If not now then when?

Written By: - Date published: 8:23 am, May 26th, 2022 - 47 comments
Categories: Culture wars, Donald Trump, uncategorized, us politics, war - Tags:

Lorie Shaull https://www.flickr.com/photos/number7cloud/

Another day and another senseless killing of innocent American citizens by someone with a semi automatic rifle.

Two weeks ago it was a Christchurch massacre inspired shooter who went into a black area and indiscriminately killed ten people.

From CNN:

Ten people were killed in a racially motivated mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo on Saturday by a suspect in tactical gear who was livestreaming the attack, law enforcement officials said during a news conference.

The shooting occurred Saturday afternoon at a Tops Friendly Markets store. The suspect in the shooting, a White male, is in custody, police said. He was identified as Payton Gendron, 18, and pleaded not guilty to the first degree murder charge brought against him in court Saturday night, Buffalo City Court Chief Judge Craig Hannah tells CNN.

Thirteen were shot in the attack and 10 have died. Of those shot, 11 were Black and two were White, officials said.

The horror of what happened then was topped by the carnage that happened recently at a Texan elementary school.  From Radio New Zealand:

The gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school barricaded them in a single fourth-grade classroom, authorities said, as the deadliest US school shooting in a decade reignited debate over gun laws.

During the shooting on Tuesday, police circled Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, breaking windows in an effort to evacuate children and staff, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Chris Olivarez told CNN.

Officers eventually breached the classroom and killed the gunman, identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos.

Ramos began his rampage by shooting his grandmother at the home where he lived with his grandparents. He then drove to the nearby school where he crashed his car and entered the building wearing tactical gear and carrying a rifle, authorities said.

His grandmother survived but is in critical condition, and investigators hope she can shed light on a motive for the shooting. Multiple children were also injured, although authorities have not provided an exact tally.

Ramos purchased two rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition days before the attack, CNN reported, citing a state senator who had been briefed by law enforcement.

The authorities have had to use DNA samples to identify the kids, basically because they had their heads blown off with an assault rifle.

The tragedy has caused Democrats to stand up and demand action on gun control.

Senator Chris gave an impassioned speech in the senate asking why Republicans were there if they did not intend to improve things.  He begged his colleagues to act.  There is a bill requiring background checks that has been held up by a Republican filibuster.

And in Texas Democrat Governor candidate Beta O’Rourke gate crashed Governor Abbott’s press conference on the tragedy.

O’Rourke said:

You are doing nothing. You are offering up nothing. You said this was not predictable. This was totally predictable when you choose not to do anything.”

He was accused of politicising the issue which is weird because politics has stopped the issue being addressed in a proper way.

As for the Republican response, nothing has changed.  Marjorie Taylor Green has called for a return to God, not gun control.

Ted Cruz joined in with claims that the Democrats were politicising the issue:

Inevitably when there’s a murder of this kind you see politicians try to politicize it,” he said. “You see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. That doesn’t work. It’s not effective. It doesn’t prevent crime.”

The experience of most of the Western World including New Zealand would suggest that Cruz’s claim is not correct.

Meanwhile with timing and geographical placement that could not be worse this weekend in Texas the NRA is holding its annual conference.  And Donald Trump is a key speaker.  There can be few if any less sensitive organisations on the planet today.

47 comments on “If not now then when? ”

  1. Grey Area 1

    Sadly the USA is broken. The so-called great experiment has failed. I consider the US is so deeply divided it does not have the capacity to heal itself. While the majority of citizens may want meaningful change (of some description) on gun control its corrupt political system ensures this doesn't happen. Especially with people like Abbott, Cruz, Taylor-Greene and many more like them in the political mix.

    MS asks "if not now, when?"

    I would say the last time, and the time before that, and before that …

  2. Ad 2

    Tough moment for Ardern to be put in, on tour doing a good job pushing trade and tourism, having to field firearms policy questions.

    There must be a strong temptation for Biden to set up the Ardern meet and do the Roosevelt Room media talk, then double down with her on effective gun reform.

