Don’t think so. English has been in the back room for so long, and the only time he’s fronted anything it has been a failure:
See the SCF payout in the dead of the night.
See the asset sales return well below the lowest estimate.
See the NZ flag disaster.
No, English has been at his level beavering away in the back room but when asked to be the face of something it’s always turned out badly, just as it did in 2002.
At the moment the burden of tax falls unfairly on wage and salary earners. Who cares? Henry doesn’t that’s for sure. Along with the Hard Right such an assessment reflects the view of a “socialist wowser”. He needs to read the reports of a succession of tax reviews that the government here has commissioned. Sorry I forgot, not part of his job spec.
Let’s be clear. I’m all for rewarding hard work and talent that generates wealth. What I am totally against is maintaining a flawed income tax system that enables people to get rich by doing nothing apart from speculating on housing. What I am totally against is Establishment parties and career politicians who have presided over this debacle because they haven’t the guts to call it out.
You wonder why it is so hard to get ahead in modern day New Zealand, particularly for young people? Why are decent paying jobs in short supply yet housing costs the earth, even to rent? This tax loophole is right at the centre of this cancer. Far more successful economies than ours have not had a rise in real house prices over the last 50 years. Our leaders have let New Zealanders down badly.
I didn’t see Morgan’s interview by Paul Henry. But earlier on his website, Morgan says that when people hear the rational reasons for his policy, they will be more accepting of it.
Except, the likes of Paul Henry don’t appeal to rationality. They go for the emotions.
After John Key quit the other day I thought again about the first time I realised he was not like me. It was the first time I realised he was uninterested in nurturing potential of the disenfranchised, the people who struggle to compete in life. He was happy to block them of new opportunities.
As always is the case with Key there is dispute about what he said, or what he meant when he said it but the lasting phrase, the one that I remember, and the one that is unambiguous, is that affordable housing requirements at Hobsonville are, “absolutely…economic vandalism”.
It looks like 10 full years later the people occupying the lofty heights in Grenada Village are channelling John Key upon his demise. They too are unaccepting and unaccomadating of people less fortunate than themselves.
You are right the place is a hellhole (sorry Grenada), it’s basically in an elevated position along the wind funnel following SH1 towards Porirua. Any decent northerly winds and you have to batten down the hatches and your outside areas are more or less unusable.
Oh and the neighbourhood are worried about new affordable housing costing $450-550,000. Well in Wellington that’s going to attract the upper middleclass, not state housing tenants lol.
I see Paula Bennett is marketing herself for the Deputy PM position as “the bubbly one who loves people”.
Yeah? Tell that to the two solo mums who dared to mildly criticise her for scrapping the night classes for people – like themselves – to be able to gain qualifications in preparation for returning to the work-force. Opportunities she took when she was in the same position and which set her on the upward path to political glory. And that was just the start…
John Campbell a couple of nights ago, critically question someone (maybe Boag) who said Bennett had empathy. Campbell was skeptical with respect to what he’s seen of her.
Thanks for that Caroline nth. Been missing Checkpoint lately. Yes, he put Michelle Boag on the spot over that one. Paula has empathy? That’s got to be the joke of the year.
He challenged her but he could have done much more. Boag has been allowed to get away with far too much for far too long. I don’t know if you heard Kim Hill take Anne Tolley apart on Morning Report recently – now that was impressive!
Boag spinning her usual BS adding to the business as usual pile of lies of the “commentariat” and the media: The Double Dipper “innovative in the policy area”; Pullyah Benefit “empathetic”; a “lot of talent at that second-tier level”…. blah blah blah.
Key may have (nearly) gone people but don’t forget who still controls the narrative: We have a safe pair of hands on the tiller who has guided us through the GFC …etc etc etc
Yep…Paula really pinned her colours to the mast with her first major policy change…
“Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has been accused by Labour of cutting funding for training allowances that she benefited from while a solo mother herself.
Labour’s associate social development spokeswoman Carmel Sepuloni said Ms Bennett had said she knew how hard life was on the domestic purposes benefit and she wanted those on it to have the ambition to get off the benefit.
