It’s something that the MSM hasn’t jumped on over the years ever since National started using the diversion of it’s stolen. As soon as National said that then the single question that the MSM should have been asking was: So you’re confirming that the information is accurate then?
Collins has just provided that opportunity, shall we take bets on how long before they ask.
My monies on when Collins is not in government anymore, the MSM is so beyond the pale in NZ. Granny can’t dig enough celebrity crap up to replace where there should be stories about Northland, liu 25k, Sabin etc etc
Actually she needed to speak up so that Cunliffe, now sitting “waaaaaaaaaaay back theeeeeeere” could hear.
I almost, and I only say almost, feel sorry for Cunliffe. Once an important figure in the party he is now relegated to sitting in the house during the times when no one of any significance is there and there are just a tiny group of very low-ranking Labour MPs rostered on to be present. They are the ones who have nothing more important to concern them. Has he no pride? When will he decide his future is all behind him and try and find something more important to do with the rest of his life?
Actually I was simply extending Tracey’s comment.
She pointed out that Coliins is out of the action. I merely noted that so is Cunliffe.
Personally I think it is very appropriate that they are both merely anonymous fillers, who are assigned to occupy the seats during the dog-watches. They don’t matter any more and I think they deserve each other.
The difference is Cunniliffe has more integrity in his little finger than collins and it will be sad for nz if he leaves politics were as the soul sucking banshee that is Collins wiil hopefully bugger of .
Surely you have to admit that was an appalling, pent-up, and very nervous tirade from Collins who appears to have learned absolutely nothing from her time in the last few months.
Cunliffe on the other hand delivered his repost calmly and without hysteria.
What planet are you on Alwyn?
How petty can you get by tryin sooo hard to oput Cunligge in teh same bracket as Collins?
Cunliffe was an excellenbt minister, is still young(ish) and has a lot of talent to offer.
” tryin sooo hard to oput Cunligge in teh “.
I assume you were trying to type this on a smart-phone in poor light?
“is still young(ish)”.
I suppose he is in a way. What is that verse?
“She may very well pass for forty-three
In the dusk with a light behind her.”
Perhaps not 43 , but still not as old as Phil Goff, who is also on the way out.
Cunliffe is, of course, the same age as Stephen Joyce. He is about 18 months less than John Key or Bill English. On the other hand his party leader is a couple of years younger than Mr C.
However those other MPs are at the top, whereas David C. has been relegated to the ranks of the back-benchers. His job is to attend Parliament to make up a token representation when the senior members are busy. How sad, too bad, never mind.
Nope. It is an ongoing problem in the way that the National continues to screw the public and some of their favorite bloggers and media.
Besides from the amount of squirming and diversion that people like you do whenever it comes up again, I can see that we want to carry on doing it.
It also helps to keep media reasonably honest when we periodically spike them on one of their sock puppet stories. Pointing out how they and their colleagues got completely screwed over by believing that Cameron Slater was worth listening to, when in reality he was a lousy PR hack working for the buck and John Key’s spin merchants like Jason Ede.
Oh really SHGoracle ?…….you who know It all. You put no store at all by an incremental subliminal effect ? Well of course you don’t. After all TheGodKey is TheGodKey is TheGodKey……..regardless. Wanker !
Judith Collins just admitted that this information is genuine. That is a much bigger issue than whether the information is “stolen”, and just because you don’t care about corruption and electoral manipulation doesn’t mean that nobody does, it just means you don’t give a toss about democratic values and the integrity of popular elections.
It’s not enough for people to just get a vote, they have to KNOW that their vote counts, that they have options to choose between, and that everyone involved is playing by the same rules, and that those rules are fair. If any of those is true, you have a lot less claim to the country being a democracy.
Yes, dp does not tell voters when the housing bubble will burst. But no, corruption does not have a use by date. Agreed left stuffed up. Mainly i believe as Labour is a constitutency party and Greens are a list party. Should the Green revise their rules, so that Labour candidates get Green list seats, and reward Labour voters for split voting, then the odious principled stand against Epson, Oharau and soon Northland handing National extra seatscome to an end. Epson gets three Mps, Seymour, Goldsmith, Genter and had labour done better, four with Labour. Maybe the local NZF even. Its odious that Labour’s principle stand against split voting hands the richest electorate multiple reprrsentatives.
I tried to get rid of it. It was embedded in the video. It seems to be part of the transmission for the hearing impaired so in a way I should leave it.
Not sure what your point is adam? The subtitling looks like a good example of why automation isn’t necessarily efficient 😉 (I could plainly understand words that were subtitled very badly).
collins thinks she is so clever, ensconced in her seat of power, slagging off a journalist for reporting inconvenient facts.
as one of the architects of dirty politics her attempt to play the victim is laughable. thank god that cunliffe stopped the incoherent pontificating for a minute.
how is this venal, disreputable, power-mad villain still in Parliament?
Insufferable, essentially weak-person bullies always paint themselves the victim at some point. Being decent, honest, taking responsibilty is just too beyond their moral pale. Collins always was a vicious……,well you know. Even back in Auckland law days. That she fancies some standing, her repute as a harridan par excellence against Hager’s international status is but risible. Poor thing. Quite deluded. Probably still believes she’s gonna be prime minister one day.
She’s thick but very, very cunning. But I guess that is a prerequisite to be a National MP. Yes, Cunliffe’s comment was a gem. The media should be shooting her down also…allowing her to get away with this hypocrisy is a reflection on them as well…hopeless.
Sad to witness an MP behaving in such an aggressive and unbecoming manner. Does she not realise how she looks to the general public? No. PM material? Remember Tony Abbot?
