While traditional forms of Christianity; Anglicanism and Catholicism seem to be suffering a drop in numbers in NZ, new forms are gaining strength, and do they have money!
I was speaking to a colleague about the brand new Life Church on Normanby Road in Auckland which must have cost 7 or 8 figures not including the relocate deal from Auckland Council. She immediately said, "Go to Life, meet a wife".
The blurb on the front page seems to back that up:
Our Central Campus is the cumulative result of 6 years of negotiations, sacrifice and miracles which have resulted in God positioning LIFE with an iconic facility in a prime position in New Zealand's largest city.
Our Campuses are open homes – places of connection and friendship where you can find and build genuine relationships. We invite you to hang around after our Sunday services for a coffee, some food and to meet some of the amazing people here at LIFE.
Lol. The miracle presumably being that the government wanted to build a long needed underground rail system under their property!
I don't have an issue with these churches being set up so people can hook up to bring people together – that is in fact one of the main purposes of congregation, is it not?
However, Destiny Church seems to display a level of conceit, corruption, politicisation, and division which should not be the remit of a modern church.
MSD responds as if this is an isolated incident. It's not. It's now a run-of-the-mill situation for many many people and as a result MSD only care if it's made public. MSD's head office is full of sickeningly nasty inhumane arse-covering robots. I don't believe that humans are innately evil, but it's hard to believe that those who run the benefit-paying unit within MSD's head office are in fact human. And meanwhile, this government lets them run riot.
"MSD"s head office is full of arse-covering robots."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
I'd add that some front office staff are not overly reluctant to do the 'kick 'em when they're down' thing either.
So much for the PSA…a decent union would have backed MSD workers in a push back against the Last Mob's instructions to drive the slackers off the benefit and into work…even if it drove them to suicide.
I bet there was a sigh of relief from many in MSD when it finally dawned that The Current Incumbents were only joking about kindness and wellbeing.
I'd like to give a general bouquet to the right wing with regard to the discussion on the 'No mates Simon' thread.
I'd brought up the Waitangi Day post on Kiwiblog showing Maori savages attacking Tintin and Captain Haddock and contended that by posting/endorsing that cartoon, Farrar was promoting division and dog-whistling to his base.
I still firmly believe that, but to his base I think they have done a great job in rejecting Farrar's racist advances having contributed only a very few comments on that thread.
So, well done to commenters on that blog not taking the bait. There's hope yet.
Political violence is already being committed by people associated with, and inspired by, Destiny Church. If this escalates in some way, in respect of abortion or some other issue, Tamaki needs to be held responsible.
He's the leader of a terrorist organisation. ManUp are militant bootboys who have changed who they follow (Tamaki, not Jesus) but not their stripes.
You recruit former gang members with a tendency towards ruthlessness and violence and have them continue to dress in a way that is synonymous with violence, rape and other violations of others’ integrity and rights in order to intimidate, and potentially act as black and tans. In respect of the latter, they’ve already been doing that in a number of respects, it’s just not very well known, not yet.
More damningly, I have reason to believe that some of the high-ups in Destiny Church have knowledge of criminal acts done in the name of the beliefs inculcated in them by and empowered by Destiny Church. Tamaki and his mates should be aware from their bible readings that with knowledge comes culpability. It’s in the first chapter. Hope to see it alight on the (sleepy, uncurious, overworked and underpaid) papermen before someone gets killed.
So another abandoned warehouse has been found, hopefully it's better than the last ones, and preferably at Tiwai so their waste problem is back in their face.
Can it be just a transfer of Robin Hood transaction tax that redistributes resources more fairly?
Back to trading in goods instead of paper money?
This vid is dystopian and sounds like the end of civilization… As you can tell, it's completely over my head, which probably saves me a giant headache coming to those who do understand it.
Or should I just start drinking Huxley's soma and hope humans still can drum up some humanity and ditch the bxxxards that put us in this position or is it a worthy position. Who can tell? 'Newspeak', I guess.