    Hope she gets the meet. She's got a strong story to tell.

  3. New Zealand's firearm laws don't appear to be working in Auckland at the moment

    • AB 3.1

      "Working" is a relative term. Do you mean "not working well" "not working perfectly" or "not working at all"? If you qualify the statement, it's possible to have a good faith discussion. (Though I don't think that's your intention.)

      • Nordy 3.1.1

        Agreed…like a lot of people who seemingly don't understand public policy and the attendant issues of complexity mixed with human behaviour, CR has made a rash comment without context or any sense of the issues.

        • Visubversa 3.1.1.1

          Yes, every one of those guns in the hands of gang members was either stolen from a "responsible gun owner" who did hot have adequate safety and storage arrangements, or, sold to them by one of those Responsible gun owners" or one of those "responsible licensed gun sellers".

          • Jenny how to get there 3.1.1.1.1

            Visubversa

            26 May 2022 at 3:52 pm

            Yes, every one of those guns in the hands of gang members was either stolen from a "responsible gun owner"….

            Indeed. Which is why there needs to be even tougher gun control.

            What for instance is a "responsible gun owner"?

            Is is it some rich white guy with a gun fetish who calls himself a "collector" who keeps his guns in his second luxury home on the Coromandel?

            On returning from a business trip finds his glass gun display safe emptied after his home was broken into?

            Personally I find these so called "collectors" obscene obsession offensive.
            For those New Zealanders who can afford it, gun collecting is lesser example of the sort of sickness that has gripped America.

            I would like to see that category of private gun ownership banned. Totally.

            The only possible place for a gun collection should be in a museum. Even then, we shouldn't need more than one for the whole country.

            I don't care how rich or white they are. If someone doesn't have a practical use for a gun other than displaying them to inflate their macho ego and impress their friends. They shouldn't have one gun, let alone a collection.
            Responsible my eye. Self righteous, Self intitled, Self centred, Egotistical, more like it.

            • I don't care how rich or white they are. If someone doesn't have a practical use for a gun other than displaying them to inflate their macho ego and impress their friends. They shouldn't have one gun, let alone a collection.
              Responsible my eye. Self righteous, Self entitled, Self centred, Egotistical, more like it.

              yes

            • Joe Bloggs 3.1.1.1.1.2

              No firearm can be legally stored in a glass case (in firing condition).

              Museum collections for example are required to have their firing pins removed and potentially other components and stored in specified types of safes including potentially at a different location). So what you are effectively seeing a firearm shaped hunk of wood, metal, and plastic.

              Privately held firearms are required to be stored in safes with specified types and thicknesses of metals, type of locks which are additionally required to bolted in place or in a safe room which again has a whole list of required specifications but can most easily be compared to a bank vault/secure room.

              In all cases, these security requirements are meant to be inspected by the Police at the time a license is issued/renewed or the person moves however it is another one of those areas where they have in recent years significantly been dropping the ball and not meeting their legal obligations.

              If you are aware of a firearms owner who is keeping their firearms in the manner that you portrayed I suggest you contact your local Police Station and advise them so as something is not right and they are either breaking the law and should lose their license and firearms or you may be mistake and they're aren't real firearms and are actually replicas which have can be displayed "in the open" but not in a manner that should cause concern to the public eg he can't be waving them around on his front lawn.

          • Joe Bloggs 3.1.1.1.2

            That's not quite accurate.

            It has been the assumption for many years and one pushed by the media for years however recently that opinion is changing.

            For example, it was reported in December 2021 that 527 pistols we seized by the police from criminals over the previous 12 months. Pistols in NZ have required individual registration (serial numbers record etc) for decades (as long as I can remember) and additional security requirements since the changers post Aromoana I believe (over the past 20 years at least).

            Now those 527 firearms if they were legally Imported into NZ and should trackable be from that point right the way through to their sale and any subsequent sales. The fact that to the firearm community's understanding and my own there have been no further charges/loss of licenses etc (and the community is fairly small in NZ) would indicate that the Police haven't been able to link them back to any significant break-in of legal owners, or illegal sales etc.