Ms Sepuloni said instead of giving more support the budget had cut $3.6 million from the training incentive allowance for sole parents on benefits next year — an $8.7 million total by 2013.”
And when righteously taken to task for this outrageous display of ladder kicking,
Paula ‘Bubbles’ Bennett proudly states (while puffing away the feathers stuck around her mouth)
” the Government still wanted to help sole parents with training, but changes were necessary because of the recession.
“This means that we are making decisions accordingly, $22.5 million will be spent on the training incentive allowance in the next year,” Ms Bennett said.
“We have not cut the training incentive allowance; we have not cut the training level, we have merely changed the level.”
Sole parents would still be helped with a “foundation course or other certificate”, but at university level they would be treated as other students, she said.”
Kick them when they’re down,
Kick them when they’re down,
We are National, quite irrational,
We kick them when they’re down.
Sole parents would still be helped with a “foundation course or other certificate”, but at university level they would be treated as other students, she said.”
Well, that never happened. As for changing the level? It plummeted to zero and that’s where it still sits.
And godalmighty just read the comments (from the nbr article)….from 7 years ago.
“Like Paula Bennett I have gone places since I was on the DPB and received a training allowance. I went to law school and am now on $120k+ pa. I am happy that the $40+k that I pay in taxes helps others including bankrupt developers and other Act/ National supporters who are now bennies themselves. Watch out for karma, Tom, Paula et al.”
“I am a solo mum, however I receive the widows bene which in essence is the DPB just a diff name, The TIA being taken away from people in my position that have lost their husbands and been left with children to support and have no qualifications is totally wrong, I and my three children have to survive on 540$ per week I have a 500+ mortgage and now a credit card bill due to not being accepted to receive a TIA, Shona who commented earlier you have no idea what its like to lose your life partner and then have to struggle to feed 3 children, yes some may abuse the system but why should those of us that really really need help get punished.”
“When I was told by WINZ that I no longer could receive the TIA for Bachelor of Nursing (could get it only if I was doing some lower level course that probably wouldn’t get me off the benefit anyway) I was told to get a student loan to cover the $60+ per week I pay in petrol and childcare when studying (which I already have for course fees – people think govt pays for everything – not true!) . (And I only get $342 per week for 4 kids, Paula Bennet wouldn’t publicize that figure I bet!). So rang studylink to apply for living costs, which is a loan not a handout, and was told that I wasn’t eligible due to being on the DPB!! So not only have the govt removed the TIA, they have prevented beneficiaries from being able to borrow the money they need to study, which any other struggling student is entitled to borrow. ( which they would obviously pay back, so the taxpayers can rest easy on that one). It is blatant discrimination – and so counter-productive, because it prevents people getting off the DPB. Hearing about the MP’s expense claims in the same week as this has me absolutely fuming!!”
Real people.
Really, real people.
Collateral damage in National’s ‘toughen up and be more resilient’ program.
It is blatant discrimination – and so counter-productive, because it prevents people getting off the DPB
If our politicians understood what was necessary to develop our economy there wouldn’t be long term unemployment and people on the DBP would be able to show their kids how to succeed – because everyone not in or between work would be either training people with their skills or learning new skills themselves.
Innovation doesn’t come from a few special people – it comes from the multitude of ideas that a nation has. All of them need to be heard, all of them need to be tested and then the best are developed.
What struck me was that these women (I am presuming) will now be qualified lawyers, teachers, nurses and social workers.
It comes as no surprise that there is growing unease amoungst ALL these professions at the damage that this government has wrought over the past eight years.
We have heard members of the legal profession expressing extreme concern at human rights violations this government seems happy to enact.
We have nurses and doctors expressing extreme concern that government policies are putting people’s lives at risk.
We have had teachers kicking up a considerable amount of shit at National Standards, crap funding for Inclusive Education and the unfair funding and now dodgy pass rates of Charter Schools.
We’ve had social workers crying foul that their voices were ignored in the cyfs reforms process, while they are at the frontline copping the flak for systemic failures that cost children their lives.
A completely cynical person might suggest to Parties on The Left that these people constitute an electoral goldmine.