Bishop Tamaki ain't perfect but he has devoted his life to the South Auckland community. Maybe he says things you find offensive. But just consider the suffering of the poor that come to his door every day. This stuff doesn't come from nowhere
How do you think it feels to be a working class Maori in Papatoetoe who has been sweating in a factory for 20 years, or driving a heavy vehicle, earning not much over minimum wage, and never getting ahead. In fact due to government policies you're going backwards
You've saved a house deposit that would have been enough for a 20% deposit in 1990. But now it's not even 5%. Static wages and endlessly inflating property. And landlords that treat you like shit. And every government pretends to do something
about runaway property values and inequality, but in reality they don't want to scare the sacred property market. The landlord just jacks up the rent every 6 months, so your wage rise does nothing. Meanwhile wealthy investors are soaking up all the land and houses that they can,
with no penalty whatsoever. You drive to work every day for 30 years in a shitty old Toyota Corona, and you see wealthy young people who look like immigrants, cruise past you in Mercs and BMWs, on their way from their flash place in a nice new suburb, to their nice office
And you feel somewhat miffed that you come from a proud people whose land and wealth was stolen, and all your friends are dirt poor, and foreigners are enjoying the fruits of this beautiful land of Aotearoa, while you and your family work 2 jobs each to make ends meet
There are 2 New Zealands. And it is quite gross to see one passing judgement on the other, and taking offense at one thing Tamaki said (misquoted btw), without hearing the rest of it
Nobody is all bad or all good. Everyone is deeply flawed. Judging and condemning another person for (non-criminal) thoughts, and leading a lifestyle you personally dislike (and even consider immoral), is a strange development in the woke mindset
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China’s defence budget is rising heftily yet again. The 2025 rise will be 7.2 percent, the same as in 2024, the government said on 5 March. But the allocation, officially US$245 billion, is just the ...
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Christchurch City Council is one of 18 councils and three council-controlled organisations (CCOs) downgraded by ratings agency S&P. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories shortest:Standard & Poor’s has cut the credit ratings of 18 councils, blaming the new Government’s abrupt reversal of 3 Waters, cuts to capital ...
Figures released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that the economy grew by 0.7% ending the very deep recession seen over the past year, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “Even though GDP grew in the three months to December, our economy is still 1.1% smaller than it ...
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I agree with Will Leben, who wrote in The Strategist about his mistakes, that an important element of being a commentator is being accountable and taking responsibility for things you got wrong. In that spirit, ...
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Two recent foreign challenges suggest that Australia needs urgently to increase its level of defence self-reliance and to ensure that the increased funding that this would require is available. First, the circumnavigation of our continent ...
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US President Donald Trump’s hostile regime has finally forced Europe to wake up. With US officials calling into question the transatlantic alliance, Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, recently persuaded lawmakers to revise the country’s debt ...
We need to establish clearer political boundaries around national security to avoid politicising ongoing security issues and to better manage secondary effects. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) revealed on 10 March that the Dural caravan ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have reiterated their call for Government to protect workers by banning engineered stone in a submission on MBIE’s silica dust consultation. “If Brooke van Velden is genuine when she calls for an evidence-based approach to this issue, then she must support a full ban on ...
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Australia, Britain and European countries should loosen budget rules to allow borrowing to fund higher defence spending, a new study by the Kiel Institute suggests. Currently, budget debt rules are forcing governments to finance increases ...
The NZCTU remains strongly committed to banning engineered stone in New Zealand and implementing better occupational health protections for all workers working with silica-containing materials. In this submission to MBIE, the NZCTU outlines that we have an opportunity to learn from Australia’s experience by implementing a full ban of engineered ...
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Employers, unions and health and safety advocates are calling for engineered stone to be banned, a day before consultation on regulations closes. On Friday the PSA lodged a pay equity claim for library assistants with the Employment Relations Authority, after the stalling of a claim lodged with six councils in ...
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Max Harris and Max Rashbrooke discuss how we turn around the right wing slogans like nanny state, woke identity politics, and the inefficiency of the public sector – and how we build a progressive agenda. From Donald Trump to David Seymour, from Peter Dutton to Christopher Luxon, we are subject to a ...
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Prof Jane Kelsey examines what the ACT party and the NZ Initiative are up to as they seek to impose on the country their hardline, right wing, neoliberal ideology. A progressive government elected in 2026 would have a huge job putting Humpty Dumpty together again and rebuilding a state that ...
