My comment on the day. Winz today, got told I can do full time work with limitations, they recognize my difficulties and am happy to wait till the dr says ok, then whatever limitations I recognize they will help me with.
Hmm
I got it.
Don’t bother applying again, we don’t pay mentally unwell people who are only stable by the medications they take , and no, side effects don’t matter the 2 hours sleep I get a nights fine bla bla.
SO they basically said you don’t qualify for the invalids benefit, live on the unemployed until you retire or get well whatever comes first.
No probs.
I have found no drug combo so far that staves away depression without hideous side effects.
Currently i’m not depressed at all, feel great, just can’t sleep, can’t eat , feel nauseous, have the shakes, and um everytime I look at a beautiful woman for some strange reason i’m getting incredibly horny. That didn’t happen on Prozac.
Gawd and they reakon I can do full time work.
IDNK but these meds at least have stopped the massive depression I had for ages.
So sorry about this situation you are in Richardr. This is totally down to the nats. I am praying they will disappear as soon as possible. Can you get an advocate to go to WINZ with you? Try and keep at them until they understand. Wishing you well.
Did your GP say on the medical that you can do full time work with limitations?
Were the limitations specified?
Don’t rely on W&I if your GP has not yet filled out a medical for supported living.
I get annoyed with W&I when they think they can make a medical decision, until W&I have been to medical school they are not in a position to make a medical statement/decision.
I am sorry to hear that you are sleep deprived (get a referral to the sleep clinic from your GP) and have your meds reviewed.
The doctor shouldn’t be making a judgement call on whether someone is mentally healthy enough to being working 40 hours+ a week. Only the individual knows if they can or can’t work and what problems might come from the working environment. So I think the doctor is either cynical or not on the patient’s side, probably both.
I can sympathise with Richard, I really hope things work out soon and the right meds can be fine tuned for him.
30 hours work is considered to be full – time at W&I, I realise that 30 hours on the minimum hourly rate is insufficent.
I get annoyed when GPs put politics before the needs of a client when filling out a medical for W&I. It also annoys me when a GP is sloppy and does not consider all the information which a client raises e.g sleep deprivation and does not investigate what the cause is.
Thing is, it doesn’t matter what your GP puts into your medical assessment. When one applies for Supported Living, the evident medical experts at WINZ take one look at you and decide whether they “have enough information”, ie you’re missing an arm and a leg, otherwise you get sent to a designated doctor of theirs. A hired hand, who doesn’t even need to examine you to contradict your GP of many years. That designated doctor, a scab of the worst kind, can spout an opinion based on some spurious questions regarding your work capacity (you can stand up? You’re able to work) and it overwrites your GP. The appeal available pits you against three of those scabs. Then there’s no appeal after that. Your GP and what they assess or don’t doesn’t come into it at all.
I was aware of everything that you have written and the process stinks when it comes to a panel of 3 doctors having the final say. A clever lawyer may find a loop hole. It is worthwhile for everyone to complete an application for supported living and to not rely on asking a case worker at W&I whether you qualify or not.
I wonder if there was a donation to another party as well.
Got really suspicious when the reason given for the staffing changes that precipitated the Barclay debacle was “increased business level in Queenstown” considering that Queenstown is only about 20% of the electorate, why would it need a full-time agent when Gore, which covers the rest can get by on 0.5 fte?
ah, a full time flesh presser…..nothing would surprise, if so heres hoping they’ve been careless (again)…from an industry well versed in such activity….and something upset the stalwarts.
It certainly upset the stalwarts. This would go back to that period as well. It’s not that good a piece of land either, wonder how long it will take before they tire of the costs of it’s upkeep.
Graeme, have you noted Winston has a public meeting in Gore on Monday? Barclay is leaving a void in the rural part of the electorate and it looks like Winston is looking to fill it.
Don’t think void is quite expansive enough word for his efforts. Was down in Invercargill recently and noticed Ria Bond is projecting a fair presence there too. I hope they get a good candidate that can pull it off, or at least really put the wind up them.
