Are some in the US with the help from their neighbor trying to make a case to kick NZ out of the Five Eyes system?
Is this the revenge for NZ not towing the US line?
As for Chinese influence, it was the National party that was getting a lot of Chinese money and even a member of their party is known to have trained Chinese Spies. There has been also been some suspicions they might be still under the employment of the Chinese government.
Yes, there’s something fishy about the claims. Labour’s president, Nigel Haworth is on record as saying there’s been no donations to the Labour Party from any Chinese based group – I paraphrase. Yet we know Chinese interests have been donating many thousands of dollars to the National Party in recent years. But the accusers wait until a Labour led government is in power before they make their claims.
I listened to the ex-CIA analyst interview on RNZ a few days ago and the tone of his claims and the way he delivered them made me suspicious. It was as if he was delivering pre-determined lines and trying not to deviate from them.
Old mate Paul, over at Kiwipolitico has put the RNZ link.
I think they told the “No Mates Party” senior leadership group, but got flog off with “She be right mate and we know what we are doing” so now they are having a wee chat to Jandals and the team and hoping they don’t flog them like the last mob did.
“MPI is captured by the fishing industry. We need an independent public inquiry into the Fisheries Management System and its regulator. Right now, MPI and the seafood industry are trying to prevent this independent inquiry and are instead pushing for an internal MPI review, but this further leaked report shows once again why that must not happen.
“MPI simply cannot be trusted to tell the truth or regulate the industry. Just last year when they didn’t prosecute anyone after their own video cameras exposed widespread fish dumping in the inshore fishery, MPI claimed the decision not to prosecute was due to legal advice. But it turned out that legal advice did not exist. MPI simply didn’t tell the truth.”
From what I’ve heard reported MPI’s response is usually along the lines of: “That was years ago and we’ve talked to them and they’re not being naughty now”.
Yeah right.
Like we believe you. Start doing your job! And that means not working in the interests of the fishing industry.
I’m afraid both major parties have colluded with the industry to let it do whatever the hell it wants. You may recall the foreign labour scandals that Key “couldn’t fix until 2016”, which was utter bullshit – all the charter vessels operating here are registered here and thus subject to NZ law in its entirety. Both parties are predominantly composed of lawyers, they knew it was bullshit, but went along with it – no doubt hoping for donations.
“Both parties are predominantly composed of lawyers”.
According to my dictionary the word “predominantly” is defined as
“for the most part; mostly; mainly’
In other words more than half.
That is certainly a spectacular claim. Can you produce even a skerrick of evidence to justify it?
I won’t go as far as making you prove that more than 50% of each parties members have practising certificates but can you please list the members of National and Labour who have the much lesser standard of a law degree?
By your claim there are at least 24 in Labour and 28 in the National Party.
Who are they?
What a tiny little point of order you raise. What a minuscule piece of pedantry you bring up. Instead of going with the essence of a comment and putting your view on that, you pick up on a single word and pontificate on your superior knowledge of what that word means.
This a prime perfect example of what trolling is. Never mind the thread, just drag a red herring across the topic trying to change the narrative. make it all about you and work hard at pissing people off.
I understand your MO because I went to school with annoying little pricks who did exactly the same thing.
I really should ignore you, but it’s like watching 2 monkeys at the zoo shagging their little hearts out. You have to watch and comment.
How fascinating. You have certainly answered one question. At least at the time that list was prepared the statement about the number of lawyers was false.
When on earth was it done? I was hard pressed to even vaguely remember some of the names.
Cunliffe? Goff? Mathers? Turei? Norman?
The names seem to ring a bell somewhere but they certainly aren’t shining lights in the current Parliament are they?
That quote I like.
Sounds like Lyndon Johnson.
When he got a bit down from what he thought were unfair attacks from the Washington Post he is reputed to have complained that
‘If I got up tomorrow and walked across the Potomac the headline in the Post the next day would be “President can’t swim”.’
I guess that explains why he continued for so long in Vietnam. He walked across, rather than swam in, the Sea of Knowledge.
Having made prostitution legal to enable the workers to insist on safety measures and not endure the two-faced disdain dumped on them, and to be able to earn a fair living at this therapeutic business, now it is said to be that NZs are undercut by foreign workers! What a pathetic society. Every time we take a step forward it seems to be followed by 2-3 steps back.
One of the main sex work websites advertised more than 800 women, separated into Asian and non-Asian prostitutes.
A registration scheme on sites would mean only those eligible to work could advertise – and ensure everyone was paying tax, Ms O’Hara said…
Other prostitutes RNZ spoke to said they were being crowded out and undercut by immigrant sex workers, who were charging half the rates of their New Zealand counterparts.
Hamilton sex worker Lisa Lewis said most people who went on holiday maxed-out their credit cards.
“These girls are leaving with their credit cards in credit,” she said.
“It’s definitely a disadvantage for any legal sex worker because we are having to pay tax, the provisional, the income, the GST, ACC levies.
“They are leaving New Zealand without any of that taken off them, which is robbery of the government.”
Prostitution is not the same as installing technology in the ground or anywhere.
It is a delicate moral issue, and we have attempted to face up to it in NZ to the benefit of the workers and their clients. Allowing foreigners to come in and
exploit the workplace for this type of business shows the RW two-faced lack of integrity.
I’ve heard that some Indian students have made big sacrifices to come here. If they are allowed to come they should be treated fairly but I have also heard that Immigration can take people’s money, and when they have satisfied all the requirements, filled in the forms, the rules are changed and they are ineligible with no refund.
This time, in India, they have let sharks operating as agents operate in a feeding frenzy instead of establishing who is operating to standards, and registering them as officially recognised and reliable.
Matters of “fairness and natural justice” are enshrined in Immigration NZ’s immigration policy, created by Cabinet.
But one year ago – at about the same time that issues of fraud and exploitation in the Indian student market became common – Immigration dismantled the complaint process by bypassing the need for Cabinet to make changes to immigration policy and introducing a new complaints process.
It states: “Complaints which only raise matters of the merits of a decision will not be accepted for an investigation into that decision.”
At the same time, Immigration began advising the minister that its strategy to clamp down on migrant exploitation was to target those migrants who are at risk of exploitation – to deport people who may become victims, rather than stop the exploitation itself.
