edges of his mouth. His best performance was the one with the US tanks clearly visible behind him. “There are no American tanks…”

      Just like if you were to say “there are no blacklisted ships…” Go on, say it, then we can all have a laugh.

    • DavidC 3.2
      11 March 2012 at 5:45 pm

      Great way to shut down the debat there IrishBill.

      [Great way to get yourself a ban too. MarkG was not debating, and only got a month because IB got to him before I did…RL]

    • insider 3.3
      11 March 2012 at 9:51 pm

      Comical Ali wasn’t a mass murderer, he was the front man at media conferences. His nickname was a pun on chemical Ali, who was indeed a mass murderer

      • mac1 3.3.1
        11 March 2012 at 10:08 pm

        insider, you raise an interesting question. At what point do people become mass murderers? Is it only the people who actually pull the trigger or is it those who profit from, condone or even ignore the actions of the regime which they support?

        • insider 3.3.1.1
          12 March 2012 at 9:50 am

          Yes it is an interesting philosophical debate. But in Comical’s case, from memory he was captured and released without charge as having no real involvemtn in the Saddam regime and its crimes.

    • SHG 3.4
      12 March 2012 at 3:17 am

      Say what, IrishBill? The guy criticised your COMMENTARY, not your person. You can tell by the way he says “your commentary”.

    • Jagg 3.5
      12 March 2012 at 6:40 am

      [You asked for it…Banned permanently. RL]

  4. Jester 4
    11 March 2012 at 2:07 pm

    Whilst I admire your conviction Bill, i should point out that hanging your hat on international support is limp at best.

    Cue Australian Trade Practices Act, UK Employment Act 1990 and the US Wagner Act. All similar legislation that sent Tauranga and Lyttletons secondary strikers back to work.

    Reading body language and comments from Q&A this morning Mr Parsloe did not appear to be in the box seat at all and his plea for the POAL to return to the table and his request for someone to intervene seemed desperate at best.

    Whilst I agree that in the past the unions were dogged scrappers, however legislation, falling union numbers and the general publics interpretation on union greed has emasculated them.

    Mr Parsloe gave a very good impression of a punch drunk boxer…..still upright but the lights are out and the last fight over.

    • MrV 4.1
      11 March 2012 at 2:18 pm

      Not to say how many unemployed Americans would love a port job right now.

    • IrishBill 4.2
      11 March 2012 at 2:22 pm

      I think you’ll find you’re wrong. The legislation you quote tends only to have use when secondary industrial action is expressly notified.

      I expect the wharfies to be back employed as employees by the end of the month. I’m not often wrong in these matters.

      • Jester 4.2.1
        11 March 2012 at 3:18 pm

        True, but secondary action that is not expressly notified does tend to leave the worker rather exposed to action of the employer which I’m not to sure the internationals will risk for pissant little ole NZ. Solidarity is one thing, long term solidarity is another.

        MUA seem to have there own shitfight happening in their own backyard with Patrick to rock the boat too much. Perhaps you need to start proposing monkey wrenching within the transport unions. Probably have more success there 🙂

        • IrishBill 4.2.1.1
          11 March 2012 at 3:29 pm

          I’m not to [sic] sure the internationals will risk for pissant little ole[sic] NZ

          That’s not been my experience at all.

          • Jester 4.2.1.1.1
            11 March 2012 at 3:35 pm

            Maybe not so 10 years ago, but times are a changing Bill, times are a changing.

            • Muzza 4.2.1.1.1.1
              11 March 2012 at 5:00 pm

              Actually you’re right , times are changing and it’s heading back in time. The further back you look, the more clearly you can see the future. And so the times are changing alright, with some big shocks for the banker run capitalist system.

            • Frank Macskasy 4.2.1.1.1.2
              12 March 2012 at 12:54 am

              Indeed they are, Jester… but not quite as you feel.

              In case you hadn’t noticed, there is a resurgence in Union activity; new right dogma is being challenged; and people are seeking alternatives. Judging by the hysteria shown by some on the Right, they are nervous – and so they should be.

              The new meme is that crony capitalism is not working and will never work – it demands too much from the majority. People want more; they want job security and a decent wage.

              Attacking the port workers was a big mistake. Even if they were earning $91k (which is BS, going by POAL’s own factsheet), so what?

              Dear Leader pledged to raise wages in 2008 and last year – and here we have a company trying to drive down wages with casualisation. People see that and wonder, “am I next”?

              And when the middle class baby boomers start to get anxious – that’s when governments lose.

