Just thinking aloud for a moment reading the words… foreign political donations….. makes me think of jlr and all of his recent questions in parliament.
Pssst pauline, are these some of your mates on the youtube?
BREAKING: One Nation has referred Al-Jazeera to ASIO and the federal police for "interfering in Australian elections". More to come on @australian on this bizarre story … https://t.co/K36XDqnoAt
“Senior One Nation figures James Ashby and Steve Dickson claim they had been “on the sauce” drinking scotch for “three or four hours” when discussing seeking a $20m donation from the National Rifle Association to the far-right Australian party.”
Getting on the piss and seeking $20 million from the NRA to water down Australian gun laws sounds like something James Ashby would be proud of.
🤔Ashbygate, profiteering through One Nation ad materials, the One Nation Plane, the alleged sexual relations with 15yr boy, several alleged assualts including a politician, and now the NRA. How can this person be allowed anywhere near our democracy? https://t.co/qIfmRLHXY3
Almost overlooked: You say the Jews are defending Mossad! That is a nasty smear on the Jews – OMG, from the NZ Jewish Council themselves! Ahmed Bhamji is the man, respect to the Masjid E Umar!
And over at stuffed we have that wee poodle Tracy Watkins standing on a bar stool.
Just what is Tract Watkins “sincerely hoping” for here when she says:
“Once the realities of domestic politics intrude – and they have already, after a week-long political truce – those expectations may run far ahead of what Ardern can realistically deliver. Because the extraordinary political circumstances that allowed her to announce new gun laws with near-unanimous support will likely never occur again – we sincerely hope……….”
But if it keeps on rising it will eventually turn cold and become an icicle and then it will fall back to earth and melt away to nothing. Ahhh… not sure what that’s got to do with the price of fish but never mind. It’s late.
Watkins and the rest of the Press Gallery have been reduced to bit players in the last week and a half, they will be wanting to rectify that and have normal service resumed ASAP.
And your answer is ‘ conservative’. Which really should translate not as ‘ conservative ‘ at all. Far more accurate to name her as she is : a neo liberal radical liberalist, a globalist.
… ‘ She was a founding member of the group Conservatives for an Australian Head of State ‘…
This is how the far right wing will launch their attacks on our Prime Minister. By couching her as a recipient of good favor by NZ First and Winston Peters,… which may be true to an extent ,… but certainly and by no means detract’s from the excellent job she is doing.
Is Judith jealous ???
PS : Here’s a clue…
———————————
Sloan said the New Zealand election was “surprising” considering the “success of the previous National Party governments” under former prime ministers John Key and Bill English. She said they “artfully” steered us through the global financial crisis and Christchurch earthquakes.
It’s The Australian. She’s preaching to the choir. Best to just ignore this bullshit.
With the NSW election out of the way it won’t be long now before Morrison calls the Federal polls. Prospects look terrible for the government and their media backers are starting to lose it.
None of it will matter in the long run though WK. Ardern is forging a bond now with the electorate that leaves the commentariat sidelined and grasping for relevance. I’ve stopped worrying.
The Ockers have got their knickers in a knot ’cause the good ol’ Kiwi dollar is up around 95c AUD, and was dollar for dollar a couple of weeks ago. NZD’s rightful place being AUD 80c or less.
Unfortunately for the poor Ockers it’s all their problem, NZD’s cross rates to most major currencies are in sort of normal ranges. Not happy times over the ditch
Yes, I nearly choke on my smoked Chicken roll at lunch today while reading that garbage from old Judith and I normally don’t read anything by her outside the finance section, and even then it’s usually a passing glance as it’s usually a load of bollocks most the time.
Most commentators and most of the journalists in the Oz or in most old Mates paper know 4/5ths of F*** all about MMP and if I had changed $5 since being in Oz since 98 for explaining MMP, the last election and why NZ has MMP I’ll flying about in MkVc Spritfire with my mid to late1930’s Bentley, SS or 3 wheel Morgan in the Hanger with couple of farms in Oz and NZ by now.
They think Key is god and old Bill is a saint over here in the Fourth Estate especially outside of the The Age, SMH and the ABC.
Sometimes I have to bite my tongue 😛 when reading the Oz paper in morning while have a coffee or tea at my local cafe.
Most commentators and most of the journalists in the Oz or in most old Mates paper know 4/5ths of F*** all about MMP and if I had changed $5 since being in Oz since 98 for explaining MMP, the last election and why NZ has MMP I’ll flying about in MkVc Spritfire with my mid to late1930’s Bentley, SS or 3 wheel Morgan in the Hanger with couple of farms in Oz and NZ by now.
You ol petrolhead!
Think of the planet – get a Tesla.
Rest assured Macro, the plant is safe for as I didn’t win $70m Oz lotto last night and I don’t think a Tesla will handle the NT environment as everything up here is big up here in the NT. Even the road trains and the other type of train (the Choo Choo one) have a few problems with the wildlife as the majors roads, rail line outside of Darwin or the major populated areas are unfenced.
Plus I haven’t seen a Tesla car or let alone any charging stations either around Darwin area, but I’ve seen an awful lot of those bloody big gas/ desiel guzzler Yankee 4wd Ute’s / pickup wagons of late and god only knows why the heck you want one of those big wide monsters anyway as they nexts to being bloody useless off road in the wet season.
LOL yeah I’m well aware of those road trains impressive! – I have family in Perth so have visited the West a few times and a friend in Queensland is one of those inveterate outbackers – they just did 10,000 km round the North – can’t for the life of me think why! Actually another mate of mine has a Tesla – and I have been having trouble with the 10th commandment ever since. I shall just have to make do with my hybrid.
Today it was mow the lawns at the bach day -not realising it was also beach hop day. OMG! Literally thousands of yank Tanks – fortunately they were going in the opposite direction. But I spent the day contemplating on the premiss that we really are an adolescent, if not infantile, species.
Having said that – I have a lasting recollection of a ’33 Bentley blatting around the Dunlop tyre factory in Upper Hutt one evening after work had finished for the day. My sis grazed her horse in the paddock next to the factory and I happened to be there when this Bentley arrived. The sound from its large copper pipe exhaust reverberating off the factory walls still lingers in my mind. I was an adolescent then and that sort of thing impressed.
Oh and I’ve got to sit in the cockpit of a Mosquito and been up close and personal to a Spit. Another mate is an ex warbird pilot.
You lucky sod for getting a sit in a mossie, my late NZ grandparents had a Austin 7 Saloon Vintage car which they drag me and younger brother when he was older a enough around NZ and hence my love of the 1930- 40’s cars and planes. But I’ve managed got to having sit in a Panzer 4 and Tiger 1 in the UK a few yrs, but buggers wouldn’t let me out of the hanger after I both started them. That same trip I also got an off limits tour of HMS Victory and would stay with me for a very long time.
hmmmm nice! 2020 delivery and 12,000 pre ordered so maybe not next year. 🙁 but certainly the way to go A range of 200 miles is ok but you would not be taking into the outback very far unfortunately.
Yeah, really needs an i3 style range extender. Workhorse were planning to put one in their w-15, but IIRC last I saw they’ve dropped it. California regs.
Now that is more like it! What was the prob with the regs? A 400 mile range would be very useful. One charge between Auckland and Wellington – making it very do-able.
There’s different regs for petrol-powered range extenders in Cal. Don’t remember exactly what they are, but they’re complicated. They’re the cause of US-spec i3s having to run the battery down to 5% before the range extender can kick on, and the fuel tank being software limited to 7 litres, so the range extender is more a limp-home tool. Whereas euro spec i3s you can tell the range extender to kick on anytime and maintain battery state of charge, and use the full 9 litres of fuel.
That vid is kinda old, it was from before the decision to not have the range extender. The 400 miles was basically 80 miles pure electric plus 320 miles petrol-powered range extension.
