Daily review 20/05/2015
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5:30 pm, May 20th, 2015 - 36 comments
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Daily review is also your post.
This provides Standarnistas the opportunity to review events of the day. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
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- The 1 Good Thing Left In Journalism
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...3 hours ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Monday, December 23
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30am include:Rachel Helyer Donaldson’s scoop via RNZ last night of cuts to maternity jobs in the health system;Maddy Croad’s scoop via The Press-$ this morning on funding cuts for Christchurch’s biggest food rescue charity;Benedict Collins’ scoop last night via 1News on a last-minute ...3 hours ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #51
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Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...23 hours ago - Government Forces Universities to Enforce “Free Speech” While Limiting Universities̵...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...23 hours ago - Fact brief – Are we heading into an ‘ice age’?
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The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...2 days ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Saturday, December 21
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The government published its first Biennial Transparency Report under the Paris Agreement yesterday, and the media has correctly noted that it is missing any plan to actually meet our target. While it hypes domestic emissions reductions so far - which have been good, but will likely get worse thanks to ...3 days ago
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Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...5 days ago
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Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...6 days ago
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In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...6 days ago
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New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...6 days ago
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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 ...6 days ago - Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...6 days ago
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And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...7 days ago - A Lipstick Government
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Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...7 days ago
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- Thank You
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...1 week ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #50
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Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing 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. ...3 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. ...4 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. ...4 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. ...4 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. ...5 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. ...5 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. ...6 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. ...6 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. ...6 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. ...6 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. ...6 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 ...6 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. ...7 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. ...7 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. ...7 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
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Nats are going to free up 400ha s to build houses in Auckland on the tv3 news.
Brilliant, those guys are really good
I hope they thank labour for the idea.
Wouldn’t hold your breathe. TV3 didn’t once mention the fact that this was exactly Labour’s policy at last election but by private developers (still the free land though)
Sounds as though they will take land off say Universties or schools or hospitals and give it to their private building mates. Mmmmm
who’s going to build the houses and whose land is being freed up?
Bill or John may let us know tomorrow but don’t hold your breath.
BTW could someone tell TV3 that when they broadcast this news as they did this evening it can’t be described as a secret.
Bill or John may let us know tomorrow but don’t hold your breath.
BTW could someone tell TV3 that when they broadcast this news as they did this evening it can’t be described as a secret.
Sorry didn’t catch the whole story
Here http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/budget-to-develop-housing-on-crown-land-2015052018
Basically Kiwibuild but by private developers – or so it seems, hard to tell as there is no actual detail.
Sheesh. I wonder which reserves, golf courses, open spaces are going to be offered up?
Shock and awe …
nothing to do with this ?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/10520495/Fletcher-Building-plans-Auckland-development
Probably a start but 400 hectares is a lot of land.
I doubt any golf courses will be used they are well utilised on planet key; although maybe chamberlain as that is for the plebs anyway.
Cornwall park?
😉
Wasnt Kiwibuild going be done by private builders anyway.
Sweet deal.
/
Patrick Gower
@patrickgowernz
Nick Smith says private companies will get to build on public land for free. Will only have to pay Government after houses built and sold.
https://twitter.com/patrickgowernz/status/600912762919751680
I guess its up to the opposition to keep the buggers honest and get as many cheap houses built as possible.
If the land is given FREE or CHEAP to the private builders, developers, capitalists and investors, etc to build the houses, then that would be a fraud on the people of this country and in reality would be an Asset Sale at nil or cheap rates to the wealthy and at the same time it would be confiscation of land belonging to schools, universities, hospitals etc.
The only way this can be somewhat excused is:
(1) The schools etc from whom these lands are confiscated should be compensated at current market prices and should ONLY be taken from them if the boards say that they will not need this land for now or in the future.
(2) The developers should pay back the cost of the land at least as soon as the buildings are up/sold and pay at the prevailing market price at the time of repayment, but if the land/house value has dropped, they will still need to pay not less than what the price was when they were given the land.
(3) The houses built should be able to be sold at not more than the median value for that type of house, for that or the surrounding/closet areas.
Basically, the government should be ‘WORKING FOR THE COMMON ‘PEOPLE’ and not ‘WORKING FOR THE ‘WEALTHY’.
We need to be alert that a major fraud is not being committed by this RW National/ACT government on NZ.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/18/fossil-fuel-companies-getting-10m-a-minute-in-subsidies-says-imf
No wonder the Nats don’t want you to know the true cost of their inaction on combating GHG emissions
that’s a good one to bookmark, thanks.
Tweeted by Helen Kelly.
Groser confirms 2 Parliament that there will be no TPPA unless it includes a clause for corporations 2 sue NZ Govt for health, education policies etc.
“Groser confirms 2 Parliament that there will be no TPPA unless it includes a clause for corporations 2 sue NZ Govt for health, education policies etc.”
“unless”???? Sure it is not “if?”
This is great news. This has now made the decision very straightforward and easy. Any MP that votes for that should be tried for treason.
Trouble is Kev – they don’t vote for it. Nats sign it off as a done deal.
“Inhumanity is the keynote of stupidity in power.”
― Alexander Berkman, Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist
By far the most informative and comprehensive interactive AGW site I’ve come across. Explore, learn and….enjoy…if that’s an appropriate term…
http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/?q=en/content/welcome-carbon-atlas
Zero-hours and contracts and the living wage, British style:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/zero-hours-contracts-and-living-wages-british-style/
Distract the PM! – make the country safer for the rest of us
Key’s been a bit snarky recently, angry in the house talking about Iraq, mean and nasty to the less fortunate of us, generally not keeping his promises – just not his usual self, he seems to be slipping – he’s obviously on his way out – I think we something to distract him so he does no more damage before he’s gone ….
Just imagine if he received pony tails in the mail, thousands of them day after day after day …. he could take them home and pull them to his heart’s content and the rest of us could rest a little easier ……
But you can! for ~$2.50, with free shipping, you too can send John a pony tail as a gift, and then next week you can send him another, and another, …..
http://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-pony-tail.html?site=glo&SearchText=pony+tail&SortType=price_asc&groupsort=1&shipCountry=NZ&isFreeShip=y
Bowl on up and choose something you think he particularly would love to fondle – if you order multiples at the same time make sure you do it from multiple stores so that he gets multiple packages …..
(remember this is Ali Express you’re really dealing with a small Chinese exporter, the money you spend is held in escrow until you acknowledge it has arrived – since you’re not going to receive it it’s fair to go back to the site and click the “received” button when you get the “shipped” email)
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/68710831/English-and-Key-an-enduring-relationship
Could Tracy Watkins get more sickening.
And apparently it was all Englishs idea to raise gst keys only part in it must of been to lie about it.
Yes it is rather sickening…Obsequious propagandist PR writing. Like a ‘soap opera’ script….but what else do you expect from this person?
Talking of “sickening” (and somewhat irrelevant I know), but that photo of Key at the head of this post, is the creepiest thing I have seen in many a long days walk !
which one of them is more freaky? what is tolly screaming at? what is key staring at? ogling much? is he a weirdo?…5 eyes, 5 questions.
I would say he thinking “” mmmmm hair I want to touch her hair”
Yea but note no quote from English…
Ahhh, sharp observation.