A family complained to Education Minister Hekia Parata over a year ago about a seclusion room being used to discipline their son.
They’ve released the letter, which advised the Minister of “grave concerns” regarding the treatment of their son at Ruru Specialist School in Invercargill.
Those concerns included alleged “psychological abuse” and “unexplained bruising”.
Sorry about the swearing, I get so angry. kids you know, that’s horrible treatment locking people up like that let alone a kid..it’s past disgusting, it reviles me.
I asked some questions and a reporter kindly replied to me at the Herald, strangely, usually I just get ignored or told to F off pretty much :/
Anyways basically I read something here and asked why the herald wasn’t doing much to keep the government honest when journalism was desimated of quality staff/staff and the dpms had doubled with no budget restrictions.., in that it surely is in their best interests.
So if he’s right you guys stop painting BS pictures too, we DO NOT stoop to their level period.
1. DPMC is not John Key’s personal department. It is the department which acts as the administrative centre for government. It is not a political office.
2. It does have budget restrictions. Those restrictions are in the Budget.
3. Our tax money does go to the PM’s publicity, to a degree, but not through DPMC. There are slush funds for that.
4. Decimated might be accurate but it depends when you take your starting point from.
5. DPMC had 130 staff in 2007 and currently has about 250, having incorporated CERA over the last year. It is projected to level out at 200 staff over the next year. Given the relatively weakened state it had operated in and the extra duties it now carries, that does seem outlandishly staffed.
6. I would think the Herald is concerned with the ethical and other actions of every government. That’s why we staff a Press Gallery and have other reporters – myself included – outside the gallery who also write on political issues.
It is the journalists’ job to hold power to account – to shine light in dark places.
But you can only do so if you have the courage of your convictions – if you have done your journalism properly – and if you are properly able to weigh up the consequences of your actions.
The problem is that the privately owned press actually want to hide that power rather than hold it to account because their owners happen to be that power.
Supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet
The department supports the Prime Minister’s twin roles as leader of the government and chair of Cabinet, and provides three kinds of direct support to the Prime Minister:
Support for constitutional issues, including those associated with the formation of governments; and issues associated with the operation of the Cabinet system.
Overview of government activity and access to information on any and all issues that arise.
Administrative support to the Prime Minister (and also to the Governor-General). This includes services to the Prime Minister – such as preparing replies to Parliamentary questions, and dealing with Official Information Act 1982 requests and other correspondence.
So yes it does work for the PM.
Yes it does control information.
Yes it has expanded (almost doubled in funding and staff) – and not just because of CERA.
And it was from within this Department that the Official information with regards to the “israeli terrorists” (you remember that just before the 2014 election) suddenly reached a certain blogger of ill repute and gave the impression that the now mayor of Auckland was a liar with direct consequences for the election result. (something similar is now occurring over the big pond with the FBI.)
Thanks, I added that to my reply to David Fisher, i’ll be interested in his response specially after he wrote about the Terrorist threat .. evidence shown, but none..
pointing out subtly that there seems to be a pattern of this whenever Nationals in hot water..i’d be interested in his response but I suspect it’ll be how to palm someone off much like a ministerial reply.
Thanks for taking this up R R – It is a concern for me that the number of journalists in this country is steadily decreasing and with that the quality of information available to the general public. Too often journalist now rely on handouts from the PR people rather than to dig deeper and to garner the full facts.
Take the issue of NZ’s GHG emissions – Brian Fallow at the Herald has done some good work on this over the past few years, as has the Morgan Foundation, and a few others, but the concerns raised are just left to dangle in the air. It’s just all to difficult – much better to concentrate on the latest murder trial , or the price of houses. So the government continues to get away with doing nothing much, and the people of NZ are left to sleep on.
It was the former mayor of Palmy that a little while ago Mr Key confidently predicted was going to take Palmerston North off Labour so I doubt that envy is what Labour’s feeling right now.
“When John Key in 2008 established the “Ministry of Truth” aka Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet* (which now receives more funding than National Radio and has doubled its number of “spin doctors”, whilst over the same period, the number of full time journalists in the country has halved) reality went out the window and the majority of NZers now live on Planet Key.
For there to be an ethical judgement, the truth of the matter must be clear and understood, that situation is now beyond the reach of most ordinary citizens in this country who obtain their perception of reality from a daily dose of NZ’s TV “news”, provided mainly from the MoT. It is not surprising that ethics is now consigned to the dustbin of history.
*I know that the DoPMC has “always” been there – it is just that since 2008 – John Key has taken its role to new “heights” (or more correctly depths.) as evidenced by the fact that of all public departments it has never been subject to budgetary restrain or capping of personnel, and its funding has now increased to absurd levels.