Look’s like they nicked a Landrover Defender and just plonked a electic motor in, with hi ho sliver of we go but a of range of 200km aren’t going to get you far in Oz or anywhere else for that matter unless you are Western Europe.
Yes I’ll watched it, as I would be interesting to know how big the engine bay is and wondering to see if it’s possible to retro fit an electric motor into my Landie in the future once the technology advances IRT to range and 4wd.
I have an on-line acquaintance from another site who has retrofitted an old toyota starlet with an electric motor and uses it for local running. It’s been his main mode of transport for some years now. He’s very excited about the new tesla batteries as even a smaller one of them will give him a much extended range. He lives just up the road in the Coromandel and his son attends the local ATC but we haven’t got to meet although he and my eldest used to travel together to Waikato Uni for lectures.
I’ve been watching Tesla IRT it’s batteries of late and have been quite impressed at what they are doing atm. It’s one of the reasons why i has to push the Minister of Finance to spend a little bit more on our on grid Solar System so we can make seemless transition to off grid in the future.
I’ve got fantasies of converting my Defender. Been looking out for a wrecked i3 REx to rob the powertrain and battery out of. Actually bid on one a while back, but it was an easily repairable one so someone else was willing to pay a lot more than I was.
Get rid of the diesel engine and gearbox, stick about a 3:1 single stage reducer on the electric motor, and run it straight into the transfer box. Then I’d have a useful highway speed range, and a useful crawler range.
The electric motor is roughly the same size as the gearbox, so the whole engine bay would be free for controller, range extender etc, and the battery pack would go in the back on the floor. Or maybe below the floor between the chassis rails if I could be bothered tearing it down to package it all in a bit better.
Thank god I’m not the only lunatic around here thinking of converting his Landie to a all electric drive Landie.
I was think of putting the battery system where the fuel tank would’ve been, but between the chassis rails seems a good idea.
My other concern is I have a separate stand alone battery system with Red Arc converter thingy for my fridge and freezer which only put in for very long trips when the local shop isn’t down the road so to speak. I’m wondering if that may need replacing when I go all electric?
I don’t think you’d need replace your existing electronic goods. As long as you’ve got a rough guess of total power output then you should know how much range and usage and storage you’ll need. My neighbour bought a second hand Tesla Model S battery pack online and that’s got enough storage to run his two person house, washer, solar cloth dryer, gadgets, water pump, it’s enough storage to run for three days with out recharging and electric vehicles are, at least the Tesla range is really customisable so you can increase the storage by what ever you want really. Base models are $30k US where as just a year ago they where over a $100k. So the more EVs sold the cheaper they’re getting.
This was the powerful routinely humiliating the powerless ….complete misunderstanding of the law my arse.
An investigation into illegal internal examinations of female prisoners at an Auckland jail brought back horrific memories for the victims, an independent watchdog says.
Auckland University sociologist Professor Tracey McIntosh spoke to prisoners and told Stuff there appeared to have been “a complete misunderstanding” of the law at the Auckland Region women’s jail at Wiri.
She said for her independent oversight role when Corrections investigated claims of illegal, intrusive physical searches of female inmates, the prisoners were brought in to see her and a senior Corrections staffer one by one.
To be able to charge loads of fees
To be able to make parents buy devices they cannot afford
To pander to internation students
To kick out ‘dumb kids’ that make their schools look bad
**TO RUN SCHOOLS AS A TRADEABLE BUSINESS COMMODITY AND NOT A PUBLIC SERVICE**
To be honest, I trust civil servants to run schools than the red faced reactionary bourgeois hacks that control most boards of trustees, and have their own little networks.
The Hubs are going to shine some light on all the corruption and nepotism that goes on in our education system, and some people dont like that.
All the Ruskies need to do is tweet “troops” and out go the lights in Venezuelan again. Hmmmm, James Bond says twice is a coincidence. Who remembers what 007 says about three times?
Guaido just confirmed he is behind the power outage!
“There will be no continuation of electricity in Venezuela until Maduro is removed.”
Looks like a US/Ruski cyber-tech-war over Venezuela. Most likely the power grid has a virus, which unreportedly drops the three phase down to one.
In 1994, I was the editor for an issue of Planet magazine focused on cannabis, its culture and the prospects for the end of its prohibition. Part of that issue was an interview with 'Ringo', an experienced cannabis dealer.I recently posted my essay from that issue, and I figured it ...
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by The Council of Disobedient Women In a press release today Massey University announced it has decided to rebrand and reorientate after struggling to be a University for grown-ups. For some time the University has wanted to be a safe play space for wee-woke-misogynists who have been really badly triggered ...
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I came across this song quite by accident. If it isn't one of Greta Thunberg's favourites - it should be.Video courtesy of YouTube.This post is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
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First, almost a score of Labour MPs seem to have sent a letter to the EU basically begging them to accept a deal - any deal - just so Britain can get the Heck on with Brexiting instead of being trapped in limbo:
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by Nick Rogers The debate around the meaning of sex and gender made an appearance at this year’s British Labour Party conference in Brighton. Women’s Place UK – an organisation that questions the demand that biological males who self-identify as woman should have access to women’s spaces, to all-women shortlists, ...
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Speaking at the Council of Trade Unions' (CTU) biennial conference, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters told unionists that any future attacks on the Government won't work. "Now, we are being attacked by the union movement in this country. You can have your views but I'm here to say standing ...
We want every New Zealander to be happy, safe, and healthy. To do this, we need to support strong, safe communities, and a robust and efficient health system. ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark has used his powers to overrule a noise complaint ruling against Whenuapai airbase on the grounds of "national security". The Environment Court last month released a ruling in favour of a private developer, declaring the Auckland airbase had to comply with noise restrictions when it performs ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has opened fire against "unreconstructed morons" after NZ First MP Shane Jones was photographed on holiday holding an AR-15 rifle. Mr Peters is defending Mr Jones, telling Magic Talk host Peter Williams that his MP was just having fun "like most people do". "The ...
New Zealand First Deputy Leader and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau was in attendance during the morning blessing of the Rotorua Lakefront development project. Around 60 people gathered on the shores of Lake Rotorua, including city mayor Steve Chadwick and deputy Dave Donaldson. The Lakefront development is a ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones is considering reining in on conversions of farmland to forestry, and also issued a warning to foreign-owned forestry companies that make up nearly 75 per cent of the industry. He said too many foreign companies had not provided enough access for domestic processors to get timber. ...
Speaking to Radio NZ, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the tightening of the parental category visa is a direct result of the Party’s coalition negotiations with the Labour Party. He said the new changes switch the financial onus from the parent moving to New Zealand to the child ...
The Coalition Government is set to cut red tape in the building and construction sector in an effort to allow more houses to be built, including prefabricated houses. The changes will enable the mass factory production of "high quality" buildings, slash the likely number of building inspections for factory produced ...
Since coming into Government, we’ve worked hard to tackle homelessness and make sure everyone has a warm, dry home. And today, on World Homeless Day, we want to report back and update you on our progress so far. ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has hit back at National Party leader Simon Bridges who criticized the Coalition Government’s approach to crime, and said that the latter isn't credible in his attack on the Government over gang recruitment. "We've got as massive drug problem in this country. It is ...
New Zealand Mānuka honey exporters have welcomed an initiative by the Coalition Government to help secure the term “mānuka honey” to be used exclusively by Kiwi exporters, ensuring that our multimillion-dollar industry is protected. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had recently announced that a Provincial Growth Funding of $5.7 ...
Political commentator Mike Hosking has labelled New Zealand First leader Winston Peters as “the voice of reason in a government soft on drugs”, for the Party’s stance on drug testing at music festivals. “If common sense is worth a vote, Winston Peters is quids in,” Mr Hosking said. The Labour ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau has announced Provincial Growth Funding to ensure work opportunities in Turangi and Whanganui, through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi. A fund of $500,000 will go to Rafting NZ in Turangi for a 16-week river guide training course to train ...
