Author Archive
Charter schools fiddling their results
Written By: - Date published: 8:58 am, December 9th, 2016 - 110 comments
Charter schools are fiddling their results. Just another example of the way that education for profit is all about profit, with education hardly getting a look in. All of National’s ideological interventions in education are failures.
Nat MPs one week window of relevance
Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, December 6th, 2016 - 48 comments
Key has been so dominant for so long that Nat MPs have become invisible. But now, for one glorious week, they enjoy a brief window of relevance. And the infighting has begun.
Key’s 4th term – something doesn’t add up
Written By: - Date published: 6:49 am, December 6th, 2016 - 145 comments
Key has long craved a “historic” 4th term. Interviewed on 24 September he was still saying he wanted it, he now claims he had already decided to quit. While rumours are hard to believe, something doesn’t add up here.
Key “concedes” Mt Roskill by election
Written By: - Date published: 6:39 am, December 2nd, 2016 - 21 comments
Key says he expects National to lose in Mt Roskill – under the bus for Parmjeet Parmar. He won’t be attending the wake either, and he spins another lie just for good measure.
Massive education fail
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, November 30th, 2016 - 45 comments
Thanks National: “NZ kids worst at maths in English-speaking world”.
Labour Green seat deals – about bloody time
Written By: - Date published: 12:36 pm, November 29th, 2016 - 69 comments
Reports that Labour and the Greens will cooperate in some seats. Watch Patrick Gower’s head explode! But this is no Epsom.
Three strikes – seven years – for bottom pinching
Written By: - Date published: 12:37 pm, November 25th, 2016 - 88 comments
The first application of “three strikes” is an example of exactly one of the main problems that opponents of the law raised. Remove discretion and you can get perverse outcomes.
Sale of Key’s old house a powerful symbol
Written By: - Date published: 7:57 am, November 25th, 2016 - 11 comments
English admits that the government has done a poor job of maintaining state houses, and uses it as an excuse for privatisation – its by design. The attempted sale in Christchurch, incuding Key’s childhood home, is a powerful symbol of the way this government likes pulling up the ladder that they used behind them.
Chester Borrows goes to trial, Barry Soper goes to pieces
Written By: - Date published: 7:26 am, November 22nd, 2016 - 208 comments
Nat MP Chester Borrows is to stand trial for injuring a protestor with his car. Barry Soper is outraged, because “elderly female, placard waving protesters” just don’t deserve the protection of the law.
Rewarding incompetence with a 4th term?
Written By: - Date published: 8:26 am, November 20th, 2016 - 76 comments
Disaster response is about more than showing up for photos and cancelling a trip or two. National has made a mess of Christchurch and comprehensively failed to learn its lessons. They should in no way be rewarded with a 4th term.
Nats politicising earthquake response
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, November 18th, 2016 - 74 comments
Oh look, National are nakedly politicising government earthquake response.
Pike River Mine can be safely re-entered – but the Government says no
Written By: - Date published: 6:08 pm, November 17th, 2016 - 63 comments
Damien O’Connor and Denise Roche have taken it to Nick Smith in the House today over the government’s plan to seal Pike River mine forever.
Dirty politics past and present
Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, November 17th, 2016 - 63 comments
A couple of dirty politics related stories that slipped under the radar in the last hectic week.
Nat allegations about Michael Wood a pack of lies
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, November 12th, 2016 - 25 comments
I trust the truth will be reported by all the media that reported the lies.
Flogging the dead TPP horse
Written By: - Date published: 12:55 pm, November 11th, 2016 - 24 comments
The Nats are determined to keep flogging the TPP horse in Parliament. Someone should buy them a newspaper.
So sheepgate was Key’s fault
Written By: - Date published: 10:45 am, November 7th, 2016 - 66 comments
According to Fran O’Sullivan the cause of Sheepgate was Key’s decision to abandon leadership of a business mission in 2010. As to the subsequent scandal – Watkin and Hooton voice the anger we should all be feeling.
Conservative, honky males in suits
Written By: - Date published: 9:43 am, October 31st, 2016 - 23 comments
As a government National is no friend to women, and as a party National has structural problems with selecting and supporting women. Stacey Kirk in the SST writes on National’s lack of female depth.
Spinning Key’s India fail
Written By: - Date published: 11:02 am, October 28th, 2016 - 35 comments
Key’s India trip started off going nowhere fast, and ended up the same way. Gotta love the spin though.
