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Lowering his standards ever lower

Written By: - Date published: 5:17 pm, February 6th, 2009 - 59 comments
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Just when Farrar had made me happy, as I explain in this post, and had even been quite funny in his retort, he goes and reminds me I should never put anything past him.

Today, he’s attacking the welfare system by running a post about a invalid beneficiary who he reckons can’t be an invalid because she was up to wrestling with the Police and growling at them. Using all his medical expertise and a short Dompost article, Farrar concludes WINZ has stuffed up.

David, you know as well as I do that people with severe personality disorders or psychological conditions that mean they can’t work go on the invalids’ benefit. That looks to be the case with this woman. This woman’s actions were not right and I don’t defend them but WINZ is completely in the right in delivering income assistance to those who are unable to work.

Your dog-whistling is as disappointing as is it transparent. Still, got to throw some meat to the dogs every now and then, eh?

59 comments on “Lowering his standards ever lower ”

  1. SBlount 1

    Who doesn’t have a ‘severe personality disorder’?

    We’re all examples of something in a psychology textbook yet we’ve managed to build this country.

    We can’t pick and choose a world that fits our ‘psyche’ to live in, we have to deal with this one.

  2. Rex Widerstrom 2

    As I see it there’s two possible underlying narratives to this story.

    Kiwiblog’s – the woman is a parasite, capable of working, but who has – whether by by manipulatin or threats – convinced the system to hand her a large amount (over time, I mean) of taxpayers’ money so she can enjoy an indolent lifestyle and raise at least one, probably more, dangerous and destructive children.

    Or

    The Standard’s – the woman has a personality disorder or severe psychological condition which prevents her from successfully gaining, or holding down, a “normal” job. But rather than do anything practical to improve her situation or assist her to overcome this disorder, the system instead hands her a large amount of taxpayers’ money so she can enjoy an indolent lifestyle and raise at least one, probably more, dangerous and destructive children.

    Assuming you’re right, Steve, such people can be helped. In the 80s I worked for Morehu Social Services (which ran work skills programmes till the incoming National government decided they were a waste of time). There was a trainee who looked almost exactly like the woman in question, except her charms were added to by a glass eye that kept popping out whenever she lost her temper, which was often.

    All we could give her to do was to push a broom round the office but she came to work each day and did so with enthusiasm. It took a long time and a lot off effort (all of it government funded) to get her personality disorder under control but eventually it happened.

    When I last heard of her she had married, had a daughter, and was holding down a private sector job.

    And before you lay the blame for all this at the feet of 90s National government, Labour did nothing to restore those community-run training programs (which also doubled as a way to support organisations like Morehu and the Salvation Army) and scorned sheltered workshops as un-PC when they too offered such people some sort of productive life.

    So whatever speculation holds true – yours or DPF’s – there’s absolutely no excuse, IMHO, for this woman being allowed to lead the life she’s leading and the blame lays squarely at the feet of decades of politicians and public servants.

  3. ak 3

    Meat for the dogs? Flies around a flatulent pig’s arse works better for me (and v disappointed in one particular fly – I’ll put it down to temporary heat delirium…)

    Dunno why you go there at all except for the laxative effect – still, we should be grateful to have such skilled savants and diagnosticians among us: obviously vastly superior to the poor health professional who assessed the lady. An entire profile, life history and prognosis for the country from a single photograph – sheer brilliance.

    Farrar should go mainstream: “Sensing Bigotry: Dr Dave summons the underworld from beyond the pale” (R12: Lack of rational content may offend: not suitable for mature audiences)

    (Edit: just noticed your comment above, Rex: much better. Would dispute the contention that programmes have been significantly gutted – got any concrete suggestions as to what could be done better? Back when the cricket dies down)

  4. She anit starving that is for sure.

  5. David 5

    she is barking mad

  6. IrishBill 6

    “Who doesn’t have a ‘severe personality disorder’?”

    SBlount, you’ve been spending too much time in the blogosphere. On the other hand with a mental condition like that she could probably do whatever it is that sustains the bank accounts of posters on nominister.

    Rex, I agree that there is a failure to properly fund and run the mental health system, and have written on the issue in the past, but I take exception to your claim she is in receipt of “a large amount of taxpayers money”. The invalids benefit isn’t exactly living off the hog’s back.

    Brett, obesity is often a sign that a person isn’t able to access a healthy, balanced diet. Often due to poverty. Of course there are some people who are wealthy and obese (some of whom are bloggers). I’d suggest that that is a more likely an issue of personal responsibility.

  7. Borderline Personality disorder should not preclude you from working. However, the woman in question could have any number of conditions, such as asthma or depression, that might stop her working but leave her strong enough to assault police officers.

  8. SBlount 8

    “Brett, obesity is often a sign that a person isn’t able to access a healthy, balanced diet. Often due to poverty. Of course there are some people who are wealthy and obese (some of whom are bloggers). I’d suggest that that is a more likely an issue of personal responsibility.”

    Oh My God!

    The worst example of doublethink I’ve heard.

  9. Peter Burns 9

    Half of the local chapter of the mongrel mob are on the invalids benefit.
    They got a patched up doctor in their back pocket eh bro.

    To unstable to work, but excellent at swinging a machete when they don’t get their criminal way!

  10. lukas 10

    SP, for someone who has claimed many times that you never visit the “sewer” you seem to be very well versed in what is being published by DPF.

  11. SBlount 11

    MacDoctor

    Asthma stops you from earning a wage?!

    I have this disease like 1 in 3? other NZ’ers. Another 2 people in my immediate family have been hospitalized with it. We all have jobs.

    Is not working one of the best things you can do for depression?

  12. will 12

    Worst blog ever.. I will only read it three more times…………today

  13. Julie 13

    I concur Steve, I’m going to try to write something about this in the morning. Mind you sadly this thread includes some pretty awful comments too (not your fault).

  14. will 14

    Clearly you have no idea how debilitating depression and personality disorders can be… it is not even about if it is good for them, (when it often is not). Depending on the strength of disorder, some people simply cannot work, and even if they can, one look at a person like her would make an employer want to run the other way.

    Mental Illnesses make some people unemployable, lets make their lives worse by condemning them for it.

