No. No evidence. None that I have seen/heard/read. Kate 'Out damned spot!' Hannah's reckons aren't evidence.
Show me the evidence that there was a higher proportion of protestors in Wellington with actual intent to inflict physical harm on MPs than there were in Auckland in 2012 who wished the guillotine and the blood was real.
Show me the magic window your disinformation researchers have into peoples hearts and minds. And get them to cast the same lens over the assembled in Auckland in 2012.
You only accept research when it suits your narrative, as your comment @ 7.1.1.1.1 and the one above @ 7.1.1 clearly show.
You reject the research by a group of NZ scientists because you don’t like their conclusions.
How did they get “the magic window [… ]into peoples hearts and minds” [sic], you ask.
Here is the answer:
In line with the increasing spread of mis- and disinformation, the number of product and platform surfaces studied by TDP [The Disinformation Project] has continued to expand. We currently focus on, in no particular order, Telegram, Facebook Pages, Groups, public posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any sign-posted content on the.nz ccTLD, other websites, or on platforms like Rumble, Odysee, Gab, and Gettr. The study of mis- and disinformation provenance, production and propagation across these platform and product ecologies is conducted daily, since September 2021.
You constructed a strawman and fake equivalence with 2012 protests and demand impossible evidence. You make absurd requests for evidence and selectively accept and reject evidence based on your bias and prejudice. You are acting as a diversion troll.
Is putting together a selection of mainstream media articles and oldish academic texts 'research'? I read that particular piece of 'work' when it first came out and failed to find much in the way of actual evidence that proves that the anti mandate protestors in Wellington were almost universally weak-minded victims of of mis/dis or mal information promulgated by far right, fascist, misogynist, racist anti- Semites.
These 'scientists' completely failed to address any of the claims by many of the Wellington protestors that the Pfizer product had caused serious injuries and in some cases deaths.
Any fuckwit, (stepping away from the propaganda machine for a minute or two) would see that there is something not quite adding up when amidst the piled up corpses and the horrorshow that was the hospitals in mid 2021 health authorities and governments in many western countries had to bribe or coerce the population to take the life saving shiny new 'vaccines'.
Yes…many rushed to roll up their sleeves initially…but the enthusiasm waned….as did the efficacy of these shiny new products. And when there is active censorship of doctors speaking publicly of side effects…
And when there is active censorship of doctors speaking publicly of side effects…
yeah nah
//
because of the statement made by AHPRA that doctors shouldn't say anything that was going to impede the government's vaccine roll out and they took that to mean not to publicly raise their concerns
Ah. So. The silly doctors misunderstood the instructions from their governing body?
It can be difficult. I get that. Acknowledging that there are serious side effects from a product without actually putting folks off risking said serious side effects from that product.
Informed consent…a balancing act for sure.
A pity about the mandates that forced folk to risk the product despite knowing the risks of serious adverse effects. Or to have another shot after suffering adverse effects from the first.
Why is this stuff worthy of being relitigated please?
Trying again now is not going to change hearts and minds for the majority about the efficacy of the vaccine, the need to have acted in ways we had never envisaged because of the pandemic, the frightening impact of disinformation largely emanating from the USA and eagerly grabbed by VFF and Counterspin and promulgated, the sad, in more ways than one, misguided occupation at Parliament.
Now we are in a reflecting or learning mode not a relitigating mode.
Learning means that are there things we could/should have done better and a number were canvassed on TS after the occupation had ended and from my recollection ranged from 'following the money' for VFF and Counterspin to see the sources so as to be able to track these should a similar occurrence arise, better comms from NZ Govt/Police, better education for our children particularly in learning how to critique information, civics etc.
If you go back to that time you will see any number of thoughtful suggestions.
As writers and readers we are better placed now to reflect and move forward. I am sure there will be any number of studies on aspects such as policing, awareness by our general populace on what is mis- or dis- information while preserving an ability to question.
My biggest takeaway from the sign, along with others, used to introduce the year past is the egregious and painful grammar. If anything summed up, in a sign for a pedant like me, the strange nature of protest and some of the beliefs (magnets, tracking devices etc) it is this sign. Complete with mixed up tenses and 'poop' (in my circles still a US word)
'We didn't fling any……..
What we don't need is a re-run of the same arguments from that time, with no reflection.
Thanks Rosemary McDonald for a reasoned response. It's sad that a post well reference by MSM links gets dismissed as "conspiracy theory" in these parts
it doesn't bode well for 2023
[Oh dear, the first day on the NY and you have already broken your own resolution. Remember that you left the site of your own volition (https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-08-12-2022/#comment-1925201)? I fully expected you would renege on your promise. You have a bad history of too many Mod notes and bans. You are now officially banned until further notice – Incognito]
And again, you are moving the goal posts to suit your wider conspiracy narrative. Health workers are not immune to conspiracy theories, as the recent unbelievably sad story about the blood transfusion of a baby because of major surgery has shown.
