The triple parentheses are used by neo-nazis to indicate likely Jewish names or organisations and is used as an anti-semitic slur. It would be a good idea to avoid giving the impression that you share their sympathies.
Exactly Pete. It an honest world English would be punished for lying.
A brave journalist would say, “Since you lied about the Hole and about Tax hikes why would anyone believe a word you said Mr PM?”
Yep the news was not leaked. The media had a really good guess or maybe the news came to them in a dream. Nothing to see here. Ministers who are the biggest gossips in the country did not tell anyone else. Move on nothing to see.
Exactly. Since that scandal erupted, I have noticed a caginess from all the main political suspects. Six weeks out from an election and you can’t tell me the ministers involved managed to resist the temptation to gossip outside of the inner circle. Of course they did.
The anonymous caller to Newsroom was apparently a man and according to an article I read online this morning (can’t remember where it was) he was “well informed”.
Has anyone had the call traced? It might lead to nowhere but you would think someone would have tried.
NZ First is further left than Labour? I find that dubious. TOP also isn’t neoliberal, in my view.
Political parties are complex, so it is difficult to place them at some point on such a chart. Perhaps it would make more sense to draw a region where the policies more or less fit — some parties are focused, while others have divergent ideas.
But when you look at policies like what NZ1 even did with National from 1996, and compare it with Clark’s Labour, it’s definitely an arguable position. Things like free GP visits for <4 year olds and the super goldcard.
Especially when things like kiwirail and kiwibank were Alliance policies.
On the flipside, NZ1 has strong social conservatism themes and tolerated Prosser's statements (well, until he started talking tactics and renationalisation, lol).
And the blackmailers are out in force, from checkbooks being put away to concerns about the effect on the economy – the news are drumming up the beat in big letters everywhere. Just so that we all have a moment of angst so that we duly say hurray when National is selected to govern.
The longer these negotiations go the more pity I have for the party being the final winner(s). Why? Because in a few weeks time those hysterical soothsayers will have talked NZ economy into a severe downturn. Let Mr English get this round because with his friends fanning the fire it will be his last hurray and Mrs Ardern has time to really get her ducks into a row. Mr Peters by association will be gone too (I am 100% sure he will go with Nat) and Bob is your Uncle.
‘Winston Peters could be out for revenge against National over their attempts to take him down during the campaign.
A New Zealand First source has told Newshub Peters is particularly resentful towards Steven Joyce, whom he personally detests.
The Newshub tip-off
The tip was given to Newshub on the Friday six weeks out from the election just as National was undertaking its co-ordinated attack on Winston Peters.
It was an anonymous phone call, from a blocked number, from a man who knew lots of details.
It could have been a public servant.
But investigations by the Ministry of Social Development, Inland Revenue and Ministerial Services, which manages staff in the Beehive, have all failed to find the leaker.
That leaves a senior crew as suspects – two ministers, Anne Tolley and Paula Bennett, as well as the Prime Minister’s chief-of-staff Wayne Eagleson.’
‘Video footage has emerged of Winston Peters making a scathing attack on Bill English and a number of other MPs – saying they have created an unstable government that has exacerbated poverty.’
‘The tip was given to Newshub on the Friday six weeks out from the election just as National was undertaking its co-ordinated attack on Winston Peters.
It was an anonymous phone call, from a blocked number, from a man who knew lots of details.
It could have been a public servant.
But investigations by the Ministry of Social Development, Inland Revenue and Ministerial Services, which manages staff in the Beehive, have all failed to find the leaker.
That leaves a senior crew as suspects – two ministers, Anne Tolley and Paula Bennett, as well as the Prime Minister’s chief-of-staff Wayne Eagleson.
‘The tip was given to Newshub on the Friday six weeks out from the election just as National was undertaking its co-ordinated attack on Winston Peters.
Utter bullshit and fake news, there was no co-ordinated attack on Winston Peters. going on, the whole thing appeared out of nowhere.
Fuck the media, they’re a fucking joke, they have no credibility.
‘New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has lashed out at a media report tonight alleging he was out for “utu” against the National Party.
The report on Newshub said National launched a “four-pronged attack” on Peters – and now the kingmaker was out for revenge.
Newshub political editor Patrick Gower claimed his source was a New Zealand First party insider.
However, Peters hit back quickly, saying “whatever Patrick Gower and the Newshub producers are on, they should get off it”.
“Their TV news broadcasts the last two nights have been fiction, and grossly misleading. I will not be explaining what parts are fictional. Some of it is barefaced lies.
“This news broadcaster is claiming sources that don’t exist. It’s the very worst form of journalism,” he said.
“Newshub political editor Patrick Gower claimed his source was a New Zealand First party insider”.
I will no doubt be considered as being excessively cynical but I have always thought that the leak was from the ultimate “New Zealand First insider”.
I think it came from Winston himself. Probably one of his acolytes as his own voice is far too whisky hardened and recognisable to dare make the call himself.
I suspect he thought it would get him some welcome publicity when he was being ignored by all the reporters.
He would stand out in contrast to Turei as someone who had immediately repaid the money and could make a plausible case that it was an accident.
I notice he still won’t release the original application he put in though. Now if that ever genuinely leaked it might be explosive.
Fuck the media, they’re a fucking joke, they have no credibility.
They certainly did a very poor job of exposing National’s lies during the election campaign. However, the liars have even less credibility than the people who failed to expose their lies, so, on the whole, I’d take journos’ word for it over National’s.
BM’s right hand makes “scissors”, his left chooses “paper”. Next up, right plays “rock”, BM’s left tries “scissors”. In a final effort BM’s left hand goes first, plumps for “paper”, only to be met by the right hand’s elegant “scissor”!!; is it any wonder BM’s a bit jaded about the left???
That would be good to see but I think we’ll need a seismic shift in the whole political system before we can hope for an independent media. Or at least some form of transparency so they can be seen for what they are, mostly fanboys and girls for neoliberalism and underminers of democracy.
I pine though for a NZ media and commentariat free from Hosking, Williams, Garner, Richardson, Gower, Young, Trevett, Armstrong, Watkins, HDP, Hooten, Boag, …… The roll of dishonour is long and undistinguished.
