Spot on Cinny.
Such an unnecessarily long wait.
I suppose it is about appeasing most of the victims families now.
I can’t help but wonder whether further evidence of a crime may still become apparent.
Yes thanks to the politicians involved for having the will and making this happen.
Thanks for posting this great piece of news Cinny (1).
Haven’t been able to find it yet in any other online msm network! But hey this is a plus for the coalition, so I doubt it will make headline news in media anytime soon!
Hopefully, this is a positive step towards getting resolution for the families concerned, along with the cause of the tragedy in the first place.
I am also pleased Cinny followed it up and posted it as number one here, as I have been busy on other things since then – and it is certainly ‘of public interest’.
It has actually been reported quite widely on other media websites – eg
But on another topic. Poor Penny Bright has ovarian cancer, and a fight to save her home.
She asked for help earlier, could that link be put up again for those who wish to assist her. She only has ’till 4pm Tuesday. I know some say she should have put the money aside… So she did not expect this. This is terrible for her.
Terrible situation but does not alter the fact that the only party not complying with the law is Penny. Please do not encourage this woman’s delusional beliefs on that front. She will need to focus on her health.
She requested information the acts require to be available. Crooked neo-liberal councilors prefer to conceal it – every time she goes to court (and it has been often) the council’s faux commercial privilege secrecy presumption is shown not to exempt them from long established statutory responsibilities.
As me and others have explained many times, the Act that Penny is citing requires nothing of the sort. She lied about that again in the TVNZ clip. People deserve to know what they are supporting.
The act she cited on here stated pretty much what she said in plain language.
The fact that the council may have a weasel clause in no way alters the general principle that they are accountable to the public, who absolutely are entitled to know the details of their shoddy backroom deals.
What we actually have here is a systematic and irresponsible derogation of public rights by a crooked band of officials. People wishing to know why NZ has turned to shit over the last three decades need look no further for an explanation, and Penny’s role in exposing this reprehensible behavior was and is in the public interest.
She is of course being punished for this by the crooks responsible, who dare not allow her critique to circulate widely enough to bring an end to their wrongdoing.
Yes it does – she cited the act which said so in plain English.
Public Records Act 2005
to enable the Government to be held accountable by—
(i)
ensuring that full and accurate records of the affairs of central and local government are created and maintained; and
(ii)
providing for the preservation of, and public access to, records of long-term value; and
(d)
to enhance public confidence in the integrity of public records and local authority records;
That’s what she asked for, and that’s what the act requires.
Read those words. The PRA says the information has to be *kept*. That’s all. The LGOIMA, OIA and other laws control making it *available*. Ms Bright is claiming the former law delivers that. She is simply wrong. The council is obeying the law.
Dunces diminish the power of advocacy for honourable causes.
And on the topic of accepted narratives…Natrad had a piece about submitters to the medical cannabis select committee being advised that the police could use submissions to prosecute those who are honest and transparent about their possession and use of medicinal cannabis.
FFS.
Somewhere in TS’s archive there will be a comment from me (and others) predicting exactly this.
Surely a progressive coalition government could vote through legislation to give complete immunity to submitters?
Come on…sort this you lot!
“Yes!” she said, pre-election.
Sorry, could someone please post the link to the Radio NZ piece from this evening?
OK…so submitters seem to be protected by parliamentary privilege but their submissions are public so could be incriminating. This,combined with many wanting to submit being too ill,poor or foobarred to travel to Wellington will ensure the outcome will be exactly what the more conservative parties in the coalition desire.
Polling consistently shows the nation is ready for legal medical and decriminalized recreational use,so what is the hold up?
I haven’t really kept up with this over recent months, Rosemary, although was pleased to see a Bill finally being put up but then disappointed at its limited application and anomalies etc and the fact that the Green Bill was not accepted.
I have just had a quick look at the Parliament website, and I am a bit disappointed in the make up of the Select Committee in terms of power, experience etc but cannot do much about that.
As of now they only have 33 submissions listed on the Website – mainly organisations like the NZ Medical Association etc. I checked a couple and the submissions were already available for viewing for those I checked, but cannot confirm whether all 33 are already available. A bit unwell today so will check further tomorrow. So presumably the 200 or so submissions that have been mentioned are ones not already up on the website. (I assume with your vast experience you know your way around the Parliamentary Select Committee parts of the website, but if you need any help with links etc just sing out.)
