Key was on 6pm news commenting on the differences between Australia/NZ and the Pacific Island nations over Climate Change. He uttered words to the effect… they (Pacific Island leaders) believe their low lying islands are going to be swamped by rising sea levels but time will tell if they are right or not. The inference (delivered with a nice smile) being that the Pacific leaders are a bunch of low level fools prepared to believe anything, while he and Abbott are superior beings with superior knowledge. No comprehension that in reality they are the cretinous ones – not the Pacific Island leaders!
Yeah, he said, in regard to the claims of ome pacific island nations that climate change could threaten their very existence: “that might, or might not, be true” followed by “but time will tell if they are right or not”.
Yes it was but I was more concerned with what she said about CYFS. Expect more draconian, anti-human legislation from this government that manages to make things worse while providing a profit for private providers.
“New Zealand schools need to be delivered from deadweight of bureaucratic authoritarianism. And at base lies the education review office. The review office is pure Kafka …”
Key’s M.O. has been to appeal to the beers around the barbecue set but it’s risky in that he’s shown his true colours on several occasions.
By taking on the blokey, bullying persona he’s invited muddle New Zealand to accept bullying and oneupmanship as a normal everyday occurrence. He’s invited muddle New Zealand to accept that making fun of gay people and attacking women who make a fuss as totally normal and right.
‘John Key’s New Zealand’ is itself a product of the homogenisation of the dominant political cultures around the world which usually is identified by the label ‘neoliberal’.
And the ‘international culture’ you are trying to deflect blame upon is itself a product of that homogenised political culture. It’s not some independent, parallel, purely technologically-provoked development.
Ask yourself, for example, why particular technological ‘innovation’ occurs and, more significantly, why the technological developments that do occur get used in the ways that they are now used?
It’s down to the dominant ideological settings – born of neoliberal policy primarily pursued as part of a quite deliberate attempt by elites to retake the vast economic advantages that they had before the 1930s (see David Harvey’s book ‘A Brief History of Neoliberalism‘ for a pretty accessible read of these sweeping, global political and economic changes).
It’s being going on for over thirty years, of course, but Key’s government is the logical continuation of it.
More specifically, stunts like the one in the link are primarily about provocative attempts to gain audience ratings. But notice that the over-riding concern with audience ratings in the new media outlets generated over that time (i.e., outlets that are themselves products of neoliberal reforms) is simply part of the obvious neoliberal logic extended to a thoroughgoing wild west media marketplace.
Anyone at the time with any common sense or reflective capacity on the nature of the Reagan/Thatcher/Douglas financial and economic reforms could have foretold these kinds of outcomes with ease (because they’d happened before in the 20th century when similar policies held sway).
Any pre-existing ‘social glue’ and moral norms inevitably get put under pressure by the logic of neoliberalism and eventually, like a piece of number 8 wire continually bent backwards and forwards, will weaken and snap.
Those, in the marketplace, left cleaving to older virtues such as common decency will start to look like unadaptable dinosaurs afraid to apply a bit of ‘creative destruction’ to the social and moral order through ‘business innovation’ and cutting edge marketing, etc..
Of course, despite those over-weaning pressures that come from the working out of neoliberal logic in real time, there are still good people around – but even they increasingly make compromises in their behaviour in relation to how they believe they should act.
Things have turned a bit crap for Mr Harper-man and the Tories in Canada’s Federal election campaign. Recent polls have them slipping to 3rd place behind the Liberals and NDP at about 26% across the country. Crucially they are falling behind the Liberals in seat-rich Ontario which often decides elections with the FPTP system Canada (still!) uses. At any rate none other than a certain Mr Lynton Crosby has been drafted in from Australia to try and stem the losses. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-election-2015-lynton-crosby-conservatives-1.3223315
I read the following comment from a reader. I would like to know if there is any valid substance to this claim. What do you think?
Comment was :
“Its my understanding at least two of the four proposed flags are trade Marked by its owner. If one of these is picked as our new flag either the owner will have to relinquish the trade mark or the government will have to buy it
I wonder how much money someone would want for their flag that is going to be shown worldwide as a National symbol of a country $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$”
—————
I’ve heard Kyle Lockwood would transfer or relinquish what intellectual property he had to the NZ government if one of his several designs were successful.
At this point it looks like being the case because one of his designs will have the backing of the National party vault and we will not have seen a marketing campaign like it before in New Zealand. There will be celebrity endorsements as yet unheard of in order to get one of the Lockwoods over the line.
I suspect it will be the black and blue Lockwood because as David Farrar has said, there’s too much Labour red in the red and blue version.
