The bloody cheek of it! I’ve met Nanaia. She has to be one of our most under-rated MPs. She’s intelligent, competent and has the ability to relate to a diverse range of people. She isn’t an attention seeker and she works quietly and effectively behind the scenes.
If I was Nanaia I would want to give that fly-by-nighter, Tuku Morgan a punch in the face. He’s the instigator here. A venomous “greedy brown Tom” who is in it for what he and his cohorts can get out of it.
Edit: If this is the kind of politics the M. P. endorse then I hope they’re knocked out of parliament later this year.
Around 90% of Maori have seen no money or benefits from Treaty settlements for the past ripp-offs by dishonest white settlers …
And then we have the Tuku morgans ….. who put a $89 pair of undies for himself ahead of other uses for Maori money…
Simple proof the guys a wanker … big on greed and self-entitlement …… BM & James should vote for him…. there is an affinity between the three which cuts across race.
Hi sanctuary,I would have thought as class was a bigger group than an individual’s idea of their identity,there was a greater chance of solidarity within a class.
Hi Anne,I have to confess I must be a bit dodge on identity politics too.
My understanding is that it is quite particular and framed by how you view yrself. Often at odds with how others view you.
I realised that. 🙂 I think Sanctuary was talking in terms of “class” as in say… the so called ‘entitled’ upper class (in which some M.P. members seem to see themselves) and the rest of the Maori population who are working class.
“My understanding is that it is quite particular and framed by how you view yrself. Often at odds with how others view you.”
Nope. But I’m not surprised, the debate around IP is pretty fractured now and not conducive to understanding. Unless you hang out with people that value IP 😉
It’s because there is an increasing stoush over ownership of the term and thus what it means varies hugely depending on who you talk to. Carolyn has gotten to the point of finding it a useless term. I vacillate between abandoning it and reclaiming it.
I’ll have a think about writing a definition in a context that will make sense here. Would make an interesting post (although I might have to turn the comments off 😈 )
The Adam Curtis 4 part series century of the self looks at the work of Anna Frued (niece of Sigmund).
The rise of marketers in the age of consumerism took this work and exploited us by telling us we were special, our needs were important, our fears are legitimate and here is a product to meet those fears, needs and wants.
IP comes across as a natural consequence of this conditioning.
Rather than look at what we have in common, we look for what sets us apart.
I look forward to a post.
Would be ironic to have no comments….
There’s an intense fight this coming election over the Māori seats. So, if it’s about social class, it’d about the amounts of working class within those electorates.
I mean, that all people enrolled in Māori electorates will be Māori – obviously. Many are also likely to identify as working class. But working class solidarity within the Māori electorates is not likely to outnumber those whose primary identification is as Māori.
I think/feel he’s the better candidate that’s all, although to be fair I don’t know a lot about Mahuta, and that maybe partly because of Mahuta’s reserved style. The impression I get of Papa is that he’s a great communicator with natural leadership skills and brings a prescence whenever he speaks. I also like how he knows his history.
I totally agree Anne. An ungracious and disrepectful comment indeed. Tuku has an obliging media following. No surprises there, given that anything that portrays Labour in a negative light will be highlighted by our faithful National abiding news casters.
That the now ‘backbencher is devoid of mana’ shows that he and his king place politics over and above familial associations. To say this publicly about a whanau, hapu and iwi member says less about them and much more about her. A personal attack of this nature will not be taken lightly and I hope Maori vote en masse to ensure they don’t make it into Parliament.
She’s not on the back bench. She’s on the front bench of course. And she will be a senior minister in the Lab/Green coalition government. That’s the big lie Tuku Morgan is peddling. I can’t believe the majority of Maori will fall for his sexist crap.
#completely disgusted with tv1 news report on vault7, drop in shill piece lies about status of assange, lies about source of DNC leak, zero fact check , un filtered propaganda!
A protest is being planned for outside Wellington College, to call on the school and New Zealand to address rape culture. A Wellington high school student tells Checkpoint why she plans to attend.
She said the behaviour/comments reported to have been posted by Wellington school boys on facebook, was no surprise to herself or girls she knows. She says it’s a daily experience for her to have boys and men to make rape-type comments to her in the street.
She says that she thinks many men need to look at their own behaviour, because school boys are just copying them.
The author of Raising Boys, Steve Biddulph, tells Checkpoint why so many boys, and men, act in a way that some students from Wellington College have come under fire for.
Some feedback to Checkpoint says it is part of our culture where a PM can harass a woman by pulling her ponytail, and critics get told to lighten up.
Grim listening Caroline, I will stick my neck out and suggest that part of the problem is pornography, from tv and media advertising through to music videos and the free hard core stuff available on any phone/laptop.
Thanks for the link Carolyn, is bloody shocking that this is still happening. Makes me think how are these boys being taught to treat women.. maybe via advertising, music videos, gaming and porn so easily and freely available online?
Wondering where the male role models are within the Government?
Surely the male leaders of our country should be setting an example for young men to follow, or are they part of the problem?
On the up side I’ve certainly seen some wonderful male role models within the opposition parties.
Interesting story regarding ‘rape culture’.
Was at a party, this guy was hitting on all the women there, even the ones who had partners.
It was inappropriate.
So the men took care of that situation, as women DO NOT get hassled at parties, such are the values of the men there towards women. This man was given a very very very stern talking to and removed from the party.
The next day the women from the party were called to gather at the party hostesses home, the touchy feely man in question was taken to the women, all clean shaven and in his sunday best and made to apologise to them all.
Some men do have strong values about respecting women. And it’s nice to know they are sharing their knowledge, lead by example and all that
The whole situation impressed me so very much, kudos to those men at the party for their respect of women, they always look after and look out for the women at parties.
Biker party, great night had by all, it was a great night because we felt safe, it was the bikers that cemented that feeling of safety by the way they dealt with the situation.
Now that’s how to get the chicks 😀 stick up for them. Lesson to be learned there 😀
Yes. On Checkpoint the author talked about the importance of men in the homes being good role models, but also about them needing to have “honest” discussions with their sons about ways to behave with women that are not damaging to the women.
