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Excuses/reasons, for not doing anything about children in poverty.
Written By: - Date published: 7:06 pm, August 19th, 2017 - 14 comments
Excuses/reasons, for not doing anything about children in poverty.
This is a re-post from 2013. Unfortunately the need to talk about poverty is even greater now.
A “Culture of Entitlement”?
Written By: - Date published: 3:39 pm, August 17th, 2017 - 48 comments
With the current dialog about welfare, It is time to look at the people who are the real beneficiaries, of the welfare system.
Who use the educated and healthy workforce our system provides
The people who say “everyone should stand on their own two feet”, “you don’t work you don’t eat”, and “take personal responsibility”,
The business sector.
Fire and Fury over North Korea
Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, August 12th, 2017 - 60 comments
Donald Trump may not know it but Koreans certainly remember the last time the United States unleashed fire and fury over North Korea. In the 1950s, B-29s used bombs and napalm to flatten every North Korean city. Gen Curtis Lemay boasted that the USAF killed off 20% of the population. That’s why this time they have nuclear weapons.
Daily Review 01/08/2017
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, August 1st, 2017 - 72 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
The Nuk Korako Cover Up
Written By: - Date published: 7:56 am, July 24th, 2017 - 46 comments
Will Nuk Korako blame his children this time?
Daily Review 13/07/2017
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, July 13th, 2017 - 58 comments
Daily review is also your post. This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
Why no inquiry into abuse in state care?
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, July 7th, 2017 - 14 comments
As we celebrate Parliament’s apology for historical convictions for homosexuality, it surely raises the question of why the government is so hardheartedly against an inquiry into historical abuse.
New information on Glenda Hughes?
Written By: - Date published: 8:12 pm, June 28th, 2017 - 43 comments
On 20 June after Melanie Read’s Newsroom interview Andrew Geddis blogged about possible obstruction of justice by a National Party Board member. That was based on new information in the Barclay case, and may be why the Police have since re-interviewed Glenys Dickson.
National Ltd™ – Rotten To The Core From Top To Bottom
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, June 26th, 2017 - 25 comments
. . . And we have this state of affairs because John Key and now Bill English, in concert with the rest of the National Ltd™ crew, have been lying to us every day for the past nine years . . .
Some random impertinent questions about Todd Barclay’s problems
Written By: - Date published: 2:30 pm, June 20th, 2017 - 145 comments
Bill English has admitted that he knew about the tape that Todd Barclay says does not exist. And National have some serious questions to answer concerning Todd Barclay’s behaviour.
Domestic Fire Sprinklers
Written By: - Date published: 12:44 pm, June 18th, 2017 - 14 comments
For almost two decades there have been a number of perfectly acceptable domestic fire sprinkler solutions available in the NZ market. When building new I always wear the modest extra cost of installing them; our first ones during 2002. For most units it amounts to something under $4,000 which frankly is peanuts in the wider […]
English on our low wage growth
Written By: - Date published: 9:38 am, May 30th, 2017 - 40 comments
Bill English knows that our low wage economy is a ticking time-bomb for the government. He must be starting to get worried. The repeated promises of jam tomorrow are well worn out now.
Voter transitions 2011 2014
Written By: - Date published: 10:25 am, May 22nd, 2017 - 31 comments
Peter Ellis from Peter’s Stats Stuff
Open Mike 15/05/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 15th, 2017 - 55 comments
Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Open Mike 14/05/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 14th, 2017 - 46 comments
Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Open Mike 13/05/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 13th, 2017 - 104 comments
Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Open Mike 12/05/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, May 12th, 2017 - 106 comments
Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
Labour’s list of candidates for 2017
Written By: - Date published: 7:13 am, May 2nd, 2017 - 67 comments
The full list of Labour’s list candidates for the 2017 election list. (Updated)
My five books for Donald Trump
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, April 16th, 2017 - 9 comments
What books should POTUS read during this most religious of times.
Monbiot on the embedded economy
Written By: - Date published: 11:54 am, April 14th, 2017 - 10 comments
A model for a sustainable economy. Something to ponder on a wet holiday weekend.
Weather warnings – be prepared
Written By: - Date published: 3:16 pm, April 12th, 2017 - 10 comments
Newshub: “MetService warns Cyclone Cook will be the worst to hit NZ since 1968, people advised to stock up on food and water”
David Cunliffe’s valedictory speech party
Written By: - Date published: 7:44 am, April 11th, 2017 - 33 comments
David Cunliffe delivers his veledictory speech today at 5:30 pm. Eanna Doyle, one of David’s most loyal of supporters (there are many tales to tell) will be hosting a veledictory speech party for Aucklanders at his bar at Toucan Bistro in Albany starting 5 pm. The speech will be shown live. Update: Video of the speech added.