I am astonished at the audacity and stupidity of the panel and the cabinet to give us four final flags, three of which have the SAME symbol and the fourth is a dull rendering of an important Maori theme. In reality, we are given just ONE choice : A fern! A dumb panel and a manipulated referendum. Personally, I have no real choice but to stick with the current flag for now.
I went to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (yes, again) about a billboard where a naked woman’s body is used to sell… scaffolding. And cranes. And stuff like that.
You’d think this would be a fairly straightforward argument, since the Advertising Standards Code says:
5. Advertisements should not employ sexual appeal in a manner which is exploitative and degrading of any individual or group of people in society to promote the sale of products or services. In particular people should not be portrayed in a manner which uses sexual appeal simply to draw attention to an unrelated product. Children must not be portrayed in a manner which treats them as objects of sexual appeal.
The Advertising Standards Authority deals with complaints about advertising content and placement. If a complaint is upheld, we request removal or amendment of the advertisement.
We do not fine advertisers and cannot make advertisers pay refunds.
and one wonders just what the purpose of the ASA is because it doesn’t appear to be to hold businesses that break the law/codes to account.
We live in a country that can’t even do a proper investigation to the gang rape of young women, by a group of young men – who then bragged about it on the internet.
Our society is so patriarchal we can’t even mention the word feminism, without some male moaning about it. Or the start crying like a 2 year old, and spraying that their sexist comment was only, “a joke”.
Comedy is great, indeed I love Maria Bamford, Jo Brand, and Frankie Boyle. I Where is the humour in repeatedly objectifying women on billboards, with at best, another boring, lazy, tired, pun.
I thought we were suppose to be clever in this country? Obviously our advertising people are not.
I’ve noticed there are really two main kinds of people who are politicians, by which I mean elected people like me. There are those who think they are elected because they are awesome, and those who have a broader understanding of why they are elected and what the role is. In my opinion you do not want to vote for the former, and if you run you do not want to be the former either.
Elbridge Colby’s senate confirmation hearing in early March holds more important implications for US partners than most observers in Canberra, Wellington or Suva realise. As President Donald Trump’s nominee for under secretary of defence for ...
China’s defence budget is rising heftily yet again. The 2025 rise will be 7.2 percent, the same as in 2024, the government said on 5 March. But the allocation, officially US$245 billion, is just the ...
Concern is growing about wide-ranging local repercussions of the new Setting of Speed Limits rule, rewritten in 2024 by former transport minister Simeon Brown. In particular, there’s growing fears about what this means for children in particular. A key paradox of the new rule is that NZTA-controlled roads have the ...
Speilmeister:Christopher Luxon’s prime-ministerial pitches notwithstanding, are institutions with billions of dollars at their disposal really going to invest them in a country so obviously in a deep funk?HAVING WOOED THE WORLD’s investors, what, if anything, has New Zealand won? Did Christopher Luxon’s guests board their private jets fizzing with enthusiasm for ...
Christchurch City Council is one of 18 councils and three council-controlled organisations (CCOs) downgraded by ratings agency S&P. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories shortest:Standard & Poor’s has cut the credit ratings of 18 councils, blaming the new Government’s abrupt reversal of 3 Waters, cuts to capital ...
Figures released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that the economy grew by 0.7% ending the very deep recession seen over the past year, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “Even though GDP grew in the three months to December, our economy is still 1.1% smaller than it ...
What is going on with the price of butter?, RNZ, 19 march 2025: If you have bought butter recently you might have noticed something - it is a lot more expensive. Stats NZ said last week that the price of butter was up 60 percent in February compared to ...
I agree with Will Leben, who wrote in The Strategist about his mistakes, that an important element of being a commentator is being accountable and taking responsibility for things you got wrong. In that spirit, ...
You’d beDrunk by noon, no one would knowJust like the pandemicWithout the sourdoughIf I were there, I’d find a wayTo get treated for hysteriaEvery dayLyrics Riki Lindhome.A varied selection today in Nick’s Kōrero:Thou shalt have no other gods - with Christopher Luxon.Doctors should be seen and not heard - with ...
Two recent foreign challenges suggest that Australia needs urgently to increase its level of defence self-reliance and to ensure that the increased funding that this would require is available. First, the circumnavigation of our continent ...
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According to RNZ’s embedded reporter, the importance of Winston Peters’ talks in Washington this week “cannot be overstated.” Right. “Exceptionally important.” said the maestro himself. This epic importance doesn’t seem to have culminated in anything more than us expressing our “concern” to the Americans about a series of issues that ...
Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of "Climate Fresk" and at a guess, this will also be the case for many of you. I stumbled upon it in the self-service training catalog for employees at the company I work at in Germany where it was announced ...
Japan and Australia talk of ‘collective deterrence,’ but they don’t seem to have specific objectives. The relationship needs a clearer direction. The two countries should identify how they complement each other. Each country has two ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the OPC’s decision to issue a code of practice for biometric processing. Our view is that the draft code currently being consulted on is stronger and will be more effective than the exposure code released in early 2024. We are pleased that some of the revisions ...
Australia’s export-oriented industries, particularly agriculture, need to diversify their markets, with a focus on Southeast Asia. This could strengthen economic security and resilience while deepening regional relationships. The Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on ...
Minister Shane Jones is introducing fastrack ‘reforms’ to the our fishing industry that will ensure the big players squeeze out the small fishers and entrench an already bankrupt quota system.Our fisheries are under severe stress: the recent decision by theHigh Court ruling that the ...
In what has become regular news, the quarterly ETS auction has failed, with nobody even bothering to bid. The immediate reason is that the carbon price has fallen to around $60, below the auction minimum of $68. And the cause of that is a government which has basically given up ...
US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats have dominated headlines in India in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Trump announced that his reciprocal tariffs—matching other countries’ tariffs on American goods—will go into effect on 2 April, ...
Hi,Back in June of 2021, James Gardner-Hopkins — a former partner at law firm Russell McVeagh — was found guilty of misconduct over sexually inappropriate behaviour with interns.The events all related to law students working as summer interns at Russell McVeagh:As well as intimate touching with a student at his ...
Climate sceptic MP Mark Cameron has slammed National for being ‘out of touch’ by sticking to our climate commitments. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories shortest:ACT’s renowned climate sceptic MP Mark Cameron has accused National of being 'out of touch' with farmers by sticking with New Zealand’s Paris accord pledges ...
Now I've heard there was a secret chordThat David played, and it pleased the LordBut you don't really care for music, do you?It goes like this, the fourth, the fifthThe minor falls, the major liftsThe baffled king composing HallelujahSongwriter: Leonard CohenI always thought the lyrics of that great song by ...
People are getting carried away with the virtues of small warship crews. We need to remember the great vice of having few people to run a ship: they’ll quickly tire. Yes, the navy is struggling ...
Mōrena. Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, The Atlantic-$, ...
US President Donald Trump’s hostile regime has finally forced Europe to wake up. With US officials calling into question the transatlantic alliance, Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, recently persuaded lawmakers to revise the country’s debt ...
We need to establish clearer political boundaries around national security to avoid politicising ongoing security issues and to better manage secondary effects. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) revealed on 10 March that the Dural caravan ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have reiterated their call for Government to protect workers by banning engineered stone in a submission on MBIE’s silica dust consultation. “If Brooke van Velden is genuine when she calls for an evidence-based approach to this issue, then she must support a full ban on ...
The Labour Inspectorate could soon be knocking on the door of hundreds of businesses nation-wide, as it launches a major crackdown on those not abiding by the law. NorthTec staff are on edge as Northland’s leading polytechnic proposes to stop 11 programmes across primary industries, forestry, and construction. Union coverage ...
It’s one thing for military personnel to hone skills with first-person view (FPV) drones in racing competitions. It’s quite another for them to transition to the complexities of the battlefield. Drone racing has become a ...
Seymour says there will be no other exemptions granted to schools wanting to opt out of the Compass contract. Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories shortest:David Seymour has denied a request from a Christchurch school and any other schools to be exempted from the Compass school lunch programme, saying the contract ...
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, and British Prime Minister John Major signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in ...
Edit: The original story said “Palette Cleanser” in both the story, and the headline. I am never, ever going to live this down. Chain me up, throw me into the pit.Hi,With the world burning — literally and figuratively — I felt like Webworm needed a little palate cleanser at the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler(Image credit: Antonio Huerta) Growing up in suburban Ohio, I was used to seeing farmland and woods disappear to make room for new subdivisions, strip malls, and big box stores. I didn’t usually welcome the changes, but I assumed others ...
Myanmar was a key global site for criminal activity well before the 2021 military coup. Today, illicit industry, especially heroin and methamphetamine production, still defines much of the economy. Nowhere, not even the leafiest districts ...
What've I gotta do to make you love me?What've I gotta do to make you care?What do I do when lightning strikes me?And I wake up and find that you're not thereWhat've I gotta do to make you want me?Mmm hmm, what've I gotta do to be heard?What do I ...
