Considering the cowardly behaviour of National Party since, well, forever why do you still vote for them?
And, no, I don’t support the tagging. But, then, I most definitely don’t support the lying by National that has hurt so many people while they hide behind laws and self-righteousness.
Winston’s ultimate fantasy may be realised – effectively staying out of government but forcing minority Labour and National administrations come to him to beg permission to be PM for a month or two, until he decides to give the other side a turn. And shaping policy to suit his mood – otherwise down it goes.
If a government falls, does it automatically mean a general election? Or can a new government have an opportunity to form? I’m up to speed with how it works in Britain, where a government can be bundled out of office without it precipitating a new election (I long for the day Theresa May visits Queenie and utters the words, “Your majesty, I suggest you send for Mr Corbyn.”) but have to admit I’ve never bothered to find out if the same thing applies in New Zealand.
Obviously, the ‘every couple of months’ was hyperbole, but replacing one administration with another would delight Winston – people keep telling him he’s a kingmaker, after all. Why stop at one?
No, it only causes a general election if nobody can form a government. In theory, NZ First could change support from National to Labour + Greens or vice versa, and as long as the new government had 61 votes, it would be able to continue.
“Winston’s ultimate fantasy may be realised – effectively staying out of government but forcing minority Labour and National administrations come to him to beg permission to be PM for a month or two, until he decides to give the other side a turn.”
Explain how that would work? Doesn’t look constitutionally possible to me (or in any way likely).
Obviously the ‘couple of months’ part was hyperbole. But he could (maybe?) simply offer a sub confidence and supply deal to National – “Okay, Willy, you get to call yourself PM. But anything you want passed, you bring to me first. If I like it, I’ll back it. If you don’t like it, then you can try your luck with the Greens and Jacinda.”
That would work – assuming English liked being abused in this way (given he served with Brash and Key, both of whom treated him like garbage, you have to suspect theirs some weird Catholic guilt and subjection going on) – until Winston tired of it and tells Ardern it is her turn: “Okay, Cinders, you get to call yourself PM. But anything you want passed, you bring to me first. If I like it, I’ll back it. If you don’t like it, then you can try your luck with Bill.”
Obviously, it could be short circuited at any time by a snap election … But do either party have the stomach for an early poll?
Not quite following that. A C and S agreement and NZF is free to vote how it wants otherwise and say what they want otherwise? I don’t see the big deal with that, it’s an option for the Greens with a L/NZF govt too.
But the bit where he tries to get National to change legislation pre-emptively in private, and presumably had an open door agreement on that, sounds very dodgy and I can’t imagine National agreeing to it.
The bit about Peters getting tired of it and giving Ardern a go makes even less sense. He doesn’t control who forms government, the Governor General does. And they need to have confidence in the stability of any proposed govt or its back to the polls. If Peters pulled out of his C and S agreement with National for no good reason no-one would trust him (National, Labour, GG, voters). There’s lots of things I don’t like about the way he does business, but Peters isn’t stupid.
Go inspired by the tree planting. Not in a position to do that currently, but did start a new compost today. I’m renting so it’s the best way to build soil here. Great post-election therapy too. Practice sustainability and resiliency.
A fair few years back I put in a raised garden ( 200mm) x 1 meter, by about 5-6 meters long, had about 6 beds – did it the French intensive / Irish way and companion planted . Lived out of that garden , … had 6-7 vege types all through winter. Couldn’t give the produce away fast enough in summer. Never dug once,… just masses of compost I made , constantly layered on top, planted directly into that.
Just used pepper and garlic/ onion sprays mixed with soap for the pests.
I lived across from a paddock across the road with cattle, had 2 wheelbarrows and a shovel – double handed it over the fence. Also had a large fast growing hedge – that went into the shredder, when I had to regularly prune it back layered it with lawn clippings , bought in some commercial compost as a starter just for bulk. Rotated the beds , in summer, … the compost bin so hot you wouldn’t dare put your hand in it. That’s when we know the pathogens are killed. It was like cooking. Keeping that compost going was the key . 🙂
Don’t panic The New Zealand First Party and Winston no what has happened to OUR country over the last 8 years or so they will do what is good for the people
Winston at 72 is still a very inspiring man and is now needed more than ever with the ratpack of Government backstabbers, horse and rumour traders.
Parliament is where Winston will exel this term believe it mate.
The opposition knows this to that is why they are deserately trying to cobble Winston onto a National trainwreck Government who will implode within a year from now if the second GFC arrives and Winston would be blamed for all.
Am still celebrating the election result, our country has voted for change.
How about some of the new MP’s, Kiri Allan being one of them
Kiri was on some of the political tv shows earlier on in the year. On seeing her on the TV, my man and I were like.. who is this woman, she’s awesome, dang she’s a labour candidate, lucky Labour 😀 Thrilled she is one of our new MP’s.
Still 15% of special votes to count.
I’m happy with the result thus far
Am big on education and the three parties who were/are in opposition all support the scrapping of national standards and free tertiary education. I even had the opportunity to ask Winston about it a few months back and he reinforced their views of getting rid of the failed borrowed policy known as national standards.
As well their shared stance on Salisbury School.
Waste of time speculating until specials come in, but it’s bloody hard not to lolololz, crikey it’s like a political fortune tellers gossip fest
And hopefully support a review of the mess that early childhood education is getting into with the profit motive overtaking quality of teaching/learning
I’m with you Cinny. I was in education as well. Younger friends seriously considered leaving teaching for a pub!! Very unhappy at standards and BS passed off as desirable.
As I’ve heard, ad nauseam, about polls from posters on this site the only poll that counts is on election day and on election day National was more popular in 2017 then they were in 2008
National are more popular than Labour/Greens combined, when the people of NZ ackshully had to decide, to choose, more people chose National
If the people of NZ wanted a change they could have voted for change last Saturday but they didn’t, they gave National 46% of the vote when National are going for a fourth term
As I’ve heard, ad nauseam, about polls from posters on this site the only poll that counts is on election day and on election day National was more popular in 2017 then they were in 2008
That’s not how MMP works.
You seem to be ignoring what the voters of NZ1st want and they seemingly want NZ1st to go with Labour/Greens.
Excuse me , – 58 % DID vote for change ,… the simple fact is , if they were sold on National they would’ve voted National instead of NZ First.
Obviously they didn’t vote for National.
Bearing in mind also , – 77% of NZ First membership want a coalition with Labour , I wouldn’t get too hasty in claiming NZ First as a win for the right if I were you.
Not saying NZFirst is with National, I’m saying National gained more votes than Labour/Greens combined so National has a better mandate for forming the next government because thats what the voters want
No , that’s what NATIONAL supporters want , – 58% don’t want that.
And that effectively puts the kiwash on any notion of some misconstrued ‘ morality’ that desperate right wingers and their media hacks are trying to attach to having the most party votes for a single given party in an MMP environment.
The facts are , – that the combined results of Labour, Greens and NZ First give them a ruling majority , whereas Nationals do not.
“The facts are , – that the combined results of Labour, Greens and NZ First give them a ruling majority , whereas Nationals do not.”
That is true however as someone once said to me: ” I wouldn’t get too hasty in claiming NZ First as a win for the right if I were you.” (you do need to substitute left for the right but I’m sure you get my point)
So if we take NZFirst out of the equation then we’re left with more voters wanting National than Labour/Green which to me means National has the more convincing argument as to why they should form the next government
I’m saying National gained more votes than Labour/Greens combined so National has a better mandate for forming the next government because thats what the voters want
Which is a lie.
The majority of voters don’t want National because the majority of NZ1st voters want a Labour led government.
Hehehehe,… it takes a while for the penny to drop among some stalwarts , Draco,…
And if its not remembered this time round ? ,… it certainly will be in the next,.. and if I was in charge of National ?… I’d be weighing up the balance of short term aspiration as against the health and future of the longevity plan of the party’s survival at this stage…
Too much sugar rots the teeth.
Bow out gracefully , National ,… the combined vote against you has spoken.
Well. you wont be getting a Randian paradise. Winston will put a stop to any privatisation or deregulation that National might have hidden away.
The current charter schools will probably stay, but there will be no new ones. meaning that kids in South Auckland will grow up knowing that humans evolved from apes and the world is round. There will be no more state asset sell off, even the sneaky ones, like what happened to Solid Energy, and Learning Media, as well as Landcorp. There will be employment schemes for young people, and employers will not be able to bypass the local workforce in favour of the Chinese and Indian reserve armies of labour that they have been drawing on over the past few years.
Absolutely stoked with how the left have gone this election, as others have said, what’s out of the box won’t be put back. However I’m really disappointed Mojo Mathers won’t be returned, she’s done some amazing work giving a face and voice to disabled New Zealanders.
Fingers crossed that specials will pull her back in… we can hope. Shaw said they were something like 0.13% from getting an 8th MP. Mathers is 9th on the list.
They must fantacise about NZ workers being in some kind of servile stupor like Baldric ,… unfortunately they are not stupid and the illusion exists only inside their heads… and in the pages of their favorite ideology’s handbook ,… that of neo liberalism.
Nasty shock for them on the not too distant horizon.
Blackadder: Baldrick’s cunning plan – YouTube
Video for baldric you tube▶ 0:21
Only if we want to hear more of their bullshit justifications ,… why let them have that privilege of co opting their right wing media?
By contrast, let the Left show them in their full light as ETHELRED THE UNREADY.
Let them bear the full brunt of their disgusting short term avarice filled vision. Take power , and lay at the foot of blame their indiscretions. Let them feel the full wrath of their betrayal of the citizens of this country.
Nine years they had to insulate the citizens of this country from the fall out of global crisis,… yet they did nothing.
Hence therefore , .. so should be their reward.
Let them bask in their failures, let them wear it as a mantle around their necks.
And never again , .. will they be able to accuse Labour or the Left of their avarice and indiscretions.
From the polling stations at individual Uni campuses. So it misses students who voted elsewhere, and can’t tell who is a student or staff.
…
…and some voters living in the immediate neighbourhood may also have voted on campuses!
…
For averages I got:
Labour 39.1% (41.72%)
National 31.03% (26.29%)
Greens 19.64% (21.91%)
*adjusted for amount of votes per uni in brackets
Here are the votes for Ara (formerly CPIT) here in Christchurch:
City Campus:
Chch Central Total – 502 votes; G – 98; L – 214; N – 137
Chch East Total – 208 votes; G – 23; L – 109; N – 58
Ilam Total – 204 votes; G – 23; L – 76; N – 77
Port Hills Total – 339 votes; G – 70; L – 144; N – 90
Selwyn Total – 142 votes; G – 14; L – 60; N – 58
Waimakariri Total – 125 votes; G – 10; L – 53; N – 48
Wigram Total – 211 votes; G – 23; L – 86; N – 82
Te Tai Tonga Total – 109 votes; G – 20; L – 63; N – 17
Woolston Campus:
Chch Central Total – 431 votes; G – 56; L – 198; N – 117
Chch East Total – 27 votes; G – 0; L – 15; N – 7
Ilam Total – 12 votes; G – 2; L – 3; N – 6
Port Hills Total – 414 votes; G – 53; L – 204; N – 101
Selwyn Total – 19 votes; G – 2; L – 6; N – 9
Waimakariri Total – 18 votes; G – 0; L – 9; N – 8
Wigram Total – 12 votes; G – 1; L – 7; N – 4
Te Tai Tonga Total – 39 votes; G – 2; L – 26; N – 5
Overall total – 2812 votes; G – 397 (14.12%); L – 1273 (45.27%); N – 824 (29.3%); Other – 318 (11.31%).
