An update on our efforts to save the St Heliers Post Shop and Kiwibank and the broader implications of this skirmish
Our petition drive is going unexpectedly well. We’re at 1200 signatures and should be to 1500 tomorrow, if weather permits us to set up outside the St Heliers Library again from 9 AM. I and other volunteers have also been taking it door-to-door. Doing that, I’ve personally had only eight people refuse to sign (usually spouting the ‘free market’ ‘way of the world’ ‘economic reality’ ‘progress’ argument). Everyone else realizes a counter or area in a private, unaccountable business won’t hold a candle to what we enjoy now. St Heliers has had a post shop/office since 1912 and it and the library distinguish us from the other suburbs east of Auckland CBD along Tamaki Drive.
I addressed the Orakei Local Board yesterday and asked them to support the vast majority of their constituents who wish the post shop to remain as is. They seemed engaged by the topic and most of them asked me a question. Chair Desley Simpson said they would need to do their own research, but I am hopeful.
We’ve scheduled a community meeting for Friday, February 19 from 7 PM at the St Heliers Church & Community Centre, 100 St Heliers Bay Road, so that residents can finally have a proper say. Many, many people feel NZ Post has not done an adequate job involving and notifying residents in their process. Twice we have asked NZ Post, in the form of Holden Hohaia, Government and Community Relations Manager, to attend the meeting and he has refused. We invited Hohaia, for he contacted the MP sponsoring our petition, Phil Twyford, within 48 hours of the launch of our campaign’s Facebook group, to attempt to quell our revolt I suppose.
Kiwis have already lost half of our post shop locations. With these losses can come loss of other businesses and the important but intangible feeling of community, which St Heliers has in spades. NZ Post claims they’ve adopted this model to reverse a downward spiral, yet now that they seem to have done so, they still continue unthinkingly on this course. They claim the franchise model works and seem hell bent on imposing it everywhere despite Hohaia’s statement that “all decision making considers the impacts on customers and the community.”
I don’t realistically expect to win this battle, but it seems important to try to challenge NZ Post. It is beyond insulting to be told, by a Wellington bureaucrat no less, that “we are retaining the services in the St Heliers community at over 99.7% of their current level.” They derive this ridiculous figure because they claim less than 0.3% of 2015 transaction volumes were for services that won’t be available in St Heliers any longer: opening new Kiwibank accounts, term deposits, or Kiwisaver accounts. This from an organization whose annual report states that growing Kiwibank is a goal. And is 2015 a fair year to count new Kiwisaver accounts, when we know the effect of the government stopping the kickstart payment?
In any event, how will Take Note’s undoubtedly low-wage employees match the experience of the Post Shop’s longer term staff members? How comfortably will customers, who frequently fill the Post Shop, fit into the smaller and more crowded space of Take Note?
As an SOE it seems NZ Post has forgotten the state (the people) in favour of enterprise (profits) and one has to wonder how pressed they are to turn a profit, in the face of this government’s complete fiscal mismanagement and desire to post a surplus at any cost.
Yes. The local population of the Orakei local board area is slightly over represented in older age groups, with a median age of 38.2 years, five years higher than the regional median of 33.9 years. And I would think there are more senior citizens in St Heliers than in some of the other suburbs within the district.
Well done Julia. This is another example of the creeping destruction of the kiwi way by corporate forces. The forces that be need to concentrate on providing for our communities and not feeding the bottom line.
I sampled a completely random segment of the protest. I talked to young and old, Pakeha and Maori, those up the front of the protest, those in the middle and those in the back. I was there all day. And I discovered that by far the majority of the protestors (we’re talking 8 or 9 out of 10) didn’t even have a basic knowledge of what the TPPA was.
The 6,000 pages tell us that to answer a question about what is wrong with TPPA is nearly impossible to answer in a sentence. They have made the paper-work so huge that the pro-TPP, just talk in general terms about how good it would be.
Turn it around. Ask Key why he supports TPP. General splurge would follow as expected. Yes but what specifics are you supporting? If the open-minded Garner was brave enough he could ask some of the NAt MPs to explain in specifics, on the hoof of course.
Yep their justification is palpably untrue, like “opening up trade markets” with countries we trade with already. Putting ordinary people in front of a camera and expecting them to give lecturer quality responses is kind of really dumb.
Typical lefties they became a bit nervous. The opposite response from the right would be a bunch of blow hards insisting that they understanding things completely.
Last week car rally against TPP, protester was asked by TV 1 reporter what he disagreed wth about TPP. a bemused silence and then this pearl of wisdom,” petrol prices are going to go up” go figure! This level of ignorance is wide spread in protest movement
Last week car rally against TPP, protester was asked by TV 1 reporter what he disagreed wth about TPP. a bemused silence and then this pearl of wisdom,” petrol prices are going to go up” go figure! This level of ignorance is wide spread in protest movement
At least those who marched understood that the public had not had a chance to have their say on the TPPA before it was signed.
Those who blindly trust Tim Groser and John Key have been gullible and have suspended their critical thinking by not researching more. If the Govt wanted to prove that it was better to be in than out of the TPPA, then why wasn’t a proper cost benefit analysis done. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) are concerned at the TPPA and on 3 Feb 2016 called for a Health Benefit Analysis to be done.
Public Health Assn are also worried. http://www.asms.org.nz/news/asms-news/2016/02/03/tppa-impact-health-significant-concern/ http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/294244/public-health-assoc-critical-of-govt-support-for-tpp
“Bunch of gullible hive mind dumb arses” – Your words, BM but applied to the wrong set of people.
Ok so we are suppose to take advise from living in the past unions, failed hard left professional protesters and tin pot left wing ideological driven academics as gospel, I don’t think so Next polls are going to be a lot of fun
Didn’t any of you watch John Campbell on RNZ live-streaming the major protest ? He spoke to dozens of people : directly asking them why they were there, and what their concerns about TPPA were. And they all had clear valid answers. And they all knew why they were marching and protesting.