I am pleased that at least people are being given the opportunity to amend etc their submissions for their own protection but I would have thought that this possibility should have been foreseen and addressed at the time of the call for submissions in the first place. To be fair, however, I don’t know whether there was advice on this at that time, so cannot be critical without that knowledge.
But I will be following it very closely from now on. I actually just wish that they had gone to whole hog and decriminalised it generally as my gut feeling is that this is going to happen anyway in the not too distant future, and this would simplify matters with medicinal cannabis immensely.
Cheers for now – will check the media for more tomorrow.
I have just done a check as was otherwise occupied this morning , and found a few more related media articles, which pretty much reiterate the RNZ reports last night.
One News has also put up an item this morning which provides a bit more detail, including this bit which is along the lines of my opinion that they should have done more to clarify the position before submissions were submitted:
She [Chair of the Health Committee Louisa Wall] conceded parliamentary staff could have made it clearer that people could submit anonymously from the beginning, but emphasised the action the committee had now taken was to protect submitters.
That said, not everyone’s been deterred.
One woman told 1 NEWS she started giving her adult son cannabis five years ago to manage his epilepsy, autism, and severe self harming behaviours.
She said her son was now much better. However, she also said she’s always scared the police will knock down her door because of the drugs. She wants MPs to know her story, and is keeping her submission as it is. ..
On OM today there is a comment at 16 to the effect that the committee has published emails from submitters in the clear, including sharing other people’s email addresses etc. I can find nothing to support these contentions in any media reports to date anyway. Not responding due to the nature of other responses I have had from the writer over recent weeks.
Indeed. I assume you're referring to his "Kabuki" remark. I was floored. Menendez just said, directly, the US collaborated with Russia and Syria so that the followinmg happened:1) Russia didn't defend against strikes2) Syria, as planned, shot missiles AFTER US strike.Wtf?— Edward Shain (@ems1944) April 19, 2018
Or is it just that Nat voters will vote for dog shit on a stick if it keeps their house prices high.
They have to grow their vote from the more discerning to gain power tho. Not sure no bridges Bridges is looking like he can do that at 10% just sayin.
Does anyone else think that Jacinda Ardern is starting to sound like Teresa May with her ‘highly likely’ comments. Ah well lie down with dogs you get fleas I guess.
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
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 in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
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Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
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Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
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Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
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The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
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The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
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The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
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The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
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The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
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Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
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Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
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Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
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Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
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Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
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Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
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What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
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Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
Writer, teacher and academic Vincent O’Sullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kākā. Miraculously, through the ...
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Thrilled for the Pike Families, today would have been massive for them.
Well done Coalition, thanks to all involved.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/355497/minister-enters-pike-river-drift-an-emotional-journey
Spot on Cinny.
Such an unnecessarily long wait.
I suppose it is about appeasing most of the victims families now.
I can’t help but wonder whether further evidence of a crime may still become apparent.
Yes thanks to the politicians involved for having the will and making this happen.
Thanks for posting this great piece of news Cinny (1).
Haven’t been able to find it yet in any other online msm network! But hey this is a plus for the coalition, so I doubt it will make headline news in media anytime soon!
Hopefully, this is a positive step towards getting resolution for the families concerned, along with the cause of the tragedy in the first place.
“so I doubt it will make headline news in media anytime soon!”
It was just on TV One news.
Andrew Little admitting not all families of the deceased are happy to re-enter they want their loved ones to rest where they fell.
And Little cooling down the expectation its a done deal to re enter…it may not happen.
And pretty much invisible on the Herald website.
Just click bait there.
It was originally on RNZ News at 2pm, mary a, which I reported on Open Mike
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-04-2018/#comment-1476250
I am also pleased Cinny followed it up and posted it as number one here, as I have been busy on other things since then – and it is certainly ‘of public interest’.
It has actually been reported quite widely on other media websites – eg
The Herald before it happened – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12035541
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/04/start-of-something-huge-families-re-enter-pike-river-with-andrew-little.html
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/pike-river-mine-victims-family-members-enter-portal-very-first-time-alongside-andrew-little
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/andrew-little-and-pike-victim-relatives-enter-mines-portal/
and more if you google.
Yes, Andrew is doing us proud.
But on another topic. Poor Penny Bright has ovarian cancer, and a fight to save her home.
She asked for help earlier, could that link be put up again for those who wish to assist her. She only has ’till 4pm Tuesday. I know some say she should have put the money aside… So she did not expect this. This is terrible for her.