Would you regard it as acceptable if a right-wing Government should be allowed to shut down news sites like this one? I certainly hope not.
I suppose you would only silence people you don’t like.
Nationalising the airwaves and restoring the commons, taking them back from corporations.
Setting them up for grassroots local organisations.
Thereby organising a democratic media, not one run for big business interests.
Am sick of the gossipy news, we can find that in the womans day, facebook, entertainment websites or whatever, I just want decent credible journalism, that is investigated rather than perpetuated gossip all over the telly, in the printed media and on their websites, click bait gossip central. Opinions on politics from sports presenters, sick of that shite.
And the real kicker is, as soon as we have some decent investigated journalism, it’s slammed. Like JC going off air etc.
I am grateful for my weekly dose of international media scruitney, via The Listening Post.
Here we are post-election getting our attention and energy taken up by another round of bullshit. (have to say Clifton’s joining the dots is useful though). Maybe it’s just me feeling overloaded with things to push back against and still the left is just not that willing to work together (although parts of it do obviously).
I’m in the middle of writing a Guest Post about the Green Party and all the BS that blows around. I hope you will like it enough to post it here when it is finished 😉
Tell me BM, in the 9 years National have been in government what have they done to cultivate the relationships that MMP demands?
If they come up short in the next few weeks they’ll have only themselves to blame.
Why would the Greens or any other party for that matter sign up to the same fate that has befallen ACT and the Māori Party?
The word has become a rhetorical weapon, but it properly names the reigning ideology of our era – one that venerates the logic of the market and strips away the things that make us human.
By Stephen Metcalf
So? That has nothing to do with what Carolyn posted, or what Jane Clifton tweeted. I see no reason to disbelieve her and the fact that there are a bunch of National voters who want their conscience’s salved over the environment, or who just can’t stand Peters doesn’t change that.
Basically all you are doing is saying you want National to have as much power as possible. No shit. Just be honest about it.
BM, Maybe that large chunk of national voters should have voted for the Greens if they really care about the environment. Rather than wanting the Greens with national because all they really care about is national holding power.
Yes National’s policies over the past 9 years have really prioritised the environment. Our waterways are pristine, we are reducing the cow herd to tackle climate change, we are spending much more on DOC to protect our wilderness areas…..
there’s a large chunk of National voters who’d prefer the Greens to Peters if that option was on the table.
I’d say a pretty small minority of Nats – based on Polling over recent years
In 2014 for instance National voters preferred the Conservatives as Coalition Partners (54% Reid Research 47% DigiPoll) followed by NZF (36% RR 38% DP) with the Greens way back
Doubt things have changed much
More to the point an overwhelming majority of Green voters prefer a Labour Coalition partner
I was going to post something last night after I heard Bolger on Checkpoint have a sly little dig that the Greens should consider going with National because there is no left or right when it came to the environment and advising JC to “watch that space”.
I thought maybe he was just being mischievous but then I noted all the other places this suggestion had popped up over recent days. I wondered if the whole thing was deliberate and being managed.
In many cases I thought the people suggesting it being a real option should have known better, particularly when any such coalition would need to ratified by 75% of Green Party members. So I thought they were either ill-informed, mischievous or worse.
Its “utu” time according to Mr Paddy Gower……….Mike, all over in a minute, Hosking declares NZ First holding country to ransom…………… the media are in a spin.
Oh for the sounds of silence after the ensuing media death rattle.
Hi weka – what do you mean when you say Gower is manipulating NZ politics “now”. Surely the elections been had and voters no longer have any influence. Surely Gower can only ever influence voters, rather than politicians? Is Peters’ decision likely to be guided by Gower’s effusions?
Robert, I suspect Mr Gower is pushing the line “you heard it here first” and that he is “privy” to “inside” information from “powerful” informants who call up on “blocked” phone numbers “telling all”.
The media in this country are being exposed for the poor little sycophants they are. Sadly a fair number of a certain 46% buy into it.
I guess, Kat, but I don’t see how anything Gower says will influence the formation of the new Government. He can cant all he wishes but Winston will make his own call.
He wants to up his ratings though and he may have some delusional fog similar to Hosking that what he says certain politicians may actually listen too. Since Key left there is an apparent vacuum between the media and politicians generally.
Although having said that Jacinda seems to have the measure of all of them, which is fascinating to observe.
Joke’s on him when you consider that Russell Norman went on to head Greenpeace and Kevin Hague heads Forest and Bird, two of the most effective progressive lobbying/activist groups we have in NZ now. I’m betting the Greens shedding some MPs just seeded some more great activism.
Absolutely weka. Kevin Hague is dong a sensational job at F & B, not least because it has stepped up to do some of the work that DoC has long since given up on.
I had a great admiration for Kevin Hague. He stood for what I thought a Green Party should be. When he didn’t win the leadership position I was greatly surprised, and disappointed.
He had also done something before he entered Parliament. He wasn’t just one of the career Pol Sci idiots who haven’t actually done anything in the real world. I’ll admit they are mostly in the Labour Party, rather than the Greens of course.
Russel Norman? Forget it. He hasn’t changed since he left Parliament. Look at the story this Blog covered where he tried to smear the Government just before Election Day.
How is his Court case going by the way? I wonder if Greenpeace will pay the fine?
I realise that Gareth Hughes is still in Parliament. However were he not, and it was quite close to happening, what would he do to support his family?
Go on a benefit?
The only thing I have seen him do, apart from being a joke as an MP was to dress up in a Star Trek uniform and pretend he was fighting the Klingons, or to have somewhat earlier been a stand-in in for Ronald McDonald. Has he done anything that has been useful to the world?
“I have heard myself called a pessimist, and perhaps I have written some words of ill omen in my books … and perhaps I have spoken tonight some words of ill omen – but they are not words of despair. If we conjecture the decline and fall of this civilisation, it is because we hope for a better one. We are a tough race, we human beings; we have lived through an ice age and many ages of barbarism; we can live through this age of civilisation; and when at length it wears out and crumbles under us, we can “plot our agony of resurrection” and make a new age. Our business is to live. To live through… anything. And to keep alive, through everything, our ideal values, of freedom and courage, and mercy and tolerance.”
apparently more voted for National as they are perceived as superior managers of the economy…..perception is not reality.