Dirty Politics done in the Netsafe style – part 3
Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, April 7th, 2017 - 25 comments
No further information from either Netsafe or the complainant. I can’t proceed any further apart from writing explicit site HDCA instructions. The Daily Blog has had the samehappen, with an attempt to gag any public debate on their actions by Netsafe. Amy Adams has hurriedly issued a press release saying how wonderful the HDCA is… I guess she doesn’t like debate.
Scientology awarded major contract by new Ministry for Vulnerable Children
Written By: - Date published: 7:59 am, April 1st, 2017 - 46 comments
People who do not agree or who wise-up to what’s going on are, as per the instructions of Scientology founder, L Ron Hubbard, to be “disposed of quietly and without sorrow”.
Dirty Politics done in the Netsafe style – part 2
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, March 31st, 2017 - 40 comments
Ok. Round 2. Still no more relevant information from Netsafe.
I’m getting somewhat irritated with them. When exactly are they going to get off their arses and provide the information that we need to make a decision?
Scots git on Q+A
Written By: - Date published: 2:11 pm, March 27th, 2017 - 12 comments
I went to Q+A yesterday in search of political comment and was astonished to see John McTernan aka “Malcolm Tucker without the charm” given ten minutes to burble. McTernan promotes himself as a former political adviser to Blair and Gillard, but his last real job was chief of staff to Jim Murphy who led the Scottish Labour Party to oblivion in 2015.
The media prepares for Key’s final hurrah
Written By: - Date published: 10:17 am, March 19th, 2017 - 65 comments
With John Key’s imminent departure from Parliament attempts are being made by the media to sum up his reign as Prime Minister.
No Mana, Māori Party
Written By: - Date published: 5:45 pm, March 10th, 2017 - 52 comments
The Māori King’s comments reveal a much bigger crisis within Māori politics.
Kaupapa Pākehā
Written By: - Date published: 10:50 am, February 22nd, 2017 - 329 comments
What if we based our politics on relationships not power?
Open Mike 09/02/2017
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, February 9th, 2017 - 48 comments
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Peter Thiel’s Libertarian Dream – for New Zealand?
Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, February 2nd, 2017 - 86 comments
From a Business Insider article in the OIA papers: Thiel is a long-term thinker, so what’s the big picture? What could the contrarian investor see in a country of 4 million people whose economy is based on agriculture and tourism? Maybe Peter Thiel wants to turn New Zealand into the next Silicon Valley. Or maybe even the libertarian utopia of his dreams.”
- 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #33
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. Editor's Pick July 2017 equaled record July 2016 A global map of the June 2017 LOTI (land-ocean temperature index) anomaly, relative to ...3 hours ago - We are beneficiaries: “It was hell then and it is still hell now”
A group of artists are continuing the conversation Metiria Turei MP started – demanding a more compassionate social welfare system. They asked artists who have been on a benefit in NZ (DPB, sickness, invalids, jobseeker, whatever) to draw a picture ...11 hours ago - ‘Dirty Politics’ – two worthwhile retrospectives & some new developments
The Spinoff website recently carried two worthwhile retrospective articles looking at the impact of Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Politics. Read them if you’re interested via the links below. First, ‘Sunlight did what sunlight does: Nicky Hager on Dirty Politics, three ...14 hours ago - Who’s to blame for Barnaby Joyce?
14 hours ago - PM runs from equal pay
17 hours ago - Beyond the Beehive: Rodney
In episode three of Beyond the Beehive, our epic election road trip series, we ask: Will Rodney stay true blue for National? Beyond the Beehive is presented by Max Towle. Produced by Max Towle, John Lake and Lucy Smith. ...22 hours ago - Flashback Saturday: Snapper off the Menu?