David Cunliffe came out with a true gem this time, executed with his usual tongue in cheek gravity and thoughtfulness – imagine being Jude after hearing that and slowly realising she had dropped herself and the Nats right in the proverbial ordure!! That big gob of hers was always going to be her undoing!! Should have taken that job as a go-go dancer for the Elvis impersonator visiting recently!!
She has plenty of associates on that score WB, the vile nastiness is there for all to see in many of team shonkey whenever the MSM bothers to pin them down which is due the next blue moon.
Did anyone see Judith Collins on Campbell Live one night last week, can’t remember which one, but she got up on stage with an Elvis impersonator and did this excruciatingly shimmying sort of a dance, rubbing up against him , grinning like a maniac. She needs to know that she has no rhythm! It was true agony to watch. Even JC was shaking his head. On the upside she didn’t twerk but came close. Scary!
Judith has jumped the shark. Judging from the febrile quality of her “laughter”, I suspect she knows it too. All that ambition, all that spilt milk. Oravida must be looking for some new blood.
Jeez – did you see the look on her face when DC raised the Point of Order – just for a moment – that look would curdle milk!
She’s venal and downright nasty, deliberately mispronouncing Hagers’ name. And I agree with the poster who reckons she was drunk or, at least, well on the way.
It’s a sad indictment of politics here and the national government in particular that this vile witch is still an member of parliament. I only hope more people wake up to the people like her in government, particularly those who voted these fuckers in again!
So Nicky Hager the internationally recognized journalist and writer is demonized by a politician that lost her position because of malfeasance and is intimately involved with Cameron Slater .
Is this video meant to support Collins or crush her ?
Same Collins who did not like it when I remind people that she advocated the rape of a former client in prison. She hates it so much that she blocked me from Twitter and Facebook. This woman epitomises two faced double standards.
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The Coalition Government has confirmed five Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft will be purchased to replace the existing fleet, Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “Last year, Cabinet selected these aircraft as the preferred option to replace the current Hercules fleet. Procurement of the Super Hercules has been ...
The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage is celebrating World Environment Day with an announcement of a major step towards Wairarapa Moana being recognised as an internationally significant wetland. “Wairarapa Moana is an ecosystem of 10,000 hectares of wetland and open water that provides a home for indigenous fish, birds and ...
New public housing that will save tenants money in energy bills, and provide warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, is setting the standard for the Government’s future public housing programme, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. Dr Woods opened the new Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities complex, which has a ...
A new-look Police graduation ceremony to take account of COVID19 health rules has marked the completion of training for 57 new constables. Police Minister Stuart Nash attended this afternoon's ceremony, where officers of Recruit Wing 337 were formally sworn in at the Royal New Zealand Police College without the normal support of ...
Mobile traders and truck shops must adhere to responsible lending requirements Interest rate cap on high-cost loans Lenders prohibited from offering further credit to an applicant who has taken two high-cost loans in the past 90 days The Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Kris Faafoi, has signalled an end ...
94% of firms say wage subsidy had positive impact on cashflow 62% of firms say support helped to manage non-wage costs like rent A survey of business that have received the Government’s wage subsidy show it has played a significant role in saving jobs, and freed up cash flow to ...
New legislation introduced to Parliament today will support growth and assist businesses on the road to economic recovery, said Revenue Minister Stuart Nash. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2020-21, Feasibility Expenditure, and Remedial Matters) Bill proposes that businesses can get tax deductions for ‘feasibility expenditure’ on new investments,” said Mr ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson has welcomed the first release of funds from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced as part of Budget 2020. Sport NZ has announced that $4.6 million in funding will go to the Wellington Phoenix, NZ Warriors, Super Rugby teams and the ANZ Premiership ...
An iconic New Zealand tourism attraction and the country’s 31 Regional Tourism Organisations are the first recipients of support from the $400 million Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, to help position the sector for recovery from COVID-19, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. The plan includes a Strategic Tourism Assets Protection ...
The Government will legislate to ensure businesses that suffered as a result of the COVID-19 response will get help to resolve disputes over commercial rent issues, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. A temporary amendment to the Property Law Act will insert a clause in commercial leases requiring a fair ...
The Minister for Small Business says new data from Xero highlights the urgency of prompt payment practices to small and medium enterprises as we move into economic recovery. Last month Government ministers wrote to significant private enterprises and the banking industry to request they join efforts by government agencies to ...
Young people in Waikato will be the first to have free access to period products in schools in another step to support children and young people in poverty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. During term 3, the Ministry of Education will begin providing free period products to schools following the ...
The Minister of Police Stuart Nash has issued the following statement in response to charges filed against three Police officers this morning in the New Plymouth District Court. “Any incident involving a loss of life in Police custody is taken very seriously. The charges today reflect the gravity of the ...
$196 million for Crown Research Institutes $150 million for R&D loan scheme $33 million for Māori research and development opportunities $12 million for the Nationally Significant Collections and Databases $10 million to help maintain in-house capability at Callaghan Innovation New Zealand’s entrepreneurs, innovators and crown researchers will benefit from a ...
Further temporary changes to NCEA and University Entrance (UE) will support senior secondary school students whose teaching and learning have been disrupted by COVID-19. “The wellbeing of students and teachers is a priority. As we are all aware, COVID-19 has created massive disruption to the school system, and the Government ...
Minister for Racing Winston Peters today announced that the terms for the directors of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) have been extended to 30 June 2021. Due to the COVID-19 crisis the transition period has been extended to ensure that the Racing Industry Bill can complete its progress through ...