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By international standards the New Zealand healthcare system appears satisfactory – certainly no worse generally than average. Yet it is undergoing another redisorganisation.While doing some unrelated work, I came across some international data on the healthcare sector which seemed to contradict my – and the conventional wisdom’s – view of ...
When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he knew that he was upending Europe’s security order. But this was more of a tactical gambit than a calculated strategy ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Over the last year, I’ve been warning about Luxon’s pitch to privatise our public assets.He had told reporters in October that nothing was off the cards:Schools, hospitals, prisons, and ...
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Robert Kaplan’s book Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis paints a portrait of civilisation in flux. Drawing insights from history, literature and art, he examines the effect of modern technology, globalisation and urbanisation on ...
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The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...
The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...
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The Green Party is disappointed the Government voted down Hūhana Lyndon’s member’s Bill, which would have prevented further alienation of Māori land through the Public Works Act. ...
The Labour Party will support Chloe Swarbrick’s member’s bill which would allow sanctions against Israel for its illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. ...
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Police have referred 20 offenders to Destiny Church-affiliated programmes Man Up and Legacy as ‘wellness providers’ in the last year, raising concerns that those seeking help are being recruited into a harmful organisation. ...
Te Pāti Māori welcomes the resignation of Richard Prebble from the Waitangi Tribunal. His appointment in October 2024 was a disgrace- another example of this government undermining Te Tiriti o Waitangi by appointing a former ACT leader who has spent his career attacking Māori rights. “Regardless of the reason for ...
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The Green Party is calling on the Prime Minister to rule out joining the AUKUS military pact in any capacity following the scenes in the White House over the weekend. ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Brannigan, Associate Professor Theatre and Performance, UNSW Sydney Mass Movement.Morgan Sette/Adelaide Festival I arrived at Stephanie Lake’s premiere of Mass Movement a little late on my first day at Adelaide Festival. Walking down the hill from King William road ...
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The application to the ERA asks it to decide rates of remuneration for probation officers that are free from gender-based discrimination. The ERA has the power to fix those rates. ...
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NZDF told staff today of plans for a major restructure of the civilian workforce resulting in a net reduction of 374 roles. This comes on top of cuts late last year which saw 144 civilian workers take voluntary redundancy. ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Haswell, Professor of Practice (Environmental Wellbeing), Indigenous Strategy and Services, Honorary Professor (Geosciences) at University of Sydney & Professor of Health, Safety and Environment, Queensland University of Technology, University of Sydney Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has indicated a Coalition government would ...
Alex Casey reviews The Rule of Jenny Pen, a new local nightmare set within the four walls of a rest home. Mortality and danger seep in from the very first scene of The Rule of Jenny Pen. As Judge Stefan Mortensen ONZM (Geoffrey Rush) squashes fly innards into his judge’s ...
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more intense, but New Zealand doesn’t have a dedicated disaster loss database – and this lack of data is increasingly detrimental to our long-term prosperity. Following the Trump administration’s abrupt cuts to USAID funding last month, the online international disaster database EM-DAT ...
I’ve been turned down once. Should I confess my love again? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,Writing in with a common lesbian problem. I have a friend – let’s call her B. We have been friends for a few years now. Fairly early into our ...
Outgoing Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has today released a report about his reflections over the past nine years, on the Official Information Act 1982, along with separate investigations into seven agencies, and two new case notes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Camens, Lecturer in Palaeontology, Flinders University Musky rat-kangaroo.Amy Tschirn In the remnant rainforests of coastal far-north Queensland, bushwalkers may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a diminutive marsupial that’s the last living representative of its family. The musky ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Visitor, School of History, Australian National University The world had its eyes on Sydney in 2000. A million people lined the harbour to ring in the new millennium (though some said it was actually the final year of the old ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland The most striking feature of the Australian economy in the 21st century has been the exceptionally long period of fairly steady, though not rapid, economic growth. The deep recession of 1989–91, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Moran, Lecturer in the Department of English, Creative Writing and Film, University of Adelaide German Vizulis/Shutterstock If you peruse the philosophy section of your local bookshop, you’ll probably find a number of books on Stoicism – an ancient philosophy enjoying ...
An 11-storey timber building planned for the thoroughfare has been denied consent, and it’s not just the passionate yimbies who are up in arms, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. K Road developer to appeal council decision ...