Immigration has suggested that budget constraints were responsible for this strategy.
Immigration in any country seems to attract behaviour that is abrupt and cold-blooded. Here they seem to have a similar attitude to Indians as Australians have to NZs. I feel, at base, it is a racial bias that doesn’t see them as worthy as whites. But they are good for getting money into the country, which counts as exports, bringing in live bodies, while we send so many dead ones (animals) overseas.
Arrogant and just plain nasty. The Immigration Protection Tribunal was set up as a judicial body independent of Immigration, and one of their functions is to review resident visa decisions. These decisions are published online.
While immigration instructions do not require Immigration to abide by principles set out in tribunal decisions, if the tribunal continues to point out that Immigration are making the same mistakes in their assessments, a responsive ministry would obviously correct those mistakes and amend its processes accordingly.
However, Immigration has taken the opposite approach over the past year and now makes it clear in its decisions that because it is not required to follow principles of policy interpretation in their decision-making, they are also entitled to ignore the tribunal’s criticisms of its decision-making.
McClymont sums up the situation well @grey.
I’m still waiting for the day when Immigration NZ (and its cohorts – Labour Inspectorate and Immigration Advisor’s Authority, etc.) realise that the best approach to reducing immigration and exploitation is to concentrate on the exploiters and scammers RATHER THAN their victims. The current approach means we’re just being complicit in what is effectively people trafficking. It’s actually quite disgusting.
Not sure whether you’ll see this or not because todays nooze is tomorrows fush’n’chups wrapper with Open Moik and Daily Reviews (unless there’s a dedicated strand for a discussion).
Recent events (changes announced yesterday) go SOMEWAY to stopping exploitation: i.e. stopping visa bondage to a specific employer. If the employer is good – count yourself lucky. If not – prepare to be faced with another round of shady ‘consultants’ clipping the ticket; plus visa applicat fees; and probably a $2-3K cost to break free of the arsehole. Bear in mind, that arsehole probably has interests in associated businesses they’ve been channeling labour through – and DON’T for a moment think those arseholes a simply those from the same background (culture/ethnicity/etc). They ARE signed-up PR’d up CITIZEN-up people who are complicit in keeping this gravy train rolling.
But……..we’ll see. The situation actually rivals the HCNZ methcon, MSD dysfunction/MPI bovis stuff.
And if Iain L-G (who incidentally I have a lot of respect for) thinks his “officials are just the ticket and tickety boo), he’s really in need of some further “learnings going forward” if he doeesn’t want to suffer a similar fate as Phil T has had with HCNZ and Andrew Master of the Universe.
There’s now been so much shit with our corrupted ‘ps’ that the possibilities for class action claims of compensation “are not fanciful”.
(Btw, I can hear the screams now – Woodhouse who’s just stuck his oar in has reminded me of one – better HE should STFU for a start! – his credentials rival those of the “Oim Layvung Pulla Bent” – even if with a haughtier grin and posher eggsent goan forwid)
No @ grey….. fuk ’em!
According to Hooton, over at the Herald salvage operation today, National’s support is “miraculous” ……Simon Bridges is the best thing since sliced bread.
Don’t you just love that old song “who do you think you are kidding Mr H…..”
National are trying to make themselves out to be the new socialists that want to care for the people now they are in opposition.
Does that make them National Socialists?
Yeah obviously he’s got an agenda behind that comment. The other option of course is that he’s really thick?
NZ. like most western democracy’s, has a roughly 50/50 split of voters between the left and right, with a center swinging vote block also. As National is the only party on the right you’d expect them to be between 40 and 5o percent at all times (unless they’re going through an amazingly bad patch)
So 45% IMO is the level they should be at without doing any work or any good at all, just by turning up and being the National party.
If our voting system was truly proportional (for example 100 list seats, 1% party vote threshold, 1% of total party vote =1 list MP) then ACT would have been gone ages ago as the Nats wouldn’t have been able to get extra seats off them
seems like willy j made judith collins flip her wig on the am show this am. hehehhe. and garner lost it too. hehehehe x 2. just tell em willie boy is here!
Immigration seems to operate on the edge of society. They are dealing with people who want to change status and cross the border line after applying for admittance and seem to lose rights on both sides of the border. NZ can’t seem to do anything for our nationals who have settled in Oz which is not a society known for its good behaviour, and no doubt has a lot of criminality, yet our people having already served one year of prison can be plucked out of their family and held on spurious grounds in a concentration camp.
Other people escape from some bad situation and end up camping out in an airport lounge for years lacking the entry agreement to any country worth escaping to.
Academics have noted the lopsided effect of the free market, with open borders welcoming foreign goods and seeking cheap prices; but ffor people the borders are chancy. Even the promise of being able to obtain cheap goods is patchy. Looking at some particular clocks, which are not made in NZ, (what is,?) the majority of sellers already state they will not trade with NZ. The new GST for under $40 comes in next year. What then?
The effect of open borders seems to have a long-term toxic effect.
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Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First List MP Hon Ron Mark welcomes the announcement of Provincial Growth Funding investment of $1.4 million to help secure the Wairarapa’s water supply. The funding boost will allow the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), and ...
New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson has been selected to represent the party in the newly formed Taieri electorate at the upcoming election. Mr Patterson, his wife Jude and two daughters farm sheep and beef at Lawrence and Waitahuna. He previously stood in the Clutha-Southland electorate however boundary changes ...
Hon Shane Jones, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises A new ‘super depot’ to be built for NZ Post in Wellington will create around 350 jobs during construction, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises Shane Jones says. Shane Jones today attended a ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for the parcel-processing depot ...
Our strong economic management prior to COVID-19 - with surpluses, low debt and near-record-low unemployment - put us in a good position to weather the impact of the virus and start to rebuild our economy much earlier than many other countries.Now we're putting our plan to recover and rebuild ...
Darroch Ball MP, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Law and Order Recently released Police fleeing driver statistics have shown yet another increase in incidents with another record-high in the latest quarter. “This new quarterly record-high is the latest in a string of record-high numbers since 2014. The data shows incidents ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio is pleased to announce the inaugural launch of Kiribati Language Week as part of the 2020 Pacific language Weeks programme. “I am so pleased that this year we are able to provide resourcing support to the Kiribati community in Aotearoa which will ...