So whoever Julian Lee is, and whoever he spoke, to is a load of old crock.
‘Completely open mind’ – well no self-reflection for a start. Sounds like just another journalist auditioning to be a future National Party press secretary.
That the same Julian Lee who shot the “edited to fuck” nonsense that somebody linked to yesterday? Certainly reads like it. (Checked the link from the piece, and yes it is)
Here’s a wee bit of food for thought BM. Put aside that the entire deal was only released very recently. The corporate media is meant to inform people. So, what does it say of the corporate media if “9 out of 10” people don’t have a handle on something as significant as the TPP?
I mean, media organisations have resources not available to most people, yet utterly failed (by their own admission if Lees rantings are to be believed) to get any sense of knowledge out there into the public arena.
Then again, it could be claimed that in spite of the corporate media not informing people, a fair few people managed to inform themselves by other avenues.
This made me smile. Lee could be talking back to himself and his fellow ‘free trade’ cultists from the future with this passage he penned 🙂
Self-denial kicked in. Excuses were made, people explained that the numbers had been miscalculated, and they returned to the cult with an even stronger willpower than before. People would not accept the simple truth: that their leader had been wrong and their cult was a sham.
whether those protesting could articulate what they are concerned about re TPPA is irrelevant…..these citizens are aware enough to know when they are being dismissed and treated like fools….maybe the TPPA is just an opportunity for some of them to express their displeasure with an administration that has manipulated things to the point where the only recourse is to protest
The neolibs believe they are very clever in their manipulation of the electorate…it remains to be seen how good they are at controlling the results of the pandoras box they are opening
I was asked a couple of pointless questions by a commentator, who came across as a total prat.
He had approached my son – late teens – who correctly identified him as a prat beforehand and said no. I felt a bit sorry for the guy, dressed in a badly fitted suit – and assumed he was a student given his approach and awkward manner.
Hah! After a couple of minutes of ego-strut questions from him, I took him for task for not staying on topic, and asked him if he had done any background at all on the issue before coming along. He looked offended. Then I asked where he was from, to which he demurred that he was from Auckland. No. I said – what organisation? NZME.
I parted from him, aware that he had led the questions into pointless discussions deliberately, suggesting that next time he asks someone for their opinions that he introduces himself and his organisation first as a matter of professionalism.
I have no doubt, many are better at me at spotting these “impartial” commentators, who will try to target those that meet their bias, and will selectively ask questions that are off tangent.
As per usual in the friday dump before a long weekend…. McCully not off the hook.
How come this man gets to keep his ministry?
Bribes in Saudi,
Incompetency in the job.
A complete lack of Moral compass – (oh! that’s the prime quality needed for success in the Key govt!) Keep that man.
Interesting Key is appalled that this incident is getting global publicity. What about the impact of the hair pulling incident and the prison rape joke? What does he imagine people overseas thought about the PM carrying out these actions???????
Get a grip mate. Can you tell the difference between:
A. The Prime Minister does something that is repeated bullying, assault and sexual harassment as a bit of fun for him.
B. Somebody from the general population assaulting a Minister as a part of a political protest.
Two wrongs don’t make a right is the sort of superficial analysis I expect from the media and most of the commentators the use. Use your brain and make a difference.
“Deranged jk syndrome” ??? …………. Is that a disease jk spreads ???? …. or is it a disease where you exhibit the symptoms of jk ( compulsive lies, bullying, hair fetish, selective amnesia etc )????
Either way I wouldn’t want to catch it.
Glad to have been warned about it though, thanks Redd :0
Well that is one way of thinking about it Redelusion at 7.1. But if you have done the first two wrongs ie. brought global media attention to this country for all the wrong reasons, then really your on extremely shaky ground acting outraged when someone else does it.
Added to this, I expect more of a PM. What about you?
Where did I say I was outraged, simply indicated both where silly. Outrage over the insignificant is more a left trait. This global media stuff is also bs, who really cares or judges a country on their leader gaffs, failings you could find any such stories on most global leaders
not you outraged Reddelusion. John Key, although checking back he said he was appalled, not outraged. HIs track record on getting international media attention for all the wrong reasons is well known………….pony tail gate, prison rape “joke”…….it is a bit rich then claiming to be appalled by the actions of the young woman who threw the dildo, when the international media attention he has garnered is far worse, as it comes from the PM
not you outraged Reddelusion. John Key, although checking back he said he was appalled, not outraged. HIs track record on getting international media attention for all the wrong reasons is well known………….pony tail gate, prison rape “joke”…….it is a bit rich then claiming to be appalled by the actions of the young woman who threw the dildo, when the international media attention he has garnered is far worse, as it comes from the PM
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Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is appalled that Meridian seems to have been unnecessarily spilling water from its dams to drive up its profits."While New Zealanders have been coming together in some of our darkest hours, we don’t expect power gentailers to waste water and ...
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Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has welcomed the appointment of Maurice Davis and his deep infrastructure and construction experience to the board of the Infrastructure Commission. Mr Davis (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the seventh and final appointment to the board led by former Reserve Bank Governor ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Stephen Clark, Māori Land Court Judge of Hamilton has been appointed as a District Court Judge with jury jurisdiction to be based in Hamilton, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Judge Clark graduated with an LLB from Auckland University in 1988 and was admitted to the Bar in the same year. ...
The Crown will provide a loan to Hawke’s Bay Airport to ensure it can trade through COVID-19 economic impacts, support the region’s recovery and protect up to 200 jobs. The Crown has a 50 percent shareholding in Hawke’s Bay Airport Limited (HBAL), with Napier City Council holding 26 percent and ...
Four celebrated Māori and Pasifika events will receive up to $100,000 each in funding from the new Creative and Cultural Events Incubator fund, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. The four events that were successful in the inaugural funding round are: Kia Mau Festival, Wellington Māoriland Film Festival, Otaki ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio is pleased to announce the inaugural launch of Kiribati Language Week as part of the 2020 Pacific language Weeks programme. “I am so pleased that this year we are able to provide resourcing support to the Kiribati community in Aotearoa which will ...
