Author Archive
Get a shave mate, you’re the PM
Written By: - Date published: 4:18 pm, June 4th, 2009 - 47 comments
If you saw last night’s One News piece on the Worth fiasco, you might have noticed Key looking particularly haggard. This photo doesn’t really do justice to how crap he actually looked – grey, sallow, a lot of wrinkles and bags under the eyes, and a serious five o’clock shadow. Johno, if you can’t control your […]
Iz satisfard
Written By: - Date published: 7:18 am, June 4th, 2009 - 2 comments
hattip: Maia, Anthony Karinski
Sweet rides
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, June 1st, 2009 - 41 comments
A few weeks back, in the best traditions of tabloid TV, Q+A took time to mention Lockwood’s ride, the macho muscle car Ford Falcon Cobra – a car that screams red-blooded heterosexuality. It got me wondering. I heard Helen Clark used to drive a Mitsi when she was PM. Boring. But what sort of cars would […]
English and Key uncertain of Budget’s focus
Written By: - Date published: 7:46 pm, May 27th, 2009 - 35 comments
If there was ever a phrase that this Government keeps reminding me of, it’s “couldn’t organize a piss-up in a brewery”. Today, on the eve of what will be a particularly important Budget for our country, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance aren’t entirely sure just what it is they’re trying to achieve. […]
On Auckland and Leningrad
Written By: - Date published: 3:36 pm, May 24th, 2009 - 17 comments
The modern blitzkrieg [lightning war] was first tested in the Spanish civil war, refined in the invasions of European states that marked the beginning of WWII, and applied successfully in more recent invasions in the Middle East. A blitzkrieg’s success comes from the speed of its prosecution, from which it gets it name. The speed of a blitzkrieg gives attackers […]
Teflon off: Key gets a mauling at Press Conference
Written By: - Date published: 4:32 pm, May 18th, 2009 - 33 comments
John Key’s performance at this afternoon’s 4pm Press Conference was impressive. I’ve never heard so many, ‘don’t knows’, denials, ‘I can’t tell yous’, prevarications and equivocations in a press conference before. You wonder why he bothered to even turn up, he could’ve just sent along a billboard with ‘No Comment’ on it for all the […]
One of these things is not like the other V
Written By: - Date published: 8:44 pm, May 15th, 2009 - 14 comments
One of these things is not like the other One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other Can you tell me before I finish the game?
I can see South Auckland from my house! An interview with Melissa Lee
Written By: - Date published: 5:44 pm, May 14th, 2009 - 16 comments
Did your company use NZ On Air money to produce a National Party promotional video? Look, I didn’t keep records of who was working on what when and it doesn’t work like that the only people who have a problem are disgruntled employees but they were volunteers and we were having fun so it doesn’t […]
Lee down, under; about to be reborn
Written By: - Date published: 9:10 am, May 14th, 2009 - 34 comments
Melissa Lee’s recent interviews on Q+A, TV1, TV3 and RNZ proved once and for all that being able to read an autocue doesn’t mean you’re any good at handling the media. When Lee put her hand up to rob the hapless Ravi Musuku of any chance of ever being rewarded for standing in Mt Albert, I […]
Not my Leaders
Written By: - Date published: 1:14 pm, May 6th, 2009 - 2 comments
Hide and Banks do not strike me as the kind of men you feel safe about having too much power. They never have been and they never will be. Yet so far the ongoing review of the so called ‘Supercity Plan’ has suggested it’s only weakness is that the Lord Mayor wouldn’t have enough power. Instead, […]
One of these things is not like the other IV
Written By: - Date published: 4:00 pm, May 1st, 2009 - 53 comments
One of these things is not like the other… One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other… Can you tell me before I finish the game?
One of these things is not like the other III
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, April 18th, 2009 - 20 comments
One of these things is not like the other… One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other… Can you tell me before I finish the game?
What comes around goes around
Written By: - Date published: 6:55 pm, April 11th, 2009 - 3 comments
It wasn’t so long ago that National’s covert attack organ, the Free Speech Coalition, were squealing about how anti-democratic the last Labour government was, with plenty of snappy billboards like this one. Well now that the tragedy of Fiji’s dictatorship is going from bad to worse, don’t expect to hear any more concern from the […]
One of these things is not like the other II
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, April 10th, 2009 - 36 comments
One of these things is not like the other… One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other… Can you tell me before I finish the game?
