Why is Cadbury thrown so much shade compared to our national carrier that’s turning record profits yet tanking in its customer device and staff relationships?
Well that was an easy win for Smith and National that they never should have got.
Presumably someone in the PM’s office got Raymond Huo on the blower yesterday and said “Mate what the fuck are you doing?”.
A counter argument could be that it was a way of averting nat criticism of her submitting. Now they can’t say boo about her being there. Normally they would be screaming their lungs out trying to shoot her down, not defending her.
In that light I see it as a rather cunning play that might make the muppets breath through their noses and not just bark at every passing car.
It seems to me though Cinny that the Labour MPs on that committee handed Nick Smith the opportunity to discredit them in the first place. It’s true none of us was there, but it does look like those MPs summarily dismissed Brady’s request to make a submission on specious grounds. Bearing in mind we’re talking about one of NZ’s foremost experts on the subject that was truly insulting.
As a strong supporter of the Labour Party, I hope they will take more care with such decisions in future.
However at least our new government appears to be quick to sort things out when an error of ways (as such) occurs. Rather than the we know best attitude of the nats,
Meanwhile Dr custard is looking for his next photo op.
I think in light of all the oh- so – coincidental incidents and phantom like ,difficult – to – prove goings on over the last few years [ particularly under National ] that there should have been no question at all regarding Prof Brady’s submissions in the first place.
I’m not that much of a Labourphile that even they get off the hook as they too, have their fair share of resident long term neo liberals. And who , like National , don’t want to rock the boat when it comes to the cash cow that is china.
The question of chinese spying and subversion should be taken just as seriously as Helen Clarke once did with Israeli spy’s. Lets also remember the Rainbow Warrior and the French special forces in this country to ram home the point even further. Political and economic sabotage is just as serious as blowing up a vessel in our main ports.
——————————————
” It cannot be denied that Ms Brady has a lot to share on the subject. Her 2017 paper Magic Weapons described the United Front, a Chinese Government group aimed at promoting the policies and ideals of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to control outside forces.
Her house was burgled in February last year and her old laptop was taken that she’d used for research while travelling in China ”.
——————————————
And despite all the mud slinging and the ‘who said what’ , – when it comes to this country’s sovereignty and the people who live here as CITIZENS under a DEMOCRACY we deserve better from our elected officials. We’re not interested in their song and dance. Or any other skulduggery no matter which party it comes from.
Good to see the turnaround and thank you for the heads up , Cinny.
“Political and economic sabotage”
Lets not over-egg the pudding……that’s what Professor Brady is proposing… have you even skim read her ‘magic weapons’ paper? Cheap shot insinuations , no hard evidence of wrongdoing at all on the part of the Chinese, and of course absolutely nothing illegal
And what the fuck is ‘influence’. Simply hearing a chinese point of view for a change? Are we unduly influenced because we have most of our news piped directly from the US?
I’ve told you before dude, as a patriotic New Zealander you should round up some of your mates, protest down Queen street hoisting anti-China banners and get in the news…..the Chinese will quitely go away and New Zealand’s unemployment rate will shoot up to beyond 20%, as it would have done if that FTA had not been signed
Yes Prof Brady is very immersed in her field but you would think that she might have uncovered some hard evidence by now. If she has none then what value her opinion? Maybe her submission will deliver something concrete, or not.
And I’ve told you before , ‘ dude’ … you should shut your trap, grow a brain and read the condescending , inflated bellicosity and sense of superiority handed down to those who don’t ‘agree’ with the opinions of the celestial homeland..
———————————————-
– It was written by Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries at Liaocheng University in China.
In his article, Mr Lei said , … ” New Zealand’s relations with China have been sliding ever since the Government took power in October 2017, by joining other Western powers to “undermine Beijing’s growing influence”. He noted the Five Eyes meeting of New Zealand, Canada, Australia, the UK and US that took place in July last year in Nova Scotia, Canada, where Mr Lei alleged a “campaign” was cooked up by the group to “kill Huawei”.
”New Zealand also made an issue of the cooperation between China and the Pacific Island countries, betraying anxiety over Beijing’s growing influence in the South Pacific,”
———————————————–
He also says that NZ should ”stop acting like an anti-China pawn of the US”.
So now , ‘ dude’ ‘… lets recap there , shall we?
Beijing’s little Varsity mouthpiece [ no doubt an active paid up communist party member himself ] hits all the high notes on what REALLY motivates them.
——————————————————–
1/ Undermining Beijing’s ‘growing influence’.
2/ The Five Eyes meeting where an alleged ‘campaign ‘ was concocted to ‘kill Huaei”.
3/ ‘Betraying Beijing’s ‘growing influence’ in the South Pacific.
——————————————————
NOW,… what does all this REALLY SOUND LIKE?
Maintaining a healthy relationship in a spirit of cooperation with a trading partner , – OR – using passive aggressive veiled threats of economic retraction and political coercion while the REAL motive is to further their military and thus economic and political spheres in a bid to undermine their rivals the Americans?
Come on buddy, we are not that naive.
So here’s a real cool suggestion for you , champ.
Piss off , – ( and that bits real important ) – , go back to where you came from, then take your own advice , and proceed to wave a placard around protesting the human rights abuses perpetrated against the Falun Gong and people in Tibet down the main street of Beijing.
The “undermine Beijing’s growing influence” was put in quotation marks in your originally quoted passage. The writer was quoting what many people in NZ feel, and the reason why many in NZ support Five Eyes and the Anglo alliance. He was not taking offense because some New Zealander’s want to ‘undermine Beijing’s growing influence’, rather the writer was referring to the mindset of many kiwis.
”New Zealand also made an issue of the cooperation between China and the Pacific Island countries, betraying anxiety over Beijing’s growing influence in the South Pacific,”
Betraying is used not in the sense of China feels ‘betrayed’ by New Zealand, but simply used in the same way as ‘revealing’ —-you not know proper english eh dude?
The Five Eyes meeting where an alleged ‘campaign ‘ was concocted to ‘kill Huaei”.
If you don’t believe the campaign against Huawei is pure spiteful petty jealousy on the part of the Americans, then you are pretty naive.
And if you think the Chinese don’t have a right to be concerned about a coterie of nations spying on them, and ‘pivots to Asia’ etc, then you are probably a racist.
“using passive aggressive veiled threats of economic retraction and political coercion”
But you have previously said that the economic relationship is pretty much useless to NZ anyway….so you have no need to worry.
You’re a real true blue ( make that Red Fed ) chinaphile! – you’ve got it bad. From twisting articles to taking things completely out of context that your mates on the other side of the cloak and dagger are saying.
SO WHAT … if that’s what many people in New Zealand think FFS?
Are we not allowed to have our own opinions ?
Or is that only the exclusive rights of the CCP bureaucracy???
Here’s one for the communist sycophant Prof in Beijing University to consider;
Why , just why oh why ,.. if you are indeed correct about your superior understanding of the English language , do you think New Zealanders may have anxiety over a major military powers expansion into the South Pacific and at the same time start to see the true colors emerging of just who their Free Trading partner really is once the veil is lifted?
And then ,…hot on the heels of pulling the racist card yourself and writing : ‘pure spiteful petty jealousy ‘ on the part of Americans … do you even proof read what you say?
And do you really think we are that gormless to think for a moment china DOESN’T spy on us in turn , – and other members of the 5 Eye partners along with the Russians, and satellite country’s ???
WOW !!!
Give us a break.
Hope your getting your backpack ready for that protest march down Beijing, mate – oh and while your there?… please make some inquiry’s into chinas human rights records. I’m sure you’ll receive a warm and glowing welcome over a cup of tea.