The deadline for landlords to include detailed information in their tenancy agreements about how their property meets the Healthy Homes Standards, so tenants can see the home they are renting is compliant, has been extended from 1 July 2020 to 1 December 2020. The Healthy Homes Standards became law on 1 July 2019. The Standards are ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little today announced details of further appointments to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. “I am pleased to announce Paula Rose QSO OStJ as Deputy Chief Commissioner for a term of five years commencing on 15 June 2020,” said Andrew Little. “I am also pleased to announce the ...
The Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF) will pay costs of learners of all ages to undertake vocational education and training The fund will target support for areas of study and training that will give learners better employment prospects as New Zealand recovers from COVID-19 Apprentices working in all industries ...
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will finally start to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas pollution as it was originally intended to, because of changes announced today by the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw. The changes include a limit on the total emissions allowed within the ETS, rules to ensure ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List provides an abundance of examples that Pacific people’s leadership capability is unquestionable in Aotearoa. “The work and the individuals we acknowledge this year highlights the kind of visionary examples and dedicated community leadership that we need ...
The Government is backing a new $27 million project aimed at boosting sustainable horticulture production and New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery efforts, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “Our horticulture sector has long been one of New Zealand’s export star performers, contributing around $6 billion a year to our economy. During and ...
Applications have opened for 2021 Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships, which will support more Māori and women to pursue careers in forestry science, says Forestry Minister Shane Jones. “I’m delighted Te Uru Rākau is offering Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships for the third year running. These ...
The Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List once again highlights the dedication by many to looking after our native plants and wildlife, including incredible work to restore the populations of critically endangered birds says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Anne Richardson of Hororata has been made an Officer of the New ...
The Government will invest $10 million from the One Billion Trees Fund for large-scale planting to provide jobs in communities and improve the environment, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Forestry Minister Shane Jones have announced. New, more flexible funding criteria for applications will help up to 10 catchment groups plant ...
Organisations that support women are invited to apply to a new $1,000,000 fund as part of the Government’s COVID-19 response. “We know women, and organisations that support women, have been affected by COVID-19. This new money will ensure funding for groups that support women and women’s rights,” said Minister for ...
Healthier waterways are front and centre in a new project involving more than 300 King Country sheep, beef and dairy farmers. The Government is investing $844,000 in King Country River Care, a group that helps farmers to lift freshwater quality and farming practice, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “Yesterday ...
A major funding package for libraries will allow them to play a far greater role in supporting their communities and people seeking jobs as part of the economic recovery from COVID-19. “Budget 2020 contains over $60 million of funding to protect library services and to protect jobs,” says Internal Affairs ...
A jobseekers programme for the creative sector and four new funds have been set up by the Government to help our arts and music industry recover from the blow of COVID-19. Thousands of jobs will be supported through today’s $175 million package in a crucial economic boost to support the ...
Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has welcomed the First Reading of a Bill that will make legislative changes to further improve the veterans’ support system. The Veterans’ Support Amendment Bill No 2, which will amend the Veterans’ Support Act 2014, passed First Reading today. The bill addresses a number of ...
Views sought on Order in Council to help fast track the reinstatement of the Christ Church Cathedral The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Hon Poto Williams, will be seeking public written comment, following Cabinet approving the drafting of an Order in Council aimed at fast-tracking the reinstatement of the ...
The law setting out New Zealanders’ basic civil and human rights is today one step towards being strengthened following the first reading of a Bill that requires Parliament to take action if a court says a statute undermines those rights. At present, a senior court can issue a ‘declaration of ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today reiterated the deep concern of the New Zealand Government following confirmation by China’s National People’s Congress of national security legislation relating to Hong Kong. “New Zealand shares the international community’s significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand ...
Thousands of artists and creatives at hundreds of cultural and heritage organisations have been given much-needed support to recover from the impact of COVID-19, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern announced today. “The cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic,” Jacinda ...
Key New Zealand assets will be better protected from being sold to overseas owners in a way contrary to the national interest, with the passage of the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Bill. The Bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament today, also cuts unnecessary red tape to help attract ...
Setting higher health standards at swimming spots Requiring urban waterways to be cleaned up and new protections for urban streams Putting controls on higher-risk farm practices such as winter grazing and feed lots Setting stricter controls on nitrogen pollution and new bottom lines on other measures of waterway health Ensuring ...
The Government is on the verge of reaching its target of state sector boards and committees made up of at least 50 percent women, says Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter and Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa. For the first time, the Government stocktake measures the number of Māori, ...
Does a move to Covid-19 Level 1, that Cabinet is considering tomorrow (Monday, June 8), mean back-to-normal for 290,000 rental property owners and managers, Tenancies War spokesman Mike Butler said today. The Covid-19 Response (Urgent Management) Act, ...
ANALYSIS:By Denis Muller of theUniversity of Melbourne When a newspaper with the authority of The New York Times chooses to publish a party-political essay calculated to further inflame the violence wracking cities across America, serious questions arise. On June 3 the Times published in its opinion section an ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Noble, Education Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Three quarters of a million Australian children are likely to be experiencing employment stress in the family as a result of COVID-19. This is on top of around 615,000 children whose families were ...
Spice up the classic banana muffin with a subtle touch of star anise.These muffins came about one rainy Saturday when the cupboards were bare and there was nothing much left in the fruit bowl aside from some very sad-looking bananas. Fortunately we know sad bananas result in the best kind ...
For years, Work and Income has been telling New Zealanders they couldn’t get the benefit until their redundancy payments ran out. Turns out, it was wrong.What’s all this then?Work and Income has long told New Zealanders receiving redundancy payments that they weren’t eligible for the benefit until their redundancy money ...
