Daily Review 20/09/2018
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5:30 pm, September 20th, 2018 - 69 comments
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AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...5 days ago - Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut
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All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...1 week ago
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Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...2 days ago
- Release: National buries 1019 planned homes
It’s been revealed that National has cancelled 60 percent of its housing projects planned before mid-2025 amidst housing woes. ...3 days ago
- Release: Rule-Czar bill a right-wing power grab
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...3 days ago
- Release: Why not both? Luxon shuns Waitangi celebrations
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is running away from problems of his own creation, with his decision not to go to Waitangi. ...3 days ago
- Govt’s ‘free speech’ legislation stokes fear, not freedom
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...3 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...3 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...4 days ago
- ECE no place to cut corners
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...4 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...5 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...5 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...5 days ago
- Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...6 days ago
- Govt’s miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...6 days ago
- Luxon’s ‘localism’ strikes again
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...6 days ago
- Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...6 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...2 weeks ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
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The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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JA’s tour of the US includes a spot on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the Today Show with Christiane Amanpour. Great coverage for NZ into the living rooms and streams of decent Americans.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/107252971/jacinda-ardern-to-appear-on-stephen-colberts-tv-show
What a contrast it will be for them when they consider their own leader.
Would imagine the whole of the interviews will be about having a baby and piss all about NZ coverage, but good on her.
Key did it with Letterman so it seems it has turned into a bit of a tradition
But Letterman laughed at Key, as did his audience. That won’t be happening this time.
Of course not
They will be too busy fawning and doing group “aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh… cuuuuttttteeeee”s over baby pics.
And I bet there are at least 2 “YOU GO GIIIIRRRRLLLL!!!”s
Well she’ll hold herself a lot better than Key, not mincing up the catwalk or hopping in a cage for a drop the soap gag.
Oh, and was it you who hauled be up for being sexist earlier? You RWNJs all look alike to me so apologies if it wasn’t but that there is belittling what a lot of women like.
No I hauled you up for looking a bit hypocritical.
And saying the interviews will be mainly about the baby isn’t sexist.
It is criticising the American medias fixation with Ardern and the baby.
In fact I said good on her, as I did when Key did the same thing
But I apologise if you found it offensive in some way.
No, you trivialised women’s reactions to babies. That is sexist.
I didn’t find it offensive, I just think you’re a dick.
“Trivialising women’s reaction to babies”
Lol
Geezes
“trivialised women’s reaction to babies” – point out where he did that.
Wrong log-in, Serena.
I think our PM will be treated as some kind of curiosity rather than being compared with POTUS or other leaders. Have Theresa May or Angela Merkel been on those shows?
No but a lot of Americans will look at JA and imagine if there isn’t another way.
Personally, I doubt that. I mean, how many Americans would think “if only our President was like that nice woman from Aotearoa – New Zealand”. I think it’s too much of a stretch of the imagination to ‘parachute’ (or rather, ‘beam’) Jacinda Ardern into the Oval Office in the White House. It reminds me of people advocating social policies of the so-called Nordic countries and all will be here as it is over there. Life is just not that simple but that said, it’s nice to fantasise sometime and ponder what-if’s. That’s what entertainment is for too.
Will she be wearing the Maori cloak she wore to meet the Queen ? It would be photogenic and reference North American and New Zealand histories of treaty making with indigenous peoples.
Wtf?
6:15 RNZ “compensating p users will be unpopular”. Who is this git?
Agree taxing Kiwisaver (capital gains which let’s be honest is one of the few reasons to stay in NZ) etc is stupid. TG for Winston for now at least
Compensating p users will be unpopular.
He’s not wrong.
Once again, Labour’s all about the crims.
Here’s your phantom P cook, BM. Y’know one of the criminals Judith Collins accused Phil Twyford of funding back into production.
That corrupt and venal woman has to go, and I will dance a jig when it happens.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107241075/i-felt-victimised-pensioner-evicted-over-meth-test-happy-with-hnz-apology
She did a great interview on Newstalk ZB
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/christchurch/canterbury-mornings/audio/judith-collins-bites-back-over-claims-national-is-to-blame-for-meth-saga/#ath
Made Twyford look like the useless fuckwit that he is, no wonder he no longer appears on the AM show on Friday, Collins continually makes him look like a fool.
