Poor little Sir John. Held to account over the doubtful running of his Bank by Lisa Owens. She is so mean. After all Key is beyond reproach and anyway it was just a few tens of thousands at stake.
There are very adequate medical interventions for blind spots, but quite a queue at Eye Clinics but no doubt bank directors can pull strings, or silken cords. Register at once I would suggest, before similar difficulties arise at your bank or place of business.
Omg what a slippery slimy bastard Key is. So glad he is not our PM. Owen sounded disgusted at the end of the interview.
so this bastard still gets the rest of his years pay and doesn’t have to pay the incorrectly itemised “business” expenses back. What f..ing planet do we live on. Beneficiaries on the breadline in court for not declaring relationships. We sure as hell don’t call it a blind spot. I hold key and his elk in contempt
"Well Lisa I may have got a parking ticket this morning…..but someone else got one yesterday…….."
"But Sir John……but but but….you are the head honcho……..and and………..your in charge of the only bank that is censured and barred from valuing its own capital……..Sir John…….
“Well Lisa Westpac did the same thing 17 times……….”
“But Sir John……….”
“I’m comfortable with it all…..here have a beer……….”
We all charge our wine storage fees to our employers after all…I find it amazing that the left (esp Greens) are often ridiculed for not "living in the real world" but what kind of people live in worlds where "wine storage" is something you think is normal to invoice your company for, far fucking out.
The business world is a different country. In one of my courses relating to business I read about a discussion on those with higher salaries, and the word 'hygiene' connected with them. Strange I thought. And part of the problem was how to lay the appreciation levels on them once they had got so much remuneration that extra was no hook for them. Then the extras like paying for their wine storage would be part of the package.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-factor_theory The two-factor theory (also known as Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory and dual-factor theory) states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction, all of which act independently of each other.
A wee word for our dolphins and new sanctuaries. The minister is right that these sanctuaries will also improve the fisheries overall. Just go diving around some of the sanctuaries already in place, you'll see a startling difference in many fish stocks. Ask the locals, the divers, the local fishermen, they know.
Dolphins – they do not hit set-nets, and, if there is catch in it, they do not hit set-nets being pulled out. The worse problem is drift nets. But…
A set net dropped from a boat is akin to a drift net: as it settles to the bottom it will catch dolphins (if they are happening by). It could be that a sonar device that sounds as the net drops (and lifts, in case it is empty) might help avoid this window where the dolphins do not detect the set nets while moving. The point is, you need the dolphins to be able to detect a net in motion, however that is achieved.
And drift nets should be outright banned.
If you get enough fishermen who run set nets to tell the truth, the very infrequent dolphins pulled up are typically well dead – caught on the way down, on the day before when the net was set.
Think your wires may be a bit crossed there WTB – dolphins can't see monofilament with their sonar. A drift net is something else: "Drift nets hang vertically in the water column without being anchored to the bottom." Set nets as we use the term in NZ lie along the bottom as we do not generally target pelagic species. Contemporary driftnetting targets pelagic species in international waters, with significant bycatch of seabirds. Dolphins prefer pelagic feedfish (they're oilier) especially pilchards. Common dolphins are caught as bycatch when trawling for jack mackerals in shallow water or purse seining. Hectors fish very close to shore and are liable to be taken in set nets in places like Akaroa or Moeraki.
No my wires aren't crossed I'm relaying the above after fishing set-nets from the port of Taranaki. Working as, drinking with, and talking with fishermen.
Nobody wants to catch dolphins, but it does happen. We were six miles out when we caught one. It led the discussion to learn of others.
I was describing a set-net ‘adrift’ as it falls to the bottom. We drop an anchor for it then it spools out and down, essentially drifting.
Personally id like to see all inshore nets banned on the grounds that they are just far too indiscriminate killers of sea life .I think if we,re to have a hope of retaining healthy fishstocks nets are one of the things we,re gonna have to give up .We can still be hunter gatherers without nets and undoubtedly wild fish would be better off .
Pertaining to commercial fishing within a certain number of nautical miles inshore yeah. But we will still need net fishing of some form for commerce and food production.
As for the family who sets a net in a bay to catch a feed for example , …that should be far more generous and less policed , however.
I was always taken by the Japanese way of encouraging breeding grounds off their coasts by the submersion of old tires linked by chain or the even better method of hollow cubed concrete – both forming artificial reefs. These areas could also be designed so they pose no risk to shipping or small private sporting / fishing craft.
What are we surrounded by like Japan?- thousands of kilometers of coastline.
And we can say commercial fishing does not go on around ALL of that and we can also say that most commercial fishing is not conducted immediately off the coast…
Therefore surely we can enhance our fish stocks by creating large areas of artificial reefs and enclaves , and make those areas designated areas and a no go zone for fishing. We have coastline to spare, and we could target those areas where the Maui and Hectors dolphins are generally.
Off course this would be old news to the powers that be and environmentalists, but has any real efforts been made along these lines, – as in mass production of artificial submerged reefs and designated areas etc ?
That's all interesting on fishing and our endangered dolphins or porpoises and I have transferred it to How to… to have on hand. Please everyone, if you are wondering what to do in the future, and various views on things, go back to past How to Get Theres and browse through the archives! It's under DEEP STUFF in Politics.
Agree with ya on the reefs idea wild seems like a no brainer to me too .Not keen on nets tho as ive said above theyre indiscrimanate you could catch one fish or one hundred .IF fish are scarce your gonna worsen that shortage by using nets and since theres virtually nothing you cant catch on a line i think its better to target specifically the fish you wanna catch an just take what you need no free passes for families or non commercial fishers we,re all in this togeather imo
It sounds good. However, artificial reefs are not that easy. An enterprise company tried it at Opunake in Taranaki with the purpose of creating a permanent break for surfers. There was a lot of funding, including from South Taranaki District Council. They spent years and megabucks on it, but the project never succeeded. And this was in a nearshore setting.
Is this proof that it's not what you know but Who You Know? Meaning when it comes to the wealthy compared to the poor there are two different sets of rules and that is the wealthy get more lee-way and chance of getting away with wrong-doings than the poor?
Is John Key's 'eagerness' to protect Hisco because some of the money Hisco 'received' was automatically donated to the NZ National Party?