Wildlife institutions affected by a loss of visitor revenue during the COVID-19 lockdown are set to receive government support with nearly $15 million of funding available announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. “Eco-sanctuaries, zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks, and wildlife rescue, hospital and rehabilitation facilities provide crucial support for the recovery ...
The Government is expanding and accelerating frontline mental health and wellbeing services at tertiary education institutes (TEI) to help students manage ongoing stresses related to COVID-19. “The lockdown has been hugely disruptive for students. Many of them have had to relocate and move to online learning, isolating them from their ...
The Minister of Police says a major operation against the Mongrel Mob in Waikato will make a big dent in drug harm and violent offending linked to organised crime networks. “Senior leadership of the Waikato Mongrel Mob has been taken out as a result of Operation Kingsville, which resulted in ...
The Government is extending the border exception criteria to enable some offshore victims and support people of the Christchurch mosque attacks to attend the sentencing of the accused beginning on 24 August2020, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “We want to support our valued Muslim brothers and sisters who were directly ...
A project to support volunteer efforts to look after streams and rivers is getting a boost thanks to support from DOC’s Community Conservation Fund announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “The government is backing efforts to look after waterways with $199,400 for the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust from ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter today announced that funding for the COVID-19 Community Fund for women and girls will be doubled, as the first successful funding applications for the initial $1million were revealed. “Women and girls across the country have suffered because of the effects of COVID-19, and I ...
The Government’s books were better than forecast with a higher GST take as the economy got moving again after lockdown, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Crown Accounts for the 11 months to the end of May indicate the year end results for tax revenue will be stronger than forecast. ...
A plan to revitalise New Zealand’s strong wool sector and set it on a new, more sustainable and profitable path was unveiled today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The newly-released report - Vision and Action for New Zealand’s Wool Sector - was developed by the Wool Industry Project Action Group ...
Community efforts to create a Predator Free Whangārei will receive a $6 million boost, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The new funding, through Government company Predator Free 2050 Ltd, will create around 12 jobs while enabling the complete removal of possums over ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that the New Zealand Government is reviewing the settings of its relationship with Hong Kong. “China’s decision to pass a new national security law for Hong Kong has fundamentally changed the environment for international engagement there,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand remains deeply ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced details of a multimillion-dollar investment in Whangārei for infrastructure projects that will help it recover from the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 200 jobs are expected to be created through the $26 million investment from the Government’s rejuvenation package ...
Following a second incident in which a person escaped from a managed isolation facility, security is being enhanced, including more police presence onsite, Minister Megan Woods said. “The actions of some individuals who choose to break the very clear rules to stay within the facilities means that more resourcing is ...
Waste reduction and recycling programmes in Kaipara are set to get a boost with Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today announcing a $361,447 grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) Sustainable Kaipara. “The new funding will allow Sustainable Kaipara to partner with local schools, kura, community ...
The Government will support the Southland economy in the wake of multinational mining company Rio Tinto’s decision to follow through with its long signalled closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. “This day has unfortunately been on the cards for some time now, but nevertheless the final decision is a ...
New tools being developed to help boost Aotearoa’s Predator Free 2050 effort were unveiled today by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. A new rat poison, a camera with predator recognition software to detect and report predators, a new predator lure and a ...
The Coalition Government has approved the purchase of a fleet of Bushmaster vehicles to replace the New Zealand Army’s armoured Pinzgauers, Defence Minister Ron Mark has announced today. The new fleet of 43 Australian-designed and built Bushmaster NZ5.5 will provide better protection for personnel and improved carrying capacity. “The age ...
The Government’s three prevention frameworks to reduce family violence in Aotearoa were launched this week by Associate Minister for Social Development Poto Williams. The frameworks were developed in partnership with communities around New Zealand, and build on the work the Government has already begun with its new family violence prevention ...
The Government is pleased to confirm funding for improvements to radiology and surgical services at Hawke's Bay DHB, Health Minister Chris Hipkins says. "The Minister of Finance the Hon Grant Robertson and former Health Minister Dr David Clark approved funding for Hawke's Bay DHB’s redevelopment of their radiology facilities ...
• New funding for four beds at Napier’s Springhill Residential Addiction Centre • A new managed withdrawal home and community service, and peer support before and after residential care at Tairāwhiti DHB • A co-ordinated network of withdrawal management services throughout the South Island • Peer support in Rotorua and ...
Introduction, seafarers and POAL Good morning everyone, I am delighted to be online with you all today. Before I begin, I have to acknowledge that COVID-19 has disrupted the maritime sector on an unprecedented scale. The work of seafarers and the maritime industry is keeping many economies around the world ...
A $13 million investment from Government will create jobs and improve the resilience of the rail connection between Christchurch and the West Coast, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones and Regional Economic Development Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau say. The funding comes from the tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2020 for infrastructure projects ...
The Government is investing $761 million to assist local government upgrade under-pressure water services across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The announcement was made at the site of the water bore that was found to be the source of the fatal ...
Recognised Seasonal Employers and migrant seasonal workers stranded in New Zealand will be able to continue working and supporting themselves with more flexible hours and roles, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. The time-limited visa changes are: Stranded RSE workers will be able to work part-time (a minimum of 15 hours ...
The Government is making immediate short-term changes to visa settings to support temporary migrants already onshore in New Zealand and their employers, while also ensuring New Zealanders needing work are prioritised, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. We are: Extending temporary work visas due to expire by the end of 2020 ...
Professor Peter Skelton CNZM has been appointed as Chief Freshwater Commissioner and Alternate Environment Court Judge Craig James Thompson as Deputy Chief Freshwater Commissioner for the newly established Freshwater Planning Process (FPP). Environment Minister David Parker today also announced the appointment of Chief Environment Court Judge Laurie Newhook as the ...