Wildlife institutions affected by a loss of visitor revenue during the COVID-19 lockdown are set to receive government support with nearly $15 million of funding available announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. “Eco-sanctuaries, zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks, and wildlife rescue, hospital and rehabilitation facilities provide crucial support for the recovery ...
The Government is expanding and accelerating frontline mental health and wellbeing services at tertiary education institutes (TEI) to help students manage ongoing stresses related to COVID-19. “The lockdown has been hugely disruptive for students. Many of them have had to relocate and move to online learning, isolating them from their ...
The Minister of Police says a major operation against the Mongrel Mob in Waikato will make a big dent in drug harm and violent offending linked to organised crime networks. “Senior leadership of the Waikato Mongrel Mob has been taken out as a result of Operation Kingsville, which resulted in ...
The Government is extending the border exception criteria to enable some offshore victims and support people of the Christchurch mosque attacks to attend the sentencing of the accused beginning on 24 August2020, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “We want to support our valued Muslim brothers and sisters who were directly ...
A project to support volunteer efforts to look after streams and rivers is getting a boost thanks to support from DOC’s Community Conservation Fund announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “The government is backing efforts to look after waterways with $199,400 for the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust from ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter today announced that funding for the COVID-19 Community Fund for women and girls will be doubled, as the first successful funding applications for the initial $1million were revealed. “Women and girls across the country have suffered because of the effects of COVID-19, and I ...
The Government’s books were better than forecast with a higher GST take as the economy got moving again after lockdown, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Crown Accounts for the 11 months to the end of May indicate the year end results for tax revenue will be stronger than forecast. ...
A plan to revitalise New Zealand’s strong wool sector and set it on a new, more sustainable and profitable path was unveiled today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The newly-released report - Vision and Action for New Zealand’s Wool Sector - was developed by the Wool Industry Project Action Group ...
Community efforts to create a Predator Free Whangārei will receive a $6 million boost, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The new funding, through Government company Predator Free 2050 Ltd, will create around 12 jobs while enabling the complete removal of possums over ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that the New Zealand Government is reviewing the settings of its relationship with Hong Kong. “China’s decision to pass a new national security law for Hong Kong has fundamentally changed the environment for international engagement there,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand remains deeply ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced details of a multimillion-dollar investment in Whangārei for infrastructure projects that will help it recover from the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 200 jobs are expected to be created through the $26 million investment from the Government’s rejuvenation package ...
Following a second incident in which a person escaped from a managed isolation facility, security is being enhanced, including more police presence onsite, Minister Megan Woods said. “The actions of some individuals who choose to break the very clear rules to stay within the facilities means that more resourcing is ...
Waste reduction and recycling programmes in Kaipara are set to get a boost with Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today announcing a $361,447 grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) Sustainable Kaipara. “The new funding will allow Sustainable Kaipara to partner with local schools, kura, community ...
The Government will support the Southland economy in the wake of multinational mining company Rio Tinto’s decision to follow through with its long signalled closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. “This day has unfortunately been on the cards for some time now, but nevertheless the final decision is a ...
New tools being developed to help boost Aotearoa’s Predator Free 2050 effort were unveiled today by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. A new rat poison, a camera with predator recognition software to detect and report predators, a new predator lure and a ...
The Coalition Government has approved the purchase of a fleet of Bushmaster vehicles to replace the New Zealand Army’s armoured Pinzgauers, Defence Minister Ron Mark has announced today. The new fleet of 43 Australian-designed and built Bushmaster NZ5.5 will provide better protection for personnel and improved carrying capacity. “The age ...
The Government’s three prevention frameworks to reduce family violence in Aotearoa were launched this week by Associate Minister for Social Development Poto Williams. The frameworks were developed in partnership with communities around New Zealand, and build on the work the Government has already begun with its new family violence prevention ...
The Government is pleased to confirm funding for improvements to radiology and surgical services at Hawke's Bay DHB, Health Minister Chris Hipkins says. "The Minister of Finance the Hon Grant Robertson and former Health Minister Dr David Clark approved funding for Hawke's Bay DHB’s redevelopment of their radiology facilities ...
• New funding for four beds at Napier’s Springhill Residential Addiction Centre • A new managed withdrawal home and community service, and peer support before and after residential care at Tairāwhiti DHB • A co-ordinated network of withdrawal management services throughout the South Island • Peer support in Rotorua and ...
Introduction, seafarers and POAL Good morning everyone, I am delighted to be online with you all today. Before I begin, I have to acknowledge that COVID-19 has disrupted the maritime sector on an unprecedented scale. The work of seafarers and the maritime industry is keeping many economies around the world ...
A $13 million investment from Government will create jobs and improve the resilience of the rail connection between Christchurch and the West Coast, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones and Regional Economic Development Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau say. The funding comes from the tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2020 for infrastructure projects ...
The Government is investing $761 million to assist local government upgrade under-pressure water services across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The announcement was made at the site of the water bore that was found to be the source of the fatal ...
Recognised Seasonal Employers and migrant seasonal workers stranded in New Zealand will be able to continue working and supporting themselves with more flexible hours and roles, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. The time-limited visa changes are: Stranded RSE workers will be able to work part-time (a minimum of 15 hours ...
The Government is making immediate short-term changes to visa settings to support temporary migrants already onshore in New Zealand and their employers, while also ensuring New Zealanders needing work are prioritised, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. We are: Extending temporary work visas due to expire by the end of 2020 ...
Professor Peter Skelton CNZM has been appointed as Chief Freshwater Commissioner and Alternate Environment Court Judge Craig James Thompson as Deputy Chief Freshwater Commissioner for the newly established Freshwater Planning Process (FPP). Environment Minister David Parker today also announced the appointment of Chief Environment Court Judge Laurie Newhook as the ...
Auckland Queen’s Counsel Neil Campbell has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Campbell graduated with a BCom and LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1992. He spent two years with Bell Gully Buddle Weir in Auckland before travelling to the United ...
The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to better enable the development and operation of commercial film and video facilities in Christchurch. The Proposal, developed by Regenerate Christchurch in response to a request from Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section ...
