Archive for September, 2017
Liar Joyce’s shifting goal posts and zero budgets
Written By: - Date published: 8:13 am, September 6th, 2017 - 16 comments
Hopelessly compromised Steven Joyce is trying to shift the goalposts from his thoroughly exposed $11.7bn lie to Labour’s “zero budgets”. He’s clutching at straws…
Joyce keeps digging
Written By: - Date published: 8:08 am, September 6th, 2017 - 11 comments
Steven Joyce is spinning furiously and is now claiming that Labour has set aside no money for budget increases for many Government Departments. But when Labour’s figures are compared to PREFU it is clear that Labour is planning to maintain or exceed National’s propose future spend.
Joyce and English now laughing stock
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, September 6th, 2017 - 148 comments
Post John Key all National ever had going for it was an undeserved reputation for financial competence. Now that is gone too. It doesn’t get any worse than this 3 weeks out from an election.
National – campaign vs reality
Written By: - Date published: 6:07 am, September 6th, 2017 - 13 comments
The brighter future cusp of something special moving forward advertising campaign fluff meets the reality of National’s NZ in this brilliant image.
Open Mike 06/09/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 6th, 2017 - 62 comments
Open 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 …
Daily Review 05/09/2017
Written By: - Date published: 5:35 pm, September 5th, 2017 - 60 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
I will resign before raising Super beyond 65
Written By: - Date published: 3:29 pm, September 5th, 2017 - 33 comments
John Key and Jacinda Ardern have some things in common it seems. She has a pony tail and he likes pony tails (I was drawing a long bow to say that was something they had in common, I know). National are being beaten at their own game, or the beat is in the air. So […]
Speaking of mothers
Written By: - Date published: 1:28 pm, September 5th, 2017 - 31 comments
There’s a direct relationship between how badly we treat mothers and how much we exalt neoliberalism.
Tick tock.
Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, September 5th, 2017 - 45 comments
Relentlessly positive will help us change the government. Then what?
Even Kiwiblog won’t defend Joyce’s $11.7 billion claim
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, September 5th, 2017 - 15 comments
David Farrar has put up and then amended a post suggesting that there is a $11.7 billion hole in Labour’s policy financials. It appears that even he does not believe there is a $11.7 billion discrepancy in Labour’s accounts.
A test for NZ media and democracy
Written By: - Date published: 11:01 am, September 5th, 2017 - 23 comments
The Nats are not backing down from their $11.7bn lie. The media need to call it loudly for the big lie that it is. This is now a test for NZ’s democracy.
The Jacinda Phenomenon
Written By: - Date published: 8:34 am, September 5th, 2017 - 130 comments
Some thoughts on the Jacinda phenomenon based on my observations of her campaigning last Sunday in West Auckland.
Steven Joyce – liar or fool?
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, September 5th, 2017 - 52 comments
The economists have spoken, and Steven Joyce’s claim that there is a $11.7bn “hole” in Labours’ fiscal plan shows him to be either a liar or a fool. Shame on Bill English for repeating it in the debate.
Open Mike 05/09/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 5th, 2017 - 81 comments
Open 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 …
Second leaders’ debate
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 pm, September 4th, 2017 - 114 comments
A much better debate, but English doubling down on the lies about Labour’s fiscal plan.
Daily Review 04/09/2017
Written By: - Date published: 5:35 pm, September 4th, 2017 - 35 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Steven Joyce’s comprehension fail
Written By: - Date published: 3:03 pm, September 4th, 2017 - 43 comments
Steven Joyce’s claim that Labour’s budget forecasts have a $11 billion dollar hole in them raises some concern with his ability to actually understand Government budgetary processes.
The actual implications of a Capital Gains Tax
Written By: - Date published: 1:38 pm, September 4th, 2017 - 109 comments
Matthew Whitehead looks at what the Greens, Labour and National really mean when they talk about a CGT.
National’s 18 new taxes
Written By: - Date published: 9:35 am, September 4th, 2017 - 14 comments
A dose of reality on National and taxes, and wise words on the media circus surrounding tax.