‘pure spiteful petty jealousy ‘ on the part of Americans … do you even proof read what you say?
Well noone has been able to come up with one iota of evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Huawei. Even the Brits are now having second thoughts, as are the Germans, and the Italians, in spite of immense US pressure.
“do you think New Zealanders may have anxiety over a major military powers expansion into the South Pacific”
Has China forced any country to have a relationship with it that that country does not want? Have the Chinese tested atomic weapons over the homes of Pacific islanders? Have they ever ‘blackbirded’ Pacific islanders into slavery, or let of bombs in Auckland harbour? New Zealand rule was pretty horrific for Samoa – misrule killed about a quarter of the population?
In any case what’s it New Zealand’s beeswax if say a Fijian wants to do business with a Chinese?
I wonder if others can see the delicious irony of what National is doing here?
The party that is so obviously bought and paid for by foreign [Chinese] money is upset the government won’t allow a prominent academic to give details of foreign [Chinese] influence in NZ politics.
A strategic decision was made 20 + years ago to align our selves with Asia, what you’re seeing now is the result of that directional change.
We’re locked in with China and any change will have major economic impacts for NZ, no NZ politician will jeopardise that relationship we’re now too exposed and too reliant, any move away from China will mean economic hardship and loss of power for any political party that instigates a shift.
Yes BM , but if you haven’t heard, politicians are fond of the word ‘ graduation’.
And where were our markets before Aunty Helen and her cozy FTD with china?
Were we exactly ( to use you far right wingers favorite whipping boy ) another Venezuela?
Obviously not !!! . And Britain joined the EEC LOOOONG before either Roger Douglas and the smash ‘n grabbers came along. Not only that , we also had the Arab Oil Shocks. Again ,… looooooooooong before Uncle Roger rogered us.
Matter of fact , – that was in the time of Norman Kirk. And I don’t remember large numbers of homeless, children whose family’s are at subsistence levels, run down schools and hospitals… in fact , we were the envy of the world with a cradle to grave welfare net in aland of hig wages and plenty of millionaires…
Soooooooooooooooo,… whats the problem here?… did finding other lucrative markets start and finish with the neo liberal hijack ? Or was Aunty Helen one of the Valkyries come down from on high and R.Douglas a form of thunder bolt wielding Zeus?
Or is being pushed around, being whores to the latest faux offer of prosperity , selling off our land to any old Johnny come latelys , not having a sovereign backbone in our bodies and acting like the street corner snitch the ‘New Face ‘ of New Zealand?
That it huh?
A gormless, unthinking ,cowering bunch of braindead , screen watching zombies that when to told to bend over simply say ‘ how far’?
Answer the question – did we have the burgeoning and overt social conditions and poor wages during either Norman Kirk’s time or Rob Muldoon’s?
NO . we didn’t.
And was NZ’s debt private sector or Govt?
Private sector.
You and your mates need an education and here’s just the site to give it to you. There you will find just ‘WHO’ was responsible for our ‘ monetary reserves to dry up ‘.
——————————————————
A key point of the free-market cabal’s programme was to devalue the New Zealand dollar, an extremely sensitive issue. Several weeks before the July, 1984 election, Douglas, Labour’s shadow finance minister, “accidentally” released a statement which signaled his intent to devalue.
Since it was a near certainty that labour, aided by the New Zealand Party’s drawing votes from the Nationals, would win, speculators began to dump the New Zealand dollar, planning, post-devaluation, to cash in each dollar of foreign currency for more New Zealand dollars than previously.
With Labour’s victory, the simmering foreign exchange crisis exploded. The Reserve Bank’s foreign Exchange holdings quickly ran dry, and Labour demanded, even before the end of the several-week transition period, that Muldoon devalue. After a brief struggle, Muldoon capitulated, and devalued by 20%.
Speculators made tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars overnight.
Whatever, the point still is all our exports went to the UK, the UK sad yeah, nah we don’t want your exports anymore.
We’re like fucking hell unless we can find countries to sell our stuff to we’re fucked.
Asia was an emerging market who wanted to trade, we focused on Asia, I doubt back then anyone would have guessed that China would become the number one superpower.
We had made a global statement about nuclear arms hence why the Americans shunned us. We withdrew effectively form ANZUS.
Again … we self sabotaged.
Even the Australians called us bludgers for doing that.
Meanwhile all but NZ politicians could see china was going to be an emerging superpower. Which is why the Australians made trade deals with the chinese. And made enormous wealth through iron ore sales to china.
Yet ,- did the Australians act like idiots and throw the baby out with the bathwater and cancel all trade ties with the Americans?
No.
They had two pots on the boil – with china and the USA.
Yet all we ever get from all you right wing nutters are excuses why we cant do the same.
Think Russia.
Then think china and Russia.
And if its a bright and sunny day think the USA as well.
… in fact , we were the envy of the world with a cradle to grave welfare net in aland of hig wages and plenty of millionaires…
Yeah, because we were part of the British empire —the white part that is, that benefitted from the plunder of the non-white part.
“And Britain joined the EEC LOOOONG before either Roger Douglas and the smash ‘n grabbers came along. Not only that , we also had the Arab Oil Shocks.”
That’s when the party sort of ended. The impact would not have been felt right away —-but we had to borrow like crazy to maintain a lifestyle we had become accustomed to.
It has been and continues to bring massive benefits to millions of New Zealanders. In reality there’s no pulling away from our trade dependence with China. So it’s also the greatest strategic risk this country faces.
What’s the answer?, I don’t want NZ to become a vassal state of China but we are so reliant on them now, it’s almost impossible to pull away without crushing economic hardship.
Cancelling an FTA will be the last FTA we ever sign. It will say to the world that New Zealand is untrustworthy and can not keep up its end of the bargain. We’d have to sell our soles if we wanted back into a rules based order.
Who said anything about cancelling, and………….. btw …… wasn’t there a fair few country’s who had prob’s with the biggest FTD of all time in the southern climes – the TTPA?
I think people have got to get past this ‘ all or nothing ‘ mentality and start seeing that trade deals, are not forever. Hostility’s and wars will soon put paid to that Polyanna outlook. And the best way is to have multiple deals on the boil at the same time.
Not some idiotic lazy one way easily railroaded FTD with anchor ropes attached. And would lil ole NZ be the first nation to adjust its terms in trade? Really?
It’s getting to the point now where a good chunk of people are figuring out that the China FTA doesn’t matter for the fate of New Zealand economically. The government has a policy to diversify trade so less likely to induce recession and probably a down turn at worse. No ressision, no doom.
Then National who wanted to carry the baton further with the TTPA – and , like their corporate overseas mates ,denied sufficient time and access to conduct a truly democratic vote. But 25 million spent on a flag referendum that no one wanted was all just fine and dandy.
Then National who wanted to carry the baton further with the TTPA
Actually I thought you would have supported the TTPA ….which was in part to diversify our markets away from China, and not to have our eggs all in one basket.
Indeed the Chinese hated the TPPA in its original form as well. So you see, you do have something in common after all with the Chinese
The CPTPP (as it’s now called) doesn’t include China or have anything to do with the FTA that Clark initially negotiated with China. If anything it may provide us with an opportunity to rebalance some of our trade away from China and reduce reliance on that trading relationship.
When guys like you and Mark don’t even know their own country’s political history and can only think in terms of the present , – it tells me you are either too young to know or too disinterested to find out or too lacking in the consequences of cause and effect .
Its almost as if all you can see is china, china, china and there is no way out.
Yet , humorously , – paying lip service with feigned states of chagrin yet in reality… want things as they are because you have vested interests in keeping it that way.
Either that or having a very myopic view of the world.
