When Paula Bennett is positive about a group of beneficiaries, be suspicious

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, March 26th, 2013 - 47 comments
Categories: benefits, child welfare, families, paula bennett - Tags:

So, it looks like Paula Bennett doesn’t hate all beneficiaries with the power of a thousand suns!

After taking a close, careful look at a particular group of beneficiaries – those being paid to look after children of parents who are “incapable or unable to do the job” – Paula’s decided that they’re not bludgers: they’re heroes.

Simon Day of Stuff then handily produces a profile of one of these heroes, a grandmother raising eight of her grandchildren.  Hmm … I wonder how he got all her personal and financial information?

And this should be a heartwarming story about people doing what’s best for the kids and the state being willing to support them when they take on the financial burden of raising (eight!) extra children, and coincidentally doesn’t this just prove that Paula Bennett is really kind and compassionate and not just out to screw all beneficiaries?

I guess that means that the beneficiaries she does screw over really are bludgers.

And this is why that narrative works:  because Paula Bennett has found someone else to do the dirty work for her, and that person is Diane Vivian, chair of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.

Now, grandparents who step in to raise their grandkids when it’s necessary are doing fantastic work.  They’re providing a really important social good.  They deserve to have a group which advocates for them.

But that group, and its chair, should take care.  Because right now, you see, it’s really useful to Paula Bennett for them to be the ones slagging off parents:

There has been a generational failure in parenting in New Zealand, leaving grandparents to pick up the pieces, according to Diane Vivian, the chair of GRG, who raised three children and two foster kids.

“Parents are putting their own selfish wants and needs before those of their children. What I am seeing from our perspective is there is a whole generation of that,” she said.

… because right now, that feeds into the narrative that Paula Bennett wants:  look at me, I don’t hate all beneficiaries, just the evil bludging scum ones, and see, the saintly heroic grandparents agree with me!

Ms Vivian might just like to consider this, though:  what if that weren’t the order of the day?  What if Paula Bennett hadn’t front-footed this story for her own gain?  What if it had been the season for dumping on people raising kids who aren’t their own?

Then, Ms Vivian, you’re fucked.  Because the nasty little question you really don’t want journos like Simon Day to ask is this:

Why did you fuck up raising your own kids so bad in the first place?

I mean, Ann Tahitahi, the subject of his second article, is doing a fantastic job.  A job which should be supported.  She shouldn’t, in my opinion, still have to be working graveyard shift while raising ten kids.

But Paula Bennett isn’t saying “good on you, Ann Tahitahi” out of true admiration.  She’s saying it for a political purpose.  And if her purpose were just slightly more sinister, she might be saying “why should Ann Tahitahi get paid to raise more children when on her first try she turned out neglectful P addicts?”

Diane Vivian might like to consider that before sticking her foot in the way of a gun barrel.  Right now it is convenient for Paula Bennett to be on your side.  Do not assume she will be on your side tomorrow.

47 comments on “When Paula Bennett is positive about a group of beneficiaries, be suspicious ”

  1. karol 1

    From the Heroes article:

    On a cocktail of payments, the eight foster parents received Orphans and unsupported child benefit (UCB), which is paid to support a child or young person whose parents can’t care for them because of a family breakdown, their parents have died or can’t be found, or can’t look after their child because they have a long-term illness or incapacity….

    And the cost of negligent parents is growing. Orphans and unsupported child benefits have grown from $101m in 2010, to $107m in 2011 and $111m in 2012.

    So what’s the evidence for all this money being paid out to compensate for “negligent” parents? Most of it sounds like it is the result of unavoidable circumstamces. The Grandparent’s spokesperson claims that:

    Drug use, violence, neglect and mental health issues are forcing grandparents to take responsibility for children, according to research by the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust (GRG).

    There has been a generational failure in parenting in New Zealand, leaving grandparents to pick up the pieces, according to Diane Vivian, the chair of GRG, who raised three children and two foster kids….

    The growing decline of traditional family values has contributed to the neglect of New Zealand’s children and means the Government has to pick up the cost, Pilbrow said.

    “There is a fundamental breakdown in the family unit. Couples aren’t staying together as much as they used to, so there is a breakdown that way. Or, there is violence. And it is a growing market unfortunately.

    “Family values”? *Sigh*. Violence is a “market”?