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Whenever Christopher Luxon drops a classically fatuous clanger or whenever the government has a bad poll – i.e. every week – the talk resumes that he is about to be rolled. This is unlikely for several reasons. For starters, there is no successor. Nicola Willis? Chris Bishop? Simeon Brown? Mark ...
Australia, Britain and European countries should loosen budget rules to allow borrowing to fund higher defence spending, a new study by the Kiel Institute suggests. Currently, budget debt rules are forcing governments to finance increases ...
The NZCTU remains strongly committed to banning engineered stone in New Zealand and implementing better occupational health protections for all workers working with silica-containing materials. In this submission to MBIE, the NZCTU outlines that we have an opportunity to learn from Australia’s experience by implementing a full ban of engineered ...
The Prime Minister has announced a big win in trade negotiations with India.It’s huge, he told reporters. We didn't get everything we came for but we were able to agree on free trade in clothing, fabrics, car components, software, IT consulting, spices, tea, rice, and leather goods.He said that for ...
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As Syria and international partners negotiate the country’s future, France has sought to be a convening power. While France has a history of influence in the Middle East, it will have to balance competing Syrian ...
One of the eternal truths about Aotearoa's economy is that we are "capital poor": there's not enough money sloshing around here to fund the expansion of local businesses, or to build the things we want to. Which gets used as an excuse for all sorts of things, like setting up ...
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Employers, unions and health and safety advocates are calling for engineered stone to be banned, a day before consultation on regulations closes. On Friday the PSA lodged a pay equity claim for library assistants with the Employment Relations Authority, after the stalling of a claim lodged with six councils in ...
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At a time of rising geopolitical tensions and deepening global fragmentation, the Ukraine war has proved particularly divisive. From the start, the battle lines were clearly drawn: Russia on one side, Ukraine and the West ...
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A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 9, 2025 thru Sat, March 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. We are still interested ...
Max Harris and Max Rashbrooke discuss how we turn around the right wing slogans like nanny state, woke identity politics, and the inefficiency of the public sector – and how we build a progressive agenda. From Donald Trump to David Seymour, from Peter Dutton to Christopher Luxon, we are subject to a ...
The Government dominated the political agenda this week with its two-day conference pitching all manner of public infrastructure projects for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories shortest in our political economy this week: The Government ploughed ahead with offers of PPPs to pension fund managers ...
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So here we are at the wedding of Alexandra Vincent Martelli and David Seymour.Look at all the happy prosperous guests! How proud Nick Mowbray looks of the gift he has made of a mountain of crap plastic toys stuffed into a Cybertruck.How they drink, how they laugh, how they mug ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is waste heat from industrial activity the reason the planet is warming? Waste heat’s contribution to global warming is a small fraction of ...
Some continue to defend David Seymour on school lunches, sidestepping his errors to say:“Well the parents should pack their lunch” and/or “Kids should be grateful for free food.”One of these people is the sitting Prime Minister.So I put together a quick list of why complaint is not only appropriate - ...
“Bugger the pollsters!”WHEN EVERYBODY LIVED in villages, and every village had a graveyard, the expression “whistling past the graveyard” made more sense. Even so, it’s hard to describe the Coalition Government’s response to the latest Taxpayers’ Union/Curia Research poll any better. Regardless of whether they wanted to go there, or ...
Prof Jane Kelsey examines what the ACT party and the NZ Initiative are up to as they seek to impose on the country their hardline, right wing, neoliberal ideology. A progressive government elected in 2026 would have a huge job putting Humpty Dumpty together again and rebuilding a state that ...
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By international standards the New Zealand healthcare system appears satisfactory – certainly no worse generally than average. Yet it is undergoing another redisorganisation.While doing some unrelated work, I came across some international data on the healthcare sector which seemed to contradict my – and the conventional wisdom’s – view of ...
When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he knew that he was upending Europe’s security order. But this was more of a tactical gambit than a calculated strategy ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Over the last year, I’ve been warning about Luxon’s pitch to privatise our public assets.He had told reporters in October that nothing was off the cards:Schools, hospitals, prisons, and ...
When ASPI’s Cyclone Tracy: 50 Years On was published last year, it wasn’t just a historical reflection; it was a warning. Just months later, we are already watching history repeat itself. We need to bake ...
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South Korea has suspended new downloads of DeepSeek, and it was were right to do so. Chinese tech firms operate under the shadow of state influence, misusing data for surveillance and geopolitical advantage. Any country ...
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Woolworths has proposed a major restructure of its New Zealand store operating model, leaving workers worried their hours and pay could be cut. Public servants are being asked how productive their office is, how much they use AI, and whether they’re overloaded with meetings as part of a “census”. An ...