“To sum up, New Zealand has lagged a bit behind the median advanced country since 2007/08, and has had no productivity growth at all for the last five years. We continue to drift further behind our closest neighbour, Australia, and now face the likelihood that before too long we’ll be overtaken by countries that, throughout modern history, were never previously as productive as New Zealand was, and which 30 years ago we’d have looked on as pretty hopeless cases.”
Even the Aussies can see it…..God alone knows why 46% of NZ voters cant
“With at least 15,000 new homes needing to be built (not consented) in the city each year – more than double the current build rate – it is obvious that the housing situation in Auckland will continue to worsen as dwelling supply falls well short of rapid immigration-fueled population growth.
New Zealand needs genuine action on both the demand and supply-sides. And only Labour seems to have comprehensive policies (see here and here)”
Some are fools who believe the spin.
Some are cowards who believe the lies and scare stories.
Some are too lazy to research the issues.
And some pretend they care about child poverty, but their greed and selfishness trumps that when push comes to shove.
And finally there are the sociopaths.
The researchers at New York University named Eminen’s Lose Yourself and Backstreet’s No Diggity as two favourites amongst those with the highest psychopath scores, The Guardian reports…
…“You don’t want to have these people in positions where they can cause a lot of harm,” he added. “We need a tool to identify them without their cooperation or consent.”
(Been AFK from a couple of days before election, and trying to catch up)
I’ve been looking closely at the astounding destruction. What stuns me is how anyone survived at all. And pictures of yachts in known hurricane holes that are usually safe, just piled up over each other in tangled wrecks.
Cat 5’s used to be a once in a generation event; now we get several every year. Irma sustained winds over 270 km/hr for more than 24 hrs … that’s a grim statistic which bodes very ill for any nation within striking reach of these monsters.
An unusual convergence for the weather this time which hopefully won’t get repeated for at least 5 years.
But it will repeat. In the hurricane and typhoon areas it has been obvious for decades that with more energy, higher heat differentials, and above all else the ability to hoist more water into the atmosphere from climate change that there would be more intense storms rather than just more storms in those latitudes. Just as in our latitudes we’re going to get weather patterns lasting long and going further north from the pole and south from the sub-tropics.
Had to knock TeWhareWhero off the rss feed for badly formed feed for the second time in as many months. It was breaking the display off all the other sources in their latest post “The Neo-Libs’ Charter”
It can stay off now unless it gets fixed and I can be assured I don’t have to fix it another time.
What an amazing election we had on the weekend! Can’t wait for the special votes to come in and be confirmed on the 7th October (Am I correct with that date). I have enjoyed reading some the threads and once I pull my out my digit out my ass I’ll comment on a few things like the Nelson electorate which in my view Labour can win. It good to see Chris Carter pop in for his take of the Auckland seats and how to fix the problem there in regards to the various ethnic groups in NZ.
Anyway I thought I’ll post this from the ABC about our record breaking temperatures over here in Oz ATM. In the southern states it’s dryer than a pub with no beer and up here in the top end a very early build up which is slowly driving everyone bat shit crazy ATM with a lot of fires in between a lot of drinking with all bugger all else getting done because it too bloody hot to do anything else.
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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 ...
Watching Todd Muller make his first speech as the newly minted Leader of the Opposition after Simon Bridges’ defenestration on Friday brought to mind a headmaster addressing a school assembly. He showed no particular desire to ingratiate himself with his audience although the occasional flash of self-deprecating humour indicated a ...
The government has announced another income support scheme for people affected by the economic aftershocks of the pandemic: a $490 a week tax-free payment for the newly unemployed, which you can get even if you have a working partner. Which is great, because its supporting people who need help, but ...
The Greens have released their party list, and it contains a few surprises. The one that's getting all the news is that the membership are clearly fans of Chlöe Swarbrick, and she has worked hard to earn that. But they've also favoured incumbent protection over new blood, and in the ...
age credit:Science and Politics – Skeptically.org It seems impossible to keep politics out of science. It’s a pity because politics can end up forcing science to produce the results desired by ...
Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Matthew Parry, Dr Ayesha Verrall, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Martin Eichner (author details*)This blog details a recent modelling study we conducted. In it we estimated that it would take between 27 and 33 days of no new detected cases of COVID-19 for there to be ...
The 2015 Schol Bio paper included a question about a group of birds known as honeycreepers, specifically, the 56 species endemic to the Hawaiian islands. (Or, were endemic: 18, or perhaps 19, are still living; the others are extinct.) Students who’ve already had a look at this paper as part of ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Climate Feedback Article Review... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... What a Week’s Disasters Tell Us About Climate and the PandemicExtreme weather presents an even bigger threat ...
Todd Muller has made a good start to his leadership, though it would obviously be pretty stupid to extrapolate too much from the first couple of days. Nevertheless, as a matter of speculation, it is interesting to think what success on his part might say about the preferences of the ...
A guest post by Hamish Price.“A leader is a dealer in hope.”— Napoléon BonaparteCatholics have a name for potential successors to a dead pope. Papabile. The small coterie of distinguished cardinals who have what it takes to step up. Todd Muller has always been one.I first met Muller at a National ...
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 ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones has introduced a Bill to Parliament that he says will "force more transparency, integrity and respect" for the domestic wood-processing sector through the registration of log traders and practice standards. The Forests (Regulation of Log Traders and Forestry Advisers) Amendment Bill had its first reading in ...
Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is joining over 300 lawmakers from around the world in calling on the big banks and the IMF to forgive the debt of developing countries, in the wake of the COVID crisis. ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones says concerns that carbon foresters are planting pine trees that will never be harvested are the result of "misinformation". "The billion tree strategy is an excellent idea, unfortunately from time to time it's tainted by misinformation spread by the National Party or their grandees, hiding in scattered ...