I’m not really expecting 60% of specials to L/G, but it would be amazing.
therefore its pointless, the accuracy can only be judged when the result is known….what can be commented on however is the turnout…one has to wonder what it will take for the over 20% of disengaged to voice their opinion (or even a proportion of them)
not sure where you draw that conclusion from….it may not change the fact Winston has balance of power but there is considerable potential for it to change party voter support levels….that which is (supposedly) predicted by advance polls.
I have been studying people I know – friends and acquaintences and their voting preferences. Its not like the old days when people didn’t discuss what their preferences were. One thing that really resonates with me is that people who vote right wing generally are conservative, like the status quo, have boring interiors in their homes, an absence of books, artwork on the walls and general clutter about the place and do not have a lot to offer in conversations at restaurant tables. Some of these people have homes which look for motel or hotel rooms. Prefer to look at sport on Sky for evening’s entertainment and most certainly will always have an excuse for the way the Government is acting out with hospitals, schools and WINZ for example. In other words will not enter into any sort of “opening up the mind” to alternatives or have the ability to debate these topics. A closed mind.
Left wingers are more keen for change, have the guts to agree make the “huge decisions” which are what need to be done to make our society a better place. Books there are by the truck loads and clutter abounds as well. They usually have done “out of the way” things on their OE and generally have exciting things to offer in a conversation. They may have comfortable lives and jobs as well but they have that joy of anticipation for change and do not seem to be fearful of change. Just my observations but for sure there is depth in left wingers and not such a money oriented interest in their lives.
Is there some different side of the brain that makes us what we are – be interesting if some academic study was done on his phenonema.
There is much academic study out of the US on the general subject, and it basically agrees with what you’ve said here. And yes, MRIs show different parts of the brain engage for RW compared to LW.
History shows that major innovations were created while Labour was in power.
History shows that National made few innovations while in power. National tended to just tinker round the edges to modify detrimentally to wages and conditions for wage and salary earners.
I agree with you Whispering Kate. Something else I have noticed about right wingers I know: they are phenomenally ignorant about current affairs and political subjects. They are not necessarily unintelligent but they have no interest in keeping themselves informed about issues unless it affects them. But mention house prices and related property matters and they are all well read experts.
A perceptive comment. What you’re writing about here is what really interests me about politics … why is it that voting has so little to do with rationality and so very driven by emotion, tribalism and sheer short-sighted folly ?
Why are some people willing to embrace new ideas and others so very resistant to them? There is a deep neuro-biology driving all this; aspects of how our brain is working beyond our immediate awareness.
Yet emphatically I still believe people can change. It just takes confidence, courage and hope.
It is all in the cognitive perception ,… conservatism ,… whether it is the fearful , doubtful aspect that plagued the Generals of the battle of the Somme, or the ego that drove General Robert E Lee to wage a full frontal attack uphill against entrenched Yankee troops with mechanized Gatling guns and artillery ,… … or the goad that prompted the cold war ,… there is a common element,… the paralyzing inability to action !!!
It is a human condition,… based on fear.
Now,… if we were to exploit that fear , we would apply a bold general , such as Sun Tsu. Or General George ‘ Blood and Guts ‘ Patton.
We would take the initiative.
If there is one thing absent from the New Zealand Left it is boldness.
That uncompromising , unapologetic spirit that General Patton expressed ,…
………………………………….
” Have taken Trier with two divisions. What do you want me to do? Give it back?”
Reply to a message from General Dwight Eisenhower to bypass the German city of Trier because it would take four divisions to capture it (2 March 1945), as quoted in the Introduction to War as I Knew it (1947) by George Smith Patton, Jr., with Paul Donal Harkins, p. 20
………………………………….
When Jacinda Adern said ” we are in the fight of our lives”,…
A bit late only just seen it, but excellent post Kate. The follow-on comments were also good especially Annes @15.3
We have a right-wing acquaintance who will discuss Rugby and Master Chef all day every day and has a theory a vote for the left is the start of the slippery slope to communism. When we told this person, this summer we were planning to go to Farewell Spit photographing some of the bird life there, the response was, WHERE IS IT, WHAT IS IT! Surely I thought that would have been one of the basic geography lessons of New Zealand. and I am sure the geography of NZ would have been taught in schools.
I think his questions confirms your theory Kate.
you think it has nothing to do with Puerto Rico drowning, North Korea calling him an old fool or dotard :), his son in law using a private email account for offical business, the repeal and replace with nothing ACA debacle, no just him trolling some black folks calling them son of bitches?
Yeah … everything about Trump is appalling … except for how successful he has been in mobilising his support base with fear, lies and misdirection. National just did a watered down version of it on us and I think it’s worthwhile to think about that.
no, i think it is worthwhile calling them out on it.
You can not live your live on fear and demonetization of others, eventually you run out of others.
so instead of calling him the most successful troll you could call him a President who is such a racist that he is not coming to the aid of the Puerto Ricans, who are US Citizens, who have been without electricity, water for a few days now, and who are currently under water and will not have electricity back for maybe a full half to a year.
I know that is boring, so much more fun discussing the fears of the white working class and other assorted bullshit, cause clearly the fears of the non white working class matter little.
Lets all just pander to fear. Yei.
And in NZ, Blinglish did not pander to fear, he pandered to greed. Simple as that.
And again, when that boat sinks, the poor have the least to loose. It is the rich that are going to eat crow and it is them who will not like it.
Greed is nothing more than a ‘fear of loss’; so it’s pretty closely linked really.
I’m not endorsing Trump or National at all; just pointing to the fact that despite all their numerous human and moral deficiencies .. they keep winning elections. Unless we are willing to closely look at how they do this; we the left will keep losing them.
again, i do not see National as a winner in this country. In MMP there are no true winners unless they can form stable coalitions and sadly National has killed everyone it ever worked with, so clearly National should have had more reason to ‘win bigly’ in order to manage its fourth term on its on and now it is a lame duck.
The US – and i am one who considered Clinton the smaller of two evils – will most likely see either a civil war or will see Trump removed by hook or by crook within a year. I am going with martial law first, then some civil unrest, then President Pence – whom i actually consider worse then Trump. Not sure if Trump believes he won, he does not behave like a winner to be honest.
But to diminish his dehumanizing of people as an act of troll is what allows him to keep on going. He is not trolling, he is inciting violence. He is past trolling.
And no i don’t think that the farmers and landowners of NZ have fear of loss, they just have a fear of being forced to pay their fair share and finally behave as if they were citizens instead of “landlords”. Greed is not the same as fear.
It is not that you are right or i am right, it is about how we now frame the disconnect that is being spread.
The US can no more go back to the 1850s where everyone knew their place – especially people of colour and women, no matter how hateful Trump will be then we can pretend that we can sell our land to the highest bidder to the point where we end up needing a passport internally to get from point a to point b because everything is fenced off for ‘cows’, or mining, or road building.
This is not about scoring points. this is about how do we address is. Call Trump a troll? He is not, he is the fucking President of the US with the biggest weaponry at his disposal and Troops in over 150 countries. That is some troll.
Blinglish is not sowing fear he is sowing greed, vote me and you get 20$ per week, or no taxes and all the water for free. Greed.
Once we can name it, how do we counter it. Just saying he is the biggest troll of them all is not countering.
So from where i am standing WE, you , i and humpty dumpty next door are the real losers. Feel better now?
The Left are deflecting and already licking their wounds and conceding defeat.
The hell with that.
Grab your balls and get on top of the situation and show some fight, stop wallowing in self pity and apportioning blame. We’ve got a future to fight for the next generation coming through. No more of this self pitying bullshit.
So put on your helmets and get on with the program of winning.
A lucid explanation of Trump … and what we’re up against:
Well, an Australian would make excuses.
/
Four years later at the 1972 Summer Olympics that took place in Munich, Germany, Norman wasn’t part of the Australian sprinters team, despite having run qualifying times for the 200 meters thirteen times and the 100 meters five times.
Norman left competitive athletics behind after this disappointment, continuing to run at the amatuer level.
Back in the change-resisting, whitewashed Australia he was treated like an outsider, his family outcast, and work impossible to find. For a time he worked as a gym teacher, continuing to struggle against inequalities as a trade unionist and occasionally working in a butcher shop. An injury caused Norman to contract gangrene which led to issues with depression and alcoholism.
As John Carlos said, “If we were getting beat up, Peter was facing an entire country and suffering alone.” For years Norman had only one chance to save himself: he was invited to condemn his co-athletes, John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s gesture in exchange for a pardon from the system that ostracized him.
A pardon that would have allowed him to find a stable job through the Australian Olympic Committee and be part of the organization of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Norman never gave in and never condemned the choice of the two Americans.
He was the greatest Australian sprinter in history and the holder of the 200 meter record, yet he wasn’t even invited to the Olympics in Sydney. It was the American Olympic Committee, that once they learned of this news asked him to join their group and invited him to Olympic champion Michael Johnson’s birthday party, for whom Peter Norman was a role model and a hero.
Yes you are correct about fuck trump.
But joe90 link tell of how a neo liberals western government can hammer a great indigenous PERSON and the local media will not tell his stories
And Norman was the BEST in the World at 100 200 mtr sprints he should have been celebrated by OUR WORLD as Husan Bolt is . EVERYONE IN THE WORLD should have Know who Norman is
ONE of the greatest Australian Indigenous and the World s Greatest sport Stars .We all should have been talking about him.
This is how the systems oppress The people of the land they won’t let the people have leaders or role model s to help raise there Wairua /self worth and all the people suffer oppressive .
FUCK THIS DUM ASS SYSTEM because Ours is oppressing me who a broke ass father half caste PROUD MAORI And the systems are not use to dealing with people like US.
I said absolutely nothing about tRump but let me spell it out –
A very concerned white Australian, whose own Australia made a pariah of Peter Norman, a man who dared stand alongside men who were voicing the very same opinions as those taking a knee in 2017, writes DNFTT. objecting about what someone who hates you says only encourages people who hate you, so best you STFU, he’s only trolling you.
Future generations rely on how we conduct ourselves right here , and right now.