National is looking to cut hundreds of jobs at New Zealand’s Defence Force, while at the same time it talks up plans to increase focus and spending in Defence. ...
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...
The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...
The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...
At 2.30am local time, Israel launched a treacherous attack on Gaza killing more than 300 defenceless civilians while they slept. Many of them were children. This followed a more than 2 week-long blockade by Israel on the entry of all goods and aid into Gaza. Israel deliberately targeted densely populated ...
Living Strong, Aging Well There is much discussion around the health of our older New Zealanders and how we can age well. In reality, the delivery of health services accounts for only a relatively small percentage of health outcomes as we age. Significantly, dry warm housing, nutrition, exercise, social connection, ...
Shane Jones’ display on Q&A showed how out of touch he and this Government are with our communities and how in sync they are with companies with little concern for people and planet. ...
Labour does not support the private ownership of core infrastructure like schools, hospitals and prisons, which will only see worse outcomes for Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is disappointed the Government voted down Hūhana Lyndon’s member’s Bill, which would have prevented further alienation of Māori land through the Public Works Act. ...
The Labour Party will support Chloe Swarbrick’s member’s bill which would allow sanctions against Israel for its illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. ...
The Government’s new procurement rules are a blatant attack on workers and the environment, showing once again that National’s priorities are completely out of touch with everyday Kiwis. ...
With Labour and Te Pāti Māori’s official support, Opposition parties are officially aligned to progress Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in Palestine. ...
Te Pāti Māori extends our deepest aroha to the 500 plus Whānau Ora workers who have been advised today that the govt will be dismantling their contracts. For twenty years , Whānau Ora has been helping families, delivering life-changing support through a kaupapa Māori approach. It has built trust where ...
Labour welcomes Simeon Brown’s move to reinstate a board at Health New Zealand, bringing the destructive and secretive tenure of commissioner Lester Levy to an end. ...
This morning’s announcement by the Health Minister regarding a major overhaul of the public health sector levels yet another blow to the country’s essential services. ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will ensure employment decisions in the public service are based on merit and not on forced woke ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ targets. “This Bill would put an end to the woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. ...
Police have referred 20 offenders to Destiny Church-affiliated programmes Man Up and Legacy as ‘wellness providers’ in the last year, raising concerns that those seeking help are being recruited into a harmful organisation. ...
Te Pāti Māori welcomes the resignation of Richard Prebble from the Waitangi Tribunal. His appointment in October 2024 was a disgrace- another example of this government undermining Te Tiriti o Waitangi by appointing a former ACT leader who has spent his career attacking Māori rights. “Regardless of the reason for ...
Police Minister Mark Mitchell is avoiding accountability by refusing to answer key questions in the House as his Government faces criticism over their dangerous citizen’s arrest policy, firearm reform, and broken promises to recruit more police. ...
The number of building consents issued under this Government continues to spiral, taking a toll on the infrastructure sector, tradies, and future generations of Kiwi homeowners. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Prime Minister to rule out joining the AUKUS military pact in any capacity following the scenes in the White House over the weekend. ...
Analysis - Most New Zealanders support the country meeting its international climate targets, according to a poll commissioned for the environment ministry. ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – Pacific Media WatchEarthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths of Plains FM96.9 radio talk to Dr David Robie, editor of Asia Pacific Report, about heightened global fears of nuclear war as tensions have mounted since US President Donald Trump has ...
“New Zealanders want sanctions on Israel for genocide but Mr Peters refuses to say anything, let alone impose any form of sanction at all. That is appeasement,” Minto says. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Brannigan, Associate Professor Theatre and Performance, UNSW Sydney Mass Movement.Morgan Sette/Adelaide Festival I arrived at Stephanie Lake’s premiere of Mass Movement a little late on my first day at Adelaide Festival. Walking down the hill from King William road ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rossana Ruggeri, Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow, Queensland University of Technology KPNO / NOIRLab / NSF / AURAB / Tafreshi The universe has been expanding ever since the Big Bang almost 14 billion years ago, and astronomers believe a kind of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Natalie Elms, Senior Lecturer, School of Accountancy, Queensland University of Technology Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Steering a large company successfully is no mean feat. As companies grow more complex in an increasingly turbulent business environment – so, too, do the responsibilities of their board ...
Analysis: Peters heads home from Washington DC armed with fresh intel on what the new US administration is thinking, and the impact it might have on New Zealand and the wider Pacific. ...
