“Andrew came off looking like an idiot on RNZ” – no he didn’t, Espiner was trying hard for a gotcha but totally missed.
“#panamapapers is an empty gun, pretty much every media outlet here is now saying this” – on Planet Key maybe, meanwhile here in the real world its still big news.
Jeez, that’s sobering reading. I read the police summary far too quickly when I wrote the Veitch post. I had thought it was a relatively short period of repeated abuse, but that is a record of a man out of control over the course of the entire relationship. Good thing he didn’t have access to a gun.
My thought was to give the author of any given post the ability to stop a person from commenting on the post in question instead of a full banning.
Not sure if that’s feasible as computers are still black magic to me !
We kind of have that ability, bw. However, it’s limited to editing or deleting comments. And you have to be moderating fulltime to catch the nastier stuff. Even with the best will in the world, I still couldn’t stop some of the rubbish that got through on the ‘broken’ post. But that’s men; always shouting down women.
ps, g’day marty mars. Thanks for respecting the ‘broken’ post. Hope you’ll keep coming back (and feel free to give me a burst if you want, it’s been a constant theme for the last couple of days 😉 ).
+100 b waghorn…I agree with this….there have been a few people banned who havent come back(Clem is one)…who should not have been banned in the first place imo…and their contributions have been lost because they are goneburger
( of course there are others who most certainly should have been banned and i enjoyed seeing them get the chop …especially by Lprent)
Yes indeed – the number of new voices in the Broken post was interesting, but also the old handles who had gone quiet and are now speaking up in (attempted) safe(er) spaces has given me something to consider.
I agree that ‘the standard’ is essentially a reflection of society.
What I find slightly odd is the notion held by some, that somehow people who consider themselves as ‘left’* are intrinsically more attuned to racism, sexism and authoritarianism. They’re not.
There are bucket loads of misogynists and racists (or people with blind spots to both) who support the more statist parliamentary parties just as there are bucket loads of misogynists and racists (or people with blind spots to both) who support the more market orientated parliamentary parties.
One thing I’d pick they have in common is a black hole in their comprehension or awareness of authoritarianism. And no, I’m not saying that all authoritarians are racist and/or misogynistic, rather that a healthy disdain for cultures of authoritarianism (ie – cultures built around following people or leading people) tends to cut through or undermine the cultural norms that prop up sexism and racism.
* Using the term as commonly used when really referring to politics of statism.
Dame Anne said people feared they were losing control of the water to private interests and that more lakes and rivers were becoming dangerously toxic.
“You’ve got lakes like Lake Forsyth down south, which is so toxic it’s killing sheep and dogs and that’s a kind of signpost to the kind of future where we might be heading.”
The battle over water had become so contentious that iwi, farmers, clean water campaigners and other groups needed to find common ground.
“We need a solution that gives everybody a stake and a way of seeing that everybody benefits.”
An independently run Waterways Commission would be funded by user charges on commercial users like bottled water and irrigation companies.
Dame Anne, the patron of Te Awaroa, A Thousand Rivers, an organisation committed to saving the rivers, said the challenge was to make sure that water did not turn into a commodity where the profits flowed into the pockets of a few. [More at the link]
@ Manuka AOR…yes I heard that on Checkpoint also …it seems to depend on the definition of whether people /students in New Zealand buying up properties actually are New Zealanders or foreigners residing in New Zealand for a short period of time…and also whether they are buying for themselves or foreign others /relatives residing outside New Zealand.
This from a Chinese property developer expert on Chinese buying up of properties outside China …in Australia and Canada:
….”Most Chinese purchases hide behind trustees and proxies. Third parties such as friends and relatives were often used.
“Chinese students are being paid 2 per cent of the purchase price of the property to purchase property on behalf of relatives,” says Tee.
Another person au fait with Chinese property transactions in Australia told Fairfax Media it was simple for Chinese investors to get around the foreign capital restrictions.
“The money never really moves. In a simple example, Kunlun is a forex trading and money exchange company. It has bank accounts in many countries with significant cash balances. So if someone wants $40 million in Australia they put the money in a Kunlun China account and Kunlun transfers the money from their Australian accounts to the person’s friend’s Australian account.