And this is especially so as once the flaws in your arguments void your opinions , you both resort to school boy put downs .
‘May provide’… as in ‘ none could foresee china becoming a ‘superpower’ as BM writes…operative word being ‘ may’.
Sounds great on paper, … but there’s a little issue of corporate involvement still… which ‘may’ or ‘may not’ compromise a democratically elected govt – esp of a smaller nation.
Heres the rub : You renegotiate any FTD and in this case, with china, but you do it while at the same time procuring trade deals in other parts of the globe. That’s called gaining leverage on the deal. china wants to extend its political/military influence in a region. Fine.
But just to make sure the goal posts are not shifted after a decade to your trade partners advantage and your detriment , you ensure you have other alternatives. All trade deals are renegotiated at some stage, unless your a small country like NZ , it seems. What does that tell you?
It tells you that times change, leaders change , political alliances change. Just like Britain joining the EEC ‘ changed’. And its a slow minded and naive person who thinks it wont.
Your guys trade bibles seem way nerdy and out of touch with the basics. First of all it is wrong for an island nation not to have a merchant fleet of its own with its own shipbuilding. Conquering the Pacific Ocean is what makes New Zealanders stand out.
I notice that the beneficiaries have been very blatant in playing the system.
They should train in accountancy, will some extra learning they could have good careers and never need to break the law again, having a good income assured.
I notice that the judge’s surname is Ruth. But he wasn’t ruthless in dealing with the pair, not putting the woman in prison so that she can mother her children.
Nick Smith is concerned about foreign interference but then I saw him on TV saying he wasn’t interested in hearing the opinion of Jami-lee Ross.
He reckons he wants to hear from Anne-Marie Brady supposedly because she’s got the true oil.
Hello Nick – anyone home? You can be a dick but you can’t have it both ways. Do you want to hear from people who have information of various aspects or not?
Yes Peter. Saw that and thought how ironic. Jamie-Lee is an expert on money/China influence and his inside knowledge must be credible.
Brady is really credibility unproven.
I don’t expect medical, climate and environmental, military, astronomical, mathematical and geological scientists signed it. You could add historians and physicists to that list. I doubt any of them signed it either. Not their line of business eh?
I doubt I would agree with Professor Brady on a lot of things but she is an expert in her field of endeavour, and has received accolades from her fellow academics both here and overseas for her research work on Chinese government activity. Note… we are talking about Chinese government entities not the Chinese people. She has many Chinese friends in China and is married to a gentleman of Chinese extraction. She speaks Chinese and can read and write in Chinese.
As for the harassment and intimidation:
It follows a well trodden pathway used by operatives working for governments and other global agencies wanting to silence individuals whom they regard as a threat either to themselves or their agency. In their countries of origin they often just throw them into prison but they can’t do that in other jurisdictions so they harass and intimidate them instead.
I would believe her any day over the likes of someone with such limited knowledge and understanding such as yourself.
Ok, all the people who didn’t sign it didn’t give a shit. You are projecting, Mark, i.e. making assumptions about people’s reasons and reasoning to fit your own belief system.
What exactly would give her the required level of ‘credibility”?
She is well educated, speaks fluent Mandarin (which in my book is a triple plus when commenting on things Chinese, know the language, know the culture etc), she was, and for all I know still is, married to a Chinese guy and according to this op ed she wrote for that rag the New York Times, she has the ability to communicate most efficaciously with Chinese bureaucrats. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/opinion/12iht-edbrady03.html
Oh ffs, so Raymond Huo say speaks fluent english, as do many Chinese, so that must make everything they say about New Zealand automatically true and their opinions are friggin gold?
What about Pansy Wong….she is also an expert because she speaks fluent english and chinese and so all her points of view are holy friggin writ?
The fact that she shills for the US neo-conservative Wilson institute, named for a notorious racist who was against racial equality for blacks and asians shows what a rotten egg she is.
Just pointing out an anomaly within your own thought processes.
A lot of Anglos (who are typically monolingual) assume that any other Anglo who speaks a foreign language with some facility (or even just a few words) makes him or her an expert on that foreign culture.
But that is such a laughable assumption. After all we have right here in NZ hundreds of thousands of people who are bilingual in English AND in Maori, or Chinese or Hindi or Samoan or Tongan or Tamil or Afrikaans etc, and many even married to Kiwis.
Some Chinese chick married to a kiwi who speaks English at IELTS level 5.5 and works at the ASB…..suppose she goes back to say her native Beijing, and suddenly is the NZ expert, on indeed the expert on all things Western eh? Well of course bloody not…..the chinese are not so stupid.
Let’s be clear. Brady is an agent of foreign influence herself, and works for the US neoconservative think tank the Wilson Centre, named after that most racist of 20th Century presidents Woodrow Wilson.
A lot of Anglos (who are typically monolingual) assume that any other Anglo who speaks a foreign language with some facility (or even just a few words) makes him or her an expert on that foreign culture.
It may not make them an expert, but you could reasonably argue it is a necessary pre-condition.
I worked for years in HK as an engineer. I once had this boss who had studied at Canterbury U in NZ, came back to HK, and thought he was a know it all on all things NZ and Western, but his views were completely off base, and he talked english with a choppy cantonese accent – basically he was full of shit. Like you have the pretentious ‘old china hands’ who think they know everything about china because they have drank in a few hk or shanghai bars and rooted the local women, it goes the other way round as well….like some Chinese ‘canadians’ simply because they migrated to Canada, then come back to Hong Kong and pretend they just couldn’t stand the HK lifestyle anymore, underlining just how so ‘canadian’ they now were…people just want to make you fucking laugh sometimes.
In any case I think that one’s views should be judged on their merits only, after all I can have views on Stalin and Hitler, and they should not be dismissed because I speak neither Russian or German. Just because Brady is credentialed in terms of the language and marriage partner does not make her views correct (nor incorrect). After all I speak Cantonese fluently and mandarin haltingly andalso have a chinese ex wife and a chinese partner now —by the standards of some here, that would make me doubly qualified and everything I say about China or china related matters must automatically be accepted as gospel?
Edit… that was very interesting, jlr knows the score.
His recent question in parliament about past ministers traveling overseas and possible donation procurement … joining the dots re said subject. Really interesting.
Twitter Jami-Lee Ross
Sorry, but not surprised, to hear Nick Smith isn’t interested in my view on foreign donations. Reality is any foreigner can use a NZ company to donate to a political party. That’s how National’s received a lot of funding. Ignoring me doesn’t make that go away.
As the reality of the situation comes out, critics look quite foolish as they try to shift the emphasis of their criticism.
I’m picking Cullen is going to bill about $4000 for February and March. That’s pretty cheap for the amount of hate he’s received from the Nats and their nut job followers.
Secondary school teacher Melanie Webber, who was at the meeting, said Prebble seemed to infer people “should be more concerned about maintaining the success of the 80 per cent than concerned about the 20 per cent who are failing”.
She said she felt the comments were “racist”.
Webber raised the issue with Prebble at the end of the night and he took “extreme umbrage”, she said.
“He thrust his chest up against mine, started jabbing my face […] just absolutely lost [the] plot.”
She said she was asked to leave by ACT Party leader David Seymour, who organised the event.
Now, I’m constantly told by RWNJs that the left are guilty of wanting to shut down anyone who doesn’t agree with them but it seems they don’t practice what they preach.
Shame on David Seymour for promoting such naked racism. The swift demise of ACT and all its supporters can’t come quick enough.