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 ...
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, ...
The Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister and Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister, Kris Faafoi, has today announced the appointment of Tristan Gilbertson as the new Telecommunications Commissioner and member of the Commerce Commission. “Mr Gilbertson has considerable experience in the telecommunications industry and a strong reputation amongst his peers,” ...
The Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa have agreed to settle the pay equity claim for teacher aides, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This will see more than 22,000 teacher aides, mostly women, being valued and paid fairly for the work they do. “Teacher aides are frontline ...
Subcontractors will have greater certainty, more cashflow support and job security with new changes to retention payments under the Construction Contracts Act says Minister for Building and Construction, Jenny Salesa. A recent review of the retentions money regime showed that most of the building and construction sector is complying with ...
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 ...
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. ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Millions of dollars divvied up by Sport NZ, MSD’s problem with wrongly denied payments grows, and internal coalition battles emerge in time for election.It’s Friday, and there hasn’t been a lot of it recently, so we’re going to start with ...
The Government picks Waitomo caves as 'strategic tourism asset' and grants $4m to Tourism Holdings, boosting shares another 7.8 percent. Facebook staff and alumni revolt over Zuckerberg's inaction on Trump ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan NZ bestseller list and described by ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias.NON-FICTION 1 Vegful by Nadia Lim (Nude Food, $55) 2 Stop Surviving Start Fighting by Jazz Thornton (Penguin Random House, $38) 3 So Delish! by Simone Anderson ...
Anomalies in the policy for superannuitants with overseas pensions are an indictment on the justice process in New Zealand, write Susan St John and Dr Claire Dale Along with many others, the Retirement Policy and Research Centre has worked assiduously for more than a decade to alert the public, policy-makers ...
A new study indicates native plants, despite their tendency to grow more slowly than exotic species like Pinus Radiata, are better at storing carbon in the soil for longer periods of time. ...
Systemic white violence against black Americans is alive and well, and it's white violence that sustains white supremacy Current scenes from the United States are both familiar and shocking. George Floyd’s life being brutally snuffed out by Minneapolis police, followed by peaceful protests of Floyd’s murder as well as legitimate ...
The US isn't the only country with a broken criminal justice system that works to criminalise and destroy the lives of black and brown families. Dylan Asafo puts forward two ways NZ could lead in dismantling systems of white supremacy. If you were to imagine a society without racial oppression, ...
The British Tribe Next Door attracted over 60 complaints of racist themes from viewers when it first aired in the UK. Now TVNZ is streaming it on its OnDemand service attracting concerns from members of Aotearoa’s African community and a letter from race relations commissioner Meng Foon.When The British Tribe ...
When approached by The Spinoff Jeanette Wilson denied having told participants in an online session that the product ‘lined the lungs’, despite clear evidence to the contrary.The Covid-19 crisis has sparked misinformation in every corner of the world. In New Zealand, a “psychic healer” whose fixations read like a conspiracy ...
The union movement launched a push earlier this week to double the legal minimum of sick leave from five days a year to 10. Is a change likely?What’s all this then?In light of the recent global pandemic putting the focus on health in the workplace, unions have called for changes ...
An African American pastor from George Floyd's community gives The Detail a special insight into what's happening there - and gives us hope for the future. “Nobody in America wants to be a racist.” David Hill is a pastor in the Third Ward neighbourhood of Houston where George Floyd grew ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When Ken Wyatt, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, last week effectively pronounced dead the prospect of a referendum on indigenous recognition being put to the people this parliamentary term, the demise of his hoped-for timetable ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Morrison government will significantly strengthen its scrutiny of foreign investment to protect sensitive national security technology and information and further ring fence the nation’s critical infrastructure. It will insert a new “national security test” ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Does National have any chance of winning the election in September? It’s looking very unlikely, especially after National’s change of leadership hasn’t exactly produced Mullermania in the first two weeks. Quite the opposite, in fact, as I summarised in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, University 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. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Plank, Professor in Mathematics, University of Canterbury There is now a 95% chance COVID-19 has been eliminated in New Zealand, according to our modelling, based on official Ministry of Health data. As of June 4, New Zealand has had 20 consecutive ...
In 2014, Duncan Greive was invited to interview Dan Carter on the back of the All Black’s spokesmodelling gig for Jockey underwear – a meeting that would eventually lead to Greive co-writing Carter’s autobiography, My Story. To celebrate today’s big Dan Carter news, we republish that original Metro story here.In ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Coates, Program Director, Household Finances, Grattan Institute Scott Morrison’s new housing stimulus package is straight-out retail politics. HomeBuilder offers homeowners (including first home buyers) a grant of A$25,000 to build a new home worth less than $750,000 or to spend between ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to Rachel Taulelei, CEO of Kono.Demand for New Zealand produce overseas is currently up. ...
By Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie in Jakarta A panel of judges at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) has granted a lawsuit filed by civil society groups against the Indonesian government’s decision to impose an internet blackout during weeks of protests in Papua and West Papua provinces last year, declaring ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Mitchell, Professor of Nursing, University of Newcastle With coronavirus restrictions gradually lifting across the country, we’re now able to resume many of our regular activities. A lot of us might have been particularly keen to get back to the gym, which ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Perhaps at no point in Australia’s history has the demand for real-time figures been stronger than during the coronavirus crisis. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stepped up its efforts to get data fast, to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Senior Lecturer, QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jolynna Sinanan, Research Fellow in Digital Media and Ethnography, University of Sydney Earlier this week, you might have seen your social media taken over by a stream of posts showing simple images of a black square. These posts, often tagged with #BlackoutTuesday, ...
A strong vote for sustainability would make the resulting Labour-Greens government a confident and ambitious reformer, having shed its NZ First handbrake ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick White, PhD Candidate in History and Politics, James Cook University Australia’s local governments breathed new life into embattled regional communities after the second world war. Today, this history reminds us of the role local councils and communities should play in plans ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mick Broderick, Associate Professor of Media Analysis, Murdoch University Over successive Sunday nights, the ABC has premiered two important television programs recounting the history of nuclear testing in Australia – the documentary Maralinga Tjuratja and a six-drama series Operation Buffalo. Both explore ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marisa Paterson, Centre for Social Research and Methods, Australian National University When the COVID-19 restrictions came into force more than two months ago, it meant lights out for the country’s 200,000 poker machines. Now, the pokies are slowly turning on again across ...