  15. Tim Ellis 15

    I partly agree with you SP, it is quite possible that this woman has a personality disorder which would make her legitimately on an invalid’s benefit. I don’t know where you got the information that she actually has a personality disorder, though. Is this the reason she’s on an invalid’s benefit? If so, how do you know this? Have you got access to her medical records and/or her WINZ benefit application?

    Her actions in the Court do sound a bit unhinged. Since the article states she was jailed for contempt, and there’s no evidence that any submissins were made by counsel to the effect that her actions were driven by a personality disorder, I think the onus is on you to establish that this is the case, and that this is the reason she’s on a benefit.

    Further reading of the DomPost article suggests that this woman was not “barking like a dog” due to some bizarre, random behaviour, but that rather it is a common show of support to Mongrel Mob members.

  16. Felix 16

    If anyone’s interested, I know the truth about this woman’s medical history and financial situation. And the truth is that it’s none of your fecking business.

    Seriously, you all look pathetic sitting in judgment on someone you know next to nothing about.

  17. ak 17

    Ur onto it will: salient behaviour demonstrated in this thread is the tendency for right-wingers to construct an entirely fictitious class of inferiors, ascribe membership thereof to anonymous individual victims based purely on appearance, all the while claiming to support the individual and the non-existence of class. Drearily predictable, incredibly damaging, and thankfully, like all glaring inconsistencies, doomed to extinction.

  18. SBlount 18

    “Clearly you have no idea how debilitating depression and personality disorders can be ”

    Yes I do.

    Clearly you have no idea about other peoples experience.

    “Depending on the strength of disorder, some people simply cannot work”

    But not all people. This argument cannot be used to justify all situations in which it is claimed a person is unable to work, otherwise we’d all be on a sickness benefit.

  19. SBlount 19

    “If anyone’s interested, I know the truth about this woman’s medical history and financial situation. And the truth is that it’s none of your fecking business.

    Seriously, you all look pathetic sitting in judgment on someone you know next to nothing about.”

    Clearly people are interested, but we don’t know what you might know, and you aren’t telling us which may be fair enough.

    What is apparent here is that a person on an invalid benefit has shown herself to be physically capable in fighting off the police. A court has held her mentally and emotionally accountable for contempt of court. This would seem to be in contradiction to her status as an invalid benefit.

    “Justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done’

    In this situation it is not apparent that justice is being done. And unless there is some clarification or assurance taxpayers will eventually remove the source of funds.

    In justifying the use of taxpayer money the burden of proof resides with the spender, not the provider of taxpayer money.

    I am not generally in favour of ‘beneficiary bashing’ because I currently have confidence that the people entrusted with overseeing benefits are doing their job. We will always have some degree of white collar crime, we just need to make it as hard as possible to get away with.

  20. DeeDub 20

    Farrar is just a fricking sicko…. and most of the sick-minded rightie posters defy their own humanity with some of the things they say. The same kind of people who would have been avid readers of Völkischer Beobachter and Der Stürmer in another time and place. Frightening, reactionary and it’s hard to believe I’m reading it all in NZ?!

  21. Felix 21

    What is apparent here is that a person on an invalid benefit has shown herself to be physically capable in fighting off the police.

    Nonsense. If she was capable of fighting off the police she wouldn’t have been arrested.

    A court has held her mentally and emotionally accountable for contempt of court. This would seem to be in contradiction to her status as an invalid benefit.

    The courts don’t make decisions on benefit entitlements. That is the job of Work & Income, based on information supplied by the person’s doctor and specialists. The court’s concern is that a person is mentally capable of understanding the charges brought against them. This has nothing to do with being fit for work.

    In justifying the use of taxpayer money the burden of proof resides with the spender, not the provider of taxpayer money.

    No-one has to prove anything to you. This is between the woman, her doctor and Work & Income. Idiots on the internet don’t come into it.

  22. SBlount 22

    DeeDub

    A 100% hypocritical statement.

  23. SBlount 23

    “decisions on benefit entitlements. That is the job of Work & Income”

    On behalf of the taxpayers.

    No-one has to prove anything to you. This is between the woman, her doctor and Work & Income. Idiots on the internet don’t come into it.”

    doctor = employee of the taxpayer

    Work & Income = taxpayers

    The spending of WINZ is accountable to the taxpayer and relies on the confidence of taxpayers to continue its function.

  24. Felix 24

    Yes, on behalf of. That means they do it because it’s not realistic to run every decision by you, me and the rest of the country.

    Do you really not understand that? Are you really that Thick? Are you Burt?

    You get to vote for governments who will promote the type of policies you support but you don’t get to run an inquisition on someone you saw on tv because you reckon you know better than everyone else.

    If you want to make operational decisions for a government department then get a job in one, work your way up and try to influence policy. Otherwise you’re just another moron on the internet bitching about things that you don’t understand.

  25. burt 25

    Love you too Felix. I wasn’t passing judgment on this woman and haven’t passed comment in this thread. You should seek professional help for your obsession with me. Perhaps you want to meet, shall we get a room?

  26. ak 26

    Thanks burt, and sorry to interrupt, but in the absence of a dedicated Waitangi Day thread, may I humbly suggest, to whomever may be in a position to pose it, that the following question be put to our Prime Minister?

    “Do you, John Key, as Prime Minister of New Zealand, wish to close the gaps between pakeha and maori with regards to life expectancy, incarceration rates, and educational achievement? And if so, what concrete steps will you take to achieve this?”

    Funny old world, innit burt: an admitted atheist, former Orewa One supporter leads prayers at Waitangi to the fawning of former “maori radicals”, just as a “nigra” assumes the mantle of world leader and chooses the path that will determine our fate.

    Wake up, Harawira: you’re only there as ACT insurance: put the question now or forever rue our main chance.

  27. tsmithfield 27

    I personally know someone who has approached various doctors until he managed to find one who would sign off on him having depression for the purposes of obtaining a sickness benefit. For him this means none of that annoying job-hunting stuff. He fully acknowledges that he is quite capable of working but doesn’t want to. But he has someone in the medical establishment to back him up.

