accountability
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Ex MP travel expenses – it’s a fair question
Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, October 26th, 2016 - 29 comments
The best you can hope for, after the Local Government elections
Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, October 11th, 2016 - 55 comments
Now that the local government elections have been completed what is the best that local communities can expect of their elected representatives?
Clinton vs Trump; Debate 2
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, October 10th, 2016 - 235 comments
Round 2 of the Presidential debates. Trump is on the ropes, can Clinton land the knockout blow? Certainly, there’s a lot of Republican Party grandees hoping Hillary puts them out of their misery. Seconds out at 2PM, NZ time.
UPDATE: Obama nailed Trump’s real issue a few minutes ago; it’s insecurity. Video in post.
UPDATE 2: LIVE STREAM now in post.
The Chief Prison Inspector’s report on Serco and MECF
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, October 7th, 2016 - 46 comments
The Chief Prison Inspector’s report on Mount Eden Corrections Facility has now been released and has presented a damning judgment on Serco’s management of the prison.
Ombudsman to investigate John Key’s dirty politics communications
Written By: - Date published: 8:42 am, September 27th, 2016 - 91 comments
The Ombudsman is to investigate John Key’s failure to disclose communications with David Farrar and Cameron Slater
National loses control of Parliament
Written By: - Date published: 8:37 am, September 8th, 2016 - 111 comments
It may have been brief and passing but yesterday National lost control of Parliament. And it was all their own fault.
Only unsustainable net migration fuels “growth”
Written By: - Date published: 10:22 am, September 2nd, 2016 - 107 comments
Our National dipshit ministers have decided to start a new growth industry. They importing low-skilled to extract their savings, using them to generate artificial heat in the service economy and to slow wage growth. On the way through they’re also screwing the housing market. Our current net permanent long-term migration is completely unsustainable. Perhaps it is time to vote NZ First?
Nats cut police resources then demand the impossible
Written By: - Date published: 12:02 pm, August 30th, 2016 - 46 comments
We have had years of systematic under funding of the police and front-line numbers are falling. None the less police are now expected to attend every burglary. For the sake of this exercise in public perception other areas of police wrok will suffer.
Key vs science on water quality
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, August 24th, 2016 - 60 comments
The countries that accept foreign donations to political parties
Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, August 23rd, 2016 - 86 comments
Metro: A government on the ropes
Written By: - Date published: 7:04 am, August 20th, 2016 - 58 comments
Metro: “The National-led government — with its laissez-faire approach to homelessness, house prices and mass immigration — is sailing into a ferocious storm. A newly critical mainstream media and a resurgent opposition is a powerful mix.”
America bails on private prisons
Written By: - Date published: 3:49 pm, August 19th, 2016 - 19 comments
America is bailing on private prisons because they don’t work. What’s the bet that National is ‘too proud and arrogant’ to follow suit.
Another Key lie is why this government can’t be trusted with increased spying powers
Written By: - Date published: 9:07 am, August 16th, 2016 - 33 comments
When caught abusing new powers the response will be the same as when caught out abusing the old – meh, so sue us.
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?
John Key’s Lies Since the 2014 Election (UPDATED)
Written By: - Date published: 8:03 am, August 9th, 2016 - 19 comments
There is one item on the list concerning whether John Key knew about the brewing trade squabble with China regarding the dumping of cheap steel on the local market.
Who will be to blame if a bridge collapses?
Written By: - Date published: 10:15 am, August 1st, 2016 - 93 comments
Who will be to blame if untested, undetected, weak steel causes the collapse of a structure?
Panama Papers – Nat U-turn complete
Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, July 13th, 2016 - 28 comments
Having ignored the IRD and other advice, having insulted calls for transparency as “barking mad”, today the Nats’ U-turn on disclosure for foreign trusts is complete.
We truly are being run by a bunch of clowns
Written By: - Date published: 8:55 am, July 13th, 2016 - 29 comments
National is flailing around attempting to divert attention from its failure to do anything meaningful about the homeless crisis.
Maori health and children not a priority
Written By: - Date published: 3:20 pm, July 11th, 2016 - 77 comments
Essential reading, two pieces highlighting institutional racism today. Someone needs to ask the Maori Party how proud they are to be propping up this government.
The housing crisis and Key’s combustible pants
Written By: - Date published: 9:16 am, July 6th, 2016 - 35 comments
2007 Key vs 2016 Key on the housing crisis. Someone is telling lies!
National to seize privately owned land
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, July 4th, 2016 - 57 comments
National is now proposing to extinguish private property rights and seize land. Cue political and media outrage? Yeah right.
National costs you $100,000 from your retirement fund
Written By: - Date published: 9:49 am, July 2nd, 2016 - 66 comments
If you’re an average worker the actions of the National government have reduced the value of your KiwiSaver fund at retirement by about $100K.
“Post-truth” politics (and false equivalences)
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, July 2nd, 2016 - 38 comments
Interesting pieces recently on “post-truth” politics. They rightly tear strips off Key and a government that lies and denies reflexively and at all levels, and has been doing so for eight long years.