            And why would we consider that any organisation that is capable of importing drugs or other illegal substances into the country wouldn't also be importing firearms? The other avenue that hasn't had (in my opinion) enough light shone onto it is the number of gang members who have been issued firearms legally to known Gang Members and known Gang associates who have then purchased firearms and ammunition and passed/sold them onto other criminals. This is clearly a failure of the license issuing process and another reason why the Police should not be responsible for the Firearms Administration because like they did with the Christchurch terrorist they keep screwing it up by not following their own processes and meeting their legal obligations.

            And when they do fall short they never take responsibility or are suitably punished to ensure their failures don't reoccur.

            Just think about the number of Police stuff ups in recent years:
            – Citizens shot under "foggy" circumstances (3 jump to mind Steven Wallace, The Auckland Courier Driver, The recent shooting of a gang member over Easter around Naiper/Taupo),
            – The theft of firearms from a police station
            – The number of firearms loss while on duty including one in the Beehive.
            – Several occasions where they have shot themselves or other Police Staff when On Duty or during Training
            – Over 26 occasions since 2015 where they have accidentally discharged firearms (including in Police Stations when other staff and members of the public were present).

            Firearm loss from legal owners is a problem but in the same way that cars stolen from legal owners and subsequently used by criminals in the commission of crimes (like what is occurring with the current plague of Ram Raids or even gang shootings).

    • Sanctuary 3.2

      No one has been killed. The guns were not legally purchased, or came with 30 round magazines, or had a cache of 300 rounds. Stop trolling.

  4. gsays 4

    As Grey Area says, the US is broken.

    Michael Moore in one of his films (Dude, where is my country? I think) looks at gun culture in the US vs guns in Canada.

    I agree that gun laws and culture need to change. A lot like putting bollards in front of the dairy to stop ram-raiders getting ciggies, the solution doesn't fix the underlying problem.

    Generational poverty and not belonging to their community is what the resources should be addressing.

  5. Joe Bloggs 5

    Hi AB,

    I can't comment on Christopher's intentions however I am prepared to comment.

    First off I want to say that I'm 45 y.o, am Licensed Firearm Owner, was first taken shooting when I was around 4 or 5 y.o and have worked in roles when I have been required to carry and utilise firearms in a professional capacity. I do not claim to be an expert but I do believe I have sufficient experience and exposure to speak with "authority".

    I would argue that the current firearm laws are completely failing New Zealand when subject to any reasonable measure of success.
    – The Administrators of NZ's firearm laws (The Police) are failing in their obligations contained within the laws (Time Frames for applications/renewal of licenses, security inspections) and have done so since at least the passing of the 2018 Armendments to the Arms act.

    I can't comment when exactly the issues begun however from my own experience with my last renewal (2016) going through the entire process took me about 8 weeks (including arranging visits from Arms officers to conduct interviews and security checks). This process is now taking an excess of 8 and time frames of +12 months are not uncommon to hear about.

    – Criminal use of firearms has increased over the past 11 years and rapidly since 2019
    Firearms Relates Offences By Year (https://bityl.co/CNMm)
    2011 – 943
    2012 – 960
    2013 – 820
    2014 – 855
    2015 – 919
    2016 – 990
    2017 – 981
    2018 – 901
    2019 – 1142
    2020 – 1143
    2021 – 1324

    – Criminals convicted of crimes involving firearms are being given pathetic sentences which are seen as zero deterrent, with judges seeming to treat criminals with multiple firearm-related convictions in a manner more suited for a petty shoplifter.

    – Following the Christchurch Attack the Firearms community has been vilified and scapegoated (rightly/wrongly). The end result however has been a community that previously was strongly supportive of the Police department feeling like they have become the enemy and the relationship between the two completely destroyed.

    They have on multiple occasions both before Christchurch and post Christchurch tried to make real recommendations that would make a difference, however politicians on both side of the house have largely ignored these citizens and pursued their own agendas/viewpoints and allowed the Police Department that has repeatedly failed New Zealand around to enable them to pursue theirs.