The application to the ERA asks it to decide rates of remuneration for probation officers that are free from gender-based discrimination. The ERA has the power to fix those rates. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cosette Saunders, PhD candidate, Sydney Placebo Lab, University of Sydney Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock In 1998, shortly after arriving for work, a Tennessee high-school teacher reported a “gasoline-like smell” and feeling dizzy. Soon after, many students and staff began reporting symptoms of chemical poisoning. ...
NZDF told staff today of plans for a major restructure of the civilian workforce resulting in a net reduction of 374 roles. This comes on top of cuts late last year which saw 144 civilian workers take voluntary redundancy. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney US President Donald Trump has exploited American nationalism as effectively as anyone in living memory. What sets him apart is his use of national humiliation as ...
The Hīkoi is intended to pressure the Government and Ministry of Health to reverse moves towards restrictions, and guarantee access to puberty blockers and hormones. Protesters are set to assemble at 10am at Waitangi Park, before marching through ...
Three different sporting codes share the same venue over the space of four days. Here’s how they all stack up. Is it too late to reschedule Friday night’s Warriors game to a Sunday afternoon kickoff at Eden Park? This is all it would take to create a total sporting eclipse: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon Whittle, Director, Data61, CSIRO Anton Vierietin/Shutterstock In February this year, Google announced it was launching “a new AI system for scientists”. It said this system was a collaborative tool designed to help scientists “in creating novel hypotheses and research plans”. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Haswell, Professor of Practice (Environmental Wellbeing), Indigenous Strategy and Services, Honorary Professor (Geosciences) at University of Sydney & Professor of Health, Safety and Environment, Queensland University of Technology, University of Sydney Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has indicated a Coalition government would ...
Alex Casey reviews The Rule of Jenny Pen, a new local nightmare set within the four walls of a rest home. Mortality and danger seep in from the very first scene of The Rule of Jenny Pen. As Judge Stefan Mortensen ONZM (Geoffrey Rush) squashes fly innards into his judge’s ...
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more intense, but New Zealand doesn’t have a dedicated disaster loss database – and this lack of data is increasingly detrimental to our long-term prosperity. Following the Trump administration’s abrupt cuts to USAID funding last month, the online international disaster database EM-DAT ...
I’ve been turned down once. Should I confess my love again? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,Writing in with a common lesbian problem. I have a friend – let’s call her B. We have been friends for a few years now. Fairly early into our ...
Outgoing Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier has today released a report about his reflections over the past nine years, on the Official Information Act 1982, along with separate investigations into seven agencies, and two new case notes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron Camens, Lecturer in Palaeontology, Flinders University Musky rat-kangaroo.Amy Tschirn In the remnant rainforests of coastal far-north Queensland, bushwalkers may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a diminutive marsupial that’s the last living representative of its family. The musky ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Visitor, School of History, Australian National University The world had its eyes on Sydney in 2000. A million people lined the harbour to ring in the new millennium (though some said it was actually the final year of the old ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland The most striking feature of the Australian economy in the 21st century has been the exceptionally long period of fairly steady, though not rapid, economic growth. The deep recession of 1989–91, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Moran, Lecturer in the Department of English, Creative Writing and Film, University of Adelaide German Vizulis/Shutterstock If you peruse the philosophy section of your local bookshop, you’ll probably find a number of books on Stoicism – an ancient philosophy enjoying ...
An 11-storey timber building planned for the thoroughfare has been denied consent, and it’s not just the passionate yimbies who are up in arms, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. K Road developer to appeal council decision ...
Going into the Prime Minister’s first trip to India, NZ Indian Central Association president Narendra Bhana said one of the key indicators of success would be whether or not New Zealand managed to secure a direct flight to India.“The absence of direct flights between New Zealand and India makes travel ...
Tony Abbott caught joking about climate change and the effects on the Pacific …
http://www.3news.co.nz/world/video-tony-abbott-caught-joking-about-climate-change-2015091116#ixzz3lP62Z05E
Makes you wonder what he is saying privately.
Key was on 6pm news commenting on the differences between Australia/NZ and the Pacific Island nations over Climate Change. He uttered words to the effect… they (Pacific Island leaders) believe their low lying islands are going to be swamped by rising sea levels but time will tell if they are right or not. The inference (delivered with a nice smile) being that the Pacific leaders are a bunch of low level fools prepared to believe anything, while he and Abbott are superior beings with superior knowledge. No comprehension that in reality they are the cretinous ones – not the Pacific Island leaders!
Yeah, he said, in regard to the claims of ome pacific island nations that climate change could threaten their very existence: “that might, or might not, be true” followed by “but time will tell if they are right or not”.
