To Infused: If the billions spent on sending troops to the middle east are cut in half it would be easily achievable to get a lot more refugees housed.
Of cause you are paying for the sable rattling that has created this situation in the first place. I am at a loss why the irony of this situation escapes you.
If the billions spent on sending troops to the middle east are cut in half it would be easily achievable to get a lot more refugees housed.
+1 And, of course, there wouldn’t be as many refugees. Especially if the billions saved were spent to rebuild what was destroyed by the intervention of those troops in the first place.
yep very very true – sure climate change, sure drought, but a lot is manmade warmongering by fools wanting billionaires to make even more money from their weapon developments and testing. We created the shit and then complain it tastes funny – western hubris.
@Lanthanide
Peter Dunne said something that cuts across the apparent humane and intelligent tone he adopted about the refugees. He referred to choosing the right people or something like that ie picking out the goodies that have education, which would be the method if they were applying for immigration.
But these are refugees FFS. From war torn countries. I doubt they would have had much time to study accountancy or science while lying at the bottom of walls trying to keep safe from bombardments or stray snipers.
Yeah right b.waghorn – you’ve hit the nail right on the head – our non-esteemed leader only wants people into NZ who’ll vote for him ! He’s finally showing his true colours and a disgusting attitude !
That graphic shows the shame of this state – sadly some of the types who have settled and spawned here are selfish and smarmy. Shocking? no just sobering.
Jokeyhen was born here in 1961 but his father died in 1969. That must have been quite tragic at 8 years old. His father George was an English immigrant and a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and World War II.
So we looked after George’s little boy for him, and I am sure John is cognisant of the trauma that people coming from war-torn countries feel. His father was only 55 years when he died and he didn’t die with the idea that fascism and unrestrained capitalism would reign. Obviously, he wouldn’t have gone to Spain if he was okay with the fascism there.
I think John needs a little humanity in his real policies. The flag is a diversion, time for real statesmanship that all war sufferers here in NZ can relate to. That means helping the affected civilians as refugees. Also I want the Afghani interpreter let in who has been asking, repeatedly. I want us to take responsibility for taking part in such a destructive war because the country doesn’t have the strength to say no to our friendly neighbour OZ plus the USA.
Whoops, sorry I got that wrong in that Key’s father was fighting for social justice in Europe long before little John was born.
Also interesting was that Key’s father was 48 when little john was born. I’m 45 in a time when life expectancy and state health systems are much better than when when Key was born but I would not even consider bringing another child into this world at my age.
Also interesting is that his mother was a Jewish immigrant and I can only assume she and George met during his fight for the socially responsible left during the pre war and/or war years.
More interesting still is that John Key would turn his back on all that sacrifice and turn his energy to fight for profit-makers and speculators at the expense of the very people his parents fought for.
I felt I was assuming a bit about Jokeyhen’s father and his attitudes but he had definitely put himself out for the left. Two people affected by this stressful time of war may very well have felt that having a child at a later age was a positive thing. This was creating for a positive, settled future but then he dies earlier than the norm.
Also later the drive to get out of the poverty from being a poor immigrant, and then a widowed solo parent household just managing, and for the child to do well would have meant rejoicing at his job promotions. It would be hard to reject millions of dollars income and assets, and the standing that it brings in society to Mr Key.
His mother wouldn’t turn around and criticise him saying you aren’t doing the right things John, I’m not happy. And she will still be fairly poor so he would be helping her to have a comfortable older life. I think the background has been influential in the forming of our PM and his viewpoints on life.
NZ could/should take up to 5000….for a start. And fuck any idea of balancing that off against immigration.
As a yardstick…
Alex Salmond, SNP foreign affairs spokesperson, recently called for the UK to take
60 000 refugees from ‘the med’ – Scotland taking its proportional share…about 5000?
Idiot contender for Labour leadership (Cooper) calls for 10 000 across entire UK (up from 1000).
Maybe worth noting that Labour ran on a ‘tougher on immigration’ ticket at the general election. (You could even buy the mug!) Plaid Cymru, the Greens and SNP all pointed out that immigration represented a net financial gain to the UK.
Now sure, immigration’s a different kettle of fish to the basic human decency involved in y’know, really fucking desperate people needing, literally and figuratively, ‘picked up’.