    • Draco T Bastard 1.1

      There is a fundamental breakdown in the family unit.

      And the obligatory fundy BS about the traditional family – the tradition that’s not much older than the colonisation of NZ.

      • David 1.1.1

        I doubt it’s even that old. If one was to have access to the reality of the lives of people in the nineteenth century, one would undoubtedly find that living arrangements were far more varied and complex than people imagine. I suspect that throughout history the trajectory of the majority of individual’s lives has been anything but normal. However, also in history, the myth of “family values” being used by conservative leaders to attack the marginalised has been a long one. Augustus Caesar was a fan of “family values”. In many societies extended family arrangements have been the norm, with the larger group caring for children rather than “mum and dad”. NB the main purpose of “mum and dad” of course is to buy shares in energy companies.

    • prism 1.2

      “Orphans and unsupported child benefits have grown from $101m in 2010, to $107m in 2011 and $111m in 2012.”
      Bul..t. The amount hasn’t grown much -it is mainly inflation affecting the figures. Nothing like making a big hoo hah so as to make the situation sound as bad as possible.

      All the government needs to do is support parents and ensure they have plans for their future and resources, or allow open adoptions and training for both mothers in child rearing so they can communicate amicably, also more control over alcohol and medicalising other drugs to make one of these step changes they were always on about in the heady early days of promise of the NACTs government term.

    • Wisewoman 1.3

      It is sinister how mental helath issues are being tied up with “bludgin”. WOrrying

  2. freedom 2

    figuring why Paula Bene-hit is promoting this story is like throwing a thousand darts at a bouncy castle,

    easy and deflating

    but i do i like what Lady Luna said
    “with people honing in on the fact that she receives an allowance to foster these children – do people not realise that all foster parents receive an allowance for looking after foster children? She works full time, and gets an allowance, that doesn’t make her a beneficiary”

    • karol 2.1

      They aren’t so much foster parents as grandparents who get the Orphans and Unsupported Child Benefit.

  3. Tim 3

    ALWAYS ….. be suspicious of Pulla Bent! For those that haven’t already cottoned on – more fucking fool you.
    An ugly specimen (in EVERY sense of the word UGLY – aesthesticallyi is what most assume. No!!!!. This woman is UGLY in a broader sense – hence – well, hence her want for assemtence amongst leaopard skin ugg booted, alongside fag-hagged finlaysons alOIK.
    I laugh at the philistines – indeed I laugh at those that ponder over the very definition of what consitutues a philistine.
    For now: Bent – HYPOCRACSY, ENVY, POWER STRUGGLE, HOLIER THAN THOU, Attitude of commin from the comman man – when REALLY – she hasn’t, nor ever did in comparison with those that do.
    UGLY UGLY UGLY.
    Ugly in look
    Ugly in mind
    Ugly in intent

    [Disclosure] I have not, nor have I ever been in a relationship with Pulla Bennet.
    I have worked in environments where this over-ambitious bitch [person] has been present and whose word takes second place to the sewerage that exited her exit points – (at the time) we thought it was green-friendly.
    [In her case, I doubt the waste will ever break down. It’s already at it’s lowest: CARBON]

  4. Colonial Viper 4

    Gotta love how Tories are so good at divide and rule. Amazing advice they get.

  5. Olwyn 5

    I fear that this could be a step toward normalising the removal of children from beneficiaries and the like who have not met an ever-increasing list of obligations.

  6. Athena 6

    It’s not fair that some people who have already demonstrated that they were crap at parenting the first time around get applauded and funded to stuff up the next generation and someone who ends up on the DPB now is despised by Bennett and her cronies. Yet another example of the Nats inability to think straight.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1

      Yet another example of the Nats inability to think straight.

      Probably more accurate to say that they’re looking after a large part of their base – the old fogies with their Holier Than Thou attitudes.

      Of grandmothers and beneficiaries

      The grandmother is a model of virtue, the transmitter of matrilineal knowledge and wisdom who presides from a certain distance over the institution of the family.

      Yes, the supposed virtues of grandparents comes through loud and clear in those articles.

      Yeah, I know I posted it in Open Mike – fits here too.