If prebble is saying you don’t distroy 80Pc to save 20pc that seem rather logical Similary what did miss Webber expect calling some one a racist, playing the man and not the ball I am very glad one ms Webber is not teaching my kids, sound as she is nuts and should not be teaching at all
You are been extremely intellectually dishonest muttonbrain Prebble comments where clearly reflecting you don’t distroy the 80pc to fix the 20, wether you agree with that or not is not the point Prebble is clearly not a racist with a PI wife. Webber and yourself basically have shite for brains 😁
Not muddled. Just pointing out how you are all ok with racism against South Africans and asians – then complain when you think others are being racist.
No you are saying that Marty, not prebble because you are in permanent victim mode What he was clearly saying is fix the 20pc without stuffing up the 80pc , charter schools etc If you can’t see that well you are good example of the 20pc that probably needed more help
And the only answer is centralisation because that what your suggesting and if you suggest otherwise you have bad intent and you are a racist Well I guess it 101 left play book to any one who disagrees with them Great argument solkta, can I suggest you don’t join a debating club
Well fucktard, the current system has been failing for thirty years. Allowing schools to do it on there own has not worked. Tomorrows Schools allows the majority to capture the direction of the school and deny minorities their rights.
Has worked for 80pc, so your wrong there from the start Likewise simply because it has not worked for 100pc means more centralisation is the answer nor that to argue otherwise you are a racist That’s my point dick head not the policy itself
Leaving schools to do it by themselves has failed so obviously the only alternative is to give them more direction. You really are bewildered aren’t you.
No he was not he was debating merits of centralisation vs decentralisation and you don’t distroy what’s working for 80 pc to fix 20pc, He was arguing there a way to do both ie Maintain 80 pc and fix the 20pc ( more targeted than blunt policy proposed ) , boy there are some thicko”s out today , is it a full moon or something😞
I was not there but it’s pretty obvious The key argument he put forward was centralisation was not a good policy to adddress the 20pc, wether he had alternative fk knows, Charter schools maybe Anyway what is clearly obvious he was not been racist or arguing we need to sacrifice the 20pc been the longbow you and a few other knuckleheads have drawn as a conclusion and stuff have used as click bait to suck you guys in
You can fuck of with your charter schools. Young citizens have a right to attend their local school and to have that school meet its obligations to meet their needs.
But as you say you are not sure if he was suggesting that, or suggesting anything.
And no:
The key argument he put forward was centralisation was not a good policy to adddress (sic) the 20pc,
He did not say this at all. What he said was that centralisation would somehow “destroy” the success of the 80%. That seems to suggest that he actually thinks that centralisation would help the 20%.
Regarding your last paragraph More fuzzy logic from the Sok, what you suggest does not suggest at all I agree with your first point but your second obviously highlights some of your synapses are miss firing
Oh fk off muttonbrain you know very well he is arguing against the policy review of centralisation (impacting all )over decentralisation is the answer to the 20 pc in regard to lifting under achievers not that we should ignore under achievers themselves , your are one dishonest prick Stop lying to yourself would put you on the road to redemption
Another devastating blow by the Solkta, it’s like debating a goldfish ( possibly insult to all the goldfish out their) or going 10 rounds with Mr Bean 😊
Your arguement gets weaker and weaker as you dig ,your first premise you neither prove privatisation is good or bad just a deluded half assed weak minded opinion, your conclusion also bares no real relevance to your first premise and again just another half assed opinion based on confirmation bias to justify a some what dim witted ideological position
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TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles and that ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
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Why is Cadbury thrown so much shade compared to our national carrier that’s turning record profits yet tanking in its customer device and staff relationships?
Corporate espionage by fifth columnists from Ocho 😉 .
Cadbury continue to under deliver on everything but diminishing expectations. Their business plan is to downsize.
The Whittaker brothers continue to do end runs around them.
New Zealanders should start buying Whittakers NZ Made Chocolate
Their chocolate is compressed arse nuggets.
Seem to have lost the edit function.
On the topic of orangutans, I can recommend Orangutan school on Choice TV, very amusing and heartwarming.
I’m impressed you’re sufficiently familiar with the taste of arse nuggets that you can narrow it down to compressed ones.
I like mine compressed and polished ….
Sometimes I like humans.
https://twitter.com/_SJPeace_/status/1103712713937690624
The beautiful game, told by beautiful people. Truly inspiring. Thanks Joe90.
Thanks government for sorting this out….
“The Government is now considering allowing China expert Anne-Marie Brady to make a submission on foreign interference after previously blocking her.”
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/03/labour-u-turn-on-blocking-china-critic-anne-marie-brady-s-foreign-interference-submission.html
“Mr Huo said: “What I can add is that it appeared to be a set-up by National MP Dr Smith.”
lmao, we all know Dr custard will do anything for media coverage, so that would not surprise me one little bit.
Well that was an easy win for Smith and National that they never should have got.
Presumably someone in the PM’s office got Raymond Huo on the blower yesterday and said “Mate what the fuck are you doing?”.
Maybe waited until later today, cos no hurry, right.
A counter argument could be that it was a way of averting nat criticism of her submitting. Now they can’t say boo about her being there. Normally they would be screaming their lungs out trying to shoot her down, not defending her.
In that light I see it as a rather cunning play that might make the muppets breath through their noses and not just bark at every passing car.
It seems to me though Cinny that the Labour MPs on that committee handed Nick Smith the opportunity to discredit them in the first place. It’s true none of us was there, but it does look like those MPs summarily dismissed Brady’s request to make a submission on specious grounds. Bearing in mind we’re talking about one of NZ’s foremost experts on the subject that was truly insulting.
As a strong supporter of the Labour Party, I hope they will take more care with such decisions in future.
Oh , and I forgot to add it happened on the eve of International Women’s Day.
Oh dear oh dear…….
International Women’s Day 🙂 Timing 🙂
Agree with you Anne, someone made the wrong call.
However at least our new government appears to be quick to sort things out when an error of ways (as such) occurs. Rather than the we know best attitude of the nats,
Meanwhile Dr custard is looking for his next photo op.
I suspect Prime Minister Ardern stepped in smartly and sorted them out. 😉
I think in light of all the oh- so – coincidental incidents and phantom like ,difficult – to – prove goings on over the last few years [ particularly under National ] that there should have been no question at all regarding Prof Brady’s submissions in the first place.
I’m not that much of a Labourphile that even they get off the hook as they too, have their fair share of resident long term neo liberals. And who , like National , don’t want to rock the boat when it comes to the cash cow that is china.
The question of chinese spying and subversion should be taken just as seriously as Helen Clarke once did with Israeli spy’s. Lets also remember the Rainbow Warrior and the French special forces in this country to ram home the point even further. Political and economic sabotage is just as serious as blowing up a vessel in our main ports.
——————————————
” It cannot be denied that Ms Brady has a lot to share on the subject. Her 2017 paper Magic Weapons described the United Front, a Chinese Government group aimed at promoting the policies and ideals of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to control outside forces.
Her house was burgled in February last year and her old laptop was taken that she’d used for research while travelling in China ”.
——————————————
And despite all the mud slinging and the ‘who said what’ , – when it comes to this country’s sovereignty and the people who live here as CITIZENS under a DEMOCRACY we deserve better from our elected officials. We’re not interested in their song and dance. Or any other skulduggery no matter which party it comes from.
Good to see the turnaround and thank you for the heads up , Cinny.
“Political and economic sabotage”
Lets not over-egg the pudding……that’s what Professor Brady is proposing… have you even skim read her ‘magic weapons’ paper? Cheap shot insinuations , no hard evidence of wrongdoing at all on the part of the Chinese, and of course absolutely nothing illegal
And what the fuck is ‘influence’. Simply hearing a chinese point of view for a change? Are we unduly influenced because we have most of our news piped directly from the US?