  5. Bruce 5
    11 March 2012 at 4:10 pm

    Go the unions!
    It surely can’t be that easy to dump an entire workforce lawfully.

  6. Darien Fenton 6
    11 March 2012 at 4:14 pm

    Time to lay off David Shearer. He marched with the workers yesterday and spoke on behalf of Labour to show our support He’s visited the picket line and kept in regular contact. He was up at the Maritime Bar on Friday night to talk to the workers again. There were 15 Labour MPs there yesterday, our president, vice president, Maori Council and hundreds, if not thousands of other Labour Party members. He’s the only party leader (apart from Hone I think) who has actually been to the picket line.

    • tsmithfield 6.1
      11 March 2012 at 4:38 pm

      “Time to lay off David Shearer.”

      Darien, if he is doing all these wonderful things, then why do you want to lay him off? 🙂

      • Darien Fenton 6.1.1
        11 March 2012 at 4:45 pm

        @tsmithfield : Very funny. If it weren’t so serious for 300 workers and their families at the ports, the 1000 off workers who are locked out by the Talleys family and the 1500 rest home workers who are having to strike because of our pitiful minimum wage.

        • Pete George 6.1.1.1
          11 March 2012 at 5:08 pm

          Why do you think so much attention is given to the port workers compared to the aged-care workers? Compared to port workers aged-care workers are paid pitifully.

          Just because shipping can be disrupted much more easily?

          • shreddakj 6.1.1.1.1
            11 March 2012 at 5:16 pm

            Don’t worry, once we win the battle at the ports, we’ll fight just as hard for rest home workers.

            • DavidC 6.1.1.1.1.1
              11 March 2012 at 5:44 pm

              “Don’t worry, once we win the battle at the ports, we’ll fight just as hard for rest home workers.”
              Utter bullshit.
              Unions have allways gone for soft targets, the ones that hurt the public or the ecconomy.
              Auckland warfies achieve better than $50 a hour for unskilled work ($90K at 28 hours a week) and aged care gets $14?

              • Kotahi Tane Huna …
                11 March 2012 at 5:45 pm

                *wharfies.

              • RedLogix …
                11 March 2012 at 5:54 pm

                Unions have allways gone for soft targets, the ones that hurt the public or the ecconomy.

                Yes… it’s called ‘market power’. Have a problem with that?

                • tsmithfield …
                  11 March 2012 at 6:33 pm

                  I am surprised Labour are so politically naive on this one. It would be much more politically acceptable for them to be standing up for the likes of the rest home workers who are paid very lowly for the value of the work they perform. This would seem very much aligned with Labour’s core message.

                  But because Labour has decided to support the wharfies, it appears that Labour is standing up for workers that many would probably view as rich pricks in drag. This is not really consistent with their positioning as the guardians of the vulnerable.

                  • RedLogix …
                    11 March 2012 at 7:28 pm

                    Spare me ts. The problem for some workers is that they are not really in a legal or ethical position to strike….which hugely reduces their negotiating power.

                    If Labour was seen standing up for rest home workers…encouraging them to strike… can you imagine the howls of outrage?

                    • Pete George …
                      11 March 2012 at 7:35 pm

                      There are other ways to do it. Striking should be a last resort tactic, as it often harms the workers more than helps them (while union officials and politicians keep drawing full salaries).

                      If Labour wanted to be credible about equality then they should be putting much more effort into aged-care workers. Not by talking them into striking, that would be stupid.

                      They should be campaigning much more strongly in parliament for better funding of the elderly sector wages.

                      Much more useful than wasting so much time and resource having an extended hissy fit about some part sales of a few assets that probably aren’t going to have a major impact in the whole scheme of things.

                    • KJT …
                      11 March 2012 at 8:35 pm

                      PG. 14 Billion deficit. 
                       
                      14 billion lost dividends and earnings from the last round of asset sales. Bit of a coincidence.
                       
                       
                      Workers ARE reluctant to strike, because it costs them a lot.
                       
                      The costs of not striking have to be huge.

                      Do you realise you have just made a case for sympathy strikes to be legal.
                      The rest of the Union movement could then use their market power to support rest home workers.
                       
                      Where are your screams about Mearsk using their market power, and the stupidity of our fake port competition, to reduce their costs.

                      Parsloes salary is a 9th of Gibson’s. Hardly creaming it.