The arsehole.
In other words “I don’t know, and am completely indifferent”.
Judith Collins advocates for breaching UN treaties …
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/collins-nz-should-back-air-strikes-2015091110#.VfJFTXGxKPA.twitter
Yes it was but I was more concerned with what she said about CYFS. Expect more draconian, anti-human legislation from this government that manages to make things worse while providing a profit for private providers.
Just missing: http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/4/z/6/8/8/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620×349.14z6uv.png/1432513800904.jpg
Daily Review picture? Priceless!
More like nauseating.
Looks like Abbot is smuggling a budgie or something in his front,
while Putin seems to have put in a little fudgie or something in his back.
The saga of Opua School at last made it to the local paper today.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11511529
————————————————————————
“New Zealand schools need to be delivered from deadweight of bureaucratic authoritarianism. And at base lies the education review office. The review office is pure Kafka …”
https://networkonnet.wordpress.com/2015/08/22/blood-in-the-water-the-education-review-office-terror-by-design-randomness-non-accountability-and-infinite-bureaucratic-demand-part/
https://networkonnet.wordpress.com
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/71977405/radio-hosts-suspended-for-slutshaming-20yearold-eating-disorder-survivor
This sums up John Key’s New Zealand. It’s exclusive and divisive and it shows in increasing instances of behaviour like this.
“On the cusp of something special”?
If the breakdown of inclusive society is the “something special”, then I want no part of it.
John Keys NZ ?
This is just international culture.
Interwebs has homogenized everything.
homogenized?
https://www.google.co.nz/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=homogenized%20definition
We used to be better than that. Not anymore though.
Between mincing down the runway, “gay red top” comments, and ponytail pulling, the message from the top is clear…
bullying is ok as long as you can convince muddle NZ that it’s a joke.
To much “homo” behavior, you reckon?
Key’s M.O. has been to appeal to the beers around the barbecue set but it’s risky in that he’s shown his true colours on several occasions.
By taking on the blokey, bullying persona he’s invited muddle New Zealand to accept bullying and oneupmanship as a normal everyday occurrence. He’s invited muddle New Zealand to accept that making fun of gay people and attacking women who make a fuss as totally normal and right.
We are a poorer place for it, IMO.
‘John Key’s New Zealand’ is itself a product of the homogenisation of the dominant political cultures around the world which usually is identified by the label ‘neoliberal’.
And the ‘international culture’ you are trying to deflect blame upon is itself a product of that homogenised political culture. It’s not some independent, parallel, purely technologically-provoked development.
Ask yourself, for example, why particular technological ‘innovation’ occurs and, more significantly, why the technological developments that do occur get used in the ways that they are now used?
It’s down to the dominant ideological settings – born of neoliberal policy primarily pursued as part of a quite deliberate attempt by elites to retake the vast economic advantages that they had before the 1930s (see David Harvey’s book ‘A Brief History of Neoliberalism‘ for a pretty accessible read of these sweeping, global political and economic changes).
It’s being going on for over thirty years, of course, but Key’s government is the logical continuation of it.
More specifically, stunts like the one in the link are primarily about provocative attempts to gain audience ratings. But notice that the over-riding concern with audience ratings in the new media outlets generated over that time (i.e., outlets that are themselves products of neoliberal reforms) is simply part of the obvious neoliberal logic extended to a thoroughgoing wild west media marketplace.
Anyone at the time with any common sense or reflective capacity on the nature of the Reagan/Thatcher/Douglas financial and economic reforms could have foretold these kinds of outcomes with ease (because they’d happened before in the 20th century when similar policies held sway).
Any pre-existing ‘social glue’ and moral norms inevitably get put under pressure by the logic of neoliberalism and eventually, like a piece of number 8 wire continually bent backwards and forwards, will weaken and snap.
Those, in the marketplace, left cleaving to older virtues such as common decency will start to look like unadaptable dinosaurs afraid to apply a bit of ‘creative destruction’ to the social and moral order through ‘business innovation’ and cutting edge marketing, etc..
Of course, despite those over-weaning pressures that come from the working out of neoliberal logic in real time, there are still good people around – but even they increasingly make compromises in their behaviour in relation to how they believe they should act.
+1
… including your American English spellings, right?
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/homogenize
My old pocket oxford from the 1960’s also prefers a ‘z’..