National plays the lauranorda card
Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, September 4th, 2017 - 42 comments
National is panicking and Paula Bennett has gone full dog whistle in claiming that gang members should have less rights than others.
Labour’s support for renters
Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, September 4th, 2017 - 54 comments
While National revert to type with populist scaremongering, Labour is getting on with the business of releasing practical policy that supports real people and addresses real problems.
Open Mike 04/09/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 4th, 2017 - 182 comments
Open 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 …
National have poisoned the Peters well
Written By: - Date published: 10:55 am, September 3rd, 2017 - 50 comments
National deciding to go after Winston Peters was a high risk strategy, and it has backfired on them. Caught between their own dirty history and a resurgent Labour.
In the one month since Jacinda Ardern became leader…
Written By: - Date published: 7:22 am, September 3rd, 2017 - 8 comments
Good on ya NZ – choosing Labour policy over Nat tax cut
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, September 3rd, 2017 - 27 comments
It is very heartening to see Kiwis rejecting National’s tax cut bribe (and English’s arrogant debate rhetoric) – in favour of supporting each other and backing Labour’s policies for a better NZ.
Open Mike 03/09/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 3rd, 2017 - 233 comments
Open 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 …
Revising Nats’ nasty joggers ad
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, September 2nd, 2017 - 22 comments
National’s nasty joggers campaign ad captures the essence of the party nicely, ignoring and making fun of those in need of help, running away from problems. But in light of the recent poll-quake it is in serious need of revision…
Bernard Hickey: Bill English’s Trump-like denial of a productivity problem
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, September 2nd, 2017 - 84 comments
Being compared to Trump has got to hurt. And shouldn’t there be consequences when a PM flat out lies to the country on the state of the economy?
National’s New Lynn candidate is not having a good campaign
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, September 2nd, 2017 - 24 comments
Paulo Garcia, National’s New Lynn candidate has some very conservative world views and a recent interview suggests that his knowledge of the local area and the seat are less than optimal.
Open Mike 02/09/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 2nd, 2017 - 135 comments
Open 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 …
Daily Review – 01/09/2017
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, September 1st, 2017 - 57 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
- Book of the Week: Novel of the Year
I met Saraid de Silva at a Palestine rally in Auckland over the summer. She told me there would be a Wellington launch for her new book, Amma. I attended it on a Wednesday, bought the book, read it by Saturday and gave it to my visiting sister to take ...2 weeks ago - Spend on inequity and the climate crisis, not soldiers’ wargamesOpinion: For one day’s worth of defence spending in New Zealand, we could pay 144 registered nurses for a year. One hour’s worth of defence spending would pay for 216 cataract operations in a public hospital. As understaffed hospitals struggle, and patients wait many months for elective surgery, it is ...2 weeks ago
- Govt scores not one but two Budget own goalsOpinion: National’s populist pre-election pledge to fund specific new cancer drugs was always foolhardy The post Govt scores not one but two Budget own goals appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Air pollution above safe levels in 12 of 13 regionsWhile air quality is improving overall, the latest statistics show the most dangerous, unregulated pollutants are still commonly detected at unsafe levels The post Air pollution above safe levels in 12 of 13 regions appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- “It Is Better To Live For A Cause Than To Die For One” – Actor Ends Hunger Strike And Cont...