I’ve told you before dude, as a patriotic New Zealander you should round up some of your mates, protest down Queen street hoisting anti-China banners and get in the news…..the Chinese will quitely go away and New Zealand’s unemployment rate will shoot up to beyond 20%, as it would have done if that FTA had not been signed
Yes Prof Brady is very immersed in her field but you would think that she might have uncovered some hard evidence by now. If she has none then what value her opinion? Maybe her submission will deliver something concrete, or not.
You don’t get to make public hard evidence when your data’s stolen and your denied the ability to make submissions though do we…
Very well said WK.
And I’ve told you before , ‘ dude’ … you should shut your trap, grow a brain and read the condescending , inflated bellicosity and sense of superiority handed down to those who don’t ‘agree’ with the opinions of the celestial homeland..
———————————————-
– It was written by Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries at Liaocheng University in China.
In his article, Mr Lei said , … ” New Zealand’s relations with China have been sliding ever since the Government took power in October 2017, by joining other Western powers to “undermine Beijing’s growing influence”. He noted the Five Eyes meeting of New Zealand, Canada, Australia, the UK and US that took place in July last year in Nova Scotia, Canada, where Mr Lei alleged a “campaign” was cooked up by the group to “kill Huawei”.
”New Zealand also made an issue of the cooperation between China and the Pacific Island countries, betraying anxiety over Beijing’s growing influence in the South Pacific,”
———————————————–
He also says that NZ should ”stop acting like an anti-China pawn of the US”.
So now , ‘ dude’ ‘… lets recap there , shall we?
Beijing’s little Varsity mouthpiece [ no doubt an active paid up communist party member himself ] hits all the high notes on what REALLY motivates them.
——————————————————–
1/ Undermining Beijing’s ‘growing influence’.
2/ The Five Eyes meeting where an alleged ‘campaign ‘ was concocted to ‘kill Huaei”.
3/ ‘Betraying Beijing’s ‘growing influence’ in the South Pacific.
——————————————————
NOW,… what does all this REALLY SOUND LIKE?
Maintaining a healthy relationship in a spirit of cooperation with a trading partner , – OR – using passive aggressive veiled threats of economic retraction and political coercion while the REAL motive is to further their military and thus economic and political spheres in a bid to undermine their rivals the Americans?
Come on buddy, we are not that naive.
So here’s a real cool suggestion for you , champ.
Piss off , – ( and that bits real important ) – , go back to where you came from, then take your own advice , and proceed to wave a placard around protesting the human rights abuses perpetrated against the Falun Gong and people in Tibet down the main street of Beijing.
Let me know how you get on.
WTF?
The “undermine Beijing’s growing influence” was put in quotation marks in your originally quoted passage. The writer was quoting what many people in NZ feel, and the reason why many in NZ support Five Eyes and the Anglo alliance. He was not taking offense because some New Zealander’s want to ‘undermine Beijing’s growing influence’, rather the writer was referring to the mindset of many kiwis.
”New Zealand also made an issue of the cooperation between China and the Pacific Island countries, betraying anxiety over Beijing’s growing influence in the South Pacific,”
Betraying is used not in the sense of China feels ‘betrayed’ by New Zealand, but simply used in the same way as ‘revealing’ —-you not know proper english eh dude?
The Five Eyes meeting where an alleged ‘campaign ‘ was concocted to ‘kill Huaei”.
If you don’t believe the campaign against Huawei is pure spiteful petty jealousy on the part of the Americans, then you are pretty naive.
And if you think the Chinese don’t have a right to be concerned about a coterie of nations spying on them, and ‘pivots to Asia’ etc, then you are probably a racist.
“using passive aggressive veiled threats of economic retraction and political coercion”
But you have previously said that the economic relationship is pretty much useless to NZ anyway….so you have no need to worry.
L0L !
You’re a real true blue ( make that Red Fed ) chinaphile! – you’ve got it bad. From twisting articles to taking things completely out of context that your mates on the other side of the cloak and dagger are saying.
SO WHAT … if that’s what many people in New Zealand think FFS?
Are we not allowed to have our own opinions ?
Or is that only the exclusive rights of the CCP bureaucracy???
Here’s one for the communist sycophant Prof in Beijing University to consider;
Why , just why oh why ,.. if you are indeed correct about your superior understanding of the English language , do you think New Zealanders may have anxiety over a major military powers expansion into the South Pacific and at the same time start to see the true colors emerging of just who their Free Trading partner really is once the veil is lifted?
And then ,…hot on the heels of pulling the racist card yourself and writing : ‘pure spiteful petty jealousy ‘ on the part of Americans … do you even proof read what you say?
And do you really think we are that gormless to think for a moment china DOESN’T spy on us in turn , – and other members of the 5 Eye partners along with the Russians, and satellite country’s ???
WOW !!!
Give us a break.
Hope your getting your backpack ready for that protest march down Beijing, mate – oh and while your there?… please make some inquiry’s into chinas human rights records. I’m sure you’ll receive a warm and glowing welcome over a cup of tea.
‘pure spiteful petty jealousy ‘ on the part of Americans … do you even proof read what you say?
Well noone has been able to come up with one iota of evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Huawei. Even the Brits are now having second thoughts, as are the Germans, and the Italians, in spite of immense US pressure.
“do you think New Zealanders may have anxiety over a major military powers expansion into the South Pacific”
Has China forced any country to have a relationship with it that that country does not want? Have the Chinese tested atomic weapons over the homes of Pacific islanders? Have they ever ‘blackbirded’ Pacific islanders into slavery, or let of bombs in Auckland harbour? New Zealand rule was pretty horrific for Samoa – misrule killed about a quarter of the population?
In any case what’s it New Zealand’s beeswax if say a Fijian wants to do business with a Chinese?
I wonder if others can see the delicious irony of what National is doing here?
The party that is so obviously bought and paid for by foreign [Chinese] money is upset the government won’t allow a prominent academic to give details of foreign [Chinese] influence in NZ politics.
You really can’t make this stuff up!
All NZ politicians are working for/with China.
A strategic decision was made 20 + years ago to align our selves with Asia, what you’re seeing now is the result of that directional change.
We’re locked in with China and any change will have major economic impacts for NZ, no NZ politician will jeopardise that relationship we’re now too exposed and too reliant, any move away from China will mean economic hardship and loss of power for any political party that instigates a shift.
Yes BM , but if you haven’t heard, politicians are fond of the word ‘ graduation’.
And where were our markets before Aunty Helen and her cozy FTD with china?
Were we exactly ( to use you far right wingers favorite whipping boy ) another Venezuela?
Obviously not !!! . And Britain joined the EEC LOOOONG before either Roger Douglas and the smash ‘n grabbers came along. Not only that , we also had the Arab Oil Shocks. Again ,… looooooooooong before Uncle Roger rogered us.
Matter of fact , – that was in the time of Norman Kirk. And I don’t remember large numbers of homeless, children whose family’s are at subsistence levels, run down schools and hospitals… in fact , we were the envy of the world with a cradle to grave welfare net in aland of hig wages and plenty of millionaires…
Soooooooooooooooo,… whats the problem here?… did finding other lucrative markets start and finish with the neo liberal hijack ? Or was Aunty Helen one of the Valkyries come down from on high and R.Douglas a form of thunder bolt wielding Zeus?
Or is being pushed around, being whores to the latest faux offer of prosperity , selling off our land to any old Johnny come latelys , not having a sovereign backbone in our bodies and acting like the street corner snitch the ‘New Face ‘ of New Zealand?
That it huh?
A gormless, unthinking ,cowering bunch of braindead , screen watching zombies that when to told to bend over simply say ‘ how far’?