Perhaps Twyford no longer wanted to be seen to be legitimising that kind of poison and he is right if today is anything to go by.
Everyone knows it was National’s drive to sell social housing stock which prompted the action on false meth testing. This is now in the rooted in public perception and no amount of bluster from a corrupt opposition spokesman in Judith Collins is going to change it.
This is now in the rooted in public perception and no amount of bluster from a corrupt opposition spokesman in Judith Collins is going to change it.
Nope, all that’s happened is the public perception that Labour has a raging hard-on for criminals is once again reinforced.
I don’t get why Labour thinks criminals are a winning strategy? is it some religious bull shit thing? criminals are like lepers and we need to anoint oil upon theirfeet?
That’s funny because all the headlines over the last six months on this are about National apologising for the scandal and protesting that the dog ate their homework. Collins was at it again today.
As ever, explaining is losing and the Nats have lost this one.
That’s a really cynical and odd way of thinking BM. It’s been conclusively (and scientifically) proved that the methodology for testing was not only dubious, but inaccurate. A number of people were wronged. Imagine the furore if a similar amount of people were ticketed for exceeding 50km/hr on a road that was later shown to have been legally 100km/hr. There would be an expectation of compensation. Now imagine if their cars were all seized and destroyed. Now take it back to the housing situation. A large amount of people, through no fault of their own, found themselves in a house that tested for meth contamination, and ended up evicted and barred from housing corporation houses. This was completely unjust. The responsible ministers should consider themselves very lucky that they aren’t following the lead of former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley and standing in the dock.
Well said riffer, cue BM to disappear from the thread now.
Nope. What the public would notice, if they cared, is that BM has a “raging hardon” for violations of natural justice, as long as the the victims are unlike him.
BM has a raging hard on for something alright, and that something is Cankles Collins.
Oooo-er. That’s just wrong Muttonbird. 😉
But you do – the former government were as crooked as they come and you never stop licking their feet like the servile hench-creature you are.
A straightup government would’ve thrown the lot in jail while the fraud squad went through their dirt. That’s what Korea would’ve done to the Key Kletocracy – and they wouldn’t have got out for decades.
And you come here whining about the odd overdue parking meter or Winston putting Bridges in his place when it should’ve been Jacinda – you’re a bad joke on your best day.
Here’s another one of Judith’s criminal P cooks.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018663425/meth-eviction-compo-an-absolute-joke-tenant
Looks like a real hard-arse felon doesn’t he.
Problem is…there are some people that due to no fault of their own were caught out that had the misfortune of moving into a house after a meth smoking tenant.
However, there are more that did smoke or cook P that will be getting paid out as well.
Having seen first hand the damage P causes this is going to be counterproductive to controlling/ending the P epidemic.
On the contrary. It’ll let a lot of people know this government isn’t like the last and there is a way forward.
It’s up to the police to catch the criminals, not HNZ and the National Party. It’s once again left to Labour to clean up the meth mess National left behind even after they supposedly waged a war on it.
The bigger problem was it was all done in a Kangaroo court instead of a real one.
They were guilty until proven innocent.
Housing NZ was Judge, Jury, and executioner with no way to dispute their decision without spending money they did not have.
Proving you are not guilty of something is a lot harder to do than them proving you are actually guilty in a real court of law.
National bypassed the real justice system to get people out so they could sell the houses to their mates at bargain basement prices.
BM did you see the 80 something year old woman interviewed on prime who was evicted from her home due to bogus meth testing. She stated she’d never used drugs………..
Public servants, what do you expect, not a lot of common sense there.
The private contractors that did the misleading testing? Lot of personal profit seeking at the expense of the taxpayer there.
You’ve got to do something with cops that have perfed out of the force.
Either ‘P cleanups’ or workplace drug testing….
The unarrested untried unconvicted crims BMmer?/
Kiwisaver always was a neo-liberal con-job.
eg. It’s the retirement funds like Kiwisaver buying the biggest part of trillions of fresh US debt each year.
When the US-Fed-bond-bubble bursts, no more money for hemorrhoid cream. Our politicians make p dealers look like school girls. P is certainly less addictive than finance.
https://wolfstreet.com/2018/09/18/who-bought-1-47-trillion-of-new-us-national-debt-past-12-months/
Nearest to an ethical fund option I found was the opt out form:
https://www.ird.govt.nz/forms-guides/keyword/kiwisaver/ks10-form-ks-optout.html
Great to see Meka Whaitiri being acted on faster.