With roughly 97% of New Zealand enterprises categorised as small businesses – that is, 20 or fewer employees – accounting software platform Xero’s newly released analysis provides a stark picture of the severe impact of Covid-19 throughout the sector.What exactly does the data show?Essentially, the data shows that year-on-year revenue ...
This week, on 1 June 2020, an interest rate cap on high-cost loans (over 50% interest per annum) was finally introduced in New Zealand. The introduction of an interest rate cap will help borrowers, like Sarah Newham, who presented to Select Committee ...
After hammering out a deal over commercial rents with Labour, New Zealand First is now publicly criticising some of the measures its coalition partner had been pushing for. ...
After hammering out a deal over commercial rents with Labour, New Zealand First is now publicly criticising some of the measures its coalition partner had been pushing for. ...
After hammering out a deal over commercial rents with Labour, New Zealand First is now publicly criticising some of the measures its coalition partner had been pushing for. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lee, Associate Professor of History , UNSW The Conversation is running a series of explainers on key figures in Australian political history, looking at the way they changed the nature of debate, its impact then, and it relevance to politics today. ...
Labour-hire workers are falling between the cracks because neither the agencies they are employed by nor the host companies they work for want to take responsibility for them, FIRST Union said today. Dozens of agency workers have been contacting the ...
Daily Review 26/09/2017 
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Marcon is a anti worker scum bag. Only up side is he is showing us all that socialism is the only real alternative to this beige revolution.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/macron-labour-laws-reforms-new-france-union-protests-a7962141.html
The anti-(((globalist))) movement is global, apparently.
/
The triple parentheses are used by neo-nazis to indicate likely Jewish names or organisations and is used as an anti-semitic slur. It would be a good idea to avoid giving the impression that you share their sympathies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_parentheses
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2016/jun/12/echoes-beating-the-far-right-two-triple-brackets-at-a-time
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/triple-parentheses-echo
Thought the / would do the trick, but yeah.
That’s tricky. People have been using double and triple parentheses for a lot longer than that to signify hugging someone online.
Another one of their appropriations, like Pepe.
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/ywwxj7/pepe-the-frogs-creator-gets-alt-right-childrens-book-pulled-vows-to-aggressively-enforce-his-intellectual-property
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/8x8gaa/pepe-the-frogs-creator-lawsuits-dmca-matt-furie-alt-right
HugsHugsHugs(((Palestine)))HugsHugsHugs
Just saw bill English on the news after hearing him earlier on the radio.
He was give us a categorical assurance the Winston Peters’ leak didn’t come from his lot.
Yes Bill, we hear you, and we all know how honest you are.
Exactly Pete. It an honest world English would be punished for lying.
A brave journalist would say, “Since you lied about the Hole and about Tax hikes why would anyone believe a word you said Mr PM?”
Well I can just see Hosking doing that……
And the media go on about the Nat’s ‘moral authority’ without a trace of irony.
But, but .. I take people at their word, no one ever lies to me, I’m a very important caretaker – sarc as
Yep the news was not leaked. The media had a really good guess or maybe the news came to them in a dream. Nothing to see here. Ministers who are the biggest gossips in the country did not tell anyone else. Move on nothing to see.
Great guessing skills too what with the $18,000 punt.
Exactly. Since that scandal erupted, I have noticed a caginess from all the main political suspects. Six weeks out from an election and you can’t tell me the ministers involved managed to resist the temptation to gossip outside of the inner circle. Of course they did.
The anonymous caller to Newsroom was apparently a man and according to an article I read online this morning (can’t remember where it was) he was “well informed”.
Has anyone had the call traced? It might lead to nowhere but you would think someone would have tried.
Btw, where’s Jason Ede?
With all the Nats & Greens getting together conjecture and folks saying how they can do it in Germany, it’s interesting to see where our respective Green Parties sit in on the political compass…
In NZ…
https://www.politicalcompass.org/nz2017
and in Germany..
https://www.politicalcompass.org/germany2017
A different shade of green maybe?
NZ First is further left than Labour? I find that dubious. TOP also isn’t neoliberal, in my view.
Political parties are complex, so it is difficult to place them at some point on such a chart. Perhaps it would make more sense to draw a region where the policies more or less fit — some parties are focused, while others have divergent ideas.
Economically further left
Because they oppose TPPA?
I think people are confusing Muldoon style protectionism with economics more typical of the left. The clue is in the party name, really.
Norman Kirk-style, as well.
But when you look at policies like what NZ1 even did with National from 1996, and compare it with Clark’s Labour, it’s definitely an arguable position. Things like free GP visits for <4 year olds and the super goldcard.
Especially when things like kiwirail and kiwibank were Alliance policies.
On the flipside, NZ1 has strong social conservatism themes and tolerated Prosser's statements (well, until he started talking tactics and renationalisation, lol).
And the blackmailers are out in force, from checkbooks being put away to concerns about the effect on the economy – the news are drumming up the beat in big letters everywhere. Just so that we all have a moment of angst so that we duly say hurray when National is selected to govern.
The longer these negotiations go the more pity I have for the party being the final winner(s). Why? Because in a few weeks time those hysterical soothsayers will have talked NZ economy into a severe downturn. Let Mr English get this round because with his friends fanning the fire it will be his last hurray and Mrs Ardern has time to really get her ducks into a row. Mr Peters by association will be gone too (I am 100% sure he will go with Nat) and Bob is your Uncle.
Last time Winston Peters held the balance of power and kept everyone waiting, business ticked along without a bat of an eyelid.
The more politicians can stay out of business (even if it’s just being caught up in their own affairs), the more businesses like it.
Utu.
Best served cold.
‘Winston Peters could be out for revenge against National over their attempts to take him down during the campaign.