This post by Cam Pitches originally appeared in August 2012. With integrated ticketing and integrated fares now completed, it’s interesting to remember how tortuous the process was. Brian Rudman writes in today’s Herald that Auckland Transport board members gather in ...23 hours ago - From TV’s “The Nation” – Patrick Gower and James Shaw have a heart-to-heart
. . Saturday, 12 August – On TV3’s ‘The Nation, Patrick Gower interviewed the Green Party’s remaining co-leader, James Shaw; . . For a while, the interview was low-key, with Gower exercising old school journalistic professionalism. It’s as if ...23 hours ago - PM confused over latest court action
24 hours ago - José Carlos Mariátegui book now available: History of the World Crisis and Other Writings
212 pages; softcover. Price: $20.00 USD (plus shipping: $5.00 US, $22.50 int’l); published by Marxists Internet Archive; ISBN: 978-0-692-88676-2 Orders: http://www.erythrospress.com/store/mariategui.html José Carlos Mariátegui (1894-1930), the founder and director of the seminal journal Amauta and of the Peruvian Socialist Party, is regarded ...1 day ago - Problems For Oil
The importance of oil should not be underestimated as an energy source – and a pollutant. Almost every form of transport is dependent on it and its refined products and the present economy would not have been created without it. ...1 day ago - Suing for justice
In August 2010, NZ SAS soldiers murdered six civilians in a revenge raid in Afghanistan. When the raid was exposed, the government denied everything and refused to investigate. But now, their victims are going to court to force an inquiry:The ...2 days ago - Weekly Reading: Best longreads on the web
Our weekly recap highlighting the best feature stories from around the internet Neo Nazis, Alt-Right, and White Supremacists march in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photo: AFP The New Uniform of White Supremacy, by Cam Wolf, GQ “A weekend that ...2 days ago - The Jacinda Files (1)(Jacinda illustrations from John Moore facebook page) Jacinda – Labour’s most pleasant leader Jacinda redefines fairness Jacinda’s aspirational fluff Jacinda’s plan of hitting workers with more indirect tax Jacinda’s party ...2 days ago
- The Greens can take nothing for grantedLike many people, I was shocked by last night's One News poll showing the Greens on 4%. Sure, I'd expected them to lose support over middle-class hatred for the poor and Labour finally having a credible leader, but that much? ...2 days ago
- About Matthew Hooton’s declared loyaltiesI’ve discussed Matthew Hooton a few times here. My views of his ‘service’ to political commentary in New Zealand have hardened lately. I find Matthew a personally very engaging, even charming man. There can be few smoother and more persuasive ...2 days ago
- Winston Peters sues for defamation
Winston Peters has sued AM Show presenter, former Black Cap opener, and general larrikin Mark Richardson for defamation. The NZ Herald summarises the offending statements: Richardson said Peters was a “political predator” and took advantage of civil unrest to grandstand, attaching ...2 days ago - Weaponised nicenessThe citizenship insanity continues in Australia, with National deputy leader Fiona Nash admitting that she is a British citizen. Unlike other Senators who have found themselves in this situation, she has neither resigned, nor stood aside - and seems to ...2 days ago
- Food truck stories: The Ride, The Recipe and The Travelling Chef
Three chefs driven to fuel the masses. Shane Lunn at work in the Beat Kitchen food truck. Photo: RNZ/Rebekah Parsons-King THE RIDE Before Beat Kitchen, the bus was a motorhome. And before it was a ...2 days ago - Kate Wilkinson’s crony appointmentLast month, Science and Innovation Minister Paul Goldsmith appointed former National MP Kate Wilkinson to the board of Landcare Research. Naturally, I sent away the usual OIA request. And naturally, it exposed the appointment as the usual crony stitch-up. Here's ...2 days ago
- With love from the Arctic
Greenpeace kayakers have stopped an oil rig drilling in the Norwegian Arctic. I know, because I’m there right now.My name is Lizzie. I’m a web designer from New Zealand, and I’m here on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise with people ...2 days ago - Hard News: Friday Music: The Return of Disasteradio
I confess, it had escaped me that there had not been a Disasteradio album for seven years. It's not as if Luke Rowell had been idle: he's made a bunch of records as his alter-ego Eyeliner in that time. But ...2 days ago - What to know what’s happening in Charlottesville?Do yourself a favour and watch this. ...2 days ago
- Kiwi petition ignored by National
2 days ago - Don’t You Dare, Jacinda Ardern! Don’t You Dare!
2 days ago - In the Name of God, Go!
As storm clouds gathered over Europe in 1938, Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, went to Munich where he believed that he had obtained undertakings from Hitler to the effect that Germany would not launch further attacks on its neighbours. ...2 days ago - 2017 Rail Station Boardings
For the last few years now and since electrification of the network, ridership on Auckland’s rail network has surged, jumping from 10 million trips in the year to June-2013 to 19.6 million trips in June this year (and bound to ...2 days ago - Mark Richardson plays dirty
2 days ago - Beyond the Beehive: Kaikohe / WhangareiIn the lead-up to the election, journalist Max Towle is on an epic road trip taking the political pulse of young New Zealanders. The Whangarei electorate has been a safe National seat. Is that about to change? Beyond the ...2 days ago
- Election Forecast updated
I’ve updated my Election Forecast with the results of today’s Colmar Brunton poll. It’s good news for Labour, and bad news for National and the Greens. You may have noticed that Colmar Brunton have also done an electorate-level poll in ...2 days ago - We are beneficiaries: I was used to feeling like a beggarA group of artists are continuing the conversation Metiria Turei MP started – demanding a more compassionate social welfare system. They asked artists who have been on a benefit in NZ (DPB, sickness, invalids, jobseeker, whatever) to draw a picture ...2 days ago
- Metiria Turei has started something. . When Metiria Turei announced her resignation as co-leader of the Green Party, on the afternoon of 9 August, it could be said that the bullies had won. The reactionary media pack – led chiefly by so-called “journalists” ...2 days ago
- National would tax water as well
3 days ago - Change happens when we stand together
Tertiary Update Election Edition Vol 1 No 1 Together we have stopped National’s attempt to change the law to funnel public money to private tertiary education. Over the past few months, nearly 5,000 people have joined our campaign to keep tertiary education ...3 days ago - Your university, pay and the living wageDr. Wayne Linklater, co-president of the Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) branch of the Tertiary Education Union, discusses how paying the Living Wage would help advance the values of public institutions like VUW. Universities are the engine of progress. They train ...3 days ago