“Kunlun is just one example – any large trading multinational will hold large reserves of cash in each country so they can effect a transfer with an internal paper transaction. No banks or government scrutiny involved. And given that they don’t do effective reporting in this country, who will ever trace it?
“The current situation is that one of the best assets a local Chinese can have is a permanent Australian residence. They will have ‘friends’ lining up to ‘loan’ them money to buy properties in Australia.
All the government needs to do is follow the cash.”
+100…thanks Manuka AOR…interesting and sad and disturbing…this needs to be discussed more in society and around the world if ever women are to have real equality
Syreza are a failure. They gave up their trump card (a grexit) entering the negotiations and as a result had to concede to all the creditors demands. Hopefully the next Greek government will run and be elected on a platform of leaving the Euro.
think its a given that various unpleasant scenarios were presented to Tsipras at those (un-minuted) meetings, and the military back in control was very likely one of them…..it may happen anyway
“Having been fourth largest arms importer in 2003–2007, Greece was 15th largest in 2008–12. Its volume of imports declined by 61 per cent between these two periods. As part of its own cost-saving exercises, Greece placed no new orders for major conventional weapons in 2012 and has delayed or cancelled a range of arms import plans, including the acquisition of 6 FREMM frigates from France and over 400 armored vehicles from Russia.”
looks like its historical orders approaching delivery…..spending in real terms slashed and morale v low
I thought it was implied by CV. But it doesnt seem like the sort of thing the EU would want, a military dictatorship in the middle of Europe actually. Its just not clear what Syreza thought they could achieve by taking grexit off the negotiating table.
the implication is the EU would support a military coup or at least not oppose one should it occur….not that the greek colonels threatened another coup should they leave the EU.
“Countries such as the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany on the other hand were voicing criticism about Greece’s human rights record but supported the country’s continued membership in the Council of Europe and NATO because of the country’s strategic value for the western alliance.[53][54]”
Even if the EU would support a Greek military govt this has no effect on the negotiations unless the Greek military is understood to be likely to undertake a coup. If this impacted negotiations it was a perceived threat put by the military some how. I understood the EU would only tolerate democratic governments as members however.
a coup by the military in Greece was proposed as a possibility by CV and it was and remains so….it was not a prediction of imminent occurrence ….however should you wish to pursue the prospect (as you appear to do) then nowhere has it been suggested that should such an event occur then Greece would remain member of the EU….although going on past performance Im sure Brussels could manage to accommodate such an event if it suited.
+100 Nic the NZer…if I was Greek I would be wanting to vote for leaving…I am sure the average Greek and Greece could do better on its own..
from what I can see…Greece’s debt is in trumped up printed monies from rorting banks which should know better, exchanging disreputable bankster loans, on the advice of Goldman Sachs
Kind of. Greece problem is they use an external currency and so their govt is not able to determine its own budget. On this basis, mostly at the behest of the IMF, they have been cutting expendature in response to a fall in total spending. Of course this exacerbates the fall in spending though the IMF demands were based on projections which expected to opposite to occur.
Returning to the Dracma will put that issue under control of Greece again so they can then tackle their economic issues under their own steam. Special mention to Donald Trump for pointing out that the US already issues its own currency and can always ‘print’ it rather than default. This as he pointed out means the US has only a self imposed budget constraint. Comparison between the US and Eurozone nations is therefore meaningless and the same goes for NZ and other nations which issue their own non convertable (floating exchange rate) currencies.
People need to remember that Greece has defaulted on its debts several times over the last 200 years. Let it do it again and let its people restart their lives free from debt slavery.
10/5 been and goooooone! no sign of any smoking guns from the panama drop. thought NZ was an international pariah? all trade would stop?
Nope, just more bull shit hyperbole in the echo chamber that is the left’s activist base. Oooh cam got name suppression dropped. think JK gives a toss?
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Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
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Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
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Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
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This had been such a good day for the activist left.
And clearly there’s more to come!
not sure how you’ve come to that conclusion?
* Andrew came off looking like an idiot on RNZ
* #panamapapers is an empty gun, pretty much every media outlet here is now saying this
Only good thing today was slater. And no one cares about slater, so….
“Andrew came off looking like an idiot on RNZ” – no he didn’t, Espiner was trying hard for a gotcha but totally missed.