Auckland Queen’s Counsel Neil Campbell has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Campbell graduated with a BCom and LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1992. He spent two years with Bell Gully Buddle Weir in Auckland before travelling to the United ...
The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to better enable the development and operation of commercial film and video facilities in Christchurch. The Proposal, developed by Regenerate Christchurch in response to a request from Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section ...
The Government has launched a bold plan to boost primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade, while protecting the environment and growing jobs. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today released Fit for a Better World – Accelerating our Economic Potential, a 10-year roadmap to unlock greater value ...
A new approach to prevent family harm that encourages greater collaboration across government and community groups is being celebrated at the opening of a new facility in Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today opened the Multi-Disciplinary Family Harm Prevention Hub Te Taanga Manawa in Lambie Road in Manukau. The facility ...
The Government has released a major new report on the options for relocating the Port of Auckland’s freight operations while deferring any decision on the issue. “That decision needs to be informed by policy analysis that is still to be completed. As a result it will be up to a ...
The history of Rāpaki is being restored through the inclusion of te reo in thirteen official place names on Te Pātaka-o-Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula and around Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō, the Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage, announced today. “I am pleased to approve the proposals from Te Hapū o Ngāti ...
Bookings for seats on Air New Zealand flights into New Zealand will be managed in the short term to ensure the Government is able to safely place New Zealanders arriving home into a managed isolation or quarantine facility, says Housing Minister Megan Woods. “Last week Air Commodore Darryn Webb and I ...
Grant Robertson has today announced the first major release of funding from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced at Budget 2020. “Today we’re setting out how $80 million will be invested, with $54 million of that over the 2020/2021 financial year for organisations from community level through to elite ...
The Government is maintaining current levy rates for the next 2 years, as part of a set of changes to help ease the financial pressures of COVID-19 providing certainty for businesses and New Zealanders, ACC Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “New Zealanders and businesses are facing unprecedented financial pressures as a ...
Small businesses are getting greater certainty about access to finance with an extension to the interest-free cashflow loan scheme to the end of the year. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme has already been extended once, to 24 July. Revenue and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says it will be ...
A package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker announced today. The $162 million dollar package will see 22 water clean-up projects put forward by local councils receiving $62 million and the Kaipara ...
The new TVNZ On Demand political comedy relies on great performances to paper over a wafer-thin story, writes Jean Sergent.The set-up is simple: Darren Bellows (Tom Sainsbury), a Colin Craig-esque political loser, is being blackmailed by his dominatrix (Kathleen Burns). The stakes are high for Darren as the leader of ...
One in eight retail businesses are struggling to negotiate rent relief and want government-assisted arbitration to help them resolve their plight, a survey shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kris Gledhill, Professor of Law, Auckland University of Technology The sentencing of the Christchurch mosque killer was always going to be tense. Having admitted his guilt in March, his declaration that he would now represent himself at the hearing on August 24 ...
The Serious Fraud Office is investigating donations made to the Labour Party in 2017 Donations to the Labour Party in 2017 are now under the microscope of the Serious Fraud Office, the corruption watchdog said in a statement. The SFO declined to release any further details about the investigation. This ...
National Party stalwart Michelle Boag gave officials her private email address when asked where best to send a daily list of Covid-19 patients, the Director General of Health says. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kerrie Davies, Lecturer, School of the Arts & Media, UNSW Review: A Room Made of Leaves, Text Publishing Some time ago, during the renovation of a historic house in Sydney, a tin box, sealed with wax and wrapped in oiled canvas, ...
Whakamā refers to a state of personal or collective embarrassment and shame. Unabated shame can corrode the soul. Tikanga can fix and prevent it, writes Tainui Stephens.This story contains descriptions of racism and racist language.It seems to me some radio talkback hosts suffer from an empathy bypass: a quixotic condition ...
Today’s news that the mosque shooter will represent himself at his sentencing next month has raised fears he plans to use it as a platform for his hateful views. But the judge may have other ideas, write Otago University professors Danica McGovern and Andrew GeddisIn March of this year, the ...
The Say Nope To Dope campaign is slamming the government for its voting pack on the cannabis referendum, and is seeking legal advice. “We’ve been contacted by a number of families who believe that the government pamphlet is putting their own ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is throwing shade on the Green Party’s new policies to install solar panels on state houses and subsidise them for private residences, which would cost taxpayers $806,000,000 over three years. Taxpayers Union spokesperson ...
Latest from the Beehive – One of the less challenging jobs for a Minister of the Crown is dipping into a trough within his ministerial gift and hoping for favourable headlines by dishing out grants. Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford – who has fallen short of counting Kiwbuild and Auckland ...
People from immigrant backgrounds often struggle to find work in New Zealand, despite their qualifications. So why is the Office of Ethnic Communities looking for people to do its work for free, asks former race relations commissioner Joris de Bres.Last week, the Office of Ethnic Communities announced on Facebook that ...
New Zealanders can’t get enough of The Chase, so why can’t we have our own version? And what would a homegrown version of the quiz show look like anyway? If The Chase were a pandemic, we’d all have herd immunity by now. The British TV quiz show has never been ...
In less than a week, Auckland Council will vote on an emergency budget that looks set to deliver severe cuts to facilities and services across the city. And still pleas for a commitment on shovel ready projects go unheeded by government, writes councillor Desley Simpson.As a country we can feel ...
The gunman of the Christchurch mosque attacks has chosen to represent himself at his sentencing next month. In March, Brenton Tarrant made a late guilty plea to 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one under the Terrorism Suppression Act. He is due to be sentenced on 24 ...
A road freight industry representative says a new announcement that negotiations will be extended - again - is further confirmation that something is not right with the project An announcement that a new cash payout will extend negotiations and 'winter works' even further than first thought is being heralded as a sign ...