A New Zealand First source has told Newshub Peters is particularly resentful towards Steven Joyce, whom he personally detests.
The Newshub tip-off
The tip was given to Newshub on the Friday six weeks out from the election just as National was undertaking its co-ordinated attack on Winston Peters.
It was an anonymous phone call, from a blocked number, from a man who knew lots of details.
It could have been a public servant.
But investigations by the Ministry of Social Development, Inland Revenue and Ministerial Services, which manages staff in the Beehive, have all failed to find the leaker.
That leaves a senior crew as suspects – two ministers, Anne Tolley and Paula Bennett, as well as the Prime Minister’s chief-of-staff Wayne Eagleson.’
Lots more here……
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/09/patrick-gower-winston-peters-wants-utu-from-steven-joyce.html
More here…
‘Video footage has emerged of Winston Peters making a scathing attack on Bill English and a number of other MPs – saying they have created an unstable government that has exacerbated poverty.’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11926450
The media seems intent on trying to sink any chance of a Lab/Green/NZ First coalition.
The Nats tried and failed to take out New Zealand First.
Joyce is a piece of work.
The media are simply reporting facts.
Got a problem with that?
Peters hates the media, they’re trying to manipulate him into going with Labour and the Greens.
So the dirty politics reported is a fiction?
Probably, media just make up shit they have no credibility.
So this is a lie?
‘The tip was given to Newshub on the Friday six weeks out from the election just as National was undertaking its co-ordinated attack on Winston Peters.
It was an anonymous phone call, from a blocked number, from a man who knew lots of details.
It could have been a public servant.
But investigations by the Ministry of Social Development, Inland Revenue and Ministerial Services, which manages staff in the Beehive, have all failed to find the leaker.
That leaves a senior crew as suspects – two ministers, Anne Tolley and Paula Bennett, as well as the Prime Minister’s chief-of-staff Wayne Eagleson.
‘The tip was given to Newshub on the Friday six weeks out from the election just as National was undertaking its co-ordinated attack on Winston Peters.
Utter bullshit and fake news, there was no co-ordinated attack on Winston Peters. going on, the whole thing appeared out of nowhere.
Fuck the media, they’re a fucking joke, they have no credibility.
Sounds like you may be correct.
‘New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has lashed out at a media report tonight alleging he was out for “utu” against the National Party.
The report on Newshub said National launched a “four-pronged attack” on Peters – and now the kingmaker was out for revenge.
Newshub political editor Patrick Gower claimed his source was a New Zealand First party insider.
However, Peters hit back quickly, saying “whatever Patrick Gower and the Newshub producers are on, they should get off it”.
“Their TV news broadcasts the last two nights have been fiction, and grossly misleading. I will not be explaining what parts are fictional. Some of it is barefaced lies.
“This news broadcaster is claiming sources that don’t exist. It’s the very worst form of journalism,” he said.
“Newshub political editor Patrick Gower claimed his source was a New Zealand First party insider”.
I will no doubt be considered as being excessively cynical but I have always thought that the leak was from the ultimate “New Zealand First insider”.
I think it came from Winston himself. Probably one of his acolytes as his own voice is far too whisky hardened and recognisable to dare make the call himself.
I suspect he thought it would get him some welcome publicity when he was being ignored by all the reporters.
He would stand out in contrast to Turei as someone who had immediately repaid the money and could make a plausible case that it was an accident.
I notice he still won’t release the original application he put in though. Now if that ever genuinely leaked it might be explosive.
I really doubt that.
Fuck the media, they’re a fucking joke, they have no credibility.
They certainly did a very poor job of exposing National’s lies during the election campaign. However, the liars have even less credibility than the people who failed to expose their lies, so, on the whole, I’d take journos’ word for it over National’s.
That’s a pretty sad indictment of the state of the nation. True though.
BM
” just make up shit they have no credibility.” This is surely an accurate description of your beloved Party
They’re not trying to manipulate him. They have no hope of doing that.
So they’re trolling him then? again bad for the left.
The sun comes up in the morning.
BM: “That’s bad for the Left.”
yep – oh dear rain – bad for the left that one says BM sagely
BM’s right hand makes “scissors”, his left chooses “paper”. Next up, right plays “rock”, BM’s left tries “scissors”. In a final effort BM’s left hand goes first, plumps for “paper”, only to be met by the right hand’s elegant “scissor”!!; is it any wonder BM’s a bit jaded about the left???
Maybe Paddy should have added that Winston detests the media the most, especially when they spin shite.
I hope that he reforms the media when in power.
+ infinity and beyond
That would be good to see but I think we’ll need a seismic shift in the whole political system before we can hope for an independent media. Or at least some form of transparency so they can be seen for what they are, mostly fanboys and girls for neoliberalism and underminers of democracy.
I pine though for a NZ media and commentariat free from Hosking, Williams, Garner, Richardson, Gower, Young, Trevett, Armstrong, Watkins, HDP, Hooten, Boag, …… The roll of dishonour is long and undistinguished.
Would you regard it as acceptable if a right-wing Government should be allowed to shut down news sites like this one? I certainly hope not.
I suppose you would only silence people you don’t like.
Who said anything about shutting down blogs? I think that’s your authoritarian imagination running away with itself there.
Nationalising the airwaves and restoring the commons, taking them back from corporations.
Setting them up for grassroots local organisations.
Thereby organising a democratic media, not one run for big business interests.
Ed, yes please and thank you
Those with more money should not have a louder voice.
Am sick of the gossipy news, we can find that in the womans day, facebook, entertainment websites or whatever, I just want decent credible journalism, that is investigated rather than perpetuated gossip all over the telly, in the printed media and on their websites, click bait gossip central. Opinions on politics from sports presenters, sick of that shite.
And the real kicker is, as soon as we have some decent investigated journalism, it’s slammed. Like JC going off air etc.
I am grateful for my weekly dose of international media scruitney, via The Listening Post.
Grey .. Fortunately now there are others beyond the dishonoured, and undistinguished …
Their time may well come, but at least there are alternatives!