      • rosy 6.1.1

        the preference accorded to the noun ‘grandmother’ over the noun ‘woman’ (or retiree, or former teacher etc) is a source of some puzzlement to me. Is this how most women who also happen to be grandmothers self-identify? Is this how most people who aren’t journalists think of them? Or is this some kind of normative nominalism that reduces the individual to the most malleable abstract category available, furnishing a convenient peg on which to hang one’s preconceptions?

        Heh. Good observation.

      • Roy 6.1.2

        What Draco said.

      • Rogue Trooper 6.1.3

        yes, an interesting echo Draco.

    • It’s not fair that some people who have already demonstrated that they were crap at parenting the first time around get applauded and funded to stuff up the next generation…

      That’s a quite remarkable level of confidence in the ability of parents to determine how their children will turn out.

    • Wisewoman 6.3

      SO because PB is manipulating a tragic situation, you have to jackboot salute and blame grandparents for parents who are unable to cope with bringing up children either temporarily or permanently. What is not fair about a grandparent looking after their moko? Your sweeping and generalising statement is exactly like that of Appalling Benefat? Why does ANYBODY have to be judged or despised. She judges the parents, you judge the grandparents. How is you sanctimony any better than hers?

  7. jpwood 7

    Looking at their annual returns the Trust is only solvent because of the benevolence of their largest donor – the Ministry of Social Development. So this taxpayer funded advocacy group is suddenly aligning with the narrative being put forward by the Minister who is keeping the trust afloat.

  8. Mary 8

    This is Bennett et al doing the spadework to begin the “debate” about whether these dead-beat parents giving their children to their parents to look after is becoming a “lifestyle choice”. Guess what comes next.

  9. irascible 9

    Now, TVNZ should create a reality show with Paula Benhit taking on the job of looking after the 8+ children and household expenses for a month living only on the monies paid to the carer with no other income allowed. TVNZ could allow the public chances to create problems for Paula during the month that could threaten her budgetting.
    Could prove a real audience grabber.
    The show could be followed up with Heckia Parrota living & working as a teacher,getting paid on the novopay system and being held to public scrutiny / accusations of not delivering to Notional standards and coping with a set of really demanding parents at a parent-teacher night etc at regular intervals.
    Suggestions for other similar reality shows to be sent to TVNZ … Double Dipton to live on a Parliamentary cleaner’s income for a month…???

  10. pollywog 10

    There ya go young mother, that’s how you can find a job while your littlie is not yet a toddler.

    Farm the wee sprog out to the grandfolks.

    And all you grandfolks who fucked up raising your own kids can now be guilt tripped into making amends with your grandkids.

    No flies on Paula alright…sharper than your average hammer!

  11. Cactus Kate 11

    I was contacted by Mr Day to comment on this story, he OIA’ed what the top 10 beneficiaries earn and found many were receiving orphans benefits. That is the original source material.

    While he did not use my comments I asked what Bennett’s response was and at that time she didn’t have any so any suggestion she planted the story is false, the journalist seems to have gone to her.

    While this grandmother is commendable, it is of course her family that produced the problems here in the first place and indeed her own parenting. I did point this out.

    Had the Minister said this herself I am sure you would have written your piece here and ripped her throat out.

    • Colonial Weka 11.1

      “While this grandmother is commendable, it is of course her family that produced the problems here in the first place and indeed her own parenting. I did point this out.

      Had the Minister said this herself I am sure you would have written your piece here and ripped her throat out.”

      Probably because it’s not the whole, or even a useful part, of the real truth, when it comes from the mouth of the Minister.

      We know that on Planet Bennett, everything is the fault of the individual, but the Tahitahi woman didn’t spoon feed her adult children P did she?

      Besides which, if you want to blame the grandmothers, why not the great grandmothers? Pretty soon we’re back in the mists of time.

      • rosy 11.1.1

        Exactly, Weka.

        It’s no fun being a grandma, bringing up grandkids – A grandma’s job is to love, care for and spoil them, not love, care for and bring them up. And as for being fully responsible for how your kids turn out? Take a look around, bad luck, poor health, bad decisions, inappropriate friends and easy drugs can happen to those you least expect. There are a few high-profile New Zealanders that can attest that point.

        Because you’ve bought up a kid that can’t bring up their own kid doesn’t make you the wrong person to bring up your grandkids, nor does it make you the right person – all sorts of factors come into play. Maybe the husband who used to beat you up and messed with your children’s heads is no longer on the scene, for example.