New Zealand writer Anna Rankin reports from Los Angeles. Last Friday afternoon, I went downtown to a protest outside the enormous Los Angeles Police Department headquarters on 1st Street. The LAPD had set up cordons, placing orange cones across streets to block traffic. Arms crossed, they stood with a wide ...
Until the sudden closure of Bauer Media in April, Simon Farrell-Green was the editor of HOME, New Zealand’s oldest architecture magazine. Here he explains what comes next.Being the editor of a major architecture magazine was the best job I ever had. I got it in 2016, after a career spent ...
A global success story or an overly generous, unsustainable scheme that is doing lasting damage to our fish stocks? Ethan Neville looks at the ongoing debate over New Zealand’s fishing quota management system. The management of our fisheries is a touchy topic – and why wouldn’t it be? New Zealanders ...
By RNZ News Thousands of people were protesting across Australia today to oppose the deaths of Indigenous people in police custody. It comes as Black Lives Matter protests are held around the world after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the US ...
Wrapping everyone in a blanket of love, whakapapa and mauri for Matariki is the brave, exuberant and generous fabric art of Maungarongo Te Kawa, writes Amanda Thompson.E te AtuaNau enei rau harakeke he taongaTukuna ki a matouKia tika o matou mahiKo Papatuanuku e takoto neiTuturu WhakamauaKia tina, tinaHui eTaiki e.‘Karakia ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...
One press statement from the Beehive yesterday sounded more like advertising – or a barker’s pitch – than a Government announcement. Another advised of two diplomatic appointment, one of them – has the woman who landed the post done something wrong? – to protest-troubled and politically volatile Hong Kong. And ...
It’s not often that someone graduates from university one year and becomes a senior economist commentating on national media the next. George Driver investigates the meteoric rise of the high-flying Brad Olsen.Google “senior economist Brad Olsen” and you’ll find him quoted in no fewer than 167 articles in the past ...
As public sentiment turned against Uber Eats, a new local operation emerged promising a more ethical alternative to help New Zealand’s struggling hospitality industry. But now Eat Local NZ has suspended trading after falling out with its Australian partner Mr Yum. So what happened?A dispute between local hospitality platform Eat ...
By Budi Sutrisno in Jakarta As the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died while being arrested in the United States, sparks a global outcry, Indonesian rights advocates and young people have stepped forward to remind fellow citizens that racism has long been an issue at home as ...
Edward Cullen became a vampire to survive the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Now a new Twilight novel looms and Laura Surynt, a New Zealander living in the UK, wants to live forever too. As I lay in bed this morning watching Instagram stories, Tayi Tibble told my reluctant little Capricorn ...
Over the lockdown period, thousands of people joined a Facebook group dedicated to remembering the nightlife of inner-city Auckland. Its creator Simon Grigg explains why it touched a chord in lockdown.Within a few days of The Lost Nightlife of Inner-city Auckland Facebook page accidentally going live on May 12, we ...
Throughout Anglo colonial states there is a constant habit of defining people who aren’t white as a problem, writes Aaron Smale in this personal essay. It was a balmy summer evening in the capital and cops were standing over a young brown man. I was walking down Courtenay Place on ...
"The countdown clock ticks 2, then 1, then the prime minister raises her drink": dystopia, by Ōtautahi writer Laura Borrowdale. You stand in the centre of the room, and around you, the guests seem to swirl and blend into one. There’s a mouth, gaping and red, filled with laughter. A ...
Martin Luther King Jr said in 1963: “America has given the Black people a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’." Six generations of egregious police violence later, the sentiment out of which those bad cheques were born could be shifting. In the wake of egregious police violence, ...
WATCH: In a candid interview on Sky Sport, Dame Susan Devoy talks on her concern for rising sports stars, the state of NZ squash, and the spectre of racism. Dame Susan Devoy is proudly still “a little terrier who fights for the underdog”. “I have been doing it all my life and ...
Of the huge funding boost coming for early childhood education, Playcentre has been left with just the crumbs, writes Kate Barber. Amidst all the celebration of the $430m funding boost for early childhood education (ECE) announced in this year’s budget, little attention was paid to the plight of Playcentre. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vikrant Minhas, PhD candidate, University of Adelaide Although bacteria are single-celled and microscopically small, they still need energy to survive, just like us. One of the most efficient ways of acquiring energy for bacteria is through sweet, soluble carbohydrates: sugars. In fact, ...
PACIFIC PANDEMIC DIARY:By David Robie Three cartoonists had especially poignant takes on the tragic and toxic political aftermath of martyr George Floyd’s brutal killing under the knee of a white American policeman in Minneapolis last week. The Boston Globe’s Christopher Weyant featured a split frame contrasting a red-capped “Make ...
Are central bankers jealous that epidemiologists are the rock stars of the current crisis?There is talk that both the British and New Zealand central banks might institute negative interest rates as part of the policy response to the Covid shock. While Sweden’s central bank ended its five year experiment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monika Sarder, Senior Strategic Analyst, Monash University Algorithmic decision-making has enormous potential to do good. From identifying priority areas for first response after an earthquake hits, to identifying those at risk of COVID-19 within minutes, their application has proven hugely beneficial. But ...
LISTEN: This week's Extra Time podcast discusses racism in sport and the role of athletes and organisations in making a stand for good. Former Silver Fern and Black Fern Louisa Wall believes today's sports stars must have a social conscience and stand up against discrimination and divisiveness. Sport and politics, once ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Thomas, Associate professor, Flinders University We have seen ten days of protests in the United States over the death of George Floyd. While thousands of people have gathered to express their outrage peacefully, some demonstrations have been marred by vandalism and ...