Bit of spine top work PM Ardern.
Spent the early evening with my 97year mum. So watched tv news, a rare event.
Item about Pike River Recovery, and up pops Rob Fyfe (ex air NZ and known as “Fyfe the knife) as some sort of expert consultant. WTF ??
Then some poor Chch woman built a granny flat for her deaf brother and was charged a gazillion dollars by the council. She could have spent a third of the cost on a motor home, parked it on the section and Bob’s your uncle
Kiwis greatest skill was commonsense.
Seems to be a fast diminishing asset.
Councils are broke, apart from continuing to hike rates this sort of stuff is the only way councils can bring in revenue.
You may want to ask yourself why councils are broke and 100’s of millions of dollars in debt?
All the roads getting chewed up by trucks BMmer?
Not quite.
Big clue, Aunty Helen
Perhaps they really truly need, in the Christchurch case, to spend a quarter of a billion dollars on a stadium?
Or in Auckland’s case there is the $4,000,000,000.00 or so for a tram to the Airport.
And in Wellington they really must spend about $7,000,000.00 to have another go at the almost totally unused cycle lane in Island Bay. The thing that they have already stuffed up once.
Closer to half a billion on the stadium when the insurance payout from Lancaster Park is included.
I do like the cartoon you put at the front of this.
The answer of course that this Government wants to keep that doddery old pensioner, “Sir” Michael Cullen in the luxury that he has enjoyed since 1981. Earns much more now from the quangoes that he gets appointed to by our beloved leaders than he did as a Minister.
Can’t we just dump the silly old sod?
Here a napkin,
your dribbling again.
Al sounds almost envious – maybe he’s going Green?
Alywyn. Mr Cullen brought in KiwiSaver so at least he did something of benefit for the country unlike the national meth testing debacle.
Kiwisaver always was a neo-liberal con-job.
eg. It’s the retirement funds like Kiwisaver buying the biggest part of trillions of fresh US debt each year.
When the US-Fed-bond-bubble bursts, no more money for hemorrhoid cream. Our politicians make p dealers look like school girls. P is certainly less addictive than finance.
https://wolfstreet.com/2018/09/18/who-bought-1-47-trillion-of-new-us-national-debt-past-12-months/
Nearest to an ethical fund option I found was the opt-out form:
https://www.ird.govt.nz/forms-guides/keyword/kiwisaver/ks10-form-ks-optout.html
Pot/kettle alwyn?
OK. Couldn’t resist it. Not trying to be a clever clogs. Honest. 😀
We’ll retire Sir Michael once the plans are in place to tax you to the hilt and take all your stuff and give it to the ‘bloody Mowrees’. We know how much you’d hate that – so even suggesting it is a lot of fun.
Wow, he must be worrying some pretty rich and powerful people to make the trolls lay down such obnoxious taradiddle.
To the people who say it can’t be done can take a back seat to those who are actually doing it.
The wonderful Laura Flanders new show: The Trump administration claims its response to Hurricane Maria was a “tremendous,” “unsung” success. Yet, what has been truly tremendous in the year since the hurricane is the will of Puerto Ricans building, organizing, and recovering on the island
Submissions asked for the Tasman District Council (Waimea Water Augmentation Scheme) Bill
The fuckwit farmers continue to demand that they be allowed to fuckup our land.
Be nice.
Simon Bridges going full Jordan Peterson again calling the PM weak, and then err coming up with a clumsy rugby analogy.
“It’s like a rugby team with even fewer players on the field. That leads to actually not just weak leadership [and] weak government, but a weaker country.”
I mean what is this clown trying to say here?
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/09/simon-bridges-chides-weak-jacinda-ardern-over-meka-whaitiri-scandal.html
I know!
A rugby team with fewer players is a league team, so with Ms Curran in the sin bin and Ms Whaitiri sent off, it’s time for cricket.
Damn, had a good set-up, just lacked a punch line.
Wernt they saying back last year the ‘team had too many players’
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2017/10/the_largest_ever_executive.html
Oh dear, your analogy to Jordan is not better. Jordan puts up solid intellectual arguments. Simon is just a clown, filling the gap, til the next JK (I’m expecting a Chinese Jew next time), falls from the skies of hell.