The 16 year old student from Wellington College says she gets the same sorts of comments from men in the street, as from school boys: comments that promote rape culture. And from some men as old as John Campbell ie in their 50s.
For sures. I wonder if some parents really know what their kids are watching, it’s learned behaviour, whether it be on a screen or real people interacting around them.
And it’s the girls too, they see skanky chicks in music videos gyrating in sweet FA and rolling around on the floor and mimic it. And if no one puts them right and explains to them why it’s not acceptable in a way they understand, they will continue to do so.
My youngest watched the 9 – 12 yr olds from a local dance school do a performance at a community event, these young girls were dressed in gold hot pants and tiny crop tops, loads of sexual moves including dry humping the floor. Then my youngest tries to copy them dang.
I’m no prude that’s for sure, but crikey wtf, young dance teacher, brought up with sexual music video’s, dang any local perverts would have been in bliss.
Documentaries at home that encourage discussion seems to bring results at our house, lolz I’ll blindside their friends with one next sleepover lmao.
Sorry, but as one who started secondary teaching in 1970, I think you are both off-beam.
The attitude is started at home in the parents, and grows from there. It always has been so. I remember at secondary school in the early 1960s hearing boys talk that kind of talk. No social media, so no publicity.
This will annoy you even more (maybe): those bad parent types are producing more offspring than good parents do. So the problem gets worse.
Blaming social media and pornography is just the kind of mindless distraction that our neo-liberal masters want you to be distracted by. It suits them.
I still teach, and can assure you that well-parented children handle social media without harm, and probably avoid excessive exposure to pornography, without being harmed by the exposure their curiosity may have led them to.
Same with violence. The vicious cycle all starts with what parents unconsciously teach their kids in early years. Violence in video games or pornography have harmful effects only on people who are already infected with that harm, from parental input. Good children from good parents are incorruptible.
Otherwise, the harm is already done. Squealing about pornography and violence is squealing for an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. Too late.
We need good parenting, not a ban on porn or bash-up games.
I just wish I knew how to bring it about. Social justice, a decent living wage for all, and full employment would be much more worth fighting for. But that will not suit our neo-liberal regime.
So I guess we will get more squealing about porn and violence..
Interesting ty In Vino especially with your background in teaching and seeing things unfold over the years.
Maybe we need a parenting channel on the TV rather than a shopping channel? Actually.. that’s not a bad idea. Government funded using a medium that gets obvious results, good old television the drug of a nation.
The differences today are important, i remember one porno magazine that did the rounds, or someone trying to hire a porno video, sheez it was a big deal, required major planning, including how to watch it, whose got a VCR, they were super fancy.
But now days it’s all there and free online. I do think that makes a difference. Grand Theft Auto is a long way removed from Pac Man. There is a ban on porn and bash up games as well as guns in our house. JS
How do you think we could improve parenting in NZ to create change and break the cycles In Vino?
In Vino: Sorry, but as one who started secondary teaching in 1970, I think you are both off-beam.</i.
Really? And where did I particularly condemn pornography? – I merely said it was addressed. And in my previous comment I also referred to the discussion where parents as role models was also addressed.
Blaming social media and pornography is just the kind of mindless distraction that our neo-liberal masters want you to be distracted by. It suits them.
What a muddle of ideas you’ve thrown out.
I’m interested, though, that it is pornography again that is in the firing line with respect to misogyny.
2nd wave feminist tended to be highly critical of pornography – long before the neoliberal shift kicked in. And during the 1990s, with 3rd wave feminism, there was a tendency for many feminists to embrace pornography (or was it erotica?) that was claimed to be produced by and for women.
Actually, the expansion of pornography/erotica into digital media coincided with the neoliberal shift. Like all forms of media, it proliferated with the ability to more easily reproduce such productions. Pornography has probably been caught up in the acceleration of the commodification of everything, rather than being something separate from, or oppositional to neoliberalism.
I don’t know much about the content of pornography. But there were 2 issues raised by the Auckland Grammar teaching:
1. It was claimed pornography objectifies women, and treats them as less than human.
2. It was claimed some guys get addicted to pornography, and then become unable to maintain sexual relationships with real women.
On 1: I am critical of any media content that consistently objectifies women and/or demeans or demonises any section of society: and that includes whenever it happens within G-rated cartoons, sports broadcasts, serious documentaries, mainstream TV dramas, 6pm evening news… and pornography/erotica.
And I think the dominant narratives in most of our media tend to reinforce rape culture. And inter-related with that, is the role models adults set for young people.
On 2: I don’t know anything about addiction to pornography. There seems to be concerns these days about addictions to all kinds of things. I’ll pay attention to anything on addiction that is solidly backed up by research.
That was excellent, wows good on AG, and the discussion it brought about with those young lads, so important. And a subject no doubt many parents would feel rather uncomfortable discussing with their own kids and visa versa, brilliant way to tackle the issue.
Hows that… 60% of boys watch porn weekly, dang. Good on you Auckland Grammar for seeing it as a possible mental health issue meaning it fits within their curriculum, maybe all NZ secondary schools should look at doing the same.
Cinny … what percentage of teenage boys do you think Masturbate each week?? …. hint … they wake up with a hard on each day….
I’m presuming their porn watching would be central to their wanking …
And while we can criticize the lazy spotty Herberts …. for not using their grey matter and imaginations more ….
If you invented a lap top or Tablet that can come into the shower … they will be batting at over 90% in the porn watching stakes.
Electrocution not blindness …. from all that wanking …would be the modern mothers warning.
More seriously …. respectful loving relationships, between them and others in their family home….. gives All young people the best chance when the Hormones start hitting them…. and their own relationships and interactions of a sexual nature begin.
Speaking As a male to Mothers ….. do not underestimate the hormonal and mood swings that teenage boys can go through …. Testosterone is not a easy hormone.
Thank you for your honesty, some things I just simply forget being a woman, like the morning hardon, I really appreciate you being straight up with me, it helps me to understand .