40 percent of millennials have one, and an increasing number of GenXers and Baby Boomers do too. Two Cents' Worth delves into the world of side hustles. ...
Auckland writer Caroline Barron has a terrific book out today called Ripiro Beach: A Memoir of Life After Near Death. Here, she writes about the memoirs that have been a balm, a lesson, or both. Throughout my life, I’ve sought solace between the covers of books, particularly memoirs. There, I’ve learnt ...
An exclusive interview with Steve McSteverson about his traumatic and tragic ordeal this week.Many New Zealanders are struggling with the news that a children’s book not commissioned or authorised by Jacinda Ardern was advertised in a newsletter for children’s books. This horrific attack on New Zealanders whose ears are permanently ...
Air New Zealand staff are dismayed and angered at the company’s announcement to cut a further $150 million from their wage bill. On Friday, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Greg Foran, made the announcement to employees, who are still ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr. Bodean Hedwards, Lecturer, Monash University This week the leaders of India and Australia reaffirmed their mutual interest in closer diplomatic and economic ties. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during their long-delayed Thursday “virtual summit”: ...
The Herald reported this morning that MediaWorks was on the verge of selling its TV assets to US TV giant Discovery – but an internal email and senior source suggest the story may have been premature.A senior MediaWorks source has emphatically denied a report in the NZ Herald that a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gery Karantzas, Associate professor in Social Psychology / Relationship Science, Deakin University Life in lockdown has been tough on many relationships. But negotiating the transition back to “normal” as restrictions continue to lift could also be a challenge for couples. So what ...
A slight bounce in the economy is brightening the outlook as the country heads into the winter months, Radio NZ reports. Retail spending is up and NZ shares rose on Thursday for a third day running. Key indicators have led some economists to point to a faster recovery than expected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide HomeBuilder is a good idea gone bad. It is possibly the most complex and least equitable program the government could have devised to deliver construction jobs. It gives $25,000 to people who already ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Keller, Professor of Cognitive Science, Western Sydney University The coronavirus pandemic has silenced the world’s concert halls and opera theatres. Organisations specialising in live performance face an existential crisis under current restrictions on social gatherings, with up to 75% of people ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson, wearing his Sport and Recreation ministerial hat, can show he can be a big spender and draw voters’ attention to his largess each time he dispenses money from the funds under his control – or the control of an agency within his ministerial bailiwick. Yesterday he ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University Scott Morrison wants to overhaul the skills workforce to ensure a better post-COVID-19 recovery. But there may not be enough people with the necessary skills to do so. And travel restrictions, which ...
As we transition out of a Covid-focused world and prepare for what comes next, New Zealand’s ICT industry is gearing towards growth.From app development helping track the Covid-19 virus to website engineering keeping businesses in touch and online, ICT knowledge has been crucial to keeping New Zealand working over the ...
Analysis: As New Zealand eases restrictions, it no longer has international precedent to look towards and must decide on its own how to reopen the economy while reducing the risk of a second wave of infections, Marc Daalder reports While most of the country eagerly awaits a likely move to ...
Ten days is too long. That from insurance claimant advocate, Ali Jones. EQC has today made contact with homeowners via email after accidentally releasing confidential details of 8000 insurance claims on May 26. Jones says although she has not received ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (Penguin Classics, $24)Winner of the 2019 Booker Prize. The other day, ...
Simon Day discovers how the voluntary carbon market allows both individuals and companies to offset their emissions at the same time as investing in native forest regeneration.When Celia Wade-Brown sold her first batch of carbon credits earned from the native forest on her Wairarapa farm, she had two customers: Z ...
Simon Day discovers how the voluntary carbon market allows both individuals and companies to offset their emissions at the same time as investing in native forest regeneration.When Celia Wade-Brown sold her first batch of carbon credits earned from the native forest on her Wairarapa farm, she had two customers: Z ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin. The conversation around the 2020 covid19 pandemic has been widely framed as ‘health versus the economy’. It has been quite political, with people leaning to the left emphasising ‘health’, and people leaning to the right emphasising ‘the economy’. A couple of weeks ago ...
Sam Brooks pays tribute to Alex Rider, and the new TV series that (finally) captures the spirit of the books.“What if James Bond was a teenager?”The concept for Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series is so simple but so brilliant. There’s a reason why the franchise has managed to sustain 12 ...
Analysis - The PM resists pressure to move immediately to level 1, Winston Peters' tactics play into the hands of the Opposition and the government at last works out a commercial rent solution, writes Peter Wilson. ...
Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By COHAFrom Washington DC Federal charges against the four protectors of the Venezuelan Embassy, who defended the building in Washington DC against violent opposition crowds for several weeks between April 10 and May 16 of 2019, were completely dropped in a case that ...
Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By COHA Editorial TeamFrom Washington DC The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) joins the Black Alliance for Peace[1] and other pro-democracy organizations throughout the world in calling for the United Nations to address the systemic violations of human rights by the police and ...
Being shot by police had a profound, transformational effect on Rob Mokaraka’s life in more ways than you’d expect. A new documentary, airing on Māori TV at 7.30pm on Sunday, explores the work he’s done to heal his own mind and to ensure nobody has to go through the same ...
Human rights watchdog TAPOL has condemned the demand by Indonesian prosecutors seeking 17 and five years imprisonment for West Papuan activists Buchtar Tabuni and Irwanus Uropmabin. On June 2, the Jayapura District Prosecutor’s Office issued 33 pages containing charges against the defendant Irwanus Uropmabin. In the document, the Public Prosecutor ...