They will be demanding to hear policies that will undo some of the damage their professions have suffered.
These policies MUST be clear, unequivocal and realistic.
Because the message will be going to those whose education and eventual rise to ‘middle New Zealand’ has been hard won.
The Vanguard Military charter school on Auckland’s North Shore reported a 100 percent Level 2 NCEA pass rate, but that fell to 60 percent when the school’s results were calculated the same way as state schools report.
Vanguard has been held up by Farrar and Slater in particular as an example of charter schools’ success. This is the only school which they’ve been able to point to as being ‘successful’.
But it turns out charter schools are reporting in a way which inflated their results and ‘created an imperfect impression’, lol.
As for Seymour, he thinks it’s fine to go easy on charter schools because – just because.
Bridges just promised Northland a motorway from Auckland to Whangarei while, with hanger-on John Key, ceremonially starting the 18.5km bit between Puhoi and Warkworth at the cost of $709.5 million.
Now lets see…162km…divide by…carry the one…equals…yes, here it is, a $6.2 billion motorway is what Simon Bridges just promised.
I do wonder what Farrar will make of the BCR on that!
I do wonder what Farrar will make of the BCR on that!
The only figure that the Gnats are concerned with is the profit that the roading contractors will get for building it and then the ongoing maintenance of it.
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Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
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The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
I guess this is the only way Bill English was going to get to be prime minister – someone else handing it to him.
No way the NZ public would elect him.
Me thinks you will be proven wrong.
Don’t think so. English has been in the back room for so long, and the only time he’s fronted anything it has been a failure:
See the SCF payout in the dead of the night.
See the asset sales return well below the lowest estimate.
See the NZ flag disaster.
No, English has been at his level beavering away in the back room but when asked to be the face of something it’s always turned out badly, just as it did in 2002.
I agree, a “conservative catholic” is the last thing National needed and it’s hard to see him improving on his one election defeat as leader.
I do wish people would stop referencing his chosen faith and more reserved delivery in his speeches… That in itself is not a reason to berate anyone.
However , – simply stating the fact that somebody is a complete and utter miserable arsehole has absolute validity and will indeed suffice .
So there you go . Nailed it for you.
Neo liberals are complete and utter miserable arseholes.
And Bill English is a neo liberal.
One of Australia’s more successful Prime Ministers, John Howard, had an early stint as a failed Leader of the Opposition.
Bill English could well repeat Howard’s success, now that he has had 12 years more experience since 2002 to 2004.
It’s possible if he has somehow reinvented himself as the blokey, barbecuing, beer-drinker that both Howard and Key were.
Would’ve thought “Mad Monk” Abbott was a more suitable comparison.
Gareth Morgan has followed up that travesty of an interview with a brilliant rejoinder
http://www.newshub.co.nz/opinion/gareth-morgan-defends-tax-policy-after-paul-henry-interview-2016120814
I didn’t see Morgan’s interview by Paul Henry. But earlier on his website, Morgan says that when people hear the rational reasons for his policy, they will be more accepting of it.
Except, the likes of Paul Henry don’t appeal to rationality. They go for the emotions.
I don’t know if Paul Henry *has* any rationality, he’s just an opinionated misanthropic twat
Paul Henry reveals why he hates people
And that’s the big one. A house should never go up in value as it’s value never changes except possibly to decline as it wears out.
Maintenance preserves value, improvements add more.
No maintenance is perfect and does a renovated kitchen truly add value?
Hmmmm… this Gareth chap is singing some of the right tunes…so far.
This is a blast from the past.
After John Key quit the other day I thought again about the first time I realised he was not like me. It was the first time I realised he was uninterested in nurturing potential of the disenfranchised, the people who struggle to compete in life. He was happy to block them of new opportunities.
As always is the case with Key there is dispute about what he said, or what he meant when he said it but the lasting phrase, the one that I remember, and the one that is unambiguous, is that affordable housing requirements at Hobsonville are, “absolutely…economic vandalism”.