    Personally if New Zealanders want to see a real difference around firearm laws they should insist:
    A) The Christchurch Royal Commision's recommendation to setup a separate body fire arms legislation and take it away from the Police Department so they become enforcers of the law only. Instead the separate body is being setup and will be administered by the Police still.

    B) Politicians should outline exactly what objectives that they want to achieve with the firearms legislation and allow the community (Not firearm community but entire NZ Community) to have their input and legislation developed from that. Not what happened post Christchurch which was an absolute mockery of the legislative process.

    • Ross 5.1

      Good comments.

      About 10 people are murdered each year with guns and many more hospitalised with gun injuries. Many suicides are committed with guns.

      In 2015, journalist Heather du Plessis-Allan bought a gun through the post by mailing in a form to the gun shop. The way she was able to buy the gun has apparently been changed so it couldn’t be repeated, but it doesn’t give confidence to the public.

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/heather-du-plessis-allan-and-the-gun-did-she-find-a-loophole-or-simply-break-the-law/3HBHF7BBE2WU73BNAAAIZBYLRA/

      https://www.otago.ac.nz/otago708944.docx

      • Ross 5.1.1

        In 1997, retired judge Sir Thomas Thorp made numerous recommendations regarding gun control in New Zealand. Politicians from both sides largely ignored those recommendations. Long before the Christchurch massacre Thorp recommended banning assault rifles, and putting restrictions on the sale of other firearms.

        https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/review-of-firearms-control-in-new-zealand-recommendations.pdf

        • Joe Bloggs 5.1.1.1

          The intent behind many of the Thorp recommendations I believe we reasonable. However, the implementation of most I think were completely dumb.

          For example, Post Aromoana and Pre Christchurch firearms were broken into 3 categories:
          A – Rifles (Firearms greater than 65cm)
          B – Pistols (Firearms smaller than 65cm)
          C – Collector Firearms (For museums, collectors of historic weapons)
          E – MSSA's (Military Styled Semi-Automatic) Rifles

          Now C-Cat weapons are the easiest ones. They were potentially fully automatic weapons like you would find in current or historic conflicts and covered everything from WW1 Maximum Guns to a Modern M-249 SAW. These were not able to be kept in a firable condition (firing pins and other components removed and stored separately) or ever able to be fired.

          There was a sub C category for the entertainment industry to allow the production of things tv or movies which used fully automatic blank firearms which could be fired but I've never been involved in that side of things so never looked into so can't really comment more).

          However, all of these were(and are) fully registered.

          B-Cat covered pistols and "short weapons which are easily concealable. These also were (and are) individually registered also.

          Then we come to A and E.
          Following Aromoana the MSSA classification was introduced. Quite frankly it was completely stupid and focused primarily on the appearance of a firearm vs its actual capabilities as it defined a MSSA as a firearm that had A pistol grip, bayonet lugs, collapsible stock and flash hinder (reduces the muzzle flash). It did however also allow the use of magazines capable of storing more than 15 rounds of .22lr or 7 of any other calibre).

          A Category was pretty much every other long rifle which didn't have any of the physical characteristics of a MSSA and was restricted to 15 round .22lr and 7 rounds of anything else.

          This created a ridiculous situation where you could buy for example a Ruger 10/22 (probably the world's most popular and customisable .22 rifle in the world. It is base configuration a standard looking rifle with a 10 round magazine no problems at all. You could upgrade it to a round magazine, no issue, but you put a 30 round magazine it suddenly changed classification from an A cat rifle to an E Cat (with completely different licensing and security classifications).

          It lead to a number of complaints from the firearms community and legal cases taken against the Police Department around this classification for which they were never listened to. Including for such things as people wanting to put a pistol grip onto a 10/22 or even a thumbhole grip because I was "like" a pistol grip. None of this changes what the rifle was capable of doing and arguable actually improves the safety of the firearm by allowing the user better control and stability of it.

          And this was what was exploited by the Christchurch Terrorist.