The arrival of Dan Carter is far from the first time the ever-struggling Auckland team has hoped to turn around its fortunes with a star signing, writes Jamie Wall.New Zealand rugby Twitter is a generally desolate place, especially lately given that there’s been nothing to talk about ever since the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Senior Lecturer in New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity US President Donald Trump delivered an address this week in which he threatened military action on the nation. Then he walked to the nearby St John’s Episcopal Church ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Senior Lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Why do we burp? We sometimes also burp before meals, why does this happen? — Ahaana, age 7 That is a really interesting question, Ahaana! There ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justine Bell-James, Associate Professor, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland After years of litigation, Australia’s highest court will today make a major decision on the fate of the controversial proposed expansion to the New Acland Coal mine in Queensland. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Williams, Associate Professor in Urban Ecology and Urban Horticulture, University of Melbourne Tomorrow is the first World Green Roof Day. Cities around the world will celebrate the well-documented environmental, economic and social benefits of green roofs. New ground-level green spaces are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Senior Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Robodebt isn’t the only measure the government should consider withdrawing. Late last Friday, after a long press conference from the prime minister which avoided any mention of the topic, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Harvard University’s Alberto Alesina died suddenly of a heart attack on May 23. He was 63. His long-time colleague and friend Larry Summers wrote that before him, “there was no academic field of political economy. Today, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Meyrick, Professor of Creative Arts, Griffith University What keeps democracies together? As America burns, Brazilians die and Europe braces for another wave of the coronavirus, the question assumes an alarming immediacy. If the answer is complicated in one way, it is ...
Collins confirms Dirty Politics 
You’ve got to wonder why the New Zealand Police undertook an armed response teams (ARTs) trial in the first place? Of course there was the Christchurch mosque terrorism attack, but that was an isolated incident and therefore cannot be used as an excuse to arm Police. What this trial does ...8 hours ago
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, May 31 through Sat, June 6, 2020 Editor's Choice The world must seize this opportunity to meet the climate challenge As current and former central bankers, we believe the pandemic offers ...14 hours ago
The 60 Years of New Zealand Television celebrations, such as they were, seemed to rely heavily on the classics: here we go again with Lynn of Tawa, A Week of It and the Country Calendar spoofs. Wonderful highlights of our televisual past, to be sure, but after hearing Paul Holmes’ ...1 day ago
The Two Americas Collide: You gotta love the Americans marching for George Floyd and the fragile promises of the US Constitution. But, you also gotta keep your eye on the pale rider in the White House, and understand that behind him Hell follows.THE FRAGILITY of democracy’s promise is becoming clearer ...2 days ago
Oliver Twist, famously asked for ‘more’. He did not challenge the system of workhouses – Dickens did – nor the authority of Beadle Bumble. He was only nine. I am often struck how critics of the current income maintenance system are like Oliver Twist. They ask for more, but they ...2 days ago
New Zealand’s history as a sheep-farming nation means the command “Get in behind!” has long had a particular resonance — but not usually for journalists. However, in late March, as panic over the coronavirus pandemic surged around the world, Dr Gavin Ellis — former editor-in-chief of the NZ Herald — ...2 days ago
When the New Zealand Police started using Armed Response Teams - gangs of heavily-armed police cruising Māori-Pacifica neighbourhoods in juiced-up gun-trucks - they told us it was a "trial". But it turns out that those armed police - who were mainly doing traffic stops and bail checks, rather than the ...2 days ago
Another study comparing effect in children from nonendemic areas (Dagang) and endemic fluorosis area (Jinghai) about 80km apart in the Tianjin area of China. Hardly sampling the same population. Anti-fluoride campaigners still use studies from ... 3 days ago
George Thomson, Nick Wilson, Richard Edwards This blog discusses the passing of the Smoke-free Environments (Prohibiting Smoking in Motor Vehicles Carrying Children) Amendment Act last week. We briefly review some lessons from this legislation’s long journey and explore future smokefree possibilities in Aotearoa / New Zealand. A law ...4 days ago
Bernard Hickey is one of New Zealand’s leading financial journalists. His latest article, published by Newsroom, lays bare the cruel treatment of hundreds of thousands of workers stranded since the lockdown. Our Prime Minister is lauded overseas for her compassion, but her Cabinet is refusing to properly support tens of ...4 days ago
For a good part of my adult life I have studied civil-military relations. I have studied authoritarian and democratic variants, and I have studied them across countries and regions. I have also worked in and with several US security agencies and have lectured on the theme at a number of ...4 days ago
by The Spark “The system is broken”—the words of a young black man in Minneapolis watching flames destroy a police precinct demonstrators had torched. Broken? Yes, it is! What else could you say about a system whose police for nine minutes casually knelt on a black man’s neck, watching until ...5 days ago
Like the rest of the world, I have been aghast at what I have seen of, and read and heard about, what is happening currently in the United States. It seems incredible that a once great country should be suffering the worst effects and the highest number of deaths worldwide ...6 days ago
Image credit: Writing an Article vs. Writing a Blog Post: What’s the Difference? I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is ... 6 days ago
It’s almost painful to watch. Let’s be honest, maybe a pleasure too, in some quarters, but painful nonetheless. Because the fact is, for a democracy to function properly, any sitting Government does need honest and proper Opposition so that it doesn’t get ahead of itself. That’s what we should ...1 week ago
Well, we are out of lockdown, essentially. I did end up getting the wage subsidy while we were on levels 3 and 4 but I would have been fine if we didn’t. The first day of level 2, the Thursday, the office opened again for the people who weren’t able ...2 weeks ago
Hon Shane Jones, NZ First List MP based in Northland New Zealand First MP Hon Shane Jones has today announced his candidacy for the electorate of Northland. Speaking at a New Zealand First meeting in Kerikeri, Northland, Mr Jones said it was a privilege to be selected by the Party ...6 hours ago
We started the week by announcing free apprenticeships to support Kiwis into work and to help get New Zealand moving again - and we ended the week by extending the wage subsidy to 40,000 more businesses, helping to protect businesses and workers alike. ...2 days ago
The Green Party is urging the New Zealand Police to rule out the use of Armed Response Teams, following their recent trial in communities around Aotearoa. ...3 days ago
This summer presents a great opportunity for New Zealanders to get out into nature with bookings on Great Walks for 2020/21 set to open next week, says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Bookings for the Great Walks will open between 9 and 11 June, excluding Milford and Routeburn tracks which ...2 days ago
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The Spanish-owned contractor behind the stalled Transmission Gully Public Private Partnership is accused of abandoning projects in Australia. ...3 hours ago
ANALYSIS: By Denis Muller of the University of Melbourne When a newspaper with the authority of The New York Times chooses to publish a party-political essay calculated to further inflame the violence wracking cities across America, serious questions arise. On June 3 the Times published in its opinion section an ...8 hours ago
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...9 hours ago
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It’s something that the MSM hasn’t jumped on over the years ever since National started using the diversion of it’s stolen. As soon as National said that then the single question that the MSM should have been asking was: So you’re confirming that the information is accurate then?