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@boardroom/2017/09/26/49345/productivity-growth-still-missing-in-action
OK lefites – this is a BIG warning sign not to jump on the Nat-Green alliance band wagon.
Jane Clifton tweeted that, with respect to the floated Nat-Green alliance:
This floated scenario is not in the Lab-Green interest.
It’s in the Nat’s interest to have another party to play off against NZ First.
Yep. If only the left had the resources to have people run disruption lines in the media …
We could organise instead, just saying .
Here we are post-election getting our attention and energy taken up by another round of bullshit. (have to say Clifton’s joining the dots is useful though). Maybe it’s just me feeling overloaded with things to push back against and still the left is just not that willing to work together (although parts of it do obviously).
I’m in the middle of writing a Guest Post about the Green Party and all the BS that blows around. I hope you will like it enough to post it here when it is finished 😉
Excellent. Do you want me to put it up? I can flick you an email via the address you comment with.
I think I already have your e-mail address from a previous Guest Post 😉
If not, I know where to find you 😉
Lol, true. Drop me a note here too, might be an old address I don’t use often.
More fake news don’t be so gullible.
Don’t troll.
+100
I’m not trolling there’s a large chunk of National voters who’d prefer the Greens to Peters if that option was on the table.
Personally, I’d prefer the Greens, Peters is a yesterday’s man, his time has pretty much been and gone,
But if Peters is the only option, then Peters it is.
There’s also a large chunk of Green voters who would probably consider that option the worst outcome they could imagine.
Funny thing is I consider the Greens more of a religious movement than a political party.
From what I’ve seen of most religious organisations I’d expect the Greens to jump at the opportunity to convert the non-green heathen
Currently, they treat the right in the same way the US treats Muslims, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Lol, ok at least you’re trying in your trolling now.
Tell me BM, in the 9 years National have been in government what have they done to cultivate the relationships that MMP demands?
If they come up short in the next few weeks they’ll have only themselves to blame.
Why would the Greens or any other party for that matter sign up to the same fate that has befallen ACT and the Māori Party?
Many would describe neoliberalism as a cult.
Neoliberalism has brought out the worst in us
Paul Verhaeghe
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/29/neoliberalism-economic-system-ethics-personality-psychopathicsthic
Neoliberalism: the idea that swallowed the world
The word has become a rhetorical weapon, but it properly names the reigning ideology of our era – one that venerates the logic of the market and strips away the things that make us human.
By Stephen Metcalf
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/aug/18/neoliberalism-the-idea-that-changed-the-world
…. “From what I’ve seen” How many eyes do you have B.
Sounds like One to me!
So? That has nothing to do with what Carolyn posted, or what Jane Clifton tweeted. I see no reason to disbelieve her and the fact that there are a bunch of National voters who want their conscience’s salved over the environment, or who just can’t stand Peters doesn’t change that.
Basically all you are doing is saying you want National to have as much power as possible. No shit. Just be honest about it.
The world does not revolve around the whims of Gnat voters.
Gnats’ve had power for 9 years – if they’d done a halfway decent job they’d have an outright majority.
BM, Maybe that large chunk of national voters should have voted for the Greens if they really care about the environment. Rather than wanting the Greens with national because all they really care about is national holding power.
Given that National voters are actually environmentalists, especially the farmers. We are told.
lmao Robert 😀
Priceless Robert!! How are the trees??
Yes National’s policies over the past 9 years have really prioritised the environment. Our waterways are pristine, we are reducing the cow herd to tackle climate change, we are spending much more on DOC to protect our wilderness areas…..
I’d say a pretty small minority of Nats – based on Polling over recent years
In 2014 for instance National voters preferred the Conservatives as Coalition Partners (54% Reid Research 47% DigiPoll) followed by NZF (36% RR 38% DP) with the Greens way back
Doubt things have changed much
More to the point an overwhelming majority of Green voters prefer a Labour Coalition partner
Fake news from Jane Clifton?
I was going to post something last night after I heard Bolger on Checkpoint have a sly little dig that the Greens should consider going with National because there is no left or right when it came to the environment and advising JC to “watch that space”.
I thought maybe he was just being mischievous but then I noted all the other places this suggestion had popped up over recent days. I wondered if the whole thing was deliberate and being managed.
In many cases I thought the people suggesting it being a real option should have known better, particularly when any such coalition would need to ratified by 75% of Green Party members. So I thought they were either ill-informed, mischievous or worse.
Grey, Others are onto it!
There’s no need to have to listen to those has beens any more ..
Hooten has been pushing this barrel for some time now…that should be reason enough to dismiss it out of hand
Its “utu” time according to Mr Paddy Gower……….Mike, all over in a minute, Hosking declares NZ First holding country to ransom…………… the media are in a spin.
Oh for the sounds of silence after the ensuing media death rattle.
Paddy Gower is a fuckwit. He misuses his power to manipulate NZ politics. He does it during elections, and it’s what he’s doing this week too.
Hi weka – what do you mean when you say Gower is manipulating NZ politics “now”. Surely the elections been had and voters no longer have any influence. Surely Gower can only ever influence voters, rather than politicians? Is Peters’ decision likely to be guided by Gower’s effusions?
Lol, exactly.
Dirty Politics got normalised at the last election, they don’t even need a special hit team now.
Robert, I suspect Mr Gower is pushing the line “you heard it here first” and that he is “privy” to “inside” information from “powerful” informants who call up on “blocked” phone numbers “telling all”.
The media in this country are being exposed for the poor little sycophants they are. Sadly a fair number of a certain 46% buy into it.
I guess, Kat, but I don’t see how anything Gower says will influence the formation of the new Government. He can cant all he wishes but Winston will make his own call.
He wants to up his ratings though and he may have some delusional fog similar to Hosking that what he says certain politicians may actually listen too. Since Key left there is an apparent vacuum between the media and politicians generally.
Although having said that Jacinda seems to have the measure of all of them, which is fascinating to observe.
Good to see businesses taking the initiative and adapting.
Kiwi businesses commit to ‘no qualifications required’ hiring
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/97253320
They are being kind. There are a bunch of former Green MPs who will be looking for work.