Up here it’s starting to get that marginal feel about it. Nick Smith’s antics here have been from the couldn’t make this shit up department, yesterday he was taking the piss out of a submitter to a failed SHA, then this morning it’s in the ODT that the developer got told to bugger off and pay costs when he appealed to the High Court. Smith’s next play was this http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/383460/housing-accord-targets-stepped-building-activity-booms Council exceeds Housing Accord target for section creation so minister sets an even greater target, “because there’s a housing boom” Add to that Barclay running around like a Labour MP trying to set the Housing Trust up with the old High School for worker’s accomodation.
Yes the Qtown accom issue is becoming acute. Nick Smith is becoming a major liability for National fronting such a major issue as he presents like an arrogant born to rule prick. The more oxygen he gets the better for the opposition.
Agreed re Ria Bond, she seems to be far more energetic than Barclay and Dowie combined.
The National government’s housing policy is abusive, it is causing children to live in cars/garages because of the governments gross incompetence and inability to house vulnerable people.
What does the Commissioner for Children have to say about children living in cars/garages?
Perhaps someone should send the Commissioner an email?
“We advocate for the interests, rights and wellbeing of children and young people on law, policy, practice, and monitor the services provided under the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act”
Please note, we are not open to the public. (wtf?)
Sir,
As you are the Commissioner for Children, I respectfully request that you strongly urge the government to address the issue of homelessness, especially among families with children.
I quote from UNCROC…
“You have the right to a good standard of living (Articles 26 and 27)
You have the right to financial support from the Government, especially when your family/whanau cannot provide this for you. This includes your right to food, clothing, a safe place to live, and other basics.”
New Zealand may have been the 131st country to ratify the Convention…but ratify it we did.
These children have the RIGHT to a safe place to live.
Little lines himself up for a big interview outside a house in Sth Auckland where people were living in a tent. The person living in the tent, the owner of the house, came out and told him they were staying in the tent only while the house is being renovated.
Yep preferably staff that don’t appear to be setting him up surely it would be really easy to pop in a day or two prior and chat to the people in the tent?
Speaking personally if I was living in a tent on the front lawn I most certainly would want a media circus to turn up and to appear on the news or such like.
“There will always be a social welfare system in New Zealand, because you can measure a society by how it looks after its most vulnerable. Once, I was one of them. I will never turn my back on that.”
Ken Loach‘s new film that takes an uncompromising look at the UK’s welfare system reduced critics at the Cannes Film Festival to tears.
Set in Newcastle (and shown at the event with subtitles in case people couldn’t understand the Geordie accent), ‘I, Daniel Blake’ tells the fictional story of carpenter Daniel Blake who suffers a heart attack and is told by doctors he can no longer work.
An assessment commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) goes against medical advice and rules him too healthy to receive benefits
Ken Loach : “The most vulnerable people are told their poverty is their own fault.
“If you have no work it is your fault that you haven’t got a job.
“It is shocking. It is not an issue just for people in our country, it is throughout Europe and there is a conscious cruelty in the way we are organising our lives now.”
Max Key blasted on social media after housing market post.
“Remember when we cried as kids and our parents said ‘I’ll give you something to cry about’. We thought they were going to hit us but instead they destroyed the housing market.”
Five surgeons from big cities are discussing who makes the best patients to operate on.
The first surgeon, from New York, says, ‘I like to see accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.’
The second, from Chicago, responds, ‘Yeah, but you should try electricians! Everything inside them is colour coded.’
The third surgeon, from Dallas, says, ‘No, I really think librarians are the best, everything inside them is in alphabetical order.’
The fourth surgeon, from Los Angeles chimes in, ‘You know, I like construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over.’
But the fifth surgeon, from Washington, DC shut them all up when he observed: ‘You’re all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There’s no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains, and no spine. Plus, the head and the ass are interchangeable.