Note that it was also involved in the 2014 electoral scam.”
So I wrote to the Herald asking them WTF? Especially the lack of budget constraints etc.
Macro..sort it out dude, it appears your skewed a little off centre pal.
A news item on Prime News 5.30 was about tourist going to Baldwin Street in Dunedin and complaining that there were no toilet facilities. Funny that Baldwin Street is a RESIDENTIAL area.
The tour operators are telling the tourist according to Prime to use people’s front gardens and public gardens as toilets. If I lived there I would invest in a high-pressure fireman’s hose and if I saw any prat using my front garden as a shithouse they would get it full bore. I wonder if the are tours round where the fucking spiv lives and if there are toilet facilities in his street and if not are the tourist told to use the fucking spivs front garden as a shithouse. Mind you if they did it would not make much difference it will just increase the depth of shit that is already there.
This country I love is fast becoming the shithouse for all and sundry created by the policies of this shit government we have.
Tourism is set up to shit in people’s front and backyards. It’s been happening in the roadside wilderness for a long time, including beside lakes and rivers. When transnational corporations are allowed to run van rental companies for tourists and they encourage those tourists to ‘free camp’, then of course those tens of thousands of people are going to shit somewhere we don’t want. This is what we signed up for when we sanctioned industrial tourism as a way for us to make a living.
“This is what we signed up for when we sanctioned industrial tourism as a way for us to make a living.”
You may have signed up for that mate but I haven’t signed up for anyone shitting in people’s gardens. or on the side of the road or in the layby we stopped a few weeks ago and saw it and by the lakes or bush etc etc etc. I am also aware that it has been going on for awhile so you are not telling me something new,
I get the impression that you are in favour of the fucking spiv’s government allowing this. What kind of sewer do you want to turn this country into
With regards to the freedom campers, the government should have BANNED any camper van that did not have contained onboard toilet facilities. But they are not going to do that are they mate, too many fucking potential dollars involved. and we must not stop the flow of dollars. irrespective the harm it is doing to NZ and the people.
This country is fast becoming the sewer of the South Pacific with the over intensive dairying polluting all the streams and rivers and now affecting area’s like the Hauraki Gulf, tourist allowed to shit everywhere and in people’s gardens just, Quote you ” to make a living.”
“Tourism is set up to shit in people’s front and backyards.”
Let me make this absolutely clear mate MY backyard is not set up for anybody to shit in and if they do they will have a high pressure hose set on them.
Mate..it’s fucking horrible but I cannot stop cracking up at the thought of tourists squatting behind the bushes of someone’s front lawn.
and if some bus driver told me to do that i’d question why the fucking toilet in his bus wasn’t working????
I spent 2 days about ish on a bus London to Germany.. all for LUV..had a toilet, though if anyone’s ever tried to crap or piss on a moving bus.., they will know what I mean, good luck to them.
Hey Richard that’s hilarious, had a larf at your use of English. Not the best of terminology “cracking up having a shit”. Possibly the bus didn’t have a shithouse on board except the one in the front telling them to use people’s gardens.
“I get the impression that you are in favour of the fucking spiv’s government allowing this.”
I have not idea what you mean by ‘spiv’, but don’t be a fuckwit. I’m arguing that industrial tourism is hugely damaging to NZ, and that shitting in people’s backyards wherever that may be is a natural consequence of us valuing tourism in the economy. Yes, National are doing this shit on steroids, but Labour are pro-industrial tourism too.
Precisely. Halfcrown – you need to understand more than half of what someone means before you leap in like that. If you look more carefully, you might perceive that Weka was on your side.
Bit late but first chance to reply
Yeah you are so right Vino, that was definitely a shot from the hip on my part, but I was infuriated to think New Zealanders have to and are putting up with this filth for the almighty dollar. Also, I have a soft spot for Dunedin though I would not like to see that done anywhere.
I broke a golden rule a lawyer friend told many many years ago, which is worth repeating here “If you ever get a communication that really angers you put it under your blotter for 48 hrs then re-read it before responding” OK we don’t have blotters in this modern age, and can’t wait 48 hrs but this snippet of wisdom is more valid today with the infernal net.
One of the houses had a landlord present when a tourist took a dump in the yard – landlord bagged it up like dogshit and handed it right back to him.
The biggest hazard is trying to slalom down the hill when tourists don’t get off the fucking road.
On the occasions I go on holiday, living on Baldwin St certainly gave me a lot more consieration for the locals and not being a dickhead.
All because Dunedin has a longstanding tradition of having the dumbest city planners in the world. Seriously, who just draws a straight line across a contour like that? The forebears of those who put a $200million rugby stadium on reclaimed land right next to the harbour, that’s who.