Troll alert!
Joke’s on him when you consider that Russell Norman went on to head Greenpeace and Kevin Hague heads Forest and Bird, two of the most effective progressive lobbying/activist groups we have in NZ now. I’m betting the Greens shedding some MPs just seeded some more great activism.
Absolutely weka. Kevin Hague is dong a sensational job at F & B, not least because it has stepped up to do some of the work that DoC has long since given up on.
ScottGN – that’s funny also 🙂
I had a great admiration for Kevin Hague. He stood for what I thought a Green Party should be. When he didn’t win the leadership position I was greatly surprised, and disappointed.
He had also done something before he entered Parliament. He wasn’t just one of the career Pol Sci idiots who haven’t actually done anything in the real world. I’ll admit they are mostly in the Labour Party, rather than the Greens of course.
Russel Norman? Forget it. He hasn’t changed since he left Parliament. Look at the story this Blog covered where he tried to smear the Government just before Election Day.
How is his Court case going by the way? I wonder if Greenpeace will pay the fine?
I realise that Gareth Hughes is still in Parliament. However were he not, and it was quite close to happening, what would he do to support his family?
Go on a benefit?
The only thing I have seen him do, apart from being a joke as an MP was to dress up in a Star Trek uniform and pretend he was fighting the Klingons, or to have somewhat earlier been a stand-in in for Ronald McDonald. Has he done anything that has been useful to the world?
@alwyn
Cheeky bugger.
Alwyn – that’s funny!
To whomsoever it may concern:
“I have heard myself called a pessimist, and perhaps I have written some words of ill omen in my books … and perhaps I have spoken tonight some words of ill omen – but they are not words of despair. If we conjecture the decline and fall of this civilisation, it is because we hope for a better one. We are a tough race, we human beings; we have lived through an ice age and many ages of barbarism; we can live through this age of civilisation; and when at length it wears out and crumbles under us, we can “plot our agony of resurrection” and make a new age. Our business is to live. To live through… anything. And to keep alive, through everything, our ideal values, of freedom and courage, and mercy and tolerance.”
http://dark-mountain.net/blog/coming-down-the-mountain-a-farewell/
apparently more voted for National as they are perceived as superior managers of the economy…..perception is not reality.
“To sum up, New Zealand has lagged a bit behind the median advanced country since 2007/08, and has had no productivity growth at all for the last five years. We continue to drift further behind our closest neighbour, Australia, and now face the likelihood that before too long we’ll be overtaken by countries that, throughout modern history, were never previously as productive as New Zealand was, and which 30 years ago we’d have looked on as pretty hopeless cases.”
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/26/49345/productivity-growth-still-missing-in-action
Even the Aussies can see it…..God alone knows why 46% of NZ voters cant
“With at least 15,000 new homes needing to be built (not consented) in the city each year – more than double the current build rate – it is obvious that the housing situation in Auckland will continue to worsen as dwelling supply falls well short of rapid immigration-fueled population growth.
New Zealand needs genuine action on both the demand and supply-sides. And only Labour seems to have comprehensive policies (see here and here)”
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2017/09/nz-prime-minister-fails-badly-housing-defence/
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2017/09/nz-votes-yes-housing-ponzi/
I worry for many of those 46%.
Some are fools who believe the spin.
Some are cowards who believe the lies and scare stories.
Some are too lazy to research the issues.
And some pretend they care about child poverty, but their greed and selfishness trumps that when push comes to shove.
And finally there are the sociopaths.
maybe its “primarily there are the sociopaths”….the ones setting the agenda,writing the script and pulling the strings
Too true
… what was that tune National was in court for using during the last election campaign…?
(Been AFK from a couple of days before election, and trying to catch up)
Prime Minister of hurricane-hit Dominica: “To deny climate change is to deny a truth we have just lived”
I’ve been looking closely at the astounding destruction. What stuns me is how anyone survived at all. And pictures of yachts in known hurricane holes that are usually safe, just piled up over each other in tangled wrecks.
Cat 5’s used to be a once in a generation event; now we get several every year. Irma sustained winds over 270 km/hr for more than 24 hrs … that’s a grim statistic which bodes very ill for any nation within striking reach of these monsters.
An unusual convergence for the weather this time which hopefully won’t get repeated for at least 5 years.
But it will repeat. In the hurricane and typhoon areas it has been obvious for decades that with more energy, higher heat differentials, and above all else the ability to hoist more water into the atmosphere from climate change that there would be more intense storms rather than just more storms in those latitudes. Just as in our latitudes we’re going to get weather patterns lasting long and going further north from the pole and south from the sub-tropics.
Booth by booth – provincial South Taranaki lumps Whanganui city with National and their idiot.
Had to knock TeWhareWhero off the rss feed for badly formed feed for the second time in as many months. It was breaking the display off all the other sources in their latest post “The Neo-Libs’ Charter”
It can stay off now unless it gets fixed and I can be assured I don’t have to fix it another time.
Hmmm https://publicaddress.net website is offline
Someone with an email and or twitter to russell brown might like to tell him. I’m not sure that I have that stashed.
back now.
What an amazing election we had on the weekend! Can’t wait for the special votes to come in and be confirmed on the 7th October (Am I correct with that date). I have enjoyed reading some the threads and once I pull my out my digit out my ass I’ll comment on a few things like the Nelson electorate which in my view Labour can win. It good to see Chris Carter pop in for his take of the Auckland seats and how to fix the problem there in regards to the various ethnic groups in NZ.
Anyway I thought I’ll post this from the ABC about our record breaking temperatures over here in Oz ATM. In the southern states it’s dryer than a pub with no beer and up here in the top end a very early build up which is slowly driving everyone bat shit crazy ATM with a lot of fires in between a lot of drinking with all bugger all else getting done because it too bloody hot to do anything else.
Here’s the ABC link:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-26/bom-records-will-fall-as-eastern-australia-braces-for-heatwave/8988650
Here in Ballarat it’s been a long cold wet winter. 0 deg this morning and the heat pump is on again this evening. Crazy country.