So sad to hear this about the inimitable and indomitable Penny Bright.
If only more of us were willing to challenge the status quo and reject the accepted narratives.
All the very best Penny, and I’ll try to make a contribution when able.
This one?
Halt the forced sale of Penny Bright’s house. | TOKO
Petition to Auckland Mayor Phil Goff.
Please SIGN and SHARE?
Thanks!
Penny Bright 🙂
https://www.toko.org.nz/petitions/halt-the-forced-sale-of-penny-bright-s-house
TVNZ story: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/auckland-activist-penny-bright-may-have-ovarian-cancer-asks-forced-sale-house-halted
Terrible situation but does not alter the fact that the only party not complying with the law is Penny. Please do not encourage this woman’s delusional beliefs on that front. She will need to focus on her health.
Rubbish.
She requested information the acts require to be available. Crooked neo-liberal councilors prefer to conceal it – every time she goes to court (and it has been often) the council’s faux commercial privilege secrecy presumption is shown not to exempt them from long established statutory responsibilities.
As me and others have explained many times, the Act that Penny is citing requires nothing of the sort. She lied about that again in the TVNZ clip. People deserve to know what they are supporting.
The act she cited on here stated pretty much what she said in plain language.
The fact that the council may have a weasel clause in no way alters the general principle that they are accountable to the public, who absolutely are entitled to know the details of their shoddy backroom deals.
What we actually have here is a systematic and irresponsible derogation of public rights by a crooked band of officials. People wishing to know why NZ has turned to shit over the last three decades need look no further for an explanation, and Penny’s role in exposing this reprehensible behavior was and is in the public interest.
She is of course being punished for this by the crooks responsible, who dare not allow her critique to circulate widely enough to bring an end to their wrongdoing.
No it does not.
Yes it does – she cited the act which said so in plain English.
Public Records Act 2005
to enable the Government to be held accountable by—
(i)
ensuring that full and accurate records of the affairs of central and local government are created and maintained; and
(ii)
providing for the preservation of, and public access to, records of long-term value; and
(d)
to enhance public confidence in the integrity of public records and local authority records;
That’s what she asked for, and that’s what the act requires.
Read those words. The PRA says the information has to be *kept*. That’s all. The LGOIMA, OIA and other laws control making it *available*. Ms Bright is claiming the former law delivers that. She is simply wrong. The council is obeying the law.
Dunces diminish the power of advocacy for honourable causes.
Then the law is wrong, why defend a law which is an ass?
Campaign to change the laws, sure. Govt is then your target, not Council.
Are you campaigning for change, Sacha…?
I interpret your comments as being, bitter…
Between the aplauding of bans, pleading for bans and putting the boot into someone who is now faced with an unfortunate set of circumstances…
Sort yourself out…
“to enable the Government to be held accountable”
That’s all Penny’s doing.
You have a weaselry, it only gets you off the hook if the judge is crooked.
Stuart…
Well said…
sad to hear about the cancer.
And on the topic of accepted narratives…Natrad had a piece about submitters to the medical cannabis select committee being advised that the police could use submissions to prosecute those who are honest and transparent about their possession and use of medicinal cannabis.
FFS.
Somewhere in TS’s archive there will be a comment from me (and others) predicting exactly this.
Surely a progressive coalition government could vote through legislation to give complete immunity to submitters?
Come on…sort this you lot!
“Yes!” she said, pre-election.
Sorry, could someone please post the link to the Radio NZ piece from this evening?
Here you are Rosemary, is this the one?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/355533/cannabis-bill-incriminating-statements-to-be-made-public
I have not listened to this but here is the link to the 7pm RNZ News in case it was also mentioned there.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/programmes/news-bulletin/story/2018641446/radio-new-zealand-news
I will check to see if I can find any more.
Thank you!
Struggling with using phone to do internet stuff.☺️
Understand only too well. That’s why I lug my Ipad around with me rather than try using my phone which I hate.
Here is one more report by Stuff on this issue.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103229397/health-select-committee-criticised-for-handling-of-medicinal-cannabis-bill
OK…so submitters seem to be protected by parliamentary privilege but their submissions are public so could be incriminating. This,combined with many wanting to submit being too ill,poor or foobarred to travel to Wellington will ensure the outcome will be exactly what the more conservative parties in the coalition desire.