I wonder how many teens have the privacy and safety they need. Like for masturbation with out shame. Cause that’s really important for a number of reasons, as well as having understanding relationships and conversations, rather than turning a blind eye because it feels uncomfortable discussing the human body, and it’s functions.
And the privacy and safety in that respect would be hard to find in some homes. But the internet however, that can be found in most homes. One with out the other could become toxic.
Maybe if we had Parenting TV, it could be a topic for after 8:30pm. These things so need to be talked about, so we can all learn, and they need to be talked about frankly and maturely to help find the best outcomes for our youth.
Such a complex topic. Had a very frank conversation with my man about it yesterday, so many facets, not just the boys but how internet porn can lead to massive confusion for girls too.
It lead us to discussing the education system, we felt that it needs to be changed to include subjects that have only become relevant in the last twenty years with the internet etc as well as subjects that should have been made compulsory years ago like personal finance, how the government works etc etc
No skin off my nose.
Cos, like, you know… the men have every right to tell the woman MP to “step aside” for them – especially on International Women’s Day!
I’m never happy with arrogant, misogynist males who try to put down an admired and respected politician because she happens to be a woman and is willing to stand up and speak for the many disenfranchised people within Maoridom. The people, I might add, for whom the Tuku Morgans of this world don’t give a damm.
I love it when people go “ooooh it’s because she’s a woman”. Without giving any consideration that there could be any other reason for it.
Perhaps if you read what he said –
“We all deserve no less than the best leadership on offer.
“She’s going right back to the backbench now. To me, she’s got no mana in there now,” King Tuheitia said of Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta’s demotion in the party.”
So perhaps it’s her demotion in labour that had something to do with it.
Of course the only reason Andrew little demoted her was because she’s a woman right?
Yeah, James, Little forgot to take into account the inherent sexism and heirachical being of some of the so-called the top Maori. (sarc)
Because maybe he hadn’t encountered it before, and probably wasn’t aware it existed – because he lives in a world where women are treated equally and with respect.
Who invited them in? The Syrian government? (I don’t think so.) What you call that…deploying troops to wage war a foreign country without the express permission or invitation of the government of said country? (Answers on a postcard)
Also sending troops to Kuwait. Could hazard a guess that the Kuwaiti government might have ‘invited’ them.
With each move the violent remnants of ‘western hegemony’ relegates itself to the unwritten history books
The chaotic events now unraveling at such an accelerated pace, indicate to me that humanity is in the midst of tectonic shifts ….
Which way the shift ultimately goes is unclear IMO, but it is with certainty I say the following
Climate Change is not the most pressing issue facing all living beings…in fact CC is relatively a ‘non event’ when compared the imminent threat of complete and utter destruction wrought with WMDs, be they military, financial or technical…
How many more years can the current trajectory be continued before the destructive tipping point is reached, one way or the other..
The timeline is nearer term than any other threat humanity has ever faced
Well, all I know is that the US (NATO member) has illegally deployed armed troops to Syria (allegedly to protect Rojavans) – the same Rojavans that Turkey (NATO member) has illegally deployed troops inside Syria to fight against.
So even ignoring all other spaghetti strands that make for the situation in Syria, I wonder if anyone can tell me how that possibly ends well?
The shareholders in the munitions and arms companies get a return.
If the folk on the ground are with private companies then there are contracts being paid.
Don’t be fretting about civilians, international protocols or any of that lefty stuff. There is money to be made.
You could be right, OneTwo.
Whenever I see the destruction of cities and countries – almost daily on TV news, I wonder how much longer this will continue and what will become of all those millions of people unhoused, and unfed, with the loss of their lands and their livelihoods – where will they all end up, how will they all end up ? ? And does the western world ever think about what the end destruction of places, cities, countries really means ?
Speaking of Syria, I found this to be very interesting and well worth a watch.
Journalist Eva Bartlett: “I’m Back From Syria. The Media Is Lying To You!”
Google’s computer vision technology is now so good it’s able to find specific objects within a video or group of videos.
[…]
With the tool, you can search one or more videos using keywords and get back a list of results showing you where in the video you can find the objects relevant to your search terms. You can see a bit of Google’s demo of the software onstage at Cloud Next in the video below.
“Foreigners snapped up 362,000 hectares of freehold farm or forestry land and 103,000 ha of leasehold land in 2016, a hefty increase from the year before and higher than the average over the last 10 years.”
“Economist Bill Rosenberg, who conducted the research, said statistics on sales of land to overseas interests were poorly recorded and incomplete.
“Our best estimate is that in 2011 at least 8.7 percent of New Zealand farmland including forestry, or 1.3 million ha, was foreign-owned or controlled and it could have reached 10 percent.”
This was despite former Prime Minister John Key’s assertion in 2014 that foreigners owned only 2 per cent of farm and forestry land.
Rosenberg said CAFCA’s opposition to foreign ownership of land was based on the fact it was “the bedrock of our international competitive advantage” and the benefits were often overstated.
For example, a KPMG report recently showed US investors, who were the largest between 2013-15, invested $4.5 billion, but over the same period they removed $3.2b from New Zealand.”
New Zealand spy agencies and our elite Special Air Service soldiers have long-standing commercial links with a controversial big-data company founded by surprise Kiwi Peter Thiel, the Herald can reveal.
An investigation into Thiel’s links to New Zealand has found his firm Palantir Technologies has counted the New Zealand Defence Force, the Security Intelligence Service and the Government Communications and Security Bureau as clients with contracts dating back to at least 2012.
The revelation caused Kennedy Graham, Green Party spokesman for intelligence and security matters, to call for a delay to the passage of the New Zealand Intelligence and Security Bill, which today passed its second and penultimate reading.
Graham said the New Zealand-Palantir connection was “potentially huge” and raised more questions than it answered.
More at the link.
And it’s worth reading Nippert’s tweets on it, too.
WOW! That’s massive. Excellent investigative journalism going on there by Mr Nippert. And thanks Dr Kennedy.