  28. AK,

    Even as a recent import here I can see it. Bloody hell, how did they do it? Getting someone who is reasonably smart like Hone to completely buy into JK’s schmarm.

    I was reading the stuff about him leading a prayer and was going WHAT? He is an admitted atheist from Jewish (If you believe in the Jews being a race perhaps this would be interesting for you to read because that is what a lot of Orthodox Jewish people thing of that one) descent and here he is leading a Christian prayer. How is that for Hypocrisy. I hope they remember that when they get shafted in the next three years.

    At least Helen Clark never stooped to that.

    It just goes to show you that John Key has absolutely no morals and is happy to give the punters what they want so he can screw’m good later.

  29. Peter Burns 29

    trev, how can John Key lower the standards any further as the vile Miss Clark and her delirious absolute power regime obliterated all known acceptable standards to the point where society has become devoid of accountability and respectability? Miss Clark should be in a cell.

    Your blame the Jews routine is so finger in the dyke boring crap. Do try and get a life you stupid tulip muncher.

  30. Ah, the old “you are a Jew hater” argument.

    No Peter, I have the greatest respect for Judaism and it’s adherents. The link I gave was to a group of people who live their life in love for their fellow human beings through the wisdom they find in the Torah. You can’t be more Jewish than that. They are the ones pointing out that Judaism is a religion and not a race and that the Torah is their guiding spiritual principle.

    I have the same respect for Maori who follow that principle of love and respect for their fellow humans through the wisdom they find in the Bible.

    If JK as a practising Jew had joined the Maori in a prayer to Jaweh as they had to God I would have thought that a beautiful thing and a powerful building of mutual Mana.

    I was merely pointing out that in the Wikipedia entry on JK, JK is quoted as saying that he goes to church a lot with the girls but that his attitude towards religion is easy and that he is technically a Jew because his mammy was.

    That is a close as saying “I don’t give a flying fuck about religion” in politicians language. Helen Clark said the same thing when she said I’m not a morning person as her reason not to attend the morning prayers but at least she wasn’t soiling the spirituality of the attending Maori with some fake prayer drivel. I find it insulting to those who for true spiritual reasons where there at that time.

    I’m glad to you being back to your old form Peter, I was beginning to miss the tulip muncher moniker. Funny how the “Jew” word no matter how innocently used triggered your racist bone.

    However to get back to the thread, the lack of compassion here is truly staggering. I don’t know the lady in question and to be quit honest my revulsion was triggered by her slug white belly bared on the photos. It triggered instant Oh Yuk feelings but a soon as I read the “on benefit” thing I was reminded of the way our MSM stigmatises and manipulates. Felix is right, we don’t know her and therefore we should not judge.

    That’s another one for ya Peter; “He who is without sin shall cast the first stone.”
    Are you without sins Peter?

  31. Peter Burns 31

    Dear Eve I sin everyday. Yes I feel better now as dad4justice but he is banned? To much bad sin I think? Whatever, I don’t give a flying f. Yes, you and felix are dam right, we should not judge. Give me that gavel judge and I”ll whack that soldiers ear off. Oops, silly me, must go and sin, then visit the loony bin.

    Rock on Jesus for I am sinner and the judge a binner.

    Love Adam xx

  32. higherstandard 32

    Eve

    I believe Key was asked to lead the prayers at Waitangi, he is not an atheist but in his own words “not a heavy believer” …….. the words and the temerity both he and Clark showed when asked the question on TV about belief has a lot to do, in my opinion, with people in this country being scared of admitting they believe in a God/higher power.

    Good on him for treating the people there with respect and actually fronting up to lead the prayers and saying the following

    ‘Soon after the congregation was told the service was not a political service and that political arguments should stay at the lower Te Tii marae, Mr Key led the prayer.
    “As we gather here this morning on this most historic of sites at dawn, we can give thanks.
    “We give thanks to the fact that out country is still one of the most amazing places in the world to live, where our oceans are teeming with fish, where our land is arable and can deliver for our people, where we see opportunities for all New Zealanders and where we can live in peace.
    “We also give thanks for those who came and signed the treaty 169 years ago, those iwi leaders who showed two of the most important human characteristics – hope and courage.
    “The hope that they could deliver on the promise of New Zealand, the belief that New Zealand could go forward – two people, shared beliefs, shared values – and the courage to take a step that they couldn’t be sure would be right but that they hoped would deliver on the promise of our land.”

    I would have thought that this was a sentiment that everyone could agree with regardless of their religion, race or political leaning ……… sadly you have proven me wrong.

  33. andy 33

    My Reading of DPF is that when the Boss (john Key) does something that goes against the narrative he does not post about it till its off the front page (when key fell down the stairs he waited till ‘the hard man shook the hands of 120 people with broken arm’ meme was in the papers).

    In this example Waitangi was spun to be a National and Maori love fest. It did not go according to script, JK almost had a moment, he looked frightened for a brief moment and right fully so. This did not fit the National narrative of being Hard men and women.

    So today John Armstrong writes a column running the National hard man John Key line, this gives DPF the cover he needs to post.

    DPF’s post could have written itself and the comments were very predictable, why the surprise? He has admitted vie Whaleoil that he works in the research unit, its a classic misdirection.

  34. Felix 34

    Me too hs, I give Key his props on this.

    He’s not very religious but he can still take part in a religious ceremony. I think that’s perfectly appropriate – in fact I think it’s part of the job, really – he’s the PM for everyone, not just for people who happen to share his faith or lack thereof.

    It’s a good thing, in my opinion, that we don’t give politicians’ religious beliefs too much weight in this country.

  35. DeeDub 35

    SBlount, please explain why my statement was “100% hypocritical”?

    In my opinion the kind of uninformed bile spat out by most posters at KB is every bit as vile as the stuff I have read in the NS rags of the 30s and 40s – certainly just as loaded with violent/threatening language and ignorance..

    So to call my statement hypocritical you would have to be asserting that my statement was uninformed, violent, and hateful to a defenceless minority?? I don’t believe it was..