Who’s zooming who?
Written By: - Date published: 11:32 am, April 5th, 2009 - 27 comments
The Herald reports: Last week John Key used poor United States sales of the new BMW 7-series – 10 were sold in February, compared with more than 1500 in the same 2008 month – as an example of how much other countries were hurting in the economic crisis. But New Zealand… sales of the top-of-the-line […]
One of these things is not like the other
Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, April 3rd, 2009 - 64 comments
One of these things is not like the other… One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other… Can you tell me before I finish the game?
Mayday Mayday, Worth’s bought it and I’m losing altitude – Groser out
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 1st, 2009 - 36 comments
Richard Worth, OBE, is now in very serious trouble having been snared in what looks like untruths about using his Ministerial portfolio to further the interests of a company he had a private commercial interest in. It’s pretty blatant and really Key won’t be able to get away with keeping him on for much longer. […]
Strings attached
Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, March 20th, 2009 - 20 comments
I’d always thought Westies were the type to do things their own way, so this seems more appropriate in light of today’s RNZ interview discussed in the following story from Tane…
90 axed at TVNZ
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, March 16th, 2009 - 56 comments
In what’s turning out to be the gift that just keeps on giving for National, the Recession Bogeyman is now being blamed for a need to axe 90 staff from TVNZ. The Minister for Broadcasting reckons the cuts are necessary to make sure TVNZ keeps returing a fat dividend, even in these extraordinary times, even […]
The guy’s tired already
Written By: - Date published: 1:55 pm, March 13th, 2009 - 65 comments
If there’s one thing that strikes you about John Key’s post-cabinet press conference this week, it isn’t the scintillating prose or erudite diction. It isn’t even the brilliant plans brimming with enthusiasm, intelligence and vision. What’s remarkable is that the guy looks exhausted. He’s been in the job all of 3 months, extended holidays in Hawaii not withstanding, […]
PM eyes fetching tiara
Written By: - Date published: 6:14 pm, March 8th, 2009 - 61 comments
The world may be going to hell in a hand-basket and National may have been pretty derelict so far in coming up with any real plan to combat the recession, but clearly they’ve been busy focusing on the really important business of dragging us back into the past. The British titles of Knights and Dames […]
Meat and Wool NZ: “Job Summit Disappointing”
Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, March 6th, 2009 - 18 comments
It’s been said by some of the Government’s supporters that criticism of the Job Summit is nothing more than rantings of the embittered Left. Well, I may be doing Chairman of Meat and Wool NZ Mike Petersen a great disservice, but I’m willing to gamble that he’s not a hardcore lefty. Here’s what Petersen had […]
Some cold day in hell
Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, March 5th, 2009 - 30 comments
Observant msm spectators may have noticed this gem from TV1 news last night: ‘A radical shake-up of the controversial Seabed and Foreshore Act is on the cards it could result in new powers for Maori to test their rights in court, but John Key is vowing no New Zealander will lose their access to the […]
Right desperate to sully Clark legacy
Written By: - Date published: 10:41 am, February 8th, 2009 - 39 comments
When John Key was elected he was wise enough to be magnanimous in victory, acknowledging Helen Clark’s considerable skill and integrity throughout her term as one of our longest serving Prime Ministers. Since that time however, Key’s underlings have begun another death by a thousands cuts campaign – this time on the public’s memory and […]
Rainbows tame Waitangi
Written By: - Date published: 2:25 pm, February 7th, 2009 - 7 comments
Gosh what a difference a few years can make when it comes to symbols of national identity. Not so long ago National had a leader happy to springboard off dog-whistling race-divisive carping about the Treaty Grievance Industry in speeches and billboards. More recently National campaigned on abolition of the Maori seats, at least until it became […]
Fonterra set to simmer
Written By: - Date published: 12:10 pm, February 4th, 2009 - Comments Off on Fonterra set to simmer
Lawyer Stephen Price has rubbished Fonterra’s claim that the Chinese sub judice status of the Sanlu case prevents Fonterra releasing documentation of their communications. Price also doubts any discussion of the issues here would influence the outcome of Sanlu Chairwoman Tian Wenhau’s appeal. The criticism comes after Fonterra claimed it advised Sanlu only 0% melamine was acceptable […]
Car crushing fist of the State
Written By: - Date published: 12:45 pm, February 3rd, 2009 - 32 comments
Despite being remarkably quiet throughout a spate of serious police controversies, Police Minister Judith Collins has finally risen to the challenge of leadership over the so-called Boy Racer issue. Collins has suggested crushing the impounded cars of those deemed to be acting like ‘Boy Racers’ in reaction to a Christchurch incident last week when a […]
So that’s the plan
Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, February 2nd, 2009 - 41 comments