Shortland Street actor Will Alexander has ended a 19 day hunger strike for the people of Palestine today. He has been on a zero-calorie diet, consuming only water. ...2 weeks ago - Protesters Intercept Fast Track MinisterDressed as lumps of coal, holding signs which read “Frogs Declare War!”, and addressing the minister through a megaphone, protesters asked “Will you approve projects that kill endangered species?” ...2 weeks ago
- Proposed Holiday Act Changes Undermine Workers’ EntitlementsThe NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi is calling on the Government to not reduce worker entitlements in their review of the Holidays Act. ...2 weeks ago
- Are little libraries doomed to be filled with rubbish books? An argument with myself
Why does it feel so sacrilegious to throw away a book? And do the little free libraries that dot our suburbs primarily exist to assuage our guilt? Book lover Shanti Mathias debates book realist Shanti Mathias. I was outraged to read about the Invercargill Rotary Club recycling books that weren’t ...2 weeks ago - The full timeline of National’s broken cancer drugs promiseHow a key campaign pledge came undone. August 21, 2023: The big promise is made Two months out from the election, National promises that if elected, it will fund 13 treatments for lung, bowel, kidney and head and neck cancers that New Zealand’s Cancer Control Agency has identified as providing ...2 weeks ago
- Interim Financial Statements Of The Government Of New Zealand For The Ten Months Ended 30 April 202...The April results are reported against forecasts based on the Budget Economic and Fiscal Update 2024 (BEFU 2024), published on 30 May 2024, and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...2 weeks ago
- Secretary Of Defence AppointedActing Public Service Commissioner Heather Baggott today announced the appointment of Mr Brook Barrington as the Secretary of Defence and Chief Executive, Ministry of Defence. ...2 weeks ago
- An interview with Will Alexander, who was willing to die for the people of PalestineOn May 18, Will Alexander announced his hunger strike for Palestine. Today, he ended it. After one day without food, the body starts turning to other energy sources: glycogen from the liver and muscles, then fat, and finally, muscle tissue – including that of the heart. The body begins to ...2 weeks ago
- Lessons from cucina poveraWhy osso buco is on the menu this week. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. One of my earliest food memories doesn’t involve me eating at all – only the unrivalled joy of watching two plump middle-aged men cook and taste their way around Italy ...2 weeks ago
- How to help Auckland’s $63bn bid for better transport get over the lineThe Regional Land Transport Plan will determine how Aucklanders move (or don’t) for the next 10 years. Here’s how to have your say on where the money gets spent (or doesn’t). It’s a Friday afternoon. You reach your bus station, check your phone and realise your bus isn’t coming. You’ll ...2 weeks ago
- Layoffs, tax cuts and flat dinners: The sitcom life of a Wellington twenty-somethingLife in Wellington in 2024 feels like being trapped in a sitcom, with a bizarre cast of characters and no laugh track. For a few years now, especially in Wellington, the political scene has been all-consuming. It used to be that you could show up, you could vote, you could ...2 weeks ago
- National Voters Concerned About Fast Track BillThe poll covers a range of dimensions related to the controversial legislation and highlights concern amongst the National Party support base over the undermining of democracy, the risk of corruption, the return of previously prohibited practices, ...2 weeks ago
- Students end rent strike, but call for further actionAttention turns to the Residential Tenancies Act, a piece of legislation that does not cover student accommodation, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...2 weeks ago
- Government Plans Nelson Tenths Appeal – Before The Decision Is ReleasedThe Government has allocated $3.6 million of taxpayer funds in the Budget to appeal the High Court's forthcoming decision in the Nelson Tenths dispute, even though the Court’s decision has not yet been issued. ...2 weeks ago
- Are New Zealand’s youngest voters really shifting right?Polling that shows young voters turning to the conservative may not be as drastic as it appears, writes Max Rashbrooke. Quite apart from the overall defeat it delivered, last year’s election seemed to spell bad news for the left in one key demographic: the youth. A Guardian Essential poll, taken ...2 weeks ago
- The last huge state media merger was DOA. Is another stealthily rising to replace it?Combining the Film Commission and NZ On Air is now being openly discussed in Wellington. Duncan Greive assesses the idea – and asks why stop there? Combine what now? Only the two hugely powerful agencies that decide what we fund for our screens. The NZ Film Commission was founded in ...2 weeks ago