  36. Akldnut 36

    Felix you’re right to give Goober credit for being able to front up, and he handled the whole weekend quite well especially the idiots who attacked him (totally unecessary) but as far as being everyones PM!!! He’s as much my PM as is that bitch in England my Queen. I wouldn,t cross the road and piss on the pair of them if they were on fire. lol

  37. coge 37

    The people at Kiwiblog just don’t get it. This mongrel mob woman recieves state assistance to which she is rightfully entitled. These substantial & comprehensive benefits are abley provisioned through WINZ & HNZ. Now her sons accomodation & feeding requirements will be fully met by the Dept of Corrections. Thank goodness for tax funded state benefits.

    IrishBill: the “people” at Kiwiblog are a bunch of ignorant fanatics who have already made threats of violence against Steve for posting on this issue.

  38. higherstandard 38

    alkdnut

    Do you often cross the road to piss on people who are on fire?

    I would also note that –

    1. John Key is your Prime Minister just as Helen Clark was the Prime Minister for those odd people who had a pathological hatred of her.

    2. Calling the Queen of England a bitch is as offensive as making similar disparaging comments about the Maori King.

    3. You are a tool.

  39. IrishBill

    Ignorant fanatics????????

    Isn’t that slightly exaggerated?

  40. Peter Burns 40

    “IrishBill: the “people’ at Kiwiblog are a bunch of ignorant fanatics who have already made threats of violence against Steve for posting on this issue.”

    Has this thread become a police matter?

  41. DeeDub 41

    “…a couple of lone protesters..”

    Nice, John Armstrong…. nice.

  42. I have read the thread at kiwiblog and cant find one threat against Steve?

    (lprent: email? Some of the loons did that once to me. For some reason they didn’t like the backtrace)

  43. Akldnut 43

    HS
    I would if I had no water , but for those two and what they represent to me, extremely doublful.

    You can also note that –

    1. I’ve got nothing against Key as a man. Like I said – Its what he represents to me.

    2. She is the figurehead of an organisation/group/party/country (call it what you want) that have “Royally” screwed over my people and just about every other race they have ever come into contact with. Then I’ll call her a BITCH any time thanks.
    If Tuheitia Paki who I presume you’re referring to, had done that to my people which he hasn’t, then I’d be calling him a similar name! (BTW he’s not my king either)

    You might also note the LOL on the end of my entry – this means laughs out loud, obviously a light learted comment that is lost on you.

    3. You are a tool by taking it as you have.

  44. Peter Burns 44

    Steve – threats of violence should not be tolerated? Make a complaint to cops if you have the evidence? Surely, it’s your public duty to stamp out any anti social behaviour.This is a serious allegation you make.

  45. higherstandard 45

    BD

    Ignorant fanatics????????

    Isn’t that slightly exaggerated?

    Nope the blogs are full of them what IB has failed to acknowledge is there’s just as many here as at Kiwiblog – it is a worrying tendency that all blogs tend to put up with nutters to a greater degree if they come from the same political bent, while proceeding to attack anyone who’s perceived to come from the other side of the political tracks.

    C’est la vie … I’m feeling quite positive after yesterdays Waitangi celebrations I thought Key, Goff, Tuheitia Paki and their hosts at Waitangi and all involved (apart form a couple of dickheads) did the country proud.

    Alknnut

    You’ve got nothing against Key as man …… right OK … that’s why you feel it’s necessary to refer to him as goober etc etc.

    ……. and your assertions regarding the British as a people screwing over all and everyone they have come in contact with is also rather telling and pathetic.

    I repeat you are a complete spanner despite your protest otherwise you also appear to be a bigot – one would hope you are not representative of your people whoever they are ?

  46. So what was the threat about Steve made at kiwiblog? Because for the life of me, I cant find any threat over there.

  47. IrishBill 47

    HS, we run a tight ship here where threatening people gets you banned. Whether you are left or right. In fact I’ve currently got the ‘sod on a five week ban for personally abusing a right wing commenter.

  48. Felix 48

    Hi burt, ha ha I just found your comment from last night.

    I wasn’t addressing you, I was asking sblount if they were you. Sorry, I can see now that it wasn’t very clear.

    As for your kind offer, thanks but I think it would kill all the romance.

  49. Wow Felix,

    This is getting serious, you’re actually agreeing with HS on something.

    Tell you what gentlemen if in three years time JK and his new found Maori friends are still feel blissfully happy with each other I’ll eat humble pie. That would mean I judged John Key totally wrong and to be honest I sincerely hope I am.

    To me actions speak louder than words.

    Getting laws though parliament under urgency that will inevitably damage race relations and promote inequality will stand while beautiful words evaporate.

    But hey, if in three years time we all live better lives in harmony with one another I’ll happily concede.

    Who knows by than we might even invite those of other religions and backgrounds who have recently arrived such as out Muslim brothers and sisters and our Chinese Buddhist brothers and sisters to the same service to make this a truly all embracing and loving ecumenical congregation of all people races and creeds living in this country trying to get along and work towards a common future.

  50. travellerev:

    Dont forget our Jewish brothers and sisters.

  51. higherstandard 51

    Eve

    I don’t think there is anything prohibiting Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus etc attending the service at Waitangi.

    I suspect a number of the people up there were of these denominations or were atheists who really cares what religion or lack of they choose as long as they behave well to each other ?

  52. Akldnut 52

    HS
    My people are English & Maori and if I’m wrong with my comment “screwed over my people (meaning Maori) and just about every other race they have ever come into contact with.” then you could prove me wrong and I’d gladly retract it but I don’t think that will be happening.

    If by British you mean the British Crown as an entity then you’d be right on the nail but if you mean the people, then you’re way off the mark.

    As for being a bigott – now you really are being a dork.

    .

  53. Brett,

    I heard there was a Klesmer band playing during the festivities. I love Klesmer music.
    Beautiful, haunting and wickedly funny at times and great to dance to if you like the Jewish circular style of dancing (I did once and had a great time).

    HS,

    Yes, as far as behaving in public is concerned JK does it by the book. Open anger I have noticed is not the Pakeha Kiwi way. They always smile and behave in public while stabbing each other in the back. John Key did great yesterday: he smiled and told the punters what they wanted to hear. He did the backstabbing a while ago when he and his National mates pushed all their crap through during “Urgency”.

    And of course when we can’t hear him he says what he really means like how the tax payers are going to have to pay for the banksters and the hedgefunds gambling.