NZ spoke out against nothing and contributed to situations that made for so many refugees in the first place. Moral obligation anyone?
….So the New Zealand Prime Minister is refusing to bring forward a review on New Zealand’s refugee quota of 750 per year. He says New Zealand is “doing a good job”, without acknowledging those 750 places for refugees have not being filled in 3 of the last 6 years…
This prime minister is on record as supporting interventions in the Middle East that have destabilised the region and led to this massive movement of people towards safety in Europe, despite the perilous journeys they must make.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister, with his policy briefing and his very personal connections with people escaping war and persecution knows what these people have been through. He knows why they’re leaving the Middle East. He has said so, and used the plight of the Syrian and Iraqi people to justify sending a contingent of the New Zealand armed forces to Iraq. It’s time for him to “Get some guts” over the refugee crisis and be a decent person. In his speech in parliament to support sending the army training personnel to Iraq, when talking about our independent *cough* foreign policy he said:
New Zealand is a country that stands up for its values. We stand up for what’s right. We have an obligation to support stability and the rule of law internationally. We do not shy away from taking our share of the burden when the international rules-based system is threatened…”
I believe playing a part in resolving the current refugee crisis, that in part is a result of foreign interventions he supported, is part of that obligation. It sickens me to think of what New Zealand’s values are if this in not true.
If you can sell a flag that no-one wants “Double the Quota” shouldn’t be too hard for a politician of his calibre to sell to a possibly poorly-informed and reluctant NZ population. That he doesn’t even try is more than embarrassing, it’s shameful.
It was pointed out by someone on RNZ today (sorry forgotten who) that we are currently presiding over the UN Security Council and yet our government is refusing to take any of the refugees from war-torn countries which we played a role in expediting. I am feeling ashamed to be a NZer.
The elephant in the room is not just the gigantic refugee crisis but the war mess and interference that was first of all perpetrated BY USA and its western allies in Iraq and indirectly in the surrounding countries for the last decade and more, resulting in atrocious misery for the inhabitants there. Result : Al-Qaeda and now ISIS, the bombings and the refugees fleeing..
[They did have some justification for the war in Kuwait and Afghanistan, but not elsewhere]
The best thing to do now is to bring PEACE in the region ‘somehow’, with the help and cooperation of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Yemen, Israel, Lebanon, Kurds and others. Tough ask, I know.
The problem with the refugees now is the sheer huge numbers and that some or many of them may come with militant/religious/hateful baggage into a completely different type of society and culture. I wonder how the future of Europe will turn out.
New Zealand must increase its intake of refugees at least at the same per capita % or half that % as our nearest neighbour, Australia, even if it means reducing our normal immigrant levels to compensate for the extra refugees. Luckily for New Zealand the previous refugees here have been grateful, peaceful and have contributed very well into our society.
It’s widely reported that Sweden has a quota of accepting 1900 refugees a year for 9.5m people (see links below), compared to 750 refugees a year for 4.5m people in NZ.
That’s a remarkably similar rate.
Yet the graph gives Sweden a figure that’s 4923% higher than NZ.
If the graph were true, Sweden would need to be accepting not 1,900 a year, but 140,000 a year. And in just 6 years or doing that, 10% of the entire population would be refugees. Every decade the refugee population would make up an additional 20% of the Swedish population. In less three decades over half of Sweden would be refugees.
Similarly Norway, with a slightly larger population than us, has traditionally taken 1000 refugees a year – again a very similar rate to NZ. Only this year have they doubled it to 2000 – around double our rate – but not the 3000% more, as per the graph.
And Netherlands with a population of 17 million has a quota of 500 refugees a year, but usually takes less most years.
The graph shows Netherlands accepting around 1500% more refugees per capita than us, when it’s actually about 85% fewer.
Don’t let facts get in the way of a good piece of propaganda. Glad I don’t live in Sweden, and we should look after our own 200,000 + (more propaganda) starving children first.
Is it a coincidence that the very same Nordic countries at the top of the graphic are suffering from large parts of their countries being effectively under Islamic rule, to the point where the police stay away, and the fire and ambulance services can’t get across the ‘border’?
Given the Labour Party’s recent highly racist policies (what’s that you hear – a policy from Labour!?) I’m suprised they want more of those foreigners coming here.