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
“We’re not here to interfere in people’s property rights,” Ngāi Tahu’s Te Maire Tau has told the High Court.Tau, a historian, Upoko (traditional leader) of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and a university professor of history, is the lead witness in a case designed to force the Crown to recognise the tribe’s rangatiratanga ...
Pacific Media Watch Trump administration officials barred two Associated Press (AP) reporters from covering White House events this week because the US-based independent news agency did not change its style guide to align with the president’s political agenda. The AP is being punished for using the term “Gulf of Mexico,” ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific Presenter/Bulletin editor France’s top diplomat in the Pacific region says talks around the “unfreezing” of New Caledonia’s highly controversial electoral roll are back on the table. The French government intended to make a constitutional amendment that would lift restrictions prescribed under the Nouméa Accord, which ...
By bringing these global voices to the fight for free expression in New Zealand, we’ll continue to protect and expand our culture of free speech, says Nathan Seiuli, the Free Speech Union's Events Manager. ...
The issue is no longer a hypothetical one. US President Donald Trump will not explicitly suggest death camps, but he has already consented to Israel’s continuing a war that is not a war but rather a barbaric assault on a desolate stretch of land. From there, the road to annihilation is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cecelia Cmielewski, Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University To be selected as the artist and curator team to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale is considered the ultimate exhibition for an artistic team. To have your selection rescinded, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia is bearing down on the northwest coast of Australia and is likely to make landfall early Friday evening. It’s a monster storm of great concern to Western Australia. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Ireland-Piper, Associate Professor, ANU National Security College, Australian National University A Victorian government decision to allow dingo culling in the state’s east until 2028 has reignited debate over what has been dubbed Australia’s most controversial animal. Animals Australia, an animal welfare ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Overnight, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was confirmed as the secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department. Put simply, this makes him the most influential figure in overseeing the health and wellbeing of more ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard eight hours of submissions.Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.It was another work from home day for the Justice Committee, the only people in Room 3 being security guards, committee ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne Juris Teivans/Shutterstock In Australia, fatal road crashes are climbing again, especially since the pandemic, and despite years of attempts to reduce road trauma, the numbers ...
In its eagerness to appease supporters of Israel, the media is happy to ride roughshod over due process and basic rights. It’s damaging Australia’s (and New Zealand’s?) democracy.COMMENTARY:By Bernard Keane Two moments stand out so far from the Federal Court hearings relating to Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking by the ...
“The reality is we’re getting poorer. The government this year is leaning heavy on chasing economic growth, which is absolutely the right thing to do.” ...
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.AUCKLAND1 The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Granta, $28) Han Kang’s astounding novel was based on an ...
This new docuseries about two single comedians looking for love is also a joyful celebration of female friendship. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. “How many people do you think are boning right now?” Kura Forrester asks Brynley Stent as the bright ...
A new poem by Freya Turnbull. Hunger Song – After Kaveh Akbar (Untitled With Hunger And Matcheads) I hold my age in ripped fishnet hold an empty vessel oldyoung body cracks like gunshot like killa i was a father ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominik Koll, Honorary Lecturer, Australian National University View of the Pacific Ocean from the International Space Station.NASA Earth must have experienced something exceptional 10 million years ago. Our study of rock samples from the floor of the Pacific Ocean has found ...
Troy Rawhiti-Connell reviews Kia Tupu Te Ara, a documentary chronicling the meteoric rise of Aotearoa’s groundbreaking metal band. “Two brothers attempt to storm the world of thrash metal with the Māori language, despite the fact they’re both still teenagers,” reads the synopsis of Kent Belcher’s documentary, Kia Tupu Te Ara. ...
Three freelance writers have been awarded grants to work on their ambitious journalism projects. In January, The Spinoff announced the Vince Geddes In-Depth Journalism Fund, supported by the Auckland Radio Trust (ART). The fund was established to provide much-needed financial and editorial support to talented freelance journalists, empowering them to ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist in Avarua, Rarotonga China has confirmed details of its meeting with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown for the first time, saying Beijing “stands ready to have an in-depth exchange” with the island nation. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters during his ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ 2023 strategic foreign policy assessment, “Navigating a shifting world”, accurately foresaw a more uncertain and complex time ahead for New Zealand. But already it feels out of date. The ...