- Mental health needs are failed by competitive fundingNicole Wallace from the School of Social Sciences at the University of Auckland, shares a powerful story about studying for a tertiary degree with a mental health condition, highlighting why we need to support public tertiary education for better access to ...3 days ago
- Local public tertiary education is vital for MāoriSteven Wharehinga, president of the Tertiary Education Union branch at the Universal College of Learning, explains what impact reforms introduced by National have had on the provision of regional tertiary education and what this means for Māori, Pasifika and low income families. ...3 days ago
- Our own memorial problemThis week we've all been made aware of the problem of the USA commemorating the leaders of the racist, slave-owning Confederacy with public monuments. Meanwhile, there's a similar problem in New Zealand. Via Twitter, I was pointed at a map ...3 days ago
- No protection for whistleblowers in NZThere's been some debate about the need for increased whistleblower protection in New Zealand. And today, we have a perfect example of why it is needed: because the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki has just got the Employment Relations ...3 days ago
- That rail planThe big political news this morning in Greater Auckland's proposal for Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga commuter rail. It looks like a good idea. In the southern part of the North Island we already have (limited) commuter rail between Palmerston North, Masterton and Wellington, ...3 days ago
- The Singles Life: The evolution of Shorecore
Welcome to weekly series The Singles Life, where known experts Katie Parker and Hussein Moses peruse, ponder and pontificate on the latest and (maybe) greatest in New Zealand music. Photo: Florence Noble/Facebook It may have been nearly a decade ...3 days ago - Just how bad is the Aussie NZ relationship?
As the finger wagging continues both here and over the ditch about Australian MP Barnaby Joyce being outed as a New Zealand citizen (oh the horror!) it's probably work pointing out just how bad our political relationship with our closest ...3 days ago - Voter Motivators 2017: Water.
3 days ago - Are we all anti-fascist now?
US neo-Nazis and fascists supporters march in Charoltsvill, USA. Image credit: Alejandro Alvarez/News2Share via Reuters Wouldn’t that be nice? What if the current almost universal condemnation of fascism by the main stream media and social media commenters were genuine.? That it represents an ...3 days ago - Beyond the Beehive: The Far NorthIn the lead-up to the election, journalist Max Towle is on an epic road trip taking the political pulse of young New Zealanders. Drugs, jobs and housing are on the minds of people in the Far North. Beyond ...3 days ago
- Introducing Regional Rapid Rail
Greater Auckland is proud to present our proposal for Regional Rapid Rail – an Upper North Island Passenger Network. This post gives you a brief summary of our staged proposal to introduce higher speed inter-city rail to the Upper North ...3 days ago - Media Link: Second radio interview in the US travelogue series.
There is some overlap between yesterday’s post and today’s radio interview, but there is also a a fair bit of other material as well: http://www.radiolive.co.nz/home/video/2017/08/trump–charlottesville-and-north-korea—the-latest-from-the-us.html ...3 days ago - Whatever happened to one law for all?by Susanne Kemp The Metiria Turei case certainly brought a lot of mean-spirited people with double standards out of the woodwork. People who vigorously defended John Key’s electoral fraud and Bill English’s rorting of the public purse for the ...3 days ago
- Access: The Driverless Road AheadFor the past decade and a bit, I've been working as a computer technician and sales rep. During that time, I've seen the desktop and laptop computer go from being the main method people get on the Internet, to an ...4 days ago
- Speaker: Low-quality language on immigrationOrcon IRL’s election special took place Sunday evening, and it was a right time. Kiri Allan mesmerised crowds in te reo. Stephen Berry knocked Rock Enrol. Chloe Swarbrick spoke of a Green future. And I disrespected Russell’s authority and went ...4 days ago
- Meanwhile, in PolandWhile we're all worrying about Nazis in America, we might also want to keep an eye on Poland:Polish police broke up a feminist rally and forcefully removed activists to clear the way for a march for far-right extremists. A live ...4 days ago
- Privacy, not “secrecy”Politik breathlessly reports that the New Zealand government kept information on Barnaby Joyce's kiwi citizenship "top secret":New Zealand Ministers and officials imposed a heavy security lid once they realised that they had information which could, in effect, topple the Australian ...4 days ago
- General Election Debate on Transport – Campaign for Better TransportThe Campaign for Better Transport is holding an election debate with all the major parties this month in Auckland. The CBT is led by Cameron Pitches and over the years has led campaigns and advocated for many transport issues including: Airport ...4 days ago
- The Real Reason for Housing UnaffordabilityThe news that the number of houses being sold is falling and that prices are rising more slowly has been greeted in some quarters with responses that are – sadly – all too predictable. The consensus is that these shifts ...4 days ago
- Renting in New Zealand (and what politicians are promising to change)
As politicians talk up their housing policies ahead of the election, renters share stories of stress, illness and why the current system doesn’t work. Photo: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Jared Kelly / Flickr Cleaning the house of mould and ...4 days ago - National fails miserably on housing
I don’t know about you, but I’m not very happy with all the homeless people wandering the streets and sleeping rough in the cold, some of whom are dying on park benches. But instead of blaming the victims, I think ...4 days ago - Check this outThe Spinoff has a terrific tool that lets you see and compare the leading parties’ election policies. You can tick your favourites and then see which way you lean based on your policy choices. It is beautifully done. It almost ...4 days ago
- Loading Docs: Asian Men Talk About SexEight Asian men bare all as they speak candidly about sex, love and dating. Asian Men Talk About Sex has been released as part of Loading Docs - a launchpad for short New Zealand documentaries. DIRECTOR INTERVIEW: ...4 days ago
- “Let’s Tax This?” – “Hell, Yeah!”