We’ve just spent 2 weeks travelling around Norway in July and I can’t say we noticed “large parts” of the Country “effectively under Islamic rule”.
Did, however, notice how well-integrated black / Muslim refugees were. Even in small tourist towns on the largely rural Sogne Fjord, they were high-profile, seemed to get on well with the locals and were very well catered for. In Sogndal, for instance, quite an impressive state-of-the-art drop-in community centre was provided for refugees near the municipal sector of the town centre. All remarkably relaxed and layed back.
No sign whatsoever of trembling police or tearful citizens cowering as bearded Islamic terrorists ran roughshod, beheading anyone in sight. I wonder if Ben’s getting mixed up with the Faroe Islands ?
For us, it was always going to be either Norway, Iceland or the Faroe Islands. Always felt that’s where the really stunning vistas (and sense of beautiful isolation) are. And I do like my scenery to be on a particularly dramatic scale.
Mind you, we did a big 2 week self-drive road trip rather than a cruise – so I can’t really speak for the latter.
We had brilliant weather for almost the whole fortnight – pretty quickly learnt that Norwegian forecasters are some of the least prescient in the world, every time they predicted rain for the following day, we got blue skies and sunshine.
The thing that struck me about Norway is that, no matter where we travelled, the scenery was always stunning and on a grand scale. The guide books almost always focus on the Sogne Fjord and the Hardanger Fjord and cities like Bergen and Alesund. But the scenery when you’re travelling between those places is equally dramatic. If it was any other country, those in-between places would’ve made it into the guide books as major features of extraordinary beauty but Norway’s just so chocka-block with them that they’re ignored.
My older brother lives in the UK and gave me the benefit of his wisdom on Scandinavians after we came back from Norway. As far as he’s concerned (from his dealings with various Nordic people via his job): Norwegians and Swedes are Pompous, pretentious and self-satisfied, the Finns are just barking mad, completely off their head, whereas the Danes are apparently very bright, very nice, very likeable and very normal.
All of which I thought was a little over-the-top. Had to inform him that the Norwegians were very friendly and welcoming as far as we were concerned. The only time I had any negative feelings about them was at 2am in the little town of Odda at the southern end of beautiful Sorfjorden (see http://caravancho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/VisitNorway-Odda.jpg and https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/93/87/9a/93879a1aa3b51d211319090a29a66f33.jpg and http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/5e/a5/52/odda.jpg). Woke up to this friggin explosion of loud noise, went out on to the balcony and way down below the hotel there were about 150 pissed Norwegians all shouting what sounded like “Og Og Og !!!, Og, Og, Og !!!” Mind you, it was a Saturday night in mid-Summer so probably didn’t have too many grounds for grumbling. But I think I may have quietly mumbled something about “fucking Norwegians”.
But, then again, I also felt the need to cut them some slack because Odda is one of the Norwegian Labour Party’s strongholds in an otherwise pretty conservative area (It’s typical of me to go to great lengths to find out the political proclivities of the places we travel to in Europe. Sad, but true).
hmmm sounds like amnesty international is being poorly represented by amnesty international nz .Maybe they should stick to the things they are good at and that nonetheless are very important like looking after the rights of political prisoners and exposing the odious nature of torture and torturers .
Typical you have spent all day trying to deny the extent of problems concerning climate change and now you want to attack further data. Even if you were right Sweden’s contribution would still be many times greater than New Zealands.
At least I didn’t spend the day backtracking from a ludicrous and sensationalist headline that the situation in Syria is the first war due to climate change.
You article was a great example of the point I was making – that those who try to mislead and exaggerate climate change to the extreme, are exactly like those who cherry pick information to try to deny it altogether.
[lprent: He didn’t backtrack. You just lied. So you are an idiot who can’t argue, as usual is usual for your many manifestations here under different names. But you now attack personally authors instead on the basis that you didn’t like what they wrote. Rather stupid on this site. You are quite inadequate at almost every level and rather pointless for this site to have around. I can’t be bothered going through this same stupid cycle with you again. Instead you are banned permanently.
Go away and lie about the reason for being banned as you usually do. I’m sure it will help you keep your wee penis and attached ego proud… ]
? <==== this symbol is called a "question mark". Do you recall this symbol appearing anywhere over the last day or so? <==== oh look! There's another one!