It puzzles me that Key is so eager to protect his 'mate' Hisco compared to his obsession to get Kim Dotcom to be held accountable in a court in Key's beloved America??!!!!
I got a quick look at their recommendations before I ran out the door this morning and they don’t have a terribly optimistic view of our strategic environment.
I look forward to trading the lot and your and Wayne’s views.
Been chatting to a few people via the internet in between putting power into my "Tank Hanger" and man cave today and we agree that they contradict themselves quite a lot of time.
They also don't seem to understand or meaning of what an Integrated Air Defence System is?
Appear to have no understanding or background of CBRN warfare? I for one wouldn't use a Nuke or a Dirty Bomb on NZ as there is another way of screwing over NZ more effectively and a whole cheaper in equipment and manpower.
They seem to forget that Aircraft limited to so many hrs aka the Hec's and the P3K's are running out of Airframe Hrs rather fast and even Lockheed have said to the MOD/ RNZAF you are about to hit the max's design life of these A/C to a point we can't say what would happen if you go past its max design life hrs.
The Figures quoted for the Frigate replacement are way of the mark and they even added pic's of the RN/RAN Type 26 Frigate which hasn't even left the Slipway and it comes with a Rolls Royce price tag as well (well outside of NZ's price range based on last weeks updated DCP). There are a number of cheaper Frigates the would suit NZ which I post later on.
No mention of NZ's vulnerable Sea Lanes Of Communications which are essential to the well being of nation and generate its wealth via its import and exports especially since our heavy manufacture has gone the way of the dodo and light to medium manufacture industries are struggling to survive in a free market Neo Lib/ Con economic B/S theory.
Lastly this really concerns me "This assessment, therefore, advocates a shift in New Zealand’s military policy; from one that tends to emphasise the purchase of assets designed for ‘force projection’, to one that favours a genuinely defensive military posture, the purpose of which is to protect New Zealand and its diverse peoples from external aggression." They seem to forget that Peacekeeping and Peace enforcement is Force Projection and they have seem to forget the NZDF actions in Timor-Leste in 99 during INTERFET, Bosnia, the Solly's and PNG. In fact to me and others the bench mark for all future Peacekeeping and Peace enforcement missions Chap1 to Chap7 should be on the INTERFET deployment and the lessons learnt from that deployment should be adopted which in this case Ronnie has finally done with release of last weeks updated DCP which is almost 20yrs after the fact.
Anyway I've printed the article off and I'll go though it with a red and hopefully I can do a post without turning it into a War and Peace essay IOT post it on the Standard for deeper discussion.
Key can't remember if he was on the ANZ board (joined Oct '17) when he sold his Omaha beach house to Hisco. Hazy if he was ANZ chairman (became chairman Jan '18) when the beach house sold (Feb '18)!
Former PM still having dodgy and ever so convenient brain fades! Be interesting to see how this one pans out!
Arrrgh me hearty , I loves yer Skull n' swords, reminds me of me old cohort Eddie Teach… I want one just like it for the Black Pearl…
As for your take on the scoundrels callin' themselves the old boys network,… I hear they be havin' it in for us all so I'd best be hoistin’ the anchor and unfurlin’ th' canvas… til we get an honest Governor at least in these here waters…
All that riding in chauffeur driven limousines isn't very good for your back actually – the leather is too soft. Then there's the knowledge you have a cellar load of Chateau Lafite Rothschild waiting to be quaffed back in Sydney. No wonder he fell ill.
Another WTF moment for Tamariki Ora. I found just listening stressful, but then I'm Maori so the 3 Maori babies each week being uplifted affects me more.
I don't care what creed or race the mother and baby are, if the resources are made available to support the mother there are very very few instances where a child should ever be taken from its parents.
Thing is the government is not prepared to invest in these people because most voters believe the family unit must survive without support from the community. That's what neo-liberalism and the market driven philosophy has taught them to believe.
Oranga Tamariki are damned if they do or damned if they don't.
With all due respect we don't know the circumstances and if a kid dies AGAIN people would be saying the complete opposite.
Yes the system looks like it doesn't work support wise in some cases and needs looking at, but a bit of empathy for what the workers have to deal with in a lot of cases wouldn't go amiss.
Like National did when children died of preventable third world respiratory illnesses when they deliberately ran down state housing , letting them become cold, damp , moldy shitholes to try to sell them off to private investors…
I think Chris T that those of us who follow social welfare matters and have done so for this and the past century from study and observation are not impressed by your kindness to Oranga Tamariki and willingness to put your faculties on hold.
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 10, 2021 through Sat, Jan 16, 2021Editor's ChoiceNASA says 2020 tied for hottest year on record — here’s what you can do to helpPhoto by Michael Held on Unsplash ...
Health authorities in Norway are reporting some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Is this causally related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are the things to consider. According to the news there have been 23 deaths in Norway shortly after vaccine administration and ...
Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
Tide of tidal data rises Having cast our own fate to include rising sea level, there's a degree of urgency in learning the history of mean sea level in any given spot, beyond idle curiosity. Sea level rise (SLR) isn't equal from one place to another and even at a particular ...
Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a digital story – read the full story here.Tess TuxfordKo te Kauri Ko Au, Ko te Au ko Kauri I am the kauri, the kauri is me Te Roroa proverb In Waipoua Forest, at the top of the North Island, New ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Coming attraction: IPCC's upcoming major climate assessmentLook for more emphasis on 'solutions,' efforts by cities, climate equity ... and outlook for emissions cuts in ...
Ringing A Clear Historical Bell: The extraordinary images captured in and around the US Capitol Building on 6 January 2021 mirror some of the worst images of America's past.THERE IS A SCENE in the 1982 movie Missing which has remained with me for nearly 40 years. Directed by the Greek-French ...
To impact or not to impeach? I understand why some of those who are justifiably aghast at Trump’s behaviour over recent days might still counsel against impeaching him for a second time. To impeach him, they argue, would run the risk of making him a martyr in the eyes of ...
The Capitol Building, Washington DC, Wednesday, 6 January 2021. Oh come, my little one, come.The day is almost done.Be at my side, behold the sightOf evening on the land.The life, my love, is hardAnd heavy is my heart.How should I live if you should leaveAnd we should be apart?Come, let me ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 through Sat, Jan 9, 2021Editor's ChoiceAfter the Insurrection: Accountability, Reform, and the Science of Democracy The poisonous lies and enablers of sedition--including Senator Hawley, pictured ...