By Hamish Cardwell, RNZ News Grey Power is enraged by what it says is the “stupid and dangerous” behaviour of people fleeing managed isolation facilities, and says they need the book thrown at them. A person broke a window and absconded from an Auckland hotel on Friday, the fourth such ...
Crowd entertainment at sports games is a hard task, but please let’s stick to T-shirt cannons and on-field japes instead of watching strangers smooch, eh?Funny kiss cam footage is a key element of any viral fail video compilation. A “she’s my sister” sign pulled out of a pocket as the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Clarke, Director, Monash Drone Discovery Platform, and Senior Lecturer in Ecology, Monash University This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jess Marsh, Research fellow at the Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after last ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Lintermans, Associate professor, University of Canberra This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after last summer’s bushfire tragedy. Explore ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after last summer’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Matisoo-Smith, Professor of Biological Anthropology, University of Otago How did the Polynesian peoples come to live on the far-flung islands of the Pacific? The question has intrigued researchers for centuries. Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl brought the topic to public attention when ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Phillips, Associate Professor, Centre for Social Research and Methods, Director, Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), Australian National University New research on disadvantage in Australia has found the gap between rich and poor is very wide in Sydney, while much of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Peters, Associate Professor of Wildlife Health and Pathology, Charles Sturt University This article is part of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a special project by The Conversation that launched this week. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wee Tiong Seah, Associate Professor in Mathematics Education, University of Melbourne On Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced government school students in prep to Year 10 in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire will learn from home for term three. The remote ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phillippa Carnemolla, Senior Research Fellow, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney The stated purpose of the Morrison government’s HomeBuilder program is to stimulate the economy and create construction jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research shows home improvements could ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Davidson, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, UNSW Suddenly, the idea of a “job guarantee” is back in vogue. Lawyer, academic, land rights activist and founder of the Cape York Institute Noel Pearson has come out of it favour of it, University of Newcastle ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ann Kayis-Kumar, Senior Lecturer and Tax Clinic Director, School of Taxation & Business Law, UNSW For some people tax time will result in no tax paid this year, and if past years are anything to go by, about 50 of them will ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip C. Almond, Emeritus Professor in the History of Religious Thought, The University of Queensland From the 11th century onwards, the Legend of Barlaam and Josaphat enjoyed a popularity in the medieval West attained perhaps by no other legend. It was available ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Investors still betting massive money-printing, despite growing fears of second wave lock-downs in America, India and Brazil, and as Australian cases spike ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Self-inflicted story puts National on the defensive, another escape attempt from managed isolation, and a series of party events ahead of election.There’s a convention in journalism called Betteridge’s law of headlines. Basically what it means is that headlines that end in ...
How authoritarian rule is applied to Hong Kong may make New Zealanders question whether closer interactions with China are necessarily desirable, writes Catherine Churchman Get ready for some in-your-face political repression, New Zealand. The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has just extended its draconian rules on free speech and freedom ...
Using technology remotely to care for patients can go way beyond Zoom calls or basic telehealth measures. Professor Simon Malpas explains how tech can start to even out inequity in healthcare. Imagine you live in Ahipara, Northland. You also have early stage heart failure. It’s a 90-minute drive to your ...
Stephen Hoadley on how Donald Trump has moved the US from its decades-old role of international leadership, and why it might not be easy for a President Biden to restore that mantle. US elections and the resulting presidencies can be geopolitical turning points, whether reflecting them or causing them. Successive ...
The ACT party held its campaign launch in Auckland on Sunday and unveiled new policies, with a new team it hopes will bring a return to the days when it was more than a one man band. Mark Jennings reports. If the number of people paying to attend a political ...
Nicky Pellegrino and Stacy Gregg continue their podcast interview series with popular New Zealand writers. This week: Amy McDaid, the author of Fake Baby. Auckland’s Amy McDaid is an exciting new talent on our literary scene. Her debut novel, Fake Baby, strikes an elegant balance between dark comedy and compassion. ...
Is it finally time for Pacific rugby to come in from the cold in a new Super Rugby competition? Jim Kayes says it's time to believe. In Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot, the two lead characters wait on a country road, by a tree, for Godot’s arrival. He never ...
A broken foot threatened to derail sailor Alex Maloney's second Olympic campaign. But she's back on track, with a little help from her brother and his America's Cup team-mates. From now on, Alex Maloney will always seek a second opinion. Without it, the Rio Olympics sailing silver medallist saw her ...
With an election now less than 10 weeks away, the National Party is confronting the very real prospect of a crushing defeat, writes Pattrick Smellie for BusinessDesk.Only two things can now save Todd Muller and the National Party from the growing likelihood of a crushing defeat at the September 19 ...
It’s long past time we officially recognised the Māori new year on Māori land, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira.In May, Jacinda Ardern said more public holidays for Kiwis to experience Aotearoa New Zealand is among a number of things the government is “actively considering” to encourage domestic tourism.With many small businesses ...
The Kiwi nurse working in conflict zones, helping war-wounded, and improving hospital systems was forced to do a major pivot when Covid-19 hit Afghanistan. Gail Corbett tells Laura Walters about living her life in some of the world’s most dangerous places, and what keeps her going back. Gail Corbett was ...
This is a story about a Chinese shipwreck, the Māori guardians of the bones, and the documentary maker who' has upset two cultures with his efforts to tell the tale. Is a shipwreck with the bones of 499 Chinese miners a sacred gravesite or a part of history that should be ...
From RNZ Mediawatch New Zealand children use a lot less Kiwi media than they used to. New research shows its Netflix, YouTube and TikTok engaging their eyeballs big time these days. If our kids screen out our local media, what does the future hold for them? The news media seized ...
The Tahr Foundation has released a short video that shows just what Himalayan tahr mean to Kiwis and why so many people are fighting so hard to maintain them in New Zealand. The video is a powerful reminder of the extent that tahr are now woven into ...
Introduction Thank you very much. Elections in New Zealand – like everywhere - are a very special tradition, because they are driven by you. They’re an opportunity to change your future. If you think about it, the Government doesn’t do much. It ...