                    • Matthew Whitehead …
                      12 March 2012 at 1:31 am

                      Striking IS a last resort, for the very reason that it can be a high-risk strategy. The fact that so many unions have to strike indicates something about the culture of employment in general and in our country specifically- namely, that employers don’t always give people a fair go when employees negotiate in good faith. I’m sure employees can demand too much as well, but we don’t really have a history of that in New Zealand- this isn’t France, with its ridiculously high amount of leave, or anything. 🙂

                    • Pete George …
                      12 March 2012 at 6:37 am

                      I’m sure employees can demand too much as well, but we don’t really have a history of that in New Zealand

                      Are you quite young Matthew? I’ve lived through times of ridiculous union demands, some of them frequent, like cooks and stewards (interisaland ferries), freezing workers and wharfies. Earlier fighting for reasonable work conditions was justified, it later became farcical and disruptive. (Employers weren’t always blameless either).

                      Have you wondered why wharfies can earn far more than aged care workers, more even than nurses and teachers?

                  • Jenny …
                    12 March 2012 at 7:13 am

                    If you hadn’t noticed the Maritime Union members were on there on the rest home workers picket, as they were on the Dairy workers and all the other workers over the years who have been in trouble with their employers, that is how solidarity works.

                    It is why they had so many turn up to support them on Saturday.

              • muzza …
                11 March 2012 at 7:07 pm

                Better than $50 per hour, do share where you for that little piece of detail from DC…

              • shreddakj …
                11 March 2012 at 9:31 pm

                Wow, the right wing trolls keep making the pay even bigger! Has anyone told the wharfies what they’re missing out on?

          • Kotahi Tane Huna 6.1.1.1.2
            11 March 2012 at 5:47 pm

            Attention by whom, Pete?

    • Muzza 6.2
      11 March 2012 at 5:07 pm

      Hey Darien are you a member of Parliamentarians for Global Action, how about Shearer ?

    • Jimmie 6.3
      11 March 2012 at 7:35 pm

      So to stir the pot a little Ms Fenton are you saying that the march was made up of Labour MP’s, unionists, & Labour Party Hacks? I thought the spin here was that it was a sign of growing public support for the ex wharfies not a bunch of patisan activists trying to make this a national issue.

      Can’t have it both ways.

      • Jenny 6.3.1
        12 March 2012 at 7:16 am

        Eh Jimmy, the majority of the marchers I took to be non-union, and with many young people. Make of that what you will.

    • newsense 6.4
      12 March 2012 at 5:56 pm

      He’s got our qualified support Darien. He’s still got to earn our loyalty.

      I think it is very very healthy that we expect high standards from our Labour leaders, and I think in fact the Clark government was at its best when it was strongly critiqued from an intellectually vibrant left. It did that government no harm at all.

  7. Robert Atack 7
    11 March 2012 at 4:28 pm

    The world is 5-6 years passed peak oil/energy, from now on we will all have less next year than we had this year, that is what a reducing amount of energy equals, it also means less tax take, as the wankers in Wellington are finding out, less jobs, less fright coming into NZ ports, therefore less wharfies, less truckies and less social justice.
    Welcome to my nightmare
    Now the rubber is hitting The Road ) http://www.themodernword.com/reviews/mccarthy_road.html
    But all is not lost we got Kiwi Saver

    • Lanthanide 7.1
      11 March 2012 at 4:37 pm

      Are you sure that oil supply next year is going to be lower than this year?

      I’m not so sure. I certainly wouldn’t bet on it.

      • Muzza 7.1.1
        11 March 2012 at 5:14 pm

        If the supply of oil is used as a weapon , why not the stats around reserves etc! What possible reason would any oil company or production state have for being forthcoming about the figures. Just speculating!

      • Colonial Viper 7.1.2
        11 March 2012 at 8:19 pm

        Are you sure that oil supply next year is going to be lower than this year?

        Yes it will be. Especially if you measure it in a way which makes sense e.g. qty of oil available for trade on world markets per capita per dollar of cost.

        • Jenny 7.1.2.1
          12 March 2012 at 7:21 am

          Don’t worry CV the oil industry will keep drilling and fracking and spilling and mining tar sands, and coal until every possible hydrocarbon resource has been liberated to find it’s way into the atmosphere.

          Welcome to my nightmare.

      • Robert Atack 7.1.3
        12 March 2012 at 7:41 am

        Lanth

        I don’t think you have the software in your neck top to be able to sit through this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOMWzjrRiBg 34 minute skit, let alone the ability to understand it, but maybe someone else on this blog will, they can explain it all to you.