- Married at First Sight NZ Power Rankings: Trapped in a jam jar of emotionsAlex Casey delivers her power rankings for week two of Married at First Sight NZ, in which trouble has officially been found in paradise. Last week the light of Mike Pero shone down upon Michael from The Apprentice, but this week a new divine entity stepped into its potency: the ...2 weeks ago
- What The 1989 Tiananmen Crackdown Means For Chinese Youth In New ZealandIn New Zealand, young Chinese are exposed to more information about the 1989 protests than they would likely come across in China. Consequently, some are calling for casualties of the crackdown to be remembered. ...2 weeks ago
- Manurewa Marae Allegations Warrant Public InquiryThe Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to form a public inquiry under the Inquiries Act to ensure that MSD and Stats NZ are not tasked with reviewing their alleged, lack of action following complaints from whistleblowers that the Manurewa ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand Government Presents Austerity Budget Amid Nationwide ProtestsAfter months of sweeping attacks on the social position of working people, the budget was anticipated with some foreboding. The government is carrying out a scorched earth policy targeting funding cuts of 7.5 percent across the public sector with over 5,000 ...2 weeks ago
- Review: NZ Opera’s Le Comte Ory is a gently funny delightThe Rossini opera is given a modern New Zealand twist, and manages to stick the landing – mostly. Musical comedy can be a hard sell. Operatic comedy is even harder, unless it’s one of the more famous ones, or you’re watching the Looney Tunes classic What’s Opera, Doc. Musical comedy ...2 weeks ago
- Have Your Say On Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill And Amendment Paper...The Chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill and Amendment Paper 41. This bill aims to establish preliminary arrangements for local government ...2 weeks ago
- Former NZ Assoc. Min Of Foreign Affairs Urges NZ To Support Removal Of Cuba From US State Sponsors O...Being on the list means, further, that humanitarian and solidarity groups cannot send aid, Cubans abroad are denied bank accounts, including diplomats and entrepreneurs and money cannot be remitted to families in Cuba. ...2 weeks ago
- Free Speech Union UK Founder, Toby Young, To Tour New Zealand With Local Free Speech UnionThe Free Speech Union is proud to bring Toby Young, founder and director of the Free Speech Union UK and associate editor of The Spectator to New Zealand this month, says Nathan Seuili, the Free Speech Union’s Events and Outreach Manager. ...2 weeks ago
- High Court Quashes Resource Consent To Fell Hundreds Of Exotic Trees On Ōtāhuhu Mt RichmondAuckland Council has for the second time in just over two years been found to have failed to follow the law when granting the Tūpuna Maunga Authority a resource consent to fell hundreds of exotic trees on Auckland's maunga. The High Court late last week ...2 weeks ago
- New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this weekWe round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you like a sweet escape: Sweet Tooth (Netflix, June 6) The third and final season of the New Zealand-filmed apocalyptic thriller about a hybrid-human child travelling ...2 weeks ago
- Living inside history: Transmission Beta, reviewed Stuart McKenzie and Miranda Harcourt’s second piece of verbatim theatre that tracks the Covid years is a chic and powerful success. There’s nothing I love more than a sleek theatre set. The physical world of Transmission Beta is created with just six revolving panels (designed by Ōtautahi-based designer Mark ...2 weeks ago
- The cost of being: An immigrant New Zealander with generational wealthAs part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 30-something Canadian immigrant tells us what it’s like to be financially set for life. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female Age: 34 Ethnicity: Canadian European. ...2 weeks ago
- Five news stories you might have missed over the long weekendIf you’re anything like Stewart Sowman-Lund, you spent King’s Birthday off your phone and away from the news – we absolutely all deserved it. In this extract from The Bulletin, let’s get back up to speed with what’s been going on since Friday. To receive The Bulletin in full each ...2 weeks ago
- Tory Whanau just made her most impressive move as mayor – it may cost herGetting the votes to sell the council’s shares in Wellington airport was a skilled piece of dealmaking, but it opens the Wellington mayor up to some big political risks. Windbag is The Spinoff’s Wellington issues column, written by Wellington editor Joel MacManus. Windbag is made possible thanks to the support ...2 weeks ago