Our parliamentary throuple may be the longest running in the country, but cracks are showing. Gabi Lardies wonders if differing attachment styles may be to blame. Though no one ever anticipated happiness or roses in the three-way coalition, the relationship has wobbled on for over a year without breaking up. ...
As Mike White’s dark satire returns for a third season, we look back on some of The White Lotus’s most memorable characters. The White Lotus looks like a dream holiday, but this resort is anything but paradise. Set in an exclusive five star hotel resort, HBO’s award-winning series is a ...
Analysis: Would the last scientist to leave the building please turn out the lights? Because the confirmation of Robert F Kennedy Jr as US Secretary of Health suggests we’re heading back to the dark ages.It’s a sad irony that President John F Kennedy propelled America into the space age; now his nephew ...
The crux of my message today is that New Zealand needs to bend two curves. One is the long-term economic growth trajectory, which needs to bend upwards to expand our productive capacity and national real incomes. The second is our net public debt ...
Away from the tense scenes on the paepae, under a closely guarded canvas tent, te iwi Māori do the real work of Waitangi: talking. We were invited inside to listen. ...
The Jono & Ben star is self-aware and surrounded by extraordinary women in Three’s latest local comedy series. The first episode of Vince, written by and starring Jono Pryor, opens with intrigue, a loincloth and a man in the middle of some kind of breakdown. As the titular character, a ...
My comment on the day. Winz today, got told I can do full time work with limitations, they recognize my difficulties and am happy to wait till the dr says ok, then whatever limitations I recognize they will help me with.
Hmm
I got it.
Don’t bother applying again, we don’t pay mentally unwell people who are only stable by the medications they take , and no, side effects don’t matter the 2 hours sleep I get a nights fine bla bla.
SO they basically said you don’t qualify for the invalids benefit, live on the unemployed until you retire or get well whatever comes first.
No probs.
I have found no drug combo so far that staves away depression without hideous side effects.
Currently i’m not depressed at all, feel great, just can’t sleep, can’t eat , feel nauseous, have the shakes, and um everytime I look at a beautiful woman for some strange reason i’m getting incredibly horny. That didn’t happen on Prozac.
Gawd and they reakon I can do full time work.
IDNK but these meds at least have stopped the massive depression I had for ages.
So sorry about this situation you are in Richardr. This is totally down to the nats. I am praying they will disappear as soon as possible. Can you get an advocate to go to WINZ with you? Try and keep at them until they understand. Wishing you well.
Did your GP say on the medical that you can do full time work with limitations?
Were the limitations specified?
Don’t rely on W&I if your GP has not yet filled out a medical for supported living.
I get annoyed with W&I when they think they can make a medical decision, until W&I have been to medical school they are not in a position to make a medical statement/decision.
I am sorry to hear that you are sleep deprived (get a referral to the sleep clinic from your GP) and have your meds reviewed.
The doctor shouldn’t be making a judgement call on whether someone is mentally healthy enough to being working 40 hours+ a week. Only the individual knows if they can or can’t work and what problems might come from the working environment. So I think the doctor is either cynical or not on the patient’s side, probably both.
I can sympathise with Richard, I really hope things work out soon and the right meds can be fine tuned for him.
30 hours work is considered to be full – time at W&I, I realise that 30 hours on the minimum hourly rate is insufficent.
I get annoyed when GPs put politics before the needs of a client when filling out a medical for W&I. It also annoys me when a GP is sloppy and does not consider all the information which a client raises e.g sleep deprivation and does not investigate what the cause is.