Shall I explain an “exclamation mark” to you as well?
Your first link suggests Sweden has an official refugee quota that it has increased to 1,900. Plus and informal Asylum Seeker population. A link from the page you linked to also shows high numbers of asylum seekers:
The number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Europe has risen sharply since mid-May. The Swedish Migration Agency currently estimates that 12,000 unaccompanied minors will be seeking asylum in Sweden this year. But the total number of asylum seekers will be lower than previously anticipated and the forecast has revised down to 74,000.
(dated August – it will be interesting to see how this prediction turns out)
The context of these differences ar outlined in a “stuff” article
… the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) ranks us 88th in the world per capita at hosting refugees. If we're really interested in doing our bit – not being world leaders, but doing our fair share – we should consider what other like- minded countries are doing.
Whenever raising the quota is mentioned to Minister of Immigration Michael Woodhouse, he says our current quota "places New Zealand sixth equal in the world for accepting refugees referred by the UNHCR."
That is dodgy accounting. Refugees can come into a country as part of the UN quota or as asylum seekers. New Zealand is one of a handful of countries that host more quota refugees than asylum seekers, mostly because the vast surrounding oceans make it dangerous for boat travel.
Almost all other countries receive the bulk of refugees as asylum seekers and they count quota and asylum seekers in official reporting.
I think there’s different groups being looked at here.
One groups is refugees, as per the refugee quotas I listed.
In Sweden, a large number of asylum seekers are actually just economic migrants. But as it’s so easy to apply for asylum (you don’t have to be a refugee to get asylum) people are flooding in from across Africa and the Middle East.
Here we call that immigration, with the difference being our distance allows us the luxury of picking people with skills we need. And 60,000 have come to NZ in the last year.
Unsurprisingly, Sweden is not coping with housing and jobs for their asylum seekers and refugees. While the unemployment rate for Sweden overall is 8%, for those migrants born outside of the EU it’s 28%.
And for refugees it’s even worse – one report said a decade after arriving in Sweden, over 40% of refugees still do not have work.
So to summarise, the graph wrongly states it is talking about refugees. For Sweden 98% are asylum seekers and economic migrants who don’t have refugee status.
Though some may eventually get it, a large number will not. But the majority will be given residency regardless.
Oops – I think you just shifted the goalposts there and went into speculation as if it were fact. You have no way of knowing that the asylum seekers that Sweden takes are ‘just’ economic migrants. They may (let me speculate) be like the vast majority of people (i.e. from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan) Hungary let through to Austria and Germany on Monday.
As it stands, the people Sweden categorises as part of the refugee quota, and Sweden’s other informal asylum seekers are seeking refuge from something, somewhere and are counted as such. As you state – the majority of these asylum seekers are given residency, which suggests their claims to refuge are valid. This pretty much wrecks your claim that the the NZ refugee quota (even if it was met every year – which it isn’t) comes somewhere near Sweden’s refugee intake each year, either wholly or per capita.
If you think that Sweden or the UN High Commission for Refugees has their data wrong maybe you should take it up with them.
that chart at the top of this post is shameful. And disgusting. As Andrew Little said on the TV news – its not the Kiwi Way. We’re better than our miserable so-called PM is indicating we are. Let’s bring more refugees in.
sometimes people do shame their representatives into action.
In saying that I believe that Dear Leader has no shame to interfere with his comforts. And it is most important that Dear Leader is comfortable. So there.
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The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
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Peter Dunne has talked about increasing the quota by 250 to 1000.
IMO it should go up to 2,000, at a bare minimum.
Maybe 2,000 by next year with a built-in ramping up of something like +400 a year for 5 years after that?
Cool. You can pay for it all.
Well actually Infused I would not mind contributing.
Sure, when John Key personally pays for his flag referendum.
To Infused: If the billions spent on sending troops to the middle east are cut in half it would be easily achievable to get a lot more refugees housed.
Of cause you are paying for the sable rattling that has created this situation in the first place. I am at a loss why the irony of this situation escapes you.
If the billions spent on sending troops to the middle east are cut in half it would be easily achievable to get a lot more refugees housed.