Thanks for the links Carolyn. Will be expecting to see this all over the media in the morning as well it needs to be addressed on the weekend political shows.
I am really pleased that the background to Thiel and his connections to Palantir is finally coming out. Good on Matt Nippert for his perseverance on this issue.
Just saying that I have been pushing the Palantir connections for quite some time here on TS.
My most recent comment on Open Mike on 4 March seems to have gone unnoticed so will repeat here.
I commented on the Thiel posts a few months ago* when it was revealed that he had been given NZ citizenship some years ago. My concern re Thiel was his connections to Palantir with its connections to the Five Eyes spy network, the GCBS etc. – and to US regulatory authorities ($B worth of contracts).
There are also links to several other interesting recent articles on Thiel at the end of the Intercept article.
*Shock – It was only at the end of Jan! Feels like a year ago. The Trump effect.”
My earlier comment 1293097 at the end of Jan is quite long so will not repeat it here, but it contains quite a number of links to other (US) articles on Palantir and its connections to US government (intelligence and other regulatory) agencies that came out after Thiel’s connections to Trump became known.
This comment is not intended as a “I told you so”. Simply that I have been following the Palantir connections to NZ for some years. A bit of a personal fixation.
Absolutely agree re Matt Nippert. I gather that David Fisher is also helping on this issue.
The Palantir connection has been an interest of mine right back to when their name came up in relation to the GCSB and SIS, and the changes to intelligence gathering legislation. Key was up to his ears in the connection IMHO.
Anyway i used to ‘live’ on TS as a reader and occasional commenter, but only pass by from time to time these days and saw your post. Cheers.
I also found this in my rereadings of Wayne’s comment 13.2.1 below Karol’s post. (my bold)
Karol, two interesting posts.
Yes the PM does interact with this group of people. In many respects they are his generation or close to it. He is much more networked into this global group than any other prior NZ PM. His prior job and the level he rose to ensures that. He was involved in the most globally networked part of the economy; global finance and IT. The latter by degrees of connection and their need for huge infusions of capital in order to grow at often exponentional rates
And a significant number of them are really interested in NZ, often for quite eccentric reasons – the billionaires who visit NZ in their private jet and then bike around NZ as an expression of their oneness with nature – work that one out if you can!
So he is certainly going to know those who come to NZ especially if they are from the US, where he PM did a lot of his work. In Peter Theil’s case he has actually become a citizen.
There are quite a few who have exclusive hideaways in Queenstown area and Bay of Islands.
Yes, it is a bit of an unusual part of the zeitgist, but there you are.
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Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Even if some students are now just texting on their laptops. Stewart Sowman-Lund writes in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Councils from Horowhenua, Kāpiti, Wairarapa, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and Wellington City will meet this Friday to work together on a plan for a Greater Wellington region water deal. ...
Renowned musician, advocate, and proud born and raised daughter of Tauranga, Ria Hall, is announcing her candidacy for Mayor of Tauranga and Pāpāmoa Ward for the upcoming election on July 20th. ...
The new Aotearoa histories curriculum is rich with potential. There’s still work to be done, but the education minister’s criticisms about ‘balance’ miss the mark, argues primary school teacher Jessie Moss. In 2015, Ōtorohanga College students presented to parliament a petition signed by more than 10,000 people calling for a ...
For too long our so-called national bird has maintained its stranglehold on the economy of regional New Zealand. Thanks to the fast track legislation, we will have our revenge. Theories abound on what ails New Zealand’s economy. National leader Chris Luxon has posited that we’re negative, wet, whiny, and inward-looking; ...
If building one of Auckland’s possible waterfront stadiums was funded privately, it would need to hold a sold-out Ed Sherran concert every weekday for 25 years. That’s Rob Hamlin’s finding – he’s a senior marketing lecturer at the University of Otago. “It’s not going to happen; forget about it,” he ...
Comment: The debate over the future relationship between news and social media is bringing us closer to a long-overdue reckoning. Social media isn’t trying to kill journalism, because social media has never really cared about journalism. Social media is resolutely in the attention business. News propels some attention — perhaps ...
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For the past 12 years, Georgia-Rose Brown has balanced on the brink of making an Olympic Games – but always landed gracefully on the wrong side. Reaching the Olympics is a dream the gymnast has harboured since she was a six-year-old; a dream that would dwindle every four years, yet ...
Late one afternoon in March 1860 a man in a thin green velveteen jacket and a wide-awake hat arrived on foot at a sheep station named Glenmark, about 65 kilometres north of Christchurch. The man was in his mid-fifties but he looked older. Several people who met him that day ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A new Commonwealth Prac Payment will provide students with $319.50 a week when they are on clinical and professional placements. The payment will be means tested and start from July 1 next year, which ...
Asia Pacific Report About 500 people honoured Palestinian journalists in the heart of the New Zealand city of Auckland today for their brave coverage of Israel’s War on Gaza, now in its seventh month with almost 35,000 people killed, mostly women and children. Marking the annual May 3 World Press ...
The Government Communications Security Bureau denies hosting a foreign spying capability flagged by the watchdog, differentiating it from the system recently criticised. ...
RNZ News A group of academic staff at New Zealand’s largest university have expressed concern at the administration’s move to block a protest encampment that was planned to take place on campus calling for support for the rights of Palestinians. This week, the University of Auckland warned that while it ...
Genterwocky After a hard days marching, Sir Doocey calls in at the Village Tavern For a pint of ale and a pork pie. The grim villagers stare at him. “Do not be travelling on the forest road,” warns a crusty old beak. “And why is that, antique peasant?” Grins Sir ...
Political conferences after a party returns to power are usually a chance for some healthy, even unhealthy backslapping. Yet National Party president Sylvia Wood’s address to its mainland representatives on Saturday hardly contained the unalloyed delight that one might have expected following National’s escape from the wilderness of opposition. Yes, ...
Comment: Almost half the world is voting in national elections this year and artificial intelligence is the elephant in the room. There are genuine fears AI-generated or AI-edited deepfakes will potentially manipulate election outcomes not just in the US and UK, but critically in countries such as India. For that ...