Going into the Prime Minister’s first trip to India, NZ Indian Central Association president Narendra Bhana said one of the key indicators of success would be whether or not New Zealand managed to secure a direct flight to India.“The absence of direct flights between New Zealand and India makes travel ...
The government wants to streamline regulations, but marine advocates worry the changes would make fishing less transparent and expedite destruction of the ocean. ...
‘Eggsurance’ is increasingly common, especially among single women waiting for the one. It’s a costly and invasive process – and most frozen eggs never end up being used. So is it worth it? Gabi Lardies investigates. ‘I really wanted to have children. I wanted to be a mum,” says Sandra*. ...
With economic uncertainty comes investing jitters, but it can also be an opportunity, writes Frances Cooke. Checked your Kiwisaver balance lately? Yeah, it’s probably not looking great. Well, at first glance, anyway. Your Kiwisaver going down can actually be a good thing for the future – yes, I’m serious. But ...
While traditional forms of Christianity; Anglicanism and Catholicism seem to be suffering a drop in numbers in NZ, new forms are gaining strength, and do they have money!
I was speaking to a colleague about the brand new Life Church on Normanby Road in Auckland which must have cost 7 or 8 figures not including the relocate deal from Auckland Council. She immediately said, "Go to Life, meet a wife".
The blurb on the front page seems to back that up:
Lol. The miracle presumably being that the government wanted to build a long needed underground rail system under their property!
I don't have an issue with these churches being set up
so people can hook upto bring people together – that is in fact one of the main purposes of congregation, is it not?However, Destiny Church seems to display a level of conceit, corruption, politicisation, and division which should not be the remit of a modern church.
Catholic numbers crush all of them, consistently.
We vet for partners more accurately than Swiping Left will ever do.
MSD responds as if this is an isolated incident. It's not. It's now a run-of-the-mill situation for many many people and as a result MSD only care if it's made public. MSD's head office is full of sickeningly nasty inhumane arse-covering robots. I don't believe that humans are innately evil, but it's hard to believe that those who run the benefit-paying unit within MSD's head office are in fact human. And meanwhile, this government lets them run riot.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119254843/carers-benefit-delays-force-mother-and-daughter-out-of-home
"MSD"s head office is full of arse-covering robots."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
I'd add that some front office staff are not overly reluctant to do the 'kick 'em when they're down' thing either.
So much for the PSA…a decent union would have backed MSD workers in a push back against the Last Mob's instructions to drive the slackers off the benefit and into work…even if it drove them to suicide.
I bet there was a sigh of relief from many in MSD when it finally dawned that The Current Incumbents were only joking about kindness and wellbeing.
SSDD
This Government has made moves in directions you wanted, are you pleased Rosemary?
I'd like to give a general bouquet to the right wing with regard to the discussion on the 'No mates Simon' thread.
I'd brought up the Waitangi Day post on Kiwiblog showing Maori savages attacking Tintin and Captain Haddock and contended that by posting/endorsing that cartoon, Farrar was promoting division and dog-whistling to his base.
I still firmly believe that, but to his base I think they have done a great job in rejecting Farrar's racist advances having contributed only a very few comments on that thread.
So, well done to commenters on that blog not taking the bait. There's hope yet.
God Is Dead?
by Black Sabbath
(Official Music Video)
The lead singer has cancer.
God is just fine.
Edgy.
This sort of comment directed at a wealthy conservative christian on this blog today would have received an avalanche of outraged comments.
Just saying.
Like Rush Lungburn?
Ozzy has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He doesn't have cancer.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12302318
Someone who loves the Old Testament will feel crushed.
The wonderful Mark Taylor (retired firefighter) gets a message from God and predicts Trump presidency. Amazing!
Just waiting for the last part in the prophecy now, "God will clean out the news media."
A powerful statement from Australian First Nation players via the ARL Indigenous Council and the ARL.
The Australian national anthem will not be played at this year's rugby league All Stars match on the Gold Coast.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/51397141
I think this is great. Aboriginal Australians are gaining confidence in standing up to centuries of entrenched racism in Australia.
Political violence is already being committed by people associated with, and inspired by, Destiny Church. If this escalates in some way, in respect of abortion or some other issue, Tamaki needs to be held responsible.