This article, guest authored by Prof. Angela Gallego-Sala & Dr. Julie Loisel, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Dec 21, 2020. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments. Peatlands Peatlands are ecosystems unlike any other. Perpetually saturated, their ...
The assault on the US Capitol and constitutional crisis that it has caused was telegraphed, predictable and yet unexpected and confusing. There are several subplots involved: whether the occupation of the Michigan State House in May was a trial run for the attacks on Congress; whether people involved in the ...
On Christmas Eve, child number 1 spotted a crack in a window. It’s a double-glazed window, and inspection showed that the small, horizontal crack was in the outermost pane. It was perpendicular to the frame, about three-quarters of the way up one side. The origins are a mystery. It MIGHT ...
Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Will the COVID-19 pandemic prompt a shift to healthier cities that focus on wellness rather than functional and economic concerns? This is a hypothesis that seems to be supported by several researchers around the world. In many ways, containment and physical distancing ...
Does the US need to strike a grand bargain with like-minded countries to pool their efforts? What does this tell us about today’s global politics? Perhaps the most remarkable editorial of last year was the cover leader of the London Economist on 19 November 2020. Shortly after Joe Biden was ...
Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato and Valmaine Toki, University of WaikatoAotearoa New Zealand likes to think it punches above its weight internationally, but there is one area where we are conspicuously falling behind — the number of sites recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Globally, there are 1,121 ...
An event organised by the Auckland PhilippinesSolidarity group Have a three-course lunch at Nanam Eatery with us! Help support the organic farming of our Lumad communities through the Mindanao Community School Agricultural Foundation. Each ticket is $50. Food will be served on shared plates. To purchase, please email phsolidarity@gmail.com or ...
"Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here." Prisons are places of unceasing emotional and physical violence, unrelieved despair and unforgivable human waste.IT WAS NATIONAL’S Bill English who accurately described New Zealand’s prisons as “fiscal and moral failures”. On the same subject, Labour’s Dr Martyn Findlay memorably suggested that no prison ...
This is a re-post from Inside Climate News by Ilana Cohen. Inside Climate News is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter here. Whether or not people accept the science on Covid-19 and climate change, both global crises will have lasting impacts on health and ...
. . American Burlesque As I write this (Wednesday evening, 6 January), the US Presidential election is all but resolved, confirming Joe Biden as the next President of the (Dis-)United State of America. Trump’s turbulent political career has lasted just four years – one of the few single-term US presidents ...
The session started off so well. Annalax – suitably chastised – spent a pleasant morning with his new girlfriend (he would say paramour, of course, but for our purposes, girlfriend is easier*). He told her about Waking World Drow, and their worship of Her Ladyship. And he started ...
In a recent column I wrote for local newspapers, I ventured to suggest that Donald Trump – in addition to being a liar and a cheat, and sexist and racist – was a fascist in the making and would probably try, if he were to lose the election, to defy ...
When I was preparing for my School C English exam I knew I needed some quotes to splash through my essays. But remembering lines was never my strong point, so I tended to look for the low-hanging fruit. We’d studied Shakespeare’s King Lear that year and perhaps the lowest hanging ...
When I went to bed last night, I was expecting today to be eventful. A lot of pouting in Congress as last-ditch Trumpers staged bad-faith "objections" to a democratic election, maybe some rioting on the streets of Washington DC from angry Trump supporters. But I wasn't expecting anything like an ...
Melted ice of the past answers question today? Kate Ashley and a large crew of coauthors wind back the clock to look at Antarctic sea ice behavior in times gone by, in Mid-Holocene Antarctic sea-ice increase driven by marine ice sheet retreat. For armchair scientists following the Antarctic sea ice situation, something jumps out in ...
Christina SzalinskiWhen Martha Field became pregnant in 2005, a singular fear weighed on her mind. Not long before, as a Cornell University graduate student researching how genes and nutrients interact to cause disease, she had seen images of unborn mouse pups smaller than her pinkie nail, some with ...
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidates for President and Vice President respectively for the US 2020 Election, may have dispensed with the erstwhile nemesis, Trump the candidate – but there are numerous critical openings through which much, much worse many out there may yet see fit to ...
I don’t know Taupō well. Even though I stop off there from time to time, I’m always on the way to somewhere else. Usually Taupō means making a hot water puddle in the gritty sand followed by a swim in the lake, noticing with bemusement and resignation the traffic, the ...
Frances Williams, King’s College LondonFor most people, infection with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – leads to mild, short-term symptoms, acute respiratory illness, or possibly no symptoms at all. But some people have long-lasting symptoms after their infection – this has been dubbed “long COVID”. Scientists are ...
Last night, a British court ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US. Unfortunately, its not because all he is "guilty" of is journalism, or because the offence the US wants to charge him with - espionage - is of an inherently political nature; instead the judge accepted ...
Is the Gender Identity Movement a movement for human liberation, or is it a regressive movement which undermines women’s liberation and promotes sexist stereotypes? Should biological males be allowed to play in women’s sport, use women-only spaces (public toilets, changing rooms, other facilities), be able to have access to everything ...
Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University and Gareth Dorrian, University of BirminghamSpace exploration achieved several notable firsts in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, including commercial human spaceflight and returning samples of an asteroid to Earth. The coming year is shaping up to be just as interesting. Here are some of ...
Michael Head, University of SouthamptonThe UK has become the first country to authorise the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for public use, with roll-out to start in the first week of 2021. This vaccine is the second to be authorised in the UK – following the Pfizer vaccine. The British government ...
So, Boris Johnson has been footering about in hospitals again. We should be grateful, perhaps, that on this occasion the Clown-in-Chief is only (probably) getting in the way and causing distractions, rather than taking up a bed, vital equipment and resources and adding more strain and danger to exhausted staff.Look at ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... SkS in the News... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Many Scientists Now Say Global Warming Could Stop Relatively Quickly After Emissions Go to ZeroThat’s one of several recent ...
The situation in the UK is looking catastrophic.Cases: over *70,000* people who were tested in England on 29th December tested positive. This is *not* because there were more tests on that day. It *is* 4 days after Christmas though, around when people who caught Covid on Christmas Day might start ...
by Don Franks For five days over New Year weekend, sixteen prisoners in the archaic pre WW1 block of Waikeria Prison defied authorities by setting fires and occupying the building’s roof. They eventually agreed to surrender after intervention from Maori party co-leader Rawiri Waititi. A message from the protesting men had stated: ...