        • Lanthanide 7.1.3.1
          12 March 2012 at 8:42 am

          As usual Robert you mistake my needling of you for a lack of understanding of peak oil.

          I understand and appreciate peak oil quite well, and have for some years.

          I specifically asked if you think *next year’s* production will be less than *this year’s*. I was very specific and deliberate in my question, but as usual this subtlety has whistled past you.

          • grumpy 7.1.3.1.1
            12 March 2012 at 10:24 am

            You make a good point, Element 57.

            I have seen forecasts of an increase in oil production for next year………………..

          • Robert Atack 7.1.3.1.2
            12 March 2012 at 6:32 pm

            And clearly you didn’t watch the You Tube skit. showing that taking anything you say is a fucking waste of my time, it will not happen again, I just hope you have children

            • Lanthanide 7.1.3.1.2.1
              12 March 2012 at 8:12 pm

              Hey Robert, I’ve been reading TheOilDrum since 2007 and DoTheMath since it started last year.

              I AM FULLY AWARE OF PEAK OIL AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF IT.

              Now are you going to answer my question, or not? Are you sure that oil production in 2013 is going to be lower than in 2012?

            • Kotahi Tane Huna 7.1.3.1.2.2
              13 March 2012 at 2:47 pm

              Mr. Asshat, you just don’t get it do you? You are mistaking contempt for your arrogance and rudeness as a commentary on peak oil. It isn’t: it’s just contempt for your arrogance and rudeness.

    • johnm 7.2
      11 March 2012 at 5:54 pm

      Hi Robert When is AFewKnowTheTruth returning to make comments here? Sort of miss his wake up calls.

      • Jenny 7.2.1
        11 March 2012 at 9:20 pm

        plus 1

      • Kotahi Tane Huna 7.2.2
        12 March 2012 at 9:21 am

        Oh yes, lol.

        “Now that Peak Oil is starting to bite a 4% contraction of the economy looks about right for 2012”

        So insightful, so full of shiny truthiness.

        • Lanthanide 7.2.2.1
          12 March 2012 at 9:48 am

          Indeed. The economic armageddon seems to creep back and permanently stay just over the horizon as time goes on. I’m now seriously wondering if we’re actually going to see any significant impacts before 2014-2015.

    • Hammer 7.3
      12 March 2012 at 3:19 pm

      Peak oil – a 50 year old myth. Shale Gas and Shale oil is flowing in many parts of the world; Sth Africa just announced a 400 year supply, USA talks of hundreds of years supply too.
      Poland has huge supplies;
      USA gas prices have halved in last 5 years.

      The only worried ones are the Arabs.

  8. Darien Fenton 8
    11 March 2012 at 5:50 pm

    @Muzza : yes I am. Not sure about David S. Will check.

    • muzza 8.1
      11 March 2012 at 7:13 pm

      Shame they changed the name really – Parliamentarians for Global Order seemed much more honest to me. The name change kind of screemed that someone was not all that pleased with the marketing department!

      Differing lines of thought around what the organisation exists for, and the website is laughable, without even having the NZ section functioning, and its been a work in progress for quite some time….

      Do any of the PfGO in NZ write or blog about their involement. Are you able to point to yours or others experiences from it?

  9. Tiger Mountain 9
    11 March 2012 at 5:54 pm

    The FOL’s (NZ Federation of Labour) late Jim Knox used to regulary be spontaneously applauded when he walked into workers meetings. While even a few union officials mocked Jim as did TV shitheads McPhail & Gadsby, per his mangled vocabulary, along predictably with Pig Muldoon, his attitude was genuine, a ’51 vet. and many workers instinctively knew that.

    Jim used to say in a platitudinous way at first hearing, but probably more from the boredom of repetition, stuff like “unite all who can be united, working men and women lets go forward together with the advice and support of the Federation of Labour”. It is called positive leadership and that is what we need now.

    That is the style workers enjoy and require. Aotearoa has changed incredibly since the 80s but all you coffee swilling Standard freelancers and even a few right wingers probably yearn for it deep down, change happens on the streets like it or not, heh.

    The unionists are not the dinosaurs it is the POAL.

  10. Bryan 10
    11 March 2012 at 6:52 pm

    I object to POAL chair in the daily full page adds at 25K a time telling me that there was no other way for the port company but to repudiate the maritime union collective. POAL is owned by us ratepayers and has no mandate for acting in bad faith. Stop the directors fees and casualise the CEO – hell yes!!!