Sometimes I feel like all we are doing is going backwards. I can’t believe that NZ is still like this. Good on the manager for being straight up about how appalling this is. Goff not so much.
The Tuesday evening ceremony was a proud moment for Efeso Collins, who was the first in his family with a university education and was sworn in as one of two representatives in the Manukau Ward in south Auckland.
He was one of those who read his oath in Māori.
But the joy wasn’t fully shared by his wife, daughter and elders, who were refused their allocated seating in the councillor’s family area at the Auckland Town Hall.
“My family was told that they couldn’t sit where they were because that was reserved for council guests, and that’s when my wife said ‘We are council guests’, but no one believed them,” he said.
In the formal atmosphere of a gala-style ceremony, Mr Collins had no doubt as to what happened to his Samoan relatives.
I trust that the ushers are now coming to grips with their staggering racist prejudices. If so, maybe it will help a few more people to do the same. I believe the public deserves informative follow-up reporting. But I guess another All Black will do something saucy.
When you stand back a bit Goff looks like Shane Jones mkII. A government proxy.
I just can’t see Goff achieving anything except for the occupying of the seat. His response to Efeso Collins’ family’s hassle on the day they should have been most proud was weak when it could have been much stronger.
Goff blamed the contractor. Not the management and not the Council, he blamed the the worker, a default position for the current John Key government.
There was a dump of bad news yesterday and today; report on sheep-gate, Novopay still fubar, GCSB overstepping but doesn’t apologise for ‘by catch’, etc.
Of no great surprise then was the interference line run from the ninth floor, a non-story with no specific time relevance; ‘we’ve got terrorists in our midst!’
And not working as well as it used to. Been all about Hekia today anyway. The likelihood of her getting shuffled out of Education in the New Year surely has gone up markedly.
Seriously I think your wrong. I always write to the minister, PM whoever and make my points clear. a lot of the time my abuse of them remains unanswered, and I just don’t know why 🙂
However I do it every time. I won’t be the only one.., that’s all that matters statistically I won’t be alone and as the government becomes more and more inept more will write complaining to. So I doubt very much ignorance is king I suspect they count exactly how many negatives they receive..
Everyone should write BTW.. at least do something as well as moan here.
Of course MB your spot on and if you had seen all the reporters huddled around Findlayson, he could barely contain his grin as they took him for his word, hook line and sinker.. I bet he wandered off chucking his sick little fart out.
Of no great surprise then was the interference line run from the ninth floor, a non-story with no specific time relevance; ‘we’ve got terrorists in our midst!’
McCully repeatedly says that a legal opinion was sought and given. We assumed that the legal opinion was a “go-ahead Murray.” He implies that it was. We know that the legal opinion will not be released.
But what if the legal opinion was, “Murray do not go ahead with your plan. It is a wrong move Murray. Don’t go there!”
You see? A legal opinion was sought and given. Tick.
The legal opinion will never be seen by the public. Tick.
McCully did all the right things. Tick.
Lets all cheer for our Murray!
BTW before it happens I just want to warn the readers here, when key finally does reshuffle and hopefully clears some old oaks from his forest.. there’s a fella called Bridges coming along..
500 000 Kiwis don’t see a doctor because of the cost. These are the families of people who are unable to work and the families of people who are stuck in part time work and low wages. These are the families of people who have been displaced from both state housing and private rental housing.
This underclass is blossoming under the current government.
Question: Is this a strategy by the current government to deliberately unsettle teachers and distract them from the job the love thereby lowering their performance?
We’ve seen the current government degrade once high achieving public services as a pretence to restructuring and the selling of assets.
Conehead (that’s right, Mr dildo) is supposedly one of the three best ministers in the current government and he can’t even control the Australian based and owned payroll system he is in charge of.
Despite delays, logjams and overcrowding in our emergency departments, funding constraints are limiting the numbers of nurses and doctors being trained. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, February 18 are:A NZ Herald investigation ...
Olivia and Noah and Hana are going to the library!It is fun to go to the library. It has books and songs and mat time and people who smile at you and say, Hello Olivia, what have you been doing this morning?The library is more fun than the mall. At ...
New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Rickerby, Lecturer, School of Product Design, University of Canterbury The Poly-1. MOTAT , CC BY-NC Some 45 years ago, a team of staff and students at Wellington Polytechnic designed and built a desktop computer with an operating system customised for ...
The Forum has raised concerns regarding the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill and the Regulatory Standards Bill, which, if enacted, will radically undermine existing human rights protections, Indigenous rights, and constitutional safeguards ...