Lost Opportunity: The powerful political metaphor of the Maori Party leading the despised and marginalised from danger to safety, is one Labour could have pre-empted by taking the uprising at Waikeria Prison much more seriously. AS WORD OF Rawiri Waititi’s successful intervention in the Waikeria Prison stand-off spreads, the Maori ...
Dear friends, it’s been a covidious year,A testing time for all of us here—Citizens of an island nationIn a state of managed isolation,A team (someone said) five million strong,Making it up as we went along:Somehow in typical Kiwi fashion,Without any wild excess ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Dec 27, 2020 through Sat, Jan 2, 2021Editor's Choice7 Graphics That Show Why the Arctic Is in Trouble Arctic Sea Ice: NSIDC It’s no secret that the Arctic is ...
One of the books I read in 2020 was She, by H. Rider Haggard (1887). I thoroughly enjoyed it, as being an exemplar of a good old-fashioned adventure story. I also noted with amusement ...
Scottish doctor Malcolm Kendrick looks at the pandemic and the responses to it 30th December 2020 I have not written much about COVID19 recently. What can be said? In my opinion the world has simply gone bonkers. The best description can be found in Dante’s Inferno, written many hundreds of ...
As we welcome in the new year, our focus is on continuing to keep New Zealanders safe and moving forward with our economic recovery. There’s a lot to get on with, but before we say a final goodbye to 2020, here’s a quick look back at some of the milestones ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
The prisoner disorder event at Waikeria Prison is over, with all remaining prisoners now safely and securely detained, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. The majority of those involved in the event are members of the Mongols and Comancheros. Five of the men are deportees from Australia, with three subject to ...
Travellers from the United Kingdom or the United States bound for New Zealand will be required to get a negative test result for COVID-19 before departing, and work is underway to extend the requirement to other long haul flights to New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “The new PCR test requirement, foreshadowed last ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has added her warm congratulations to the New Zealanders recognised for their contributions to their communities and the country in the New Year 2021 Honours List. “The past year has been one that few of us could have imagined. In spite of all the things that ...
Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment David Parker has congratulated two retired judges who have had their contributions to the country and their communities recognised in the New Year 2021 Honours list. The Hon Tony Randerson QC has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the New Year’s Honours List 2021 highlights again the outstanding contribution made by Pacific people across Aotearoa. “We are acknowledging the work of 13 Pacific leaders in the New Year’s Honours, representing a number of sectors including health, education, community, sports, the ...
The Government’s investment in digital literacy training for seniors has led to more than 250 people participating so far, helping them stay connected. “COVID-19 has meant older New Zealanders are showing more interest in learning how to use technology like Zoom and Skype so they can to keep in touch ...
Despite a popular and unifying leader of the governing party, divisions both in policy and culture will test the progressive movement, writes Peter McKenzie.‘I think we’re confused.” Marlon Drake is an organiser for the Living Wage Movement. His job takes him all over Wellington, trying to convince businesses to increase ...
Covid-19 Recovery Minister Chris Hipkins says vaccinations should be available to the public by the middle of the year, but other countries are prioritised. ...
It’s as true now as it ever has been: nowhere else offers an education experience like that of Dunedin. But rather than resting on their laurels, the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic have plans to make the city an even more inspiring place for students.From high in the summit ...
Haggis, neeps and tatties and whisky may not be a traditional spread for a summer gathering in NZ, but trust Auckland city councillor and Kiwi-Scot Cathy Casey on this one. Gie it laldy! Rule one: Hold it on (or near) January 25Robert Burns was born on January 25, 1759. Since the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University It could be argued artificial intelligence (AI) is already the indispensable tool of the 21st century. From helping doctors diagnose and treat patients to rapidly advancing new drug discoveries, it’s our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University Through recent natural disasters, global upheavals and a pandemic, Australia’s political centre has largely held. Australians may have disagreed at times, but they have also kept faith with governmental norms, eschewing the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Seale, Associate professor, UNSW Health workers are at higher risk of COVID infection and illness. They can also act as extremely efficient transmitters of viruses to others in medical and aged care facilities. That’s why health workers have been prioritised to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Orchard, Adjunct Lecturer, Monash University Last week, somewhat overshadowed by the events in Washington, the Democrats took control of the US Senate. The Democrats now hold a small majority in both the House and the Senate until 2022, giving President-elect Joe ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mittul Vahanvati, Lecturer, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University Heatwaves, floods, bushfires: disaster season is upon us again. We can’t prevent hazards or climate change-related extreme weather events but we can prepare for them — not just as individuals ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mandie Shean, Lecturer, School of Education, Edith Cowan University Starting school is an important event for children and a positive experience can set the tone for the rest of their school experience. Some children are excited to attend school for the first ...
Some families in emergency housing are reporting their children are becoming emotionally distressed because of their living conditions. Demand for emergency accommodation has escalated this past year with the number of emergency housing grants increasing by half. Data showed nearly 10,000 people were given an Emergency Housing Special Needs Grant between ...
Summer reissue: Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden are back for a second season of On the Rag, and where better to start than with the mysterious, exhausting world of wellness?First published June 23, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is ...
With few Covid-19 infections and negiligible natural immunity, New Zealand faces being a victim of its own success when it is left till last to get the vaccines, argues Dr Parmjeet Parmar. ...
Steve Braunias reports on a literary cancelling. The Corrections department has refused to allow Jared Savage's best-selling book Gangland inside prison on the grounds that it "promotes violence and drug use". An inmate at Otago Corrections Facility in Dunedin was sent a copy of the book – but it was ...
New data from the CTU’s annual work life survey shows a snapshot of working people’s experiences and outlook heading out of 2020 and into the new year. Concerningly 42% of respondents cite workplace bullying as an issue in their workplace - a number ...
An international player, selector and self-confessed cricket stats nerd, Penny Kinsella has now played a hand in recording the rich history of the women's game in New Zealand. Penny Kinsella’s cricketing career was perched on the cusp of change for the White Ferns. “My first tour to Australia, we ...
