Open Mike 17/09/2016

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 17th, 2016 - 240 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

openmikeOpen mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

240 comments on “Open Mike 17/09/2016 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Pete George 1
    17 September 2016 at 8:10 am

    Quite some time ago I promised someone here that I would write a post about renaming New Zealand to Aoetearoa. It’s taken me a while but I have gotten around to doing it – prompted by the soon to be released book and already in place website A CONSTITUTION FOR AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND.

    I don’t like the creeping stealth approach where ‘Aotearoa New Zealand’ is being imposed. We should just have an open discussion and decide what we want our country to be called, one or the other.

    The first European name was actually Staten Landt (Abel Tasman) but was changed to Nova Zeelandia by Dutch cartographers a few years later, and then anglicised to New Zealand by James Cook over a century after that.

    Aotearoa apparently originally just applied to the North Island but was gradually applied to the whole country and is now the accepted alternative.

    There’s many possible meanings, depending in part on whether you split it into Aotea’roa or Ao’tea’roa. ‘Land of the long white cloud’ is common but ‘long bright world’ and ‘land of abiding day’ are alternatives. I have also extracted ‘land of the transparent kiwi’ but that probably isn’t a goer.

    But regardless, I think that Aotearoa is more appropriate than New Zealand and I’d be happy to see it change. It would obviously be a bit contentious though.

    Post: And what about ‘Aotearoa’?

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.1
      17 September 2016 at 8:32 am

      🙄

      “Imposed”

      Oh noes! Fascistism!

      Can Petty George provide legitimacy to something that belongs to tangata whenua, or is he just an author of sad racist clickbait?

      Discuss.

    • Lanthanide 1.2
      17 September 2016 at 9:09 am

      Just to save everyone a click, the linked article is a slightly longer / more detailed version of the comment that Pete George has made here.

      There isn’t any other argument or reason for why we should change the name stated in the post. If you read the comment above, that’s pretty much all the post is:
      1. A note that some people are apparently suggesting “Aotearoa New Zealand” and Pete doesn’t like that, for no explained reason
      2. A very short timeline history of the original European origin, as Pete has already produced here. Then a very detailed breakdown of the meaning of the Maori word, again already summarised here
      3. A final limp conclusion where Pete states that he would like it if the name were changed to Aotearoa; he notes it is contentious, but doesn’t offer any argument or greater insight than “I think this would be good”.

      • Pete George 1.2.1
        17 September 2016 at 9:56 am

        It wasn’t intended as a full blown argument. I aim to initiate and facilitate discussion in issues of interest.

        I see that you didn’t even attempt to discuss the issue or express your own opinion (except indirectly, taking a swipe at the messenger) let alone arrive at ‘a limp conclusion’ of your own. What I posted is far from the conclusion, I don’t think that’s up to me.

        • Lanthanide 1.2.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 10:38 am

          Because Pete, I gave you the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe you’d finally done something interesting / relevant, so I followed your link.

          I was quite disappointed to discover that you comment here already had 85% of the content that was to be found at the link. So I posted a summary so others wouldn’t waste their time.

          Also you don’t seem to understand the definition of conclusion. I was commenting on the conclusion to your post being dishwasher weak, not saying you need to have the final conclusive statement on any topic ever (which makes no sense anyway). You concluded your post with a very weak “I would like this” statement, but there’s no depth as to why you would like it, or why you think it’s time to do it now.

          Frankly this reads like an 8-year old’s school assignment on whales, where they conclude by saying “I like whales”.

          • Pete George 1.2.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 10:46 am

            You’ve said virtually nothing apart from a bit of a long winded limp diss. I thought you were better than that. Maybe you missed the point – it was about the name of our country.

            • Lanthanide 1.2.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 10:47 am

              That makes two of us, then.

              • rhinocrates …
                17 September 2016 at 11:26 am

                It didn’t take long for PG to pull out the self pity – poor me, nobody treats me fairly and I have the most honourable intentions, me me me me me.

                He’s like a cardigan-wearing Rik the People’s Poet.

              • weka …
                17 September 2016 at 12:22 pm

                Classic. Thanks for the footwork Lanth.

              • Blade …
                17 September 2016 at 1:34 pm

                No, Lantanide. Only one person has nothing to say- you. Ok , ive
                followed your summation of Pete’s post. That’s fine and dandy.
                But I’m waiting for your input towards this discussion.

                Now is your chance to shine. Lets hear your opinions.

                Or are you vacuous like the comments below you, until we get
                to Stuart Munro, who actually contributes.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  17 September 2016 at 4:03 pm

                  🙄

                • Lanthanide …
                  17 September 2016 at 4:19 pm

                  I never intended to say anything about the topic, and don’t have much to say.

                  But neither does Pete, and I pointed that out in my comment at 1.2

                  Pete couldn’t resist replying to me, acting like a victim as usual.

                  • Pete George …
                    17 September 2016 at 5:15 pm

                    I don’t think I’m any sort of victim. If there is any it’s the ‘commentariat’ who are a victim of an own-goal, revealing how you still operate. I’m not sure why you’re proud of it.

                    • In Vino …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:57 pm

                      Well I remember you from the past, and I fully back the ‘commentariat’. Better if you stick to your own website, where you may get people who share your interests. I don’t.

                    • One Anonymous Bloke …
                      18 September 2016 at 8:51 am

                      Oh noes! We still operate in such a way that we name boring vacuous racist clickbait for what it is.

          • Kevin 1.2.1.1.2
            17 September 2016 at 12:20 pm

            Thats quality! 🙂

    • Stuart Munro 1.3
      17 September 2016 at 11:44 am

      It’s not straightforward Pete – Aotearoa is not the only name for what we now call NZ, which in Cook’s time was largely Te Ika O Maui & Tovypounamu. Bloke I knew did a paper on it – the skinny of which is that Aotearoa reflects a particular mystical view that is not necessarily universal. Sorry I don’t have a link to it.

      • Trey 1.3.1
        17 September 2016 at 5:39 pm

        Tovypounamu? Are you sure about that. I didn’t think the Maori alphabet had a (v) or a (y)

        • Stuart Munro 1.3.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 5:57 pm

          We’re talking when Cook came through – there was no Maori alphabet as such at that time. Standardisation happened later, and some linguistic drift in a century or two would not be surprising.

          The odd thing is that Aotearoa didn’t come up then. Now, in some places names are sacred & you don’t share them casually with outsiders – Kangaroo being a great example – it’s not the local word for the animal, it means something like “yep, look at them”.

          The names Cook got were not that tabu. But I didn’t write the paper – can’t do it justice – just blindly taking Aotearoa might not make sense. We need background and context.

          • Trey 1.3.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 8:35 pm

            Still not convinced. Cook wrote the name Te Wai Pounamu to refer to the South Island on Maps in 1776 but can’t find any reference to it being called Tovypounamu anywhere

            • One Anonymous Bloke 1.3.1.1.1.1
              18 September 2016 at 9:08 am

              I found one: a pdf document listed by Google: “Journal: Forgotten Books”.