The passage of time hasn’t been kind to Ngāi Tahu.When its High Court hearing over wai māori (freshwater) commenced last week, 52 months after the claim was filed, the tribe mourned the loss of two named first plaintiffs – Bishop Richard Wallace, of Makaawhio, and Theo Bunker, of Wairewa – ...
Margie Apa, Nicholas Jones, Diana Sarfati, the board of Health New Zealand … and will Lester Levy be next?The biggest names in our health service are tumbling like dominos.It’s been called a bloodbath and a crisis.What’s going on?Every day there’s a new story about shortages, patients having to wait for ...
Opinion: The coalition Government’s recent revisions to the business investor visa, officially the Active Investor Plus but commonly known as the ‘golden visa’, has put pay-for-residency back in the headlines. While many object to the commodification of citizenship implicit in this policy, questions should be asked about its potential as ...
One Christmas, to thank him for helping me hugely with my writing (on a mentor scheme), I sent Michael King a dark blue cashmere scarf. I chose it with the awful knowledge that he was battling cancer, and I somehow thought it might keep him warm and make him feel ...
Comment: Readers may recall the commentaries from academics that appeared on these pages as well as on many media outlets, alarmed and appalled by the disbanding of the Marsden panels for humanities and the social sciences.The Marsden Fund is a “blue skies” initiative established by Simon Upton in the 1990s. ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard seven hours of submissions. Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.An “insult to every one of our tīpuna” was the first advice the Justice Committee heard on the Treaty principles bill ...
The same councillors who decry excessive spending on pet projects just voted to pump millions of dollars into a greenhouse for flowers. On Thursday last week, Wellington City Council voted to consult on repairing Begonia House, the greenhouse for exotic flowers in Wellington Botanic Garden. The options for repairs range ...
It’s important to respect people’s right to free speech and peaceful assembly, but how much political deference is due when it isn’t peaceful? Commenting on Destiny Church members storming a children’s event at the Te Atatū library and community centre on Saturday, prime minister Christopher Luxon said it’s important to ...
Comment: US is capitulating to Moscow’s demands before negotiations over Ukraine even begin The post The day the West died appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 18 February appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Two Palestinian resistance groups have condemned “the brutal assault” on prisoners at Ofer Prison, saying it was “barbaric criminal behaviour that reflects the fascist and terrorist nature of” Israel. In the joint statement, Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) called the attack a “miserable attempt” by Israel ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist in Avarua, Rarotonga Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown hopes to have “an opportunity to talk” with the New Zealand government to “heal some of the rift”. Brown returned to Avarua on Sunday afternoon (Cook Islands Time) following his week-long state visit to China, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sonia R. Grover, Clinical Professor of Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne Polina Zimmerman/Pexels Menstruation, or a period, is the bleeding that occurs about monthly in healthy people born with a uterus, from puberty to menopause. This happens when the endometrium, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ella Barclay, Senior Lecturer, School of Art and Design, Australian National University Despite the perceived outrage at Khaled Sabsabi’s depiction of Hassan Nasrallah in his 2007 work You, Australian art has long made subjects of outlaws and questionable figures. And it is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Pryke, Honorary Research Associate, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney Lisa Tomasetti/Opera Australia “It’s an old song”, Hermes (Christine Anu) sings at the opening of Hadestown, but “we’re gonna sing it again and again”. Based on a ...
An additional $13 million will be invested in tourism infrastructure, including upgrading huts and resolving the backlog in Milford Sound concessions. ...
The reality is that we have no obligation to tolerate the intolerant. They are using violence to shut down and silence others. The result of tolerating intolerant views is the loss of everyone’s freedom of speech except for the one who most effectively ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Davis, Associate Professor in Conservation, Edith Cowan University Adwo/Shutterstock Humans have been poisoning rodents for centuries. But fast-breeding rats and mice have evolved resistance to earlier poisons. In response, manufacturers have produced second generation anticoagulant rodenticides such as bromadiolone, widely ...
Alex Casey unearths Simon Court’s full sales pitch for how menstrual cups could end poverty. On Friday last week, Act MP Simon Court was accused of “mansplaining” during a parliamentary committee hearing about benefit sanctions. After submitter Rachel Dibble shared her concerns about period poverty and the impact that sanctions ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato It’s an unfortunate fact that bad people sometimes want guns. And while laws are designed to prevent guns falling into the wrong hands, the determined criminal can be highly resourceful. There are three main ...
Asia Pacific Report Two independent Jewish Voices groups in Aotearoa New Zealand have written an open letter to the government condemning the Zionist “colonisation” project leading to genocide and criticising the role of the NZ Jewish Council for its “unelected” and “uncritical support” for Israel. The groups, Alternative Jewish Voices ...