  11. Jenny 11
    11 March 2012 at 9:21 pm

    it is imperitave that the two parties come together and continue talking.

    The Honourable Sua William Sio

    “It’s Never Too Late to Talk Employment”

    The actions, of Sua William Sio and the other Labour MPs including Labour leader David Shearer who yesterday stood with the many thousands of grass roots New Zealanders and dozens of overseas supporters, has moved the Labour mayor of Auckland, Len Brown to reconsider his previous hands off approach to the Ports of Auckland dispute.

    Today on current affairs programme Q+A the Mayor said he wanted to step in to the dispute between the parties to find a solution.

    MUNZ press release 11/03/12

    The leader of the Maritime Union, Gary Parsloe has warmly greeted the Mayor’s offer to step into the dispute to find a solution. And has offered to meet at any time on any day.

    So far, there has been no reply from the management of the Ports of Auckland to the Mayor’s offer to meet to find a solution.

    Not being interested in this meeting is just one more act of bad faith by the Ports of Auckland management.

    The Ports management do not want to settle and are determined to sack their workforce and replace them with contractors.

    PoAL refuse to negotiate in good faith even though the law requires them too.

    The inescapable conclusion is that the Ports management do not want to come together to continue talks to resolve this dispute.

    If PoAL continue to ignore the call to attend the talks called by the Mayor, I think that the Ports of Auckland management should be injuncted to attend the Mayor’s offer of talks, on pain of serious legal penalties targeting the individuals responsible.

    I am sure that in light of the Mayor’s offer to mediate, any judge being aware of the law requiring parties involved in a industrial dispute to negotiate in good faith, would have no choice but to grant such an injunction.

    On the March

    Rallying the crowd

    From facebook

    We have your back

  12. infused 12
    12 March 2012 at 12:05 am

    [Deleted …not useful]

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    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    9 hours ago

  • On Lee’s watch, Economic Development seems to be stuck on scoring points from promoting sporting e...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    9 hours ago

  • New Zealand has never been closed for business
    1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    10 hours ago

  • Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    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’.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    13 hours ago

  • Melissa Lee and the media: ending the quest
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    14 hours ago

  • The Hoon around the week to April 19
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago

  • The ‘Humpty Dumpty’ end result of dismantling our environmental protections
    Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    15 hours ago

  • Nicola's Salad Days.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    16 hours ago

  • Study sees climate change baking in 19% lower global income by 2050
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    16 hours ago

  • Weekly Roundup 19-April-2024
    It’s Friday again. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week on Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt covered at the government looking into a long tunnel for Wellington. On Wednesday we ran a post from Oscar Simms on some lessons from Texas. AT’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    17 hours ago

  • Jack Vowles: Stop the panic – we’ve been here before
    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 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    19 hours ago

  • Clearing up confusion (or trying to)
    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 ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    20 hours ago

  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A Step–by–Step Guide Losing your iPhone call history can be frustrating, especially when you need to find a specific number or recall an important conversation. But before you panic, know that there are ways to retrieve deleted call logs on your iPhone, even without a computer. This guide will explore various methods, ranging from simple checks to utilizing iCloud backups and third–party applications. So, let‘s dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. That‘s why they introduced the “Recently Deleted“ folder for various apps, including the Phone app. This folder acts as a safety net, storing deleted call logs for up to 30 days before permanently erasing them. Here‘s how to check it: Open the Phone app on your iPhone. Tap on the “Recents“ tab at the bottom. Scroll to the top and tap on “Edit“. Select “Show Recently Deleted“. Browse the list to find the call logs you want to recover. Tap on the desired call log and choose “Recover“ to restore it to your call history. 2. Restore from iCloud Backup: If you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud, you might be able to retrieve your deleted call log from a previous backup. However, keep in mind that this process will restore your entire phone to the state it was in at the time of the backup, potentially erasing any data added since then. Here‘s how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose “Erase All Content and Settings“. Follow the on–screen instructions. Your iPhone will restart and show the initial setup screen. Choose “Restore from iCloud Backup“ during the setup process. Select the relevant backup that contains your deleted call log. Wait for the restoration process to complete. 3. Explore Third–Party Apps (with Caution): ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    22 hours ago

  • How to Factory Reset iPhone without Computer: A Comprehensive Guide to Restoring your Device
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Call Someone on a Computer: A Guide to Voice and Video Communication in the Digital Age
    Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #16 2024
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 day ago