YES!
Collins has just provided that opportunity, shall we take bets on how long before they ask.
My monies on when Collins is not in government anymore, the MSM is so beyond the pale in NZ. Granny can’t dig enough celebrity crap up to replace where there should be stories about Northland, liu 25k, Sabin etc etc
Was she yelling cos she wasn’t sure if she could be heard from waaaaaaaaaaay back theeeeeeere?
Actually she needed to speak up so that Cunliffe, now sitting “waaaaaaaaaaay back theeeeeeere” could hear.
I almost, and I only say almost, feel sorry for Cunliffe. Once an important figure in the party he is now relegated to sitting in the house during the times when no one of any significance is there and there are just a tiny group of very low-ranking Labour MPs rostered on to be present. They are the ones who have nothing more important to concern them. Has he no pride? When will he decide his future is all behind him and try and find something more important to do with the rest of his life?
You sure you aren’t describing Collins. I noticed she had to shout from way up in the back row
Actually I was simply extending Tracey’s comment.
She pointed out that Coliins is out of the action. I merely noted that so is Cunliffe.
Personally I think it is very appropriate that they are both merely anonymous fillers, who are assigned to occupy the seats during the dog-watches. They don’t matter any more and I think they deserve each other.
The difference is Cunniliffe has more integrity in his little finger than collins and it will be sad for nz if he leaves politics were as the soul sucking banshee that is Collins wiil hopefully bugger of .
Cunliffe is going to be an important figure in the Government of New Zealand long long before Collins will be
Except the difference is, Cunliffe has a lot to offer + integrity. Judith C certainly doesn’t have the latter, nor the former imo.
Cunliffe was a great minister, a very clever man and actually has a weighty shadow port folio.
Surely you have to admit that was an appalling, pent-up, and very nervous tirade from Collins who appears to have learned absolutely nothing from her time in the last few months.
Cunliffe on the other hand delivered his repost calmly and without hysteria.
You’d have to be stupid to not see that.
What planet are you on Alwyn?
How petty can you get by tryin sooo hard to oput Cunligge in teh same bracket as Collins?
Cunliffe was an excellenbt minister, is still young(ish) and has a lot of talent to offer.
” tryin sooo hard to oput Cunligge in teh “.
I assume you were trying to type this on a smart-phone in poor light?
“is still young(ish)”.
I suppose he is in a way. What is that verse?
“She may very well pass for forty-three
In the dusk with a light behind her.”
Perhaps not 43 , but still not as old as Phil Goff, who is also on the way out.
Cunliffe is, of course, the same age as Stephen Joyce. He is about 18 months less than John Key or Bill English. On the other hand his party leader is a couple of years younger than Mr C.
However those other MPs are at the top, whereas David C. has been relegated to the ranks of the back-benchers. His job is to attend Parliament to make up a token representation when the senior members are busy. How sad, too bad, never mind.
Every time the Left raises “Dirty Politics” the masses turn off. There was one chance to use Hager’s book as leverage and that time is past.
Nope. It is an ongoing problem in the way that the National continues to screw the public and some of their favorite bloggers and media.
Besides from the amount of squirming and diversion that people like you do whenever it comes up again, I can see that we want to carry on doing it.
It also helps to keep media reasonably honest when we periodically spike them on one of their sock puppet stories. Pointing out how they and their colleagues got completely screwed over by believing that Cameron Slater was worth listening to, when in reality he was a lousy PR hack working for the buck and John Key’s spin merchants like Jason Ede.
Cameron Slater is sill being used as he always was.
The dirty bastards have assessed that the pubic did not care about their tactics and therefore that they can continue to use him.
We must continue to highlight how toxic the right is.
Oh really SHGoracle ?…….you who know It all. You put no store at all by an incremental subliminal effect ? Well of course you don’t. After all TheGodKey is TheGodKey is TheGodKey……..regardless. Wanker !
Judith Collins just admitted that this information is genuine. That is a much bigger issue than whether the information is “stolen”, and just because you don’t care about corruption and electoral manipulation doesn’t mean that nobody does, it just means you don’t give a toss about democratic values and the integrity of popular elections.