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 A national Newspoll, conducted February 10–14 from a sample of 1,244, gave the Coalition a 51–49 lead, unchanged from the previous Newspoll, ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you enjoy whip-smart satire: The White Lotus (Neon, February 17) HBO’s award-winning The White Lotus is back for what critics are calling “an absolutely exquisite third ...
NZPF called for a slowdown of the curriculum change, asking for one subject at a time, so that teachers and principals could be fully trained and feel confident and competent to implement the changes, New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) President ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Indonesia’s TVOne launched an AI news presenter in 2023.T.J. Thomson Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken off at lightning speed in the past couple of years, creating disruption in ...
Many of the young vapers interviewed by a team of public health researchers said they felt unable to resist the pro-vaping environment that surrounded them. New Zealand’s smokefree law was hailed around the world for creating a smokefree generation that would have lifelong protection from smoking’s harms. The smokefree ...
FOR FUCKS SAKE
A family complained to Education Minister Hekia Parata over a year ago about a seclusion room being used to discipline their son.
They’ve released the letter, which advised the Minister of “grave concerns” regarding the treatment of their son at Ruru Specialist School in Invercargill.
Those concerns included alleged “psychological abuse” and “unexplained bruising”.
with the FUCKING LETTER..
http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/parata-knew-about-seclusion-rooms-a-year-ago—family-2016110313
the LIES are just getting fucking ridiculous from this government..
Do you reckon that will get the rules right, so kids are able to go to the toilet by them selves??
More dicking around by National has caused irreparable harm to NZ children.
Sorry about the swearing, I get so angry. kids you know, that’s horrible treatment locking people up like that let alone a kid..it’s past disgusting, it reviles me.
I asked some questions and a reporter kindly replied to me at the Herald, strangely, usually I just get ignored or told to F off pretty much :/
Anyways basically I read something here and asked why the herald wasn’t doing much to keep the government honest when journalism was desimated of quality staff/staff and the dpms had doubled with no budget restrictions.., in that it surely is in their best interests.
So if he’s right you guys stop painting BS pictures too, we DO NOT stoop to their level period.
1. DPMC is not John Key’s personal department. It is the department which acts as the administrative centre for government. It is not a political office.
2. It does have budget restrictions. Those restrictions are in the Budget.
3. Our tax money does go to the PM’s publicity, to a degree, but not through DPMC. There are slush funds for that.
4. Decimated might be accurate but it depends when you take your starting point from.
5. DPMC had 130 staff in 2007 and currently has about 250, having incorporated CERA over the last year. It is projected to level out at 200 staff over the next year. Given the relatively weakened state it had operated in and the extra duties it now carries, that does seem outlandishly staffed.
6. I would think the Herald is concerned with the ethical and other actions of every government. That’s why we staff a Press Gallery and have other reporters – myself included – outside the gallery who also write on political issues.
I’m struggling to understand what you’re on about there Richard?
Try taking those blue ear plugs out then BM, and use that thing between your ears to work it out using logic and reasoning..
Oh that’s right I forget your at a disadvantage being, Tory.., in all that.
consevatives, pftt throw 30 million at an Arab sheik with more money than sense but moan like fuck at any national expenditure.
Don’t you lot see your own hypocracy?
🙂
I wasn’t trying to be rude, what’s your stuff and what stuff is the reply you got back ?
Also the media isn’t there to “keep the government honest”, they’re there to make money for the stake holders.
Ok, hence my smiley, neither was I.., lower BM, it was something macro had said, but all good, handle the jandal Tory 😉
“Also the media isn’t there to “keep the government honest”, ”
Very true BM…that job is the opposition’s i.e. Labour / Greens / NZF.
Your both wrong, it’s up to everyone to do their part in keeping an honest government, and ethical government a government for all NZ’ers.
Whether by the careful consideration of your vote, and that not being because of ..mmm what’s the word.. because your parents voted that way.
Because they have the best policies ethics, standards and abilities we hope.
I loathed the Lange government as much as I loathe this National government..
have you ever detested a tory government? And refused to vote for it?
Wrong. The job of the press has always been to hold power to account:
The problem is that the privately owned press actually want to hide that power rather than hold it to account because their owners happen to be that power.
The Role of DPMC wrt the PM:
So yes it does work for the PM.
Yes it does control information.
Yes it has expanded (almost doubled in funding and staff) – and not just because of CERA.
And it was from within this Department that the Official information with regards to the “israeli terrorists” (you remember that just before the 2014 election) suddenly reached a certain blogger of ill repute and gave the impression that the now mayor of Auckland was a liar with direct consequences for the election result. (something similar is now occurring over the big pond with the FBI.)