“This election and Covid-19 present New Zealanders with an opportunity to change their future and create a fair, modern employment insurance scheme,” says ACT’s Employment Spokesperson, and third-ranked candidate, Nicole McKee. “Covid-19 has ...
“A new approach to mental health and addiction will reduce bureaucracy, improve patient choice, and empower New Zealanders,” says ACT’s Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson Brooke van Velden. “Each year, the government spends about $2 billion ...
"Working people have signaled their commitment to do more to address the most pressing issue of our time; climate change. The energy policies that the Green Party have launched today provide a meaningful contribution to addressing climate change," ...
Climate justice organisation 350 Aotearoa welcomes the Greens' plan to transform Aotearoa’s energy system and set Aotearoa on course towards a fossil-fuel free future in which workers are supported into new jobs, and communities have the power ...
The Old Guard, new to Netflix, is a resounding success because it doesn’t focus on what makes these heroes great, it focuses on what makes them human, writes Sam Brooks.The climax of Netflix’s new movie The Old Guard shouldn’t be anything new, but it feels exhilarating. The titular old guard, ...
A new Green Party announcement heralds a fast-exit out of fossil fuels through a massive state housing solar panel installation programme, a ban on new coal boilers, and the shifting of a target for renewable energy Solar panels and batteries would be installed in 30,000 State homes to create a "virtual power plant" if ...
As yet more male-led festival lineups are announced, Shaquille Wasasala, aka halfqueen, writes an open letter to the industry.To those whose career it is booking talent for music festivals, punters, and people who listen to music.As a DJ and artist who exists at many intersections that directly inform my lens ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Dunedin writer Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. This week: disgraced MP Hamish Walker.Showing promise The MP for Clutha-Southland did, it is true, post on Facebook that he had been door knocking in Mataura when he hadn’t. He lied. The MP for Clutha-Southland did, it is ...
It’s one of the most commonly used weedkillers in the world, but pressure to phase out use of the herbicide glyphosate could force us to come up with alternatives quickly. Listen to the full episode of Two Cents Worth below. Subscribe to Two Cents' Worth for free on Apple ...
Daily Review 05/02/2016 
The Serious Fraud Office has announced that it is investigating the Labour Party over donations it received in 2017. Which means the three largest parties in Parliament are all now either being investigated or prosecuted for donation fraud. The only parties who aren't are the Greens and ACT. As ...35 mins ago
Read our latest newsletter here ...2 hours ago
Dr Kim Handley, University of Auckland Just how do cyanobacteria live in their natural habitat, and how do they coexist with other bacteria and microbial life forms? And what difference will knowledge on this bacteria have on maintaining New Zealand’s water quality? One of the consequences of declining water quality ...6 hours ago
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Climate Feedback Article Review... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... Global temperatures could exceed crucial 1.5 C target in the next five years In this aerial view ...6 hours ago
National has a problem. And it’s time they said it out loud. It can’t be dismissed as a one-off anymore or excused because ‘everyone does it’. No, it cuts deeper than that. National has an ethics problem. Especially when it comes to privacy and using ordinary people as pawns in ...1 day ago
The Council of Disobedient Women There is a regular segment in the Speak Up For Women podcasts called “Absolutely Blasted Mad Moment of the Week”. Each podcast the speaker and the host discuss a recent event that is the most insane thing they have seen in the gender critical space ...2 days ago
Todd Muller - Dishonest National Party leaderIt seems that dishonest Todd Muller is, like many right-wing politicians, entirely morally bankrupt. I mean just look at the National Party’s leaking omni-shambles over the last week or so. They’ve imploded in a spectacular display of backfiring dirty politics, the likes of which ...2 days ago
TUESDAY JULY 14Yorkshire Airport (Prime, 7.30pm). Bloomin’ ’eck, behind the scenes at Leeds Bradford Airport. Apparently, there is plenty of “northern charm”, although reaction in the UK ranged from “brilliant” to “patronising”. It is narrated by Hugh Dennis, whose middle name might be “Arch”.WEDNESDAY JULY 15Queen: Live at Wembley (Prime, ...2 days ago
Simon Bridges must be the unluckiest person in New Zealand politics. When he was elected as leader of the National party, he also became Leader of the Opposition – a position, he was entitled to assume, that would require him to “oppose”. But the government he set out to oppose ...2 days ago
Check out Speak Up For Women’s new podcasts: Episode 3 In this episode Speak Up For Women spokeswoman Ani O’Brien (@aniobrien) is joined by Beth Johnson (@beth_nosnhoj) to discuss the proposal from Statistics NZ to change standard data collection policy to “gender by default” rather than sex. They discuss why the ...3 days ago
Transcript: National Party policy announcement on roads – 8 July, 2020 Muller: Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for coming. Reporter 1: Is Hamish Walker a racist? Muller: Hang on… you haven’t even said good afternoon to me yet. Reporter 1: Good afternoon Mr Muller. Is Hamish Walker a racist? ...3 days ago
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An update on our efforts to save the St Heliers Post Shop and Kiwibank and the broader implications of this skirmish
Our petition drive is going unexpectedly well. We’re at 1200 signatures and should be to 1500 tomorrow, if weather permits us to set up outside the St Heliers Library again from 9 AM. I and other volunteers have also been taking it door-to-door. Doing that, I’ve personally had only eight people refuse to sign (usually spouting the ‘free market’ ‘way of the world’ ‘economic reality’ ‘progress’ argument). Everyone else realizes a counter or area in a private, unaccountable business won’t hold a candle to what we enjoy now. St Heliers has had a post shop/office since 1912 and it and the library distinguish us from the other suburbs east of Auckland CBD along Tamaki Drive.
I addressed the Orakei Local Board yesterday and asked them to support the vast majority of their constituents who wish the post shop to remain as is. They seemed engaged by the topic and most of them asked me a question. Chair Desley Simpson said they would need to do their own research, but I am hopeful.