    Sucker

    Captcha: Washington voted. I wonder what he would have voted here in NZ?

  54. higherstandard 54

    Alkdnut

    You said “she is the figurehead of an organisation/group/party/country (call it what you want) that have “Royally’ screwed over my people and just about every other race they have ever come into contact with. Then I’ll call her a BITCH any time thanks.”

    You then state that you are English and Maori …. a kiwi let’s say.

    I think the majority of Maori would find it abhorrent that you would call the Queen of England a bitch, let’s leave aside the issue of you having an english heritage also and have chosen to lambast the figurehead (as you have called her) of that same country as a bitch ….. all in all rather an odd position to take especially the day after we’ve celebrated Waitangi day …………. I find your attitude and demeanour to be somewhat Mugabesque.

    Eve

    Nice to know that your opinion of the vast majority in this country (including yourself is so low)

    Making facile bigoted comments like that only serves to make you look even sillier than usual.

  55. I wonder what the good people of the hand mirror would think about you calling a woman a B***.

  56. There you go HS,

    Stabbing the back very politely. And no, I have a very high opinion about a lot of NZers and I am very happy with myself thank you.

    It’s when they go all huffy puffy hoity toity British in the so called “Civilised behaviour” department I get those oh puke feelings.

  57. higherstandard 57

    Eve …… does that make you a bilious bitcher ?

    Can you explain to me how I have stabbed you in the back after I commented

    ” facile bigoted comments like that only serves to make you look even sillier than usual.”

    in relation to your comment…

    “Open anger I have noticed is not the Pakeha Kiwi way. They always smile and behave in public while stabbing each other in the back. ”

    I suggest you go and have a chunder and then depart back to your alternate reality blog.

  58. Quoth the Raven 58

    You guys should put all those threatening emails into posts so the unbelieving right can see what some of their comrades can be like.

    [lprent: Kind of pointless – all it does is extend the knowledge about the ‘rules’ of harassment. There are all of those interesting rules about what is threatening. Ask Peter aka d4j about how many cell phone calls before vodaphone will treat threatening phone calls as a problem. My niece Rochelle got some calls from some interesting numbers. Such brave ‘people’…. ]

  59. Joe 59

    I loved g his standards ever lower at The Standard 2.02!