In the spirit of starting the year as I mean to go on, I’m putting a stop to your pattern of behaviour, which I will explain below. Indefinite ban, with no warning because I don’t want my holiday time wasted on chasing you up.
I disagree that you are trolling (in the sense of intentionally winding people up), but I can see why it comes across that way. I think the problem here is partly your argument style, but also your unwillingness to slow down and learn what is needed in terms of argument, evidence and linking.
I want to be very clear here that in moderating I don’t care about the content of your argument. I’m ok with people arguing all sorts of things, so long as 1) they can back up claims of fact and 2) they can make an actual argument. In fact, I want you to up your game, so that the counter culture argument here can be coherent and useful to the debate.
I also care that these conversations tie everyone up in knots and don’t go anywhere.
The problems I see and am moderating you for are:
1. Not defending your argument or providing evidence when asked.
Specifically, as an example, you compared a 2012 left wing protest against Nact policies, that used political theatre that included mock guillotines, with the Feb 2022 occupation of parliament grounds that included people making death threats to MPs. The argument appears to be that the 2012 protests were similar to the 2022 ones. You don't explain but the implication is that the 2012 protestors made death threats.
I’m not going to let you comment further on this site until you back that up with evidence (you’ve been asked once in a comment, and you didn’t, now it’s mandatory). Or you can retract it, apologise for wasting my moderator time and misleading the commentariat.
If you didn’t mean to imply that, then you can restate, clearly, why you are comparing the two protests. By clear I mean explain it so everyone will understand (your usual rhetorical style won’t work).
I will likewise find the evidence of death threats made by the freedom protestors in 2022.
I read that particular piece of 'work' when it first came out and failed to find much in the way of actual evidence that proves that the anti mandate protestors in Wellingtonwere almost universally weak-minded victims of of mis/dis or mal information promulgated by far right, fascist, misogynist, racist anti- Semites.
My emphasis
But no-one that I’ve seen has claimed that the freedom protestors were “almost universally weak-minded victims of of mis/dis or mal information promulgated by far right, fascist, misogynist, racist anti- Semites.”
That you have said this makes me realise you have a profound lack of understanding of what the argument is here. You misrepresent the argument, wilfully imo (this is the hyperbole), and it breaks the debate because then people have to stop and correct you and you usually don't respond to that.
3. info flooding with youtubes and links instead of using them to support the argument you are making in your own words.
I've explained this to you too many times to go into again here, but the gist is:
make your argument
back up specific points with quotes AND links
if linking to audio or video, provide a timestamp AND make it clear how it is relevant.
I'm putting you on the ban list for a week, because I honestly cannot be bothered with the aggravation. When you come back I will need to see a response to the first point before you can comment here again. If you are unclear on anything, please ask.
[Edit: I’d written the following reply to Rosemary McDonald before weka jumped in and while I was making lunch. Although it is not fair to reply to a commenter who cannot reply because of a ban I’m not deleting my reply and post it anyway as is, mainly for future (moderation) reference – Incognito]
And again, your narrative is full of BS assertions. SSDD.
… [the research] failed to find much in the way of actual evidence that proves that the anti mandate protestors in Wellington werealmost universally weak-minded victims of of mis/dis or mal information promulgated by far right, fascist, misogynist, racist anti- Semites. [my emphasis]
A typical BS misrepresentation of the aims, methods, and conclusions of the research project. QED.
… the Pfizer product had caused serious injuries and in some cases deaths.
More than 64 million vaccine doses have been administered across the country, as of November 16, and since December 2021 people injured by one have been able to make a claim for compensation through the vaccine claims scheme.
A Services Australia spokesperson said as of November 23, the department has received 3100 applications, and 79 have been approved for claims totalling $3.9 million.
That is 0.0048 % and 0.00012 %, respectively.
Scare quotes don’t add any weight or value to your BS narrative. On the other hand, they just say much about you and your motivations.
Vaccine efficacy waned for a number of reasons and a crucial one was the spread of new variants.
There was no bribery in NZ to take up the vaccine unless you’re referring to free lollies at some vaccination places.
The alleged censorship of doctors and other health practitioners is another favourite conspiracy theory parroted by folks in rabbit holes. AFAIK, in NZ none was censored for speaking publically about side effects as such. This is, of course, absurd nonsense because doctors are expected to warn people about potential side effects, it is part of their job & duty. However, professional bodies such as the Medical Council of New Zealand did take action against a few of their peers for spreading mis- and dis-information about the Covid-19 vaccine(s). In addition, NZ Health (MoH) did officially warn people about potential side effects and warning signs – you can still find that information on the official websites, of course. Your accusations are untenable, as usual.