+1 And, of course, there wouldn’t be as many refugees. Especially if the billions saved were spent to rebuild what was destroyed by the intervention of those troops in the first place.
yep very very true – sure climate change, sure drought, but a lot is manmade warmongering by fools wanting billionaires to make even more money from their weapon developments and testing. We created the shit and then complain it tastes funny – western hubris.
The flag referendum and the saudi sheep farm cost should pretty well cover it.
You’re going to struggle to come back as a human being, mate.
lol nice line that
youre assuming humanity at this point
@Lanthanide
Peter Dunne said something that cuts across the apparent humane and intelligent tone he adopted about the refugees. He referred to choosing the right people or something like that ie picking out the goodies that have education, which would be the method if they were applying for immigration.
But these are refugees FFS. From war torn countries. I doubt they would have had much time to study accountancy or science while lying at the bottom of walls trying to keep safe from bombardments or stray snipers.
Only if they all get to live in the south island.
Preferably Dunedin.
their skillsets and experience would partially make up for all the damage national has done to the place.
Keep your banker scum. Give us people who will travel to the other side of the planet for a better life.
of cause we can! cut back immigrant no. to cater for the refugees. simple
But refugees won’t prop the ailing rock star up like cashed up immigrants ,got to get that surplus one decade you know.
Yeah right b.waghorn – you’ve hit the nail right on the head – our non-esteemed leader only wants people into NZ who’ll vote for him ! He’s finally showing his true colours and a disgusting attitude !
That graphic shows the shame of this state – sadly some of the types who have settled and spawned here are selfish and smarmy. Shocking? no just sobering.
and dosnt include Syrias neighbours who would top the list comfortably…Lebanon springs to mind
Jokeyhen was born here in 1961 but his father died in 1969. That must have been quite tragic at 8 years old. His father George was an English immigrant and a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and World War II.
So we looked after George’s little boy for him, and I am sure John is cognisant of the trauma that people coming from war-torn countries feel. His father was only 55 years when he died and he didn’t die with the idea that fascism and unrestrained capitalism would reign. Obviously, he wouldn’t have gone to Spain if he was okay with the fascism there.
I think John needs a little humanity in his real policies. The flag is a diversion, time for real statesmanship that all war sufferers here in NZ can relate to. That means helping the affected civilians as refugees. Also I want the Afghani interpreter let in who has been asking, repeatedly. I want us to take responsibility for taking part in such a destructive war because the country doesn’t have the strength to say no to our friendly neighbour OZ plus the USA.
Interesting that Key’s father was a veteran of the Spanish civil war. Amazing that he’s turned on all his father’s ideals.
Perhaps a punishment for going to war for the betterment of society and leaving his son alone???
John rebelled, big time, didn’t he?
Whoops, sorry I got that wrong in that Key’s father was fighting for social justice in Europe long before little John was born.
Also interesting was that Key’s father was 48 when little john was born. I’m 45 in a time when life expectancy and state health systems are much better than when when Key was born but I would not even consider bringing another child into this world at my age.
Also interesting is that his mother was a Jewish immigrant and I can only assume she and George met during his fight for the socially responsible left during the pre war and/or war years.
More interesting still is that John Key would turn his back on all that sacrifice and turn his energy to fight for profit-makers and speculators at the expense of the very people his parents fought for.
Hi Muttonbird. (Are you ex Weepus Beard?)
I felt I was assuming a bit about Jokeyhen’s father and his attitudes but he had definitely put himself out for the left. Two people affected by this stressful time of war may very well have felt that having a child at a later age was a positive thing. This was creating for a positive, settled future but then he dies earlier than the norm.
Also later the drive to get out of the poverty from being a poor immigrant, and then a widowed solo parent household just managing, and for the child to do well would have meant rejoicing at his job promotions. It would be hard to reject millions of dollars income and assets, and the standing that it brings in society to Mr Key.
His mother wouldn’t turn around and criticise him saying you aren’t doing the right things John, I’m not happy. And she will still be fairly poor so he would be helping her to have a comfortable older life. I think the background has been influential in the forming of our PM and his viewpoints on life.
NZ could/should take up to 5000….for a start. And fuck any idea of balancing that off against immigration.
As a yardstick…
Alex Salmond, SNP foreign affairs spokesperson, recently called for the UK to take
60 000 refugees from ‘the med’ – Scotland taking its proportional share…about 5000?