The dramatic capsize of American Magic brought out the best in the America's Cup sailing fraternity. But, Suzanne McFadden asks, what does it mean to the crippled New York Yacht Club campaign and to the Prada Cup? It was a scene as unreal as it was calamitous. Right at the moment the ...
The current number of members of parliament is starting to get too low for the job we expect them to do, argues Alex Braae. As a general rule, with the possible exception of their families, nobody likes backbench MPs. But it’s nevertheless time we accepted that parliament should have more of ...
The experience in the Brazilian city of Manaus reveals how mistaken, and dangerous, the herd-immunity-by-infection theory really is. As families around the world mourn more than two million people dead from Covid-19, the Plan B academics and their PR industry collaborator continue to argue that the New Zealand government should stop ...
As New Zealand gears up to fight climate change, experts warn that we need to actually reduce emissions, not just plant trees to offset our greenhouse gases. ...
A nationwide poll has found majority support for the government to continue to closely monitor abortions in New Zealand and the reasons for it, despite the Ministry of Health recently suggesting that there is not a use for collecting much of this information. ...
The out-of-control growth in gangs, gun crime, and violent gang activity is exposing our communities to dangerous levels of violence that will inevitably end in tragedy, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “The recent incidents of people being shot and ...
Successive governments have paid lip service to our productivity challenge but have failed to deliver. It's time to establish a Productivity Council charged with prioritising efforts. ...
Understanding the connection between chronic fatigue syndrome and ‘long Covid’ might be helpful in treating symptoms that doctors will find all too easy to dismiss.When people began to report signs of “long Covid”, characterised by a lack of full recovery from the virus and debilitating fatigue, I recognised their stories. ...
Nadine Anne Hura, who never considered herself an artist, reflects on what art and making has taught her.I couldn’t clean or cook or wash the clothes, but I could sew. That’s a lie, I’m a terrible sewer, but I left work early to fossick around in the $1 bin of ...
Summer reissue: In the final episode of this season of Bad News, Alice is joined by Billy T award winner Kura Forrester to look at how well we’re honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 2020.First published September 3, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The ...
Lucy Revill’s The Residents is a blog about daily life in Wellington that has morphed into a stylish, low-key coffee-table book featuring interviews and photographic portraits of 38 Wellingtonians. In this extract, Revill profiles Eboni Waitere, owner and executive director of Huia Publishers. The Residents features names like Monique Fiso ...
Pacific Media Watch correspondent The pro-independence conflict in West Papua with a missionary plane reportedly being shot down at Intan Jaya has stirred contrasting responses from the TNI/POLRI state sources, church leaders and an independence leader. A shooting caused a plane to catch fire on 6 January 2021 in the ...
“Last year ACT warned that rewarding protestors at Ihumātao with taxpayer money would promote further squatting. We just didn’t think it would happen as quickly as it is in Shelly Bay” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “The prosperity of all ...
Our kindly PM registered her return to work as leader of the nation with yet another statement on the Beehive website, the second in two days (following her appointment of Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council on Wednesday). It’s great to know we don’t have to check with ...
A Pūhoi pub is refusing to remove a piece of memorabilia bearing the n-word from its walls. Dr Lachy Paterson looks at the history of the word here, and New Zealand’s complicity in Britain’s shameful slave trading past.Content warning: This article contains racist language and images.On a pub wall in ...
Supermarket shoppers looking for citrus are seeing a sour trend at the moment – some stores are entirely tapped out of lemons. But why? Batches of homemade lemonade will be taking a hit this summer, with life not giving New Zealand shoppers lemons. Prices are high at supermarkets and grocers that ...
You’re born either a cheery soul or a gloomy one, reckons Linda Burgess – but what happens when gene pools from opposite ends of the spectrum collide?In our shoeboxes of photos that we have to sort out before we die or get demented – because who IS that kid on ...
Summer reissue: Prisoner voting rights are something that few in government seem particularly motivated to do anything about. Could a catchy charity single help draw attention to the issue?First published September 1, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its ...
Hundreds more Cook Islanders are expected to begin criss-crossing the Pacific, Air NZ will triple the number of flights to Rarotonga next week, and about 300 managed isolation places will be freed up for Kiwis returning from other parts of the world. When Thomas Tarurongo Wynne took a job in Wellington at ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Ena Manuireva in Auckland It seems a long time ago – some 124 days – since Mā’ohi Nui deplored its first covid-19 related deaths of an elderly woman on 11 September 2020 followed by her husband just hours later, both over the age of 80. The local ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Turnbull, Postdoctoral research associate, UNSW A global coalition of more than 50 countries have this week pledged to protect over 30% of the planet’s lands and seas by the end of this decade. Their reasoning is clear: we need greater protection ...
The Reserve Bank Governor’s apology and claim he will ‘own the issue’ is laughable given the lack of answers and timing of its release. Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Union said: “It’s been five days since they came clean, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olga Kokshagina, Researcher – Innovation & Entrepreneurship, RMIT University Are too many online meetings and notifications getting you down? Online communication tools – from email to virtual chat and video-conferencing – have transformed the way we work. In many respects they’ve made ...
The Reserve Bank acknowledges information about some of its stakeholders may have been breached in a malicious data hack. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has commissioned an independent inquiry into how stakeholders' information was compromised when hackers breached a file sharing service used by the bank. “We ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlin Syme, PhD in Vertebrate Palaeontology, The University of Queensland This story contains spoilers for Ammonite Palaeontologist Mary Anning is known for discovering a multitude of Jurassic fossils from Lyme Regis on England’s Dorset Coast from the age of ten in 1809. ...
A tribute to the sitcoms of old? In the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Yup. Sam Brooks reviews the audacious WandaVision.Nothing sends a chill up my spine like the phrase “Marvel Cinematic Universe”. Since launching in 2008 with Iron Man, the MCU has become a shambling behemoth, with over 23 films (not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University The alt-right, QAnon, paramilitary and Donald Trump-supporting mob that stormed the US Capitol on January 6 claimed they were only doing what the so-called “founding fathers” of the US had done in ...
The Point of Order Ministerial Workload Watchdog and our ever-vigilant Trough Monitor were both triggered yesterday by an item of news from the office of Conservation Minister Kititapu Allan. The minister was drawing attention to new opportunities to dip into the Jobs for Nature programme (and her statement was the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Kupz, Senior Research Fellow, James Cook University In July 1921, a French infant became the first person to receive an experimental vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), after the mother had died from the disease. The vaccine, known as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is ...