Ahead of the reality franchise’s return to New Zealand, allow us to introduce the eight brides and grooms. Chuck on a veil and tie back your man bun, because it’s time to say “I do” to a new season of Married at First Sight NZ. The reality TV “social experiment” ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
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Greedy brown fat cats prefer class war to the solidarity of identity politics…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/90257182/maori-king-endorses-waikatotainui-chairman-to-political-battle
The bloody cheek of it! I’ve met Nanaia. She has to be one of our most under-rated MPs. She’s intelligent, competent and has the ability to relate to a diverse range of people. She isn’t an attention seeker and she works quietly and effectively behind the scenes.
If I was Nanaia I would want to give that fly-by-nighter, Tuku Morgan a punch in the face. He’s the instigator here. A venomous “greedy brown Tom” who is in it for what he and his cohorts can get out of it.
Edit: If this is the kind of politics the M. P. endorse then I hope they’re knocked out of parliament later this year.
What’s a “greedy brown Tom”?
an Uncle Tom. and I totally agree with you, Anne. power-seeking sexist rant from Tuku and his mouthpiece, the King.
The bloody cheek of it. Having his own view and endorsing somebody anne doesn’t agree with.
Yes, don’t those damn darkies realise we know best? how dare they have their own thoughts and ideas !!!!
hey so cool you are there for “Mr $89 underpants”
Around 90% of Maori have seen no money or benefits from Treaty settlements for the past ripp-offs by dishonest white settlers …
And then we have the Tuku morgans ….. who put a $89 pair of undies for himself ahead of other uses for Maori money…
Simple proof the guys a wanker … big on greed and self-entitlement …… BM & James should vote for him…. there is an affinity between the three which cuts across race.
Hi sanctuary,I would have thought as class was a bigger group than an individual’s idea of their identity,there was a greater chance of solidarity within a class.
I think you are mis-reading what Sanctuary means by “class”.
Hi Anne,I have to confess I must be a bit dodge on identity politics too.
My understanding is that it is quite particular and framed by how you view yrself. Often at odds with how others view you.
Genuinely a bit lost, not agitating at all.
…not agitating at all.
I realised that. 🙂 I think Sanctuary was talking in terms of “class” as in say… the so called ‘entitled’ upper class (in which some M.P. members seem to see themselves) and the rest of the Maori population who are working class.
Perhaps the contrast of entitled vs working isn’t as striking when all identify as Maori.
“My understanding is that it is quite particular and framed by how you view yrself. Often at odds with how others view you.”
Nope. But I’m not surprised, the debate around IP is pretty fractured now and not conducive to understanding. Unless you hang out with people that value IP 😉
I realise u are probably sick to the back teeth of engaging with ignorami (plural?) on this subject, but getting a handle on IP is proving elusive.
True, I don’t mingle with folk who have heard of IP.
It’s because there is an increasing stoush over ownership of the term and thus what it means varies hugely depending on who you talk to. Carolyn has gotten to the point of finding it a useless term. I vacillate between abandoning it and reclaiming it.
I’ll have a think about writing a definition in a context that will make sense here. Would make an interesting post (although I might have to turn the comments off 😈 )
The Adam Curtis 4 part series century of the self looks at the work of Anna Frued (niece of Sigmund).
The rise of marketers in the age of consumerism took this work and exploited us by telling us we were special, our needs were important, our fears are legitimate and here is a product to meet those fears, needs and wants.
IP comes across as a natural consequence of this conditioning.
Rather than look at what we have in common, we look for what sets us apart.
I look forward to a post.
Would be ironic to have no comments….
There’s an intense fight this coming election over the Māori seats. So, if it’s about social class, it’d about the amounts of working class within those electorates.
I pondered this earlier, and perhaps it is a Westminster view that has left/right, instead of what is best for Maori.
I mean, that all people enrolled in Māori electorates will be Māori – obviously. Many are also likely to identify as working class. But working class solidarity within the Māori electorates is not likely to outnumber those whose primary identification is as Māori.
Spot on, well.said.
Rahui Papa has the makings of a superb Māori politician I reckon. I hope he beats Labour in this one.
Hi Maui, is it because he ain’t labour or you regard him as a better prospect than ms Mahuta?
I think/feel he’s the better candidate that’s all, although to be fair I don’t know a lot about Mahuta, and that maybe partly because of Mahuta’s reserved style. The impression I get of Papa is that he’s a great communicator with natural leadership skills and brings a prescence whenever he speaks. I also like how he knows his history.
He features on this interesting video discussion about the New Zealand Wars if youre interested to get an idea of the fella.
http://www.maoritelevision.com/tv/shows/media-take/S03E004/media-take-extended-series-3-episode-6
Cheers, will give it a lookalike.
Btw I do enjoy media take.
National are trying to divide Maori just like they have divided the rest of New Zealand.
Maori are doing a pretty good job of doing that all by themselves.
I totally agree Anne. An ungracious and disrepectful comment indeed. Tuku has an obliging media following. No surprises there, given that anything that portrays Labour in a negative light will be highlighted by our faithful National abiding news casters.
That the now ‘backbencher is devoid of mana’ shows that he and his king place politics over and above familial associations. To say this publicly about a whanau, hapu and iwi member says less about them and much more about her. A personal attack of this nature will not be taken lightly and I hope Maori vote en masse to ensure they don’t make it into Parliament.
That the now ‘backbencher is devoid of mana’…
She’s not on the back bench. She’s on the front bench of course. And she will be a senior minister in the Lab/Green coalition government. That’s the big lie Tuku Morgan is peddling. I can’t believe the majority of Maori will fall for his sexist crap.
#completely disgusted with tv1 news report on vault7, drop in shill piece lies about status of assange, lies about source of DNC leak, zero fact check , un filtered propaganda!
Outraged!
This interview on Checkpoint tonight, with a female high school student in Wellington, is pretty damning – not just of school boys’ behaviour, but of men’s behaviour too:
She said the behaviour/comments reported to have been posted by Wellington school boys on facebook, was no surprise to herself or girls she knows. She says it’s a daily experience for her to have boys and men to make rape-type comments to her in the street.