Idiot contender for Labour leadership (Cooper) calls for 10 000 across entire UK (up from 1000).
Maybe worth noting that Labour ran on a ‘tougher on immigration’ ticket at the general election. (You could even buy the mug!) Plaid Cymru, the Greens and SNP all pointed out that immigration represented a net financial gain to the UK.
Now sure, immigration’s a different kettle of fish to the basic human decency involved in y’know, really fucking desperate people needing, literally and figuratively, ‘picked up’.
NZ spoke out against nothing and contributed to situations that made for so many refugees in the first place. Moral obligation anyone?
“NZ spoke out against nothing and contributed to situations that made for so many refugees in the first place. Moral obligation anyone? “
Yep
I wrote similar yesterday:
….So the New Zealand Prime Minister is refusing to bring forward a review on New Zealand’s refugee quota of 750 per year. He says New Zealand is “doing a good job”, without acknowledging those 750 places for refugees have not being filled in 3 of the last 6 years…
This prime minister is on record as supporting interventions in the Middle East that have destabilised the region and led to this massive movement of people towards safety in Europe, despite the perilous journeys they must make.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister, with his policy briefing and his very personal connections with people escaping war and persecution knows what these people have been through. He knows why they’re leaving the Middle East. He has said so, and used the plight of the Syrian and Iraqi people to justify sending a contingent of the New Zealand armed forces to Iraq. It’s time for him to “Get some guts” over the refugee crisis and be a decent person. In his speech in parliament to support sending the army training personnel to Iraq, when talking about our independent *cough* foreign policy he said:
I believe playing a part in resolving the current refugee crisis, that in part is a result of foreign interventions he supported, is part of that obligation. It sickens me to think of what New Zealand’s values are if this in not true.
If you can sell a flag that no-one wants “Double the Quota” shouldn’t be too hard for a politician of his calibre to sell to a possibly poorly-informed and reluctant NZ population. That he doesn’t even try is more than embarrassing, it’s shameful.
It was pointed out by someone on RNZ today (sorry forgotten who) that we are currently presiding over the UN Security Council and yet our government is refusing to take any of the refugees from war-torn countries which we played a role in expediting. I am feeling ashamed to be a NZer.
The elephant in the room is not just the gigantic refugee crisis but the war mess and interference that was first of all perpetrated BY USA and its western allies in Iraq and indirectly in the surrounding countries for the last decade and more, resulting in atrocious misery for the inhabitants there. Result : Al-Qaeda and now ISIS, the bombings and the refugees fleeing..
[They did have some justification for the war in Kuwait and Afghanistan, but not elsewhere]
The best thing to do now is to bring PEACE in the region ‘somehow’, with the help and cooperation of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Yemen, Israel, Lebanon, Kurds and others. Tough ask, I know.
The problem with the refugees now is the sheer huge numbers and that some or many of them may come with militant/religious/hateful baggage into a completely different type of society and culture. I wonder how the future of Europe will turn out.
New Zealand must increase its intake of refugees at least at the same per capita % or half that % as our nearest neighbour, Australia, even if it means reducing our normal immigrant levels to compensate for the extra refugees. Luckily for New Zealand the previous refugees here have been grateful, peaceful and have contributed very well into our society.
The graph is highly dubious.
It’s widely reported that Sweden has a quota of accepting 1900 refugees a year for 9.5m people (see links below), compared to 750 refugees a year for 4.5m people in NZ.
That’s a remarkably similar rate.
Yet the graph gives Sweden a figure that’s 4923% higher than NZ.
If the graph were true, Sweden would need to be accepting not 1,900 a year, but 140,000 a year. And in just 6 years or doing that, 10% of the entire population would be refugees. Every decade the refugee population would make up an additional 20% of the Swedish population. In less three decades over half of Sweden would be refugees.
Similarly Norway, with a slightly larger population than us, has traditionally taken 1000 refugees a year – again a very similar rate to NZ. Only this year have they doubled it to 2000 – around double our rate – but not the 3000% more, as per the graph.
And Netherlands with a population of 17 million has a quota of 500 refugees a year, but usually takes less most years.
The graph shows Netherlands accepting around 1500% more refugees per capita than us, when it’s actually about 85% fewer.