Polling consistently shows the nation is ready for legal medical and decriminalized recreational use,so what is the hold up?
I haven’t really kept up with this over recent months, Rosemary, although was pleased to see a Bill finally being put up but then disappointed at its limited application and anomalies etc and the fact that the Green Bill was not accepted.
I have just had a quick look at the Parliament website, and I am a bit disappointed in the make up of the Select Committee in terms of power, experience etc but cannot do much about that.
As of now they only have 33 submissions listed on the Website – mainly organisations like the NZ Medical Association etc. I checked a couple and the submissions were already available for viewing for those I checked, but cannot confirm whether all 33 are already available. A bit unwell today so will check further tomorrow. So presumably the 200 or so submissions that have been mentioned are ones not already up on the website. (I assume with your vast experience you know your way around the Parliamentary Select Committee parts of the website, but if you need any help with links etc just sing out.)
I am pleased that at least people are being given the opportunity to amend etc their submissions for their own protection but I would have thought that this possibility should have been foreseen and addressed at the time of the call for submissions in the first place. To be fair, however, I don’t know whether there was advice on this at that time, so cannot be critical without that knowledge.
But I will be following it very closely from now on. I actually just wish that they had gone to whole hog and decriminalised it generally as my gut feeling is that this is going to happen anyway in the not too distant future, and this would simplify matters with medicinal cannabis immensely.
Cheers for now – will check the media for more tomorrow.
I have just done a check as was otherwise occupied this morning , and found a few more related media articles, which pretty much reiterate the RNZ reports last night.
Here is the Morning Report segment on it on RNZ this morning:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018641485/medicinal-cannabis-bill-200-invited-to-change-submissions
One News has also put up an item this morning which provides a bit more detail, including this bit which is along the lines of my opinion that they should have done more to clarify the position before submissions were submitted:
She [Chair of the Health Committee Louisa Wall] conceded parliamentary staff could have made it clearer that people could submit anonymously from the beginning, but emphasised the action the committee had now taken was to protect submitters.
That said, not everyone’s been deterred.
One woman told 1 NEWS she started giving her adult son cannabis five years ago to manage his epilepsy, autism, and severe self harming behaviours.
She said her son was now much better. However, she also said she’s always scared the police will knock down her door because of the drugs. She wants MPs to know her story, and is keeping her submission as it is. ..
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/mps-give-self-confessed-medicinal-cannabis-law-breakers-second-chance
On OM today there is a comment at 16 to the effect that the committee has published emails from submitters in the clear, including sharing other people’s email addresses etc. I can find nothing to support these contentions in any media reports to date anyway. Not responding due to the nature of other responses I have had from the writer over recent weeks.
the saga continues…and pretty much continues to be widely ignored.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018641425/eqc-accused-of-ignoring-true-extent-of-damage-to-chch-homes
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018641440/on-sold-nightmare-eqc-offers-dollar48-000-despite-dollar260-000-repair-bill
That’s why John Campbell got fired.
Too many stories about Christchurch and Pike River for his owners.
No he wasn’t despite what conspiracy theorists want to think.
Pushing the boat out there, Bob.
https://youtu.be/QDKmCBoSd9w?t=4m30s
Would be some “Horror Stories” if one was allowed to look inside the Auckland Council’s Books ?
Auckland Council is basically a Day Care Facility for entitled adults IMHO.
Bridges polling at 10% looks like he will be “gone burger soon” ?
Bring on Crusher Collins.
I laugh as the preferred PM poll “didn’t mean anything” to a lot on here – until just recently funnily enough.
But just out of curiosity- when was the last time a party polling at 44% made their leader “gone burger” ?
Or is it just that Nat voters will vote for dog shit on a stick if it keeps their house prices high.
They have to grow their vote from the more discerning to gain power tho. Not sure no bridges Bridges is looking like he can do that at 10% just sayin.
Does anyone else think that Jacinda Ardern is starting to sound like Teresa May with her ‘highly likely’ comments. Ah well lie down with dogs you get fleas I guess.
I don’t persnilly find you credible ashley. Enthiday.
Plastic eating bacteria found… …oops, turns plastic into co2, another two steps back for every step forward.
I’m kind’ve interested in that self-healing concrete publicised recently (well, it fills cracks in it with chalk, anyway).
Apparently its operation is based on a bacteria enzyme that turns ambient CO2 into chalk.