Thanks, I added that to my reply to David Fisher, i’ll be interested in his response specially after he wrote about the Terrorist threat .. evidence shown, but none..
pointing out subtly that there seems to be a pattern of this whenever Nationals in hot water..i’d be interested in his response but I suspect it’ll be how to palm someone off much like a ministerial reply.
Cheers macro.
Thanks for taking this up R R – It is a concern for me that the number of journalists in this country is steadily decreasing and with that the quality of information available to the general public. Too often journalist now rely on handouts from the PR people rather than to dig deeper and to garner the full facts.
Take the issue of NZ’s GHG emissions – Brian Fallow at the Herald has done some good work on this over the past few years, as has the Morgan Foundation, and a few others, but the concerns raised are just left to dangle in the air. It’s just all to difficult – much better to concentrate on the latest murder trial , or the price of houses. So the government continues to get away with doing nothing much, and the people of NZ are left to sleep on.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11741456
Rats deserting a sinking ship?
Nat list mp chucking it in after a year.
Probably told he’s not in the frame for any future advancement.
Dudes got enough brains and options to take the hint and move on.
Labour must just look on in envy.
It was the former mayor of Palmy that a little while ago Mr Key confidently predicted was going to take Palmerston North off Labour so I doubt that envy is what Labour’s feeling right now.
That’s another of Key’s round the barbecue endorsements gone up in smoke.
Yeah remember the great advances National was supposedly making in South Auckland?
Keep up with the program BW I was onto that post about 5 hours ago..ish ly.
🙂
*Macro*
“When John Key in 2008 established the “Ministry of Truth” aka Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet* (which now receives more funding than National Radio and has doubled its number of “spin doctors”, whilst over the same period, the number of full time journalists in the country has halved) reality went out the window and the majority of NZers now live on Planet Key.
For there to be an ethical judgement, the truth of the matter must be clear and understood, that situation is now beyond the reach of most ordinary citizens in this country who obtain their perception of reality from a daily dose of NZ’s TV “news”, provided mainly from the MoT. It is not surprising that ethics is now consigned to the dustbin of history.
*I know that the DoPMC has “always” been there – it is just that since 2008 – John Key has taken its role to new “heights” (or more correctly depths.) as evidenced by the fact that of all public departments it has never been subject to budgetary restrain or capping of personnel, and its funding has now increased to absurd levels.
Note that it was also involved in the 2014 electoral scam.”
So I wrote to the Herald asking them WTF? Especially the lack of budget constraints etc.
Macro..sort it out dude, it appears your skewed a little off centre pal.
A news item on Prime News 5.30 was about tourist going to Baldwin Street in Dunedin and complaining that there were no toilet facilities. Funny that Baldwin Street is a RESIDENTIAL area.
The tour operators are telling the tourist according to Prime to use people’s front gardens and public gardens as toilets. If I lived there I would invest in a high-pressure fireman’s hose and if I saw any prat using my front garden as a shithouse they would get it full bore. I wonder if the are tours round where the fucking spiv lives and if there are toilet facilities in his street and if not are the tourist told to use the fucking spivs front garden as a shithouse. Mind you if they did it would not make much difference it will just increase the depth of shit that is already there.
This country I love is fast becoming the shithouse for all and sundry created by the policies of this shit government we have.
LMFAO…pardon the pun.
Who is the spiv?
Tourism is set up to shit in people’s front and backyards. It’s been happening in the roadside wilderness for a long time, including beside lakes and rivers. When transnational corporations are allowed to run van rental companies for tourists and they encourage those tourists to ‘free camp’, then of course those tens of thousands of people are going to shit somewhere we don’t want. This is what we signed up for when we sanctioned industrial tourism as a way for us to make a living.
“Who is the spiv?”
Go figure your fucking self.
“This is what we signed up for when we sanctioned industrial tourism as a way for us to make a living.”
You may have signed up for that mate but I haven’t signed up for anyone shitting in people’s gardens. or on the side of the road or in the layby we stopped a few weeks ago and saw it and by the lakes or bush etc etc etc. I am also aware that it has been going on for awhile so you are not telling me something new,
I get the impression that you are in favour of the fucking spiv’s government allowing this. What kind of sewer do you want to turn this country into
With regards to the freedom campers, the government should have BANNED any camper van that did not have contained onboard toilet facilities. But they are not going to do that are they mate, too many fucking potential dollars involved. and we must not stop the flow of dollars. irrespective the harm it is doing to NZ and the people.
This country is fast becoming the sewer of the South Pacific with the over intensive dairying polluting all the streams and rivers and now affecting area’s like the Hauraki Gulf, tourist allowed to shit everywhere and in people’s gardens just, Quote you ” to make a living.”