              Google’s precis reads: “TovyPounamu, the most southern of the two islands of New Zealand….”

              I didn’t bother downloading it.

      • Trey 1.3.2
        17 September 2016 at 5:46 pm

        Were you thinking of Te Waipounamu? Which is the South Island as Te Ika O Maui is the North Island

    • CnrJoe 1.4
      17 September 2016 at 11:55 am

      Quite some time ago I promised someone here that I would write a post about renaming New Zealand to Aoetearoa.
      Aoetearoa?
      What ? you type too fast?

    • Stephanie Rodgers 1.5
      17 September 2016 at 1:17 pm

      “creeping stealth”

      🙄

    • One Anonymous Bloke 1.6
      17 September 2016 at 1:39 pm

      Thanks for the discussion everyone. I expect we’ll see more of this irrelevant crap between now and when the wanker attracts his next ban.

      • weka 1.6.1
        17 September 2016 at 1:57 pm

        I love that there was only one response that took PG seriously. Well done the commentariat. Bodes well.

  2. save nz 2
    17 September 2016 at 8:58 am

    Seems like there is worldwide anger/protest at electoral candidate choices at present….

    Voters elect reluctant metalhead to council

    http://www.newshub.co.nz/world/voters-elect-reluctant-metalhead-to-council-2016091610

  3. Chuck 3
    17 September 2016 at 9:32 am

    Claire Trevett piece today is really quite good (I know… not many here will agree!).

    “Labour leader Andrew Little was quick to cry the poll was “bogus” and countered with Labour’s own poll which had a much more generous outlook for Labour.

    Whoever’s poll is right, the One News poll does highlight two stark problems for Labour.

    The very same poll showed an increase in concern about housing and imigration – the issues Labour claimed it was gaining votes from. The poll showed Labour was not capitalising from that.

    The second problem was NZ First and the Greens were both safely above 10 per cent. That would mean Labour’s coalition partners combined were almost the same size as the Labour Party itself.

    To swap analogies (why not?) from used cars to the familiar tail wagging the dog one, under MMP voters tend to like their dogs to have as tiny a tail as possible to ensure stable government.

    National has three support partners but they are so small they are more like fleas in the general area of a tail.

    As things stand, the Labour dog will need both NZ First and the Greens as tails. If Labour polls less than the mid 30s, that is akin to two German Shepherd tails thrashing in opposite directions on the rear end of a pug.

    Physics dictates that would not end well for the pug. And as Scotty would say, ‘ye cannae change the law of physics.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11711287

    • Bearded Git 3.1
      17 September 2016 at 9:48 am

      @Chuck 29+14+12=55 looks pretty stable to me, compared with the Right’s 4-headed monster (Seymour*/Dunne*/MP/Nats). I think hell will have to freeze over for Winnie to go with Key. Another indicator was on Backbenches this week where Tracey Martin was laying into boy-wonder Todd Barclay and the Nats in general. I think NZF will pick up votes on the immigration issue during the election campaign.

      *I refuse to name these as parties-they are one-man bands. The MP may also become one soon.

      Standardistas need to talk in Labour/Green bloc terms always. This counters the mid-20’s rubbish the right is trying to hijack the agenda with.

      • Lanthanide 3.1.1
        17 September 2016 at 10:49 am

        I think Act should be referred to as a party. They actually got enough party vote to justify Seymour’s electorate seat.

        Dunne didn’t – he’s the cause of the overhang in the house.

      • BM 3.1.2
        17 September 2016 at 10:51 am

        Another indicator was on Backbenches this week where Tracey Martin was laying into boy-wonder Todd Barclay and the Nats in general. I think NZF will pick up votes on the immigration issue during the election campaign.

        Of course they’re laying into National, it’s where they see they can grow their vote, do you really think they’re going to get votes off the greens or labour?

        Try and pick up a few more % points by convincing the more conservative element of National to to vote NZ first, that way NZ First has more leverage when they go into coalition with National.

      • Gabby 3.1.3
        17 September 2016 at 11:21 am

        Crikey, Wee Toddy Baccy was allowed out in public? I hope he had a hankie up his sleeve.

      • Leftie 3.1.4
        17 September 2016 at 5:34 pm

        Spot on, +1000 Bearded Git.

    • DoublePlusGood 3.2
      17 September 2016 at 9:59 am

      Nah, Claire Trevett has repeatedly proven that MMP and coalitions are too complex a concept for her.

    • b waghorn 3.3
      17 September 2016 at 10:07 am

      I personally would be happy with labour / greens / nzf.

      • Sabine 3.3.1
        17 September 2016 at 12:59 pm

        yep, been saying it for years. Labour does not need a clear majority if they form a workable coalition with the other Opposition Parties. In fact should we get such a Government, and should the people elected care to represent and work for the people that got them elected it would be a ‘representative’ government.

        but hey, the other one is winningest ro something.

      • Leftie 3.3.2
        17 September 2016 at 5:35 pm

        Yep, me too B Waghorn.

    • Editractor 3.4
      17 September 2016 at 12:57 pm

      “Whoever’s poll is right, the One News poll does highlight two stark problems for Labour”

      That makes no sense at all. If the One News poll is not right, then it “highlights” no such thing. But let’s all forget that and wander happily into a conclusion based on an ignorant assumption.

      • Chuck 3.4.1
        17 September 2016 at 4:41 pm

        Editractor it was the same poll that showed an increase in concern about housing and immigration, that also recorded support for the various political parties.

        So on one hand, Andrew Little calls part of the poll “bogus” which he does not like, but accepts the other part re – housing and immigration.

        The “stark problems for labour” that the author has referenced are that the people polled mostly said housing and immigration are a problem, but Labour went backwards (down 3%) and received 26% support from the same sample group.

        It could be a “rouge poll” just as Andrew Little admits the Labour commissioned poll understates National party support (in other words he called his own poll rouge). 🙂

        • Gabby 3.4.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 5:26 pm

          Rogue, you chump, rogue.

          • Chuck 3.4.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 5:30 pm

            Don’t spoil my fun Gabby!! I was waiting for In Vino to make an appearance and tell me off.

            • In Vino 3.4.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 7:55 pm

              Already done that. Glad someone else sees you as a chump. But I guess you are likely to go for a minority opinion in your semi-literate state.
              Happy now?

              • Chuck …
                18 September 2016 at 9:26 am

                Hey In Vino! thanks for stopping by again mate.

                If I wasn’t a glass is half-full type of guy, I would say you come across as a self-righteous linguistic snob who want’s to make it clear how much smarter you are than the rest of us…

                Buy hey I am a positive sort of guy, so its all good and I look forward to your next critique.

        • Editractor 3.4.1.2
          17 September 2016 at 11:54 pm

          “Editractor it was the same poll that showed an increase in concern about housing and immigration, that also recorded support for the various political parties.

          So on one hand, Andrew Little calls part of the poll “bogus” which he does not like, but accepts the other part re – housing and immigration.”