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    By Don Franks Today my friend Ani O’Briien went to a meeting in Auckland and wrote: “No sooner had Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull arrived at the Rotunda, a protestor (who had managed to get past the barrier) ran at her and threw a red substance all over her and a security ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    8 hours ago
  • A serving of soup curbs Posie Parker’s appetite for speaking – and shows that might is right in ...
    Jonathan Milne, managing editor for Newsroom Pro, has expressed his indignation about the outcome of a court decision yesterday in an article headed Posie Parker wins the beautiful freedom to make an ugly argument. Newsroom Pro laments: High Court Justice David Gendall has regretfully allowed an outspoken anti-trans activist to enter New ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    12 hours ago
  • It’s official: National have an education policy
    imagine my surprise this week when the National Party, in their infinite wisdom, decided to release an education policy. As you can imagine, this got us so riled up here in the office that we dusted off our Windows XP laptop, waiting 17 hours for all the updates to be ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    13 hours ago
  • Prosperity through Productivity.
    Come on Jess thought Mr Evans come on. He watched the large clock on the wall tick closer to 8:40am. Come on girl.In two minutes he had to submit the class attendance report and with Jess having already been late once that term it’d mean an automatic visit from the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    14 hours ago
  • The hoon for the week that was to March 25
    This week’s UN IPCC report warned climate emissions will need to be cut by almost half by 2030, if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C. Bronwyn Hayward points out in The Hoon podcast how far behind NZ’s government and councils are now on climate action compared to the rest ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    19 hours ago
  • The big question for Labour: Will Hipkins have any more success than Ardern did with the top priorit...
    Chris  Hipkins,  after  he became prime minister, committed  to defeating the  cost-of- living crisis. He  proceeded to make a  bonfire of policies  that were at  the  heart of Jacinda Ardern’s administration.  But, as   Richard Prebble pointed out this week, “the government has not just U-turned, it has repudiated the ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    1 day ago
  • Reality check.
    There are some wellness, crystal-gazing, holistic spiritual guidance types in my disaster-hit coastal community who insist that the power of positive thinking will overcome the physical and material damages incurred by the community. They object to restrictions on road travel … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 day ago
  • High Performance Instability in the Financial Sector
    Evaluating the recent crashes of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and Credit Suisse in Switzerland plus two other banks (perhaps more by the time you read this) needs to begin with a review of the inevitable instability in the financial sector. The financial sector is inherently unstable, like military ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 day ago
  • The week in review
    1. We see here new police minister Ginny Andersen. Which larger than life NZ political figure was her great-uncle?a. Rob Muldoonb. Bill Andersenc. Richard John Seddond. Norman Kirk2. We see here archival footage of Ginny Andersen coming out of her electorate office to ask ex-tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop if he ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Nash splashes out with a $900,000 investment in the blue economy (or is it more corporate welfare?)
    Buzz from the Beehive Stuart Nash, speaking as Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, one of his remaining portfolios after he was dropped down the Hipkins Government batting order, has drawn attention to the blue economy and its potential. Nash says the government is investing in the blue economy, or – ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Ask Me Anything about the week to March 24
    Photo by Josh Mills on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for the next hour, including:The runs on Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic Bank on the west coast of the United States that forced the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 24-March-2023
    Roundup is back! We skipped last week’s Friday post due to a shortage of person-power – did you notice? Lots going on out there… Our header image this week shows a green street that just happens to be Queen St, by @chamfy from Twitter. This week (and last) in ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Keen-Minshull visit
    After threatening Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of consequences if he dared to bar her entry, Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull has been given her visa, regardless. This will enable her to hold rallies in Auckland and Wellington this weekend, and spread her messages of hostility against an already marginalised trans community. Neo-Nazis may, ...
    2 days ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nucl...
    * Bryce Edwards writes – The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago
  • Wayne Brown's #Auxit moment
    Boomers voted him in, but Brown’s Trumpish moments might spook Aucklanders worried about what a change to National nationally might mean. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has become our version of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, except without any of the insatiable appetite for media appearances. He ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: NZ needs to distance itself from Australia’s anti-China nuclear submarines
    The New Zealand Government has been silent about Australia’s decision to commit up to $400bn acquiring nuclear submarines, even though this is a significant threat to peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. The deal was struck by the Albanese Labor Government as part of its Aukus pact with the ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago
  • Posie Parker vs Transgender Rights.
    Recently you might have heard of a person called Posie Parker and her visit to Aotearoa. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what it’s all about. So let’s start with who this person is, why their visit is controversial, and what on earth a TERF is.Posie Parker is the super villain ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Select Committee told slow down; you’re moving too fast
    The chair of Parliament’s Select Committee looking at the Government’s resource management legislation wants the bills sent back for more public consultation. The proposal would effectively kill any chance of the bills making it into law before the election. Green MP, Eugenie Sage, stressing that she was speaking as ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2023
    Open access notables  The United States experienced some historical low temperature records during the just-concluded winter. It's a reminder that climate and weather are quite noisy; with regard to our warming climate,, as with a road ascending a mountain range we may steadily change our conditions but with lots of ...
    2 days ago
  • What becomes of the broken hearted? Nanny State will step in to comfort them
    Buzz from the Beehive The Nanny State has scored some wins (or claimed them) in the past day or two but it faltered when it came to protecting Kiwi citizens from being savaged by one woman armed with a sharp tongue. The wins are recorded by triumphant ministers on the ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago
  • Acceptance, decency, road food.
    Sometimes you see your friends making the case so well on social media you think: just copy and share.On acceptance and decency, from Michèle A’CourtA notable thing about anti-trans people is they way they talk about transgender women and men as though they are strangers “over there” when in fact ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour sabotage
    Not that long ago, things were looking pretty good for climate change policy in Aotearoa. We finally had an ETS, and while it was full of pork and subsidies, it was delivering high and ever-rising carbon prices, sending a clear message to polluters to clean up or shut down. And ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Is bundling restricting electricity competition?
    Comparing (and switching) electricity providers has become easier, but bundling power up with broadband and/or gas makes it more challenging. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The Kākā TL;DR: The new Consumer Advocacy Council set up as a result of the Labour Government’s Electricity Price Review in 2019 has called on either ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Westland Milk puts heat on competitors as global dairy demand  remains softer for longer
    Hokitika-based Westland Milk Products  has  put the heat on dairy giant Fonterra with  a $120m profit turnaround in 2022, driven by record sales. Westland paid its suppliers a 10c premium above the forecast Fonterra price per kilo, contributing $535m to the West Coast and Canterbury economies. The dairy ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • BRYCE EDWARDS’ Political Roundup:  The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    * Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: The Beehive’s revolving door and corporate mateship
    New Zealanders are uncomfortable with the high level of influence corporate lobbyists have in New Zealand politics, and demands are growing for greater regulation. A recent poll shows 62 per cent of the public support having a two-year cooling off period between ministers leaving public office and becoming lobbyists and ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    3 days ago
  • A miracle pill for our transport ills
    This is a guest post by accessibility and sustainable transport advocate Tim Adriaansen It originally appeared here.   A friend calls you and asks for your help. They tell you that while out and about nearby, they slipped over and landed arms-first. Now their wrist is swollen, hurting like ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • The Surprising Power of Floating Wind Turbines
    Floating offshore wind turbines offer incredible opportunities to capture powerful winds far out at sea. By unlocking this wind energy potential, they could be a key weapon in our arsenal in the fight against climate change. But how developed are these climate fighting clean energy giants? And why do I ...
    3 days ago
  • The next Maori challenge
    Over the past two or three weeks, a procession of Maori iwi and hapu in a series of little-noticed appearances before two Select Committees have been asking for more say for Maori over resource management decisions along the co-governance lines of Three Waters. Their submissions and appearances run counter ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • Secret “war-crime” warrants by International Criminal Court is mischief-making
    The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue war crimes arrest warrants for the Russian President and the Russia Children Ombudsman may have been welcomed by the ideologically committed but otherwise seems to have been greeted with widespread cynicism (see Situation in Ukraine: ICC judges issue arrest warrants ...
    3 days ago
  • How to answer Drunk Uncle Kevin's Climate Crisis reckons
    Let’s say you’re clasping your drink at a wedding, or a 40th, or a King’s Birthday Weekend family reunion and Drunk Uncle Kevin has just got going.He’s in an expansive frame of mind because we’re finally rid of that silly girl. But he wants to ask an honest question about ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • National’s Luxon may be glum about his poll ratings but has he found a winner in promising to rai...
    National Party leader Christopher Luxon may  be feeling glum about his poll ratings, but  he could be tapping  into  a rich political vein in  describing the current state of education as “alarming”. Luxon said educational achievement has been declining,  with a recent NCEA pilot exposing just how far it has ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    3 days ago
  • Climate Change: More Labour foot-dragging
    Yesterday the IPCC released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report, warning us that we have very little time left in which to act to prevent catastrophic climate change, but pointing out that it is a problem that we can solve, with existing technology, and that anything we do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Te Pāti Māori Are Revolutionaries – Not Reformists.
    Way Beyond Reform: Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer have no more interest in remaining permanent members of “New Zealand’s” House of Representatives than did Lenin and Trotsky in remaining permanent members of Tsar Nicolas II’s “democratically-elected” Duma. Like the Bolsheviks, Te Pāti Māori is a party of revolutionaries – not reformists.THE CROWN ...
    4 days ago
  • When does history become “ancient”, on Tinetti’s watch as Minister of Education – and what o...
    Buzz from the Beehive Auckland was wiped off the map, when Education Minister Jan Tinetti delivered her speech of welcome as host of the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers “here in Tāmaki Makaurau”. But – fair to say – a reference was made later in the speech to a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago
  • Climate Catastrophe, but first rugby.
    Morning mate, how you going?Well, I was watching the news last night and they announced this scientific report on Climate Change. But before they got to it they had a story about the new All Blacks coach.Sounds like important news. It’s a bit of a worry really.Yeah, they were talking ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • What the US and European bank rescues mean for us