“Tourism is set up to shit in people’s front and backyards.”
Let me make this absolutely clear mate MY backyard is not set up for anybody to shit in and if they do they will have a high pressure hose set on them.
Mate..it’s fucking horrible but I cannot stop cracking up at the thought of tourists squatting behind the bushes of someone’s front lawn.
and if some bus driver told me to do that i’d question why the fucking toilet in his bus wasn’t working????
I spent 2 days about ish on a bus London to Germany.. all for LUV..had a toilet, though if anyone’s ever tried to crap or piss on a moving bus.., they will know what I mean, good luck to them.
These coaches have toilets afaia aware?
Hey Richard that’s hilarious, had a larf at your use of English. Not the best of terminology “cracking up having a shit”. Possibly the bus didn’t have a shithouse on board except the one in the front telling them to use people’s gardens.
“I get the impression that you are in favour of the fucking spiv’s government allowing this.”
I have not idea what you mean by ‘spiv’, but don’t be a fuckwit. I’m arguing that industrial tourism is hugely damaging to NZ, and that shitting in people’s backyards wherever that may be is a natural consequence of us valuing tourism in the economy. Yes, National are doing this shit on steroids, but Labour are pro-industrial tourism too.
Precisely. Halfcrown – you need to understand more than half of what someone means before you leap in like that. If you look more carefully, you might perceive that Weka was on your side.
Bit late but first chance to reply
Yeah you are so right Vino, that was definitely a shot from the hip on my part, but I was infuriated to think New Zealanders have to and are putting up with this filth for the almighty dollar. Also, I have a soft spot for Dunedin though I would not like to see that done anywhere.
I broke a golden rule a lawyer friend told many many years ago, which is worth repeating here “If you ever get a communication that really angers you put it under your blotter for 48 hrs then re-read it before responding” OK we don’t have blotters in this modern age, and can’t wait 48 hrs but this snippet of wisdom is more valid today with the infernal net.
I take back that pal, but that is NOT what you came across about. You appeared to be in favour of it.
Spiv noun :- a man, typically a flashy dresser, who makes a living by disreputable dealings.
Actually, it is London backslang for VIPs
Spiv – cool!
Sometimes it pays to give people the benefit of the doubt and ask for clarification.
Is the spiv Key? I thought you were talking about the tourism operators in Baldwin St.
Yeah but you have to catch ’em at it.
One of the houses had a landlord present when a tourist took a dump in the yard – landlord bagged it up like dogshit and handed it right back to him.
The biggest hazard is trying to slalom down the hill when tourists don’t get off the fucking road.
On the occasions I go on holiday, living on Baldwin St certainly gave me a lot more consieration for the locals and not being a dickhead.
All because Dunedin has a longstanding tradition of having the dumbest city planners in the world. Seriously, who just draws a straight line across a contour like that? The forebears of those who put a $200million rugby stadium on reclaimed land right next to the harbour, that’s who.
rofl. Maybe the rah rah/brighter future brigade should run a national competition – who has the stupidest town planners, with examples?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11741466
jeez..dang and it’s just dandy for some 150k in a day weeeeeeeeee
Sometimes I feel like all we are doing is going backwards. I can’t believe that NZ is still like this. Good on the manager for being straight up about how appalling this is. Goff not so much.
The Tuesday evening ceremony was a proud moment for Efeso Collins, who was the first in his family with a university education and was sworn in as one of two representatives in the Manukau Ward in south Auckland.
He was one of those who read his oath in Māori.
But the joy wasn’t fully shared by his wife, daughter and elders, who were refused their allocated seating in the councillor’s family area at the Auckland Town Hall.
“My family was told that they couldn’t sit where they were because that was reserved for council guests, and that’s when my wife said ‘We are council guests’, but no one believed them,” he said.
In the formal atmosphere of a gala-style ceremony, Mr Collins had no doubt as to what happened to his Samoan relatives.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/317159/'racial-discrimination'-mars-councillor's-swearing-in
That is absolutely despicable.
I trust that the ushers are now coming to grips with their staggering racist prejudices. If so, maybe it will help a few more people to do the same. I believe the public deserves informative follow-up reporting. But I guess another All Black will do something saucy.
When you stand back a bit Goff looks like Shane Jones mkII. A government proxy.
I just can’t see Goff achieving anything except for the occupying of the seat. His response to Efeso Collins’ family’s hassle on the day they should have been most proud was weak when it could have been much stronger.
Goff blamed the contractor. Not the management and not the Council, he blamed the the worker, a default position for the current John Key government.