Treasury has shown that the Coalition Government has a $7.5 billion surplus, which is $4 billion higher than what was expected in the 2019 Budget unveiled last May. It is also $2 billion higher than the actual surplus unveiled this time last year, and at a size that has not ...
Official Information Act figures released to NZME show there were 350 assaults on officers in the year to the end of June, 79 more than the year before. The increase in attacks have sparked calls for more legal protection for first responders to be enacted. The assaults included officers being ...
“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...
We're making progress on tackling the long-term challenges: from homelessness, to strengthening border security, to bringing banking back New Zealand's small towns. ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones has backed the ambitious plan to move Auckland’s port to Northport, at Whangarei harbour, which he says will be the “King Kong of infrastructure”. The plan is part of the recommendations of a six-person independent working group, which has recommended the Ports of Auckland be ...
A six-member independent working group selected the option of moving Auckland’s port to Northport, in Whangarei, ahead of other options. In what could be New Zealand’s most ambitious infrastructure project yet, a major expansion of the Marsden Point port could happen within 15 years. The project, officially called the “Upper ...
The final Electricity Price Review recommended prohibiting prompt payment discounts but allowing “reasonable” late fees. The findings of this review was welcomed by the Coalition Government, but they hope companies will follow through with its recommendations without regulations needed to be passed. Meridian Energy had already stopped prompt payment discounts, ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF)through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi,will invest nearly $600,000 to ensure work opportunities for locals in Turangia and Whanganui, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “I’m pleased to announce the PGF ...
An export-led economy is one of New Zealand First’s key principles, and our commitment to achieving this is shown by the continuing skyrocketing demand for our beef and sheep meat exports. Beef + Lamb New Zealand's New Season Outlook 2019-20 report forecasts beef, lamb and mutton prices to lift from ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today in Gisborne an investment of $17.27m into bringing “world-leading” food-growing technology and the creation of more than 100 new jobs in the East Coast city. The funding comes from the Provincial Growth Fund, and included a $15 million loan to LeaderBrand, a ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development More than 100 people in Tairāwhiti’s Tolaga Bay will benefit from two employment initiatives supported by the Provincial Growth Fund, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Employment Minister Willie Jackson announced today. “Tolaga Bay is an incredibly tight-knit community, but one in ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is supporting Gisborne business Leaderbrand to produce salad vegetables year round and create more jobs in the Tairāwhiti region, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Our support for Leaderbrand will help them build large greenhouses ...
“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has praised the promise by New Zealand’s biggest banks not to close any provincial branches while the Coalition Government trials regional banking hubs across the country. The Minister said the announce was the “first sign of hope for regional communities”, many of which have ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have delivered an upgrade of the SuperGold Card website and a new smartphone app, which will help unlock the full benefits of the SuperGold Card for 750,000 New Zealand seniors.Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters, ...
Delivering a key election campaign promise, New Zealand First is proud to have accomplished a long overdue upgrade of the SuperGold Card today. At an event in Auckland, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters joined Minister for Seniors Hon. Tracey Martin in unveiling the new website and smartphone app which ...
The Government today announced its support for a project that could substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from cattle. The announcement was made as part of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor’s visit to Nelson’s Cawthron Aquaculture Park. The Cawthron Institute will receive $100,000 from the Government’s ...
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni has welcomed the first reading of the New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension Legislation Amendment Bill. “Every New Zealander has a stake in New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension,” says Carmel Sepuloni. “They are our most common form of social assistance – nearly 800,000 New ...
Babies in Auckland aged six months and over can receive a free vaccination and children will all have access to vaccines, Associate Minister of Health Julie Anne Genter announced today at Papatoetoe High School. The move comes as part of Government efforts to step up the fight against measles. ...
***Check against delivery*** Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here, and to have the honour of opening this important conference on behalf of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. Let us take the opportunity to acknowledge all the people who have helped make today possible, including our special ...
Police Minister Stuart Nash says the safety of frontline officers and members of the public will be the focus of a new trial of specialist Police response teams in three of our largest urban centres. Police have this morning released details of an initiative to be trialled in Counties Manukau, ...
The Minister of Fisheries is calling for entries for a new public award to celebrate innovation in our seafood sector. “I have established the Seafood Sustainability Awards to recognise and celebrate those throughout industry, tangata whenua and communities who demonstrate outstanding dedication and innovation towards the sustainability of New Zealand’s ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter welcomes leaders in the private sector taking action on closing their gender pay gaps to ensure a fairer workplace for all New Zealanders. Ms Genter today launched a new report, Addressing the gender pay gap and driving women’s representation in senior leadership, from the Champions for ...
Government Ministers today welcomed the release of a marine environment report highlighting the four key issues affecting our oceans, estuaries and coastlines. The release underlines the importance of government proposals to combat climate pollution, ensure clean freshwater, protect biodiversity, make land use more sustainable, and reduce waste and plastic. Environment ...
The Government has approved funding for a new acute mental health facility for Waikato which will provide better care and support to people with mental health and addiction issues. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Dr David Clark announced the $100 million project to replace the aging Henry Rongomau ...
The Government is making progress on its goal to integrate te reo Māori into education by 2025, with over 500 teachers and support staff already graduating from Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Kelvin Davis made the announcement at an awards ceremony in Waikanae today, for ...
Statistics Minister James Shaw has welcomed the first release of 2018 Census data. The first release of data today, 23 September, includes key data on population, regional growth, the number of homes and the size of different ethnic groups in New Zealand. Data from the 2018 Census will support the ...
Minister for Statistics James Shaw today announced a public consultation on a proposed algorithm charter for government agencies. The charter has been developed by the Government Chief Data Steward in response to growing calls for more transparency in government use of data. Computer algorithms – procedures or formulas for solving ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, Climate Change Minister James Shaw and visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte co-hosted a business roundtable in Auckland this morning focused on working together to address climate change. “The Netherlands is an important partner for New Zealand. We share a strong agricultural history. Sustainable agribusiness and ...
The Government is taking action to build an inclusive economy where more of us receive our fair share at work and businesses can compete on great products and services, not undercutting wages and conditions, Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. Two consultations launched today seek feedback ...
The future for New Zealand’s threatened indigenous freshwater fish looks brighter with the passing of the Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill in Parliament today said Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “Until now, our freshwater fish legislation has been 20 years out of date. We have lacked effective tools to ...
At 1.30pm tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis will join about 65 million people around the globe in ShakeOut, the world’s biggest earthquake drill. The annual drill is to remind people of the right action to take during an earthquake which is to Drop, Cover, Hold, and to practise their ...
Kiwis are benefiting from higher wage growth and low inflation under the Coalition Government. Stats NZ data out today shows the rise in the cost of living remains low, as annual Consumers Price Index (CPI) inflation fell to 1.5% in September from 1.7% in June. “The low inflation comes as ...
New Zealand’s economic strength and resilience has been recognised in a major update on the state of the global economy. The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook released overnight shows a reduced global growth forecast over the next two years as issues like the US-China trade war and Brexit take hold. ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little has today introduced a new Bill to prevent terrorism and support the de-radicalisation of New Zealanders returning from overseas. The Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill gives the New Zealand Police the ability to apply to the High Court to impose control orders on New Zealanders who ...
A Bill that proposes targeted changes to simplify the processes for Māori land owners when engaging with the Māori Land Court has had its First Reading today. “The approach taken by the Government is to ensure that the protection of Māori land remains a priority as we seek to improve ...