          It might have been the same poll but they are two separate issues. It is quite possible for the poll to be inaccurate on one issue but not on the other so Little’s position on it is entirely reasonable.

          “The “stark problems for labour” that the author has referenced…”

          One or both of which are irrelevant if the poll is wrong on them.

          My point is that the author starts by acknowledging uncertainty about the accuracy of the poll but then proceeds to make conclusions as if it were accurate.

          To ice the big dollop it is, she then rolls out an analogy, though I liked the bit where she compared Act and the MP to parasites.

      • Leftie 3.4.2
        17 September 2016 at 5:37 pm

        Good point Editractor.

    • Andre 4.1
      17 September 2016 at 11:06 am

      Praise the Lord there’s no photos. The sauna scene was already too much for me.

    • Scott 4.2
      18 September 2016 at 1:03 am

      It’s good there is just one of him
      No double upon our legs at night
      But we’d be better off if there were none of him
      No chem trails or righteous right

  5. marty mars 5
    17 September 2016 at 10:28 am

    Horrible watching Norman spilling the lines on the nation. What a disappointment. Indigenous rights and middle class values around conservation often conflict and in this case imo this will cause lots of division and disgust.

    Meanwhile bugger all being done around climate change – only bullshit greenwash. Nice one not.

    • The Chairman 5.1
      17 September 2016 at 11:31 am

      Do you think Maori voters will turn on the Greens, thus by association (MOU) Labour?

      • marty mars 5.1.1
        17 September 2016 at 11:46 am

        There will be a backlash and all major parties won’t care. Tino rangatiratanga activists and those who worked on the original settlement care. This is where Māori will bind a bit and that will/should make the major parties fearful. The Treaty PARTNER will not be ignored, not any more.

    • mauī 5.2
      17 September 2016 at 12:30 pm

      Norman seems to want that sanctuary really badly. Enough to ignore Māori perspectives. That sure makes it awkward for Turei or Davidson. I haven’t been following it that closely but the Greens seem very quiet on this whole issue, maybe they’ll just let it slide by.

      • Colonial Viper 5.2.1
        17 September 2016 at 12:43 pm

        Were the Kermadecs explicitly mentioned in a fisheries Treaty settlement? Someone may have answered already but I missed it sorry.

        • BM 5.2.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 12:47 pm

          Money over conservation.

          It’s a disappointing attitude from the so called “guardians of the land”.

          • Colonial Viper 5.2.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 12:52 pm

            I think that Iwi needed to be involved in consultation at a much earlier stage.

            And I think that the outcome needed to be exactly the same – establishment of a massive marine reserve.

            I would like to know if any fishing corporates had plans on the drawing board for exploiting the fisheries there.

            • BM 5.2.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 1:00 pm

              How does one come to an agreement?, fishing rights and a marine reserve, they can’t really co-exist.

              • marty mars …
                17 September 2016 at 1:08 pm

                Funny bm that is not what negotiators think. Are you writing from knowledge or ignorance?

                • BM …
                  17 September 2016 at 1:18 pm

                  So you think Maori should be allowed to fish in a marine reserve?

                  But only Maori, no one else.

                  • marty mars …
                    17 September 2016 at 1:21 pm

                    Ignorance then, as i suspected

                    • BM …
                      17 September 2016 at 1:24 pm

                      Or do you think there should be no marine reserve because it impacts on Maori fishing rights?

                      Or is this more about Iwi expecting the tax payer to fork out another lump sum for loss of earnings?

                    • Stuart Munro …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:18 pm

                      BM you need to read the Treaty. Gives Maori all fishing rights in perpetuity. You don’t get to mess with that or the successor legislation without talking to Maori. In a democracy, a government should have talked to Pakeha too. Talking isn’t the Gnats strong point.

                      “The Ogre does what ogres can,
                      Deeds quite impossible for Man,
                      But one prize is beyond his reach:
                      The Ogre cannot master speech.

                      About a subjugated plain,
                      Among it’s desperate and slain,
                      The Ogre stalks with hands on hips,
                      While drivel gushes from his lips.”

                    • BM …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:21 pm

                      Government is sovereign they can do whatever they want.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:27 pm

                      ha ha – haven’t got down to your marae yet eh – what a ignorant twit you are bm

                    • BM …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:35 pm

                      Don’t really feel like taking a drive to Thames, there cuz.

                      Anyway the marine reserve is going ahead, the Maori getting all bent out of shape will just have to put on their big boy pants and deal with it.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:40 pm

                      subservient you – bow your head boy

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      17 September 2016 at 10:40 pm

                      Gives Maori all fishing rights in perpetuity.

                      Te Tiriti Ō Waitangi does not apply to the Kermadecs because they weren’t part of NZ at the time and Māori didn’t fish them as part of their territorial waters either any way. So traditional fishing rights, as guaranteed under Te Tiriti, simply do not apply.

                      For people to claim that they do is for them to try and rewrite history.

                      You don’t get to mess with that or the successor legislation without talking to Maori.

                      And yet that is what Māori do seem to be trying to do.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      17 September 2016 at 10:47 pm

                      National have deliberately engineered a gift issue 12 months out from the election which will then allow the Maori Party to go out and campaign and claim “independence” by “standing up to” National over something (fishing around the Kermadecs) with no practical value or meaning or thought time for 99% of Kiwis.

                      Clever election maneuvering is what this is.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 10:57 pm

                      cv you are a knob – not everything is coloured orange fool – fuck north is right about you being a embarrassment every time you blurt your bullshit.

                      dtb – you have very little credibility and what you say is next to meaningless because you don’t get even the simple fundamental truths – sorry to burst your ego balloon. For instance you wrote – “Te Tiriti Ō Waitangi does not apply to the Kermadecs” yet IT WAS part of the settlement that is why there is an issue now – this is the most basic simplistic fact about the whole deal. Sure I get you don’t WANT it to be like that – but it is.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:04 pm

                      Marty Mars, Labour was highlighting National’s lack of consultation with iwi in 2015 over the Kermadecs.

                      It seems obvious that this process was stitched up way back then as a way for the Maori Party to demonstrate independence from National just 12 months ahead of the general election.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:05 pm

                      it seems obvious to the man backing trump – excuse me if I think you don’t have a fucken clue

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:34 pm

                      Labour knew in 2015 that National was not consulting with iwi over the Kermadecs, and said so on broadcast TV.

                      Therefore the Maori Party were more than aware of the same, if not more details.

                      However both National and the Maori Party let things proceed as they were.

                      All the way along until now, just 12 months before the next general election and National pushes ahead with the legislation.

                      The Maori Party suddenly raises very public and very serious concerns, and immediately, National abruptly realise the shortcomings in their consultation process and are forced to pull their proposed bill out of the legislative process.

                      A big win for the Maori Party who can truthfully claim not just that they have the “backbone” to stand up to John Key, but that they have “real sway” and demonstrable influence over the National Government.

                      Along the way, the Maori Party get to amply illustrate that Labour and the Greens don’t really care that much about Treaty rights and Treaty settlements.