It looks like 10 full years later the people occupying the lofty heights in Grenada Village are channelling John Key upon his demise. They too are unaccepting and unaccomadating of people less fortunate than themselves.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/87207969/residents-fight-unacceptable-plan-for-affordable-housing-in-grenada-village
To be honest, the place looks like a barren shit-hole to me so a bit of colour and diversity wouldn’t go amiss.
You are right the place is a hellhole (sorry Grenada), it’s basically in an elevated position along the wind funnel following SH1 towards Porirua. Any decent northerly winds and you have to batten down the hatches and your outside areas are more or less unusable.
Oh and the neighbourhood are worried about new affordable housing costing $450-550,000. Well in Wellington that’s going to attract the upper middleclass, not state housing tenants lol.
To me any different form of housing there would enhance the character of the area. Unless they would rather stick with what they’ve already got, paddocks of monstrous, grey coloured grazing turtles in tight wooden pens.
http://www.russellproperties.co.nz/sites/default/files/2012-10-10%2015.18.35_1_0.jpg
I see Paula Bennett is marketing herself for the Deputy PM position as “the bubbly one who loves people”.
Yeah? Tell that to the two solo mums who dared to mildly criticise her for scrapping the night classes for people – like themselves – to be able to gain qualifications in preparation for returning to the work-force. Opportunities she took when she was in the same position and which set her on the upward path to political glory. And that was just the start…
John Campbell a couple of nights ago, critically question someone (maybe Boag) who said Bennett had empathy. Campbell was skeptical with respect to what he’s seen of her.
here’s the video:
About 5 minutes into it
Thanks for that Caroline nth. Been missing Checkpoint lately. Yes, he put Michelle Boag on the spot over that one. Paula has empathy? That’s got to be the joke of the year.
He challenged her but he could have done much more. Boag has been allowed to get away with far too much for far too long. I don’t know if you heard Kim Hill take Anne Tolley apart on Morning Report recently – now that was impressive!
Kim Hill also took Key apart over the same issue as Tolley. He threw in the towel the same day – now that was even more impressive.
Don Brash said Judith Collins has integrity…
“Don Brash said Judith Collins has integrity…”
😆😄😃
Boag spinning her usual BS adding to the business as usual pile of lies of the “commentariat” and the media: The Double Dipper “innovative in the policy area”; Pullyah Benefit “empathetic”; a “lot of talent at that second-tier level”…. blah blah blah.
Key may have (nearly) gone people but don’t forget who still controls the narrative: We have a safe pair of hands on the tiller who has guided us through the GFC …etc etc etc
The lies and spin continue unabated.
Yep…Paula really pinned her colours to the mast with her first major policy change…
“Social Development Minister Paula Bennett has been accused by Labour of cutting funding for training allowances that she benefited from while a solo mother herself.
Labour’s associate social development spokeswoman Carmel Sepuloni said Ms Bennett had said she knew how hard life was on the domestic purposes benefit and she wanted those on it to have the ambition to get off the benefit.
Ms Sepuloni said instead of giving more support the budget had cut $3.6 million from the training incentive allowance for sole parents on benefits next year — an $8.7 million total by 2013.”
And when righteously taken to task for this outrageous display of ladder kicking,
Paula ‘Bubbles’ Bennett proudly states (while puffing away the feathers stuck around her mouth)
” the Government still wanted to help sole parents with training, but changes were necessary because of the recession.
“This means that we are making decisions accordingly, $22.5 million will be spent on the training incentive allowance in the next year,” Ms Bennett said.
“We have not cut the training incentive allowance; we have not cut the training level, we have merely changed the level.”
Sole parents would still be helped with a “foundation course or other certificate”, but at university level they would be treated as other students, she said.”
Kick them when they’re down,
Kick them when they’re down,
We are National, quite irrational,
We kick them when they’re down.
(Please feel free to alter/ add)
https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/bennett-cutting-a-benefit-helped-her-labour-103907
Sole parents would still be helped with a “foundation course or other certificate”, but at university level they would be treated as other students, she said.”
Well, that never happened. As for changing the level? It plummeted to zero and that’s where it still sits.
And godalmighty just read the comments (from the nbr article)….from 7 years ago.