The first Friday Poem for 2021 is by Wellington poet Rebecca Hawkes.While you were partying I studied the bladeI your ever-loving edgelord God-emperorof the bot army & bitcoin mine subsistingon an IV drip of gamer girl bathwaterfinally my lonelinessis your responsibility………. you seeI need a girlfriend assigned to me by the ...
The arming of police officers in Canterbury was inevitable with the growing numbers and brazenness of the gangs across the country – this should be a permanent step, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “It is unfortunate that we have come to the point ...
Celebrations in Aotearoa New Zealand to mark the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will begin on Thursday 21 January with ICAN Aotearoa New Zealand’s Wellington and online event, and continue on Friday ...
Hardly anyone is using their Covid Tracer app. Something needs to change.As the mercury approaches 30°C in Aotearoa, there is a good deal of slipping and slopping, but, let’s face it, piss-all scanning. As few as around 500,000 QR codes are being scanned by users of the NZ Covid Tracer ...
On the East Coast, a group of Māori-owned enterprises is innovating to create new revenue streams while doing what they love.New Zealand’s remote and sparsely populated regions are typically not the best places to create thriving brick-and-mortar businesses. In small communities miles away from any major centres, there are so ...
As we reach the height of summer, it’s not too late to do a safety check on your gas bottle. The Environmental Protection Authority’s Safer Homes programme has some tips and tricks to keep in mind before you fire up the grill. "If you’ve ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1Troy: The Siege of Troy Retold by Stephen Fry (Michael Joseph, $37)If you’re in any way unsure about ...
“We may as well knock on the gang headquarters around this country and tell them we all give up," says Darroch Ball co-leader of Sensible Sentencing Trust. “It is simply outrageous that violent offender, James Tuwhangai, has been released from ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Ireland, Israel, and Lebanon. Chart by Keith Rankin. The countries with the most recent large outbreaks of Covid19 are those with large numbers of recent recorded cases, but yet to record the deaths that most likely will result. In this camp, this time, are Ireland, Israel ...
RuPaul is in Aotearoa, kicking back in managed isolation to await the filming of an Australasian version of her hugely popular reality show Drag Race. But not everyone is happy about, explains Eli Matthewson. The world’s most famous drag queen, RuPaul, is in New Zealand, the government confirmed earlier this week ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Melleuish, Professor, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong What can we make of Clive Palmer? This week, he announced his United Australia Party (UAP) would not contest the upcoming West Australian state election on March 13. After a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gisela Kaplan, Emeritus Professor in Animal Behaviour, University of New England Have you ever seenmagpies play-fighting with one another, or rolling around in high spirits? Or an apostlebird running at full speed with a stick in its beak, chased by a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Jackson, Program Director, Centre for Policy Development, and Associate Professor of Education, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Childcare centres across Australia are suffering staff shortages, which have been exacerbated by the COVID crisis. Many childcare workers across Australia left when parents started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Barrett, Senior Lecturer in Taxation, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Rhetoric plays an important role in tax debate and therefore tax policy. If your side manages to gain traction in the public imagination with labels such as “death ...
*This article was first published on The Conversation and is republished with permission* Whoever leads the Republican Party post-Trump will need to consider how they will maintain the rabid support of his “base”, while working to regain more moderate voters who defected from the party in the 2020 election. In a historic ...
Covid-19 fears accelerated banks’ moves towards cashless transactions. But the Reserve Bank is fighting to protect cash, and those who still use it. ...
Good morning and welcome to this one-off edition of The Bulletin, covering major stories from the last few weeks.A quick preamble to this: Today’s special edition of The Bulletin is all about filling you in on some of the stories you might have missed over the summer period. Perhaps you had ...
Summer reissue: In this episode of Bad News, Alice Snedden is forced to confront her own mortality before hosting a very special dinner party to get to grips with the euthanasia debate.First published August 27, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is ...
The contrast between the words of John F Kennedy and today’s anti-democratic demagogue is inescapable, writes Dolores Janiewski I still remember three eloquent speeches by an American president. One happened in January 1961 and spoke about a “torch being passed to a new generation”. Two years later and one day apart, ...
The debate over cutting down a large macrocarpa to make way for a new residential development has highlighted a wider agreement between developers and protesters: that we also need to be planting far more trees. At the corner of Great North Road and Ash Street in Avondale, a 150-year-old macrocarpa stands its ground ...
More infectious variants of Covid-19 are increasingly being intercepted at the country’s borders, but the minister running New Zealand’s response is resisting pressure to accelerate vaccination plans despite demands from health experts as well as political friends and foes, Justin Giovannetti reports.New Zealand’s first Covid-19 jabs will be administered in ...
Glazed, like a pig on a spit.
Poor little Sir John. Held to account over the doubtful running of his Bank by Lisa Owens. She is so mean. After all Key is beyond reproach and anyway it was just a few tens of thousands at stake.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint
"CEO leaves due to a "blind spot."
Most burglars would like to claim "blind spot" as an excuse but I doubt a judge woul not wear it. Sir John's hands a very clean.
Seems like a severe punishment for what may be a relatively minor indiscretion
but I do think Sir Johns lips were moving!
Minor discretion ?
Not what I hear from an insider, I think he's gone to spare the company and him a great deal of embarrassment.
I’m sure you are right but oh the irony
I think he's gone to spare John Key a great deal of embarrassment.
I involuntarily washed my hands after that interview.
Roast pork anyone?
Never mind, don't eat it ,… it tastes bad.
Been raised and fed on dirty money gleaned from poor peoples minimum wages, thus tastes and looks like old cardboard.
A junior staffer at fault. Now where have we heard that before?
Those sneaky junior staffers !
Where can a CEO capitalist or politician neo liberal rorter get a decent junior staffer these days?
One who knows how to shut their mouths?
I was starting to wonder that myself. Is there a union for "junior staffers".
Radionz
ANZ CEO leaves due to 'blind spot' on recording expenses – John Key https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018700014/anz-ceo-leaves-due-to-blind-spot-on-recording-expenses-john-key
There are very adequate medical interventions for blind spots, but quite a queue at Eye Clinics but no doubt bank directors can pull strings, or silken cords. Register at once I would suggest, before similar difficulties arise at your bank or place of business.