The time of Norman Kirk was around the same time the UK told us they didn’t want our produce any more.
Took about 10 years to go through our monetary reserves and run up enough debt too almost go bankrupt.
To survive we had to trade with someone, Asia was the market we decided our future lay with.
What you see now, is the result of that decision.
”About ” the time…
Answer the question – did we have the burgeoning and overt social conditions and poor wages during either Norman Kirk’s time or Rob Muldoon’s?
NO . we didn’t.
And was NZ’s debt private sector or Govt?
Private sector.
You and your mates need an education and here’s just the site to give it to you. There you will find just ‘WHO’ was responsible for our ‘ monetary reserves to dry up ‘.
——————————————————
A key point of the free-market cabal’s programme was to devalue the New Zealand dollar, an extremely sensitive issue. Several weeks before the July, 1984 election, Douglas, Labour’s shadow finance minister, “accidentally” released a statement which signaled his intent to devalue.
Since it was a near certainty that labour, aided by the New Zealand Party’s drawing votes from the Nationals, would win, speculators began to dump the New Zealand dollar, planning, post-devaluation, to cash in each dollar of foreign currency for more New Zealand dollars than previously.
With Labour’s victory, the simmering foreign exchange crisis exploded. The Reserve Bank’s foreign Exchange holdings quickly ran dry, and Labour demanded, even before the end of the several-week transition period, that Muldoon devalue. After a brief struggle, Muldoon capitulated, and devalued by 20%.
Speculators made tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars overnight.
———————————————————
New Right Fight – Who are the New Right?
http://www.newrightfight.co.nz/pageA.html
Whatever, the point still is all our exports went to the UK, the UK sad yeah, nah we don’t want your exports anymore.
We’re like fucking hell unless we can find countries to sell our stuff to we’re fucked.
Asia was an emerging market who wanted to trade, we focused on Asia, I doubt back then anyone would have guessed that China would become the number one superpower.
We had made a global statement about nuclear arms hence why the Americans shunned us. We withdrew effectively form ANZUS.
Again … we self sabotaged.
Even the Australians called us bludgers for doing that.
Meanwhile all but NZ politicians could see china was going to be an emerging superpower. Which is why the Australians made trade deals with the chinese. And made enormous wealth through iron ore sales to china.
Yet ,- did the Australians act like idiots and throw the baby out with the bathwater and cancel all trade ties with the Americans?
No.
They had two pots on the boil – with china and the USA.
Yet all we ever get from all you right wing nutters are excuses why we cant do the same.
Think Russia.
Then think china and Russia.
And if its a bright and sunny day think the USA as well.
… in fact , we were the envy of the world with a cradle to grave welfare net in aland of hig wages and plenty of millionaires…
Yeah, because we were part of the British empire —the white part that is, that benefitted from the plunder of the non-white part.
“And Britain joined the EEC LOOOONG before either Roger Douglas and the smash ‘n grabbers came along. Not only that , we also had the Arab Oil Shocks.”
That’s when the party sort of ended. The impact would not have been felt right away —-but we had to borrow like crazy to maintain a lifestyle we had become accustomed to.
BM you are dead right.
– $12 billion of our exports goes to China
– $8.8 billion goes to Australia
– $5.3 to the United States
– $3.2 billion to Japan
and
$1.5 billion to Korea
It has been and continues to bring massive benefits to millions of New Zealanders. In reality there’s no pulling away from our trade dependence with China. So it’s also the greatest strategic risk this country faces.
https://www.nzte.govt.nz/investment-and-funding/investment-statistics
25% of our exports go to China (biggest trading partner)
0.29% of China’s go to NZ (44th largest trading parner)
That’s the reality
What’s the answer?, I don’t want NZ to become a vassal state of China but we are so reliant on them now, it’s almost impossible to pull away without crushing economic hardship.
Well the TPPA would have helped.
It used to be called ’empire’, but nowadays it’s more politely called ‘client state’.
Cancelling an FTA will be the last FTA we ever sign. It will say to the world that New Zealand is untrustworthy and can not keep up its end of the bargain. We’d have to sell our soles if we wanted back into a rules based order.
Who said anything about cancelling, and………….. btw …… wasn’t there a fair few country’s who had prob’s with the biggest FTD of all time in the southern climes – the TTPA?
I think people have got to get past this ‘ all or nothing ‘ mentality and start seeing that trade deals, are not forever. Hostility’s and wars will soon put paid to that Polyanna outlook. And the best way is to have multiple deals on the boil at the same time.
Not some idiotic lazy one way easily railroaded FTD with anchor ropes attached. And would lil ole NZ be the first nation to adjust its terms in trade? Really?
I actually never saw the TPPA as a problem. I saw it as away of coercing employers into pay higher wages.
Fat chance of that with no tariffs and competing with third world sweat shop labour mate.
It’s getting to the point now where a good chunk of people are figuring out that the China FTA doesn’t matter for the fate of New Zealand economically. The government has a policy to diversify trade so less likely to induce recession and probably a down turn at worse. No ressision, no doom.
Billy Bolger was dead keen to get into bed with China boots and all.
Well it was Labour that went in boots and all when it came to the FTA, so sorry, no ‘delicious irony’
Then National who wanted to carry the baton further with the TTPA – and , like their corporate overseas mates ,denied sufficient time and access to conduct a truly democratic vote. But 25 million spent on a flag referendum that no one wanted was all just fine and dandy.
Admittedly , too bad Labour went through with it.
Eh.
Then National who wanted to carry the baton further with the TTPA
Actually I thought you would have supported the TTPA ….which was in part to diversify our markets away from China, and not to have our eggs all in one basket.
Indeed the Chinese hated the TPPA in its original form as well. So you see, you do have something in common after all with the Chinese
No. More in common with downsizing dependence on china and developing markets with Russia.
Your the china boy , you tell me… last time we all looked… didn’t china and Russia kinda not get along?
Now then, what better way to play one of the other and ensure not one of them get too uppity and sanctimonious?
Situated smack bang in the middle of Uncle Sam, the Ruskies and the Sino lot.
So there you go, more in common with being a New Zealander than a whore for china, after all.
The CPTPP (as it’s now called) doesn’t include China or have anything to do with the FTA that Clark initially negotiated with China. If anything it may provide us with an opportunity to rebalance some of our trade away from China and reduce reliance on that trading relationship.
Is Wild Katipo thick?
Wild Katipo doesn’t make much sense at the best of times but tonight’s shaping up to be a bravura performance. 😁
When guys like you and Mark don’t even know their own country’s political history and can only think in terms of the present , – it tells me you are either too young to know or too disinterested to find out or too lacking in the consequences of cause and effect .
Its almost as if all you can see is china, china, china and there is no way out.
Yet , humorously , – paying lip service with feigned states of chagrin yet in reality… want things as they are because you have vested interests in keeping it that way.
Either that or having a very myopic view of the world.
And this is especially so as once the flaws in your arguments void your opinions , you both resort to school boy put downs .
Lovin’ it.
🙂
‘May provide’… as in ‘ none could foresee china becoming a ‘superpower’ as BM writes…operative word being ‘ may’.
Sounds great on paper, … but there’s a little issue of corporate involvement still… which ‘may’ or ‘may not’ compromise a democratically elected govt – esp of a smaller nation.
Heres the rub : You renegotiate any FTD and in this case, with china, but you do it while at the same time procuring trade deals in other parts of the globe. That’s called gaining leverage on the deal. china wants to extend its political/military influence in a region. Fine.
But just to make sure the goal posts are not shifted after a decade to your trade partners advantage and your detriment , you ensure you have other alternatives. All trade deals are renegotiated at some stage, unless your a small country like NZ , it seems. What does that tell you?