You have again successfully derailed a Post and discussion thread with your ignorant and misleading conspiracy nonsense, which is why I’ve moved this sub-thread to OM.
My irony meter went off the scale. Who is it that promotes soundbites, cheap shots, and populism. Why, journalists of course. Ms Watkins needs to look much closer to home.
That we have a serious conversation about this country’s future,
Any 'serious' conversation about this country's future would, by definition, exclude the Natz and probably Act as well, for both these parties think short term.
Whether you like it or not roughly 50% of this country are center right voters. You need to understand why that is and ensure that you're speaking to these kiwis too. That's how you make progress, you take as many people with you as possible.
"Long term thinking does not necessarily equate with better outcomes, or superiority over short term goals and aspirations."
That depends on what you're trying to achieve, and how well it is implemented.
3Waters was a dog from the beginning. But even if it was the greatest idea in history, it has been so poorly executed (from the infantile advertising to the tawdry attempt by the Minister to entrench public ownership) that public confidence has well and truly evaporated.
Centrists understand that ideally left and right learn from the other and grow together. While the fringe accuse them of mediocrity, centrism is the solution to to and fro.
We also need effective centrists. Social democrats not bloody neo-liberals. Nothing wrong with capitalism but not at the expense of others or the environment.
Long term thinking requires the place still functions long term, ideally.
Tony, it's now 2023. Take your Right eye patch off and get a full take on what's happening.
What's happening?
An underwhelming political Right, apart from ACT, is consigning the Left to the knackers yard later on this year. Because like you, Labour refuses to look at the full picture. All Labour sees is the Calvary Hill they are prepared to die on. You may be right about National not being long term thinkers. But the way Labour is going about things doesn't amount to anything better in my opinion.
And with that, will come the greatest reduction in wages, conditions and general living standards in history.
National and ACT belive that wages are too high, and that workers in this country have had it too good for too long. For starters, ACT want to freeze the minium wage for 3 years, while allowing landlords to up their rent bascially when they like. Seymour sees public holidays as fascist, and wants to get rid of them, etc.
Well, Millsy, if that's the case, Labour better pull finger this year if they want a chance at election time. That's what many people can't get their heads around. The public has sent Labour a clear message of what they don't want. Labour isn't listening ( as of present). You need to ask yourself why. Labour's actions go against any political instincts aimed at survival.
I believe I've worked out why Labour appears hamstrung. And will be voting ACT accordingly, as I'd guess many swing voters are.
I'm voting ACT for one reason only – they support our present democratic process. A country divided along racial lines using a reinterpretation of what democracy entails in a new nationhood order is not for most New Zealanders I would like to believe? If you can't learn for South Africa, the Gaza Strip, Rhodesia, Mauritius and other countries divided, then what Labour has been promoting will eventually come to pass regardless of who is in power.
Which Treaty? What Interpretation? The treaty needs to go. It's not signed by all tribes. Some Maori don't recognise the Treaty. And others adhere to the ''Confederation of Chiefs of the United Tribes of New Zealand.'' That was annexed by the TOW.
Best we have a new constitution that's not race based. If not that, then next best thing by far is the status quo.
One of the problems with democracy is the phenomenon known as "the tyranny of the majority". Because of this I think the views of minority groups – perhaps racial, cultural or religious – where they are in conflict with the majority should perhaps given more weight than mere numbers might suggest.
The context is clear and well explained by Mikesh.
The tyranny of the majority can mean that minorities get overlooked, as Mikesh says but the flipside is that the rights of the minorities are more likely to be addressed by the same 'tyrannical' majority once attention is drawn to them.
which minorities specifically in NZ do you believe dominate, tyranise, or terrorise the majority?
Staub is wrong btw, democracy isn’t defined as majority rules.
Prevalent day-to-day decision making of democracies is the majority rule,[3][4] though other decision making approaches like supermajority and consensus have also been integral to democracies
Consensus democracy, consensus politics or consensualism is the application of consensus decision-making to the process of legislation in a democracy. It is characterized by a decision-making structure that involves and takes into account as broad a range of opinions as possible, as opposed to systems where minority opinions can potentially be ignored by vote-winning majorities
For me yes, it's a flaw in the Mmp system that a party holding 5 percent of the vote can hold a vastly disproportionate influence when the conditions are right.
Which minorities specifically in NZ do you believe dominate, tyranise, or terrorise the majority?
Maori.
''Staub is wrong btw, democracy isn’t defined as majority rules.''