Thing is, it doesn’t matter what your GP puts into your medical assessment. When one applies for Supported Living, the evident medical experts at WINZ take one look at you and decide whether they “have enough information”, ie you’re missing an arm and a leg, otherwise you get sent to a designated doctor of theirs. A hired hand, who doesn’t even need to examine you to contradict your GP of many years. That designated doctor, a scab of the worst kind, can spout an opinion based on some spurious questions regarding your work capacity (you can stand up? You’re able to work) and it overwrites your GP. The appeal available pits you against three of those scabs. Then there’s no appeal after that. Your GP and what they assess or don’t doesn’t come into it at all.
I was aware of everything that you have written and the process stinks when it comes to a panel of 3 doctors having the final say. A clever lawyer may find a loop hole. It is worthwhile for everyone to complete an application for supported living and to not rely on asking a case worker at W&I whether you qualify or not.
Hope it gets better Richard.
Kia kaha Richardw.
More dodgy carry on by OIO….John Key relaxed so alarms bells should be ringing
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/201801043/laptops-for-land
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201801062/wakatipu-high-says-investor's-money-required-for-poorer-kids
I wonder if there was a donation to another party as well.
Got really suspicious when the reason given for the staffing changes that precipitated the Barclay debacle was “increased business level in Queenstown” considering that Queenstown is only about 20% of the electorate, why would it need a full-time agent when Gore, which covers the rest can get by on 0.5 fte?
ah, a full time flesh presser…..nothing would surprise, if so heres hoping they’ve been careless (again)…from an industry well versed in such activity….and something upset the stalwarts.
It certainly upset the stalwarts. This would go back to that period as well. It’s not that good a piece of land either, wonder how long it will take before they tire of the costs of it’s upkeep.
Graeme, have you noted Winston has a public meeting in Gore on Monday? Barclay is leaving a void in the rural part of the electorate and it looks like Winston is looking to fill it.
Don’t think void is quite expansive enough word for his efforts. Was down in Invercargill recently and noticed Ria Bond is projecting a fair presence there too. I hope they get a good candidate that can pull it off, or at least really put the wind up them.
Up here it’s starting to get that marginal feel about it. Nick Smith’s antics here have been from the couldn’t make this shit up department, yesterday he was taking the piss out of a submitter to a failed SHA, then this morning it’s in the ODT that the developer got told to bugger off and pay costs when he appealed to the High Court. Smith’s next play was this http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/383460/housing-accord-targets-stepped-building-activity-booms Council exceeds Housing Accord target for section creation so minister sets an even greater target, “because there’s a housing boom” Add to that Barclay running around like a Labour MP trying to set the Housing Trust up with the old High School for worker’s accomodation.
Entertaining times
Yes the Qtown accom issue is becoming acute. Nick Smith is becoming a major liability for National fronting such a major issue as he presents like an arrogant born to rule prick. The more oxygen he gets the better for the opposition.
Agreed re Ria Bond, she seems to be far more energetic than Barclay and Dowie combined.
Quote of the last eight years from Marama Davidson on frogblog:
“In failing the most vulnerable, the National government has failed all of us.”
https://blog.greens.org.nz/2016/05/17/homelessness-national-has-failed-all-of-us/
The National government’s housing policy is abusive, it is causing children to live in cars/garages because of the governments gross incompetence and inability to house vulnerable people.
What does the Commissioner for Children have to say about children living in cars/garages?
Very, very good point there Treetop.
Perhaps someone should send the Commissioner an email?
“We advocate for the interests, rights and wellbeing of children and young people on law, policy, practice, and monitor the services provided under the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act”
http://www.occ.org.nz/about-us/our-role-and-purpose/
Wellington office
Phone: 04 471 1410
Email: children@occ.org.nz
Please note, we are not open to the public. (wtf?)
Sir,
As you are the Commissioner for Children, I respectfully request that you strongly urge the government to address the issue of homelessness, especially among families with children.
I quote from UNCROC…
“You have the right to a good standard of living (Articles 26 and 27)
You have the right to financial support from the Government, especially when your family/whanau cannot provide this for you. This includes your right to food, clothing, a safe place to live, and other basics.”