                      Brilliant stuff to campaign on, going into an election year.

                      An co-engineered between the Maori Party and National from the start, for the electoral benefit of both.

                      (National who gains from the red neck white vote by having not including iwi in this important Treaty relevant process).

                    • marty mars …
                      18 September 2016 at 7:14 am

                      This is where you always trip up

                      “Labour knew in 2015 that National was not consulting with iwi over the Kermadecs, and said so on broadcast TV.

                      Therefore the Maori Party were more than aware of the same, if not more details.”

                      your therefore is not true – you don’t know and cannot know (unless someone says it) that it is true – it is SPECULATION from which you draw conclusion after conclusion to fit your internal story and convince yourself that you are right and have some insight – all based on a therefore which IS NOT true.

                      so nice fairy tale

                      please get this – you are projecting, you don’t know – but hey chuck the link up (about the therefore not the bit before) and I will go wow you are right.

                      conspiracy types always make the story fit their preconceived ideas

          • marty mars 5.2.1.1.2
            17 September 2016 at 1:06 pm

            Bm why not go down to your marae and tell us what they think.

          • North 5.2.1.1.3
            17 September 2016 at 6:41 pm

            BM you are so excellent at reaching deep into your own dark recesses and projecting onto everyone else the suppurating moral detritus you find there.

            Money over conservation…….that’s our BM. Said with a straight face too.

        • mauī 5.2.1.2
          17 September 2016 at 1:03 pm

          Not sure, but you would think if you’re given some rights over a national fishery under a treaty then you get a say in how its managed.

      • marty mars 5.2.2
        17 September 2016 at 12:45 pm

        He certainly didn’t want to call it a treaty issue – still stuck on the ‘commercial’ which I found incredible.

      • The Chairman 5.2.3
        17 September 2016 at 1:45 pm

        “Greens seem very quiet on this whole issue”

        Well if they are aligned with Normans view on the matter, perhaps that’s why they are so quiet (awkward for Turei or Davidson).

      • Psycho Milt 5.2.4
        17 September 2016 at 4:24 pm

        Norman seems to want that sanctuary really badly. Enough to ignore Māori perspectives.

        I really don’t get this. I’m as White as it gets, but even I can see a glaringly obvious Treaty grievance arising out of it. Given the events of the last 176 years, it ought to be clear enough why you shouldn’t negotiate a national fisheries agreement with Maori and then unilaterally remove fishing rights from thousands of square kilometers without even bothering to mention it to your Treaty partner. The fact that marine sanctuaries are a Good Thing doesn’t change that in the slightest.

        • marty mars 5.2.4.1
          17 September 2016 at 6:13 pm

          Why do you think some can’t get their heads around it?

          • Psycho Milt 5.2.4.1.1
            18 September 2016 at 7:44 am

            I think there are multiple factors:

            We all want more and bigger marine sanctuaries, so opponents of any particular marine sanctuary must be Bad People;

            Maori have commercial fishing interests, which could be seen as a conflict of interest;

            But the big one is that it’s easy for Pakeha to support Treaty rights as long as it doesn’t affect something that’s important to us. I don’t exclude myself from this: if the government wants to give the Urewera back to Tuhoi, sure, absolutely, no skin off my nose – but if the government wanted to give my suburb back to Rangitane and included my property in the deal, I expect I’d find it hard to be supportive of the idea and might start looking for spurious reasons why it would be completely wrong for Maori claims involving my property to be recognised. People who feel strongly about the Kermadec marine sanctuary are possibly experiencing that same feeling.

      • marty mars 5.3.1
        17 September 2016 at 1:47 pm

        Ta Paul, good to watch it again – rus the mus is very sus – true colours coming out now – yuck.

        • Paul 5.3.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 1:56 pm

          Am really wondering which party to vote for now.
          Suggestions for the party most likely to dismantle neo-liberalism in NZ?

          • weka 5.3.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 2:01 pm

            The Greens. Not because the can or will do that immediately, but because the more votes they get the closet they can operate to their core values (seriously, read their core documents).

            Neoliberalism will be disbanded by the people. The parties will follow. Best chance is from the Greens.

            Btw, I haven’t watched the interview yet but Norman isn’t a formal part of the Green Party, and we need to be careful to not conflate his position with theirs.

            • Macro 5.3.1.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 2:57 pm

              Totally agree with you weka.
              The Green’s have been arguing the need for more marine sanctuaries for years now. Marine sanctuaries are the only way humans can hope to holt the rapidly depletion of a vital natural resource. Never the less the Green’s along with Labour in their minority view on the Bill as it was reported to Parliament stated:

              The lack of consultation with iwi by the Crown prior to the Government’s announcement on the international stage of the proposed creation of a Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary has been unsatisfactory. It fell well short of expectations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This has been reflected in submissions opposing the bill.
              The Green Party recognises that non-governmental organisations such as the Pew Foundation, WWF New Zealand, Forest and Bird, and others have engaged in extensive public discussion, including two science symposia, art exhibitions, and discussions with mana whenua about a proposed Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary over the last seven years. This is not a substitute for the Crown consulting with mana whenua and other iwi.

              • weka …
                17 September 2016 at 3:35 pm

                Thanks, that’s very interesting and as per usual the Greens present a deeper and more thoughtful perspective than they are given credit for.

                It does raise the issue of the select committee process and how much it is largel ignored in public debate.

                For me the thing missing here is that we have a desperate need for sanctuaries because how general way if operating is so destructive, and we are stuck in the whole neoliberal/conservation polarity. Ultimately it doesn’t move us past the primary way of operating and quite possibly entrenches it.

                • Macro …
                  17 September 2016 at 4:36 pm

                  As per usual with this govt there wasn’t much time for public debate on this issue nor time for people to make public submissions:

                  The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill was referred to the committee on 15 March 2016. The closing date for submissions was 28 April 2016.
                  We received and considered 82 unique submissions from interested groups and individuals, and a form submission representing 1,084 submitters. We heard oral evidence from 18 submitters.
                  We received advice from the Ministry for the Environment, the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as the Parliamentary Counsel Office.

                  Note – no iwi appear to have submitted.

                  ref: the previous link.

              • marty mars …
                17 September 2016 at 3:40 pm

                as I have noted above the conflict that can occur between the rights of indigenous peoples and middle class conservation values is well known – at least within indigenous communities 🙁

                labour – “We believe it is wrong that the bill undermines the rights arising from the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992, which were meant to be “full and final”, and in particular those fishing rights relating to Fisheries Management Area 10.”

                greens – “Concerns raised by Te Ohu Kaimoana and some iwi authorities that the bill breaches Treaty rights and interferes with quota rights conferred by the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act are complex. Such concerns are most appropriately resolved by the courts or by negotiation between iwi and the Crown, rather than select committee.”

                got to say labour’s lines are better than the greens on this one – both supported the bill, both have put negotiated settlement rights of indigenous peoples behind the right to have a protected conservation area. This is pretty well what always happens and that is why many indigenous communities are suspicious of conservationists – who pretty well want people out so they can enjoy the peace and quiet of nature.