Well it may not have been particularly self-evident just what National have been doing since the election, but clearly John has some kind of plan. The TradeMe auction of Key’s arm cast, acquired after an inauspicious Chinese New Year trip, has begun. Worried perhaps that the auction might also fall flat on its face, John has […]
- ‘We don’t even have a CT scan here’: Dunedin Hospital protesters rally
About 1000 people turned up to hear why building the hospital as planned, was important. ...5 days ago - Biggest Ever Community Petition, With Over 200,000 Signatures, Opposes Treaty Principles Bill
The country has spoken. This Bill is a bad faith attempt to revoke the Government’s commitments to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and it’s visible to not just Aotearoa, but the world. ...5 days ago - Justice Committee Calls For Submissions On The Principles Of The Treaty Of Waitangi Bill
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- To build support, it might be time for the Greens to hang up their movement-style approach to politi...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Narelle Miragliotta, Associate Professor in Politics, Murdoch University State and territory elections held in 2024 have not delivered the electoral and legislative gains the Greens would have hoped for or expected. Of the elections conducted this year, the Greens’ performance was, ...5 days ago - Australia’s new anti-vaping program in schools is a good step – but education is only part of th...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonine Jancey, Academic and Director Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health, Curtin University Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Last week, the federal government announced a plan to roll out an anti-vaping program in schools across the country. The education program, ...5 days ago
- We pay less for houses in one-in-100 year flood zones – but overlook risks of more devastating flo...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Song Shi, Associate Professor, Property Economics, University of Technology Sydney If you’re buying a house near a river or on a floodplain, you will likely come up against the question of flood risk. We usually talk about this in terms of chance. ...5 days ago
- What was the deal with Julius Caesar and Cleopatra’s ‘situationship’?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charlotte Dunn, Lecturer in Classics, University of Tasmania Carl Gottlieb Venig/Wikimedia The Egyptian queen Cleopatra is often associated with glamorous beauty routines, deadly snake bites, lavish banquets and torrid affairs with some of the most notorious men in Roman history. ...5 days ago
- The cost of being: An ‘anti-capitalist’ barista and tutor renting in Wellington
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The Regulations minister wants to hear "from tradies, farmers, teachers, chefs, engineers - every person doing productive work". ...5 days ago
- Elon Musk’s new job will bring tech ‘disruption’ to the US government – and history says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hallam Stevens, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, James Cook University On November 12, United States president-elect Donald Trump announced he would appoint Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, to lead a newly constituted Department of Government Efficiency alongside fellow tech billionaire and former ...5 days ago
- AI for life: how sovereign Wiradyuri ways of knowing can transform technology for good
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Russ-Smith, Associate Professor, Social Work and Assistant Deputy Head of School, School of Allied Health, Australian Catholic University Philip Schubert/Shutterstock From climate change to geopolitical instability to health emergencies, we are entering a period of momentous change. The technology industry ...5 days ago
- Live updates: Toitū Te Tiriti hīkoi marches to parliament
Tens of thousands are expected to gather in Te Upoko-o-te-ika-a-Māui today, as the nationwide Toitū Te Tiriti hīkoi prepares to arrive at parliament. Follow this blog for up-to-date coverage and reaction. ...5 days ago
- NZ media’s second wave of doom
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- With 14 community newspapers due to close, too many parts of NZ are becoming ‘news deserts’
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Greg Treadwell, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images When media company NZME proposed the closure of 14 community newspapers last week, the so-called “news desert” encroached a little further into the local information landscape. The term refers ...5 days ago
- New Zealand’s new ‘anti-scam czar’ gets to work
Millions of dollars are lost to scams each year. Should more attention be on the social media giants that platform them? Stewart Sowman-Lund writes in today’s edition of The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...5 days ago
- Dunedin Hospital rebuild: Rally stirs more opposition to cutbacks
A sea of Southerners filled Dunedin's Town Hall last night in support of the Save Our Southern Hospital campaign. ...5 days ago
- Thousands expected at Parliament as hīkoi moves towards the capital