          He took an A-Cat Firearm, Purchased a high capacity magazine (which could be done with no legal requirements/checks (anybody including those who didn't have any sort of firearms license could purchase and own a magazine).

          Placed it into his Legally owned and purchased A-Cat Firearm (now making it an E-Cat which he wasn't legally licensed for) and committed his crimes.

          But even before any of that occurred the Police failed to follow their own licensing process and gave him a license that should never have been issued in the first place.

      • Joe Bloggs 5.1.2

        Hi Ross,

        Clearly Heather broke the law (she created a false license using a proper license number) which resulted in the Dealer who followed the rules (that had been put in place by the Police) getting a "positive verification" to allow the purchase to proceed and exposed a loophole on the process the Police put in place.

        Again it is yet another example of the Police failing in their role as administrators of the firearms acts.

  6. Puckish Rogue 6

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Buffalo_shooting#Accused

    'In June 2021, Gendron had been investigated by police in Broome County for threatening other students at his high school.'

    'A teacher had asked him about his plans after the school year, and he responded, "I want to murder and commit suicide. "He was referred to a hospital for mental health evaluation and counseling but was released after being held for a day and a half.'

    'Gendron told police that he was joking; he would later write online about how it was a well-executed bluff. He was not charged in connection with the incident; investigators said that he had not made a specific enough threat to warrant further action.'

    'The New York State Police did not seek an order from a state court to remove guns from Gendron's possession. The mental health evaluation was not an involuntary commitment, which would have prohibited him from buying guns under federal law.'

    Rather than a knee jerk (albeit understandable) reaction the first thing that needs to happen is to look at whether the existing laws would have helped because it seems to me there were some steps that could have been taken and weren't

    • McFlock 6.1

      For example, was the steel door that the cops apparently couldn't get through the result of "hardening" schools against these attacks? Same with the ditch and the barricades that failed to stop him getting inside? What use were the school "liaison" officers?

      All of that stuff failed or actively aided the kid with a gun. I'll be cynically interested to see what they come up with next rather than actually addressing the gun problem.

      Such a fucking waste all around.

      • Puckish Rogue 6.1.1

        I want to know what drives these men to do these things

        • mac1 6.1.1.1

          A seriously good question, PR. I saw on Facebook a reference to a study from a California Uni that said that misogyny played a part, with many shooting wives, girl friends, on their rampage. This latest shot his grandmother.

          I'll see if I can find a citable reference. There'll be more than pure misogyny for sure but it's a form of hatred like those that must be deeply involved.
          Here it is.
          https://www.californialawreview.org/print/a-profoundly-masculine-act-mass-shootings-violence-against-women-and-the-amendment-that-could-forge-a-path-forward/?fbclid=IwAR2oTyeauDCa0_rHO0nuYnQhsXmhkPqhdj3yVDfrO76YIe3jEVqUEwHnbig

          • Incognito 6.1.1.1.1

            Literally just eye-balling search results on Google, it is really scary to see how many may have killed their grandmothers. Makes you wonder what’s going on with that.

        • McFlock 6.1.1.2

          Sure. In the meantime, the means that enable people of any age to murder dozens of people in minutes/seconds are obvious, and just as conspicuously ignored by some folks.

        • Anne 6.1.1.3

          Because in their not fully developed fevered brains they see it as a way of becoming instantly famous and the American Fundamentalist Right is willing to accommodate them?

          • Puckish Rogue 6.1.1.3.1

            Then maybe the media could help by not publicising the names of the shooters and not splashing the crimes on tv 24/7

        • Blazer 6.1.1.4

          It's because the 'American Dream'. is not working.. for them.

        • KJT 6.1.1.5

          The whole "man alone with a gun" "don't tread on me" "frontersman" "protecting your family" mythos of the USA, may have a lot to do with it. Along with the extreme social differences and lack of cohesion.

          Their examplers are people who take the law into their own hands, in popular culture, movies and writing. “Upset me and I will shoot”.

          Lots of guns in NZ, but nowhere near the rate of shootings. Outside of gangs.