Let me first thank all the new unionists and members in the room. There is nothing more important to improving people’s working lives than people making the decision to care, to get on board and help, to take up the reins and get involved. Congratulations to you. You bring the ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark has signed a certificate exempting the activity of engine testing at Whenuapai Airbase from the Resource Management Act 1991. The Act gives the Minister of Defence the power to exempt activities for the purposes of national security. The certificate will mean the recent Environment Court ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced New Zealand will join the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action while attending APEC meetings in Chile. The objective of the 39 member Coalition is to share information and promote action to tackle climate change. It was formed in April this year, in ...
Feedback sought– Lyttelton commercial zone parking The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to remove on-site car parking requirements for new developments in the Lyttelton commercial zone. The proposal, by Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section 71 of the Greater ...
Hon Minister Poto Williams Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration MEDIA STATEMENT Tuesday 15 October 2019 Feedback sought – Hagley Oval The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal about Hagley Oval. The proposal was developed by Regenerate Christchurch ...
Ladies and gentlemen, NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff, members of respective unions – thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. This might be preaching to the choir, but the importance of trade unions in New Zealand’s historical arch is difficult to understate. And it is my belief that ...
"Let’s start by acknowledging that it has been a huge year. " Police Association Annual Conference James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel Wellington Nau mai, haere mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ka nui te mihi, ki a koutou katoa. President of the Police Association, Chris Cahill; Members of the Association and ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark have announced the New Zealand Government’s decision to again deploy a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea. New ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand continues to have serious concerns for peace and stability in north-east Syria. “Recent reports that hundreds of ISIS-affiliated families have fled from a camp are deeply concerning from a humanitarian and security perspective”, Mr Peters says. “While we acknowledge Turkey’s domestic security ...
Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor is warning travelling Kiwis to be vigilant as the high-season for the crop-eating brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is under way. “We’re on high alert to stop BMSB arriving in NZ. The high season runs until April 30 and we’ve strengthened our measures to stop stink ...
The Government is moving swiftly to change the law to improve the welfare and pastoral care of students living in university halls of residence and other tertiary hostels. Cabinet has agreed to several changes, including creating a new mandatory Code of Practice that sets out the duty of pastoral care ...
The Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage has launched a new comprehensive trapping guide for community trappers to help them protect our native birds, plants and other wildlife, at Zealandia in Wellington today. ‘A practical guide to trapping’, has been developed by the Department of Conservation (DOC), and was launched during ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter welcomes PHARMAC’s move to improve access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs). PHARMAC has today announced it will fund the full cost of Mirena and Jaydess for anyone seeking long term contraception, lifting previous restrictions on access to Mirena. “I welcome women having greater choices ...
The Government has approved the next stage of a major redevelopment of Taranaki Base Hospital, which will deliver new and improved facilities for patients. Health Minister Dr David Clark has announced details of a $300 million dollar project to build a new East Wing at the New Plymouth hospital. It ...
Extra funding will allow Rural Support Trusts to help farming families, says Minister for Rural Communities and Agriculture Damien O’Connor. “I know that rural families are worried about some of the challenges facing them, including the ongoing uncertainty created by the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak. “Those concerns sit alongside ongoing worries ...
Thank you for the opportunity to be here to present certificates to the 16 graduates who have completed a beekeeping course delivered by the Howard League. Let us start by acknowledging Auckland Prison’s Deputy Prison Director Tom Sherlock, and Acting Assistant Regional Commissioner of Corrections Northern Region Scott Walker - ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson leaves this weekend to attend the APEC Finance Ministers meeting in Santiago, Chile. Discussions between APEC Finance Ministers at the meeting will include the effects of the current global economic uncertainty, risks for APEC economies and sustainable development of the region. While at APEC Grant Robertson ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says for Pacific people, language can be a source of strength. It can help ground us and give us confidence. When we speak them, our languages provide us with an immediate and intimate access to our identity and our story - and ...
The Coalition Government has announced an action plan to improve the wellbeing of disabled New Zealanders by addressing inequalities in play, active recreation and sport. The initiative includes training to develop a workforce that understands the needs of children and young people with a range of impairments, advocacy for fit ...
The construction sector is being freed up to allow more homes to be built more quickly as the Government cuts through some of the red tape of the Building Act. “Every New Zealander deserves a warm, dry, safe home and old inefficiencies in the Building Act make building slow and ...
Highly trained, armed police are a necessary tool in emergency situations, but roving teams eager to find work could be a recipe for disaster, writes investigator and former police officer Tim McKinnel for RNZ. Police announced yesterday they are to introduce a trial of Armed Response Teams (ARTs) in Auckland, Waikato ...
“Proposals to curb environmental damage help our coasts and the oceans Government Ministers today welcomed the release of a marine environment report highlighting the four key issues affecting our oceans, estuaries and coastlines. We at CEAC also ...
David Robie, concluding his three-part series about Iran, profiles an extraordinary pair of Tehran brothers who have been pioneering global research adventurers. They have been dubbed the “Persian Indiana Joneses”. Their adventures are fabled and hair-raising, as shown by a Jivaro shrunken human head and relics from curious rituals ...
Four months ago Caroline Shaw bought an e-bike. She explains why they’re the answer to our lethal car culture.Four months ago we took what felt like a huge leap of faith and bought an e-cargo bike. The combination of three things tipped us over the edge: feeling the need to ...
The online magazine that boasted a bigger Instagram following than most New Zealand media has abruptly come to an end. So what was Auckland Mag? Why did it exist? And who was it mysterious founder Dan Rolph? David Farrier investigates. The reply from Dan Rolph at Auckland Magazine came quickly. It came ...
In the wake of the shocking revelations about Three, Duncan Greive assesses the health of New Zealand’s six big media companies.Winston Peters has studied the cold, pitiless heart of a certain strand of New Zealander for four decades now, and has become our foremost expert on both expressing its feelings ...
US justice reform activists Deborah Small and asha bandele say white supremacy and colonialism are at the heart of punitive drug laws. They spoke to Teuila Fuatai about how drug reform can reverse their effects on minority communities. Deborah Small sees Donald Trump as the US Dorian Gray. “He’s the physical ...
Madeleine Chapman spent a day learning about Christchurch through its most famous dishes.What is there do with with a day in Christchurch? Thanks to the inexplicably early check-out times at hotels all over the world and a 7pm flight back to Auckland, I had a full day to wander the ...
Winston Peters says his party is a handbrake on bad ideas and a "supercharged turbo" for good ones - but will it be in the driver's seat come 2020? ...
Our former prime minister secured a meeting with Chinese premier Xi Jinping outside all normal diplomatic channels. Interest’s Jenée Tibshraeny asks what it means for New Zealand’s evolving relationship with the superpower.Former prime minister John Key secured a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week without the involvement of ...
David Robiecontinues his three-part series about travelling in Iran. I stumbled on the scene by chance. Our host family in Iran’s second city Mashhad, a modern and beautiful metropolis that would comfortably fit in New Zealand’s entire population, was taking us on a drive to the outskirts to ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has lashed out at the media, in particular, MediaWorks, just a day after the company announced it was selling off its television arm. ...
About a hundred disgruntled licensed gun owners have descended on the New Zealand First conference to tell the party leader Winston Peters that they feel like victims. ...
New Zealand First members will vote on a policy today that would allow businesses of all sizes to enforce 90-day trials when they employ people straight out of prison. ...
"Each time she held her lighter underneath the pipe and sucked the smoke into the back of her throat, the promise was there": a New Zealand tragedy by Alice Tawhai. ...
With the future of Mediaworks’ TV business hanging in the balance, Al Jazeera news presenter Kamahl Santamaria reflects on what the imperilled channel meant, and continues to mean, to him.I always liked the logo. The fresh bright colours, the nod to a koru in its shape, and just the fact ...
There are still many barriers preventing people from voting in local elections. Laura O’Connell Rapira proposes some social solutions.The Spinoff local election coverage is made possible thanks to The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism click here.To vote in the local elections, I cast ...