She says that she thinks many men need to look at their own behaviour, because school boys are just copying them.
This interview was followed by an author who has written about rape culture, pretty much confirming what the above high school student said.
Some feedback to Checkpoint says it is part of our culture where a PM can harass a woman by pulling her ponytail, and critics get told to lighten up.
Grim listening Caroline, I will stick my neck out and suggest that part of the problem is pornography, from tv and media advertising through to music videos and the free hard core stuff available on any phone/laptop.
Thanks for the link Carolyn, is bloody shocking that this is still happening. Makes me think how are these boys being taught to treat women.. maybe via advertising, music videos, gaming and porn so easily and freely available online?
Wondering where the male role models are within the Government?
Surely the male leaders of our country should be setting an example for young men to follow, or are they part of the problem?
On the up side I’ve certainly seen some wonderful male role models within the opposition parties.
Interesting story regarding ‘rape culture’.
Was at a party, this guy was hitting on all the women there, even the ones who had partners.
It was inappropriate.
So the men took care of that situation, as women DO NOT get hassled at parties, such are the values of the men there towards women. This man was given a very very very stern talking to and removed from the party.
The next day the women from the party were called to gather at the party hostesses home, the touchy feely man in question was taken to the women, all clean shaven and in his sunday best and made to apologise to them all.
Some men do have strong values about respecting women. And it’s nice to know they are sharing their knowledge, lead by example and all that
The whole situation impressed me so very much, kudos to those men at the party for their respect of women, they always look after and look out for the women at parties.
Biker party, great night had by all, it was a great night because we felt safe, it was the bikers that cemented that feeling of safety by the way they dealt with the situation.
Now that’s how to get the chicks 😀 stick up for them. Lesson to be learned there 😀
Good story cinny,
I am more concerned about the male role models in the home than in the government.
Yes. On Checkpoint the author talked about the importance of men in the homes being good role models, but also about them needing to have “honest” discussions with their sons about ways to behave with women that are not damaging to the women.
The 16 year old student from Wellington College says she gets the same sorts of comments from men in the street, as from school boys: comments that promote rape culture. And from some men as old as John Campbell ie in their 50s.
For sures. I wonder if some parents really know what their kids are watching, it’s learned behaviour, whether it be on a screen or real people interacting around them.
And it’s the girls too, they see skanky chicks in music videos gyrating in sweet FA and rolling around on the floor and mimic it. And if no one puts them right and explains to them why it’s not acceptable in a way they understand, they will continue to do so.
My youngest watched the 9 – 12 yr olds from a local dance school do a performance at a community event, these young girls were dressed in gold hot pants and tiny crop tops, loads of sexual moves including dry humping the floor. Then my youngest tries to copy them dang.
I’m no prude that’s for sure, but crikey wtf, young dance teacher, brought up with sexual music video’s, dang any local perverts would have been in bliss.
Documentaries at home that encourage discussion seems to bring results at our house, lolz I’ll blindside their friends with one next sleepover lmao.
Yes, good story, Cinny.
The TV1 news focused on the pornography angle quite a bit tonight. They presented the example of Auckland Grammar where they are having lessons about the problems with pornography. Some of the AG boys talked about it.
Sorry, but as one who started secondary teaching in 1970, I think you are both off-beam.
The attitude is started at home in the parents, and grows from there. It always has been so. I remember at secondary school in the early 1960s hearing boys talk that kind of talk. No social media, so no publicity.
This will annoy you even more (maybe): those bad parent types are producing more offspring than good parents do. So the problem gets worse.
Blaming social media and pornography is just the kind of mindless distraction that our neo-liberal masters want you to be distracted by. It suits them.
I still teach, and can assure you that well-parented children handle social media without harm, and probably avoid excessive exposure to pornography, without being harmed by the exposure their curiosity may have led them to.
Same with violence. The vicious cycle all starts with what parents unconsciously teach their kids in early years. Violence in video games or pornography have harmful effects only on people who are already infected with that harm, from parental input. Good children from good parents are incorruptible.
Otherwise, the harm is already done. Squealing about pornography and violence is squealing for an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. Too late.
We need good parenting, not a ban on porn or bash-up games.
I just wish I knew how to bring it about. Social justice, a decent living wage for all, and full employment would be much more worth fighting for. But that will not suit our neo-liberal regime.
So I guess we will get more squealing about porn and violence..
Interesting ty In Vino especially with your background in teaching and seeing things unfold over the years.
Maybe we need a parenting channel on the TV rather than a shopping channel? Actually.. that’s not a bad idea. Government funded using a medium that gets obvious results, good old television the drug of a nation.
The differences today are important, i remember one porno magazine that did the rounds, or someone trying to hire a porno video, sheez it was a big deal, required major planning, including how to watch it, whose got a VCR, they were super fancy.
But now days it’s all there and free online. I do think that makes a difference. Grand Theft Auto is a long way removed from Pac Man. There is a ban on porn and bash up games as well as guns in our house. JS
How do you think we could improve parenting in NZ to create change and break the cycles In Vino?
In Vino: Sorry, but as one who started secondary teaching in 1970, I think you are both off-beam.</i.
Really? And where did I particularly condemn pornography? – I merely said it was addressed. And in my previous comment I also referred to the discussion where parents as role models was also addressed.
Blaming social media and pornography is just the kind of mindless distraction that our neo-liberal masters want you to be distracted by. It suits them.
What a muddle of ideas you’ve thrown out.
I’m interested, though, that it is pornography again that is in the firing line with respect to misogyny.
2nd wave feminist tended to be highly critical of pornography – long before the neoliberal shift kicked in. And during the 1990s, with 3rd wave feminism, there was a tendency for many feminists to embrace pornography (or was it erotica?) that was claimed to be produced by and for women.
Actually, the expansion of pornography/erotica into digital media coincided with the neoliberal shift. Like all forms of media, it proliferated with the ability to more easily reproduce such productions. Pornography has probably been caught up in the acceleration of the commodification of everything, rather than being something separate from, or oppositional to neoliberalism.