We’ve scheduled a community meeting for Friday, February 19 from 7 PM at the St Heliers Church & Community Centre, 100 St Heliers Bay Road, so that residents can finally have a proper say. Many, many people feel NZ Post has not done an adequate job involving and notifying residents in their process. Twice we have asked NZ Post, in the form of Holden Hohaia, Government and Community Relations Manager, to attend the meeting and he has refused. We invited Hohaia, for he contacted the MP sponsoring our petition, Phil Twyford, within 48 hours of the launch of our campaign’s Facebook group, to attempt to quell our revolt I suppose.
Kiwis have already lost half of our post shop locations. With these losses can come loss of other businesses and the important but intangible feeling of community, which St Heliers has in spades. NZ Post claims they’ve adopted this model to reverse a downward spiral, yet now that they seem to have done so, they still continue unthinkingly on this course. They claim the franchise model works and seem hell bent on imposing it everywhere despite Hohaia’s statement that “all decision making considers the impacts on customers and the community.”
I don’t realistically expect to win this battle, but it seems important to try to challenge NZ Post. It is beyond insulting to be told, by a Wellington bureaucrat no less, that “we are retaining the services in the St Heliers community at over 99.7% of their current level.” They derive this ridiculous figure because they claim less than 0.3% of 2015 transaction volumes were for services that won’t be available in St Heliers any longer: opening new Kiwibank accounts, term deposits, or Kiwisaver accounts. This from an organization whose annual report states that growing Kiwibank is a goal. And is 2015 a fair year to count new Kiwisaver accounts, when we know the effect of the government stopping the kickstart payment?
In any event, how will Take Note’s undoubtedly low-wage employees match the experience of the Post Shop’s longer term staff members? How comfortably will customers, who frequently fill the Post Shop, fit into the smaller and more crowded space of Take Note?
As an SOE it seems NZ Post has forgotten the state (the people) in favour of enterprise (profits) and one has to wonder how pressed they are to turn a profit, in the face of this government’s complete fiscal mismanagement and desire to post a surplus at any cost.
Lots of old people in St Heliers ?
Yes. The local population of the Orakei local board area is slightly over represented in older age groups, with a median age of 38.2 years, five years higher than the regional median of 33.9 years. And I would think there are more senior citizens in St Heliers than in some of the other suburbs within the district.
Well done Julia. This is another example of the creeping destruction of the kiwi way by corporate forces. The forces that be need to concentrate on providing for our communities and not feeding the bottom line.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/opinion/opinion-the-tppa-protests-were-deeply-ill-informed-2016020510#.VrQDagJPeOo.facebook
so what?
So what?, they’re protesting and haven’t got a fucking clue what they’re actually protesting about.
Bunch of gullible hive mind dumb arses.
What percentage do you think were there because they knew and were concerned about the issues?
10-20% max.
The rest were there because they don’t like capitalism and they don’t like John Key.
as capitalism and john key are directly related to concerns about the TPP then surely that makes 100%
I have a fucking clue. And everyone I spoke to had very good reasons for opposing the TPPA.
Do you understand the TPPA BM? Read the 6,000 pages?
The 6,000 pages tell us that to answer a question about what is wrong with TPPA is nearly impossible to answer in a sentence. They have made the paper-work so huge that the pro-TPP, just talk in general terms about how good it would be.
Turn it around. Ask Key why he supports TPP. General splurge would follow as expected. Yes but what specifics are you supporting? If the open-minded Garner was brave enough he could ask some of the NAt MPs to explain in specifics, on the hoof of course.
Yep their justification is palpably untrue, like “opening up trade markets” with countries we trade with already. Putting ordinary people in front of a camera and expecting them to give lecturer quality responses is kind of really dumb.
Typical lefties they became a bit nervous. The opposite response from the right would be a bunch of blow hards insisting that they understanding things completely.
AND the lawyers haven’t EVEN got involved yet with in disputes!!!
I’m sure you do MS and I respect your opinion.
But, the facts are in and unfortunately when it comes to actually knowing what you’re protesting about, you’re in the minority.
Seriously, gonna take da fishing, the benefit and our Maori rights !!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/video.cfm?c_id=1503078&gallery_id=157534
Bullshit. Everyone in that video knew what they were talking about, just like in another video someone put up. You just disagree with them.
Nice easy memo from CT this week I guess – just make out that protestors are all dumb.
Last week car rally against TPP, protester was asked by TV 1 reporter what he disagreed wth about TPP. a bemused silence and then this pearl of wisdom,” petrol prices are going to go up” go figure! This level of ignorance is wide spread in protest movement
Last week car rally against TPP, protester was asked by TV 1 reporter what he disagreed wth about TPP. a bemused silence and then this pearl of wisdom,” petrol prices are going to go up” go figure! This level of ignorance is wide spread in protest movement
At least those who marched understood that the public had not had a chance to have their say on the TPPA before it was signed.
Those who blindly trust Tim Groser and John Key have been gullible and have suspended their critical thinking by not researching more. If the Govt wanted to prove that it was better to be in than out of the TPPA, then why wasn’t a proper cost benefit analysis done. The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) are concerned at the TPPA and on 3 Feb 2016 called for a Health Benefit Analysis to be done.
Public Health Assn are also worried.
http://www.asms.org.nz/news/asms-news/2016/02/03/tppa-impact-health-significant-concern/
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/294244/public-health-assoc-critical-of-govt-support-for-tpp
“Bunch of gullible hive mind dumb arses” – Your words, BM but applied to the wrong set of people.
Ok so we are suppose to take advise from living in the past unions, failed hard left professional protesters and tin pot left wing ideological driven academics as gospel, I don’t think so Next polls are going to be a lot of fun
“I have a clue”. Debatable and if so not based on reason or logic, simply ideology and hysteria
I have a fucking clue BM, but I bet all the brain dead fuckwits who vote the spiv in time after time after time don’t
Wasn’t someone bragging/dribbling on The Standard the other day ‘duh I like John Key coz he goes on shock jock radio station’.