For Swedens refugess quotas see
http://www.migrationsverket.se/English/About-the-Migration-Agency/News-archive/News-archive-2015/2015-03-05-Syria-prioritised-in-the-Swedish-refugee-quota.html
or
http://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Protection-and-asylum-in-Sweden/The-refugee-quota.html
Finish refugee quota –
http://www.unhcr-northerneurope.org/news-detail/norway-doubles-its-resettlement-quota-for-refugees-in-urgent-need-of-protection
Netherlands refugee quota
http://www.resettlement.eu/country/netherlands
Don’t let facts get in the way of a good piece of propaganda. Glad I don’t live in Sweden, and we should look after our own 200,000 + (more propaganda) starving children first.
Is it a coincidence that the very same Nordic countries at the top of the graphic are suffering from large parts of their countries being effectively under Islamic rule, to the point where the police stay away, and the fire and ambulance services can’t get across the ‘border’?
Given the Labour Party’s recent highly racist policies (what’s that you hear – a policy from Labour!?) I’m suprised they want more of those foreigners coming here.
Don’t let your world view get in the way of reality. Try the UNHCR site and then complain. And if the data is wrong point out why.
And the Nordic countries are not suffering. They are still stunning places to live in.
We’ve just spent 2 weeks travelling around Norway in July and I can’t say we noticed “large parts” of the Country “effectively under Islamic rule”.
Did, however, notice how well-integrated black / Muslim refugees were. Even in small tourist towns on the largely rural Sogne Fjord, they were high-profile, seemed to get on well with the locals and were very well catered for. In Sogndal, for instance, quite an impressive state-of-the-art drop-in community centre was provided for refugees near the municipal sector of the town centre. All remarkably relaxed and layed back.
No sign whatsoever of trembling police or tearful citizens cowering as bearded Islamic terrorists ran roughshod, beheading anyone in sight. I wonder if Ben’s getting mixed up with the Faroe Islands ?
Would you recommend a Scandinavian tour?
Abso-bloody-lutely !
For us, it was always going to be either Norway, Iceland or the Faroe Islands. Always felt that’s where the really stunning vistas (and sense of beautiful isolation) are. And I do like my scenery to be on a particularly dramatic scale.
Mind you, we did a big 2 week self-drive road trip rather than a cruise – so I can’t really speak for the latter.
We had brilliant weather for almost the whole fortnight – pretty quickly learnt that Norwegian forecasters are some of the least prescient in the world, every time they predicted rain for the following day, we got blue skies and sunshine.
The thing that struck me about Norway is that, no matter where we travelled, the scenery was always stunning and on a grand scale. The guide books almost always focus on the Sogne Fjord and the Hardanger Fjord and cities like Bergen and Alesund. But the scenery when you’re travelling between those places is equally dramatic. If it was any other country, those in-between places would’ve made it into the guide books as major features of extraordinary beauty but Norway’s just so chocka-block with them that they’re ignored.
My older brother lives in the UK and gave me the benefit of his wisdom on Scandinavians after we came back from Norway. As far as he’s concerned (from his dealings with various Nordic people via his job): Norwegians and Swedes are Pompous, pretentious and self-satisfied, the Finns are just barking mad, completely off their head, whereas the Danes are apparently very bright, very nice, very likeable and very normal.
All of which I thought was a little over-the-top. Had to inform him that the Norwegians were very friendly and welcoming as far as we were concerned. The only time I had any negative feelings about them was at 2am in the little town of Odda at the southern end of beautiful Sorfjorden (see http://caravancho.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/VisitNorway-Odda.jpg and https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/93/87/9a/93879a1aa3b51d211319090a29a66f33.jpg and http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/5e/a5/52/odda.jpg). Woke up to this friggin explosion of loud noise, went out on to the balcony and way down below the hotel there were about 150 pissed Norwegians all shouting what sounded like “Og Og Og !!!, Og, Og, Og !!!” Mind you, it was a Saturday night in mid-Summer so probably didn’t have too many grounds for grumbling. But I think I may have quietly mumbled something about “fucking Norwegians”.