I don’t know much about the content of pornography. But there were 2 issues raised by the Auckland Grammar teaching:
1. It was claimed pornography objectifies women, and treats them as less than human.
2. It was claimed some guys get addicted to pornography, and then become unable to maintain sexual relationships with real women.
On 1: I am critical of any media content that consistently objectifies women and/or demeans or demonises any section of society: and that includes whenever it happens within G-rated cartoons, sports broadcasts, serious documentaries, mainstream TV dramas, 6pm evening news… and pornography/erotica.
And I think the dominant narratives in most of our media tend to reinforce rape culture. And inter-related with that, is the role models adults set for young people.
On 2: I don’t know anything about addiction to pornography. There seems to be concerns these days about addictions to all kinds of things. I’ll pay attention to anything on addiction that is solidly backed up by research.
That was excellent, wows good on AG, and the discussion it brought about with those young lads, so important. And a subject no doubt many parents would feel rather uncomfortable discussing with their own kids and visa versa, brilliant way to tackle the issue.
Hows that… 60% of boys watch porn weekly, dang. Good on you Auckland Grammar for seeing it as a possible mental health issue meaning it fits within their curriculum, maybe all NZ secondary schools should look at doing the same.
Cinny … what percentage of teenage boys do you think Masturbate each week?? …. hint … they wake up with a hard on each day….
I’m presuming their porn watching would be central to their wanking …
And while we can criticize the lazy spotty Herberts …. for not using their grey matter and imaginations more ….
If you invented a lap top or Tablet that can come into the shower … they will be batting at over 90% in the porn watching stakes.
Electrocution not blindness …. from all that wanking …would be the modern mothers warning.
More seriously …. respectful loving relationships, between them and others in their family home….. gives All young people the best chance when the Hormones start hitting them…. and their own relationships and interactions of a sexual nature begin.
Speaking As a male to Mothers ….. do not underestimate the hormonal and mood swings that teenage boys can go through …. Testosterone is not a easy hormone.
Thank you for your honesty, some things I just simply forget being a woman, like the morning hardon, I really appreciate you being straight up with me, it helps me to understand .
I wonder how many teens have the privacy and safety they need. Like for masturbation with out shame. Cause that’s really important for a number of reasons, as well as having understanding relationships and conversations, rather than turning a blind eye because it feels uncomfortable discussing the human body, and it’s functions.
And the privacy and safety in that respect would be hard to find in some homes. But the internet however, that can be found in most homes. One with out the other could become toxic.
Maybe if we had Parenting TV, it could be a topic for after 8:30pm. These things so need to be talked about, so we can all learn, and they need to be talked about frankly and maturely to help find the best outcomes for our youth.
Such a complex topic. Had a very frank conversation with my man about it yesterday, so many facets, not just the boys but how internet porn can lead to massive confusion for girls too.
It lead us to discussing the education system, we felt that it needs to be changed to include subjects that have only become relevant in the last twenty years with the internet etc as well as subjects that should have been made compulsory years ago like personal finance, how the government works etc etc
Thanks Anne.
You just reminded me why I will never vote left.
No skin off my nose.
Cos, like, you know… the men have every right to tell the woman MP to “step aside” for them – especially on International Women’s Day!
You should try to be happy more. 🙂
I’m never happy with arrogant, misogynist males who try to put down an admired and respected politician because she happens to be a woman and is willing to stand up and speak for the many disenfranchised people within Maoridom. The people, I might add, for whom the Tuku Morgans of this world don’t give a damm.
I love it when people go “ooooh it’s because she’s a woman”. Without giving any consideration that there could be any other reason for it.
Perhaps if you read what he said –
“We all deserve no less than the best leadership on offer.
“She’s going right back to the backbench now. To me, she’s got no mana in there now,” King Tuheitia said of Labour MP Nanaia Mahuta’s demotion in the party.”
So perhaps it’s her demotion in labour that had something to do with it.
Of course the only reason Andrew little demoted her was because she’s a woman right?
It’s not like this is a surprise- it’s just little read it all wrong.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/74597088/andrew-little-dismisses-impact-of-nanaia-mahuta-demotion-on-maori-support
Yeah, James, Little forgot to take into account the inherent sexism and heirachical being of some of the so-called the top Maori. (sarc)
Because maybe he hadn’t encountered it before, and probably wasn’t aware it existed – because he lives in a world where women are treated equally and with respect.
If this sort of stuff is what Maori politics is about, Im glad Im not Maori
Mabey he just thought she wasn’t that good at her job ?
Just read this … https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/09/us-sends-hundreds-of-marines-to-syria-to-support-fight-against-isis
Who invited them in? The Syrian government? (I don’t think so.) What you call that…deploying troops to wage war a foreign country without the express permission or invitation of the government of said country? (Answers on a postcard)
Also sending troops to Kuwait. Could hazard a guess that the Kuwaiti government might have ‘invited’ them.
With each move the violent remnants of ‘western hegemony’ relegates itself to the unwritten history books
The chaotic events now unraveling at such an accelerated pace, indicate to me that humanity is in the midst of tectonic shifts ….
Which way the shift ultimately goes is unclear IMO, but it is with certainty I say the following
Climate Change is not the most pressing issue facing all living beings…in fact CC is relatively a ‘non event’ when compared the imminent threat of complete and utter destruction wrought with WMDs, be they military, financial or technical…
How many more years can the current trajectory be continued before the destructive tipping point is reached, one way or the other..
The timeline is nearer term than any other threat humanity has ever faced
Within a decade I would say…
Well, all I know is that the US (NATO member) has illegally deployed armed troops to Syria (allegedly to protect Rojavans) – the same Rojavans that Turkey (NATO member) has illegally deployed troops inside Syria to fight against.
So even ignoring all other spaghetti strands that make for the situation in Syria, I wonder if anyone can tell me how that possibly ends well?
The shareholders in the munitions and arms companies get a return.