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Wales has lowered the voting age to 16: 16 and 17 year olds can now officially vote in Wales for Senedd elections. Votes at 16 & 17 come into force on Monday, as part of the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020. Next year’s Senedd elections will ...
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The new National Party leader, Todd Muller, had been at pains to portray himself as a solid, serious, safe pair of hands, in contrast to the increasingly Trumpian leanings of Simon Bridges, who Muller deposed in a leadership coup last Friday. But after an uneventful, if uninspiring, first press conference, ...
Minneapolis Police StationIf you’ve been keeping an eye on recent events in the United States, you’ll likely understand why there’s so much anger on the streets at the moment. Not only did police officers murder another black man; it is patently obvious that authorities initially attempted to cover up George ...
Becoming the leader of a political party is a bit like having a baby. Not so much the screaming and sleepless nights, as the fact that you’ve waited and hope and planned for something and it’s finally here. And when that wonderful gift finally arrives, you want to be ready, ...
The US appears to be headed towards what Antonio Gramsci and other Italian political theorists call an “organic crisis of the State.” It involves the simultaneous and compounded fractures of economy, society and politics, which together constitute a tipping point in a nation’s history. Social contradictions are exacerbated, class and ...
Like the rest of the world, I have been aghast at what I have seen of, and read and heard about, what is happening currently in the United States. It seems incredible that a once great country should be suffering the worst effects and the highest number of deaths worldwide ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week...
Climate concerns as Siberia experiences record-breaking heatHeat wave sparks concerns about devastating wildfire season and melting permafrost.Satellite ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, May 24 through Sat, May 30, 2020Editor's ChoiceAntarctic Ocean Reveals New Signs of Rapid Melt of Ancient Ice, Clues About Future Sea Level RiseA study of seafloor ripples ...
It’s almost painful to watch. Let’s be honest, maybe a pleasure too, in some quarters, but painful nonetheless. Because the fact is, for a democracy to function properly, any sitting Government does need honest and proper Opposition so that it doesn’t get ahead of itself. That’s what we should ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk A banner on the International Energy Agency website spells it out in bold font: “The global oil industry is experiencing a shock like no other in its history.” As the response to the coronavirus pandemic upends the lives of billions of ...
The ownership of newspapers and televison channels is in turmoil, and they want to redisorganise public broadcasting. *Three years ago, I expressed concern in a column about the future of the (traditional) media. Nothing has happened since to reduce the concern. It was based on an earlier column which ...
Australia's High Court has ruled that the "palace letters" between the queen and then-Governor-General John Kerr are public records rather than private papers: Historian Jenny Hocking has won her High Court bid to access the letters exchanged between then governor-general Sir John Kerr and the Queen around the time of ...
SATURDAY MAY 30Six60: Live at Western Springs 2020 (TVNZ 1, 8.45pm). Remember live concerts? The day will come again, friends, when we will be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in an uncomfortable sweaty venue with people we don’t know. It will happen. Sometimes the sound of concerts drifts over to the ...
New Zealand and its prime minister Jacinda Ardern have received international attention and praise, rightly so, for decisive leadership, clear communication and scientific management of the coronavirus pandemic. Observers point out that the nation has been through multiple crises under Ardern’s leadership – such as the Christchurch terrorist attack and ...
…a lot of things unrelated to the pandemic were happening. Relatively little attention was given to some major events on the global stage, so I thought I would do a quick recap of some of the high (or low) -lights, starting with something familiar. The common theme throughout is human ...
Labour's talk of gutting the RMA to push through "shovel ready" projects to boost employment after the pandemic predictably has every half-arsed pipe-dream crawling out of the woodwork demanding special treatment. Today, it's the West Coast inbreds, who are demanding a host of laws be rescinded so they can dig ...
"I can't breathe, Mama. I'm dying." - Last words of George Floyd.LOOK HARD at this image. Think about what it depicts. Ask yourself how one human-being could behave so brutally when so many eye-witnesses – and very soon millions of people online around the world – were there to watch ...
Since the government announced its pandemic wage subsidy, there have been regular stories about companies taking it and then sacking or refusing to pay their workers - essentially committing fraud. But how often does this happen? The Minister just doesn't want to know: Government ministers are not receiving up to ...
"You call that a conservative?Nah, this is a conservative!" New Zealanders are in the market for a quiet and reassuring small-c conservative political centrist. The critical question, however, is which politician is currently playing that role? Who has mastered the art of relaxed, informal and intimate political communication? Who ...
I’VE OFTEN WONDERED if South African immigrants passing through towns like Kerikeri and Kaikohe ever wonder how we do it. In their homeland, through the bitter years of Apartheid, keeping the races segregated required pass laws, Alsatian dogs, tear gas, rubber bullets and, all-too-often, live rounds. Not here. Not in ...
Below is the list of gender-critical material which appeared on Redline from July 31, 2019 to September 30, 2019. Sports categories must be by sex, not gender identity Queer theory glossary Woke misogyny and homophobia: a gay critique of trans ideology Another unfortunate experiment? New Zealand’s transgender health policy and ...
Smart Energy Europe: A Plan to provide 100% of ALL ENERGY using Renewable Energy to EuropeIntroductionAll Energy renewable energy systems are often commented on here at Skeptical Science. Many comments suggest that it will be difficult, expensive or impossible to use renewable energy to power the world. To ...
The government released its Action for Healthy Waterways package today, ostensibly with the goal of cleaning up our rivers and making them swimmable within a generation. Doing that, of course, requires confronting the cow in the room: the dairy industry which causes most of the pollution. But while they've imposed ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzI would like to know if New Zealand’s carbon emissions ...
Simon Lamb, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Timothy Stern, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonBack in the 1970s, scientists came up with a revolutionary idea about how Earth’s deep interior works. They proposed it is slowly churning like a lava lamp, with buoyant ...
Remember KiwiBuild? Previously the government's flagship policy, it was supposed to build thousands of new homes every year for kiwi families. But instead of flooding the market, we've got a pathetic dribble: The Government's former flagship housing policy is so far behind schedule it will take more than 400 years ...
Don Franks Now Covid-19 restrictions allow gatherings of a hundred, an urgent hui needs calling. A special conference of the Council of Trade Unions. Today, workers face the greatest attack on employment, pay and conditions since the depression, we need a strong united union voice. As it stands now, organised ...
George Henderson New Zealand schools have introduced a climate change resource that suggests children “eat less meat and dairy”, even though teachers will not know how much meat or dairy any child in their care has eaten. Opinion pieces in the papers have called for the reduction of meat and ...
Questioning the number of district health boards in New Zealand has got to the extent that “too many DHBs” has become a perceived truth requiring no further elaboration. It is rarely challenged by policy advisers, academics, and journalists. But when one drills down further it becomes clear that the number ...
The emergence of a new National party leader, seemingly out of nowhere, has – not surprisingly – raised a number of questions as to who Todd Mulller actually is and what makes him tick. He has been an MP for some time but seems to have hidden his light under ...
Costa Rica has become the first country in Central America to recognise same-sex marriage: The first same-sex weddings have taken place in Costa Rica, the first Central American country to equalise its marriage legislation. A lesbian couple became the first to tie the knot in a ceremony that took ...
There's a new twist in the Winston Peters secret donation story. It appears that a significant chunk of NZ First's secret laundered donations goes straight into the pockets of the people administering the scheme: Tens of thousands in donor's funds given to the New Zealand First Foundation were spent paying ...
Is Todd Muller the Ned Flanders of the National Party? This is how he’s been characterised by political commentator Gordon Campbell, who suggests the change in leadership is, in Simpsons terms, akin to swapping the scary and cruel Monty Burns for Homer Simpson’s compassionate but conservative neighbour. There’s almost a ...
We all know that many so-called journalists and political commentators in New Zealand work directly or indirectly for political parties or for certain political factions. This was obviously the case when pundit for hire Matthew Hooton launched a campaign against then National Party leader, Simon Bridges, over their numerous polling ...
Let's Roll! The easy victory over a Bridges-led National Party which the Left had every cause to anticipate just a few days ago is no longer in the offing. Our enemy’s position has changed. His numbers are swelling. A rapid thrust to the left, followed by an audacious outflanking manoeuvre ...
New National Party leader Todd Muller has been interviewed about his policies, and has promised to restart offshore fossil fuel exploration if elected: The Bay of Plenty MP rolled former leader Simon Bridges last week, but says the party has not changed its stance on previous promises. "That is ...
Anyone who keeps an eye on evidence around cannabis and public health will be familiar with the Christchurch Health and Development Study. It's one of two local longitudinal studies frequently cited with respect to cannabis and youth development. But in a new article in the New Zealand Medical Journal, it is ...
In the age of covid we are Jacinda’s team of five million, except for some. There has rarely been a more blatant case of discrimination against beneficiaries than Grant Robertson’s announcement yesterday that people who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus will receive weekly payments of $490 per week for 12 weeks and $250 per week for part time ...
It was 75 years ago this month that Germany surrendered and the Allies celebrated VE (Victory in Europe) Day. Millions of people around the world had been killed and many more injured or captured. It was an end to war not just for Europeans, but their allies too, in countries across Africa. But its impact is ...
Well, we are out of lockdown, essentially. I did end up getting the wage subsidy while we were on levels 3 and 4 but I would have been fine if we didn’t. The first day of level 2, the Thursday, the office opened again for the people who weren’t able ...
Hon Shane Jones, NZ First List MP based in Northland New Zealand First MP Hon Shane Jones has today announced his candidacy for the electorate of Northland. Speaking at a New Zealand First meeting in Kerikeri, Northland, Mr Jones said it was a privilege to be selected by the Party ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced two diplomatic appointments: New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India and Consul-General to Hong Kong. “As New Zealand recovers from COVID-19, our diplomatic and trade networks are more important than ever. That is ...
We started the week by announcing free apprenticeships to support Kiwis into work and to help get New Zealand moving again - and we ended the week by extending the wage subsidy to 40,000 more businesses, helping to protect businesses and workers alike. ...
We’re confident in the ability of Kiwi businesses to succeed in the face of COVID-19, and our Government is committed to doing our bit to enable that success. Kiwi businesses have always been innovative and resilient, and the COVID-19 pandemic has proven this yet again. Many businesses are finding new, creative ...
New Zealand First is pleased to release the names of its first tranche of candidates for the 2020 election. The includes all sitting New Zealand First Members of Parliament except Clayton Mitchell MP who earlier today announced he will not be seeking re-election. In alphabetical order they are: MP ...
Clayton Mitchell MP, New Zealand First List MP based in Tauranga New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell has decided not to seek re-election in this year’s General Election. “After serious consideration and discussion with my family, I have decided to pursue other passions in my life and spend a lot ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark has announced that new Lockheed Martin Super Hercules aircraft would replace the outdated and costly 1960s Hercules fleet. The $1.521b project will include a flight simulator for staff training and other supporting infrastructure. "This fleet will ensure the Defence Force can continue to support New Zealand's ...