“Like Paula Bennett I have gone places since I was on the DPB and received a training allowance. I went to law school and am now on $120k+ pa. I am happy that the $40+k that I pay in taxes helps others including bankrupt developers and other Act/ National supporters who are now bennies themselves. Watch out for karma, Tom, Paula et al.”
“I am a solo mum, however I receive the widows bene which in essence is the DPB just a diff name, The TIA being taken away from people in my position that have lost their husbands and been left with children to support and have no qualifications is totally wrong, I and my three children have to survive on 540$ per week I have a 500+ mortgage and now a credit card bill due to not being accepted to receive a TIA, Shona who commented earlier you have no idea what its like to lose your life partner and then have to struggle to feed 3 children, yes some may abuse the system but why should those of us that really really need help get punished.”
“When I was told by WINZ that I no longer could receive the TIA for Bachelor of Nursing (could get it only if I was doing some lower level course that probably wouldn’t get me off the benefit anyway) I was told to get a student loan to cover the $60+ per week I pay in petrol and childcare when studying (which I already have for course fees – people think govt pays for everything – not true!) . (And I only get $342 per week for 4 kids, Paula Bennet wouldn’t publicize that figure I bet!). So rang studylink to apply for living costs, which is a loan not a handout, and was told that I wasn’t eligible due to being on the DPB!! So not only have the govt removed the TIA, they have prevented beneficiaries from being able to borrow the money they need to study, which any other struggling student is entitled to borrow. ( which they would obviously pay back, so the taxpayers can rest easy on that one). It is blatant discrimination – and so counter-productive, because it prevents people getting off the DPB. Hearing about the MP’s expense claims in the same week as this has me absolutely fuming!!”
Real people.
Really, real people.
Collateral damage in National’s ‘toughen up and be more resilient’ program.
If our politicians understood what was necessary to develop our economy there wouldn’t be long term unemployment and people on the DBP would be able to show their kids how to succeed – because everyone not in or between work would be either training people with their skills or learning new skills themselves.
Innovation doesn’t come from a few special people – it comes from the multitude of ideas that a nation has. All of them need to be heard, all of them need to be tested and then the best are developed.
What struck me was that these women (I am presuming) will now be qualified lawyers, teachers, nurses and social workers.
It comes as no surprise that there is growing unease amoungst ALL these professions at the damage that this government has wrought over the past eight years.
We have heard members of the legal profession expressing extreme concern at human rights violations this government seems happy to enact.
We have nurses and doctors expressing extreme concern that government policies are putting people’s lives at risk.
We have had teachers kicking up a considerable amount of shit at National Standards, crap funding for Inclusive Education and the unfair funding and now dodgy pass rates of Charter Schools.
We’ve had social workers crying foul that their voices were ignored in the cyfs reforms process, while they are at the frontline copping the flak for systemic failures that cost children their lives.
A completely cynical person might suggest to Parties on The Left that these people constitute an electoral goldmine.
They will be demanding to hear policies that will undo some of the damage their professions have suffered.
These policies MUST be clear, unequivocal and realistic.
Because the message will be going to those whose education and eventual rise to ‘middle New Zealand’ has been hard won.
+1
Vanguard has been held up by Farrar and Slater in particular as an example of charter schools’ success. This is the only school which they’ve been able to point to as being ‘successful’.
But it turns out charter schools are reporting in a way which inflated their results and ‘created an imperfect impression’, lol.
As for Seymour, he thinks it’s fine to go easy on charter schools because – just because.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/319865/charter-school-ncea-reporting-to-be-brought-into-line
Bridges just promised Northland a motorway from Auckland to Whangarei while, with hanger-on John Key, ceremonially starting the 18.5km bit between Puhoi and Warkworth at the cost of $709.5 million.
Now lets see…162km…divide by…carry the one…equals…yes, here it is, a $6.2 billion motorway is what Simon Bridges just promised.
I do wonder what Farrar will make of the BCR on that!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11763178
The only figure that the Gnats are concerned with is the profit that the roading contractors will get for building it and then the ongoing maintenance of it.
Note the photo of 3 guys turning up the sod – for this event. Obviously, they were well dug out beforehand ……… no muddling around on this one !