4 days ago - Barnaby Joyce – Asshole of the Week
4 days ago - Letters from America, take three: a scab got picked.Donald Trump picked a scab during his campaign for the presidency and now the puss is draining out. It will be a while before the wound is cleansed. The puss is racism, xenophobia and bigotry. When I left the US ...4 days ago
- Timing is everything for Ardern & Labour
Timing is just so important in politics, as in so much of life. Plenty of able people don't have the luck – or planning – to be in the right place at the right time. But right now, timing may ...4 days ago - Pouring gasoline on the housing fire
Yesterday, Prime Minister Bill English announced that he would encourage the Reserve Bank to remove the loan to value ratio (LVR) rules that it put in place to take the heat out of rising house prices. As reported in Newsroom: ...4 days ago - Inferno VII: The circle of capitalists
"Pape Satàn, pape Satàn aleppe!" If these words ever meant anything in any language, or were otherwise intelligible to the contemporaries of Dante Alighieri, that meaning is lost. What’s left to us is the beginning of a curse, or a ...4 days ago - Gordon Campbell on why Labour isn’t responsible for Barnaby Joyce
First published on Werewolf As a desperate Turnbull government tries to treat the Barnaby Joyce affair as a Pauline Hanson fever dream – blame it on the foreigners! We’re the victims of the dastardly New Zealand Labour Party! – our ...4 days ago - Media Release: TIME TO TURN UP THE PRESSURE ON CANDIDATESFor Immediate Release Tuesday 15 August 2017 TIME TO TURN UP THE PRESSURE ON CANDIDATES Polls are showing that inequality is a top voter concern (Roy-Morgan and UMR Polls). The income equality group Closing the Gap is urging New Zealanders ...4 days ago
- Ardern stands up for kiwisToday politics seems to be dominated by Australian ridiculousness, after the Australian government blamed Chris Hipkins (rather than hard-working Australian journalists) for exposing Barnaby Joyce as a New Zealand citizen, and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop interfering in our election ...5 days ago
- Editors put the boot into National
5 days ago - Civil Disobedience Against Big IrrigationConstruction has started on huge irrigation schemes in Canterbury. When they start working, it’s going to be disastrous for our rivers - most of which are already struggling. More irrigation means more cows and that means more pollution.A few weeks ...5 days ago
- Climate change: The Cullen fund divestsClimate change is now undeniable, and if we are to survive it, the fossil fuel industry has to die. And now the Cullen Fund has recognised that fact, and started divesting its risk:The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has sold shares ...5 days ago
- Dirty farmersSurprise, surprise - Waikato's dairy farmers are failing to comply with their resource consents:The Waikato Regional Council says dairy farm effluent compliance rates are heading in the right direction despite less than one quarter of farms monitored last year deemed ...5 days ago
- National’s policy hardly Christian
It’s often amazing to see the ill-conceived political arguments that make it to print in New Zealand sometimes. Perhaps one of the least canvassed areas of voting preference is that of religious beliefs, and where those beliefs coincide with a ...5 days ago - “As soon as reasonably practicable”
The Official Information Act requires agencies to decide on requests "as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which the request is received". But over the decades that the ...5 days ago - Wijkontsluitingsweg
This is another post about my recent trip to the Netherlands. The Netherlands has a standard road classification system with ideally three types of roads: flow roads (motorways), distribution roads (arterials), and local roads (residential roads). This system does not ...5 days ago - Eyewitness report from Charlottesville by Redneck RevoltREPORTBACK: CHARLOTTESVILLE: August 13, 2017 by Redneck Revolt members The situation on the ground in Charlottesville, Virginia, is still developing and unstable, but a few of our Redneck Revolt members on the ground took some time to provide the ...5 days ago
- Government must apologise over rebuild debacle
The Prime Minister owes the public of Otago and Southland an apology and then he must come up with an unredacted copy of the business case for the Dunedin hospital rebuild, says Labour’s Health spokesperson David Clark. "For too long the interests of ...2 days ago - Government caves to multi-national tax avoiders in the shadowsNews that the Government has secretly caved in to the demands of multi-national tax avoiders come as no surprise, but will disappoint Kiwi taxpayers, says Labour’s spokesman for Revenue Michael Wood. “It has been revealed that a United States ...3 days ago
- Cheaper to stay at The Langham than emergency housing motelsLabour’s comprehensive plan to fix the housing crisis and ensure there’s enough state housing, means we won’t be paying through the nose for emergency accommodation like the current Government has to, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni. “National has ...3 days ago
- Government must come clean on waterNews that the National Government is secretly working behind closed doors on its own water charging schemes shows their utter hypocrisy on this issue, says Labour’s water spokesperson David Parker. “They have been carping on about Labour’s plan for ...3 days ago