                This btw is EXACTLY the same with climate change. You change but not us. Indigenous communities are fighting for the protection of Papatūānuku and have been well before the middle class conservationists decided to stop destroying and start saving – but that is forgotten in their Avatar like redemption of the brownish by the whiteish and their rewriting the narratives with them as the hero – every.single.time.

                • Macro …
                  17 September 2016 at 5:41 pm

                  Marty – what you appear to say here is that there can never be another Marine sanctuary within the NZ EEZ because it would contravene the full and final settlement of the Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act! This would be an extreme position to take.
                  The prime purpose of Marine Sanctuaries is not to reduce the number of fish that can be caught – their purpose is to allow fish places to breed and ultimately for fish numbers to rejuvenate to sustainable levels. At present we (and here I include us all) are stripping our oceans clean, and this present behaviour is simple unsustainable. The provision of Marine sanctuaries does not remove the right of Maori to fish nor to limit the quota set under the Settlement. These issues are complex and I totally agree that “Such concerns are most appropriately resolved by the courts or by negotiation between iwi and the Crown, rather than select committee.”
                  There is a point in the progression of ethical behaviour when the good of the whole trumps individual rights or any other right.

                  • marty mars …
                    17 September 2016 at 6:08 pm

                    Yes Marine sanctuaries are great – hell, make the whole ocean a sanctuary imo.

                    Yes the current stripping of our oceans is unsustainable – one of the reasons I no longer eat fish actually and haven’t for years. And yes we need spots where the fish populations can replenish.

                    I believe that a position where all parties were happy could have, and maybe still could, be reached. That certainly seems to be the position of Te Ohu Kaimoana. I’d be happy with that too.

                    But I’d ask the question why? Why make sanctuaries? To ensure the replenishment of species and ecosystems? Why do that? To ensure all living entities including humans, have the ability and right to survive and flourish? Okay but if you have to destroy or ignore or trample on the rights of indigenous peoples to be able to create areas where people and ecosystems can flourish then I’d argue it is hypocrisy especially as no non-indigenous peoples are being treated the same. This is colonisation and belittling and othering. This is why this country isn’t Aotearoa but instead New Zealand and this is why Māori are not given their LEGAL and MORALLY due rights as PARTNERS.

                    The real irony is that indigenous peoples are the BEST at protecting the ecosystems and creatures within them, including humans. They are much much better than the exploitative and destructive western societies who, frankly, have created this mess we have to sort out. But what sacrifices are they making? What are they doing about climate change? Answer – NOTHING. They want everyone else to make the sacrifices and save them – well they can get fucked.

                    This world is this world. The good of the whole would require the western exploitative countries to fall off the map – then we can save shit.

                    I know it is a rant and I know I’m generalising and making all sorts of statements where I’m included on both/all sides. I am doing this to show the hypocrisy of the whole debate.

                    • Poission …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:18 pm

                      The kermedecs are already nz largest fisheries reserve, with a benthic ban on trawling in fma10.

                      http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1990/0305/4.0/DLM142810.html

                      Te Ohu Kaimoana would be highly unlikely to get FAO certification for any catch from this area already under reserve or tentative status.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:38 pm

                      I’m pretty sure they don’t even want to fish there – the whole thing is about binding agreements being made with indigenous partners and then breaking those agreements BECAUSE they were made with indigenous partners and that category of partner is well down the prioritisation list and can be discarded (or so they thought in their 1870’s mindset) easily without fuss, just like all the other times the crown has done it.

                    • b waghorn …
                      17 September 2016 at 6:53 pm

                      ”The real irony is that indigenous peoples are the BEST at protecting the ecosystems and creatures within them, ”
                      Oh come on now marty i’ve known more than one maori chap who was a shocking poacher.

                    • TheExtremist66 …
                      17 September 2016 at 7:55 pm

                      Tell that to the Moa….

                    • locus …
                      17 September 2016 at 7:58 pm

                      a perfectly understandable rant marty –

                      has anyone thought that this is all about JK?

                      – a pretence that he cares about the environment
                      – a self-serving act so he has something ‘noble’ in his ‘legacy’
                      – useful that it makes him look good to environmentally concerned film stars and world leaders who he wants to rub shoulders with…
                      – a blatant set-up and dog-whistle to his fanboys…. another excuse for them to denigrate Maori

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:22 pm

                      Okay for your benefits I will say a little more

                      Collective not individual. The system in place now has disenfranchised and disempowered so many indigenous peoples – remember colonisation??? The ability to live sustainably was inherent in survival and Māori and other indigenous peoples survived.

                      It is utter arrogance to think someone from some no name town in Britannia knows more about sustainability and living in the Amazon than the indigenous people living there.

                      As for the Moa – yep they are gone and believe it or not there are many factors that contributed to their extinction, including being hunted for food and loss of habitat due to fire (some deliberately and some naturally occurring). The middens do tell a story but not the only story. Plus I said the BEST and it is true that others that aren’t indigenous are horror shows for animals and ecosystems. That doesn’t mean Māori or other indigenous peoples were saintly but they were so much better than western peoples.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:27 pm

                      Yes locus I agree with all of your points and that is why I get so disappointed with some comments on this and why I bought that up in regards to the panel with norman.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      17 September 2016 at 10:49 pm

                      The real irony is that indigenous peoples are the BEST at protecting the ecosystems and creatures within them, including humans.

                      No, they’re not. They’re just as bad as Pakeha. The just didn’t have the technology and population to do the same total damage but they still did massive amounts of damage.

                      Māori stripped ~50% of the forest area of NZ before Pakeha got here.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:03 pm

                      “By the time European settlement began, around 1840, some 6.7 million hectares of forest had been destroyed and was replaced by short grassland, shrubland and fern land. Between 1840 and 2000, another 8 million hectares were cleared, mostly lowland or easily accessible conifer–broadleaf forest.”

                      from your own link dicko

                      6.7 million hectares is less than 8 million hectares isn’t it????

                      so when you say ,”They’re just as bad as Pakeha” you are just being a bigot.

                    • Draco T Bastard …
                      17 September 2016 at 11:58 pm

                      6.7 million hectares is less than 8 million hectares isn’t it????

                      Wow, really, I would never have known that.

                      Of course, if they were truly as environmentally friendly as you say it would have been ZERO.

                      If Māori had continued in that fashion then the land would have ended up being just as denuded as we have now. It may have taken longer but the damage would still have been done.

                    • marty mars …
                      18 September 2016 at 7:17 am

                      your bigotry has blinded you to what I actually wrote

                • Fran …
                  17 September 2016 at 10:04 pm

                  + 1000 Marty Mars.

            • Chuck 5.3.1.1.1.2
              17 September 2016 at 3:15 pm

              Sorry weka can’t see any chance of that happening anytime soon. The Greens are a 10% – 13% party. The Greens only chance to be part of a Government is by hanging onto the coattails of Labour.