The Government has launched a bold plan to boost primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade, while protecting the environment and growing jobs. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today released Fit for a Better World – Accelerating our Economic Potential, a 10-year roadmap to unlock greater value ...
A new approach to prevent family harm that encourages greater collaboration across government and community groups is being celebrated at the opening of a new facility in Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today opened the Multi-Disciplinary Family Harm Prevention Hub Te Taanga Manawa in Lambie Road in Manukau. The facility ...
The Government has released a major new report on the options for relocating the Port of Auckland’s freight operations while deferring any decision on the issue. “That decision needs to be informed by policy analysis that is still to be completed. As a result it will be up to a ...
The history of Rāpaki is being restored through the inclusion of te reo in thirteen official place names on Te Pātaka-o-Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula and around Lyttelton Harbour/Whakaraupō, the Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage, announced today. “I am pleased to approve the proposals from Te Hapū o Ngāti ...
Bookings for seats on Air New Zealand flights into New Zealand will be managed in the short term to ensure the Government is able to safely place New Zealanders arriving home into a managed isolation or quarantine facility, says Housing Minister Megan Woods. “Last week Air Commodore Darryn Webb and I ...
Grant Robertson has today announced the first major release of funding from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced at Budget 2020. “Today we’re setting out how $80 million will be invested, with $54 million of that over the 2020/2021 financial year for organisations from community level through to elite ...
The Government is maintaining current levy rates for the next 2 years, as part of a set of changes to help ease the financial pressures of COVID-19 providing certainty for businesses and New Zealanders, ACC Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “New Zealanders and businesses are facing unprecedented financial pressures as a ...
Small businesses are getting greater certainty about access to finance with an extension to the interest-free cashflow loan scheme to the end of the year. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme has already been extended once, to 24 July. Revenue and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says it will be ...
A package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker announced today. The $162 million dollar package will see 22 water clean-up projects put forward by local councils receiving $62 million and the Kaipara ...
Tena koutou katoa Nga tangata whenua o tenei rohe o Pōneke, tena koutou Nau mai, haere mai ki te hui a tau mo te roopu reipa Ko tatou! Ko to tatou mana! Ko to tatou kaupapa kei te kokiri whakamua Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa Welcome. I ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $1.5 million to ensure QE Health in Rotorua can proceed with its world class health service and save 75 existing jobs, Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. The PGF funding announced today is in addition to the $8 million ...
A new programme, which sets a firm course for the Building and Construction sector to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been announced by the Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. “A significant amount of New Zealand’s carbon emissions come from the building and construction sector. If we’re serious ...
Waffles don’t need to be sweet – these cheese and onion numbers make an excellent savoury breakfast with an egg, or an equally tasty dinner with leftover mince.It’s easy to default to sweet breakfasts without thinking. At least that’s the case in our household, as porridge or bircher muesli is ...
The government is revitalising the wool sector, splashing out on freshwater restoration projects, relieving student stress and showing kindness to Muslims by extending the border exception criteria. It is also increasing its support (in announcements from two separate Green Party Ministers) for women and for wildlife institutions. And it is ...
People have called it for it be pulled from the service, but the escapist fantasy of 365 Days is nothing new, writes Alie Benge.To every generation, a bullish alpha-male psychopath is born, and is for someone reason considered a romantic hero. We’ve been through a lot this year, and instead ...
As Aucklanders reluctantly adjust to the inconvenient practice of water conservation, a drought-savvy Northlander shares the tips and temperament needed to get through the dry times.Auckland’s water shortage was recently reported on The Project, and viewers were earnestly exhorted to fill their dishwashers completely before turning them on. My husband ...
Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk A request by the Philippines’ biggest radio and TV network for a new franchise has been rejected by a congressional committee in a vote that will go down in history as a flagrant violation of the country’s constitution, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The Paris-based media ...
Hamish Walker's privacy leak debacle dominated the news this week, but it's not the first time a southern MP has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, writes Daisy Hudson. ...
Let’s not allow the focus on big-budget infrastructure projects to detract from the vital role public transport will play in revitalising our cities in a post-Covid world, says Greg Pollock.The recent match between the Blues and the Hurricanes was one of the world’s first major post-lockdown sporting fixtures. It was ...
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 one – read 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. To support this ...
In the heart of Christchurch is a Designated Character high school. What makes it unique? And should there be more like it? Frank Film visits Hagley College Paddy Grant was a 27-year-old truck driver when he rocked up to Christchurch’s Hagley High School, as it was then known. It was ...
Childcare centre closures have left families and staff out in the cold. In some cases, they were given just three days’ notice, Laura Walters reports Staff and families of Auckland’s Discoveries Educare branches feel blindsided by the sudden closure of the early childhood education centres. The Ministry of Education has ...
"After he calms down we share the pie and talk about how hard the years since the show have been for him": a short story by Wellington writer Jordan Hamel. Every morning it’s the same. Cling wrap on the toilet seat, a pop up snake in my can of breakfast ...
Controversy and the America's Cup go hand-in-hand and the latest edition is no different with Emirates Team New Zealand at the centre of financial mismanagement allegations. Extra Time unpicks the debate and ponders what does the latest Cup drama mean? And should we care? A study has revealed racial bias ...
Over the decades, Mike Fox has witnessed the housing market progressively tilt towards larger, more expensive homes. Without a major overhaul of the current regulatory processes, he says, things will never change.It’s one of the biggest problems our country faces – we cannot produce the affordable housing that’s so desperately ...
So-called dirty deals have been roundly denounced over the years. Hayden Donnell argues that they need to be normalised, and even embraced, in September’s election.Just before the 2011 general election, Patrick Gower was confronted with a political act so stomach-churning, it forced him to abandon his trademark reserve. John Key ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics, University of South Australia Victoria has recorded 288 new COVID-19 cases since yesterday, the largest daily increase we’ve seen so far. This big jump must have the Victorian government and health authorities very concerned, especially since nearly ...
The controversial 101 East episode Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown on 3 July 2020. Video: Al JazeeraPacific Media Watch Newsdesk Malaysian police summoned six Al Jazeera media workers today for questioning relating to an investigation for defamation and violation of Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA), reports IFJ Asia-Pacific. ...