Meth and housing
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, October 27th, 2016 - 29 comments
Why has Housing NZ ignored repeated advice and misused meth tests to evict tenants? RNZ: “Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said Housing New Zealand had caused a huge amount of harm by knowingly misusing the guidelines.”
Tory MP resigns on point of principle
Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, October 26th, 2016 - 25 comments
No, not in NZ, of course. With bonus notes on a “grotesque folly”.
Time for another round of fear mongering
Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, October 25th, 2016 - 49 comments
Latest fear mongering sounds like a rerun of the jihadi brides lie, which as an editorial summary put it – “raises serious questions about the accuracy of claims made by John Key, SIS boss Rebecca Kitteridge and Security Intelligence Minister Chris Finlayson.”
Workers, unions and the Labour party
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, October 23rd, 2016 - 198 comments
Convincing workers not to organise in their own best interests is one of the great successes of right-wing politics.
Take a lesson from the All Blacks
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, October 22nd, 2016 - 21 comments
The Japanese proved decades ago that shared ownership – involving workers in management – is a highly successful and productive model. Seems that it works for the All Blacks too.
Poverty is too difficult in Key’s New Zealand
Written By: - Date published: 8:59 am, October 17th, 2016 - 47 comments
Key is out of touch. But not so out of touch that he doesn’t know about the poverty crisis in NZ. The denial and evasions are deliberate.
TPP – Let it go John
Written By: - Date published: 7:23 am, September 21st, 2016 - 132 comments
So Key has been trying to explain the TPP to America. Apart from looking ridiculous, what did he think he was going to accomplish?
Complaint over Key’s prison rape stunt upheld
Written By: - Date published: 11:51 am, August 25th, 2016 - 65 comments
The Friday dump on Havelock North
Written By: - Date published: 9:17 am, August 20th, 2016 - 68 comments
What a surprise that the news that NZ’s worst ever waterborne disease outbreak is most likely caused by livestock should be the subject of a classic Friday 5pm news dump.
Clean up our water!
Shit in the water
Written By: - Date published: 3:15 pm, August 15th, 2016 - 92 comments
The damage so far in the Havelock North “gastro” outbreak is one possible death, two older people in intensive care, 18 hospitalised, 50 making their way to the emergency department, 280 notifications, and hundreds of kids staying away from school.
Saudi sheepgate coverup continues
Written By: - Date published: 9:08 am, August 12th, 2016 - 41 comments
What was the payment for, why did the Nats go ahead with it against all advice, and why won’t they release the letter?
Nats contradicting each other on panicked infrastructure policy
Written By: - Date published: 8:40 am, August 8th, 2016 - 29 comments
From Newshub:
Listen to Nick Smith trying to defend fudged foreign ownership data
Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, August 2nd, 2016 - 22 comments
Anyone who believes the Nats’ figures needs to listen to yesterday’s interview – Why won’t Nick Smith answer this one simple question? Excellent work from Garner.
- Taxpayer-funded Hīkoi Organiser Shows Parliament’s Budget A Political Slush Fund
Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said “Taxpayers’ money is not a political slush fund. MPs shouldn’t be able to hide how they’re wasting our money, and it’s long-past time their budgets were covered by the OIA.” ...3 days ago - Public Comments By Auckland CCO Bosses Demonstrate Need For Duty Of Political Neutrality
"Dean Kimpton is the poster child of what an undemocratic CCO model has led to," says Jordan Williams, a Spokesman for the Ratepayers' Alliance. ...3 days ago
- Modern cars are surveillance devices on wheels with major privacy risks – new report
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law & Justice; Lead, UNSW Public Interest Law & Tech Initiative, UNSW Sydney Varavin/Shutterstock New research reveals serious privacy flaws in the data practices of new internet connected cars in Australia. It’s yet another reason ...3 days ago - The world reacts to te Hīkoi mō te tiriti
International media seem to agree the Treaty Principles Bill and national hīkoi put New Zealand at a pivotal moment in history. ...3 days ago - City Rail Link: Mayor Wayne Brown unsure it will get across the line in time