              The Greens don’t have much ability to negotiate with Labour (no leverage) and thus no radical policy shifts will be approved by their master, Labour. It is amplified even more if a Lab/Gr party need to rely on NZF to govern.

              Your best chance to dismantle (so called) neo-liberalism in NZ would be to gut the Labour party of any remaining centre left people. Then in conjunction with the Greens “go for it” and see how many voters you can convince…

              • weka …
                17 September 2016 at 3:28 pm

                Getting rid of the hardcore neoliberalism from Labour would be a huge help but you missed my point. Neoliberalism will die in NZ at the behest of the people with political parties following the people.

                • Chuck …
                  17 September 2016 at 3:55 pm

                  “Neoliberalism will die in NZ at the behest of the people with political parties following the people.”

                  Which correct me if I am wrong, would require a ground swell of people before political parties (other than a fringe party) would react.

                  By ground swell, it would need to be massive, in the hundreds of thousands at the very least.

                  Can’t see that happening any time soon.

                  • Paul …
                    17 September 2016 at 4:07 pm

                    Trump
                    Brexit
                    SNP taking Scotland

                    all signs the dam is about to burst very soon….

                  • weka …
                    18 September 2016 at 12:23 pm

                    “By ground swell, it would need to be massive, in the hundreds of thousands at the very least.”

                    yes and no. Change always happens on the edge first. We have a Green Party in large part because of people who thought differently back in the day. They were small numbers who ended up with big influence. A lot of change happens like that.

                    “Can’t see that happening any time soon.”

                    That’s what people used to say about slavery or apartheid in South Africa. Women getting the vote. Lots of examples.

        • Karen 5.3.1.2
          17 September 2016 at 2:16 pm

          Yep – watching that I was pleased that he isn’t the Green co-leader anymore.

          Poor Mihi – having to deal Russel and a rightwing PR person on the panel. Neither seemed to understand treaty rights. Mihi did well, though.

          • marty mars 5.3.1.2.1
            17 September 2016 at 2:57 pm

            Yep she seemed surprised and shocked by the ignorance.

            • weka 5.3.1.2.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 3:43 pm

              The thing that stood out for me was that the 2 Pakeha appeared to be arguing that the Crown should ignore the treaty if it thinks Māori interests run counter to its own. Not that that’s not without precedent but I agree, very disappointing from Norman. He did say he thought the lack of consultation was wrong but it was one sentence amongst many others which seemed to ignore the Treaty 🙁

              I liked what Forbes said about the differences between Māori and Pakeha views on conservation, would love to have seen a whole debate on that alone. It would have taken us somewhere more useful perhaps.

              • Garibaldi …
                17 September 2016 at 5:07 pm

                I was impressed by both Mihi and Russell. Both view points have merit, it’s such a pity that the stupid Nats have lost the chance for Maori to make a great contribution to Conservation. You can argue Treaty rights as much as you like but conservation is paramount in our rapidly deteriorating environment so good on Russell for his strong stand.
                My greatest fear about the whole issue is whatever we come up with we will be too bloody under sourced to patrol/manage the area. We can’t even do our local sanctuaries adequately.

                • marty mars …
                  17 September 2016 at 6:24 pm

                  “You can argue Treaty rights as much as you like but conservation is paramount in our rapidly deteriorating environment so good on Russell for his strong stand.”

                  Yep as long as someone else is affected or has their rights discarded she’s all good.

                  Any examples where non indigenous peoples are making sacrifices like that?

                  Just joking – I know we are trying to stop using plastic bags and ummm yeah that’s right we sort of recycle into the rubbish tip and ummm…

                  • In Vino …
                    17 September 2016 at 8:23 pm

                    It has been suggested elsewhere that this is a set-up. With agreement in advance, National leave out Maori, providing Tuku and his Maori Party with the opportunity to posture greatly and stand up for Maori with much righteousness, and in so doing justify Maori Party policy of cuddling up to the Nats. And the Maori elite continue to grow rich at the expense of most of the rest of their race, which puts us all in the same horrible basket. People of all races can now enjoy the same penury equally, while all the right people get voted in again.

                    Or am I even more paranoid now than I was back when I was not quite sure whether I was paranoid enough?

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:34 pm

                      Yep, giving the Maori Party an issue going into election year to prove to the electorate that the Maori Party is indeed “independent” and can indeed “stand up to” National.

                    • b waghorn …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:35 pm

                      Considering that just last week the greasy whale was driving wedges between tainui and labour i would say you have every right to be sceptical about the maori parties activities.

                    • marty mars …
                      17 September 2016 at 8:37 pm

                      Jeepers – may be a bit convoluted and true!!!

                      I am listening to Annette Sykes on this one and other Māori activists not the Māori Party and to be clear I don’t agree with everything Annette says on many things – but this one seems clear to me.

                      Perhaps it is all a plan to get the Māori Party in with gusto – I hope not as I’m a left wing Mana Movement supporter. You’ve made me feel paranoid now 🙂

                      edit @cv – nah you are definitely too paranoid
                      @ waggy – skeptical is a very good word there.

                    • In Vino …
                      18 September 2016 at 1:07 am

                      It seems to me that your heart is in the right place Marty. Go for it.

  6. The Chairman 6
    17 September 2016 at 10:55 am

    Has anyone here been following this controversial series?

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/84158436/new-zealand-is-no-paradise-it-is-brutal

    • b waghorn 6.1
      17 September 2016 at 11:36 am

      It’s very hard to have patience for people who leave a country then shit all over it from a distance. She could have stayed and tried to fix what she doesn’t like. And blaming a country because some muppets made her watch a slaughter show a lack of depth of thought.

    • BM 6.2
      17 September 2016 at 11:54 am

      Those are just troll articles.

      Wouldn’t be surprised if this woman didn’t even exist and the whole series was written by some reporter to stir up the readers.

      • The Chairman 6.2.1
        17 September 2016 at 12:04 pm

        Do you care to address the content or did you just want to imply suspicion against the author as a way to distract?

        • BM 6.2.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 12:18 pm

          If true, I think it’s the height of arrogance and lack of class to extrapolate out her experiences onto a country of 4 million people.

          Obviously a raving lefty, good riddance.

          • The Chairman 6.2.1.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 12:29 pm

            If true?

            Can you list what you believe isn’t?

            Moreover, if true don’t you think it’s time we acknowledge it and see if we can improve things going forward?

            She may be gone, but if true the problems remain.

            “Obviously a raving lefty”

            What makes you say that? Was it an attempted smear as a way to again discredit the author, hence the content?

          • reason 6.2.1.1.2
            17 September 2016 at 4:10 pm

            From the article ….

            “When the Roast Busters made headlines, they did so because they talked about their alleged exploits online, which meant that people outside our culture became aware of it.

            Although the first complaints were made in 2011 by girls as young as 13, the police investigation sputtered along until 2013 when the story got picked up by international media. Headlines such as Jezebel’s New Zealand Teen Rape Club is the Worst Thing You’ll Read About Today embarrassed us.

            We really, really hate being embarrassed in front of foreigners.”