Analysis - A National MP destroys his career, the government explains how someone with Covid-19 could walk around a supermarket and the closure of Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is announced. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abrar Ahmad Chughtai, Epidemiologist, UNSW Australia’s chief medical officer Paul Kelly today recommended people in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire wear masks when leaving the house: […] If people have symptoms and they need to go for a test, for example, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rochelle Wynne, Director, Western Sydney Nursing & Midwifery Research Centre, Western Sydney University Over the past week, we’ve seen a spike in the number of COVID-19 infections among health-care workers in Victoria. This includes a doctor at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital, one ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Paddy Nixon and Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including the return to lockdown in Victoria, National Cabinet setting to slow the flow of Australian’s ...
We prefer our heroes untarnished. And few match the heroism of Winston Churchill. But a recent report in the Times reminds us of the inevitability of human frailty and the consequences of keeping it under wraps.During the second world war, Britain’s greatest single loss of life at sea was the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ou Yang, Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Donald Trump has ordered US federal agencies to bypass environmental protection laws and fast-track pipeline, highway and other infrastructure projects. Signing the executive order last month, the US president declared regulatory delays would hinder “our ...
SAFE CEO Debra Ashton says "The NZDIA has done the right thing, and we’re glad to see Bertram has been held to account over his actions. He should take this as an opportunity to right his wrongs and show that he takes animal welfare seriously." ...
Takuta Ferris, Te Tai Tonga candidate for the Māori Party, is urging government to place whānau first in the wake of announcements around Tiwai Point. “The declaration that one of the region's major employers the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is closing ...
Dietary Requirements is The Spinoff’s monthly podcast in which we eat, drink and talk about it too, with special thanks to Freedom Farms. This month, we’re joined by The Spinoff’s managing editor, mall rat and self-confessed food philistine Duncan Greive.On this month’s Dietary Requirements, the gang’s back in the studio, and ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Chart 1: United States and Australia rising. Chart by Keith Rankin. These charts look at Covid19 incidence in China (the most important first-wave country, with a limited second wave), Italy (the lead second-wave country), and USA and Australia (second-wave countries – drawing their caseload from Europe ...
The Government must listen to the Muslim community to rectify its failure to act in the past, says the Human Rights Commission. The Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand (IWCNZ) submission to the Royal Commission of Inquiry was released this week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, President, Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics. Senior Research Fellow, Moral philosophy, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Law Futures Centre., Griffith University Earlier this week, 150 high-profile authors, commentators and scholars signed an open letter in Harper’s magazine ...
You can’t keep a good woman down and Helen Clark is no exception. Her new appointment, as co-chair of a review of how the World Health Organisation handled the coronavirus pandemic, will test her formidable political skills. Sitting with her is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Liberian president, who handled the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Connor, Lecturer, James Cook University While many people may enjoy a game of backyard cricket, only a few go on to become elite professional batsmen in Australia. Cricket batting is example of what human skills can achieve. The fastest bowling delivery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee Baumgartner, Professor of Fisheries and River Management, Institute for Land, Water, and Society, Charles Sturt University This article is a preview of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a multimedia project launching on Monday July 13. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native ...
CEAC review of pre-election National’s “outline plan” just sent to us by Todd Muller 9/7/20 was actually his speech about his plan and was described as ‘an outline’. So in our review of National Party response to A Greener, Smarter Future; climate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Podger, Honorary Professor of Public Policy, Australian National University In Hidden Hand, China scholars Clive Hamilton and Marieke Ohlberg examine the Chinese Communist Party’s influence in Europe and North America in a similar way to how Hamilton dissected the CCP’s influence ...
“I can see why people are fed up, many are wondering how to clothe and feed their kids, or how they are going to pay their rent next week and still others are wondering what has happened to our beautiful Kiwi Way of Life. Well no party in parliament ...
Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk Sixty press freedom groups and civil society organisations, journalism institutions, filmmakers, and other supporters have formed a coalition in support of Maria Ressa and independent media in the Philippines, united around the call to #HoldTheLine. Today the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Center for ...
National MP Michael Woodhouse also received Covid-19 patient emails from Michelle Boag, and deleted them when he realised she was implicated in a separate email scandal. National Party leader Todd Muller says no further MPs in his party received confidential information from Michelle Boag, after revelations today that Michael Woodhouse also ...
The government is extending border exceptions to allow overseas victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks and their support people to attend the shooter's sentencing. ...
Ever wanted to be Iron Man? Sam Brooks prefers Pepper Potts, but he had a great time stepping into the iron suit anyway.The first few moments of Iron Man VR are where it plays its hand, confidently and assuredly. You hold your palms out in front of you, and Iron ...
SAP has released to the public a policy paper, “Helping Kiwis get back to work: How data and technology can drive a bigger, better, faster economic recovery.” ...
A new poem by Jordan Hamel.Mermaids When you lose grip and start to drift.The first thing you’re supposed to do issteer into it or steer away? Not all mermaids are royaltysomeone needs to audit the oceanprovide cashflow projectionssome mermaids are actuallymiddle-aged accountants named Stephendreaming of a land-view holiday home. I saw a ...
Want to work for The Spinoff? We’re looking for someone to fill an exciting new role based in our Auckland office. We’re looking for a video and podcast content manager: an experienced writer or sub-editor with a strong understanding of social media to manage our video and podcast content across various channels. ...
National Party leader Todd Muller says no further MPs in his party received confidential information from Michelle Boag, after revelations today that Michael Woodhouse also received four unsolicited emails. ...
By RNZ News Opposition National list MP Dr Jian Yang has announced his retirement from New Zealand politics and says he will not stand in the 2020 general election after three terms in the party caucus. He said politics was “demanding” and he wanted to spend more time with his ...
Bayer-Monsanto's June 24 announcement of a US$10.9 billion pay out (1) to people who have been harmed by Glyphosate, is effectively an admission of guilt. Spokesperson for The People’s Inquiry 2020 Asha Andersen says, “The Ministry of Health, The ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has filed a complaint with the Electoral Commission and the Parliamentary Speaker’s Office over Lawrence Yule’s new taxpayer funded billboards promoting Mr Yule as the ‘Voice in Tukituki’. Union spokesman, Louis Houlbrooke ...