Simon is doing a good job to make both sides look incompetent, including himself. Shameless stuff, but it programs folk to accept governance by the capital markets rather than the state, thus a vote for the gnats, even though we all know they are just clowns of empty rhetoric.
“Jordan puts up solid intellectual arguments.”
Don’t agree. He meanders along and strings analogies together so that you think you are agreeing with him. Then he uses a further analogy as evidence, and you don’t notice that that is an intellectual fail.
(A young man staying with us became enamoured with his rhetoric, and I took some time to have a look. He is not an in-depth thinker, he takes time to restrict the issue to certain parameters, and then delivers a concise – seemingly elegant – solution. )
Hmmmm, I’ve only seen one video, debating with Stephen Fry against two Americans… Jordon did alright. The otherside where clearly traumatised and chasing pies in the sky. People don’t like hearing that life chances are all relative and subjective, life never was or will be “fair”. So he talks around, waiting for the pennies to drop.
One challenge of being white and privileged is the test of money and power – Satan is attracted to that – mistakes are often public and embarrassing (eg. Catholic Church and miss-conduct) Being born at the top or bottom of the pyramid is just a different set of challenges. Those who waste their chances will loose points for when it comes to the next cycle-of-life. Those who suffer austerity with dignity will come back with handsome blessing in the next.
Simon should be praising JA for offering us Kiwis a good chance to suffer austerity with dignity 😉
Also I see Jan Thomas is staying put. That’s another fail for Bridges and his corrupt followers.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/366920/massey-uni-vice-chancellor-has-no-intention-of-resigning
That article reflects Thomas’s own position. There appears to be significant backlash against her from within MU itself, and rightly so. She has mislead her colleagues, and brought MU into disrepute.
The good news is that her dishonesty and poorly reasoned actions seem to have brought the issue of free speech on campus into the spotlight.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12128794
Nice
Jan Thomas says,
“I have absolutely tried to live my life, and particularly my professional life, with a level of integrity and I think those emails don’t necessarily reflect my fundamental belief in that, that I have held throughout my entire career, so I regret that” Dr Thomas told the crowd.
“I particularly regret that it has caused a lot of distress and potentially distrust in my leadership – so it is what it is, I accept that, and I take full responsibility for it,” Dr Thomas said.
Hmm… Thomas admits her leadership as the VC is now in question, and then says “I take full responsibility for it”.
If Thomas genuinely took responsibility for her lies, then a resignation would have been tendered. If Massey wanted to give her another go then they could reject her offer to resign.
$5T has been spent by companies on stock buybacks over the past 10 years.
Bosses like to do this as it means they get huge bonuses by inflating the share price (by reducing the number of shares on the public market), but workers are denied wage increases.
Of course shareholders gain (only 15% CGT in the USA) by the practice – taxes would be immediate and higher on dividend payouts.
The practice of buybacks was made illegal in 1934 as it was blamed for the 1929 market crash. It’s resumption is one factor in the inflated stockmarket today.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/07/are-stock-buybacks-starving-the-economy/566387/
https://www.vox.com/2018/8/2/17639762/stock-buybacks-tax-cuts-trump-republicans
Corporations are using the tax cut money to fuel another share buyback binge. While this will keep the market rising, the merry go around will have its end.
Well here’s a couple of CC events happening atm, A drought in Indonesia atm and there has been one the PNG Highlands over a number yrs which doesn’t get in the media all the often a enough and this one about NT Mango’s arriving a mth early than normal, but the yield is going to be bit lower than last yr. Which is not surprising considering that the build up has started a couple mths early as well.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-20/drought-in-australia-spreading-to-indonesia/10249940
http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-09-20/mango-season-heats-up-in-northern-territory/10283106
Trouble with ‘early arrival’ of this or that is often its done for commercial advantage.
Some farmers do it for ‘early lambs’ too.
Its because suppliers have better knowledge of prices and timing.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/104798289/south-canterbury-sheep-farmer-trialing-early-lambing-season
2 months !!
Yes you are correct, but as time goes on it becomes the new norm and sometime way down the track they may have to give up mango farming altogether or keep moving further Sth as the climate/ environment changes.
Very pleased to see Russell Norman and company did not get convicted.