            It sums up BM really and where he stands on NZ rape culture …..”

            He really, really hates being embarrassed in front of foreigners.

        • Stuart Munro 6.2.1.2
          17 September 2016 at 3:59 pm

          Have more respect! BM is a troll expert!

      • Gabby 6.2.2
        17 September 2016 at 5:49 pm

        I’m pretty sure you don’t exist and only serve as a counter to low blood pressure and constipation.

    • weka 6.3
      17 September 2016 at 12:31 pm

      NZ has a lot of problems. That article doesn’t offer much useful in way of understanding it or finding solutions. I’m all for s good moan fest to get things off ones chest but I question the value of doing that ins national newspaper.

      I also question her ability to reflect or do basic research. The anecdote about pain relief is common in many countries. It’s not a NZ thing It’s a medical services dynamic. Which makes me wonder about her ability to form an argument that is meaningful beyond her own antipathy.

      • The Chairman 6.3.1
        17 September 2016 at 12:56 pm

        Bare in mind, weka, the series hasn’t completed yet.

        You may see it as a moan. I see it as something that needs to be said and acknowledged.

        Putting it in the paper clearly helps to give the issues wider attention.

        We can’t address an issue if we fail to recognise it or deny it exists.

        “The anecdote about pain relief is common in many countries. It’s not a NZ thing It’s a medical services dynamic”

        Can you expand on that thanks?

        “Which makes me wonder about her ability to form an argument that is meaningful beyond her own antipathy.”

        Implying you see no truth in it at all?

        • weka 6.3.1.1
          17 September 2016 at 1:50 pm

          No, implying that her antipathy is all she’s got.

          People getting treated badly at A and E when they seek pain meds happens lots of places. Anyone suspected of being a drug user, or lying about pain to access drugs can get treated badly. Her using that story is a good example of why her article is overblown and comes across as rhetoric.

          Of course the problems need to be discussed (that’s a given in this forum) but as I said I don’t think she is adding much useful to the conversation.

          • The Chairman 6.3.1.1.1
            20 September 2016 at 1:23 pm

            Implying that her antipathy is all she’s got is clearly incorrect. She supplied a number of notable references throughout the series thus far.

            Her use of that story is obviously because it stood out for her. The refusal of pain relief shouldn’t be determined and withheld on the mere grounds a patient asked for it.

            Moreover, that example was merely one small snippet compared to what the series contains. But you’re correct, the example is anecdotal. Nonetheless, there is a prevailing harden up culture in NZ.

      • Brigid 6.3.2
        17 September 2016 at 1:06 pm

        I agree. Her anecdote about animal slaughter actually shows how humane the animal was slaughtered, and her memory of the event, I’d say, is slightly faulty; the animal would have been skinned before it was guttered.
        “(The animal) followed him trustingly, balking just a little at the sight of a man striding towards it holding a rifle.”
        An animal doesn’t know what a rifle is or does ffs.

        “At the age of eight, I was dragged into an initiation familiar to all readers of New Zealand’s manly literature: witnessing a slaughter.”
        ‘initiation’, ‘dragged’ Really? Garbage!

        ” Which makes me wonder about her ability to form an argument that is meaningful beyond her own antipathy.”
        Perfectly put Weka.

        • The Chairman 6.3.2.1
          17 September 2016 at 1:14 pm

          Have you read the other parts?

          With all the bigger issues being highlighted, I find it interesting people want to focus on the slaughter.

          • b waghorn 6.3.2.1.1
            17 September 2016 at 2:03 pm

            Because it shows she’s using her personal experience to paint a whole country as bad.

            • Gangnam Style 6.3.2.1.1.1
              17 September 2016 at 2:45 pm

              NO, I was a sensitive kid & was appalled to follow my father into a field at the age of about 4-5 & watch him catch a sheep & run a knife through it neck then let it keep running finally stumbling in a heap of blood & limbs & noise. Also being thrown into a pool when I could not swim & laughed at as I got out crying & told to ‘harden up’. If you are a sensitive wee soul then NZ is indeed a brutal country. Actually look at how many comments tell her to ‘harden up’, pretty much proving her point. It’s only her view & experience, I am sure she has had as much joy & laughter as the rest of us. NZrs hate criticism, & the disassembling of sacred cows like rugby, hunting & man alone bullshit. Well tough shit. One more thing, look at NZs appalling suicide rates of not just children but young men, there’s something rotten in the state of ‘godzone’ that we refuse to acknowledge.

              • marty mars …
                17 September 2016 at 3:00 pm

                + 1 Yep hard to forget the first sheep you see killed, especially when you are young and sensitive.

              • Brigid …
                17 September 2016 at 4:28 pm

                That’s an indictment on your father both because he ill treated the sheep and insulted you.
                I think your father was an outrageous brute and your reaction to that and being thrown into a pool when you couldn’t swim, doesn’t make you a sensitive wee soul, just an emotionally abused child.
                It makes me feel sick to think of a child being insulted and abused like that.

                Your account of the sheep slaughter is not my experience of how farm kill was carried out. We never watched our father killing the household meat because there was no reason to; it wasn’t a spectacle.

                Your experience and mine doesn’t make NZ culture.
                But this “, look at NZs appalling suicide rates of not just children but young men.” is shameful.
                It’s true “there’s something rotten in the state of ‘godzone’ that we refuse to acknowledge”

                • Gangnam Style …
                  17 September 2016 at 4:51 pm

                  I did not say my experience made NZ culture did I?

                  My dad was brought up on a Waikato farm in the 50s, he was a young stupid ignorant immature man in his 20s , now he is mellow & more knowing &I think he’s great! Also, my experience is not that uncommon, both the brutal animal slaughter & being forced to learn how to swim in those horrible cold concrete pools all schools used to have.

                  Also read the comments on the articles, plenty people think kids watching animals die is great character building material & makes kids respect meat, apparently!

              • Gabby …
                17 September 2016 at 5:58 pm

                You were unlucky to have an arsehole for a father.

            • The Chairman 6.3.2.1.1.2
              20 September 2016 at 1:32 pm

              @b waghorn

              Not only is she speaking from her own experiences (which some would also widely share) she illustrates how they manifest through attitudes and actions in society.

              One recent example being the Roast Busters ordeal. More recently the Chiefs.

              She discusses our binge drinking culture, procreation, homophobia and rugby culture.

              She highlights (amongst other things) that in the United Nations Report on the Status of Women published in 2011, New Zealand was ranked worst of all OECD countries in rates of sexual violence.  

              The series is titled ‘New Zealand is no paradise, it is brutal’ – highlighting some of the more sinister parts of our culture, thus it isn’t going to be a complimentary piece.

      • Psycho Milt 6.3.3
        17 September 2016 at 4:09 pm

        I also question her ability to reflect or do basic research. The anecdote about pain relief is common in many countries. It’s not a NZ thing It’s a medical services dynamic. Which makes me wonder about her ability to form an argument that is meaningful beyond her own antipathy.

