Daily review 13/03/2023

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, March 13th, 2023 - 28 comments
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Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

28 comments on “Daily review 13/03/2023 ”

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  1. observer 1
    13 March 2023 at 6:19 pm

    Luxon in trouble on latest TVNZ poll (from watching live, link pending).

    Note that the Greens' slump in the Taxpayers' Union poll was out of step with all other polls including tonight's. As some of us pointed out, it was a nonsense to start worrying about 5%.

    But let's hope old Luxy doesn't slide too much, better to have a loser in charge than a new leader bounce (though I predicted many months ago he would be gone before the election, and still do).

  2. Reality 2
    13 March 2023 at 6:20 pm

    Jessica M-M on TV1 news did her best to play down the PM's ratings (as in him not being particularly exciting!) and trying hard to bolster the extremely unexciting Luxon, who she says we still need more time to get to know. We have all seen plenty of him in the last year and have formed our opinions. He hasn't just come on the scene in the last couple of months.

  3. Belladonna 3
    13 March 2023 at 6:20 pm

    Independent panel recommends stripping the Law Society of it's disciplinary function, replacing it with a regulator comprised half of lawyers and half of general public (not sure who would be intended to be on it) to investigate misconduct accusations and lay charges (if appropriate)

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/lawyers-looking-after-lawyers-panel-says-strip-law-society-of-powers-to-discipline/TOLZ7SUYX5DABKQTYIYAL6XFDM/

    Describing the current regime as "biased and lacked transparency."

    Which we've certainly seen in some high-profile cases. Boys looking after the boys.

    Not so keen on removing the Law Society as (effectively) a standards body – requiring lawyers to practice in association with others for a period – and then pass a test and an interview panel (have just had a friend go through this procedure – so I know it's not trivial) rather than going out on their own immediately. As in many professions, you learn a lot from your peers in the first few years – and the public do need protection from over-enthusiastic, possibly well-intentioned, but not-as-competant-as-they-might-be lawyers.

    • Belladonna 3.1
      13 March 2023 at 6:22 pm

      The description of the Law Society process made me laugh

      In the report, the process was described as slow, highly adversarial, not restorative in nature, not producing consistent decisions, and examining more complaints than comparable legal regulators overseas.

      Sounds just like the court system!

      • pat 3.1.1
        13 March 2023 at 6:37 pm

        I recall being told some decades ago the Law Society was the most effective union in the country….nothing I have witnessed in those decades disproves that observation.

    • tWiggle 3.2
      13 March 2023 at 9:00 pm

      Years ago, I was screwed over by a Family Court lawyer who did a disgusting job, including ignoring my instruction to remove something from the draft affidavit which caused trouble down the line. Changed lawyers to a fantastic one, after, of course, paying the 1st lawyer out thousands of dollars. No point in chasing lawyer 1 – they were on the Law Standards committee.

      I know a closed shop when I see one.

  4. Maurice 4
    13 March 2023 at 6:27 pm

    The climate is changing!

    … how much will Hippy's policy bonfire affect it?

  5. Anne 5
    13 March 2023 at 6:36 pm

    Interesting to note the cost of living is far and away the biggest issue on the minds of voters.

    So much for the Tory press trying to tell us it was health, education and crime rates.

    I suspect “Hippy” has also taken the wind out of the sails over the coming strike action by teachers.

    • tWiggle 5.1
      14 March 2023 at 12:33 pm

      The teachers' union, I noted, was the only one able to noisily demand payrises even under hard-scrabble Nat governments. Their action looks like another last minute runaround to scrape a few dollars from the government before possible regime change.

      It could be their last chance for good. I bet a cost-cutting, chop-the state-up, pro-Charter school NACT government will aim to dismantle our education system. This political platform of privatising good quality education (for a price and a profit), while downgrading public-sector education for the great unwashed, has happened under rightist governments in both Oz and the UK. Boof, union power and cross-sector payrises become a thing of the past.

  7. tWiggle 7
    13 March 2023 at 9:41 pm

    Closer to home, anti-cogoverance rhetoric exhorting pushback against 'Māori Separatists' includes the following nasty suggestions from a Tony Sayers:

    "Democracy and true equality for all New Zealand citizens needs protection, and the majority of the population must apply equal and opposite action against any form of imposition of Maori power over them. This can take the form of simple actions like showing contempt for Maori attempts at domination: slow-clapping, foot-stamping, whistling or coughing for Maori mihis and karakias at school prize-giving ceremonies, or at council meetings that are opened with waiatas. Standing and turning your back towards those who are foisting their culture upon you is another option. Some courageous councillors have spoken out, or called for ‘points of order’ when the council business is set aside to accommodate Tikanga. These actions are disrespectful to any culture, but then, the imposition of Maori culture over your culture is equally disrespectful. Who are the racists?"

    https://www.nzcpr.com/time-to-push-back/

    • bwaghorn 7.1
      14 March 2023 at 6:37 am

      Weeeeellll. I went to a work shop about improving how we winter graze our cattle on crops and on weather our farm will need to consent it, all good stuff I have no problem with , until we where informed that part of consenting was to go down the local iwi authority cap in hand to get their permission. I'd love to know what qualifications and hard won farming experience these people will have.

      • Graeme 7.1.1
        14 March 2023 at 7:45 am

        Have been doing this with water consents for over 10 years in Otago, and most other regions. The world hasn't ended, and is probably a better world for it.

        Iwi have set up their own consultancies that look at consent applications from the Iwi's perspective. Not that different to what Fish and Game have done, but considerably better staffed and in my experience over several consent processes, much more rational than F&G's negative approach to pretty much everything. (F&G have a statutory role through RMA similar to Iwi)

        The people I've dealt with from Iwi and their agencies have always been well qualified, knowledgable and engaged in their field. Quite a bit more professional than F&G who are a tad ideological, and ORC who are harried, overworked and in a lot of cases just not up to the job.

        One observation is that Iwi are very careful to pick their battles, but when they do engage in the consent process they prevail. We had one consent that Iwi weren't keen on (moving water upstream to irrigate riverside flats) but they let it through on a shorter consent period for better monitoring, which in hindsight was the mature decision.

        Also got to ask what "hard won farming experience" Fish and Game and Regional Council staff have, most that I've dealt with are from an urban background and straight out of University, with senior Council staff only having the advantage of 20 – 30 years in the same organisation.

      • Robert Guyton 7.1.2
        14 March 2023 at 8:14 am

        If your regional council has a good co-management relationship with mana whenua, there will be no problem for you getting both "permission" and consent.

        • bwaghorn 7.1.2.1
          14 March 2023 at 11:42 am

          Thanks to both of you,

          Just remembered that one very brave lady from the local iwi, stood up at the workshop and talked on the why, its because the whanganui river is a person up here supposedly?

          But I'll promise to go open.minded if I do end up needing a concent, (the next rainy days task btw)

  9. Gaynor 9
    14 March 2023 at 1:42 pm

    MSM has failed to mention the catastrophic decline in literacy and numeracy standards this century in NZ. These are related to the crime and truancy rates Statistics tell us two out of three students who fail to achieve proficiency in reading standards will end up in jail or on welfare.

    .Only 10% of schools in NZ use structured literacy to teach reading. This is an evidenced based in science, effective method of teaching reading, The education reset has nothing to do with improving standards of all students.We have a failing system. The teachers strike will make no difference to standards unless the methods of teaching change to become more direct and effective.