Ten points, two plans. Which points are whose? With an election within spitting distance, Aotearoa’s two biggest political parties are all about the plans. “You don’t have a plan!” says one party to the other. “Yes we have a plan, or certainly a plan to have a plan, or a plan ...
Four months after he announced his re-selection, a National Party MP whose links to Chinese spy agencies attracted the interest of New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service has announced he will not stand in the next election A three-term National Party MP who studied at an elite Chinese spy school before moving to ...
National list MP Dr Jian Yang announced his retirement from politics and said he would not stand in the 2020 general election after three terms in the party caucus. ...
A new political party, the New Zealand TEA Party, with headquarters in Auckland, has been established. The party aims to contest the queen- or kingmaker position to form a coalition with the largest parliamentary party as part of the general elections ...
A review has determined fish oils are non-hazardous and no longer require oversight by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). We regulate pesticides, household chemicals and other dangerous goods and substances under the Hazardous Substances ...
New Conservative calls on the government to join with our Five Eyes allies and add New Zealand's signature to a joint statement condemning the continued removal of freedoms in Hong Kong. New Conservative also calls on the government to give safe-haven ...
Latest from the Beehive – Hard on the heels of the government promising help for the Southland economy in the wake of Rio Tinto’s decision to close the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, it was announcing the delivery of more money to the North, at the other end of the country. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luciano Beheregaray, Professor in Biodiversity Genomics, Flinders University As the global climate shifts, it’s important to know which species have adaptations to survive. Our research published today in PNAS found it largely depends on where they evolved. We looked at the capacity ...
From eggplant emojis and twerking llamas to sweaty anthropomorphic butts, we present some of the most fascinating, hilarious and outrageous complaints dismissed by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) from 2019 to now.Avocadon’t (January 2019)The ad: In this ad from Specsavers, a man gets ready to join a cricket match, but ...
They might sound like the same thing, but light rail is quite different from light metro – the system that transport minister Phil Twyford now favours for Auckland. Katy Wakefield and Jessica Rose of Women in Urbanism explain why the metro option is a poor substitute for LRT. Transport is ...
Why isn't the Government spending $30m to extend Tiwai Point's 2,600 jobs until after the Covid-19 recession, after Manapouri's power can be transmitted elsewhere, and after there's a hydrogen plan for the smelter site, Bernard Hickey asks. The sense of shock and foreboding about the future was clear in Invercargill Mayor ...
An intensive care doctor is outraged health officials are giving helicopter rescue trusts a daily list of Covid-19 patients, saying it's completely unnecessary. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Seth Lazar, Professor, Australian National University In the US, tireless opposition to state use of facial recognition algorithms has recently won some victories. Some progressive cities have banned some uses of the technology. Threetechcompanies have pulled facial recognition products from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rick Sarre, Adjunct Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia Facial recognition technology is increasingly being trialled and deployed around Australia. Queensland and Western Australia are reportedly already using real-time facial recognition through CCTV cameras. 7-Eleven Australia is also ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor of Human Resource Management, University of South Australia The coronavirus pandemic has forced many of us to work from home, often in less than ideal circumstances. Many employees had little choice in the decision, limited time to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katja Hogendoorn, University of Adelaide This article is a preview of Flora, Fauna, Fire, a multimedia project launching on Monday July 13. The project tracks the recovery of Australia’s native plants and animals after last summer’s bushfire tragedy. Sign up to The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By SriPallavi Nadimpalli, PhD Candidate, University of Melbourne Women manage many overlapping responsibilities in both public and private spheres. Their busy routines leave them with just a little time to take a break or a pause in their activity. These pauses are a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naoise McDonagh, Lecturer in Political Economy, University of Adelaide The pandemic has changed the way we think about supply chains, in particular the chains that feed our need for food, medical supplies, and defence equipment. It has led Prime Minister Scott Morrison ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW As Victoria grapples with a second-wave outbreak of COVID-19, the importance of large-scale testing has again been highlighted. Without its “testing blitz” aiming at 10,000 tests a day, the extent of the outbreak would have been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jean Burgess, Professor and Director, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology Perhaps no single character has been as iconic a symbol of Twitter as the now-ubiquitous hashtag. The syntax of the hashtag has a few simple rules: it consists of ...
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 one – read 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. To support this ...
Daily Review 31/05/2018 
Todd Muller - Dishonest National Party leaderIt seems that dishonest Todd Muller is, like many right-wing politicians, entirely morally bankrupt. I mean just look at the National Party’s leaking omni-shambles over the last week or so. They’ve imploded in a spectacular display of backfiring dirty politics, the likes of which ...4 hours ago
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Are some in the US with the help from their neighbor trying to make a case to kick NZ out of the Five Eyes system?
Is this the revenge for NZ not towing the US line?
As for Chinese influence, it was the National party that was getting a lot of Chinese money and even a member of their party is known to have trained Chinese Spies. There has been also been some suspicions they might be still under the employment of the Chinese government.
NZ labelled ‘soft underbelly’ of Five Eyes spy network in Canadian report
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/nz-labelled-soft-underbelly-of-five-eyes-spy-network-in-canadian-report/ar-AAy2ET2?li=BBqdg4K
Yes, there’s something fishy about the claims. Labour’s president, Nigel Haworth is on record as saying there’s been no donations to the Labour Party from any Chinese based group – I paraphrase. Yet we know Chinese interests have been donating many thousands of dollars to the National Party in recent years. But the accusers wait until a Labour led government is in power before they make their claims.
I listened to the ex-CIA analyst interview on RNZ a few days ago and the tone of his claims and the way he delivered them made me suspicious. It was as if he was delivering pre-determined lines and trying not to deviate from them.
I’ll see if I can find the item and link to it.
Old mate Paul, over at Kiwipolitico has put the RNZ link.
I think they told the “No Mates Party” senior leadership group, but got flog off with “She be right mate and we know what we are doing” so now they are having a wee chat to Jandals and the team and hoping they don’t flog them like the last mob did.