Another Lifeline cut
Written By: - Date published: 7:07 am, July 1st, 2016 - 45 comments
— Deborah Russell
Suck-up economics proceeding as planned – rich getting richer
Written By: - Date published: 9:42 am, June 29th, 2016 - 56 comments
Inequality in NZ is the worst it’s been in a decade. Key’s response is pathetic. We need to vote to end suck-up economics. We need to be a better country than this.
NRT: A coincidence, I’m sure
Written By: - Date published: 2:01 pm, June 28th, 2016 - 12 comments
I/S at No Right Turn writes on the early “resignation” of Ombudsman Ron Paterson – following his highly critical report on the Rebstock “inquiry”.
From barking mad to common sense in one easy U turn
Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, June 28th, 2016 - 65 comments
April Key said our foreign trusts had full disclosure and proposals to increase transparency were “barking mad”. June Key is going to implement “sensible and well-reasoned” proposals to increase disclosure and transparency.
Panama papers – Shewan inquiry – our rules are inadequate
Written By: - Date published: 4:25 pm, June 27th, 2016 - 26 comments
There were many who were concerned that John Shewan was not a good choice for an inquiry into NZ’s tax haven system. Seems we owe Shewan an apology, as initial reaction suggests that he has done a good job.
No accountability under Key
Written By: - Date published: 10:03 am, June 24th, 2016 - 63 comments
Rebstock’s report into into leaks from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been absolutely torn apart by the Ombudsman, with multiple serious flaws identified. This morning Key expressed his continuing confidence in Rebstock. Of course.
ECAN turning a blind eye
Written By: - Date published: 12:56 pm, June 21st, 2016 - 41 comments
Is ECAN just another typical Nat party fuckup, or are they deliberately turning a blind eye?
- When and where does a ‘bach’ become a ‘crib’?
Summer reissue: Alex Casey goes on a linguistic journey to find the true difference between who’s using ‘bach’ and ‘crib’ across our fair nation. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign ...2 weeks ago - ‘Everything I do in life, I do it for my donor’: Inside Aotearoa’s struggling organ donation s...
Summer reissue: We don’t have enough organ donors in New Zealand. The Spinoff investigates the problem – and how we might fix it. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up ...2 weeks ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 30 December
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.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 30 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago - Daily crossword, Monday 30 December
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- An ode to the weird bach DVD collection
Summer reissue: There’s no better feeling than arriving at a bach and seeing that dusty little pile of random DVDs beneath the television, writes Alex Casey. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter ...2 weeks ago
- In defence of Sally Rooney’s skinny protagonists
Summer reissue: If you want to read a book that makes you feel good about your body, I beg you to look elsewhere. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up ...2 weeks ago
- Does The Bear suck now? A hater and an enthusiast argue about season three
Summer reissue: Season three of the critically-acclaimed darling The Bear was released in late June. Two fans of the show watched the full season over the weekend – only one emerged still a fan. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these ...2 weeks ago
- Seizure of Cook Islands-registered ship over alleged sabotage ‘creates a bad look’ for N...
"Everyone associates the Cook Islands with New Zealand", so a Cooks vessel possibly aiding Russia's shadow fleet isn't ideal, international law professor Al Gillespie says. ...2 weeks ago - Meet the unsung icon behind the primary school hit ‘Fish and Chips’
Summer reissue: Play it at breakfast, lunch or tea, the song ‘Fish and Chips’ is almost as famous in Aotearoa as the dish itself. So why is the woman who wrote it virtually unknown? First published October 7, 2024. Update, December 27: Claudia Mushin, 78, died peacefully and surrounded ...2 weeks ago
- Should I buy the murder house?
Summer reissue: Realising she can afford to buy a house, but only one that contained meth use or murder, Kristin Kelly reflects on the true value of a home. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read ...2 weeks ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Sunday 29 December
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.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Sunday 29 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Daily crossword, Sunday 29 December
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- Black Ferns Sevens coach learns more from his players
When Cory Sweeney was named coach of the year at the New Zealand Rugby Awards he equalled Sir Steve Hansen as a five-time winner of that honour.The Black Ferns Sevens coach successfully defended the Olympic title won in Toyko in 2021 in Paris in July. Recently the 46-year-old celebrated his ...2 weeks ago
- My robot waiter reminds us what really matters
Comment: Those who have been reading or listening to my commentaries in recent months will note that I have a pretty bleak view of the immediate future. The New Zealand economy is struggling to grow, the economy of our major export market is not doing much better, we have wars ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand not responsible for ship seized by Finland – MFAT
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says New Zealand is not responsible for a Cook Islands-registered vessel carrying Russian oil seized in Finland. ...2 weeks ago
- Government Coy On Police Plan To Target ‘At Risk’ Children For Social Investment
The "prevention support" would be targeted at primary school-age children, but the police minister will not say if the idea is being progressed. ...2 weeks ago - Hui, protests, kōtahitanga, and a new Kuini – A historic year for Māoridom
A hīkoi, a haka, and the rise of a new generation - RNZ unpacks a contentious and momentous year for Māoridom. ...2 weeks ago
- There are lots of reasons to eat insects. Will we ever overcome the ‘yuck’ factor?