Every ones crazy but me, such a statement probably reflects more on you halfcrown ( or wit) than the so called brain dead fuckwits
“The rest were there because they don’t like capitalism and they don’t like John Key.”
Don’t like the greedy bankers form of capitalism and don’t trust key.
Fify
That’s kind of the point.
Didn’t any of you watch John Campbell on RNZ live-streaming the major protest ? He spoke to dozens of people : directly asking them why they were there, and what their concerns about TPPA were. And they all had clear valid answers. And they all knew why they were marching and protesting.
So whoever Julian Lee is, and whoever he spoke, to is a load of old crock.
‘Completely open mind’ – well no self-reflection for a start. Sounds like just another journalist auditioning to be a future National Party press secretary.
That the same Julian Lee who shot the “edited to fuck” nonsense that somebody linked to yesterday? Certainly reads like it. (Checked the link from the piece, and yes it is)
Here’s a wee bit of food for thought BM. Put aside that the entire deal was only released very recently. The corporate media is meant to inform people. So, what does it say of the corporate media if “9 out of 10” people don’t have a handle on something as significant as the TPP?
I mean, media organisations have resources not available to most people, yet utterly failed (by their own admission if Lees rantings are to be believed) to get any sense of knowledge out there into the public arena.
Then again, it could be claimed that in spite of the corporate media not informing people, a fair few people managed to inform themselves by other avenues.
Is there a third way to look at it? All ears.
ha ha, very good Bill.
This made me smile. Lee could be talking back to himself and his fellow ‘free trade’ cultists from the future with this passage he penned 🙂
whether those protesting could articulate what they are concerned about re TPPA is irrelevant…..these citizens are aware enough to know when they are being dismissed and treated like fools….maybe the TPPA is just an opportunity for some of them to express their displeasure with an administration that has manipulated things to the point where the only recourse is to protest
The neolibs believe they are very clever in their manipulation of the electorate…it remains to be seen how good they are at controlling the results of the pandoras box they are opening
I was asked a couple of pointless questions by a commentator, who came across as a total prat.
He had approached my son – late teens – who correctly identified him as a prat beforehand and said no. I felt a bit sorry for the guy, dressed in a badly fitted suit – and assumed he was a student given his approach and awkward manner.
Hah! After a couple of minutes of ego-strut questions from him, I took him for task for not staying on topic, and asked him if he had done any background at all on the issue before coming along. He looked offended. Then I asked where he was from, to which he demurred that he was from Auckland. No. I said – what organisation? NZME.
I parted from him, aware that he had led the questions into pointless discussions deliberately, suggesting that next time he asks someone for their opinions that he introduces himself and his organisation first as a matter of professionalism.
I have no doubt, many are better at me at spotting these “impartial” commentators, who will try to target those that meet their bias, and will selectively ask questions that are off tangent.
I hear its been raining cats & dildos up Waitangi, oh what a week!
LOL
I’m sure Joyce is more than capable of swallowing the whole thing, as per usual..
Yes hard left had there little hissy fit, hopefully therapeutic, world will move on, left will go backwards, normal status resumes
a new pin up boy for the neolibs….what a guy!
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-shkreli-looked-like-a-jerk-20160204-column.html
jeez Mallard, why don’t you fuck off and go play Mayor or something.
No one would want him…
As per usual in the friday dump before a long weekend….
McCully not off the hook.
How come this man gets to keep his ministry?
Bribes in Saudi,
Incompetency in the job.
A complete lack of Moral compass – (oh! that’s the prime quality needed for success in the Key govt!) Keep that man.
http://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/pm-appalled-at-waitangi-sex-toy-incident/ar-BBpbBuA?li=AAaeXZz
Interesting Key is appalled that this incident is getting global publicity. What about the impact of the hair pulling incident and the prison rape joke? What does he imagine people overseas thought about the PM carrying out these actions???????
2 wrongs don’t make a right
Get a grip mate. Can you tell the difference between:
A. The Prime Minister does something that is repeated bullying, assault and sexual harassment as a bit of fun for him.
B. Somebody from the general population assaulting a Minister as a part of a political protest.
Two wrongs don’t make a right is the sort of superficial analysis I expect from the media and most of the commentators the use. Use your brain and make a difference.
Deranged jk syndrome is well advanced in your case Gristle
A. silly at best, long bow to call an assault , B an assault of which you seem to condone is ok as long as a political protest, interesting
“Deranged jk syndrome” ??? …………. Is that a disease jk spreads ???? …. or is it a disease where you exhibit the symptoms of jk ( compulsive lies, bullying, hair fetish, selective amnesia etc )????
Either way I wouldn’t want to catch it.
Glad to have been warned about it though, thanks Redd :0
Well that is one way of thinking about it Redelusion at 7.1. But if you have done the first two wrongs ie. brought global media attention to this country for all the wrong reasons, then really your on extremely shaky ground acting outraged when someone else does it.
Added to this, I expect more of a PM. What about you?
Where did I say I was outraged, simply indicated both where silly. Outrage over the insignificant is more a left trait. This global media stuff is also bs, who really cares or judges a country on their leader gaffs, failings you could find any such stories on most global leaders
not you outraged Reddelusion. John Key, although checking back he said he was appalled, not outraged. HIs track record on getting international media attention for all the wrong reasons is well known………….pony tail gate, prison rape “joke”…….it is a bit rich then claiming to be appalled by the actions of the young woman who threw the dildo, when the international media attention he has garnered is far worse, as it comes from the PM
not you outraged Reddelusion. John Key, although checking back he said he was appalled, not outraged. HIs track record on getting international media attention for all the wrong reasons is well known………….pony tail gate, prison rape “joke”…….it is a bit rich then claiming to be appalled by the actions of the young woman who threw the dildo, when the international media attention he has garnered is far worse, as it comes from the PM