It tells you that times change, leaders change , political alliances change. Just like Britain joining the EEC ‘ changed’. And its a slow minded and naive person who thinks it wont.
50 billion dollars worth of two way trade with CPTPP countries for the December 2018 year. One-third of our total two way trade versus trade with China which accounts for one-fifth.
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/two-way-trade-with-cptpp-countries-nears-50-billion
Your guys trade bibles seem way nerdy and out of touch with the basics. First of all it is wrong for an island nation not to have a merchant fleet of its own with its own shipbuilding. Conquering the Pacific Ocean is what makes New Zealanders stand out.
Oh Jesus Fuck…
What’s wrong with ScottGN?
Reality.
Oh. Well I hope he isn’t like this all the time.
Yep.
Apparently the application was late??? 5 weeks supposed to be in October?? Does anyone know??
An accountant evades $1m tax and gets home detention today:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/384286/home-detention-for-accountant-who-evaded-1m-in-tax
While a benefit fraudster takes $245k and gets 2 years 5 months jail
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/91956845/husband-and-wife-sentenced-for-one-of-nzs-highest-ranking-benefit-frauds
Double standards anyone?
One white priviledged the other a brown honky or PI ?
Different strokes for different folks ?
I notice that the beneficiaries have been very blatant in playing the system.
They should train in accountancy, will some extra learning they could have good careers and never need to break the law again, having a good income assured.
I notice that the judge’s surname is Ruth. But he wasn’t ruthless in dealing with the pair, not putting the woman in prison so that she can mother her children.
Nick Smith is concerned about foreign interference but then I saw him on TV saying he wasn’t interested in hearing the opinion of Jami-lee Ross.
He reckons he wants to hear from Anne-Marie Brady supposedly because she’s got the true oil.
Hello Nick – anyone home? You can be a dick but you can’t have it both ways. Do you want to hear from people who have information of various aspects or not?
Agree. I think that select committee should be actively seeking Jami-Lee Ross’ testimony.
Yes Peter. Saw that and thought how ironic. Jamie-Lee is an expert on money/China influence and his inside knowledge must be credible.
Brady is really credibility unproven.
Brady’s fellow international academics don’t seem to think so ianmac. A large number signed a petition supporting her a few months ago.
JLR has all the juice on National’s donations from certain Chinese businessmen but he’s not an expert on China.
A vastly vastly greater number did not sign that petition.
I don’t expect medical, climate and environmental, military, astronomical, mathematical and geological scientists signed it. You could add historians and physicists to that list. I doubt any of them signed it either. Not their line of business eh?
The vast majority of people in her field didn’t sign it.
She’s a phony
How mitch do you know about this phoniness merc?
The signatories supported the petition; the ones who didn’t sign, didn’t sign.
most people simply did not give a shit.
That ‘intimidation; was most likely a false flag, or she did it herself
I doubt I would agree with Professor Brady on a lot of things but she is an expert in her field of endeavour, and has received accolades from her fellow academics both here and overseas for her research work on Chinese government activity. Note… we are talking about Chinese government entities not the Chinese people. She has many Chinese friends in China and is married to a gentleman of Chinese extraction. She speaks Chinese and can read and write in Chinese.
As for the harassment and intimidation:
It follows a well trodden pathway used by operatives working for governments and other global agencies wanting to silence individuals whom they regard as a threat either to themselves or their agency. In their countries of origin they often just throw them into prison but they can’t do that in other jurisdictions so they harass and intimidate them instead.
I would believe her any day over the likes of someone with such limited knowledge and understanding such as yourself.
Ok, all the people who didn’t sign it didn’t give a shit. You are projecting, Mark, i.e. making assumptions about people’s reasons and reasoning to fit your own belief system.
“Brady is really credibility unproven.”
What a peculiar thing to say ianmac. (It could very well be that my sarcometer is faulty)
http://www.fpinterrupted.com/fellows/anne-marie-brady/
What exactly would give her the required level of ‘credibility”?
She is well educated, speaks fluent Mandarin (which in my book is a triple plus when commenting on things Chinese, know the language, know the culture etc), she was, and for all I know still is, married to a Chinese guy and according to this op ed she wrote for that rag the New York Times, she has the ability to communicate most efficaciously with Chinese bureaucrats.
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/opinion/12iht-edbrady03.html
Oh ffs, so Raymond Huo say speaks fluent english, as do many Chinese, so that must make everything they say about New Zealand automatically true and their opinions are friggin gold?
What about Pansy Wong….she is also an expert because she speaks fluent english and chinese and so all her points of view are holy friggin writ?
The fact that she shills for the US neo-conservative Wilson institute, named for a notorious racist who was against racial equality for blacks and asians shows what a rotten egg she is.
Very interesting response there Mark. Is this the ‘best line of defense is attack’ tactic? Kinda acting like a cornered cat you are.
Maybe we should be taking Brady more seriously.
Emotive language Mark and hyperbole there. Your points would be if you stuck to them without embellishing.
Just pointing out an anomaly within your own thought processes.
A lot of Anglos (who are typically monolingual) assume that any other Anglo who speaks a foreign language with some facility (or even just a few words) makes him or her an expert on that foreign culture.
But that is such a laughable assumption. After all we have right here in NZ hundreds of thousands of people who are bilingual in English AND in Maori, or Chinese or Hindi or Samoan or Tongan or Tamil or Afrikaans etc, and many even married to Kiwis.
Some Chinese chick married to a kiwi who speaks English at IELTS level 5.5 and works at the ASB…..suppose she goes back to say her native Beijing, and suddenly is the NZ expert, on indeed the expert on all things Western eh? Well of course bloody not…..the chinese are not so stupid.
Let’s be clear. Brady is an agent of foreign influence herself, and works for the US neoconservative think tank the Wilson Centre, named after that most racist of 20th Century presidents Woodrow Wilson.
A lot of Anglos (who are typically monolingual) assume that any other Anglo who speaks a foreign language with some facility (or even just a few words) makes him or her an expert on that foreign culture.
It may not make them an expert, but you could reasonably argue it is a necessary pre-condition.
I worked for years in HK as an engineer. I once had this boss who had studied at Canterbury U in NZ, came back to HK, and thought he was a know it all on all things NZ and Western, but his views were completely off base, and he talked english with a choppy cantonese accent – basically he was full of shit. Like you have the pretentious ‘old china hands’ who think they know everything about china because they have drank in a few hk or shanghai bars and rooted the local women, it goes the other way round as well….like some Chinese ‘canadians’ simply because they migrated to Canada, then come back to Hong Kong and pretend they just couldn’t stand the HK lifestyle anymore, underlining just how so ‘canadian’ they now were…people just want to make you fucking laugh sometimes.
In any case I think that one’s views should be judged on their merits only, after all I can have views on Stalin and Hitler, and they should not be dismissed because I speak neither Russian or German. Just because Brady is credentialed in terms of the language and marriage partner does not make her views correct (nor incorrect). After all I speak Cantonese fluently and mandarin haltingly andalso have a chinese ex wife and a chinese partner now —by the standards of some here, that would make me doubly qualified and everything I say about China or china related matters must automatically be accepted as gospel?
Here is the One News story, if anyone is interested.
Jami-Lee Ross wants new rules around financial donations to political parties from foreigners.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/jami-lee-ross-wants-new-rules-around-financial-donations-political-parties-foreigners
Thanks Fireblade for the link, much appreciated.
Edit… that was very interesting, jlr knows the score.
His recent question in parliament about past ministers traveling overseas and possible donation procurement … joining the dots re said subject. Really interesting.
He’s also been tweeting tonight.