Auckland's mayor has lost confidence that the City Rail Link will be finished on time, despite assurances from officials. ...3 days ago
- Women are still being paid almost $30,000 a year less than men and the gap widens with age
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leonora Risse, Associate Professor in Economics, University of Canberra Kaewmanee jiangsihui/Shutterstock Australia’s gender pay gap has been shrinking year by year, but is still over 20% among Australia’s private companies, a new national report card shows. But that gender gap is ...3 days ago
- Listen: Christopher Luxon says ‘no need to meet’ with hīkoi at Parliament
The Prime Minister says organisers were "closely aligned" with Te Pāti Māori, but acknowledged it was "a significant day". ...3 days ago
- ‘Burnt out, tired, frustrated’: how hospital pressures harm doctors’ mental health
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Belinda Lunnay, Senior Research Fellow in Public Health, Torrens University Australia Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock Even before the COVID pandemic, which added significant pressure to the health-care workforce, Australian doctors experienced poor mental health at higher rates than the overall population. The ...3 days ago
- When picking schools, don’t get stuck on single-sex vs. co-ed. Instead ask – are all students su...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Keddie, Professor of Education, Deakin University If parents have a choice, the decision about where to send a child to school and what will be best for them can be a really difficult one. One question that comes up frequently ...3 days ago
- Michelle Visage is now hosting Drag Race Down Under. It’s a milestone for cis women in drag
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yves Rees, Senior Lecturer in History, La Trobe University Stan Drag Race Down Under is back for a fourth season, only this time something is different. The Australasian franchise is no longer helmed by the eponymous RuPaul. Instead, this season the ...3 days ago
- ‘Impossible’ to know effect of new gang laws on victimisation – Justice Minister
The gang patch ban comes into effect at midnight tonight. ...3 days ago
- Luxon didn’t meet the hīkoi, but he won’t be able to hide from what comes next
An undeniable show of opposition to the coalition painted the streets of Wellington red, white and black, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...3 days ago - In a global nursing shortage, NZ’s reliance on overseas-trained staff is not sustainable
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Holloway, Associate Professor, Director of the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Practice, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Olafur Seinar Gestsson/Getty Images The global shortage of trained nurses has been described as a health emergency by the ...3 days ago
- Deportations hampered by availability and cost of flights
A lack of flights is being blamed for the number of deportations being hundreds short of government targets. ...3 days ago
- Live: te Hīkoi mō te tiriti is over, but the debate isn’t
After the hīkoi: supporters are proud of the message sent, but a six month long process for the Treaty Principles Bill still lies ahead. ...3 days ago
- What now for the Treaty Principles Bill?
"Kill the bill" was the cry from the hīkoi - and that's likely to happen with National and NZ First saying they will not support the Treaty Principles Bill at its second reading, but it may not be as quickly as protestors would like. ...3 days ago
- The smack: How a family’s plea to Oranga Tamariki for help with their son unravelled
A family living in fear of their young son's increasingly dangerous behaviour asked for support. Instead, the agency turned its focus on his mum. ...3 days ago
- Was the hīkoi New Zealand’s largest-ever protest?
Media estimates of the crowd size ranged from 17,000 to 100,000+, but one thing we can say for sure — it was bloody massive. Thirty-five thousand people. That’s the crowd size police initially estimated for the final leg of the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, the nine-day march in protest of ...3 days ago
- How has Luxon’s position on the Treaty Principles Bill changed over time?
The prime minister has never supported David Seymour’s bill in principle, or beyond first reading in practice, but his language has certainly changed. The National Party has spent a large amount of time in this parliamentary term talking about a bill it doesn’t like. Which is not much fun. In ...3 days ago
- Has Netflix forgotten about New Zealand?