        If you’re a straight-up person without vices that have damaged you, you have a stable marriage and job and you’ve brought up a kid that turned out o.k. maybe you still might want to just count yourself lucky, when as they get older, all the things that could have gone wrong along the way slowly emerge. I know I still touch wood when I think about how well my kids are managing their lives.

    • Mary 11.2

      “it is of course her family that produced the problems here in the first place and indeed her own parenting.”

      I can’t see how anyone could be so simplistic as to say this without knowing anything about the family, their history, what went on. Parenting is just one factor influencing a person’s make-up. Oh how easy it is to instantly assume it’s all the person’s fault without knowing anything about that person. It’s one of the fundamental errors underpinning the callous uncaring attitudes of many on the right.

    • QoT 11.3

      Yes, I would have, “Cactus Kate”, because beneficiary bashing is shitty. This really isn’t the hypocrisy you want to pretend it is.

    • Mary 11.4

      Day’s story certainly suits Bennett. And in any case, what makes you so sure it wasn’t Bennett? People don’t necessarily just lodge OIAs because they miraculously decide to out of the blue. Sometimes it’s because someone’s suggested that they should.

    • karol 11.5

      So who added the grandmother slant (out of 8500 state sponsored foster parents receiving the Orphans and Unsupported Child benefit) and decided to go with the quotes from the fundy grandparent organisation?

      The article says:

      Receiving $2188 a week, the highest paid beneficiary is caring for eight foster children for which he receives a UCB. He is married, has two of his own children, and also receives an invalid’s benefit.

      The second highest paid receives $1822 a week from the government and is also working fulltime. He and his wife receive an UCB for caring for nine grandchildren, four of whom have disabilities for which the family also receives child disability allowance.

      Doesn’t sound like the first example is looking after his own grandchildren, the second probably is, though it doesn’t explicitly say whose grandchildren they are looking after.

      If they chose not to use CC’s input, who else did they get input from but not report on?

      This article praises (a small number of specific) beneficiaries, in order to attack many more, and make it look like Bennett isn’t against beneficiaries as a group.

    • felix 11.6

      “I was contacted by Mr Day to comment on this story”

      And that tells me all I need to know about Mr Day and his approach to journalism.

      In what fuck universe is your opinion on benefits relevant to the public discourse? Do you have some special expertise or experience in this area?

      Nah, he just thought “hmm, story about some of the poorest and most downtrodden families in the country, better get a wealthy overseas-based nasty right-wing hatemonger’s perspective on this”.

      What a cock.

  12. Colonial Weka 12

    “When Paula Bennett first took over the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) portfolio in 2008 she was concerned at the amount paid to those looking after unsupported children. Now, she believes these caregivers deserve every dollar.”

    Great, it’s taken her 5 fucking years to figure out the obvious.

    • Draco T Bastard 12.1

      She still thinks those on the DPB, the UB and the sickness benefit are getting too much though.

  13. Lloyd 13

    How about Jerry Brownlee living a month as a snail on a mountain that Squalid Energy covets?
    Oh sorry, Squalid Energy has proved that coal mining is soo last century, long live the snails!

  14. Scintilla 14

    And you notice that, once again, it’s all about the wimmin. Who else has a half-share in this scenario? Fathers, grandfathers, husbands – what’s their roles? How did their presence or absence affect their children & grandchildren? Somehow it’s more about the women, in a retro-Freud kinda way it’s always the Mother’s Fault.

    Wouldn’t it be nice, just for once, to have Paula Bandit stand up and say “Well done, all you solo mums who’ve stuck it out and brought up your children on the smell of an oily rag and with sweet fuck all help from anybody else. Good on you.”

    John Key raises his glass and says “Cheers to that, I’m rilly relaxed about solo mothers.”

    • Fathers, grandfathers, husbands – what’s their roles?

      In a situation where 35% of Maori babies are supported by benefits at the end of their first year and 21% in the population overall, a significant proportion of the nation’s fathers are effectively sperm donors – the women involved recognise that the deadbeats they’ve been fucking aren’t husband material and look to the state as “defacto spouse,” as one of my commenters put it. It would be nice if the state could impose some consequences on these sperm donors, but effective means of doing so that wouldn’t breach the BoR aren’t obvious.

  15. just saying 15

    … look to the state as “defacto spouse,”

    What absolute rubbish Psychomilt.