Twitter Jami-Lee Ross
Sorry, but not surprised, to hear Nick Smith isn’t interested in my view on foreign donations. Reality is any foreigner can use a NZ company to donate to a political party. That’s how National’s received a lot of funding. Ignoring me doesn’t make that go away.
Lollolooooooooo thanks for that 🙂 Need to lol again now, loooooolllllll 🙂
The RWNJ conspiracy mill is giving OAC the HRC treatment.
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1103835746845241344
Another fizzer for the nat’s…..
‘Sir Michael Cullen is assuring taxpayers he expects to invoice for no more than two days this month for his fee of $1000 for a six-hour day.”
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/tax-working-group-chair-michael-cullen-only-billing-four-days-in-february-march.html
Cullen has always been so far ahead of the Gnats he has to slow down not to lap them.
LMAO !!!! 🙂
simons been owned on the twitter again over it, super amusing. And 7 Days is on the telly soon, for even more epic kiwi comedy … life is good 🙂
https://twitter.com/simonjbridges/status/1103728520000229376
I am astounded he replied. Like lets pick a fight with a local board chair who lives in West Auckland when I am the leader of the Opposition.
And he liked and retweeted his own tweet.
Simon needs better helpers, or maybe he does not …
Hamish is the help he deserves.
Simone is hitting the self destruct button ?
Thanks Micky for that, was wondering who Greg Presland is.
The Taxpayers Union will be over the moon.
As the reality of the situation comes out, critics look quite foolish as they try to shift the emphasis of their criticism.
I’m picking Cullen is going to bill about $4000 for February and March. That’s pretty cheap for the amount of hate he’s received from the Nats and their nut job followers.
I’m wondering if Mr Armstrong somehow got into a tangle on the pavement between him and his zimmer and a Lime?
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/john-armstrongs-opinion-silence-beehive-astonishing-over-lime-scooters-rocky-start-new-zealand-streets?variant=tb_v_2
Appalling comments from Prebble. Quite staggering that this thinking still exists in this country.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/education/111145462/racist-comments-at-tomorrows-schools-meeting-in-auckland
Now, I’m constantly told by RWNJs that the left are guilty of wanting to shut down anyone who doesn’t agree with them but it seems they don’t practice what they preach.
Shame on David Seymour for promoting such naked racism. The swift demise of ACT and all its supporters can’t come quick enough.
If prebble is saying you don’t distroy 80Pc to save 20pc that seem rather logical Similary what did miss Webber expect calling some one a racist, playing the man and not the ball I am very glad one ms Webber is not teaching my kids, sound as she is nuts and should not be teaching at all
Webber called Prebble’s statements what they were – racist.
And just how is the Tomorrow’s Schools Review going to “distroy 80Pc”?
Looks like a decent education missed your family too! 😂
You are been extremely intellectually dishonest muttonbrain Prebble comments where clearly reflecting you don’t distroy the 80pc to fix the 20, wether you agree with that or not is not the point Prebble is clearly not a racist with a PI wife. Webber and yourself basically have shite for brains 😁
Rubbish. Prebble, and now yourself are promoting the idea of Apartheid.
That system of government was crushed 2 decades ago.
Funny how you use the term apartheid when you are so happy to use the racist term saffa as an insult.
You are a very muddled individual, aren’t you.
Not muddled. Just pointing out how you are all ok with racism against South Africans and asians – then complain when you think others are being racist.
Go to bed, harvey.
You don’t write off 20% to protect 80%, either.
Prebble never understood the concept of “levelling up” as opposed to “levelling down”.
Surely in his ham fisted way he has pointed out how badly nz is failing a large segment of it’s people.
Yes he was saying nz have let the 80% down by allowing the dirty 20% to be included and drag all the stats downwards.
No you are saying that Marty, not prebble because you are in permanent victim mode What he was clearly saying is fix the 20pc without stuffing up the 80pc , charter schools etc If you can’t see that well you are good example of the 20pc that probably needed more help
Young citizens have a right to attend their local school and to have that school meet it’s obligations to meet their needs.
And the only answer is centralisation because that what your suggesting and if you suggest otherwise you have bad intent and you are a racist Well I guess it 101 left play book to any one who disagrees with them Great argument solkta, can I suggest you don’t join a debating club
Well fucktard, the current system has been failing for thirty years. Allowing schools to do it on there own has not worked. Tomorrows Schools allows the majority to capture the direction of the school and deny minorities their rights.
Has worked for 80pc, so your wrong there from the start Likewise simply because it has not worked for 100pc means more centralisation is the answer nor that to argue otherwise you are a racist That’s my point dick head not the policy itself
Leaving schools to do it by themselves has failed so obviously the only alternative is to give them more direction. You really are bewildered aren’t you.
He was basically saying fuck you to those the system is failing.
No he was not he was debating merits of centralisation vs decentralisation and you don’t distroy what’s working for 80 pc to fix 20pc, He was arguing there a way to do both ie Maintain 80 pc and fix the 20pc ( more targeted than blunt policy proposed ) , boy there are some thicko”s out today , is it a full moon or something😞
Oh, so you were at the meeting were you? Where in the article does he say how to actually help the 20%?
I was not there but it’s pretty obvious The key argument he put forward was centralisation was not a good policy to adddress the 20pc, wether he had alternative fk knows, Charter schools maybe Anyway what is clearly obvious he was not been racist or arguing we need to sacrifice the 20pc been the longbow you and a few other knuckleheads have drawn as a conclusion and stuff have used as click bait to suck you guys in
You can fuck of with your charter schools. Young citizens have a right to attend their local school and to have that school meet its obligations to meet their needs.
But as you say you are not sure if he was suggesting that, or suggesting anything.
And no:
The key argument he put forward was centralisation was not a good policy to adddress (sic) the 20pc,
He did not say this at all. What he said was that centralisation would somehow “destroy” the success of the 80%. That seems to suggest that he actually thinks that centralisation would help the 20%.
Regarding your last paragraph More fuzzy logic from the Sok, what you suggest does not suggest at all I agree with your first point but your second obviously highlights some of your synapses are miss firing
The very review he is arguing against is one set up to lift the achievement of kids in low income communities.
But Prebble, Seymour, and Bewildered would rather eject them from NZ education achievement stats altogether.
It is quite a disgraceful position to take.
Oh fk off muttonbrain you know very well he is arguing against the policy review of centralisation (impacting all )over decentralisation is the answer to the 20 pc in regard to lifting under achievers not that we should ignore under achievers themselves , your are one dishonest prick Stop lying to yourself would put you on the road to redemption
No you fuck off. Prebble asked for Maori and PI achievement to be scrubbed to that we might look better.
Disgraceful. But what is more disgraceful that you try to defend it.
Muttonbrain by name and muttonbrain by nature sigh !
Says the guy with the most appropriate handle on the site.
Oh so original and cutting, I am wounded grieviously👍
Well, what kind of fucktard would describe themselves as “bewildered”.
Another devastating blow by the Solkta, it’s like debating a goldfish ( possibly insult to all the goldfish out their) or going 10 rounds with Mr Bean 😊
Prebble has always been an advocate of privatising the education system. He has little care for those that such a move would fail.
Your arguement gets weaker and weaker as you dig ,your first premise you neither prove privatisation is good or bad just a deluded half assed weak minded opinion, your conclusion also bares no real relevance to your first premise and again just another half assed opinion based on confirmation bias to justify a some what dim witted ideological position
Agree but Ham fisted only if you are overly sensitive snow flake prone to or seeking offense around every corner
How China’s trillion-dollar trade initiative helped forge a humanitarian …
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12211113
Thunder Underground – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2YFirVguEk