- Government pays twice the price for emergency housing motels – with two more on the wayUnder Labour’s plan to build at least 1000 state houses each year, New Zealand wouldn’t be paying more than double the valuations for motels to house Kiwis needing emergency housing, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni. “Under questioning today, ...4 days ago
- HAM shows country needs Labour on housingThe latest Housing Affordability Measure report shows affordability dramatically worsening for Auckland first home buyers, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...4 days ago
- Canterbury kids get more support for mental healthChildren in Canterbury and Kaikoura will get dedicated mental health support to help them overcome the trauma of the earthquakes, says the Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “We’ll fund an extra eighty mental health professionals for the next three ...4 days ago
- Statement on Julie Bishop’s commentsIt is highly regrettable that the Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has chosen to make false claims about the New Zealand Labour Party. I have been utterly transparent about this situation. I stand by my statements this morning that I ...5 days ago
- Labour stands with Pike familiesA Labour Government will stand with the families of Pike River and reaffirm its commitment to safe workplaces by ensuring there will be a Minister responsible for Pike River, says Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “The Pike River disaster ...5 days ago
- Yes to Sallies – Labour will build more state housesThe Salvation Army’s latest report ‘Taking Stock’ shows why New Zealand needs a Labour-led Government committed to a massive house building programme, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford. “When the Sallies say the country needs 2000 extra state houses a ...5 days ago
- New Zealanders deserve better than scaremongering over waterNew Zealanders need to hear from National about how they will fund the clean-up of our rivers and lakes for future generations. Instead, National has broadened its scare-mongering, says Labour’s Water spokesperson David Parker. ...6 days ago
- School Leavers’ Toolkit to equip young people for adult lifeLabour will give school leavers the practical skills and knowledge they need for adult life with a new School Leavers’ Toolkit, says Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “Our teachers and schools do a great job of teaching our children ...6 days ago
- Pay equity to be a priority for LabourLabour will make sure that the country’s mental health workers are a priority when it comes to pay equity negotiations, says the Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “It is very important for me to right the wrong created ...1 week ago
- Labour’s positive education planToday’s announcement on learning support is more tinkering and proof that only a Labour Government will deliver the resources that schools and parents are crying out for, says Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins. “We have a positive vision for a ...1 week ago
- Pike footage raises questions over government’s actionsThe Government’s seeming determination to turn a blind eye to new questions about what happened at Pike River Mine is troubling, says Labour’s West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O’Connor. ...1 week ago
- Solution to rent rises lies in building houses and stopping speculatorsThe spread of rental increases from the big cities to the surrounding regions shows why we need to get on top of the housing shortage build homes our families can afford, and lock out the speculators, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson ...1 week ago
- Clean rivers don’t cost $18 a cabbageNational is falling into a bad pattern of promising the world and not saying how they will fund it, says Labour’s Water spokesperson David Parker. ...1 week ago
- Time for honest answer on transport fundingNational needs to explain how they will fund the $6 billion funding gap in their 10-year Auckland transport plan, says Labour’s Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford. ...1 week ago
- Time for true numbers on overseas speculatorsIt’s time for the Government to give accurate figures on the number of houses being bought by overseas speculators, says Labour’s Land Information spokesperson Raymond Huo. ...1 week ago
- Fair and sustainable trade: A Green Party vision for New Zealand’s trading relationships
Trade is a cornerstone of the New Zealand economy. It provides us with the things we want and need, and enables us to pay for those with exports that generate business opportunities and jobs. However, it should be recognised that ...1 week ago - Clean rivers for future generationsLabour will lead a nationwide effort to restore our rivers and lakes to a clean, swimmable state, says Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand really can do better on healthLabour’s commitment to affordable access to high quality healthcare will provide a better service for New Zealanders than the current Health Minister, who will not apologise for statements that he made that wrongly criticised hard-working staff in the Southern DHB’s ...2 weeks ago