It’s not enough for people to just get a vote, they have to KNOW that their vote counts, that they have options to choose between, and that everyone involved is playing by the same rules, and that those rules are fair. If any of those is true, you have a lot less claim to the country being a democracy.
Yes, dp does not tell voters when the housing bubble will burst. But no, corruption does not have a use by date. Agreed left stuffed up. Mainly i believe as Labour is a constitutency party and Greens are a list party. Should the Green revise their rules, so that Labour candidates get Green list seats, and reward Labour voters for split voting, then the odious principled stand against Epson, Oharau and soon Northland handing National extra seatscome to an end. Epson gets three Mps, Seymour, Goldsmith, Genter and had labour done better, four with Labour. Maybe the local NZF even. Its odious that Labour’s principle stand against split voting hands the richest electorate multiple reprrsentatives.
Belly laugh of the day – Thanks David.
And thanks Mickey for putting it up.
Heh, it was a little bit amusing, Collins clearly doesn’t know when to shut her mouth. 😉
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of watching Cunliffe’s remarks.
pick up gun.
start yelling as loud as possible.
aim at foot.
FIRE !
And I love Cunliffe’s Utu point of order !
Oh dear, and she looked as though she was having a grand old time to herself too! Wonder is she’s realised yet….
The date should say March not May 🙂
[Right you are, dang … now fixed – MS]
It would be good if all the people who brought Hagars dirty politics got to see the horrible bitch calling them stupid.
I presume she purposely mispronounced his name cos she is so clever?
I figure the whole performance was driven by alcohol, or maybe sour milk.
I think its the whole lizard tongue thing her and key have got going on ,it makes talking human tricky. /humour
What’s with the weird subtext? it seems particularly adverse to KDC’s name.
I tried to get rid of it. It was embedded in the video. It seems to be part of the transmission for the hearing impaired so in a way I should leave it.
If it is, it’s incredibly inaccurate.
Yes and no Weka – watch it again – she slurs her words, and her pronunciation is ruddy awful.
Not sure what your point is adam? The subtitling looks like a good example of why automation isn’t necessarily efficient 😉 (I could plainly understand words that were subtitled very badly).
me too. I think it amounts to an appalling service tot hose who rely upon it
It’s incredibly funny
Maybe it was transcribed manually by someone with a sense of political humour 😉
collins thinks she is so clever, ensconced in her seat of power, slagging off a journalist for reporting inconvenient facts.
as one of the architects of dirty politics her attempt to play the victim is laughable. thank god that cunliffe stopped the incoherent pontificating for a minute.
how is this venal, disreputable, power-mad villain still in Parliament?
Ask the voters in papakura that one
Insufferable, essentially weak-person bullies always paint themselves the victim at some point. Being decent, honest, taking responsibilty is just too beyond their moral pale. Collins always was a vicious……,well you know. Even back in Auckland law days. That she fancies some standing, her repute as a harridan par excellence against Hager’s international status is but risible. Poor thing. Quite deluded. Probably still believes she’s gonna be prime minister one day.
Stop it girl. You got found out !
She’s thick but very, very cunning. But I guess that is a prerequisite to be a National MP. Yes, Cunliffe’s comment was a gem. The media should be shooting her down also…allowing her to get away with this hypocrisy is a reflection on them as well…hopeless.
Does anyone take her seriously any more?
her hairdresseur
Her BFF Cameron does …
who will help her with a mayoral bid???
Sad to witness an MP behaving in such an aggressive and unbecoming manner. Does she not realise how she looks to the general public? No. PM material? Remember Tony Abbot?
David Cunliffe came out with a true gem this time, executed with his usual tongue in cheek gravity and thoughtfulness – imagine being Jude after hearing that and slowly realising she had dropped herself and the Nats right in the proverbial ordure!! That big gob of hers was always going to be her undoing!! Should have taken that job as a go-go dancer for the Elvis impersonator visiting recently!!
Judith Collins is a vile human being and makes our country much poorer for living in it.
She has plenty of associates on that score WB, the vile nastiness is there for all to see in many of team shonkey whenever the MSM bothers to pin them down which is due the next blue moon.
Did anyone see Judith Collins on Campbell Live one night last week, can’t remember which one, but she got up on stage with an Elvis impersonator and did this excruciatingly shimmying sort of a dance, rubbing up against him , grinning like a maniac. She needs to know that she has no rhythm! It was true agony to watch. Even JC was shaking his head. On the upside she didn’t twerk but came close. Scary!
Judith has jumped the shark. Judging from the febrile quality of her “laughter”, I suspect she knows it too. All that ambition, all that spilt milk. Oravida must be looking for some new blood.
Jeez – did you see the look on her face when DC raised the Point of Order – just for a moment – that look would curdle milk!
She’s venal and downright nasty, deliberately mispronouncing Hagers’ name. And I agree with the poster who reckons she was drunk or, at least, well on the way.
It’s a sad indictment of politics here and the national government in particular that this vile witch is still an member of parliament. I only hope more people wake up to the people like her in government, particularly those who voted these fuckers in again!
I wonder what Collins will do for an encore? Maybe saw her own legs off?
Thick but cunning and spiteful – a dangerous mixture which describes more than a few NAct MPs.
So Nicky Hager the internationally recognized journalist and writer is demonized by a politician that lost her position because of malfeasance and is intimately involved with Cameron Slater .
Is this video meant to support Collins or crush her ?
Same Collins who did not like it when I remind people that she advocated the rape of a former client in prison. She hates it so much that she blocked me from Twitter and Facebook. This woman epitomises two faced double standards.