- Shane Jones’ pro-mining culture war risks destroying the industry he lovesThe resources minister is creating a polarised debate where you’re either in favour of drilling and mining for everything, or you’re a woke climate alarmist. It’s going to backfire, argues Sefton Darby. Almost 10 years ago a group of senior mining execs, government officials and the then minister of energy ...2 weeks ago
- A full-body experience: Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud, reviewedChris Tse reviews Lee Murray’s genre-breaking book about women of the Chinese diaspora in Aotearoa. Reading Lee Murray’s Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud is a full-body experience: your pulse races and your skin prickles in response to the searing and visceral imagery, and the heaviness of the injustices that ...2 weeks ago
- The 50 kings you need to knowToday is King’s birthday, but there are oh so many kings to acknowledge. Here’s 50 to think about on your day of rest. 50. King Charles Obligatory inclusion because it’s his fake birthday. 49. King George VI From the Colin Firth movie. 48. The King of Hearts Hearts is the ...2 weeks ago
- Not my king’s birthdayLiam Rātana is tired of honouring colonisation, colonisers, and an establishment that represents all that is wrong with the world. Personally, I despise the monarchy and everything it represents. The Crown has built its wealth on stolen land, exploited resources, slavery and genocide. These are facts, not opinions. So why ...2 weeks ago
- Sex, drugs, rock’n’roll and cricket: An excerpt from First Things by Harry RickettsIn an excerpt from his new memoir, the poet and literary scholar remembers losing his virginity, his first experience with LSD, and the 1970 Bath Festival. The first person kind enough to go to bed with me was a student at Somerville. It was early on the morning of Friday ...2 weeks ago
- Young Labour Budget ResponseIt is outrageous to heap the cost of inflation on students and their families through jacked-up fees. To give our full-time students a mere $2 a week in tax cuts at a time when their landlords are increasing rents is purely insulting. ...2 weeks ago
- Campaign To Free Ukrainian Socialist Bogdan Syrotiuk Discussed On Te Upoko o te Ika RadioOn May 24, John Braddock and Tom Peters, World Socialist Web Site writers and members of the Socialist Equality Group (SEG) in New Zealand, spoke with Dean Hapeta (aka Te Kupu) on his radio show Te Kupu Nā Te Kupu, on the Wellington Māori station ...2 weeks ago
- Week in Politics: What will the government get out of Budget 2024?
Week in Politics - Coverage has focused on what voters could get out of the budget, but what impact could it have on the coalition's popularity? ...2 weeks ago - Make Your Views Heard On “The Restoring Citizenship Removed By Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act...This is an opportunity for all political parties to work together, recognising that Aotearoa is a Pacific nation. Our whakapapa and history across the Pacific Ocean Te Moana nui a Kiwa is as extensive and deep as the moana itself. ...2 weeks ago
- Budget 2024 Produces Funding Reprioritisation For Digital HealthThe decision in Budget 2024 to reduce funding to digital health services is, on the face of it, concerning, says the chief executive of the Digital Health Association, “but we need to know more.” ...2 weeks ago
- Significant Investment In Transport Shows This Government Is Serious About Transport1.9 million households are going to benefit from the promised tax relief and critical services such as health and education are ear marked for significant investment. ...2 weeks ago
- Massive Decisions For Hamilton’s Water ServicesThe future of Hamilton’s water services and finding the best way to deliver them for future generations, will be one of the key topics for Hamilton City Council as it awaits further information from Government. ...2 weeks ago
- Disappointment Over Repeated Failure To Increase Funeral GrantThe Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand is disappointed the Government’s budget has once again failed to include an increase for the Work and Income Funeral Grant. ...2 weeks ago
- Government Bill Rushed: Waikato Regional Council SubmissionWaikato Regional Council has sent a clear message to the Government that proposed legislative changes impacting Māori wards and constituencies are “inequitable”. ...2 weeks ago
- Budget Abandons Homeless Young People For Tax CutsThe Government has indicated that 20 million that had been tagged to support Youth Transitional Housing projects over the next 3 years will now no longer go ahead. ...2 weeks ago
- What About The Crown Keeping Its Promise To Māori & Prioritising That?...3 weeks ago
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