He's the leader of a terrorist organisation. ManUp are militant bootboys who have changed who they follow (Tamaki, not Jesus) but not their stripes.
You recruit former gang members with a tendency towards ruthlessness and violence and have them continue to dress in a way that is synonymous with violence, rape and other violations of others’ integrity and rights in order to intimidate, and potentially act as black and tans. In respect of the latter, they’ve already been doing that in a number of respects, it’s just not very well known, not yet.
More damningly, I have reason to believe that some of the high-ups in Destiny Church have knowledge of criminal acts done in the name of the beliefs inculcated in them by and empowered by Destiny Church. Tamaki and his mates should be aware from their bible readings that with knowledge comes culpability. It’s in the first chapter. Hope to see it alight on the (sleepy, uncurious, overworked and underpaid) papermen before someone gets killed.
Saved! Yay!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/119339109/removal-of-ouvea-premix-from-mataura-to-be-fast-tracked?fbclid=IwAR1NiO9NqDQyVlyQtB0sqUqMjqXtFB9Va2BWCJkeBDUJp84WxxqxbuCZ4rA
So, the Old Maid passed on, again, until the current disposal contractor goes tits up
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/southland/ammonia-threat-be-shifted
So another abandoned warehouse has been found, hopefully it's better than the last ones, and preferably at Tiwai so their waste problem is back in their face.
Hope they use secure trucks for the move. In the past, not so much…
The end of 'Growth'?…whether we like it or not
https://youtu.be/dypQiaWdtIE
https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/working-paper/2020/eight-centuries-of-global-real-interest-rates-r-g-and-the-suprasecular-decline-1311-2018.pdf?la=en&hash=5197703E8834998B56DD8121C0B64BFB09FF4881
Pat – Aaarrrggghhh!
Two points I can always rely on: The owners of wealth want to continue to own their own wealth.
They also want to own whatever is left of ours, so resulting in a global slave and master scenario. That is the global end goal. Yes?
Can our iconic CEO of CEOs 'Bill Nighy' save us:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=utube%2C+bill+nighy+on+transaction+tax
Can it be just a transfer of Robin Hood transaction tax that redistributes resources more fairly?
Back to trading in goods instead of paper money?
This vid is dystopian and sounds like the end of civilization… As you can tell, it's completely over my head, which probably saves me a giant headache coming to those who do understand it.
Or should I just start drinking Huxley's soma and hope humans still can drum up some humanity and ditch the bxxxards that put us in this position or is it a worthy position. Who can tell? 'Newspeak', I guess.
Soma may be in order…or not, who knows?
Bishop Tamaki ain't perfect but he has devoted his life to the South Auckland community. Maybe he says things you find offensive. But just consider the suffering of the poor that come to his door every day. This stuff doesn't come from nowhere
How do you think it feels to be a working class Maori in Papatoetoe who has been sweating in a factory for 20 years, or driving a heavy vehicle, earning not much over minimum wage, and never getting ahead. In fact due to government policies you're going backwards
You've saved a house deposit that would have been enough for a 20% deposit in 1990. But now it's not even 5%. Static wages and endlessly inflating property. And landlords that treat you like shit. And every government pretends to do something
about runaway property values and inequality, but in reality they don't want to scare the sacred property market. The landlord just jacks up the rent every 6 months, so your wage rise does nothing. Meanwhile wealthy investors are soaking up all the land and houses that they can,
with no penalty whatsoever. You drive to work every day for 30 years in a shitty old Toyota Corona, and you see wealthy young people who look like immigrants, cruise past you in Mercs and BMWs, on their way from their flash place in a nice new suburb, to their nice office
And you feel somewhat miffed that you come from a proud people whose land and wealth was stolen, and all your friends are dirt poor, and foreigners are enjoying the fruits of this beautiful land of Aotearoa, while you and your family work 2 jobs each to make ends meet
There are 2 New Zealands. And it is quite gross to see one passing judgement on the other, and taking offense at one thing Tamaki said (misquoted btw), without hearing the rest of it
Nobody is all bad or all good. Everyone is deeply flawed. Judging and condemning another person for (non-criminal) thoughts, and leading a lifestyle you personally dislike (and even consider immoral), is a strange development in the woke mindset
https://twitter.com/roblogic_/status/1225771461765300224?s=21