    • newsense 6.2

      John Oliver did a section on mental health care in the States a fair while ago now, where the focus was on the police becoming the first and last line of contact for those with mental health issues.
      There was little sharing of information and a fairly broken system.

  7. Mike the Lefty 7

    To the American right and gun lovers the killing of these children is just "collateral damage" – little hiccups you get when you have a "snuggle up to the gun…" attitude to life and are arrogant enough to think that it is just business as usual.

    I hope that the people in the US who want change can take some inspiration from Jacinda Adern being there at the moment. They are looking for someone to give them hope and Jacinda is probably the best choice they can get. Her trade mission has effectively been scuppered so she might as well do the best she can in the circumstances.

    • Jenny how to get there 7.1

      Inspiring is the the word.
      Jacinda Ardern is an inspirational leader, She needs to step up again.
      This is an opportunity to punch above our weight on the world stage on an important global issue.. Let us hope that our PM can take the opportunity to go on talk TV to explain her government's rational for imposing restrictions on the ownership and buy back of semi-automatic weapons following the tragedy in Christchurch.

      • Mike the Lefty 7.1.1

        Yes, the people in the US who really want change see Jacinda as the person who did make change, thus she is seen as a role model and a unifying force.

        Jacinda's detractors, of course, will say it is all a load of b..s but if she can be the catalyst for meaningful change in the way the US regards guns then good on her.

        I suppose only time will tell.

        Her trade and tourism mission can't really proceed as planned and no doubt National and ACT will criticise her for wasted opportunities. But you would have to be completely insensitive and lacking in feeling to want to talk about trade when the Americans are still in a state of shock and that doesn't sound like the sort of person Jacinda is.

  8. " The authorities have had to use DNA samples to identify the kids, basically because they had their heads blown off with an assault rifle "

    Mickey Savage you did not have to include that graphic , vile description in your post.

    These children who have lost their lives deserve better than this.

    • mickysavage 8.1

      Why is that? When I understood the need I was utterly appalled. If achieving better gun control measures requires this unfortunate truth to be amplified then so be it.

      • aj 8.1.1

        If achieving better gun control measures requires this unfortunate truth to be amplified then so be it.

        Thank you for stating this. Those children who have lost their lives deserve all efforts possible to prevent more slaughter, even if this mean offending the tender sensibilities of adults.

        I think people who sell guns should be compelled to display photographs showing the consequences of using them on humans. Fuck them.

        • Mat Simpson 8.1.1.1

          " Thank you for stating this. Those children who have lost their lives deserve all efforts possible to prevent more slaughter, even if this mean offending the tender sensibilities of adults.

          How patronising is that comment. How does all possible efforts mean that has to include that type of description ! Its about care and respect for the innocent lives wiped out here. Tender sensibilities is an atrocious choice of words to describe the point I was making. You have jumped on the bandwagon without really thinking through this reply.

      • Jenny how to get there 8.1.2

        You haven't amplified it you have stated a fact. The devastated parents of these poor children won't be spared from knowing this fact. The purpose of Mat Simpson's comment is to spare us knowing it. The real vile description of shooting deaths is the sanitised version presented to us by the gun lobby that they would have us believe.

      • Mat Simpson 8.1.3

        " When I understood the need I was totally appalled "

        At that point you lost the need to be objective.

      • joe90 8.1.4

        If achieving better gun control measures requires this unfortunate truth to be amplified then so be it.

        The unfortunate truth amplified.

        In 1962, the Pentagon had a pickle on its hands: America wanted to give South Vietnam guns with which to kill its Communist brothers and sisters in North Vietnam, but we couldn’t figure out which guns. The answer became as clear 50 years ago as it is today: The AR-15 is an incredibly good tool for killing lots of other humans.

        […]

        The results, culled from evaluations by American “advisors” and South Vietnamese already deployed against the Viet Cong, were crystalline: “The lethality of the AR-IS and its reliability record were particularly impressive.”