        Yes. I read the first one, spent most of it thinking “FFS, do you imagine that’s peculiar to NZ?” or “Have you actually visited any other countries?”, and decided not to bother with any further installments.

        • Garibaldi 6.3.3.1
          17 September 2016 at 5:33 pm

          I have read both articles and, for me, on both occasions warning bells have rung. There is something contrived, ott, or ‘worst case scenario’ about it all. I suspect it is fiction. Worse still I fear I agree with BM ( minus the raving leftie bit) on this.

    • Ad 6.4
      17 September 2016 at 3:15 pm

      The one on the place of women and sexual attitudes in New Zealand was a bit over the top, but it was really well told.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.5
      17 September 2016 at 11:00 pm

      Seems accurate.

  7. joe90 7
    17 September 2016 at 12:43 pm

    Misogynist thug incites violence against a woman.

    Take their guns away. She doesn’t want guns. Let’s see what happens to her… It would be very dangerous.

    http://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-if-clinton-hates-guns-take-bodyguards-away-and-lets-see-what-happens-to-her/

    edit: She wants to destroy your Second Amendment… Guns, guns, guns, right? I think what we should do, is, she goes around with armed bodyguards like you have never seen before. I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons, they should disarm, right? Right? I think they should disarm. Immediately. Whaddaya think, yes? Yes. Yeah. Take their guns away! She doesn’t want guns. Take their, let’s see what happens to her. Take their guns away. OK?

  8. Sabine 8
    17 September 2016 at 1:31 pm

    oh yes please, pretty pretty please 🙂

    http://qz.com/782523/elizabeth-warren-wants-the-fbi-to-treat-big-bank-ceos-the-way-they-treat-hillary-clinton/

    quote:
    “Elizabeth Warren hasn’t left the financial crisis behind—she wants the FBI to hand over the records of its investigations into criminal behavior at Wall Street banks before the crash.
    And she says she has grounds to do so after federal law enforcement officials gave extraordinary public access to their investigation of Hillary Clinton’s e-mail server.”Quote End.

  9. James 9
    17 September 2016 at 2:03 pm

    Highlighting the difference between labour activist and “reality” in the UK

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/12/jeremy-corbyns-labour-suffers-worst-opinion-poll-ratings-the-par/

    Not much different here really.

    #ToriesForCorbyn

    • ropata 9.1
      17 September 2016 at 3:35 pm

      Nothing to do with wanton acts of political sabotage by the PLP then? Just blame the guy who harnessed a mass movement and increased Labour membership to record levels.. really James you are being a bit simpleminded

      • James 9.1.1
        17 September 2016 at 4:21 pm

        Not at all – what I was pointing out is that there are people like you, who are fine in a small little echo chamber with people like yourself who think you are all smart – and then there is the rest of the population who vote for the other guys leaving you surprised yet again when you are in opposition.

        • ropata 9.1.1.1
          18 September 2016 at 2:43 am

          For your next trick, the Brexit result and the Trump movement are great examples of right wing success…?

          There is a lot of anger out there against *all* establishment parties, patting yourself on the back seems a bit premature

        • framu 9.1.1.2
          19 September 2016 at 8:32 am

          pretty sure the fact youve ingored the continuing public internal war in UK labour has been pointed out to you multiple times.

          the fact your pinning it all on a single factor, yet again, somewhat proves ropata’s claim – either that or your doing it on purpose

  10. joe90 10
    17 September 2016 at 2:09 pm

    Rachel Maddow on how the Trump campaign’s use of racist symbols signals their tacit agreement with the very worst of America.

    http://player.theplatform.com/p/7wvmTC/MSNBCEmbeddedOffSite?guid=n_maddow_apepe_160916

  11. Karen 11
    17 September 2016 at 3:34 pm

    Generation Zero have done a guide for local elections again – makes for some interesting comparisons.

    http://aucklandelections.nz/

  12. Muttonbird 12
    17 September 2016 at 4:35 pm

    The comments section after this article highlight the divisions in NZ society which have appeared in the last decade.

    It’s the age of the amateur landlord and the long term tenant. Watch for things to get worse in this area.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/84337585/foxton-landlord-seeks-appeal-in-soiled-carpet-case

    • b waghorn 12.1
      17 September 2016 at 7:04 pm

      If you tell your tenants no pets inside then they let pets piss all over the carpet then i think they should pay.
      The fire case is completely different from that , and the court was right to not make the tenants pay.

      • Muttonbird 12.1.1
        17 September 2016 at 8:59 pm

        It’s the comments I was highlighting, not the case itself. Any excuse at all to deride tenants as a group is gleefully taken up by the the amateur landlord class.

        • b waghorn 12.1.1.1
          18 September 2016 at 7:51 am

          oh god don’t read stuff comments ,it will only make you feel like you are living in an asylum ,

    • weka 12.2
      18 September 2016 at 12:29 pm

      I’d be interested to know what the Tribunal decision said. On the face of it it doesn’t make sense.

      Re the comments, there is a mix there of the two cases (which are quite different), so it’s a big hard to tell what the general response is. Criticising the lastest Tribunal decision seems valid to me and not-anti-renter.

      Oh, and tenant’s insurance, wtf.

  13. marty mars 13
    17 September 2016 at 5:05 pm

    This article was very thought provoking for me.

    “I wanted to believe that sharing my experience with them would make them understand. And even more important, that understanding would breed action; but that’s where the disconnect arose. My sons understand, as best as teenage boys can. But they aren’t willing to sacrifice their own comfort for my sake, or for anyone else. When it comes to speaking out against rape culture and questioning their own ideas and behaviour, they become angry and defensive. Not all men, they remind me, and my guts wrench as my own sons mimic the vitriol of a thousand online trolls.”

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/life/84369519/im-a-rape-survivor-and-my-teen-boys-are-blind-to-rape-culture

    As a parent I wonder how I will act/react when my boys don’t believe what I believe and in fact believe the opposite.

  14. Gabby 14
    17 September 2016 at 6:07 pm

    You wouldn’t let your kids call a girl a slut or a whore. You probably wouldn’t lecture them about sexual politics over dinner until they wish laryngitis on you either.

    • Stephanie Rodgers 14.1
      17 September 2016 at 6:20 pm

      You think it’s okay to reduce a woman talking about her own experience, and trying to get her sons to understand how to have respectful relationships, to “lecturing them about sexual politics”?

      That’s kind of the problem, you realise.

  15. North 15
    17 September 2016 at 11:33 pm

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11711888

    In the body count it’s still 1000-1 against the sub-human “sand nigger” Palestinians. Talk about racism !

    Nelson Mandela knew those neo-nazi zionists for what they are. Seventy years ago even Ben Gurion understood the Palestinians’ plight. “We’re taking their land – of course they hate us”.

    “Justice The Seed Peace The Flower”.

    • Colonial Viper 15.1
      17 September 2016 at 11:42 pm

      Anyone interested in this issue needs to read up on the historical “Yinon Plan” for a Greater Israel.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    17 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    22 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    23 hours ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-07-26T23:56:23+00:00