The Green Party is urging the New Zealand Police to rule out the use of Armed Response Teams, following their recent trial in communities around Aotearoa. ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has described Labour's original COVID-19 commercial rent dispute proposal as "poorly targeted". Justice Minister Andrew Little hasannounced a temporary law changeto force commercial landlords and renters to consider COVID-19 in disputes over rent issues, almost two months after the Government first floated the idea. But ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First acknowledges that some small businesses have been struggling to meet fixed costs due to the loss of revenue by COVID-19. We also know some businesses are at greater risk of insolvency when they cannot come to a reasonable ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First is disappointed that the removal of the spousal deductions has had to be delayed by the Ministry fo Social Development, due to COVID19 workload pressures. “New Zealand First has always stood for fairness when it comes to superannuation ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First On the steps of Parliament today the Leader of New Zealand First, Rt Hon Winston Peters received a petition from registered nurse Anna Maria Coervers, requesting an amendment to the Protection for First Responders Bill which will ensure the legislation also include registered ...
It's been a busy seven days as we start to rebuild New Zealand together. From delivering extra support for small businesses, to investing in our artists and arts organisations, to cutting red tape on home DIY projects, we're rolling out our plan to get the economy and New Zealand moving ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says alert level 2 restrictions have to be discussed during today's Cabinet meeting. Thousands gathered across the country, including at Parliament, yesterday forBlack Lives Matter marcheswhere social distancing and mass gathering rules were flouted. Mr Peters said the breaching of Alert Level 2 rules at ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Owned Enterprises KiwiRail’s Northland rail upgrade steps up another gear today and will help Northland recover from the impacts of COVID-19, State Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters says. The Government is investing $204.5 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to ...
“Today and every day we stand in solidarity with George Floyd’s family, friends and community who feel pain and fear about his untimely death at the hands of Minneapolis police”, said Green Party Co-leader and Māori Development spokesperson Marama Davidson. ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Hon Eugenie Sage, Minister of Conservation The West Coast forests of Mount Te Kinga at Kotuku Whakaoho/Lake Brunner are the latest predator free project to receive Government funding, announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
The Green Party says major freshwater reforms announced today provide the strongest ever protections of our waterways, to help ensure the next generation can swim in the rivers of Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party has begun the process for a Select Committee inquiry into student accommodation, which has been exposed during COVID-19 as an under-regulated sector that straddles students with unfair debt. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Megan Woods, Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Hon Dr David Clark, Minister of Health Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods, and Health Minister David Clark today announced a COVID-19 vaccine strategy, ...
Budget 2020 is about rebuilding together, supporting jobs, getting business moving and the books back into the black. It’s an integral part of our COVID-19 economic response, and our plan to grow our economy and get New Zealand moving again.Here’s a quick look at the five top things you ...
The Green Party is pleased to reveal its candidate list for the upcoming election. With a mix of familiar faces and fresh new talent, this exceptional group of candidates are ready to lead the Greens back into Government. ...
The Coalition Government has approved $206 million in essential upgrades at Ōhakea Air Base. Defence Minister Ron Mark said the money would be spent on improving old infrastructure. He said safety issues would be addressed, as well as upgrades to taxiways, accommodation and fresh, storm and waste water systems. "This ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First “I am not persisting with this case just for myself, but for all people who have had their privacy breached. Privacy of information is a cornerstone of our country’s democracy. Without it our society truly faces a bleak future. We now ...
This summer presents a great opportunity for New Zealanders to get out into nature with bookings on Great Walks for 2020/21 set to open next week, says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Bookings for the Great Walks will open between 9 and 11 June, excluding Milford and Routeburn tracks which ...
Extra 40,000 businesses to be eligible for wage subsidy extension Small business cashflow support application period extended The Government is today announcing further support for businesses that continue to be affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, as the broader economy becomes one of the most open in the world following ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed five Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft will be purchased to replace the existing fleet, Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “Last year, Cabinet selected these aircraft as the preferred option to replace the current Hercules fleet. Procurement of the Super Hercules has been ...
The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage is celebrating World Environment Day with an announcement of a major step towards Wairarapa Moana being recognised as an internationally significant wetland. “Wairarapa Moana is an ecosystem of 10,000 hectares of wetland and open water that provides a home for indigenous fish, birds and ...
New public housing that will save tenants money in energy bills, and provide warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, is setting the standard for the Government’s future public housing programme, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. Dr Woods opened the new Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities complex, which has a ...
A new-look Police graduation ceremony to take account of COVID19 health rules has marked the completion of training for 57 new constables. Police Minister Stuart Nash attended this afternoon's ceremony, where officers of Recruit Wing 337 were formally sworn in at the Royal New Zealand Police College without the normal support of ...
Mobile traders and truck shops must adhere to responsible lending requirements Interest rate cap on high-cost loans Lenders prohibited from offering further credit to an applicant who has taken two high-cost loans in the past 90 days The Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Kris Faafoi, has signalled an end ...
94% of firms say wage subsidy had positive impact on cashflow 62% of firms say support helped to manage non-wage costs like rent A survey of business that have received the Government’s wage subsidy show it has played a significant role in saving jobs, and freed up cash flow to ...
New legislation introduced to Parliament today will support growth and assist businesses on the road to economic recovery, said Revenue Minister Stuart Nash. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2020-21, Feasibility Expenditure, and Remedial Matters) Bill proposes that businesses can get tax deductions for ‘feasibility expenditure’ on new investments,” said Mr ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson has welcomed the first release of funds from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced as part of Budget 2020. Sport NZ has announced that $4.6 million in funding will go to the Wellington Phoenix, NZ Warriors, Super Rugby teams and the ANZ Premiership ...
An iconic New Zealand tourism attraction and the country’s 31 Regional Tourism Organisations are the first recipients of support from the $400 million Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, to help position the sector for recovery from COVID-19, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. The plan includes a Strategic Tourism Assets Protection ...
The Government will legislate to ensure businesses that suffered as a result of the COVID-19 response will get help to resolve disputes over commercial rent issues, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. A temporary amendment to the Property Law Act will insert a clause in commercial leases requiring a fair ...
The Minister for Small Business says new data from Xero highlights the urgency of prompt payment practices to small and medium enterprises as we move into economic recovery. Last month Government ministers wrote to significant private enterprises and the banking industry to request they join efforts by government agencies to ...
Young people in Waikato will be the first to have free access to period products in schools in another step to support children and young people in poverty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. During term 3, the Ministry of Education will begin providing free period products to schools following the ...
The Minister of Police Stuart Nash has issued the following statement in response to charges filed against three Police officers this morning in the New Plymouth District Court. “Any incident involving a loss of life in Police custody is taken very seriously. The charges today reflect the gravity of the ...
$196 million for Crown Research Institutes $150 million for R&D loan scheme $33 million for Māori research and development opportunities $12 million for the Nationally Significant Collections and Databases $10 million to help maintain in-house capability at Callaghan Innovation New Zealand’s entrepreneurs, innovators and crown researchers will benefit from a ...
Further temporary changes to NCEA and University Entrance (UE) will support senior secondary school students whose teaching and learning have been disrupted by COVID-19. “The wellbeing of students and teachers is a priority. As we are all aware, COVID-19 has created massive disruption to the school system, and the Government ...
Minister for Racing Winston Peters today announced that the terms for the directors of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) have been extended to 30 June 2021. Due to the COVID-19 crisis the transition period has been extended to ensure that the Racing Industry Bill can complete its progress through ...
The deadline for landlords to include detailed information in their tenancy agreements about how their property meets the Healthy Homes Standards, so tenants can see the home they are renting is compliant, has been extended from 1 July 2020 to 1 December 2020. The Healthy Homes Standards became law on 1 July 2019. The Standards are ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little today announced details of further appointments to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. “I am pleased to announce Paula Rose QSO OStJ as Deputy Chief Commissioner for a term of five years commencing on 15 June 2020,” said Andrew Little. “I am also pleased to announce the ...
The Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF) will pay costs of learners of all ages to undertake vocational education and training The fund will target support for areas of study and training that will give learners better employment prospects as New Zealand recovers from COVID-19 Apprentices working in all industries ...
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will finally start to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas pollution as it was originally intended to, because of changes announced today by the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw. The changes include a limit on the total emissions allowed within the ETS, rules to ensure ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List provides an abundance of examples that Pacific people’s leadership capability is unquestionable in Aotearoa. “The work and the individuals we acknowledge this year highlights the kind of visionary examples and dedicated community leadership that we need ...
The Government is backing a new $27 million project aimed at boosting sustainable horticulture production and New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery efforts, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “Our horticulture sector has long been one of New Zealand’s export star performers, contributing around $6 billion a year to our economy. During and ...
Applications have opened for 2021 Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships, which will support more Māori and women to pursue careers in forestry science, says Forestry Minister Shane Jones. “I’m delighted Te Uru Rākau is offering Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships for the third year running. These ...
The Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List once again highlights the dedication by many to looking after our native plants and wildlife, including incredible work to restore the populations of critically endangered birds says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Anne Richardson of Hororata has been made an Officer of the New ...
The Government will invest $10 million from the One Billion Trees Fund for large-scale planting to provide jobs in communities and improve the environment, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Forestry Minister Shane Jones have announced. New, more flexible funding criteria for applications will help up to 10 catchment groups plant ...
Organisations that support women are invited to apply to a new $1,000,000 fund as part of the Government’s COVID-19 response. “We know women, and organisations that support women, have been affected by COVID-19. This new money will ensure funding for groups that support women and women’s rights,” said Minister for ...
Healthier waterways are front and centre in a new project involving more than 300 King Country sheep, beef and dairy farmers. The Government is investing $844,000 in King Country River Care, a group that helps farmers to lift freshwater quality and farming practice, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “Yesterday ...
A major funding package for libraries will allow them to play a far greater role in supporting their communities and people seeking jobs as part of the economic recovery from COVID-19. “Budget 2020 contains over $60 million of funding to protect library services and to protect jobs,” says Internal Affairs ...
A jobseekers programme for the creative sector and four new funds have been set up by the Government to help our arts and music industry recover from the blow of COVID-19. Thousands of jobs will be supported through today’s $175 million package in a crucial economic boost to support the ...
Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has welcomed the First Reading of a Bill that will make legislative changes to further improve the veterans’ support system. The Veterans’ Support Amendment Bill No 2, which will amend the Veterans’ Support Act 2014, passed First Reading today. The bill addresses a number of ...
Views sought on Order in Council to help fast track the reinstatement of the Christ Church Cathedral The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Hon Poto Williams, will be seeking public written comment, following Cabinet approving the drafting of an Order in Council aimed at fast-tracking the reinstatement of the ...