“#panamapapers is an empty gun, pretty much every media outlet here is now saying this” – on Planet Key maybe, meanwhile here in the real world its still big news.
I believe he stopped as andrew walked in to the same question 3 times. He really needs some better training.
I would hate to see what a bad day for the activist left would look like then Ad…
“I would hate to see what a bad day for the activist left would look like then Ad…” & that’s a bare faced lie.
I’ve had far too many of them so I’m pretty qualified to see the good days.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/79805441/kristen-dunnepowells-police-statement-detailed-a-number-of-violent-assaults-by-tony-veitch
That should clear up the myth of his one mistake
Nah mate. The rest of whatever beatings and what not weren’t mistakes because he didn’t lose his job or career over the head of them.
At least more people will know the truth.
Such an odious insecure individual is our wee tony v.
Jeez, that’s sobering reading. I read the police summary far too quickly when I wrote the Veitch post. I had thought it was a relatively short period of repeated abuse, but that is a record of a man out of control over the course of the entire relationship. Good thing he didn’t have access to a gun.
I have some suggestions in regards to the broken post – which I’ll post here.
“So what to do?
nothing
What?
Yep – do nothing, change nothing, get rid of no one – anything that is done is just hiding the issues and not dealing with them.
But what about offensive and horrible comments?
delete and ban them
But what about making The Standard safer for women?
It won’t be, not without changing attitudes and that won’t happen anytime soon – especially with fundaMENtalist views and attitudes.
But The Standard might whither and die?
So does everything. If you want to change that then contribute, be an author, be a commenter, be involved.”
http://mars2earth.blogspot.co.nz/2016/05/not-broken-just-reflective.html
My thought was to give the author of any given post the ability to stop a person from commenting on the post in question instead of a full banning.
Not sure if that’s feasible as computers are still black magic to me !
We kind of have that ability, bw. However, it’s limited to editing or deleting comments. And you have to be moderating fulltime to catch the nastier stuff. Even with the best will in the world, I still couldn’t stop some of the rubbish that got through on the ‘broken’ post. But that’s men; always shouting down women.
ps, g’day marty mars. Thanks for respecting the ‘broken’ post. Hope you’ll keep coming back (and feel free to give me a burst if you want, it’s been a constant theme for the last couple of days 😉 ).
oh fuck offf mate, my text on The Standard is just as loud as yours is just as loud as any woman’s.
Further, i’ve never seen any evidence that women can’t type as fast as men on an internet forum. Have you?
Pretty sure that the females don’t need your protection in order to make their point on The Standard.
But keep up the slimy greasing up.
You’re a sad, bitter wee man. But I don’t have to tell you that.
my text your text and any womens text comment on The Standard are equally as loud.
And even though you might think women need your extra help to make their points heard, trust me they don’t.
Excellent. CV knows what women need. Problem solved.
At CV an TRP, To a large extent, Your both wrong, so shut up the pair of you.
Or take it of site “back door” will ya, it’s becoming embarrassing.
+ 1 million.
+100 b waghorn…I agree with this….there have been a few people banned who havent come back(Clem is one)…who should not have been banned in the first place imo…and their contributions have been lost because they are goneburger
( of course there are others who most certainly should have been banned and i enjoyed seeing them get the chop …especially by Lprent)
marty – good to see you – I hope you will decide to comment here again. Adele too. We need your voices.
+tahi
+ rua
Yes indeed – the number of new voices in the Broken post was interesting, but also the old handles who had gone quiet and are now speaking up in (attempted) safe(er) spaces has given me something to consider.
+1
Thanks for commenting Marty. Thoughtful post.
I agree that ‘the standard’ is essentially a reflection of society.
What I find slightly odd is the notion held by some, that somehow people who consider themselves as ‘left’* are intrinsically more attuned to racism, sexism and authoritarianism. They’re not.
There are bucket loads of misogynists and racists (or people with blind spots to both) who support the more statist parliamentary parties just as there are bucket loads of misogynists and racists (or people with blind spots to both) who support the more market orientated parliamentary parties.
One thing I’d pick they have in common is a black hole in their comprehension or awareness of authoritarianism. And no, I’m not saying that all authoritarians are racist and/or misogynistic, rather that a healthy disdain for cultures of authoritarianism (ie – cultures built around following people or leading people) tends to cut through or undermine the cultural norms that prop up sexism and racism.