What’s really stood out for me being back in Tokyo is the unique qualities of Japan’s spectators, writes Richard Light, professor of sport coaching at the University of Canterbury.The Rugby World Cup has thrown a global spotlight on Japan over recent weeks. Not just the rugby: the distinctive culture and ...
As the New Zealand First Party gathers for its annual conference, the question swirling in the year is how it can carve out a path to avoid electoral defeat in 2020, writes Jo Moir for RNZ. It’s not you, it’s me. It’s a familiar break up excuse that’s used ...
To the early intervention therapists, to the teachers, to the speech therapists, the occupational therapists, music therapists, diabetes nurses and all: you change the world.When I was married almost a decade ago we had the following reading at our wedding:You are holding up a ceilingwith both arms. It is very ...
The faces said it all. The smiles of the European leaders crowded round Boris after the Brexit deal was struck. The deal his opponents – no, pretty much everyone – said was impossible.So what’s in it? The detail is still opaque, but subject to gremlins in the fine print, ...
Iran attracts an onslaught of negative media in New Zealand and Western media. But is it fair or deserved? David Robie has spent several weeks travelling in the country on sabbatical and finds the media negativity far from the reality of the “most friendly” country he has ever visited ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]University of Canberra Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Leigh Sullivan discusses the week in politics with Michelle Grattan. They talk about Alan Jones accusing Prime Minister Scott Morrison of failing the immediate needs of drought-striken farmers, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anita Parbhakar-Fox, Senior Research Fellow in Geometallurgy/Applied Geochemistry, The University of Queensland Last month, scientists uncovered a mineral called Edscottite. Minerals are solid, naturally occurring substances that are not living, such as quartz or haematite. This new mineral was discovered after an ...
The Auckland-based collective talk origins, ambitions and making the rave accessible to everybody.Friendly Potential is an outfit that defies easy summary. They’re among the country’s most ambitious and prolific club promoters. In their almost five-years of operation, they’ve been responsible for the local debuts of electronic music icons including Detroit ...
Analysis: Two polls show support for Labour sliding, the government is accused of breaking another promise and the Greens's refusal to back a bill forces Labour to rely on National to get it through. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kiera Lindsey, University of Technology Sydney One spring morning in 1850, over 8,000 Sydneysiders marched through town to protest the resumption of transportation – the act of sending British criminals to Australia. It was the largest protest in Australia thus far, an ...
Two shareholders of failed insurance firm company CBL are leading a class action against the firm's former directors seeking compensation for financial losses. ...
Sam Brooks recaps the third episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, and wonders why some of these queens don’t know how to sew.This episode asks, and sort of answers the main question that millions of people across the world: why would you come on Drag Race and not know how to sew?!There ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John M Clarke, Team Leader, Regional Projections, CSIRO Last month we lost Dr Penny Whetton – one of the world’s most respected climate scientists and a brilliant mentor to the next generation of researchers. Penny will also be remembered as a passionate ...
Ten moose were upended into the Dusky Sounds in 1910. Now, their descendants are getting their day in the sun.The climate crisis is affecting wildlife all over the country: rockhopper penguin populations are in drastic decline, tuatara eggs aren’t hatching females, and the ice walls keeping predators away from kea ...
Security footage of NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell being thrown out of a Tauranga bar looks unlikely to ever be aired - despite his leader Winston Peters promising a screening. ...
Amnesty International is concerned that Justice Minister Andrew Little's Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill could have the potential to undermine human rights in New Zealand. The Bill would give the New Zealand Police the ability to apply to ...
Expect the old campaigner Winston Peters to be at his belligerent best as he gears up for another election. He’s kept his party alive for 27 years and he shows no sign of quitting. The omens may be bleak—polls this week showed his party below the 5% threshold– but Peters ...
The National Party has agreed to take down any videos breaching the current rules around the use of parliamentary TV footage, as all parties try to reach consensus. ...
Recently the Health Promotion Agency released a report into hazardous drinking in New Zealand. The report shows that Māori who drink alcohol and live in deprived circumstances are less likely to have a harmful relationship with alcohol if they ...
Turkey-US joint-statement on military ops within Syria’s territory.The Turkish Embassy in New Zealand issued Evening Report this unabridged United States of America-Republic of Turkey joint-statement detailing what both sides agreed to regarding Turkey’s military operations within the so-called security zone within Syrian territory near Turkey’s southern border. It is ...
Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash didn’t mention what winners will receive, when he proudly called for entries for a new public award “to celebrate innovation in our seafood sector”. Nor did he mention the cost to taxpayers of this initiative. Point of Order’s checks with the website where more details have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fiona R Martin, Senior Lecturer in Convergent and Online Media, University of Sydney One of the basic tenets of the ABC Act is independence from government. Yet once again, in contravention to that principle, the federal government is trying to push through ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Lily Holloway.modernity to globalisationwhen I get there as still life and landscape and also portraitureseeking the cacti in small pots who dot the globeslices of pie offer up the vision after the sermonexpressing emotions without coherent narrative supportbecause no artist responded to this callemploying ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi to rule out any taxpayer-funded purchase or bailout for Mediaworks’s channel Three. Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “For the last few months Mediaworks ...
The Police Commissioner's announcement that squadcars of officers with automatic rifles will patrol New Zealand's streets is dangerous and unnecessary, according to the criminal justice community organisation People Against Prisons Aotearoa. The ...
News broke this morning that Mediaworks is seeking to sell off, and even contemplating closing, its TV division. What might that mean for journalism?For journalism in New Zealand, the loss of Three’s TV division is a devastating blow. It is not yet known whether any of the news properties will ...
In our defence of our coalition Government policy on climate change, we fully support Government plan to use rail funding for rail infrastructure upgrades to promote use rail infrastructure for freight around NZ. ...
The billions of tonnes of plastic in our oceans isn’t going away any time soon, but innovative companies here and abroad are working together to find silver linings to this daunting problem.Fishing boats head out to sea and set their nets. They go back to shore. They head back out, ...
An EveningReport.nz investigation by Kevin ListKiwibank services. Image by Kevin List.Evening Report looks into the separation of Kiwibank from New Zealand Post, and considers the impact on the public’s access to banking services in their communities.Kiwibank. What’s going on? Kiwibank and New Zealand Post are in the ...
Local Government New Zealand today confirmed what many local election commentators have observed; that more of the voting public cast their ballots in favour of women candidates than ever before. ...
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 (this week we totted up the data a day early, on Wednesday, to let our books ed. ...
New Zealand's mineral manufacturing sector is expected to face some testing times, with softer prices, tighter margins and sluggish export markets. ...
Portugal has been painted by pro-cannabis legalisation groups as a model to follow. Yet just last month, the mayor of Porto contradicted his previous pro-harm reduction position and endorsed reintroducing criminal penalties for drug use in public spaces. ...
Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short announced today the inclusion of six Cook Island First World War soldiers in the New Zealand and Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s official rolls of honour. ...
The latest statistics released by the Health Promotion Agency showing a dramatic fall in the numbers of cigarettes being sold in supermarkets, service stations, and liquor stores are being welcomed by the Vaping Trade Association of New Zealand (VTANZ). ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.NZ First Thomas Coughlan (Stuff): Where to from here? How NZ First will win in ...
Aotearoa Climate Emergency (ACE), a climate change network, will host a conference in Wellington on 11 November (Armistice Day) to promote holding a Citizens Assembly in 2020, as a way of breaking the current political deadlock on treating climate ...
MediaWorks’ owners have called time after years of losses from its TV division. Sources say the company will announce it is for sale – if no buyers emerge, it will close within months.Three is facing the biggest crisis in its three decade history today, as its ownership will soon announce ...
Sam Brooks reviews Amazon Prime’s Modern Love, an anthology series based on the New York Times column dedicated to ‘love in all its forms’. A first date that ends up in the emergency room. A flagging marriage that finds new energy through tennis. The founder of a dating app who doesn’t ...