The law setting out New Zealanders’ basic civil and human rights is today one step towards being strengthened following the first reading of a Bill that requires Parliament to take action if a court says a statute undermines those rights. At present, a senior court can issue a ‘declaration of ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today reiterated the deep concern of the New Zealand Government following confirmation by China’s National People’s Congress of national security legislation relating to Hong Kong. “New Zealand shares the international community’s significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand ...
Thousands of artists and creatives at hundreds of cultural and heritage organisations have been given much-needed support to recover from the impact of COVID-19, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern announced today. “The cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic,” Jacinda ...
Key New Zealand assets will be better protected from being sold to overseas owners in a way contrary to the national interest, with the passage of the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Bill. The Bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament today, also cuts unnecessary red tape to help attract ...
Setting higher health standards at swimming spots Requiring urban waterways to be cleaned up and new protections for urban streams Putting controls on higher-risk farm practices such as winter grazing and feed lots Setting stricter controls on nitrogen pollution and new bottom lines on other measures of waterway health Ensuring ...
The Government is on the verge of reaching its target of state sector boards and committees made up of at least 50 percent women, says Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter and Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa. For the first time, the Government stocktake measures the number of Māori, ...
Does a move to Covid-19 Level 1, that Cabinet is considering tomorrow (Monday, June 8), mean back-to-normal for 290,000 rental property owners and managers, Tenancies War spokesman Mike Butler said today. The Covid-19 Response (Urgent Management) Act, ...
ANALYSIS:By Denis Muller of theUniversity of Melbourne When a newspaper with the authority of The New York Times chooses to publish a party-political essay calculated to further inflame the violence wracking cities across America, serious questions arise. On June 3 the Times published in its opinion section an ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Noble, Education Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria University Three quarters of a million Australian children are likely to be experiencing employment stress in the family as a result of COVID-19. This is on top of around 615,000 children whose families were ...
Spice up the classic banana muffin with a subtle touch of star anise.These muffins came about one rainy Saturday when the cupboards were bare and there was nothing much left in the fruit bowl aside from some very sad-looking bananas. Fortunately we know sad bananas result in the best kind ...
For years, Work and Income has been telling New Zealanders they couldn’t get the benefit until their redundancy payments ran out. Turns out, it was wrong.What’s all this then?Work and Income has long told New Zealanders receiving redundancy payments that they weren’t eligible for the benefit until their redundancy money ...
New Zealand writer Anna Rankin reports from Los Angeles. Last Friday afternoon, I went downtown to a protest outside the enormous Los Angeles Police Department headquarters on 1st Street. The LAPD had set up cordons, placing orange cones across streets to block traffic. Arms crossed, they stood with a wide ...
Until the sudden closure of Bauer Media in April, Simon Farrell-Green was the editor of HOME, New Zealand’s oldest architecture magazine. Here he explains what comes next.Being the editor of a major architecture magazine was the best job I ever had. I got it in 2016, after a career spent ...
A global success story or an overly generous, unsustainable scheme that is doing lasting damage to our fish stocks? Ethan Neville looks at the ongoing debate over New Zealand’s fishing quota management system. The management of our fisheries is a touchy topic – and why wouldn’t it be? New Zealanders ...
By RNZ News Thousands of people were protesting across Australia today to oppose the deaths of Indigenous people in police custody. It comes as Black Lives Matter protests are held around the world after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in the US ...
Wrapping everyone in a blanket of love, whakapapa and mauri for Matariki is the brave, exuberant and generous fabric art of Maungarongo Te Kawa, writes Amanda Thompson.E te AtuaNau enei rau harakeke he taongaTukuna ki a matouKia tika o matou mahiKo Papatuanuku e takoto neiTuturu WhakamauaKia tina, tinaHui eTaiki e.‘Karakia ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...
One press statement from the Beehive yesterday sounded more like advertising – or a barker’s pitch – than a Government announcement. Another advised of two diplomatic appointment, one of them – has the woman who landed the post done something wrong? – to protest-troubled and politically volatile Hong Kong. And ...
It’s not often that someone graduates from university one year and becomes a senior economist commentating on national media the next. George Driver investigates the meteoric rise of the high-flying Brad Olsen.Google “senior economist Brad Olsen” and you’ll find him quoted in no fewer than 167 articles in the past ...
As public sentiment turned against Uber Eats, a new local operation emerged promising a more ethical alternative to help New Zealand’s struggling hospitality industry. But now Eat Local NZ has suspended trading after falling out with its Australian partner Mr Yum. So what happened?A dispute between local hospitality platform Eat ...
By Budi Sutrisno in Jakarta As the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died while being arrested in the United States, sparks a global outcry, Indonesian rights advocates and young people have stepped forward to remind fellow citizens that racism has long been an issue at home as ...
Edward Cullen became a vampire to survive the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Now a new Twilight novel looms and Laura Surynt, a New Zealander living in the UK, wants to live forever too. As I lay in bed this morning watching Instagram stories, Tayi Tibble told my reluctant little Capricorn ...
Over the lockdown period, thousands of people joined a Facebook group dedicated to remembering the nightlife of inner-city Auckland. Its creator Simon Grigg explains why it touched a chord in lockdown.Within a few days of The Lost Nightlife of Inner-city Auckland Facebook page accidentally going live on May 12, we ...
Throughout Anglo colonial states there is a constant habit of defining people who aren’t white as a problem, writes Aaron Smale in this personal essay. It was a balmy summer evening in the capital and cops were standing over a young brown man. I was walking down Courtenay Place on ...
"The countdown clock ticks 2, then 1, then the prime minister raises her drink": dystopia, by Ōtautahi writer Laura Borrowdale. You stand in the centre of the room, and around you, the guests seem to swirl and blend into one. There’s a mouth, gaping and red, filled with laughter. A ...
Martin Luther King Jr said in 1963: “America has given the Black people a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’." Six generations of egregious police violence later, the sentiment out of which those bad cheques were born could be shifting. In the wake of egregious police violence, ...
WATCH: In a candid interview on Sky Sport, Dame Susan Devoy talks on her concern for rising sports stars, the state of NZ squash, and the spectre of racism. Dame Susan Devoy is proudly still “a little terrier who fights for the underdog”. “I have been doing it all my life and ...
Of the huge funding boost coming for early childhood education, Playcentre has been left with just the crumbs, writes Kate Barber. Amidst all the celebration of the $430m funding boost for early childhood education (ECE) announced in this year’s budget, little attention was paid to the plight of Playcentre. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vikrant Minhas, PhD candidate, University of Adelaide Although bacteria are single-celled and microscopically small, they still need energy to survive, just like us. One of the most efficient ways of acquiring energy for bacteria is through sweet, soluble carbohydrates: sugars. In fact, ...
PACIFIC PANDEMIC DIARY:By David Robie Three cartoonists had especially poignant takes on the tragic and toxic political aftermath of martyr George Floyd’s brutal killing under the knee of a white American policeman in Minneapolis last week. The Boston Globe’s Christopher Weyant featured a split frame contrasting a red-capped “Make ...
Are central bankers jealous that epidemiologists are the rock stars of the current crisis?There is talk that both the British and New Zealand central banks might institute negative interest rates as part of the policy response to the Covid shock. While Sweden’s central bank ended its five year experiment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monika Sarder, Senior Strategic Analyst, Monash University Algorithmic decision-making has enormous potential to do good. From identifying priority areas for first response after an earthquake hits, to identifying those at risk of COVID-19 within minutes, their application has proven hugely beneficial. But ...
LISTEN: This week's Extra Time podcast discusses racism in sport and the role of athletes and organisations in making a stand for good. Former Silver Fern and Black Fern Louisa Wall believes today's sports stars must have a social conscience and stand up against discrimination and divisiveness. Sport and politics, once ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Thomas, Associate professor, Flinders University We have seen ten days of protests in the United States over the death of George Floyd. While thousands of people have gathered to express their outrage peacefully, some demonstrations have been marred by vandalism and ...
40 percent of millennials have one, and an increasing number of GenXers and Baby Boomers do too. Two Cents' Worth delves into the world of side hustles. ...
Auckland writer Caroline Barron has a terrific book out today called Ripiro Beach: A Memoir of Life After Near Death. Here, she writes about the memoirs that have been a balm, a lesson, or both. Throughout my life, I’ve sought solace between the covers of books, particularly memoirs. There, I’ve learnt ...
An exclusive interview with Steve McSteverson about his traumatic and tragic ordeal this week.Many New Zealanders are struggling with the news that a children’s book not commissioned or authorised by Jacinda Ardern was advertised in a newsletter for children’s books. This horrific attack on New Zealanders whose ears are permanently ...
Air New Zealand staff are dismayed and angered at the company’s announcement to cut a further $150 million from their wage bill. On Friday, the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Greg Foran, made the announcement to employees, who are still ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr. Bodean Hedwards, Lecturer, Monash University This week the leaders of India and Australia reaffirmed their mutual interest in closer diplomatic and economic ties. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during their long-delayed Thursday “virtual summit”: ...
The Herald reported this morning that MediaWorks was on the verge of selling its TV assets to US TV giant Discovery – but an internal email and senior source suggest the story may have been premature.A senior MediaWorks source has emphatically denied a report in the NZ Herald that a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gery Karantzas, Associate professor in Social Psychology / Relationship Science, Deakin University Life in lockdown has been tough on many relationships. But negotiating the transition back to “normal” as restrictions continue to lift could also be a challenge for couples. So what ...
A slight bounce in the economy is brightening the outlook as the country heads into the winter months, Radio NZ reports. Retail spending is up and NZ shares rose on Thursday for a third day running. Key indicators have led some economists to point to a faster recovery than expected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide HomeBuilder is a good idea gone bad. It is possibly the most complex and least equitable program the government could have devised to deliver construction jobs. It gives $25,000 to people who already ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Keller, Professor of Cognitive Science, Western Sydney University The coronavirus pandemic has silenced the world’s concert halls and opera theatres. Organisations specialising in live performance face an existential crisis under current restrictions on social gatherings, with up to 75% of people ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson, wearing his Sport and Recreation ministerial hat, can show he can be a big spender and draw voters’ attention to his largess each time he dispenses money from the funds under his control – or the control of an agency within his ministerial bailiwick. Yesterday he ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pi-Shen Seet, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Edith Cowan University Scott Morrison wants to overhaul the skills workforce to ensure a better post-COVID-19 recovery. But there may not be enough people with the necessary skills to do so. And travel restrictions, which ...
As we transition out of a Covid-focused world and prepare for what comes next, New Zealand’s ICT industry is gearing towards growth.From app development helping track the Covid-19 virus to website engineering keeping businesses in touch and online, ICT knowledge has been crucial to keeping New Zealand working over the ...
Analysis: As New Zealand eases restrictions, it no longer has international precedent to look towards and must decide on its own how to reopen the economy while reducing the risk of a second wave of infections, Marc Daalder reports While most of the country eagerly awaits a likely move to ...