But, then again, I also felt the need to cut them some slack because Odda is one of the Norwegian Labour Party’s strongholds in an otherwise pretty conservative area (It’s typical of me to go to great lengths to find out the political proclivities of the places we travel to in Europe. Sad, but true).
hmmm sounds like amnesty international is being poorly represented by amnesty international nz .Maybe they should stick to the things they are good at and that nonetheless are very important like looking after the rights of political prisoners and exposing the odious nature of torture and torturers .
Sounds like you need to learn how to improve your comprehension.
See where it says “Source UNHCR”? If you do a bit of googling you will find this link http://unhcr-refugees-2015.silk.co/page/Sweden with the data.
Typical you have spent all day trying to deny the extent of problems concerning climate change and now you want to attack further data. Even if you were right Sweden’s contribution would still be many times greater than New Zealands.
At least I didn’t spend the day backtracking from a ludicrous and sensationalist headline that the situation in Syria is the first war due to climate change.
You article was a great example of the point I was making – that those who try to mislead and exaggerate climate change to the extreme, are exactly like those who cherry pick information to try to deny it altogether.
[lprent: He didn’t backtrack. You just lied. So you are an idiot who can’t argue, as usual is usual for your many manifestations here under different names. But you now attack personally authors instead on the basis that you didn’t like what they wrote. Rather stupid on this site. You are quite inadequate at almost every level and rather pointless for this site to have around. I can’t be bothered going through this same stupid cycle with you again. Instead you are banned permanently.
Go away and lie about the reason for being banned as you usually do. I’m sure it will help you keep your wee penis and attached ego proud… ]
? <==== this symbol is called a "question mark". Do you recall this symbol appearing anywhere over the last day or so? <==== oh look! There's another one!
Shall I explain an “exclamation mark” to you as well?
you assert the point, fail to back it up, and then get all shirty when people call you out on it.
there is no middle way on climate change.
Your first link suggests Sweden has an official refugee quota that it has increased to 1,900. Plus and informal Asylum Seeker population. A link from the page you linked to also shows high numbers of asylum seekers:
(dated August – it will be interesting to see how this prediction turns out)
The context of these differences ar outlined in a “stuff” article
I think there’s different groups being looked at here.
One groups is refugees, as per the refugee quotas I listed.
In Sweden, a large number of asylum seekers are actually just economic migrants. But as it’s so easy to apply for asylum (you don’t have to be a refugee to get asylum) people are flooding in from across Africa and the Middle East.
Here we call that immigration, with the difference being our distance allows us the luxury of picking people with skills we need. And 60,000 have come to NZ in the last year.
Unsurprisingly, Sweden is not coping with housing and jobs for their asylum seekers and refugees. While the unemployment rate for Sweden overall is 8%, for those migrants born outside of the EU it’s 28%.
And for refugees it’s even worse – one report said a decade after arriving in Sweden, over 40% of refugees still do not have work.
So to summarise, the graph wrongly states it is talking about refugees. For Sweden 98% are asylum seekers and economic migrants who don’t have refugee status.
Though some may eventually get it, a large number will not. But the majority will be given residency regardless.
Oops – I think you just shifted the goalposts there and went into speculation as if it were fact. You have no way of knowing that the asylum seekers that Sweden takes are ‘just’ economic migrants. They may (let me speculate) be like the vast majority of people (i.e. from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan) Hungary let through to Austria and Germany on Monday.
As it stands, the people Sweden categorises as part of the refugee quota, and Sweden’s other informal asylum seekers are seeking refuge from something, somewhere and are counted as such. As you state – the majority of these asylum seekers are given residency, which suggests their claims to refuge are valid. This pretty much wrecks your claim that the the NZ refugee quota (even if it was met every year – which it isn’t) comes somewhere near Sweden’s refugee intake each year, either wholly or per capita.
If you think that Sweden or the UN High Commission for Refugees has their data wrong maybe you should take it up with them.
that chart at the top of this post is shameful. And disgusting. As Andrew Little said on the TV news – its not the Kiwi Way. We’re better than our miserable so-called PM is indicating we are. Let’s bring more refugees in.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-police-forced-to-ask-public-to-stop-bringing-donations-for-refugees-arriving-by-train-10481522.html
sometimes people do shame their representatives into action.
In saying that I believe that Dear Leader has no shame to interfere with his comforts. And it is most important that Dear Leader is comfortable. So there.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CN3ql40U8AAKsAm.png