If we want to grow support for New Zealand’s aid, we need to get better at partnering with the ‘unlike-minded’ as well as the ‘like-minded’, and much better at telling people what we do with the money they give, says Josie Pagani, Executive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Orsola De Marco, Astrophysicist , Macquarie University If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskids@theconversation.edu.au.How are stars made? –Zali, age 8, Karkoo, South Australia. How are stars made? Well, stars are not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gita Mishra, Professor of Life Course Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland All women know to expect the time in life when their periods finish and they reach menopause. Many might even look forward to it. What many women don’t ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare Science, University of Sydney Since ancient times, horse behaviour, and the bond between horses and humans, has been a source of intrigue and fascination. The horse-lore that has accumulated over the centuries is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Wallis, Lecturer and Honorary Research Fellow, University of Southern Queensland A move to the country is often presented in popular culture as an idyllic life, a place where you can escape the pressures of the city. It’s in television shows such ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW The just-announced inquiry into Australia’s retirement income system ought to be anything but run-of-the-mill. Taking place 25 years after the introduction of compulsory superannuation, it provides an opportunity to either fix a broken system, or discard ...
Daily review 26/03/2019 
In 1994, I was the editor for an issue of Planet magazine focused on cannabis, its culture and the prospects for the end of its prohibition. Part of that issue was an interview with 'Ringo', an experienced cannabis dealer.I recently posted my essay from that issue, and I figured it ...2 days ago
Dr Helen Waite, sports sociologist and former elite athlete, on the invasion of women’s sport by men and the anti-scientific and misogynist ideology used to rationalise it. ...2 days ago
As Brexit comes to a grisly conclusion (perhaps) people on all sides are saying intemperate and uwise things. Some, like the Daly Mail, have been doing it for years.People as normally level headed as Jon Lansman are calling for automatic deselection of MPs who vote against a (likely) Labour three ...2 days ago
On Wednesday, the government was loudly telling us that it needed to legislate to allow it to impose "control orders" - effectively a parole regime, but imposed without charge, prosecution, conviction or real evidence - on suspected terrorists because they couldn't be prosecuted for their supposed crimes. Today, it turns ...3 days ago
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been busy preparing for our summer paper on Science Communication. Looking for something amusing about ‘risk’ in science, I came across this neat xkcd.com cartoon about why so many people come knocking on my door (or phoning me, or emailing me) desperately wanting ...3 days ago
Media Statement for Immediate Release 16th October 2019 “Fake News” from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers Despite comments from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers—Herald Newspaper Tuesday Oct 15th–there is very little evidence ...4 days ago
Would You Buy A Used Propaganda Video From This Man? Bridges and the National Party’s strategists have discovered that the ideas and attitudes considered acceptable by today’s editors and journalists are no longer enforceable. The rise and rise of the Internet and the social media platforms it spawned means that ...4 days ago
by The Council of Disobedient Women In a press release today Massey University announced it has decided to rebrand and reorientate after struggling to be a University for grown-ups. For some time the University has wanted to be a safe play space for wee-woke-misogynists who have been really badly triggered ...4 days ago
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.nz There is a lot of discussion on the benefits of ...5 days ago
Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...5 days ago
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING MYTH 1: Global temperatures are rising at a rapid, unprecedented rate. FACT: The HadCRUT3 surface temperature index, produced by the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, shows warming to 1878, cooling to 1911, ...6 days ago
A list of indicators of bad science – many of these are found in articles promoted by anti-fluoride activists. Anti-fluoride activists have been pouring money into a scaremongering campaign warning pregnant women not to drink fluoridated water. They claim fluoride will lower the IQ of their future child. Fluoride ...6 days ago
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...1 week ago
Musings continue apace about “the experienced businessman!” soon to be taking up a National Party MP position. Or to be more accurate, being parachuted into a seat to shut down their former MP Jamie-Lee Ross, who despite his own shortcomings shed at least some more light on the inner workings ...1 week ago
“There can be no such thing as kaupapa Māori political parties or politics in Aotearoa” (Willie Jackson, Labour Party (2017). Māori TV, General/List Election Special) I begin with that claim because at the time, I was confounded at first that it fell out of Willie Jackson’s mouth, and then ...1 week ago
We're rebuilding our hospitals, protecting our oceans, and taking mental health seriously. ...2 days ago
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is predicting a hard Brexit for the United Kingdom, as he believes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won’t be able to negotiate terms before the October 30 deadline. The Minister, who was one of the first to publicly come out and predict British voters would leave ...4 days ago
The Government today announced its support for a project that could substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from cattle. The announcement was made as part of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor’s visit to Nelson’s Cawthron Aquaculture Park. The Cawthron Institute will receive $100,000 from the Government’s ...3 days ago
Highly trained, armed police are a necessary tool in emergency situations, but roving teams eager to find work could be a recipe for disaster, writes investigator and former police officer Tim McKinnel for RNZ. Police announced yesterday they are to introduce a trial of Armed Response Teams (ARTs) in Auckland, Waikato ...9 hours ago
Media Release: EDS releases second working paper in Phase 2 of its Resource Management Reform project ...9 hours ago
There was no big policy announcement from New Zealand First leader Winston Peters today despite promising there would be. ...13 hours ago
David Robie, concluding his three-part series about Iran, profiles an extraordinary pair of Tehran brothers who have been pioneering global research adventurers. They have been dubbed the “Persian Indiana Joneses”. Their adventures are fabled and hair-raising, as shown by a Jivaro shrunken human head and relics from curious rituals ...14 hours ago
Patience was a key virtue as the All Blacks dismantled Ireland ...16 hours ago
Winston Peters says his party is a handbrake on bad ideas and a "supercharged turbo" for good ones - but will it be in the driver's seat come 2020? ...1 day ago
"Each time she held her lighter underneath the pipe and sucked the smoke into the back of her throat, the promise was there": a New Zealand tragedy by Alice Tawhai. ...2 days ago
The faces said it all. The smiles of the European leaders crowded round Boris after the Brexit deal was struck. The deal his opponents – no, pretty much everyone – said was impossible. So what’s in it? The detail is still opaque, but subject to gremlins in the fine print, ...2 days ago
A new law targeting potential returning terrorists like Mark Taylor raises questions about human rights and whether the bill is being rushed. ...2 days ago
Two shareholders of failed insurance firm company CBL are leading a class action against the firm's former directors seeking compensation for financial losses. ...2 days ago
Expect the old campaigner Winston Peters to be at his belligerent best as he gears up for another election. He’s kept his party alive for 27 years and he shows no sign of quitting. The omens may be bleak—polls this week showed his party below the 5% threshold– but Peters ...3 days ago
Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash didn’t mention what winners will receive, when he proudly called for entries for a new public award “to celebrate innovation in our seafood sector”. Nor did he mention the cost to taxpayers of this initiative. Point of Order’s checks with the website where more details have ...3 days ago
Politicians come crawling back after the holidays to repair some 'bad optics'. James Elliott pulls no punches in his news of the week. ...3 days ago
New Zealand's mineral manufacturing sector is expected to face some testing times, with softer prices, tighter margins and sluggish export markets. ...3 days ago
Environmental groups are urging the government to crack down on commercial industries whose activities are harming the marine environment. ...3 days ago
Struggling media company MediaWorks is putting its TV business Three on the sale block, after axing and scaling back shows. ...3 days ago
Fooork! Wonder if pauline has been watching Al Jazeera recently…. llolololollz.
That’s a wickedly excellent photo, perfectly capturing her nature. Kudos to the photographer.
Edit..
Australian PM denounces foreign vote meddling after NRA report
Scott Morrison says laws were made to ‘criminalise taking foreign political donations’ to prevent lobbyists’ influence
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/australian-pm-denounces-foreign-vote-meddling-nra-report-190326032714624.html
Just thinking aloud for a moment reading the words… foreign political donations….. makes me think of jlr and all of his recent questions in parliament.