* Using the term as commonly used when really referring to politics of statism.
+100…yes agree marty mars
Hey marty mars. Good to see you back in town 🙂
Please do visit again. I always appreciated your compassionate, understanding and BS free comments.
It’s been a bit weird lately, kind of off putting. Be good to see you around to help raise the tone.
Good to see ya marty!
(I disagree about making the place safer, but hey ho, ever the optimist 😉 ).
Anne Salmond is calling for a commission to save NZ water.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/303536/call-for-commission-to-save-nz-water
Dame Anne said people feared they were losing control of the water to private interests and that more lakes and rivers were becoming dangerously toxic.
“You’ve got lakes like Lake Forsyth down south, which is so toxic it’s killing sheep and dogs and that’s a kind of signpost to the kind of future where we might be heading.”
The battle over water had become so contentious that iwi, farmers, clean water campaigners and other groups needed to find common ground.
“We need a solution that gives everybody a stake and a way of seeing that everybody benefits.”
An independently run Waterways Commission would be funded by user charges on commercial users like bottled water and irrigation companies.
Dame Anne, the patron of Te Awaroa, A Thousand Rivers, an organisation committed to saving the rivers, said the challenge was to make sure that water did not turn into a commodity where the profits flowed into the pockets of a few. [More at the link]
+100 ….Anne Salmond is one voice which should be heeded!!!!…the idea of a ‘Commission to Save NZ Water’ is a good one
On this evening’s Checkpoint with John Campbell
… Bernard Hickey talking about the newly released figures on foreign ownership, says there seems to be an ‘underestimate’, and that the actual figure could be anywhere between 3% … and 48%. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/303532/foreign-buyers-%27very-under-reported%27
@ Manuka AOR…yes I heard that on Checkpoint also …it seems to depend on the definition of whether people /students in New Zealand buying up properties actually are New Zealanders or foreigners residing in New Zealand for a short period of time…and also whether they are buying for themselves or foreign others /relatives residing outside New Zealand.
This from a Chinese property developer expert on Chinese buying up of properties outside China …in Australia and Canada:
http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/wall-of-chinese-capital-buying-up-australian-properties-20150628-ghztdf.html
….”Most Chinese purchases hide behind trustees and proxies. Third parties such as friends and relatives were often used.
“Chinese students are being paid 2 per cent of the purchase price of the property to purchase property on behalf of relatives,” says Tee.
Another person au fait with Chinese property transactions in Australia told Fairfax Media it was simple for Chinese investors to get around the foreign capital restrictions.
“The money never really moves. In a simple example, Kunlun is a forex trading and money exchange company. It has bank accounts in many countries with significant cash balances. So if someone wants $40 million in Australia they put the money in a Kunlun China account and Kunlun transfers the money from their Australian accounts to the person’s friend’s Australian account.
“Kunlun is just one example – any large trading multinational will hold large reserves of cash in each country so they can effect a transfer with an internal paper transaction. No banks or government scrutiny involved. And given that they don’t do effective reporting in this country, who will ever trace it?
“The current situation is that one of the best assets a local Chinese can have is a permanent Australian residence. They will have ‘friends’ lining up to ‘loan’ them money to buy properties in Australia.
All the government needs to do is follow the cash.”
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/wall-of-chinese-capital-buying-up-australian-properties-20150628-ghztdf.html#ixzz48Fb0WaJ1
Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/realestate/news/foreign-investment-chinese-buyers-predicted-to-snap-up-more-aussie-properties-in-2016/news-story/c57abd5790a804e8c79d29dc2c9813b3
These stats came out over a month ago but are still, sadly, relevant:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/78599927/from-protectors-to-perpetrators-the-sons-who-bash-their-mums
+100…thanks Manuka AOR…interesting and sad and disturbing…this needs to be discussed more in society and around the world if ever women are to have real equality
and while nobody was looking……..
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/10/greece-austerity-grexit-drachma
Syreza are a failure. They gave up their trump card (a grexit) entering the negotiations and as a result had to concede to all the creditors demands. Hopefully the next Greek government will run and be elected on a platform of leaving the Euro.