Do you think 'blind spot' will wash with the IRD when I file my tax return this week?
They will look tell you to 'wash' your eyes and get the 'sleep' out, and give you one day to pay or it's to the salt mines for you.
Omg what a slippery slimy bastard Key is. So glad he is not our PM. Owen sounded disgusted at the end of the interview.
so this bastard still gets the rest of his years pay and doesn’t have to pay the incorrectly itemised “business” expenses back. What f..ing planet do we live on. Beneficiaries on the breadline in court for not declaring relationships. We sure as hell don’t call it a blind spot. I hold key and his elk in contempt
Me too Anker. One rule for the rich etc…
hmmmm Now about those Sub Prime Mortgages….
https://aotearoaawiderperspective.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/john-key-and-the-subprime-crisis.pdf
Then there's the bach that whatshisface sold to Hisco…maybe(?) before he became a director…(on Stuff)
It was sold in January 2018. Key was a bit vague about that but it was checked out. About $3million +.
"But Sir John…….but but but….."
"But Lisa on the other side of the coin…….."
"But Sir John why haven't you resigned……."
"Well Lisa I may have got a parking ticket this morning…..but someone else got one yesterday…….."
"But Sir John……but but but….you are the head honcho……..and and………..your in charge of the only bank that is censured and barred from valuing its own capital……..Sir John…….
“Well Lisa Westpac did the same thing 17 times……….”
“But Sir John……….”
“I’m comfortable with it all…..here have a beer……….”
We all charge our wine storage fees to our employers after all…I find it amazing that the left (esp Greens) are often ridiculed for not "living in the real world" but what kind of people live in worlds where "wine storage" is something you think is normal to invoice your company for, far fucking out.
The business world is a different country. In one of my courses relating to business I read about a discussion on those with higher salaries, and the word 'hygiene' connected with them. Strange I thought. And part of the problem was how to lay the appreciation levels on them once they had got so much remuneration that extra was no hook for them. Then the extras like paying for their wine storage would be part of the package.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-factor_theory
The two-factor theory (also known as Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory and dual-factor theory) states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction, all of which act independently of each other.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/hygiene-factors-definition-lesson-quiz.html
A wee word for our dolphins and new sanctuaries. The minister is right that these sanctuaries will also improve the fisheries overall. Just go diving around some of the sanctuaries already in place, you'll see a startling difference in many fish stocks. Ask the locals, the divers, the local fishermen, they know.
Dolphins – they do not hit set-nets, and, if there is catch in it, they do not hit set-nets being pulled out. The worse problem is drift nets. But…
A set net dropped from a boat is akin to a drift net: as it settles to the bottom it will catch dolphins (if they are happening by). It could be that a sonar device that sounds as the net drops (and lifts, in case it is empty) might help avoid this window where the dolphins do not detect the set nets while moving. The point is, you need the dolphins to be able to detect a net in motion, however that is achieved.
And drift nets should be outright banned.
If you get enough fishermen who run set nets to tell the truth, the very infrequent dolphins pulled up are typically well dead – caught on the way down, on the day before when the net was set.
Think your wires may be a bit crossed there WTB – dolphins can't see monofilament with their sonar. A drift net is something else: "Drift nets hang vertically in the water column without being anchored to the bottom." Set nets as we use the term in NZ lie along the bottom as we do not generally target pelagic species. Contemporary driftnetting targets pelagic species in international waters, with significant bycatch of seabirds. Dolphins prefer pelagic feedfish (they're oilier) especially pilchards. Common dolphins are caught as bycatch when trawling for jack mackerals in shallow water or purse seining. Hectors fish very close to shore and are liable to be taken in set nets in places like Akaroa or Moeraki.
No my wires aren't crossed I'm relaying the above after fishing set-nets from the port of Taranaki. Working as, drinking with, and talking with fishermen.
Nobody wants to catch dolphins, but it does happen. We were six miles out when we caught one. It led the discussion to learn of others.
I was describing a set-net ‘adrift’ as it falls to the bottom. We drop an anchor for it then it spools out and down, essentially drifting.
Personally id like to see all inshore nets banned on the grounds that they are just far too indiscriminate killers of sea life .I think if we,re to have a hope of retaining healthy fishstocks nets are one of the things we,re gonna have to give up .We can still be hunter gatherers without nets and undoubtedly wild fish would be better off .
Pertaining to commercial fishing within a certain number of nautical miles inshore yeah. But we will still need net fishing of some form for commerce and food production.
As for the family who sets a net in a bay to catch a feed for example , …that should be far more generous and less policed , however.
I was always taken by the Japanese way of encouraging breeding grounds off their coasts by the submersion of old tires linked by chain or the even better method of hollow cubed concrete – both forming artificial reefs. These areas could also be designed so they pose no risk to shipping or small private sporting / fishing craft.
What are we surrounded by like Japan?- thousands of kilometers of coastline.
And we can say commercial fishing does not go on around ALL of that and we can also say that most commercial fishing is not conducted immediately off the coast…
Therefore surely we can enhance our fish stocks by creating large areas of artificial reefs and enclaves , and make those areas designated areas and a no go zone for fishing. We have coastline to spare, and we could target those areas where the Maui and Hectors dolphins are generally.
Off course this would be old news to the powers that be and environmentalists, but has any real efforts been made along these lines, – as in mass production of artificial submerged reefs and designated areas etc ?
That's all interesting on fishing and our endangered dolphins or porpoises and I have transferred it to How to… to have on hand. Please everyone, if you are wondering what to do in the future, and various views on things, go back to past How to Get Theres and browse through the archives! It's under DEEP STUFF in Politics.
Agree with ya on the reefs idea wild seems like a no brainer to me too .Not keen on nets tho as ive said above theyre indiscrimanate you could catch one fish or one hundred .IF fish are scarce your gonna worsen that shortage by using nets and since theres virtually nothing you cant catch on a line i think its better to target specifically the fish you wanna catch an just take what you need no free passes for families or non commercial fishers we,re all in this togeather imo
It sounds good. However, artificial reefs are not that easy. An enterprise company tried it at Opunake in Taranaki with the purpose of creating a permanent break for surfers. There was a lot of funding, including from South Taranaki District Council. They spent years and megabucks on it, but the project never succeeded. And this was in a nearshore setting.