Pssst pauline, are these some of your mates on the youtube?
…chaser…
Dang!!!!!
Thanks Joe
“Senior One Nation figures James Ashby and Steve Dickson claim they had been “on the sauce” drinking scotch for “three or four hours” when discussing seeking a $20m donation from the National Rifle Association to the far-right Australian party.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/mar/26/one-nations-james-ashby-says-he-was-on-the-sauce-when-seeking-20m-from-nra
Getting on the piss and seeking $20 million from the NRA to water down Australian gun laws sounds like something James Ashby would be proud of.
Mr Ashby been linked to physical altercations, dodgy dealings and sexual harassment allegations — some of which date back decades.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/the-biggest-james-ashby-scandals-laid-bare/news-story/34dc77f134ab44f5fe4e547be7bc9f27
hopefully the NRA exposure will trip Angry Paula and her white nation party ..
She was fringe anyway …
Most of us would agree with this short video …. and just need to overcome our shyness to express it more.
No.
Natural.
Justice.
Yeah.
Right.
‘natural justice’ in Mainzeal judgment – Stuff.co.nz
https://www.stuff.co.nz/…/former-pm-jenny-shipley-alleges-no-natural-justice-in-main…
Here we go , – more stupidity from the far right.
When will it ever cease?
Big Read: Speargun and mass surveillance – the … – NZ Herald
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216367
National Party gives platform to ‘Islamophobic’ misinformation via Facebook page in name of free speech
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/111567104/national-party-gives-platform-to-islamophobic-misinformation-via-facebook-page-in-name-of-free-speech
More madness going on.
Jews outraged after mosque leader blames Mossad for Christchurch …
https://www.newshub.co.nz/…/jews-outraged-after-mosque-leader-blames-mossad-for-…
”Their all going mad out there , – stark bloody raving mad ! ” …. said Uncle Hec after listening to the national broadcasts on his wireless…
Your link got redirected to spin about an arrest in Ozzy. Why am I not surprised. Madness is the new norm.
Almost overlooked: You say the Jews are defending Mossad! That is a nasty smear on the Jews – OMG, from the NZ Jewish Council themselves! Ahmed Bhamji is the man, respect to the Masjid E Umar!
Hey folks. It might pay to be wary of the rain. We have a state of emergency declared in Westland and the rain has been half a metre and more to come.
Surface flooding is exacerbated after drought conditions as the ground is hard and largely impervious.
Maureen Pugh’s tweeted about it so obviously Bridges was wrong about her as she can tweet. She’s tweeted about bridges washing out.
Irony, and wild weather.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216555
Yeah , pretty damn epic weather,… but I’ve got to say,… with Bridges squawking so much lately…. I did think of Bridges being washed out…
Hell ,… lets all play it again for old times sake’s…
Mike Curb Congregation – Burning Bridges (with lyrics) – YouTube
And over at stuffed we have that wee poodle Tracy Watkins standing on a bar stool.
Just what is Tract Watkins “sincerely hoping” for here when she says:
“Once the realities of domestic politics intrude – and they have already, after a week-long political truce – those expectations may run far ahead of what Ardern can realistically deliver. Because the extraordinary political circumstances that allowed her to announce new gun laws with near-unanimous support will likely never occur again – we sincerely hope……….”
That was a disgraceful article from a clearly troubled Watkins. Troubled that she wouldn’t have any controversy to bait the government with.
Well, I guess if Watkins fell off the bar stool, who would notice. Really.
Hot air doesn’t fall; it rises up and makes your nostrils tingle and your eyes water.
But if it keeps on rising it will eventually turn cold and become an icicle and then it will fall back to earth and melt away to nothing. Ahhh… not sure what that’s got to do with the price of fish but never mind. It’s late.
You need ice to keep the fish fresh? 🙂
Watkins and the rest of the Press Gallery have been reduced to bit players in the last week and a half, they will be wanting to rectify that and have normal service resumed ASAP.
Pressure’s on for these Nats. Another in a ‘bitter relationship break up’. This one is a close advisor to Bennett.
National = car crash.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216533
And just WHO is Judith Sloan ???
Australian economist Judith Sloan rips into ‘ordinary’ Jacinda Ardern …
https://www.newshub.co.nz/…/australian-economist-judith-sloan-rips-into-ordinary-jac…
Here’s the rub :
Judith Sloan – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Sloan
And your answer is ‘ conservative’. Which really should translate not as ‘ conservative ‘ at all. Far more accurate to name her as she is : a neo liberal radical liberalist, a globalist.
… ‘ She was a founding member of the group Conservatives for an Australian Head of State ‘…
This is how the far right wing will launch their attacks on our Prime Minister. By couching her as a recipient of good favor by NZ First and Winston Peters,… which may be true to an extent ,… but certainly and by no means detract’s from the excellent job she is doing.
Is Judith jealous ???
PS : Here’s a clue…
———————————
Sloan said the New Zealand election was “surprising” considering the “success of the previous National Party governments” under former prime ministers John Key and Bill English. She said they “artfully” steered us through the global financial crisis and Christchurch earthquakes.
———————————
There have been several mentions today in various news agencies of ‘speakers ‘ against MMP.
We can see whats being formed against this govt so just be a little vigilant for wolves in sheep’s clothing.
They are gearing up for distraction and an assault on our political system in 2020.
They are howling for vengeance.
Don’t let them have it.
“”I get it: she’s young… ”
Clearly she doesn’t get it at all. Jacinda has what Avasarala has: brains, integrity, and heart. The looks are just a bonus.
It’s The Australian. She’s preaching to the choir. Best to just ignore this bullshit.
With the NSW election out of the way it won’t be long now before Morrison calls the Federal polls. Prospects look terrible for the government and their media backers are starting to lose it.
Maybe, … but sticky little fingers making sticky little texts over the Tasman seem to carry a long way, … mates rates and favours,… so to speak…
None of it will matter in the long run though WK. Ardern is forging a bond now with the electorate that leaves the commentariat sidelined and grasping for relevance. I’ve stopped worrying.
Ever since Dirty Politics I wouldn’t trust em as far as I could kick em.
A Murdoch propagandist and a thoroughly unpleasant person.
The Ockers have got their knickers in a knot ’cause the good ol’ Kiwi dollar is up around 95c AUD, and was dollar for dollar a couple of weeks ago. NZD’s rightful place being AUD 80c or less.
Unfortunately for the poor Ockers it’s all their problem, NZD’s cross rates to most major currencies are in sort of normal ranges. Not happy times over the ditch
Yes, I nearly choke on my smoked Chicken roll at lunch today while reading that garbage from old Judith and I normally don’t read anything by her outside the finance section, and even then it’s usually a passing glance as it’s usually a load of bollocks most the time.
Most commentators and most of the journalists in the Oz or in most old Mates paper know 4/5ths of F*** all about MMP and if I had changed $5 since being in Oz since 98 for explaining MMP, the last election and why NZ has MMP I’ll flying about in MkVc Spritfire with my mid to late1930’s Bentley, SS or 3 wheel Morgan in the Hanger with couple of farms in Oz and NZ by now.
They think Key is god and old Bill is a saint over here in the Fourth Estate especially outside of the The Age, SMH and the ABC.
Sometimes I have to bite my tongue 😛 when reading the Oz paper in morning while have a coffee or tea at my local cafe.
You ol petrolhead!
Think of the planet – get a Tesla.
Rest assured Macro, the plant is safe for as I didn’t win $70m Oz lotto last night and I don’t think a Tesla will handle the NT environment as everything up here is big up here in the NT. Even the road trains and the other type of train (the Choo Choo one) have a few problems with the wildlife as the majors roads, rail line outside of Darwin or the major populated areas are unfenced.