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- Labour to build rail to Auckland AirportA world class city needs a rail connection from the CBD to its international airport – that’s why Labour will build light rail to Auckland Airport as a priority, says Leader of the Opposition Jacinda Ardern. “Let’s get Auckland moving ...2 weeks ago
- Is pay equity just too hard for this Govt?You are hard pressed these days to find someone that openly admits their misogyny, that men should still be paid more than women. Politicians proclaim that they want to see women paid more, but do their actions back it up? ...2 weeks ago
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- Experience in Youth Parliament 2016
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- Protest at Prime Minister’s Dunedin Hospital visitYesWeCare.nz Press release for immediate release Saturday 19 August 930am Protest at Prime Minister’s Dunedin Hospital visit 100 life-sized cut-outs of missing health workers will greet Prime Minister Bill English and Health Minister Jonathan Coleman ...19 hours ago
- Dotcom and others at Internet Party #AntiSpyBill EventAcclaimed CIA torture whistleblower John Kiriakou and other special guests will join tech entrepreneur and Internet Party founder Kim Dotcom on the panel of the next #AntiSpyBill live event this Sunday night. ...1 day ago
- Roy Morgan Poll July 31 to Aug 13Jacinda Ardern’s ascension to leadership revitalises Labour, up 2% to 32.5%; Turei scandal costs Greens support, down 4.5% to 9% ...1 day ago
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- Whakatōhea signs Agreement in Principle with CrownWhakatōhea Pre-Settlement Claims Trust has today signed an Agreement in Principle with the Crown at Parliament, which it says is a positive step towards settling its historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. ...2 days ago
- New Zealand First announces its candidatesRt Hon Winston Peters New Zealand First Leader Member of Parliament for Northland 18 AUGUST 2017 Public meeting Red Square, Central Business District, Tauranga 12.30pm ...2 days ago
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- NZ First Announces More CandidatesNew Zealand First Announces Tauranga, Rotorua, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and East Coast Candidates CLAYTON MITCHELL MP TO CONTEST TAURANGA FOR NEW ZEALAND FIRST AGAIN Tauranga-based list MP and businessman, Clayton Mitchell , will again contest the ...2 days ago
- Opening the Election – Scoop Launches New Q&A WebsiteScoop is launching the Any Questions website for the 2017 election today. Any Questions is a Q & A website where New Zealanders can ask the questions of political parties in the lead up to the election. This is part ...2 days ago
- Social Worker Registration Costs a ConcernSocial Service Providers Aotearoa national manager Brenda Pilott has welcomed the Social Worker Registration Bill being referred to a select committee. The Bill had its first reading on the last sitting day of Parliament. ...2 days ago
- Complaint laid for Andy Foster’s use of WCC ressourcesComplaint laid for Andy Foster’s use of Wellington Council resources for NZ First campaigning ...2 days ago
- TPP agreement will give New Zealand a competitive edgeA long awaited Trans Pacific Partnership(TPP) agreement can’t come quick enough with approval for a mandate to negotiate good news says Federated Farmers. ...2 days ago
- “Saying goodbye to what has been my life for so many years”Last week I made my valedictory statement to Parliament. After 12 years as an MP, firstly for Aoraki and then Rangitata, it is an odd feeling saying goodbye to what has been my life for so many years. ...2 days ago
- NZ Government Fails! No Answers over Injustices at IhumātaoThe New Zealand Government delegation to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racism and Discrimination in Geneva yesterday failed to answer multiple questions about the development of a Special Housing Area on confiscated Māori land at Ihumātao ...2 days ago
- RACP: make healthy housing the normThe Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is calling for politicians to take urgent action to make ‘healthy housing’ the norm. ...2 days ago
- Social Housing Minister stifles debate on critical issuesSocial Housing Minister Amy Adams is refusing all requests to front up and justify the National government’s plan to sell 2,500 state houses in Christchurch after the election. ...2 days ago
- Armed Robber Gets Hand SmackedDouglas Roake committed six aggravated robberies and shot two innocent members of the public during an armed home invasion – gets smack on the hand.SST ...2 days ago
- Local Government Leaders failing New ZealandIt is a sad coincidence that newly elected head of Local Government New Zealand is facing his own water crisis in North Dunedin – with it being exactly one-year since his predecessor's Council killed three people and caused 6,000 to ...2 days ago
- DoC Missing In Action – AgainThe NZ Outdoors Party is reminding the Minister of Conservation of her statutory duty of protecting and preserving our public conservation estate and wild places as there have been two particularly disturbing instances where Department of Conservation ...2 days ago
- CBB welcomes NZ First Broadcasting and ICT policy17 August 2017 The Coalition for Better Broadcasting (CBB) welcomes the NZFirst Broadcasting and ICT policy . ...2 days ago