If the folk on the ground are with private companies then there are contracts being paid.
Don’t be fretting about civilians, international protocols or any of that lefty stuff. There is money to be made.
More or less what ‘gsays’ responded with…although I do not believe it is about money
The circumstances which come from the situation you describe are ‘another brick in the wall’
The multiplier effect ensures an ever accelerating decline to whichever outcome the ‘masses’ allow to eventuate…
I see from your comments on various subjects that you don’t observe events in a vacuum…
They are each and every one a contributer to the multiplier effect
You could be right, OneTwo.
Whenever I see the destruction of cities and countries – almost daily on TV news, I wonder how much longer this will continue and what will become of all those millions of people unhoused, and unfed, with the loss of their lands and their livelihoods – where will they all end up, how will they all end up ? ? And does the western world ever think about what the end destruction of places, cities, countries really means ?
Hi Jenny
IMO if people of ‘the west’ do not take the actions required to halt the actions of their captured governments..
Sooner than later what ‘we’ allowed to happen abroad, will happen inside ‘our” own boarders, and in ways similar or more destructive than is seen now
Violence will always lead to escalated violence…
This is inevitable, as is the threat of continue decemation as the war machine expands around the globe at an increasingly rapid pace!
Speaking of Syria, I found this to be very interesting and well worth a watch.
Journalist Eva Bartlett: “I’m Back From Syria. The Media Is Lying To You!”
An excellent journalist disseminating crucial information reduced to using outlets associated with David Icke…
It’s going to be all on like Donkey Kong at the Nelson Trolley Derby this weekend.
Green Party candidate Matt Lawrey will be racing against outgoing government minister Dr Custard.
Heats start at 11am this Saturday 11th March, Collingwood St, Nelson
Lawrey for the win!
Ctrl + f for video.
Google’s computer vision technology is now so good it’s able to find specific objects within a video or group of videos.
[…]
With the tool, you can search one or more videos using keywords and get back a list of results showing you where in the video you can find the objects relevant to your search terms. You can see a bit of Google’s demo of the software onstage at Cloud Next in the video below.
http://mashable.com/2017/03/08/google-video-intelligence-api/#dL0VTPgM_8qo
New Zealand continues being sold off at pace by the Nats
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/90260050/overseas-investment-office-approves-sharp-increase-in-foreign-land-ownership
“Foreigners snapped up 362,000 hectares of freehold farm or forestry land and 103,000 ha of leasehold land in 2016, a hefty increase from the year before and higher than the average over the last 10 years.”
“Economist Bill Rosenberg, who conducted the research, said statistics on sales of land to overseas interests were poorly recorded and incomplete.
“Our best estimate is that in 2011 at least 8.7 percent of New Zealand farmland including forestry, or 1.3 million ha, was foreign-owned or controlled and it could have reached 10 percent.”
This was despite former Prime Minister John Key’s assertion in 2014 that foreigners owned only 2 per cent of farm and forestry land.
Rosenberg said CAFCA’s opposition to foreign ownership of land was based on the fact it was “the bedrock of our international competitive advantage” and the benefits were often overstated.
For example, a KPMG report recently showed US investors, who were the largest between 2013-15, invested $4.5 billion, but over the same period they removed $3.2b from New Zealand.”
Just online from NZ Herald’s Matt Nippert – he just tweeted that the OIAs on Peter Thiel have just started coming through.
Billionaire Peter Thiel’s secret Kiwi spy links revealed
More at the link.
And it’s worth reading Nippert’s tweets on it, too.
WOW! That’s massive. Excellent investigative journalism going on there by Mr Nippert. And thanks Dr Kennedy.
Thanks for the links Carolyn. Will be expecting to see this all over the media in the morning as well it needs to be addressed on the weekend political shows.
I am really pleased that the background to Thiel and his connections to Palantir is finally coming out. Good on Matt Nippert for his perseverance on this issue.
Just saying that I have been pushing the Palantir connections for quite some time here on TS.
My most recent comment on Open Mike on 4 March seems to have gone unnoticed so will repeat here.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04032017/#comment-1306356
“Peter Thiel Update
I rarely pass by here these days, but thought some here might be interested in this March 3 article.
https://theintercept.com/2017/03/02/palantir-provides-the-engine-for-donald-trumps-deportation-machine/
I commented on the Thiel posts a few months ago* when it was revealed that he had been given NZ citizenship some years ago. My concern re Thiel was his connections to Palantir with its connections to the Five Eyes spy network, the GCBS etc. – and to US regulatory authorities ($B worth of contracts).
https://thestandard.org.nz/peter-thiels-citizenship-and-consequent-questions-of-corruption/#comment-1293097
There are also links to several other interesting recent articles on Thiel at the end of the Intercept article.
*Shock – It was only at the end of Jan! Feels like a year ago. The Trump effect.”
My earlier comment 1293097 at the end of Jan is quite long so will not repeat it here, but it contains quite a number of links to other (US) articles on Palantir and its connections to US government (intelligence and other regulatory) agencies that came out after Thiel’s connections to Trump became known.
This comment is not intended as a “I told you so”. Simply that I have been following the Palantir connections to NZ for some years. A bit of a personal fixation.
Good that someone’s keeping watch on it.
Nippert is one of the better journalists at NZ Herald.
Absolutely agree re Matt Nippert. I gather that David Fisher is also helping on this issue.
The Palantir connection has been an interest of mine right back to when their name came up in relation to the GCSB and SIS, and the changes to intelligence gathering legislation. Key was up to his ears in the connection IMHO.
Anyway i used to ‘live’ on TS as a reader and occasional commenter, but only pass by from time to time these days and saw your post. Cheers.
Interesting to reread Karol’s post of June 13th, 2013 titled Networks of influence: Key, Peter Thiel & the GCSB
Sorry, I omitted the link to the above
https://thestandard.org.nz/networks-of-influence-key-peter-thiel-the-gcsb/
I also found this in my rereadings of Wayne’s comment 13.2.1 below Karol’s post. (my bold)
Part one —–of many.