Plus I haven’t seen a Tesla car or let alone any charging stations either around Darwin area, but I’ve seen an awful lot of those bloody big gas/ desiel guzzler Yankee 4wd Ute’s / pickup wagons of late and god only knows why the heck you want one of those big wide monsters anyway as they nexts to being bloody useless off road in the wet season.
LOL yeah I’m well aware of those road trains impressive! – I have family in Perth so have visited the West a few times and a friend in Queensland is one of those inveterate outbackers – they just did 10,000 km round the North – can’t for the life of me think why! Actually another mate of mine has a Tesla – and I have been having trouble with the 10th commandment ever since. I shall just have to make do with my hybrid.
Today it was mow the lawns at the bach day -not realising it was also beach hop day. OMG! Literally thousands of yank Tanks – fortunately they were going in the opposite direction. But I spent the day contemplating on the premiss that we really are an adolescent, if not infantile, species.
Having said that – I have a lasting recollection of a ’33 Bentley blatting around the Dunlop tyre factory in Upper Hutt one evening after work had finished for the day. My sis grazed her horse in the paddock next to the factory and I happened to be there when this Bentley arrived. The sound from its large copper pipe exhaust reverberating off the factory walls still lingers in my mind. I was an adolescent then and that sort of thing impressed.
Oh and I’ve got to sit in the cockpit of a Mosquito and been up close and personal to a Spit. Another mate is an ex warbird pilot.
You lucky sod for getting a sit in a mossie, my late NZ grandparents had a Austin 7 Saloon Vintage car which they drag me and younger brother when he was older a enough around NZ and hence my love of the 1930- 40’s cars and planes. But I’ve managed got to having sit in a Panzer 4 and Tiger 1 in the UK a few yrs, but buggers wouldn’t let me out of the hanger after I both started them. That same trip I also got an off limits tour of HMS Victory and would stay with me for a very long time.
In the wops outside Darwin, this might suit a bit better than a Tesla …
hmmmm nice! 2020 delivery and 12,000 pre ordered so maybe not next year. 🙁 but certainly the way to go A range of 200 miles is ok but you would not be taking into the outback very far unfortunately.
Yeah, really needs an i3 style range extender. Workhorse were planning to put one in their w-15, but IIRC last I saw they’ve dropped it. California regs.
Now that is more like it! What was the prob with the regs? A 400 mile range would be very useful. One charge between Auckland and Wellington – making it very do-able.
There’s different regs for petrol-powered range extenders in Cal. Don’t remember exactly what they are, but they’re complicated. They’re the cause of US-spec i3s having to run the battery down to 5% before the range extender can kick on, and the fuel tank being software limited to 7 litres, so the range extender is more a limp-home tool. Whereas euro spec i3s you can tell the range extender to kick on anytime and maintain battery state of charge, and use the full 9 litres of fuel.
That vid is kinda old, it was from before the decision to not have the range extender. The 400 miles was basically 80 miles pure electric plus 320 miles petrol-powered range extension.
Look’s like they nicked a Landrover Defender and just plonked a electic motor in, with hi ho sliver of we go but a of range of 200km aren’t going to get you far in Oz or anywhere else for that matter unless you are Western Europe.
Yeah it looks like a Landrover – but it is a unique design if u watch the vid.
Yes I’ll watched it, as I would be interesting to know how big the engine bay is and wondering to see if it’s possible to retro fit an electric motor into my Landie in the future once the technology advances IRT to range and 4wd.
I have an on-line acquaintance from another site who has retrofitted an old toyota starlet with an electric motor and uses it for local running. It’s been his main mode of transport for some years now. He’s very excited about the new tesla batteries as even a smaller one of them will give him a much extended range. He lives just up the road in the Coromandel and his son attends the local ATC but we haven’t got to meet although he and my eldest used to travel together to Waikato Uni for lectures.
I’ve been watching Tesla IRT it’s batteries of late and have been quite impressed at what they are doing atm. It’s one of the reasons why i has to push the Minister of Finance to spend a little bit more on our on grid Solar System so we can make seemless transition to off grid in the future.
I’ve got fantasies of converting my Defender. Been looking out for a wrecked i3 REx to rob the powertrain and battery out of. Actually bid on one a while back, but it was an easily repairable one so someone else was willing to pay a lot more than I was.
Get rid of the diesel engine and gearbox, stick about a 3:1 single stage reducer on the electric motor, and run it straight into the transfer box. Then I’d have a useful highway speed range, and a useful crawler range.
The electric motor is roughly the same size as the gearbox, so the whole engine bay would be free for controller, range extender etc, and the battery pack would go in the back on the floor. Or maybe below the floor between the chassis rails if I could be bothered tearing it down to package it all in a bit better.
Thank god I’m not the only lunatic around here thinking of converting his Landie to a all electric drive Landie.
I was think of putting the battery system where the fuel tank would’ve been, but between the chassis rails seems a good idea.
My other concern is I have a separate stand alone battery system with Red Arc converter thingy for my fridge and freezer which only put in for very long trips when the local shop isn’t down the road so to speak. I’m wondering if that may need replacing when I go all electric?
I don’t think you’d need replace your existing electronic goods. As long as you’ve got a rough guess of total power output then you should know how much range and usage and storage you’ll need. My neighbour bought a second hand Tesla Model S battery pack online and that’s got enough storage to run his two person house, washer, solar cloth dryer, gadgets, water pump, it’s enough storage to run for three days with out recharging and electric vehicles are, at least the Tesla range is really customisable so you can increase the storage by what ever you want really. Base models are $30k US where as just a year ago they where over a $100k. So the more EVs sold the cheaper they’re getting.
Speaking of One Nation – Mark Latham, the guy who used to be Australia’s next PM found his way into NSW’s upper house over the weekend.
The Labor government in Queensland has transferred two prisons back into state control from Serco.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-26/queensland-private-prisons-to-be-run-by-state-government/10938192?section=politics
This was the powerful routinely humiliating the powerless ….complete misunderstanding of the law my arse.
An investigation into illegal internal examinations of female prisoners at an Auckland jail brought back horrific memories for the victims, an independent watchdog says.
Auckland University sociologist Professor Tracey McIntosh spoke to prisoners and told Stuff there appeared to have been “a complete misunderstanding” of the law at the Auckland Region women’s jail at Wiri.
She said for her independent oversight role when Corrections investigated claims of illegal, intrusive physical searches of female inmates, the prisoners were brought in to see her and a senior Corrections staffer one by one.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/111569503/womens-prison-scandal-how-abhorrent-searches-came-to-light
Well hello Joe! Good to see you here. Small world isn’t it?
The rich schools oppose the plan to return education to being a public service for the greater good:
http://www.communityschools.org/
They want:
To be able to charge loads of fees
To be able to make parents buy devices they cannot afford
To pander to internation students
To kick out ‘dumb kids’ that make their schools look bad
**TO RUN SCHOOLS AS A TRADEABLE BUSINESS COMMODITY AND NOT A PUBLIC SERVICE**
To be honest, I trust civil servants to run schools than the red faced reactionary bourgeois hacks that control most boards of trustees, and have their own little networks.
The Hubs are going to shine some light on all the corruption and nepotism that goes on in our education system, and some people dont like that.
All right, OK , … lets get hip , baby ,… so hip were all pelvis …
Neil Diamond – You Got To Me 1967 – YouTube
All the Ruskies need to do is tweet “troops” and out go the lights in Venezuelan again. Hmmmm, James Bond says twice is a coincidence. Who remembers what 007 says about three times?
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/385493/russian-air-force-planes-land-in-venezuela-carrying-troops-report
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/venezuela-suffers-blackout-month-190326055858552.html
Guaido just confirmed he is behind the power outage!
“There will be no continuation of electricity in Venezuela until Maduro is removed.”
Looks like a US/Ruski cyber-tech-war over Venezuela. Most likely the power grid has a virus, which unreportedly drops the three phase down to one.