Found the link:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018646774/ex-cia-analyst-admits-trump-irony-in-china-influence-warning
I think I’d prefer my car actually.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018647386/whanganui-emergency-housing-providers-labelled-unliveable
From the 29th – this is pretty scathing about MPI.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1805/S00459/another-leaked-mpi-report-reveals-scale-of-underreporting.htm
“MPI is captured by the fishing industry. We need an independent public inquiry into the Fisheries Management System and its regulator. Right now, MPI and the seafood industry are trying to prevent this independent inquiry and are instead pushing for an internal MPI review, but this further leaked report shows once again why that must not happen.
“MPI simply cannot be trusted to tell the truth or regulate the industry. Just last year when they didn’t prosecute anyone after their own video cameras exposed widespread fish dumping in the inshore fishery, MPI claimed the decision not to prosecute was due to legal advice. But it turned out that legal advice did not exist. MPI simply didn’t tell the truth.”
The leaked compliance risk profile report can be downloaded at http://greenpeace.nz/leaked-sbw-fishery-repor
From Russel Norman
From what I’ve heard reported MPI’s response is usually along the lines of: “That was years ago and we’ve talked to them and they’re not being naughty now”.
Yeah right.
Like we believe you. Start doing your job! And that means not working in the interests of the fishing industry.
And I don’t have much confidence in Nash holding either the MPI or fishing companies to account.
I’m afraid both major parties have colluded with the industry to let it do whatever the hell it wants. You may recall the foreign labour scandals that Key “couldn’t fix until 2016”, which was utter bullshit – all the charter vessels operating here are registered here and thus subject to NZ law in its entirety. Both parties are predominantly composed of lawyers, they knew it was bullshit, but went along with it – no doubt hoping for donations.
“Both parties are predominantly composed of lawyers”.
According to my dictionary the word “predominantly” is defined as
“for the most part; mostly; mainly’
In other words more than half.
That is certainly a spectacular claim. Can you produce even a skerrick of evidence to justify it?
I won’t go as far as making you prove that more than 50% of each parties members have practising certificates but can you please list the members of National and Labour who have the much lesser standard of a law degree?
By your claim there are at least 24 in Labour and 28 in the National Party.
Who are they?
Or are you just making it up?
What a tiny little point of order you raise. What a minuscule piece of pedantry you bring up. Instead of going with the essence of a comment and putting your view on that, you pick up on a single word and pontificate on your superior knowledge of what that word means.
This a prime perfect example of what trolling is. Never mind the thread, just drag a red herring across the topic trying to change the narrative. make it all about you and work hard at pissing people off.
I understand your MO because I went to school with annoying little pricks who did exactly the same thing.
I really should ignore you, but it’s like watching 2 monkeys at the zoo shagging their little hearts out. You have to watch and comment.
That’s nice dear.
You certainly seem to have the most peculiar hobbies.
Just keep away from young children.
As part of my contribution to the Sisyphean task of educating RWNJ:
https://fyi.org.nz/request/2412/response/7816/attach/html/2/MPs%20Qualifications.xlsx.html
You might be interested in de Toqueville’s predictions with respect to lawyers within a democratic system.
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/DETOC/1_ch16.htm
How fascinating. You have certainly answered one question. At least at the time that list was prepared the statement about the number of lawyers was false.
When on earth was it done? I was hard pressed to even vaguely remember some of the names.
Cunliffe? Goff? Mathers? Turei? Norman?
The names seem to ring a bell somewhere but they certainly aren’t shining lights in the current Parliament are they?
“You can swim all day in the Sea of Knowledge and still come out completely dry. Most people do.” – The Phantom Tollbooth.
That quote I like.
Sounds like Lyndon Johnson.
When he got a bit down from what he thought were unfair attacks from the Washington Post he is reputed to have complained that
‘If I got up tomorrow and walked across the Potomac the headline in the Post the next day would be “President can’t swim”.’
I guess that explains why he continued for so long in Vietnam. He walked across, rather than swam in, the Sea of Knowledge.
Having made prostitution legal to enable the workers to insist on safety measures and not endure the two-faced disdain dumped on them, and to be able to earn a fair living at this therapeutic business, now it is said to be that NZs are undercut by foreign workers! What a pathetic society. Every time we take a step forward it seems to be followed by 2-3 steps back.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/358658/nz-sex-workers-undercut-by-illegal-foreign-prostitutes
One of the main sex work websites advertised more than 800 women, separated into Asian and non-Asian prostitutes.
A registration scheme on sites would mean only those eligible to work could advertise – and ensure everyone was paying tax, Ms O’Hara said…
Other prostitutes RNZ spoke to said they were being crowded out and undercut by immigrant sex workers, who were charging half the rates of their New Zealand counterparts.
Hamilton sex worker Lisa Lewis said most people who went on holiday maxed-out their credit cards.
“These girls are leaving with their credit cards in credit,” she said.
“It’s definitely a disadvantage for any legal sex worker because we are having to pay tax, the provisional, the income, the GST, ACC levies.
“They are leaving New Zealand without any of that taken off them, which is robbery of the government.”
No difference to NZ companies out sourcing our labour to India or wherever it is cheaper.
Take a look and see who is putting fibre in for your internet connections these past ten years.
Prostitution is not the same as installing technology in the ground or anywhere.
It is a delicate moral issue, and we have attempted to face up to it in NZ to the benefit of the workers and their clients. Allowing foreigners to come in and
exploit the workplace for this type of business shows the RW two-faced lack of integrity.
I’ve heard that some Indian students have made big sacrifices to come here. If they are allowed to come they should be treated fairly but I have also heard that Immigration can take people’s money, and when they have satisfied all the requirements, filled in the forms, the rules are changed and they are ineligible with no refund.
This time, in India, they have let sharks operating as agents operate in a feeding frenzy instead of establishing who is operating to standards, and registering them as officially recognised and reliable.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/358564/students-left-stranded-by-immigration-s-lack-of-oversight
Matters of “fairness and natural justice” are enshrined in Immigration NZ’s immigration policy, created by Cabinet.
But one year ago – at about the same time that issues of fraud and exploitation in the Indian student market became common – Immigration dismantled the complaint process by bypassing the need for Cabinet to make changes to immigration policy and introducing a new complaints process.
It states: “Complaints which only raise matters of the merits of a decision will not be accepted for an investigation into that decision.”