Things have turned a bit crap for Mr Harper-man and the Tories in Canada’s Federal election campaign. Recent polls have them slipping to 3rd place behind the Liberals and NDP at about 26% across the country. Crucially they are falling behind the Liberals in seat-rich Ontario which often decides elections with the FPTP system Canada (still!) uses. At any rate none other than a certain Mr Lynton Crosby has been drafted in from Australia to try and stem the losses.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-election-2015-lynton-crosby-conservatives-1.3223315
Got to hand it to Abbot, he’s in great shape for a man in his mid 50’s.
Looks like he’s even got some wash board abs, impressive.
Shame he’s hopeless as a PM.
If you’re referring to the picture, it’s been around for yonks. In other words taken quite a few years ago.
Yeah, but he looks like a bit of a git…
https://www.themonthly.com.au/sites/default/files/m/Prime_Minister_Tony_Abbott_0.jpg
http://www.theshovel.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Tony-Abbott-coal.jpg
https://donaldelley.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/033650-tony-abbott.jpg
https://polyfeministix.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/tony-abbott-with-hat.jpg
http://www.tntmagazine.com/image.php/media/content/_master/44795/images/abbott.jpg?file=media%2Fcontent%2F_master%2F44795%2Fimages2Fabbott.jpg&width=450
http://images.dailylife.com.au/2010/08/04/1743963/bowlingman2.jpg?rand=1280899096751
http://pedestriantv-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images%2Farticle%2F2015%2F02%2F06%2F88cfb2c8-69e5-4aae-aab5-eb702ee044d0-Tone3.jpg
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/83249/people-skills-o.gif
https://stublogs.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/tony-abbott-420×0.jpg
There is a vigorous debate about the flag in this article.
Panel advising on new flag ‘cobbled together’ advice from designers:
Link : http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/71941611/panel-advising-on-new-flag-cobbled-together-advice-from-designers
I read the following comment from a reader. I would like to know if there is any valid substance to this claim. What do you think?
Comment was :
“Its my understanding at least two of the four proposed flags are trade Marked by its owner. If one of these is picked as our new flag either the owner will have to relinquish the trade mark or the government will have to buy it
I wonder how much money someone would want for their flag that is going to be shown worldwide as a National symbol of a country $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$”
—————
Also of interest is this other article:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11511139
Shows that the whole process has been a manipulated crap and a cunning stunt.
I’ve heard Kyle Lockwood would transfer or relinquish what intellectual property he had to the NZ government if one of his several designs were successful.
At this point it looks like being the case because one of his designs will have the backing of the National party vault and we will not have seen a marketing campaign like it before in New Zealand. There will be celebrity endorsements as yet unheard of in order to get one of the Lockwoods over the line.
I suspect it will be the black and blue Lockwood because as David Farrar has said, there’s too much Labour red in the red and blue version.
I am astonished at the audacity and stupidity of the panel and the cabinet to give us four final flags, three of which have the SAME symbol and the fourth is a dull rendering of an important Maori theme. In reality, we are given just ONE choice : A fern! A dumb panel and a manipulated referendum. Personally, I have no real choice but to stick with the current flag for now.
It was certainly nice of you to mention lockjaw thrice in three sentences. He will appreciate the publicity no doubt.
Lockwood’s Logos!
Sorry ’bout that. Not much else you can do because his designs don’t even have a name! So, we much fall to the use of his name by default.
Nice bit of self promotion there.
Everyday Misogyny: Sexism is OK as long as it’s funny – so rules the Advertising Standards Authority
But looking at the ASA’s page we see this:
and one wonders just what the purpose of the ASA is because it doesn’t appear to be to hold businesses that break the law/codes to account.
We live in a country that can’t even do a proper investigation to the gang rape of young women, by a group of young men – who then bragged about it on the internet.
Our society is so patriarchal we can’t even mention the word feminism, without some male moaning about it. Or the start crying like a 2 year old, and spraying that their sexist comment was only, “a joke”.
Comedy is great, indeed I love Maria Bamford, Jo Brand, and Frankie Boyle. I Where is the humour in repeatedly objectifying women on billboards, with at best, another boring, lazy, tired, pun.
I thought we were suppose to be clever in this country? Obviously our advertising people are not.
Chinese construction firms sign on to support major Wellington projects
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/71956520/chinese-construction-firms-sign-on-to-support-major-wellington-projects
Wellington to host 2017 New Zealand-China Mayoral forum
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/71825783/wellington-to-host-2017-new-zealandchina-mayoral-forum
Fairey’s Theory of Awesomeness (Nominate 2016)
Guess which type that National MPs fit into?
Every now and then I drop by to see what this guy is saying. He’s always interesting:
http://www.stonekettle.com/2015/09/those-good-old-labor-days.html
A well thought out and interesting essay. Thanks.