New Zealand may have been the 131st country to ratify the Convention…but ratify it we did.
These children have the RIGHT to a safe place to live.
Sincerely, Me
Done
I agree.
Would the government listen to the Commissioner for Children?
Have the government listened to the Commissioner for Children?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/80094729/the-overcrowded-south-auckland-house-that-wasnt-overcrowded
Subtext: Labour are inept / there is no housing-cum-poverty crisis in Auckland.
Must be the work of that anti-National, left-wing media that the blubbery one has been bitching about.
Little lines himself up for a big interview outside a house in Sth Auckland where people were living in a tent. The person living in the tent, the owner of the house, came out and told him they were staying in the tent only while the house is being renovated.
Buffoon of the week? Yes
Set up? Most likely
Fit to govern? No
Reading that link, Little needs to get some better staff. Seriously.
Yep preferably staff that don’t appear to be setting him up surely it would be really easy to pop in a day or two prior and chat to the people in the tent?
Speaking personally if I was living in a tent on the front lawn I most certainly would want a media circus to turn up and to appear on the news or such like.
Why do they (Labour) keep shooting themselves in the foot?
“There will always be a social welfare system in New Zealand, because you can measure a society by how it looks after its most vulnerable. Once, I was one of them. I will never turn my back on that.”
http://tvnz.co.nz/content/903605/2556418.xhtml
My, my….from a decade ago. (good find!)
Maybe he needs turning around?
Ken Loach‘s new film that takes an uncompromising look at the UK’s welfare system reduced critics at the Cannes Film Festival to tears.
Set in Newcastle (and shown at the event with subtitles in case people couldn’t understand the Geordie accent), ‘I, Daniel Blake’ tells the fictional story of carpenter Daniel Blake who suffers a heart attack and is told by doctors he can no longer work.
An assessment commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) goes against medical advice and rules him too healthy to receive benefits
Ken Loach : “The most vulnerable people are told their poverty is their own fault.
“If you have no work it is your fault that you haven’t got a job.
“It is shocking. It is not an issue just for people in our country, it is throughout Europe and there is a conscious cruelty in the way we are organising our lives now.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ken-loach-i-daniel-blake_uk_573775eae4b01359f686f390
No doubt Henry will have a few tips on indiscriminate bombardment.
/
Robert Costa Verified account
@costareports
SCOOP w/ @PhilipRucker: Donald Trump to meet with Henry Kissinger, GOP’s foreign-policy eminence
https://twitter.com/costareports/status/732333664395272192
Tv3 has a doco on the trump campaign it will be on tv3 +1 at 8.30
Max Key blasted on social media after housing market post.
“Remember when we cried as kids and our parents said ‘I’ll give you something to cry about’. We thought they were going to hit us but instead they destroyed the housing market.”
Cruel, greedy and selfish.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11640164
Yeah, he didn’t say that though. He shared that quote (I don’t know who it is from). What he said is “hahaha this honestly cracked me up”.
I found it funny myself (the bit he shared), in a dark satirical way. No idea why Key jnr was laughing. He’s still a dick.
Mickey Savage
Have you seen my comment from the 12th? I wondered what your thoughts were.
http://thestandard.org.nz/broken/#comment-1173148
Laugh – Dam near wet myself
Five surgeons from big cities are discussing who makes the best patients to operate on.
The first surgeon, from New York, says, ‘I like to see accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.’
The second, from Chicago, responds, ‘Yeah, but you should try electricians! Everything inside them is colour coded.’
The third surgeon, from Dallas, says, ‘No, I really think librarians are the best, everything inside them is in alphabetical order.’
The fourth surgeon, from Los Angeles chimes in, ‘You know, I like construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over.’
But the fifth surgeon, from Washington, DC shut them all up when he observed: ‘You’re all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There’s no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains, and no spine. Plus, the head and the ass are interchangeable.
Superb!
Thanks for that – great start to the day.