    More of your nasty, victim-blaming rhetoric.

    Sole parents are doing the job of two parents – a job that two parents working together often struggle with. The state provides sole parents with a subsistence income way below the minimum wage, which allows them to continue doing the job of two parents 24/7 with no breaks, holidays, or sick leave. If the state didn’t provide this inadequate pittance, it would have to pay much more for the children to be cared for by someone else, and/or through dealing with increased health costs, social problems and crime.

    The state does none of the parenting work, housework, or any of the other tasks that keep a family functioning, and provides the sole-parent with none of the emotional and physical support, that a “spouse” and second parent would be responsble for.

    • The state does none of the parenting work, housework, or any of the other tasks that keep a family functioning, and provides the sole-parent with none of the emotional and physical support, that a “spouse” and second parent would be responsble for.

      Deadbeat dads don’t do those things either. The difference is the state has cash in its pocket and won’t make your life a misery – which makes the comparative attraction of the state as partner in childrearing obvious.

      • Pascal's bookie 15.1.1

        The state is just as much a ‘partner’ in these cases as it is in families that recieve wff, or take their kids to hospital, or send them off to public or integrated school.

        All these families get support from ‘the state’ in different ways, so why single out one type of support and elevate it to ‘defacto spouse’?

      • just saying 15.1.2

        Deadbeat dads don’t do those things either. ..

        Which is why they are not “spouses” if they ever were. As you put it, they:

        …aren’t husband material

        So now you’ve slid away from the state-as-defacto-spouse line, to state as “partner in child-rearing”

        Would you like a list of the responsibilities of an actual “partner in child rearing”?
        Or maybe you can just think about your own responsibilities in this role.

        According to your logic, the state is a “partner” to all private businesses, and to every single one of us, at some points in our lives.

        …….won’t make your life a misery – citation required.

  16. karol 16

    So the research that the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust referred to in the article, was completed in 2005. It was a survey of 324 grandparents and other kin carers.

    the findings were:

    Parental relationship breakdown is a common feature for the children being cared for by their grandparents

    – The major cause of placement with grandparents is drug (40.255%) and alcohol (29.10%) abuse and neglect (as a co-existing state).

    – The age of the parents at the time grandparents assumed primary care of their children was also analysed. The largest cohort for both genders was in the 20-30 year age group. The figures tend to debunk any theory grandparents are for the most part assuming the care of children of teenage parents

    – Nearly 25% of the caregivers have been caring for their grandchildren since birth, with drug/alcohol abuse, mental illness, abandonment, parental incapacity or incapability being cited as the principal reason for the placements.

  17. Rogue Trooper 17

    Reap what ya sow; no guarantee that being raised by a “grand-parent” is going to lead to any better developmental outcomes…considering some of the size of responsibilities identified along with the increased generational / cultural divide. I am personally aware of many situations where the parenting of young people by “grand-parents” is leading to increased “delinquency” outcomes, lack of supervision and understanding of current socio-cultural norms for example.

  18. Rogue Trooper 18

    also, it is arguable that the majority of “Boomers” are Nats / NZLast / Maori Party / Conservatives constituencies .

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    22 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
    1 day 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
    1 day ago
  • How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log iPhone Without Computer
    How to Retrieve Deleted Call Log on iPhone Without a Computer: A StepbyStep 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 thirdparty applications. So, lets dive in and recover those lost calls! 1. Check Recently Deleted Folder: Apple understands that accidental deletions happen. Thats 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. Heres 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. Heres how to restore from an iCloud backup: Go to Settings > General > Reset. Choose Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the onscreen 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 ThirdParty Apps (with Caution): ...
    1 day 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 ...
    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 ...
    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 ...
    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 ...
    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 ...
    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 ...
    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 ...
    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 ...
    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
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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 ...
    2 days 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, ...
    2 days 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, ...
    2 days 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
    2 days 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
    2 days 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 ...
    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 ...
    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 ...
    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
    3 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
    3 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
    3 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 ...
    3 days ago
  • Apposite Quotations.
    How Long Is Long Enough? Gaza under Israeli bombardment, July 2014. This posting is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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
    4 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 ...
    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

  • $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
    14 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
    16 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
    17 hours ago
  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government backing mussel spat project
    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 - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government focused on getting people into work
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
    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, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
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