Ten days is too long. That from insurance claimant advocate, Ali Jones. EQC has today made contact with homeowners via email after accidentally releasing confidential details of 8000 insurance claims on May 26. Jones says although she has not received ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (Penguin Classics, $24)Winner of the 2019 Booker Prize. The other day, ...
Simon Day discovers how the voluntary carbon market allows both individuals and companies to offset their emissions at the same time as investing in native forest regeneration.When Celia Wade-Brown sold her first batch of carbon credits earned from the native forest on her Wairarapa farm, she had two customers: Z ...
Simon Day discovers how the voluntary carbon market allows both individuals and companies to offset their emissions at the same time as investing in native forest regeneration.When Celia Wade-Brown sold her first batch of carbon credits earned from the native forest on her Wairarapa farm, she had two customers: Z ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin. The conversation around the 2020 covid19 pandemic has been widely framed as ‘health versus the economy’. It has been quite political, with people leaning to the left emphasising ‘health’, and people leaning to the right emphasising ‘the economy’. A couple of weeks ago ...
Sam Brooks pays tribute to Alex Rider, and the new TV series that (finally) captures the spirit of the books.“What if James Bond was a teenager?”The concept for Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series is so simple but so brilliant. There’s a reason why the franchise has managed to sustain 12 ...
Analysis - The PM resists pressure to move immediately to level 1, Winston Peters' tactics play into the hands of the Opposition and the government at last works out a commercial rent solution, writes Peter Wilson. ...
Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By COHAFrom Washington DC Federal charges against the four protectors of the Venezuelan Embassy, who defended the building in Washington DC against violent opposition crowds for several weeks between April 10 and May 16 of 2019, were completely dropped in a case that ...
Source: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By COHA Editorial TeamFrom Washington DC The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) joins the Black Alliance for Peace[1] and other pro-democracy organizations throughout the world in calling for the United Nations to address the systemic violations of human rights by the police and ...
Being shot by police had a profound, transformational effect on Rob Mokaraka’s life in more ways than you’d expect. A new documentary, airing on Māori TV at 7.30pm on Sunday, explores the work he’s done to heal his own mind and to ensure nobody has to go through the same ...
Human rights watchdog TAPOL has condemned the demand by Indonesian prosecutors seeking 17 and five years imprisonment for West Papuan activists Buchtar Tabuni and Irwanus Uropmabin. On June 2, the Jayapura District Prosecutor’s Office issued 33 pages containing charges against the defendant Irwanus Uropmabin. In the document, the Public Prosecutor ...
The arrival of Dan Carter is far from the first time the ever-struggling Auckland team has hoped to turn around its fortunes with a star signing, writes Jamie Wall.New Zealand rugby Twitter is a generally desolate place, especially lately given that there’s been nothing to talk about ever since the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Senior Lecturer in New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity US President Donald Trump delivered an address this week in which he threatened military action on the nation. Then he walked to the nearby St John’s Episcopal Church ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Senior Lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University Why do we burp? We sometimes also burp before meals, why does this happen? — Ahaana, age 7 That is a really interesting question, Ahaana! There ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justine Bell-James, Associate Professor, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland After years of litigation, Australia’s highest court will today make a major decision on the fate of the controversial proposed expansion to the New Acland Coal mine in Queensland. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Williams, Associate Professor in Urban Ecology and Urban Horticulture, University of Melbourne Tomorrow is the first World Green Roof Day. Cities around the world will celebrate the well-documented environmental, economic and social benefits of green roofs. New ground-level green spaces are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Senior Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Robodebt isn’t the only measure the government should consider withdrawing. Late last Friday, after a long press conference from the prime minister which avoided any mention of the topic, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW Harvard University’s Alberto Alesina died suddenly of a heart attack on May 23. He was 63. His long-time colleague and friend Larry Summers wrote that before him, “there was no academic field of political economy. Today, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Meyrick, Professor of Creative Arts, Griffith University What keeps democracies together? As America burns, Brazilians die and Europe braces for another wave of the coronavirus, the question assumes an alarming immediacy. If the answer is complicated in one way, it is ...
Daily Review 25/09/2017 
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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11926235
Some people need a hug…
Typical, cowardly behavior from some losers that didn’t get the result they wanted
Considering the cowardly behaviour of National Party since, well, forever why do you still vote for them?
And, no, I don’t support the tagging. But, then, I most definitely don’t support the lying by National that has hurt so many people while they hide behind laws and self-righteousness.
More than 25,000 in Selwyn think that Amy Adams deserved their vote.
Her latest actions in the Teina Pora case reaffirms why I would not not voted for her because of the type of human being she is.
Yep the transactional cost of this will be way more than what is at stake. Give Teina his compensation. It is the least we should do.
Winston’s ultimate fantasy may be realised – effectively staying out of government but forcing minority Labour and National administrations come to him to beg permission to be PM for a month or two, until he decides to give the other side a turn. And shaping policy to suit his mood – otherwise down it goes.
No – that would precipitate another election and NZF would get seriously punished for causing it. He’s not stupid.
If a government falls, does it automatically mean a general election? Or can a new government have an opportunity to form? I’m up to speed with how it works in Britain, where a government can be bundled out of office without it precipitating a new election (I long for the day Theresa May visits Queenie and utters the words, “Your majesty, I suggest you send for Mr Corbyn.”) but have to admit I’ve never bothered to find out if the same thing applies in New Zealand.
Obviously, the ‘every couple of months’ was hyperbole, but replacing one administration with another would delight Winston – people keep telling him he’s a kingmaker, after all. Why stop at one?
No, it only causes a general election if nobody can form a government. In theory, NZ First could change support from National to Labour + Greens or vice versa, and as long as the new government had 61 votes, it would be able to continue.
“Winston’s ultimate fantasy may be realised – effectively staying out of government but forcing minority Labour and National administrations come to him to beg permission to be PM for a month or two, until he decides to give the other side a turn.”
Explain how that would work? Doesn’t look constitutionally possible to me (or in any way likely).
Obviously the ‘couple of months’ part was hyperbole. But he could (maybe?) simply offer a sub confidence and supply deal to National – “Okay, Willy, you get to call yourself PM. But anything you want passed, you bring to me first. If I like it, I’ll back it. If you don’t like it, then you can try your luck with the Greens and Jacinda.”
That would work – assuming English liked being abused in this way (given he served with Brash and Key, both of whom treated him like garbage, you have to suspect theirs some weird Catholic guilt and subjection going on) – until Winston tired of it and tells Ardern it is her turn: “Okay, Cinders, you get to call yourself PM. But anything you want passed, you bring to me first. If I like it, I’ll back it. If you don’t like it, then you can try your luck with Bill.”
Obviously, it could be short circuited at any time by a snap election … But do either party have the stomach for an early poll?
Not quite following that. A C and S agreement and NZF is free to vote how it wants otherwise and say what they want otherwise? I don’t see the big deal with that, it’s an option for the Greens with a L/NZF govt too.
But the bit where he tries to get National to change legislation pre-emptively in private, and presumably had an open door agreement on that, sounds very dodgy and I can’t imagine National agreeing to it.
The bit about Peters getting tired of it and giving Ardern a go makes even less sense. He doesn’t control who forms government, the Governor General does. And they need to have confidence in the stability of any proposed govt or its back to the polls. If Peters pulled out of his C and S agreement with National for no good reason no-one would trust him (National, Labour, GG, voters). There’s lots of things I don’t like about the way he does business, but Peters isn’t stupid.
That’s a great photograph. Not a real laugh though.
Braying like an ass ..
Go inspired by the tree planting. Not in a position to do that currently, but did start a new compost today. I’m renting so it’s the best way to build soil here. Great post-election therapy too. Practice sustainability and resiliency.
A fair few years back I put in a raised garden ( 200mm) x 1 meter, by about 5-6 meters long, had about 6 beds – did it the French intensive / Irish way and companion planted . Lived out of that garden , … had 6-7 vege types all through winter. Couldn’t give the produce away fast enough in summer. Never dug once,… just masses of compost I made , constantly layered on top, planted directly into that.
Just used pepper and garlic/ onion sprays mixed with soap for the pests.
Those were the days….
Nice one. How did you make your compost?
I lived across from a paddock across the road with cattle, had 2 wheelbarrows and a shovel – double handed it over the fence. Also had a large fast growing hedge – that went into the shredder, when I had to regularly prune it back layered it with lawn clippings , bought in some commercial compost as a starter just for bulk. Rotated the beds , in summer, … the compost bin so hot you wouldn’t dare put your hand in it. That’s when we know the pathogens are killed. It was like cooking. Keeping that compost going was the key . 🙂
That and a bit of lime to make the ph neutral.
Don’t panic The New Zealand First Party and Winston no what has happened to OUR country over the last 8 years or so they will do what is good for the people
100000% Eco Maori,
Winston at 72 is still a very inspiring man and is now needed more than ever with the ratpack of Government backstabbers, horse and rumour traders.
Parliament is where Winston will exel this term believe it mate.
The opposition knows this to that is why they are deserately trying to cobble Winston onto a National trainwreck Government who will implode within a year from now if the second GFC arrives and Winston would be blamed for all.
Am still celebrating the election result, our country has voted for change.
How about some of the new MP’s, Kiri Allan being one of them
Kiri was on some of the political tv shows earlier on in the year. On seeing her on the TV, my man and I were like.. who is this woman, she’s awesome, dang she’s a labour candidate, lucky Labour 😀 Thrilled she is one of our new MP’s.
I don’t think NZ has voted for change, currently National is on 46% of the vote (beat their 2008 result) and Labour/Greens can’t match what National
Winston will do whats right for the country and it’ll be National/NZFirst, with a lot of dead rats swallowed
Still 15% of special votes to count.
I’m happy with the result thus far
Am big on education and the three parties who were/are in opposition all support the scrapping of national standards and free tertiary education. I even had the opportunity to ask Winston about it a few months back and he reinforced their views of getting rid of the failed borrowed policy known as national standards.
As well their shared stance on Salisbury School.
Waste of time speculating until specials come in, but it’s bloody hard not to lolololz, crikey it’s like a political fortune tellers gossip fest
And hopefully support a review of the mess that early childhood education is getting into with the profit motive overtaking quality of teaching/learning
I’m with you Cinny. I was in education as well. Younger friends seriously considered leaving teaching for a pub!! Very unhappy at standards and BS passed off as desirable.
54% of voters did not, vote for National.
After lying and cheating their way into the most votes they should be in jail, not Parliament
58% didn’t vote for Labour/Greens which would suggest National has a stronger mandate for forming the next government
Polls say more prefer a Labour led Government.