This article first appeared at rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at Parliament today as the final leg of the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti reaches its last destination – but organisers and participants are saying it will not end there.At Takupūwāhia Marae ...5 days ago
- Treaty hīkoi: Commuter disruption expected as protest reaches Wellington
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- Press Gallery 101: The House chats with Jason Walls
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- COP29: Surprise at lack of reaction to US elections
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- Pupils join hīkoi as te Tiriti is removed from curriculum framework
As a Wellington school leader takes 100 of his junior college pupils onto Parliament’s forecourt today alongside the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, he is freshly motivated to protest.The pupils are officially there to learn – the trip comes under ‘education outside the classroom’ – but Onslow College deputy principal Connor ...5 days ago
- Hīkoi heads into Wellington: ‘This is a opportunity to stand up and have a voice’
Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at Parliament today as the final leg of the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti reaches its last destination - but organisers and participants are saying it will not end there. ...5 days ago
- Treaty hīkoi: Commuter disruption expected as huge protest reaches Wellington
People on foot and in cars began making their way into central Wellington from the early hours of this morning. ...5 days ago
- Live: Hīkoi mō te Tiriti sets off for capital, tens of thousands expected at Parliament
Tens of thousands are expected to congregate at Parliament this morning. Follow the latest with RNZ's live updates. ...5 days ago
- Windbag: On the City to Sea Bridge and the power of letting go
It’s a Wellington icon, but we must say goodbye. It is time to demolish the bridge, argues Joel MacManus. Wellington’s City to Sea Bridge is beautiful and weird. Its design says something about what Wellington is and the way the city sees itself. It’s been the home of many late ...5 days ago
- Who gets to have an opinion on the hīkoi and who must remain ‘impartial’?
Newsrooms of old were apparently more impartial. But that’s only because everyone shared the same biases, argues Madeleine Chapman. Last week, the Herald’s Media Insider (AKA editor-at-large Shayne Currie) reported on some shocking news. Top TVNZ executive Nevak Rogers had taken annual leave from her job as chief content officer ...5 days ago
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- Red light for those seeking emergency housing
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- Daily crossword, Tuesday 19 November
The post Daily crossword, Tuesday 19 November appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
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- Whitewashing te Tiriti out of education
Opinion: The school curriculum framework’s acknowledgement of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi has been replaced with a commitment to ‘the science of learning’ The post Whitewashing te Tiriti out of education appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Spark’s slump tars communications index as worst performer
Normally a nice, boring, stable utility, Spark has caught investors’ attention this year for all the wrong reasons The post Spark’s slump tars communications index as worst performer appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 days ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 November
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- Poor outcomes for poverty
Stephen Turnock had a breakthrough moment as lay on a stranger’s roof in pouring rain for four hours, evading police.“I remember it as if it was yesterday,” he tells The Detail. “I was up to no good and we were being actively looked for. As I lay on that roof ...5 days ago
- Meltwater from Greenland and the Arctic is weakening ocean circulation, speeding up warming down sou...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Menviel, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney Mozgova, Shutterstock A vast network of ocean currents nicknamed the “great global ocean conveyor belt” is slowing down. That’s a problem because this vital system redistributes heat around the world, ...6 days ago
- Council looking into controversial post on hīkoi
Whangārei District Council says it's looking into reports about councillors' comments on social media relating to the hīkoi - but won't say if any formal Code of Conduct complaint has been lodged. ...6 days ago
- ‘It’s a complete and total nightmare’ – aid worker speaks about Israel’s relentless Gaza g...
Democracy Now! AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman. We turn to Israel’s war on Gaza. A special UN committee has reported Israel’s actions in Gaza are “consistent with the characteristics of genocide”. Another report by Human Rights Watch finds Israel has committed ...6 days ago
- The Coalition will block the student caps bill. Brace yourself for more uncertainty over internation...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University In a surprise move, the Coalition has announced it will vote against Labor’s bill to cap international student numbers. This follows previous Coalition comments saying it would work with ...6 days ago
- Treaty Principles bill hīkoi pauses to gather steam, before march to Parliament
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