Is this proof that it's not what you know but Who You Know? Meaning when it comes to the wealthy compared to the poor there are two different sets of rules and that is the wealthy get more lee-way and chance of getting away with wrong-doings than the poor?
Is John Key's 'eagerness' to protect Hisco because some of the money Hisco 'received' was automatically donated to the NZ National Party?
It puzzles me that Key is so eager to protect his 'mate' Hisco compared to his obsession to get Kim Dotcom to be held accountable in a court in Key's beloved America??!!!!
Hi everyone,
Has anyone heard of this group called the “The 42 Group”? I haven’t yet read there Defence Policy yet as I’m about to go out?
http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1906/42_Group__Independent_Strategic_Defence_Policy_Assessment_for_NZ__2018__v1.0.pdf
I got a quick look at their recommendations before I ran out the door this morning and they don’t have a terribly optimistic view of our strategic environment.
I look forward to trading the lot and your and Wayne’s views.
Been chatting to a few people via the internet in between putting power into my "Tank Hanger" and man cave today and we agree that they contradict themselves quite a lot of time.
They also don't seem to understand or meaning of what an Integrated Air Defence System is?
Appear to have no understanding or background of CBRN warfare? I for one wouldn't use a Nuke or a Dirty Bomb on NZ as there is another way of screwing over NZ more effectively and a whole cheaper in equipment and manpower.
They seem to forget that Aircraft limited to so many hrs aka the Hec's and the P3K's are running out of Airframe Hrs rather fast and even Lockheed have said to the MOD/ RNZAF you are about to hit the max's design life of these A/C to a point we can't say what would happen if you go past its max design life hrs.
The Figures quoted for the Frigate replacement are way of the mark and they even added pic's of the RN/RAN Type 26 Frigate which hasn't even left the Slipway and it comes with a Rolls Royce price tag as well (well outside of NZ's price range based on last weeks updated DCP). There are a number of cheaper Frigates the would suit NZ which I post later on.
No mention of NZ's vulnerable Sea Lanes Of Communications which are essential to the well being of nation and generate its wealth via its import and exports especially since our heavy manufacture has gone the way of the dodo and light to medium manufacture industries are struggling to survive in a free market Neo Lib/ Con economic B/S theory.
Lastly this really concerns me "This assessment, therefore, advocates a shift in New Zealand’s military policy; from one that tends to emphasise the purchase of assets designed for ‘force projection’, to one that favours a genuinely defensive military posture, the purpose of which is to protect New Zealand and its diverse peoples from external aggression." They seem to forget that Peacekeeping and Peace enforcement is Force Projection and they have seem to forget the NZDF actions in Timor-Leste in 99 during INTERFET, Bosnia, the Solly's and PNG. In fact to me and others the bench mark for all future Peacekeeping and Peace enforcement missions Chap1 to Chap7 should be on the INTERFET deployment and the lessons learnt from that deployment should be adopted which in this case Ronnie has finally done with release of last weeks updated DCP which is almost 20yrs after the fact.
Anyway I've printed the article off and I'll go though it with a red and hopefully I can do a post without turning it into a War and Peace essay IOT post it on the Standard for deeper discussion.
Key can't remember if he was on the ANZ board (joined Oct '17) when he sold his Omaha beach house to Hisco. Hazy if he was ANZ chairman (became chairman Jan '18) when the beach house sold (Feb '18)!
Former PM still having dodgy and ever so convenient brain fades! Be interesting to see how this one pans out!
there is NO corruption in NZ..just a malaise of selective amnesia when it comes to the old boy network.
Arrrgh me hearty , I loves yer Skull n' swords, reminds me of me old cohort Eddie Teach… I want one just like it for the Black Pearl…
As for your take on the scoundrels callin' themselves the old boys network,… I hear they be havin' it in for us all so I'd best be hoistin’ the anchor and unfurlin’ th' canvas… til we get an honest Governor at least in these here waters…
"Brain fade". ..poor fellow, still suffers from that does he?
What a wonderfully kind and incredibly inclusive world is banking where a person with such obvious deficits can be Boss of the Board!
All that riding in chauffeur driven limousines isn't very good for your back actually – the leather is too soft. Then there's the knowledge you have a cellar load of Chateau Lafite Rothschild waiting to be quaffed back in Sydney. No wonder he fell ill.
Oh yes, the chauffeured cars & wine scandal, never mind the back door money laundering ring or what have you has been going on …
Back door? ,… did someone mention back door?… as in back door man?
This calls for summit sleazy and nasty… summit about Dirty Deeds,.. Done Dirt Cheap…!
Like Key and his mates at the ANZ. Funny how both the band and the ANZ originate from Aussie…. Ozzie would be blushing at the irony …
AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (from Live at River … – YouTube
Another WTF moment for Tamariki Ora. I found just listening stressful, but then I'm Maori so the 3 Maori babies each week being uplifted affects me more.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018700025/advocacy-group-inundated-with-messages-about-oranga-tamariki
I don't care what creed or race the mother and baby are, if the resources are made available to support the mother there are very very few instances where a child should ever be taken from its parents.
Thing is the government is not prepared to invest in these people because most voters believe the family unit must survive without support from the community. That's what neo-liberalism and the market driven philosophy has taught them to believe.
There, but for the grace of luck, goes us all.
Oranga Tamariki are damned if they do or damned if they don't.
With all due respect we don't know the circumstances and if a kid dies AGAIN people would be saying the complete opposite.
Yes the system looks like it doesn't work support wise in some cases and needs looking at, but a bit of empathy for what the workers have to deal with in a lot of cases wouldn't go amiss.
Summary: this government likes brown people when it wants their votes, but washes its hands when the kids who are dying are brown.
Like National did when children died of preventable third world respiratory illnesses when they deliberately ran down state housing , letting them become cold, damp , moldy shitholes to try to sell them off to private investors…
Like National
exactly
Taking babies is going where angels fear to tread.
If it becomes normal, you're a problem.
I think Chris T that those of us who follow social welfare matters and have done so for this and the past century from study and observation are not impressed by your kindness to Oranga Tamariki and willingness to put your faculties on hold.
The extinction of the Australian pygmies – Quadrant Online
https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/history…/06/the-extinction-of-the-australian-pygmies/