As I’ve heard, ad nauseam, about polls from posters on this site the only poll that counts is on election day and on election day National was more popular in 2017 then they were in 2008
National are more popular than Labour/Greens combined, when the people of NZ ackshully had to decide, to choose, more people chose National
If the people of NZ wanted a change they could have voted for change last Saturday but they didn’t, they gave National 46% of the vote when National are going for a fourth term
Still stuck on the FPP idea of single party dictatorships eh Chris.
We all voted for MMP, because of the damage single parties did, from 1981 to 1993.
Call me curious but how many elections, under MMP, have Labour won vs National?
and yet you guys still have no friends in parliament.
Suddenly the regime that destroyed democratic governance in SDHB and environment Canterbury is all about moral mandates to govern? Lol.
In case you didn’t know National have won more elections under MMP than Labour
And yet they still thought that shitting on every possible coalition partner was an awesome way of winning another one.
Oh, I forgot: National is being led by Bill English. What’s his track record like, just out of interest?
Failed in 2002, lead National to a higher percentage in 2017 then they got 2008 while going for a fourth term
So almost no votes in ’02, and no friends in ’17.
He does know how MMP works, right?
Hey, I’m reading in Stuff that Peters offered to be friends with National before the election, and Blinglish told him to fuck off. Bold move from mister percentage. I wonder if it will bite him in the arse.
You know what they say about assumptions
No assumptions. I’m not the one pretending that 46% and no friends means a damned thing under mmp.
Sure, we could have another three years of you vampires. Equally possible is the chance that blinglish will be the most successful loser MMP has seen.
That’s not how MMP works.
You seem to be ignoring what the voters of NZ1st want and they seemingly want NZ1st to go with Labour/Greens.
Excuse me , – 58 % DID vote for change ,… the simple fact is , if they were sold on National they would’ve voted National instead of NZ First.
Obviously they didn’t vote for National.
Bearing in mind also , – 77% of NZ First membership want a coalition with Labour , I wouldn’t get too hasty in claiming NZ First as a win for the right if I were you.
Not saying NZFirst is with National, I’m saying National gained more votes than Labour/Greens combined so National has a better mandate for forming the next government because thats what the voters want
So you’d like to disenfranchise NZF voters? Interesting.
No but I would like to see the party (whatever party that is) with the biggest majority be part of the government
I wouldn’t, nor would all those New Zealanders who didn’t vote National.
I’m nothing if not helpful, try this: http://www.nzfirst.org.nz/contact
A majority of New Zealanders do not want a National Government ?
You’d like to see that but that doesn’t mean to say that it will happen.
Particularly when the majority of people just don’t want that party anywhere near government.
No , that’s what NATIONAL supporters want , – 58% don’t want that.
And that effectively puts the kiwash on any notion of some misconstrued ‘ morality’ that desperate right wingers and their media hacks are trying to attach to having the most party votes for a single given party in an MMP environment.
The facts are , – that the combined results of Labour, Greens and NZ First give them a ruling majority , whereas Nationals do not.
“The facts are , – that the combined results of Labour, Greens and NZ First give them a ruling majority , whereas Nationals do not.”
That is true however as someone once said to me: ” I wouldn’t get too hasty in claiming NZ First as a win for the right if I were you.” (you do need to substitute left for the right but I’m sure you get my point)
So if we take NZFirst out of the equation then we’re left with more voters wanting National than Labour/Green which to me means National has the more convincing argument as to why they should form the next government
Problem with that is we CANNOT take NZ First out of the equation.
Neither can National or Labour / Greens.
And there we have it.
MMP.
Not FFP.
And going by the results?,… more people wanted change than didn’t.
And if they didn’t ?… they would have voted exclusively National.
They didn’t.
Well thats one way of looking at it but another is if change was wanted then, at the very least, Labour/Greens would have got more votes
I think you’ll find that is the ONLY way to look at it in an MMP environment. Anything else is a perversion of the facts.
It wouldn’t perhaps have been if we were still under FFP.
But we are not.
No we are not and for my prediction it’ll be National/NZFirst
Which is a lie.
The majority of voters don’t want National because the majority of NZ1st voters want a Labour led government.
Which means that National has no mandate at all.
Hehehehe,… it takes a while for the penny to drop among some stalwarts , Draco,…
And if its not remembered this time round ? ,… it certainly will be in the next,.. and if I was in charge of National ?… I’d be weighing up the balance of short term aspiration as against the health and future of the longevity plan of the party’s survival at this stage…
Too much sugar rots the teeth.
Bow out gracefully , National ,… the combined vote against you has spoken.
Yes, my 80 year old neighbour voted for Winston and hopes he goes with Labour
Well. you wont be getting a Randian paradise. Winston will put a stop to any privatisation or deregulation that National might have hidden away.
The current charter schools will probably stay, but there will be no new ones. meaning that kids in South Auckland will grow up knowing that humans evolved from apes and the world is round. There will be no more state asset sell off, even the sneaky ones, like what happened to Solid Energy, and Learning Media, as well as Landcorp. There will be employment schemes for young people, and employers will not be able to bypass the local workforce in favour of the Chinese and Indian reserve armies of labour that they have been drawing on over the past few years.
Rubbish Chris, see my coment 5.1 above on Winston and learn the truth.
Absolutely stoked with how the left have gone this election, as others have said, what’s out of the box won’t be put back. However I’m really disappointed Mojo Mathers won’t be returned, she’s done some amazing work giving a face and voice to disabled New Zealanders.
When you mean the left you actually mean Labour?
You are pretty pity BM.
Pretty petty? Agree.
Not really, Greens bombed, Mana didn’t make it and labour ditched their leader and replaced him with a Helen Clark controlled marionette.
Call me negative but I don’t see a lot of win for the left.
translation: BM doesn’t like women in power, and he thinks that a shift left in the electorate isn’t a gain for the left.
What shift left? Labour just regained all the votes they lost to the Greens and NZ First.
I don’t know what goes for moderating on here but ….
you say call you “negative’. For saying that Arden is a “Helen Clark controlled marionette” I’d call you stupid.
The howls and squeals of fear from the neo liberal right wing , – that and their perverse justifications for going against MMP and democracy ,…
Are music to my ears.
And as the years roll by ?
It will become a symphony.
Oh look, another put down and lie by a sexist RWNJ.
It is all ,… that they have left…
BM We add NZF as left when compared to Nartional as being wrongly stated by English as a centre right, which is tortal falicy!!!
National are a sellout party for foreign corporations, foriegn speculators and landowners.
Nothing centre about that.
Fingers crossed that specials will pull her back in… we can hope. Shaw said they were something like 0.13% from getting an 8th MP. Mathers is 9th on the list.
Seeing as we are country of oligopoly, watching this might help.
Time stamp: Just short of a half and hour.
Farmers are angry at the wrong people. First working day post election we find out Fontera ED gets 75% pay rise.
I am sure they didnt hold that back though…
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/chief-executive-fonterra-receives-75-per-cent-pay-rise-over-8-million
Any workers had 75% payrise in the last 9 years? 20?
nah, we only get butter the block at 6$ cause rock star economy or how to raise the money to pay the CEO. 🙂
They must fantacise about NZ workers being in some kind of servile stupor like Baldric ,… unfortunately they are not stupid and the illusion exists only inside their heads… and in the pages of their favorite ideology’s handbook ,… that of neo liberalism.
Nasty shock for them on the not too distant horizon.
Blackadder: Baldrick’s cunning plan – YouTube
Video for baldric you tube▶ 0:21
You can decide for yourself who is addressing who….
do we really want to be government ???
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/08/30/hous-a30.html
sobering article from Australia are we better to walk away and let national wear the collapse and the fall out????
Only if we want to hear more of their bullshit justifications ,… why let them have that privilege of co opting their right wing media?
By contrast, let the Left show them in their full light as ETHELRED THE UNREADY.
Let them bear the full brunt of their disgusting short term avarice filled vision. Take power , and lay at the foot of blame their indiscretions. Let them feel the full wrath of their betrayal of the citizens of this country.
Nine years they had to insulate the citizens of this country from the fall out of global crisis,… yet they did nothing.
Hence therefore , .. so should be their reward.
Let them bask in their failures, let them wear it as a mantle around their necks.
And never again , .. will they be able to accuse Labour or the Left of their avarice and indiscretions.
Let them wear it as a crown.
Bill English calling Winston Peters a maverick ‘not very smart’, NZ First leader says…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11926394
Some interesting stats on voting at Unis this election – need to scroll down comments for some explanations.
eg:
Smart people, those Uni voters 😉
Also doesn’t (yet) include specials, which will have been enrol + vote (mostly), so will likely go higher in L/G favour. Nice to see Canty doing well!
Looking at it, it’s missing the polytechs – any volunteers? http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/voting-place-statistics.html then check the PDFs of the relevant electorates.
Here are the votes for Ara (formerly CPIT) here in Christchurch:
City Campus:
Chch Central Total – 502 votes; G – 98; L – 214; N – 137
Chch East Total – 208 votes; G – 23; L – 109; N – 58
Ilam Total – 204 votes; G – 23; L – 76; N – 77
Port Hills Total – 339 votes; G – 70; L – 144; N – 90
Selwyn Total – 142 votes; G – 14; L – 60; N – 58
Waimakariri Total – 125 votes; G – 10; L – 53; N – 48
Wigram Total – 211 votes; G – 23; L – 86; N – 82
Te Tai Tonga Total – 109 votes; G – 20; L – 63; N – 17
Woolston Campus:
Chch Central Total – 431 votes; G – 56; L – 198; N – 117
Chch East Total – 27 votes; G – 0; L – 15; N – 7
Ilam Total – 12 votes; G – 2; L – 3; N – 6
Port Hills Total – 414 votes; G – 53; L – 204; N – 101
Selwyn Total – 19 votes; G – 2; L – 6; N – 9
Waimakariri Total – 18 votes; G – 0; L – 9; N – 8
Wigram Total – 12 votes; G – 1; L – 7; N – 4
Te Tai Tonga Total – 39 votes; G – 2; L – 26; N – 5
Overall total – 2812 votes; G – 397 (14.12%); L – 1273 (45.27%); N – 824 (29.3%); Other – 318 (11.31%).
I’m not really expecting 60% of specials to L/G, but it would be amazing.
How did the polls perform?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/97203753/election-how-did-the-polls-perform
article is somewhat premature…
Not really, unless you’re expecting a substantial change (most are expecting one or two seats to change) due to the special votes.
its a measure of how the polls performed…and we dont have the final result to judge them by…irrespective of whether theres a significant change or not
No, we don’t have the final result. But the article acknowledges that.
And unless there is substantial change (which is unlikely) they’re not as bad as some have claimed.
therefore its pointless, the accuracy can only be judged when the result is known….what can be commented on however is the turnout…one has to wonder what it will take for the over 20% of disengaged to voice their opinion (or even a proportion of them)
“Therefore its pointless”
At this stage, not totally. The election has been held, the provisional result is out and there is expected to be little change.