At the same time, Immigration began advising the minister that its strategy to clamp down on migrant exploitation was to target those migrants who are at risk of exploitation – to deport people who may become victims, rather than stop the exploitation itself.
Immigration has suggested that budget constraints were responsible for this strategy.
Immigration in any country seems to attract behaviour that is abrupt and cold-blooded. Here they seem to have a similar attitude to Indians as Australians have to NZs. I feel, at base, it is a racial bias that doesn’t see them as worthy as whites. But they are good for getting money into the country, which counts as exports, bringing in live bodies, while we send so many dead ones (animals) overseas.
Arrogant and just plain nasty.
The Immigration Protection Tribunal was set up as a judicial body independent of Immigration, and one of their functions is to review resident visa decisions. These decisions are published online.
While immigration instructions do not require Immigration to abide by principles set out in tribunal decisions, if the tribunal continues to point out that Immigration are making the same mistakes in their assessments, a responsive ministry would obviously correct those mistakes and amend its processes accordingly.
However, Immigration has taken the opposite approach over the past year and now makes it clear in its decisions that because it is not required to follow principles of policy interpretation in their decision-making, they are also entitled to ignore the tribunal’s criticisms of its decision-making.
McClymont sums up the situation well @grey.
I’m still waiting for the day when Immigration NZ (and its cohorts – Labour Inspectorate and Immigration Advisor’s Authority, etc.) realise that the best approach to reducing immigration and exploitation is to concentrate on the exploiters and scammers RATHER THAN their victims. The current approach means we’re just being complicit in what is effectively people trafficking. It’s actually quite disgusting.
Once was Tim
What you say fits in with what I have heard. Totally agree with you.
Not sure whether you’ll see this or not because todays nooze is tomorrows fush’n’chups wrapper with Open Moik and Daily Reviews (unless there’s a dedicated strand for a discussion).
Recent events (changes announced yesterday) go SOMEWAY to stopping exploitation: i.e. stopping visa bondage to a specific employer. If the employer is good – count yourself lucky. If not – prepare to be faced with another round of shady ‘consultants’ clipping the ticket; plus visa applicat fees; and probably a $2-3K cost to break free of the arsehole. Bear in mind, that arsehole probably has interests in associated businesses they’ve been channeling labour through – and DON’T for a moment think those arseholes a simply those from the same background (culture/ethnicity/etc). They ARE signed-up PR’d up CITIZEN-up people who are complicit in keeping this gravy train rolling.
But……..we’ll see. The situation actually rivals the HCNZ methcon, MSD dysfunction/MPI bovis stuff.
And if Iain L-G (who incidentally I have a lot of respect for) thinks his “officials are just the ticket and tickety boo), he’s really in need of some further “learnings going forward” if he doeesn’t want to suffer a similar fate as Phil T has had with HCNZ and Andrew Master of the Universe.
There’s now been so much shit with our corrupted ‘ps’ that the possibilities for class action claims of compensation “are not fanciful”.
(Btw, I can hear the screams now – Woodhouse who’s just stuck his oar in has reminded me of one – better HE should STFU for a start! – his credentials rival those of the “Oim Layvung Pulla Bent” – even if with a haughtier grin and posher eggsent goan forwid)
No @ grey….. fuk ’em!
My latest musings on immigration and borders at 10 Once was Tim. I
got it out of sequence by a big margin.
According to Hooton, over at the Herald salvage operation today, National’s support is “miraculous” ……Simon Bridges is the best thing since sliced bread.
Don’t you just love that old song “who do you think you are kidding Mr H…..”
Hear, hear Kat I had a quick look at the op ed and quickly decided that it was simply a love in with Soimun. Puke inducing stuff.
National are trying to make themselves out to be the new socialists that want to care for the people now they are in opposition.
Does that make them National Socialists?
Yes, pretty much.
NZ Jester
You are well named. Lol. Keep the quips up please to give us a needed giggle.
Yeah obviously he’s got an agenda behind that comment. The other option of course is that he’s really thick?
NZ. like most western democracy’s, has a roughly 50/50 split of voters between the left and right, with a center swinging vote block also. As National is the only party on the right you’d expect them to be between 40 and 5o percent at all times (unless they’re going through an amazingly bad patch)
So 45% IMO is the level they should be at without doing any work or any good at all, just by turning up and being the National party.
If our voting system was truly proportional (for example 100 list seats, 1% party vote threshold, 1% of total party vote =1 list MP) then ACT would have been gone ages ago as the Nats wouldn’t have been able to get extra seats off them
Despite mycoplasma bovis, the stock trucks are out in force tonight in the foggy Waikato.
Happy Gypsy Day, it’s business as usual…https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12062147
IDEA Services…again the object of a damning Health and Disability Commission report.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/104356676/idea-services-blasted-over-treatment-of-vulnerable-man-found-with-surgical-glove-in-his-bowel
Seems like there was poor staff coverage…again…and yet, their annual returns would indicate their income (what they were being funded to provide the care) exceeded their expenditure, (what they actually spent on providing care…usually measured in person hours.) https://www.register.charities.govt.nz/CharitiesRegister/ViewCharity?accountId=bc751b66-268a-dc11-98a0-0015c5f3da29&searchId=4229de60-ee6f-4d1b-8404-6292e07b8c3a
seems like willy j made judith collins flip her wig on the am show this am. hehehhe. and garner lost it too. hehehehe x 2. just tell em willie boy is here!
Immigration seems to operate on the edge of society. They are dealing with people who want to change status and cross the border line after applying for admittance and seem to lose rights on both sides of the border. NZ can’t seem to do anything for our nationals who have settled in Oz which is not a society known for its good behaviour, and no doubt has a lot of criminality, yet our people having already served one year of prison can be plucked out of their family and held on spurious grounds in a concentration camp.
Other people escape from some bad situation and end up camping out in an airport lounge for years lacking the entry agreement to any country worth escaping to.
Academics have noted the lopsided effect of the free market, with open borders welcoming foreign goods and seeking cheap prices; but ffor people the borders are chancy. Even the promise of being able to obtain cheap goods is patchy. Looking at some particular clocks, which are not made in NZ, (what is,?) the majority of sellers already state they will not trade with NZ. The new GST for under $40 comes in next year. What then?
The effect of open borders seems to have a long-term toxic effect.