        The report describes, with grisly detail, how the AR-15, chambered with the same .223 ammunition that it uses today, not only killed VC soldiers but decapitated and dismembered them:

        VC soldiers shot with the AR-15 were regularly described as looking as if they had “exploded”:

        […]

        Another report notes that among five VC soldiers shot and killed by an AR-15 in one engagement, “four were probably killing wounds with any weapon listed, but the fifth was essentially a flesh wound. The AR-15 made it a fatal wound.” Another field report describes how an AR-15 shot “exploded” one man’s head and turned another person’s torso into “one big hole.”

        https://www.gawker.com/the-ar-15-was-built-for-slaughter-in-war-zones-1781891338

  9. It wont achieve better gun control measures. 2012 Sandy hook happened and despite the appalling loss of children's lives nothing has changed.

    Unfortunate truth has no impact on the debate , if it had American children would not be the victims of these heinous crimes.

    Be utterly appalled without demeaning these innocent victims.

  10. adam 11

    Can we call these people what they are, terrorists.

    Sorry to play the race card, but is it because they are white nationalists they are not called as such?

    The Buffalo shooter was a wolf pack far right terrorist. The usual nut bar we know so well here in NZ.

    Not sure about the latest individuals motivation, but to go into a school and shot children in the head, is an act of terror.

    • Puckish Rogue 11.1

      'Sorry to play the race card, but is it because they are white nationalists they are not called as such?'

      Well no, its not a race thing so much as a gender thing and I don’t want to assume the ethnicity of the shooter but given his name is Salvador Ramos you can draw your own conclusions

      https://www.statista.com/statistics/476456/mass-shootings-in-the-us-by-shooter-s-race/

      Because a little over half the shootings are carried out by a white people (though lets be honest, its mostly men) which means theres a lot of shootings being carried out by non-whites

      Thats assuming these stats are correct because I'm not entirely sure if the USA government keeps stats on mass shootings and what the exact definition of a mass shooting is

    • Belladonna 11.2

      No, I don't think it's a race thing.

      From his name and photo he’s Latin American, as were the majority of the kids he murdered.

      But, in this case, there seems to be no political or any other motivation, apart from the desire to just kill people. And, particularly cowardly, to kill children.

      Terrorism requires a cause.

      Mass murderer, yes. Terrorist, no.

      • Puckish Rogue 11.2.1

        Indeed.

        Hopefully we'll get some answers about what happened

        Why red flags were ignored?

        Why didnt the cops go in immediately?

        Could this have been stopped if laws and processes already in place have been followed?

  11. SPC 12

    The Republicans are currently holding up legislation in the Senate to require background checks.

    The current media focus is on new legislation requiring a higher minimum age – say 21.