Goff has left central govt to continue his act styled beliefs as supershity mayor.
Remember Keystone cops… well here in NZ we have Keystone government.. it’s official.
Idiots are in charge of the system
http://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/minister-backtracks-on-meth-eviction-review-comment/ar-AAjOAVO?li=AA521r&ocid=spartandhp
Bills starts 11am..scans first two cases, quickly realizes he liable for millions in compensation and his election bribes are gone burger..
by 11.15 it’s a yeah , nah wat ch ya.., talkin bout Willis?.
There was a dump of bad news yesterday and today; report on sheep-gate, Novopay still fubar, GCSB overstepping but doesn’t apologise for ‘by catch’, etc.
Of no great surprise then was the interference line run from the ninth floor, a non-story with no specific time relevance; ‘we’ve got terrorists in our midst!’
It is so predictable now.
And not working as well as it used to. Been all about Hekia today anyway. The likelihood of her getting shuffled out of Education in the New Year surely has gone up markedly.
No one cares
Ignorance is king these days, which does make it tough for the opposition, almost impossible to get any cut through.
I care.,..
so, not no one..
at all.
Seriously I think your wrong. I always write to the minister, PM whoever and make my points clear. a lot of the time my abuse of them remains unanswered, and I just don’t know why 🙂
However I do it every time. I won’t be the only one.., that’s all that matters statistically I won’t be alone and as the government becomes more and more inept more will write complaining to. So I doubt very much ignorance is king I suspect they count exactly how many negatives they receive..
Everyone should write BTW.. at least do something as well as moan here.
Ah, is that how you excuse your ongoing ignorance?
Good reply to obvious on-going trolling by BM. Boring Meathead?
I always liked Bowel Motion better!
Ignorance and apathy are hallmarks of kiwi voting patterns. The frog mentality.
Of course MB your spot on and if you had seen all the reporters huddled around Findlayson, he could barely contain his grin as they took him for his word, hook line and sinker.. I bet he wandered off chucking his sick little fart out.
We do though – it’s the National led government.
don’t forget the affiliates Act and ..a vary rarely seen terrorist organization, the UF.
hmm Where is dunny jeez that fuckers never about and then you suddenly remember him, like an old cobweb in the back of your mind.
McCully repeatedly says that a legal opinion was sought and given. We assumed that the legal opinion was a “go-ahead Murray.” He implies that it was. We know that the legal opinion will not be released.
But what if the legal opinion was, “Murray do not go ahead with your plan. It is a wrong move Murray. Don’t go there!”
You see? A legal opinion was sought and given. Tick.
The legal opinion will never be seen by the public. Tick.
McCully did all the right things. Tick.
Lets all cheer for our Murray!
McCully and Smith, quite frankly if national didn’t have them, Labour would be far worse off in the polls.
In a round about way The opposition is lucky to have them.
BTW before it happens I just want to warn the readers here, when key finally does reshuffle and hopefully clears some old oaks from his forest.. there’s a fella called Bridges coming along..
God help the Nation.
someone today lost 2.7 billion dollars in 2 hours on the stock market.
I feel for that man.
I say good job. That man is part of the problem and the sooner his attitude to getting rich in life is extinguished, the better.
email wars
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/world/europe/ukraine-russia-emails.html?mabReward=A1&recp=6&action=click&pgtype=Homepage®ion=CColumn&module=Recommendation&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEngine&_r=0
Time William Gibson updated Neuromancer.
John Key’s brighter future:
500 000 Kiwis don’t see a doctor because of the cost. These are the families of people who are unable to work and the families of people who are stuck in part time work and low wages. These are the families of people who have been displaced from both state housing and private rental housing.
This underclass is blossoming under the current government.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/86049359/half-a-million-kiwis-not-receiving-healthcare-because-of-cost
New tobacco taxes would be a contributing factor.
Has John Key’s GCSB been caught hacking the nurses’ union?
Computer says yes.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11741644
Computer says no.
Imputed says that nurses union sent out personal details of thousands of people without even basic safe guards to their personal information.
Conehead is mad. Mr fixit didn’t fix it…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11741431
Question: Is this a strategy by the current government to deliberately unsettle teachers and distract them from the job the love thereby lowering their performance?
We’ve seen the current government degrade once high achieving public services as a pretence to restructuring and the selling of assets.
Conehead (that’s right, Mr dildo) is supposedly one of the three best ministers in the current government and he can’t even control the Australian based and owned payroll system he is in charge of.
#brighterfuture
Mike Hosking’s wingman Toni Street asks Boy George, “do you really want to hurt me?”
Boy George says yes.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/music/86080883/boy-george-cancels-christchurch-show