Yes…they failed to seize their opportunity….bad as it would have been I was surprised they didn’t.
Varoufakis has been bitter at how the Syriza leadership sold out.
Mind you if they hadnt its quite likely the Greek military would be in charge now. And that was probably made clear to them.
BTW exiting the Eurozone is not the same as exiting the EU. (Brexit and Grexit refer to different things)
think its a given that various unpleasant scenarios were presented to Tsipras at those (un-minuted) meetings, and the military back in control was very likely one of them…..it may happen anyway
Chess with 7 billion pawns
Your suggesting the Greek military is forcing the country to remain in the Eurozone? I see no evidence of it but it would explain things.
you may think Greece has been facing budgetary austerity but check out all the nice new million dollar weapons the Greek military has been getting.
“Having been fourth largest arms importer in 2003–2007, Greece was 15th largest in 2008–12. Its volume of imports declined by 61 per cent between these two periods. As part of its own cost-saving exercises, Greece placed no new orders for major conventional weapons in 2012 and has delayed or cancelled a range of arms import plans, including the acquisition of 6 FREMM frigates from France and over 400 armored vehicles from Russia.”
looks like its historical orders approaching delivery…..spending in real terms slashed and morale v low
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/gr-budget.htm
Ahhh right thanks…
how on earth do you glean that position from what was written? @Nic
I thought it was implied by CV. But it doesnt seem like the sort of thing the EU would want, a military dictatorship in the middle of Europe actually. Its just not clear what Syreza thought they could achieve by taking grexit off the negotiating table.
the implication is the EU would support a military coup or at least not oppose one should it occur….not that the greek colonels threatened another coup should they leave the EU.
“Countries such as the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Germany on the other hand were voicing criticism about Greece’s human rights record but supported the country’s continued membership in the Council of Europe and NATO because of the country’s strategic value for the western alliance.[53][54]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_military_junta_of_1967–74
Even if the EU would support a Greek military govt this has no effect on the negotiations unless the Greek military is understood to be likely to undertake a coup. If this impacted negotiations it was a perceived threat put by the military some how. I understood the EU would only tolerate democratic governments as members however.
a coup by the military in Greece was proposed as a possibility by CV and it was and remains so….it was not a prediction of imminent occurrence ….however should you wish to pursue the prospect (as you appear to do) then nowhere has it been suggested that should such an event occur then Greece would remain member of the EU….although going on past performance Im sure Brussels could manage to accommodate such an event if it suited.
+100 Nic the NZer…if I was Greek I would be wanting to vote for leaving…I am sure the average Greek and Greece could do better on its own..
from what I can see…Greece’s debt is in trumped up printed monies from rorting banks which should know better, exchanging disreputable bankster loans, on the advice of Goldman Sachs
Kind of. Greece problem is they use an external currency and so their govt is not able to determine its own budget. On this basis, mostly at the behest of the IMF, they have been cutting expendature in response to a fall in total spending. Of course this exacerbates the fall in spending though the IMF demands were based on projections which expected to opposite to occur.
Returning to the Dracma will put that issue under control of Greece again so they can then tackle their economic issues under their own steam. Special mention to Donald Trump for pointing out that the US already issues its own currency and can always ‘print’ it rather than default. This as he pointed out means the US has only a self imposed budget constraint. Comparison between the US and Eurozone nations is therefore meaningless and the same goes for NZ and other nations which issue their own non convertable (floating exchange rate) currencies.
People need to remember that Greece has defaulted on its debts several times over the last 200 years. Let it do it again and let its people restart their lives free from debt slavery.
10/5 been and goooooone! no sign of any smoking guns from the panama drop. thought NZ was an international pariah? all trade would stop?
Nope, just more bull shit hyperbole in the echo chamber that is the left’s activist base. Oooh cam got name suppression dropped. think JK gives a toss?
And your point is……?
The point seems to be that JK won’t give a toss that his friends and advisors are being exposed as rather dodgy undesirable scoundrels who lie often.
Probably a factual point too. The jokes on us and all of NZ.
The drinking week starts on Thursday night…
“10/5 been and goooooone! no sign of any smoking guns from the panama drop. thought NZ was an international pariah? all trade would stop?
Nope, just more bull shit hyperbole in the echo chamber”
i like how you described your first sentence