Following the opening of the Netflix ANZ office in Sydney and lacklustre commissioning of New Zealand content, the local industry has been left wondering where we fit in. Here at the bottom of the globe, we’re used to being overlooked. New Zealand has been left off the world map so ...3 days ago
- Three generations: the court queens of Kāhu
At seven months old, little Holitopa won’t yet comprehend she’s part of basketball history. But her mother, grandmother and aunties hope that one day, she will follow in their shoes.“I hope she’s taller and longer than all of us,” says her mum, Krystal Leger-Walker. “There are a lot of basketball ...3 days ago - Wellington intervention looks like a first resort, not the last
Opinion: This looks like ‘punching down’, in the mayor’s words The post Wellington intervention looks like a first resort, not the last appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- Homeowners move house sooner than you think: Why the average stay is shrinking
It turns out that the so called ‘seven year itch’ is more like five these days. The latest data from realestate.co.nz shows how long people hold onto their homes before they sell. And it’s shorter than you’d think.Kiwis keep their homes for an average of just five and a half ...3 days ago
- Country calendar: woolsheds
Milking sheds, I know intimately; the headlights of a farmbike illuminating mysterious valleys in the darkness before dawn, herding the old moos, working the pumps, tuning the transistor to the Concert Programme to soothe yourself and the beasts, the whole place reeking of wet pooh and spilt milk; but of ...3 days ago
- Let’s not play into Seymour’s hands by talk of racist Treaty bill
Opinion: David Seymour is playing the long game, and we’d be dangerously foolish to count him out.As his Treaty Principles Bill passed its first reading in Parliament last week, there was no shortage of news coverage and analysis.Much of the commentary has focused on the ignorance of his interpretation of Te ...3 days ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 20 November
The post Daily crossword, Wednesday 20 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 20 November
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-title { font-size: 1.2em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .entry-meta { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; margin-top: 0.5em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-meta { font-size: 0.8em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .avatar { height: 25px; width: ...3 days ago
- Reserve Bank likely to cut key interest rate by 50bp next week
Reserve Bank has had Kiwi economy in a chokehold to kill inflation, and it now needs to loosen its grip, Kiwibank says The post Reserve Bank likely to cut key interest rate by 50bp next week appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- Foodstuffs’ merger now hinges on narrow view of Commerce Act
Analysis: Foodstuffs and the Commerce Commission’s different interpretations of Commerce Act will be tested in court The post Foodstuffs’ merger now hinges on narrow view of Commerce Act appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- The Kiwi business leader giving exploited migrants a second chance
Indian immigration to New Zealand has been going on for more than 100 years, but in the past 25 it’s become synonymous with exploitation.The stories come thick and fast – dozens of Indian men living in squalid conditions, their promised jobs amounting to nothing; nurses training for and gaining Kiwi ...3 days ago
- Hīkoi: ‘The whole world is watching’
Māori leaders say the hīkoi was ‘never about the bill’, it was about forging unprecedented unity throughout the country The post Hīkoi: ‘The whole world is watching’ appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 days ago
- ‘What’s good for Māori is good for everyone’ – Hīkoi ends with peaceful protest
By Ashleigh McCaull, RNZ News journalist Aotearoa New Zealand’s capital Wellington Pōneke turned into a sea of black, white and red today, as more than 42,000 people supporting te Hīkoi mō te Tiriti overflowed Parliament’s lawn and onto the streets. Supporters then headed to Waitangi Park, where a post-hīkoi concert ...3 days ago
- Kiwi workers lose jobs as billion-dollar firm quietly shifts production to USA
There was a sense of secret pride among the 300 staff at the little-known contract manufacturer Alaron.Tied up by non-disclosure agreements, the Nelson workers weren’t allowed to talk about their biggest customer – ... 3 days ago - Chalmers targets reforms to superannuation products and transparency in the retirement phase
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers will announce on Wednesday a package of reforms to the retirement phase of the superannuation system, to make it easier to navigate and consumer friendly. In a speech to the industry, Chalmers ...3 days ago
- We rated the urban forests of 8 global cities – only Singapore passed the 30% canopy test
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thami Croeser, Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University Ryan DeBerardinis, Shutterstock Can you see three trees from your home, school or workplace? Is there tree canopy cover shading at least 30% of the surrounding neighbourhood? Can you find a ...4 days ago
- More children going hungry, Health Survey shows
Meanwhile, wait times for GPs keep increasing, along with rates of mental distress. ...4 days ago
- Kiwi pilot kidnapping in West Papua leads to police raids in Australia
By Duncan Graham An alleged plot involving firearms and threatening the life of New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens when held hostage in Papua this year is being investigated by the Australian Federal Police. The case involves “advancing a political cause by the separation of West Papua from Indonesia . . ...4 days ago
- 42,000 join as Treaty Principles Bill hīkoi reaches Parliament
By mid-afternoon today 42,000 people gathered at the Parliamentary precinct and the surrounding streets, police say. ...4 days ago
- Political finance law reforms will reduce big money in politics, but will rich donors be the ultimat...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Political funding in Australia has long been shrouded in secrecy. It is also dominated by large donations and unrestrained spending, courtesy of laissez-faire federal political finance laws. The Albanese government has ...4 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke reacts to haka heard around the world
In the face of criticism, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke says there was definitely a moment of 'what just happened?', after the House was suspended during voting. ...4 days ago
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
Recent Comments