Summer reissue: Insects have been the ‘next big thing’ in food for the last decade, but will we ever have an appetite for them? Shanti Mathias investigates – and tastes some bugs. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of ...2 weeks ago
- ‘I’ve never lived it down’: The Breakfast live cross that still haunts Jack Tame
Summer reissue: The TVNZ broadcaster reflects on his life in television, including a full circle moment with David Attenborough, his favourite politicians to interview and why he’ll never watch Game of Thrones. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of ...2 weeks ago
- The mystery of the killer bike lane
Summer reissue: A chain of three cafes closed down and the owner blamed cycleways. But none of the cafes were anywhere near one. What is happening? Joel MacManus investigates. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read ...2 weeks ago
- The beginning of a book
Summer reissue: Claire Mabey’s early brush with evangelical Christianity sparked a life’s fascination with the power of stories – and the fuel to write her own. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open ...2 weeks ago
- A treat within a treat: How the Trumpet got its chocolate tip
Alex Casey uncovers the story behind that perfect final bite. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. In the first episode of Snackmasters NZ, in ...2 weeks ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 28 December
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.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 28 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Daily crossword, Saturday 28 December
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- Time to get off the literacy lobotomy train
Opinion: A few months ago, The Times of London reported that an Oxford professor of English, Shakespearean scholar Sir Jonathan Bate, warned that his present-day students had trouble reading long books. A Kiwi perspective was added a few weeks later, when a sociologist at the University of Canterbury, Mike Grimshaw, told ...2 weeks ago
- The Secret Diary of .. 2024
Twas very heaven in 2024 to write as a satirist. Credit where credit is due: Christopher Luxon just got funnier and funnier, more determinedly ridiculous, a David Brent for our times, the embarrassing boss who is at once inept and bombastic. Stuff writer Verity Johnson came up with a widely ...2 weeks ago
- School support staff work through holidays to make ends meet
On an average weekday Jan Monds drives into the carpark at Knighton Normal School, in Hamilton, just before 7.30am to run a pre-school programme for students. This wraps up at 8.45am, when she heads from the hall to the main part of the school to start her primary job as a ...2 weeks ago
- Black Saturday Protest At Devonport Naval Base, Tāmaki Makaurau, 28 December 2024
The protest action isn't only to mark the historical acts of violence the NZ govt has enacted against Sāmoans but also to highlight the responsibility this current govt and navy have for the environmental and societal impacts of the Manawanui shipwreck. ...2 weeks ago
- ‘One hell of a shock’: Why not everyone wants flowers from David Lomas
Alex Casey chats to David Lomas about the art of finding needles in haystacks. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. There are around 100 ...2 weeks ago
- What I write about when I write about mermaids
Summer reissue: Megan Dunn’s mer-moir, The Mermaid Chronicles, is an immersive, moving and funny search for the meaning of mermaids and the anchors of interests and family in the ebb and flow of life. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these ...2 weeks ago
- Reviewing the very first episode of bro’Town, 20 years on
Summer reissue: The groundbreaking show has had mixed reviews over the past two decades. Madeleine Chapman revisits a classic. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member ...2 weeks ago
- Can NYC ever live up to the hype?
Summer reissue: After three decades of inhaling American-dominated, disproportionately New York-based media, Sharon Lam’s first time in the city became a traipse through a collage of movie sets rather than any real place. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds ...2 weeks ago
- Selling security, delivering anxiety: The rise of home surveillance cameras
Summer reissue: Why do so many of us install security cameras – and are they breaching other people’s rights? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member ...2 weeks ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 27 December
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.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 27 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Daily crossword, Friday 27 December
The post Daily crossword, Friday 27 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...2 weeks ago
- Hopes versus expectations for ALL survivors
This year has been a big one for me personally and professionally. The firm won the Litigation and Disputes Resolution Firm of the year award on November 28 and I was an Excellence Finalist in the category of firm leader for a firm with under 100 staff. I was also ...2 weeks ago
- 2024, the year of the election
Opinion: In 2024, 64 countries were scheduled to hold different types of national elections this year for an array of offices.Some of these, of course, were more democratic than others, but it made for a bumper year for election nerds like me.Incumbents had a bad year – more than three ...2 weeks ago
- All 29 road tunnels in New Zealand ranked from worst to best
Summer reissue: From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter ...2 weeks ago
- A life story
Summer reissue: David Hill remembers an old friend, who you’ve probably never heard of. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. Doug (I’ll call him ...2 weeks ago
- ‘The mission is clearly possible’: On watching every single Tom Cruise movie ever made
Summer reissue: I watched all 46 of Tom Cruise’s films over the past 12 months. The question on everyone’s lips: why? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be ...2 weeks ago
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