  • Where on a Computer is the Operating System Generally Stored? Delving into the Digital Home of your ...
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Many Watts Does a Laptop Use? Understanding Power Consumption and Efficiency
    Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How to Screen Record on a Dell Laptop A Guide to Capturing Your Screen with Ease
    Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Much Does it Cost to Fix a Laptop Screen? Navigating Repair Options and Costs
    A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • How Long Do Gaming Laptops Last? Demystifying Lifespan and Maximizing Longevity
    Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Climate Change: Turning the tide
    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. ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • How to Unlock Your Computer A Comprehensive Guide to Regaining Access
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Faxing from Your Computer A Modern Guide to Sending Documents Digitally
    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 ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Protecting Your Home Computer A Guide to Cyber Awareness
    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, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Server-Based Computing Powering the Modern Digital Landscape
    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, ...
    Gareth’s WorldBy admin
    1 day ago

  • Vroom vroom go the big red trucks
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago

  • Jones finds $410,000 to help the government muscle in on a spat project
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Again, hate crimes are not necessarily terrorism.
    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 → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago

  • Despair – construction consenting edition
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Coalition promises – will the Govt keep the commitment to keep Kiwis equal before the law?
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • An impermanent public service is a guarantee of very little else but failure
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • What happens after the war – Mariupol
    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 ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    2 days ago

  • Babies and benefits – no good news
    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.  ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Should the RBNZ be looking through climate inflation?
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours, as of 9:16 am on Thursday, April 18 are:Housing: Tauranga residents living in boats, vans RNZ Checkpoint Louise TernouthHousing: Waikato councillor says wastewater plant issues could hold up Sleepyhead building a massive company town Waikato Times Stephen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the public sector carnage, and misogyny as terrorism
    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 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    2 days ago

  • Meeting the Master Baiters
    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 ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • How extreme was the Earth's temperature in 2023
    This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blog In 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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Backbone, revisited
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Ministers are not above the law
    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 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • What’s the outfit you can hear going down the gurgler? Probably it’s David Parker’s Oceans Sec...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point  of Order first heard of the Oceans Secretariat in June 2021, when David Parker (remember him?) announced a multi-agency approach to protecting New Zealand’s marine ecosystems and fisheries. Parker (holding the Environment, and Oceans and Fisheries portfolios) broke the news at the annual Forest & ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    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. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Matt Doocey doubles down on trans “healthcare”
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • A TikTok Prime Minister.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Texas Lessons
    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. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's pick 'n' mix of the news links at 6:06 am
    The top six news links I’ve seen elsewhere in the last 24 hours as of 6:06 am on Wednesday, April 17 are:Must read: Secrecy shrouds which projects might be fast-tracked RNZ Farah HancockScoop: Revealed: Luxon has seven staffers working on social media content - partly paid for by taxpayer Newshub ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Fighting poverty on the holiday highway
    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 ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Bernard's six-stack of substacks at 6:26 pm
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • At a glance – Is the science settled?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    Bowalley Road
    3 days ago

  • What’s a life worth now?
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • Howling at the Moon
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Newshub is Dead.
    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, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Seymour is chuffed about cutting early-learning red tape – but we hear, too, that Jones has loose...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Will politicians let democracy die in the darkness?
    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 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Was Hawkesby entirely wrong?
    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. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • PRC shadow looms as the Solomons head for election
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Climate Change: Criminal ecocide
    We are in the middle of a climate crisis. Last year was (again) the hottest year on record. NOAA has just announced another global coral bleaching event. Floods are threatening UK food security. So naturally, Shane Jones wants to make it easier to mine coal: Resources Minister Shane Jones ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Is saving one minute of a politician's time worth nearly $1 billion?
    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 Brown announced ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • Long Tunnel or Long Con?
    Yesterday it was revealed that Transport Minister had asked Waka Kotahi to look at the options for a long tunnel through Wellington. 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 ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Smoke And Mirrors.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • What is Mexico doing about climate change?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • State of humanity, 2024
    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 ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Govt’s Wellington tunnel vision aims to ease the way to the airport (but zealous promoters of cycl...
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • The case for cultural connectedness
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Useful context on public sector job cuts
    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 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell On When Racism Comes Disguised As Anti-racism
    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 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    5 days ago

  • Govt ignored economic analysis of smokefree reversal
    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 ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • True Blue.
    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 ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Who is running New Zealand’s foreign policy?
    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. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Judicial appointments announced
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    12 hours ago

  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
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  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
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  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
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  • Antarctica New Zealand Board appointments
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