- ANZASW expresses its appreciation of Turei’s contributionThe Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers wishes to place on record its appreciation of Metiria Turei’s contribution, both at the political and grassroots level. Throughout her 15 years in Parliament Metiria has been an advocate for the ...3 days ago
- The Battle for Te Tai HauaruTe Tai Hauauru MP Adrian Rurawhe hasn’t put himself in the spotlight in his first term, but how will that translate into votes against two high profile opponents? ...3 days ago
- Microbead policy a “good start”Greenpeace is welcoming the Government’s latest announcement on microbeads as a good start. ...3 days ago
- Cheaper to stay at The Langham than emergency housing motelsLabour’s comprehensive plan to fix the housing crisis and ensure there’s enough state housing, means we won’t be paying through the nose for emergency accommodation like the current Government has to, says Labour’s Social Development spokesperson ...3 days ago
- Labour And National Fiddling While Housing Crisis Burns onAfter Labour’s announcement yesterday that it would look to conduct a “review” of taxation mechanisms to deal with the housing crisis, it is now obvious that both old establishment parties have zero commitment to deal with the root causes of ...3 days ago
- National Scheming to Lock in TPPARt Hon Winston Peters New Zealand First Leader Member of Parliament for Northland 17 AUGUST 2017 National Scheming to Lock in TPPA So Future Govt Has No Influence ...3 days ago
- Local Government stepping stone to Parliament stingRatepayers should not be paying councillors for one job while they are out campaigning for another, says the Taxpayers’ Union. At least four candidates in the three main centres are still enjoying salaries over $90,000 while they campaign for seats ...3 days ago
- Oranga Tamariki’s staff exodusThe number of social workers leaving Child, Youth and Family during the formation of Oranga Tamariki was largely down to the expertise of long-serving staff being ignored in the review process and a costly and wasteful Expert Advisory Panel (EAP) ...3 days ago
- Volunteers collect shoes for suicide preventionVolunteers are collecting hundreds of shoes across the country to draw attention to our alarming suicide rates, says YesWeCare.nz . ...3 days ago
- Earlier ban on microbeads welcomedWater New Zealand welcomes the earlier than expected ban on the manufacture and sale of wash-off products containing microbeads. ...3 days ago
- The success of Te Taka Keegan – a modern day tohungaTe Reo Māori in a Changing World: The success of Te Taka Keegan – a modern day tohunga ...3 days ago
- Garner, Gower And Owen to Front Decision17Duncan Garner will be hosting Three’s election night special from 7:00pm on September 23rd, 2017. With close to 20 years press gallery experience and host of The AM Show, Garner will be joined by Newshub Political Editor Patrick Gower and ...3 days ago
- Labour Party spot on – not government’s role to own hotelsThe Taxpayers’ Union agree with Labour: the use of millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money for the Government’s desperate attempts to pepper over the housing crisis by buying its own hotels, is ridiculous. Responding to Carmel Sepuloni's comments ...3 days ago
- Tourism supports call for better biodiversity managementProtection of New Zealand’s unique biodiversity is imperative to our social and economic future, Tourism Industry Aotearoa says. ...3 days ago
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- Rahui Papa – why criticize Metiria Turei?The status quo is not working for our people – we need a higher level of care ...3 days ago
- Ministry of Defence Major Projects Report 2016 PublishedIn 2008, the Office of the Auditor-General identified a need for the Ministry of Defence and the New Zealand Defence Force to report better and more complete information to show how well they manage projects to acquire new defence capability. ...3 days ago
- Why will the least swimmable rivers receive less funding?IrrigationNZ is continuing to challenge the logic of Labour’s water tax proposal, after finding that regions with more swimmable rivers will receive more funding from the water tax, while those with the least swimmable rivers will receive less funding ...3 days ago
- REINZ applauds voluntary Rental Warrant of FitnessThe Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) applauds moves by the Wellington City Council today to launch a voluntary Rental Warrant of Fitness for minimum housing standards in Wellington. The Council has partnered with the University of Otago to ...3 days ago
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National says the number of social houses has fallen while it's been in government, but it's promising to change that if re-elected. ...18 hours ago - Outside the Asylum: chapters one and two of Eric Crampton’s epic essay situating New Zealand as an...
Living in New Zealand and focusing on our very real social issues, it’s easy to forget that there are many things we do quite well. Or, to put it another way, that things are frequently a lot worse in other ...24 hours ago - NZ’s Labour Party needs to ‘reach back into Pacific community’, says panel
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- Bryce Edwards Analysis: Political Roundup – Bittersweet “Pollquake” for the left
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