    Always a bailout: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the Government would fully guarantee all savers in all smaller US banks if needed. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: No wonder an entire generation of investors are used to ‘buying the dip’ and ‘holding on for dear life’. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Who will drain Wellington’s lobbying swamp?
    Wealthy vested interests have an oversized influence on political decisions in New Zealand. Partly that’s due to their use of corporate lobbyists. Fortunately, the influence lobbyists can have on decisions made by politicians is currently under scrutiny in Guyon Espiner’s in-depth series published by RNZ. Two of Espiner’s research exposés ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago
  • It’s Raining Congestion
    Yesterday afternoon it rained and traffic around the region ground to a halt, once again highlighting why it is so important that our city gets on with improving the alternatives to driving. For additional irony, this happened on the same day the IPCC synthesis report landed, putting the focus on ...
    4 days ago
  • Checking The Left: The Dreadful Logic Of Fascism.
    The Beginning: Anti-Co-Governance agitator, Julian Batchelor, addresses the Dargaville stop of his travelling roadshow across New Zealand . Fascism almost always starts small. Sadly, it doesn’t always stay that way. Especially when the Left helps it to grow.THERE IS A DREADFUL LOGIC to the growth of fascism. To begin with, it ...
    4 days ago
  • Good Friends and Terrible Food
    Hi,From an incredibly rainy day in Los Angeles, I just wanted to check in. I guess this is the day Trump may or may not end up in cuffs? I’m attempting a somewhat slower, less frenzied week. I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s new record on non-stop, and it’s been a ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • At a glance – What evidence is there for the hockey stick?
    On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
    4 days ago
  • Carry right on up there, Corporal Espiner
    RNZ has been shining their torch into corners where lobbyists lurk and asking such questions as: Do we like the look of this?and Is this as democratic as it could be?These are most certainly questions worth asking, and every bit as valid as, say:Are we shortchanged democratically by the way ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago
  • This smells
    RNZ has continued its look at the role of lobbyists by taking a closer look at the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Andrew Kirton. He used to work for liquor companies, opposing (among other things) a container refund scheme which would have required them to take responsibility for their own ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Major issues on the table in Mahuta’s  talks in Beijing with China’s new Foreign Minister
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has left for Beijing for the first ministerial visit to China since 2019. Mahuta is  to  meet China’s new foreign minister Qin Gang  where she  might have to call on all the  diplomatic skills  at  her  command. Almost certainly she  will  face  questions  on what  role ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago
  • Inside TOP's Teal Card and political strategy
    TL;DR: The Opportunities Party’s Leader Raf Manji is hopeful the party’s new Teal Card, a type of Gold card for under 30s, will be popular with students, and not just in his Ilam electorate where students make up more than a quarter of the voters and where Manji is confident ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Make Your Empties Go Another Round.
    When I was a kid New Zealand was actually pretty green. We didn’t really have plastic. The fruit and veges came in a cardboard box, the meat was wrapped in paper, milk came in a glass bottle, and even rubbish sacks were made of paper. Today if you sit down ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on how similar Vladimir Putin is to George W. Bush
    Looking back through the names of our Police Ministers down the years, the job has either been done by once or future party Bigfoots – Syd Holland, Richard Prebble, Juduth Collins, Chris Hipkins – or by far lesser lights like Keith Allen, Frank Gill, Ben Couch, Allen McCready, Clem Simich, ...
    5 days ago
  • CHRIS TROTTER:  Te Pāti Māori’s uncompromising threat to the status quo
    Chris Trotter writes – The Crown is a fickle friend. Any political movement deemed to be colourful but inconsequential is generally permitted to go about its business unmolested. The Crown’s media, RNZ and TVNZ, may even “celebrate” its existence (presumably as proof of Democracy’s broad-minded acceptance of diversity). ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Bryce Edwards: Shining a bright light on lobbyists in politics
    Four out of the five people who have held the top role of Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff since 2017 have been lobbyists. That’s a fact that should worry anyone who believes vested interests shouldn’t have a place at the centre of decision making. Chris Hipkins’ newly appointed Chief of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago
  • Auckland Council Draft Budget – an unnecessary backwards step
    Feedback on Auckland Council’s draft 2023/24 budget closes on March 28th. You can read the consultation document here, and provide feedback here. Auckland Council is currently consulting on what is one of its most important ever Annual Plans – the ‘budget’ of what it will spend money on between July ...
    5 days ago
  • Talking’ Posey Parker Blues
    by Molten Moira from Motueka If you want to be a woman let me tell you what to do Get a piece of paper and a biro tooWrite down your new identification And boom! You’re now a woman of this nationSpelled W O M A Na real trans woman that isAs opposed ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    5 days ago
  • More Māori words make it into the OED, and polytech boss (with rules on words like “students”) ...
    Buzz from the Beehive   New Zealand Education Minister Jan Tinetti is hosting the inaugural Conference of Pacific Education Ministers for three days from today, welcoming Education Ministers and senior officials from 18 Pacific Island countries and territories, and from Australia. Here’s hoping they have brought translators with them – or ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • Social intercourse with haters and Nazis: an etiquette guide
    Let’s say you’ve come all the way from His Majesty’s United Kingdom to share with the folk of Australia and New Zealand your antipathy towards certain other human beings. And let’s say you call yourself a women’s rights activist.And let’s say 99 out of 100 people who listen to you ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • The Greens, Labour, and coalition enforcement
    James Shaw gave the Green party's annual "state of the planet" address over the weekend, in which he expressed frustration with Labour for not doing enough on climate change. His solution is to elect more Green MPs, so they have more power within any government arrangement, and can hold Labour ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • This sounds familiar…
    RNZ this morning has the first story another investigative series by Guyon Espiner, this time into political lobbying. The first story focuses on lobbying by government agencies, specifically transpower, Pharmac, and assorted universities, and how they use lobbyists to manipulate public opinion and gather intelligence on the Ministers who oversee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Letter to the NZ Herald: NCEA pseudoscience – “Mauri is present in all matter”
    Nick Matzke writes –   Dear NZ Herald, I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. I teach evolutionary biology, but I also have long experience in science education and (especially) political attempts to insert pseudoscience into science curricula in ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • So what would be the point of a Green vote again?
    James Shaw has again said the Greens would be better ‘in the tent’ with Labour than out, despite Labour’s policy bonfire last week torching much of what the Government was doing to reduce emissions. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Green Party has never been more popular than in some ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical weapons. Cars were eventually discovered ...
    6 days ago
  • Genetic Heritage and Co Governance
    Yesterday I was reading an excellent newsletter from David Slack, and I started writing a comment “Sounds like some excellent genetic heritage…” and then I stopped.There was something about the phrase genetic heritage that stopped me in tracks. Is that a phrase I want to be saying? It’s kind of ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON: Radical Uncertainty
    Brian Easton writes – Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago
  • Geoffrey Miller: New Zealand’s Middle East strategy, 20 years after the Iraq War
    This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War. While it strongly opposed the US-led invasion, New Zealand’s then Labour-led government led by Prime Minister Helen Clark did deploy military engineers to try to help rebuild Iraq in mid-2003. With violence soaring, their 12-month deployment ended without being renewed ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    6 days ago
  • The motorways are finished
    After seventy years, Auckland’s motorway network is finally finished. In July 1953 the first section of motorway in Auckland was opened between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mt Wellington Highway. The final stage opens to traffic this week with the completion of the motorway part of the Northern Corridor Improvements project. Aucklanders ...
    6 days ago
  • Kicking National’s tyres
    National’s appointment of Todd McClay as Agriculture spokesperson clearly signals that the party is in trouble with the farming vote. McClay was not an obvious choice, but he does have a record as a political scrapper. The party needs that because sources say it has been shedding farming votes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • As long as there is cricket, the world is somehow okay.
    Rays of white light come flooding into my lounge, into my face from over the top of my neighbour’s hedge. I have to look away as the window of the conservatory is awash in light, as if you were driving towards the sun after a rain shower and suddenly blinded. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago
  • So much of what was there remains
    The columnists in Private Eye take pen names, so I have not the least idea who any of them are. But I greatly appreciate their expert insight, especially MD, who writes the medical column, offering informed and often damning critique of the UK health system and the politicians who keep ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #11
    A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Mar 12, 2023 thru Sat, Mar 18, 2023. Story of the Week Guest post: What 13,500 citations reveal about the IPCC’s climate science report   IPCC WG1 AR6 SPM Report Cover - Changing ...
    7 days ago
  • Financial capability services are being bucked up, but Stuart Nash shouldn’t have to see if they c...
    Buzz from the Beehive  The building of financial capability was brought into our considerations when Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced she had dipped into the government’s coffers for $3 million for “providers” to help people and families access community-based Building Financial Capability services. That wording suggests some ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • Things that make you go Hmmmm.
    Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?You mean like the song?No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.Yeah, I know what you mean, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The hoon for the week that was to March 19
    By the end of the week, the dramas over Stuart Nash overshadowed Hipkins’ policy bonfire. File photo: Lynn GrieveasonTLDR: This week’s news in geopolitics and the political economy covered on The Kākā included:PM Chris Hipkins’ announcement of the rest of a policy bonfire to save a combined $1.7 billion, but ...
    The KakaBy Peter Bale
    1 week ago
  • Saving Stuart Nash: Explaining Chris Hipkins' unexpected political calculation
    When word went out that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would be making an announcement about Stuart Nash on the tiles at parliament at 2:45pm yesterday, the assumption was that it was over. That we had reached tipping point for Nash’s time as minister. But by 3pm - when, coincidentally, the ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    1 week ago
  • Radical Uncertainty
    Two senior economists challenge some of the foundations of current economics. It is easy to criticise economic science by misrepresenting it, by selective quotations, and by ignoring that it progresses, like all sciences, by improving and abandoning old theories. The critics may go on to attack physics by citing Newton.So ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • Jump onto the weekly hoon on Riverside at 5pm
    Photo by Walker Fenton on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on Riverside (we’ve moved from Zoom) for our chat about the week’s news with ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Dream of Florian Neame: Accepted
    In a nice bit of news, my 2550-word deindustrial science-fiction piece, The Dream of Florian Neame, has been accepted for publication at New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). I have published there before, of course, with Of Tin and Tintagel coming out last year. While I still await the ...
    1 week ago

  • Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua
    Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has delivered the Crown apology to Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua for its historic breaches of Te Tiriti of Waitangi today. The ceremony was held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, hosted by Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Tāmaki nui-a-Rua, with several hundred ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Minister of Foreign Affairs meets with Chinese counterpart
    Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta has concluded her visit to China, the first by a New Zealand Foreign Minister since 2018. The Minister met her counterpart, newly appointed State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang, who also hosted a working dinner. This was the first engagement between the two ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    15 hours ago
  • Government delivering world-class satellite positioning services
    World-class satellite positioning services that will support much safer search and rescue, boost precision farming, and help safety on construction sites through greater accuracy are a significant step closer today, says Land Information Minister Damien O’Connor. Damien O’Connor marked the start of construction on New Zealand’s first uplink centre for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • District Court Judges appointed
    Attorney-General David Parker has announced the appointment of Christopher John Dellabarca of Wellington, Dr Katie Jane Elkin of Wellington, Caroline Mary Hickman of Napier, Ngaroma Tahana of Rotorua, Tania Rose Williams Blyth of Hamilton and Nicola Jan Wills of Wellington as District Court Judges.  Chris Dellabarca Mr Dellabarca commenced his ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • New project set to supercharge ocean economy in Nelson Tasman
    A new Government-backed project will help ocean-related businesses in the Nelson Tasman region to accelerate their growth and boost jobs. “The Nelson Tasman region is home to more than 400 blue economy businesses, accounting for more than 30 percent of New Zealand’s economic activity in fishing, aquaculture, and seafood processing,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • National’s education policy: where’s the funding?
    After three years of COVID-19 disruptions schools are finally settling down and National want to throw that all in the air with major disruption to learning and underinvestment.  “National’s education policy lacks the very thing teachers, parents and students need after a tough couple of years, certainty and stability,” Education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Free programme to help older entrepreneurs and inventors
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