Direct democracy is said to encourage participation, thus deserves consideration.
“….and there is expected to be little change”
not sure where you draw that conclusion from….it may not change the fact Winston has balance of power but there is considerable potential for it to change party voter support levels….that which is (supposedly) predicted by advance polls.
I have been studying people I know – friends and acquaintences and their voting preferences. Its not like the old days when people didn’t discuss what their preferences were. One thing that really resonates with me is that people who vote right wing generally are conservative, like the status quo, have boring interiors in their homes, an absence of books, artwork on the walls and general clutter about the place and do not have a lot to offer in conversations at restaurant tables. Some of these people have homes which look for motel or hotel rooms. Prefer to look at sport on Sky for evening’s entertainment and most certainly will always have an excuse for the way the Government is acting out with hospitals, schools and WINZ for example. In other words will not enter into any sort of “opening up the mind” to alternatives or have the ability to debate these topics. A closed mind.
Left wingers are more keen for change, have the guts to agree make the “huge decisions” which are what need to be done to make our society a better place. Books there are by the truck loads and clutter abounds as well. They usually have done “out of the way” things on their OE and generally have exciting things to offer in a conversation. They may have comfortable lives and jobs as well but they have that joy of anticipation for change and do not seem to be fearful of change. Just my observations but for sure there is depth in left wingers and not such a money oriented interest in their lives.
Is there some different side of the brain that makes us what we are – be interesting if some academic study was done on his phenonema.
There is much academic study out of the US on the general subject, and it basically agrees with what you’ve said here. And yes, MRIs show different parts of the brain engage for RW compared to LW.
History shows that major innovations were created while Labour was in power.
History shows that National made few innovations while in power. National tended to just tinker round the edges to modify detrimentally to wages and conditions for wage and salary earners.
I agree with you Whispering Kate. Something else I have noticed about right wingers I know: they are phenomenally ignorant about current affairs and political subjects. They are not necessarily unintelligent but they have no interest in keeping themselves informed about issues unless it affects them. But mention house prices and related property matters and they are all well read experts.
Lefties are the other way around.
@WKate…totally agree!
@WK
A perceptive comment. What you’re writing about here is what really interests me about politics … why is it that voting has so little to do with rationality and so very driven by emotion, tribalism and sheer short-sighted folly ?
Why are some people willing to embrace new ideas and others so very resistant to them? There is a deep neuro-biology driving all this; aspects of how our brain is working beyond our immediate awareness.
Yet emphatically I still believe people can change. It just takes confidence, courage and hope.
Whispering Kate ,… magnificent !
It is all in the cognitive perception ,… conservatism ,… whether it is the fearful , doubtful aspect that plagued the Generals of the battle of the Somme, or the ego that drove General Robert E Lee to wage a full frontal attack uphill against entrenched Yankee troops with mechanized Gatling guns and artillery ,… … or the goad that prompted the cold war ,… there is a common element,… the paralyzing inability to action !!!
It is a human condition,… based on fear.
Now,… if we were to exploit that fear , we would apply a bold general , such as Sun Tsu. Or General George ‘ Blood and Guts ‘ Patton.
We would take the initiative.
If there is one thing absent from the New Zealand Left it is boldness.
That uncompromising , unapologetic spirit that General Patton expressed ,…
………………………………….
” Have taken Trier with two divisions. What do you want me to do? Give it back?”
Reply to a message from General Dwight Eisenhower to bypass the German city of Trier because it would take four divisions to capture it (2 March 1945), as quoted in the Introduction to War as I Knew it (1947) by George Smith Patton, Jr., with Paul Donal Harkins, p. 20
………………………………….
When Jacinda Adern said ” we are in the fight of our lives”,…
She needed to have Blood and Guts Patton in mind.
George S. Patton – Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_S._Patton
A bit late only just seen it, but excellent post Kate. The follow-on comments were also good especially Annes @15.3
We have a right-wing acquaintance who will discuss Rugby and Master Chef all day every day and has a theory a vote for the left is the start of the slippery slope to communism. When we told this person, this summer we were planning to go to Farewell Spit photographing some of the bird life there, the response was, WHERE IS IT, WHAT IS IT! Surely I thought that would have been one of the basic geography lessons of New Zealand. and I am sure the geography of NZ would have been taught in schools.
I think his questions confirms your theory Kate.
A lucid explanation of Trump … and what we’re up against:
http://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/nfl-stars-are-falling-into-donald-trumps-trap/news-story/5c4ea843402408249c7966945b634ab2
Essentially Trump is the world’s most successful troll.
you think it has nothing to do with Puerto Rico drowning, North Korea calling him an old fool or dotard :), his son in law using a private email account for offical business, the repeal and replace with nothing ACA debacle, no just him trolling some black folks calling them son of bitches?
yeah, i guess you could call that a troll.
Yeah … everything about Trump is appalling … except for how successful he has been in mobilising his support base with fear, lies and misdirection. National just did a watered down version of it on us and I think it’s worthwhile to think about that.
no, i think it is worthwhile calling them out on it.
You can not live your live on fear and demonetization of others, eventually you run out of others.
so instead of calling him the most successful troll you could call him a President who is such a racist that he is not coming to the aid of the Puerto Ricans, who are US Citizens, who have been without electricity, water for a few days now, and who are currently under water and will not have electricity back for maybe a full half to a year.
I know that is boring, so much more fun discussing the fears of the white working class and other assorted bullshit, cause clearly the fears of the non white working class matter little.
Lets all just pander to fear. Yei.
And in NZ, Blinglish did not pander to fear, he pandered to greed. Simple as that.
And again, when that boat sinks, the poor have the least to loose. It is the rich that are going to eat crow and it is them who will not like it.
Greed is nothing more than a ‘fear of loss’; so it’s pretty closely linked really.
I’m not endorsing Trump or National at all; just pointing to the fact that despite all their numerous human and moral deficiencies .. they keep winning elections. Unless we are willing to closely look at how they do this; we the left will keep losing them.
again, i do not see National as a winner in this country. In MMP there are no true winners unless they can form stable coalitions and sadly National has killed everyone it ever worked with, so clearly National should have had more reason to ‘win bigly’ in order to manage its fourth term on its on and now it is a lame duck.
The US – and i am one who considered Clinton the smaller of two evils – will most likely see either a civil war or will see Trump removed by hook or by crook within a year. I am going with martial law first, then some civil unrest, then President Pence – whom i actually consider worse then Trump. Not sure if Trump believes he won, he does not behave like a winner to be honest.
But to diminish his dehumanizing of people as an act of troll is what allows him to keep on going. He is not trolling, he is inciting violence. He is past trolling.
And no i don’t think that the farmers and landowners of NZ have fear of loss, they just have a fear of being forced to pay their fair share and finally behave as if they were citizens instead of “landlords”. Greed is not the same as fear.
OK if you just want to score points for the fun of it … you win. You’re right I’m wrong. Happy?
It is not that you are right or i am right, it is about how we now frame the disconnect that is being spread.
The US can no more go back to the 1850s where everyone knew their place – especially people of colour and women, no matter how hateful Trump will be then we can pretend that we can sell our land to the highest bidder to the point where we end up needing a passport internally to get from point a to point b because everything is fenced off for ‘cows’, or mining, or road building.
This is not about scoring points. this is about how do we address is. Call Trump a troll? He is not, he is the fucking President of the US with the biggest weaponry at his disposal and Troops in over 150 countries. That is some troll.
Blinglish is not sowing fear he is sowing greed, vote me and you get 20$ per week, or no taxes and all the water for free. Greed.
Once we can name it, how do we counter it. Just saying he is the biggest troll of them all is not countering.
So from where i am standing WE, you , i and humpty dumpty next door are the real losers. Feel better now?
Que sera sera… whatever will be , will be…
Like FUCK.
The Left are deflecting and already licking their wounds and conceding defeat.
The hell with that.
Grab your balls and get on top of the situation and show some fight, stop wallowing in self pity and apportioning blame. We’ve got a future to fight for the next generation coming through. No more of this self pitying bullshit.
So put on your helmets and get on with the program of winning.
FFS.
Well, an Australian would make excuses.
/
Four years later at the 1972 Summer Olympics that took place in Munich, Germany, Norman wasn’t part of the Australian sprinters team, despite having run qualifying times for the 200 meters thirteen times and the 100 meters five times.
Norman left competitive athletics behind after this disappointment, continuing to run at the amatuer level.
Back in the change-resisting, whitewashed Australia he was treated like an outsider, his family outcast, and work impossible to find. For a time he worked as a gym teacher, continuing to struggle against inequalities as a trade unionist and occasionally working in a butcher shop. An injury caused Norman to contract gangrene which led to issues with depression and alcoholism.
As John Carlos said, “If we were getting beat up, Peter was facing an entire country and suffering alone.” For years Norman had only one chance to save himself: he was invited to condemn his co-athletes, John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s gesture in exchange for a pardon from the system that ostracized him.
A pardon that would have allowed him to find a stable job through the Australian Olympic Committee and be part of the organization of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Norman never gave in and never condemned the choice of the two Americans.
He was the greatest Australian sprinter in history and the holder of the 200 meter record, yet he wasn’t even invited to the Olympics in Sydney. It was the American Olympic Committee, that once they learned of this news asked him to join their group and invited him to Olympic champion Michael Johnson’s birthday party, for whom Peter Norman was a role model and a hero.
http://griotmag.com/en/white-man-in-that-photo/
WTF has Trump got to do with it?
This is New Zealand and we’ve got to focus here – not how many thousand kilometers away in a land that has nothing to do with us.
Fuck Trump and fuck the National party.
This is the here and now we are talking.
Future generations rely on how we conduct ourselves right here , and right now.
Yes you are correct about fuck trump.
But joe90 link tell of how a neo liberals western government can hammer a great indigenous PERSON and the local media will not tell his stories
And Norman was the BEST in the World at 100 200 mtr sprints he should have been celebrated by OUR WORLD as Husan Bolt is . EVERYONE IN THE WORLD should have Know who Norman is
ONE of the greatest Australian Indigenous and the World s Greatest sport Stars .We all should have been talking about him.
This is how the systems oppress The people of the land they won’t let the people have leaders or role model s to help raise there Wairua /self worth and all the people suffer oppressive .
FUCK THIS DUM ASS SYSTEM because Ours is oppressing me who a broke ass father half caste PROUD MAORI And the systems are not use to dealing with people like US.
I said absolutely nothing about tRump but let me spell it out –
A very concerned white Australian, whose own Australia made a pariah of Peter Norman, a man who dared stand alongside men who were voicing the very same opinions as those taking a knee in 2017, writes DNFTT. objecting about what someone who hates you says only encourages people who hate you, so best you STFU, he’s only trolling you.
Barking mad spider bites self, delusions ensue,
//