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  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' at 10:10am on Tuesday, March 19
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st Century The SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims Stuff Steve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 hours ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things on Tuesday, March 19
    It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • New Life for Light Rail
    This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail  Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    7 hours ago
  • Why Are Bosses Nearly All Buffoons?
    Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    10 hours ago
  • Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6.06 pm on March 18
    TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    21 hours ago
  • Peters holds his ground on co-governance, but Willis wriggles on those tax cuts and SNA suspension l...
    Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s final report card
    David Farrar writes –  We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how  went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promise The result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • “Drunk Uncle at a Wedding”
    I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on Dune 2, and images of Islam
    Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
    1 day ago
  • New Rail Operations Centre Promises Better Train Services
    Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
    1 day ago
  • Bernard's six newsy things at 6.36am on Monday, March 18
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: Wang Yi’s perfectly-timed, Aukus-themed visit to New Zealand
    Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    1 day ago
  • The Kaka’s diary for the week to March 25 and beyond
    TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Bitter and angry; Winston First
    New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
    1 day ago
  • Out of Touch.
    “I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Bring out your Dad
    Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The bewildering world of Chris Luxon – Guns for all, not no lunch for kids
    .“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
    Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
    3 days ago
  • Expert Opinion: Ageing Boomers, Laurie & Les, Talk Politics.
    It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
    3 days ago
  • Manufacturing The Truth.
    Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet –  is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
    3 days ago
  • A Powerful Sensation of Déjà Vu.
    Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
    3 days ago
  • Can you guess where world attention is focussed (according to Greenpeace)? It’s focussed on an EPA...
    Bob Edlin writes –  And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago
  • Further integrity problems for the Greens in suspending MP Darleen Tana
    Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Greens’ transparency missing in action
    For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • Bernard’s Dawn Chorus with six newsey things at 6:46am for Saturday, March 16
    TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ Herald Thomas Coughlan Simeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • How Did FTX Crash?
    What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Elections in Russia and Ukraine
    Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
    4 days ago
  • Bernard’s six stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15
    TL;DR: Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it:  We want our country to be a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • National’s clean car tax advances
    The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Government funding bailouts
    Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Two offenders, different treatments.
    See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Treaty references omitted
    Ele Ludemann writes  – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • The Ghahraman Conflict
    What was that judge thinking? Peter Williams writes –  That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 15
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop: Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The day Wellington up-zoned its future
    Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 15-March-2024
    It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • That Word.
    Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to March 15
    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Labour’s policy gap
    It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11 2024
    Open access notables A Glimpse into the Future: The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change, Kuhlbrodt et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society: In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in ...
    5 days ago
  • Melissa remains mute on media matters but has something to say (at a sporting event) about economic ...
     Buzz from the Beehive   The text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary.  It can be quickly analysed ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The return of Muldoon
    For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Will the rental tax cut improve life for renters or landlords?
    Bryce Edwards writes –  Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: What Saudi Arabia’s rapid changes mean for New Zealand
    Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    5 days ago
  • Racism’s double standards
    Questions need to be asked on both sides of the world Peter Williams writes –   The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • It’s not a tax break
    Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • The Plastic Pig Collective and Chris' Imaginary Friends.
    I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Who is responsible for young offenders?
    Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on National’s fantasy trip to La La Landlord Land
    How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
    5 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 14
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop: The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • No, Prime Minister, rents don’t rise or fall with landlords’ costs
    TL;DR: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Cartoons: ‘At least I didn’t make things awkward’
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
    5 days ago
  • Solving traffic congestion with Richard Prebble
    The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    5 days ago
  • I Think I'm Done Flying Boeing
    Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Invoking Aristotle: Of Rings of Power, Stones, and Ships
    The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
    6 days ago
  • Van Velden brings free-market approach to changing labour laws – but her colleagues stick to distr...
    Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • Why Newshub failed
    Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Māori Party on the warpath against landlords and seabed miners – let’s see if mystical creature...
    Bob Edlin writes  –  The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they  follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago
  • There’s a name for this
    Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Echoes of 1968 in 2024?  Pocock on the repetitive problems of the New Left
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Two bar blues
    The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • Bernard's Top 10 @ 10 'pick 'n' mix' for March 13
    TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • AT Need To Lift Their Game
    Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
    6 days ago
  • Christopher's Whopper.
    Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Funding hole for tax cuts growing by the day
    The pressure is mounting on the Government as it finalises its Budget Policy Statement, but yet more predicted revenue ‘goes missing’. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Climate Commission has delivered another funding blow to the National-ACT-NZ First coalition Government’s tax-cutting plans, potentially carving $1.4 billion off the ‘climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Luxon’s brave climate change promise
    The Government now faces the prospect of having to watch another tax raise the price of petrol when, only six days ago, it abolished the Auckland Regional Fuel tax. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon argued that the regional fuel tax imposed costs on lower-income people with less fuel-efficient vehicles  and that ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Positive progress for social worker workforce
    New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Minister confirms reduced RUC rate for PHEVs
    Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 hours ago
  • Trade access to overseas markets creates jobs
    Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand.  Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • NZ and Chinese Foreign Ministers hold official talks
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • Kāinga Ora instructed to end Sustaining Tenancies
    Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Speech to Auckland Business Chamber: Growth is the answer
    Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Singapore rounds out regional trip
    Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships.      “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Minister van Velden represents New Zealand at International Democracy Summit
    Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Insurance Council of NZ Speech, 7 March 2024, Auckland
    ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland  Acknowledgements and opening  Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho.  Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau  My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Five-year anniversary of Christchurch terror attacks
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