I don't think he is. He may be defining democracy as the average man understands it- a simplistic overall view. But I understand your point. To repeat one of your definitions.
''A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.''
Therefore by that definition Maori should have a say in our democracy and they do. Maori only council seats. Special funding. Priority in our medical system over other races in some cases, and special cultural reports for Maori criminals. All permissible given the definitions you and others have provided.
The question is: When do we cross that invisible line into minority tyranny under the guise of democracy? When Maori just demand, demand and demand? I believe we have crossed that line and Labour hasn't the guts to say ''enough is enough, you are affecting other members of society with your behaviour and demands. I'm hoping ACT will say that to their faces ( good luck with that David)
Then we have the Maori elites attitude towards democracy. They love it when it's working in their favour. In fact they have made tremendous strides in recent years. But they know nothing beats outright control. That's why Willie Jackson is tearing the last of his hair out. He's stuck in the middle between extreme Maori demands, and knowing what his majority European caucus will accept.
If we go back to one of your definitions regarding democracy we have this part:
''typically through elected representatives.''
Maori can bypass that. They don't have to be elected to council in a general vote. Seats are guaranteed around the council table for Maori wards.
Maori can bypass that. They don't have to be elected to council in a general vote. Seats are guaranteed around the council table for Maori wards.
who choose which Māori take the Māori ward positions?
what process was used to decide to have a Māori ward?
I will answer that. The process used is the majority rules democracy you espouse. Democratically elected councils vote to have a Māori ward. People on the Māori roll can then vote in democratic elections for candidates in that Māori ward. If they are on the Māori roll they can’t vote in the general ward.
Really can’t see the problem here (and you certainly haven’t explained how it’s a problem), sounds democratic to me.
Yes, I get you. Probably the best example of minority tyranny. But it's legal. That's the problem. It allows a minorities to sway the fate of a country to varying degrees. But sometimes it works out.
I recently attended a Winston rally. A heckler called out: '' what did you do for the country when you went with Labour? You were just a handbrake on what Labour wanted to do.
Winston replied: ''And what happened when the handbrake came off? ''
Which minorities specifically in NZ do you believe dominate, tyranise, or terrorise the majority?
Maori. (x Socialist @7:21 pm)
Are Māorireally over-represented in the tyrannising and terrorising stakes? I'm sorry if that's been your experience – it's not mine.
In what areas might Māori "dominate" the majority, i.e. non-Māori Kiwis? Certainly not in health and wealth statistics. Māori do contribute disproportionately to the success of the All Blacks, but personally I'd opt for the significant hike in longevity and wealth that non-Māori enjoy. Are there any ACT policies acknowledging and designed to address these significant real-life disparities?
Tbh, given their health/wealth disadvantages, the idea that we are under the heel a dominant Māori minority makes no sense.
Or do you/ACT perhaps think that Māori are exploiting their disadvantages unfairly? To paraphrase Eric Blair, all Kiwis are equal, but some Kiwis are more equal than others.
Growth in life expectancy slows [20 April 2021]
The gap between Māori and non-Māori life expectancy at birth was 7.5 years for males and 7.3 years for females in 2017–2019.
For me yes, it's a flaw in the Mmp system that a party holding 5 percent of the vote can hold a vastly disproportionate influence when the conditions are right.
It wasn't just 5% of the vote. I'm pretty sure the National MPs would also have voted against CGT.
You are voting ACT because you have been voting ACT. This is not a change in your behaviour, as you pretend, but more of the same. Question: have you stood as an ACT candidate in the past?
The Great Nostradamus delves into my past. I'm a swing voter who hasn't voted for many years. I'm voting this year in what I consider the most important election in NZs history. But apparently according to the great one I have been voting ACT all along. It must be true, we live in a matrix construct that is powered by Robert's reality. Well I never. A food forester and matrix master mixed into one.
I'm a swing voter who hasn't voted for many years.
!!!!!!
How does one be a swing voter and not vote? Surely a contradiction in terms if ever there was one. You can't be a non voter and a swing voter at the same time. Either you vote or you don't vote, you can't do both.
And then you have the effrontery to call yourself an x Socialist – but then say you are a swing voter!
Obviously everything you say is just BS because you don't know what you are, or why you vote – if you ever do.
Ok, Marco, let's have a look. Put you right where you are wrong.
''How does one be a swing voter and not vote? Surely a contradiction in terms if ever there was one. You can't be a non voter and a swing voter at the same time. Either you vote or you don't vote, you can't do both.''
Linear time is of the essence my friend. I said I hadn't voted for some years, that doesn't mean I haven't voted regularly in the past as a swing voter before not voting for a while.
''And then you have the effrontery to call yourself an x Socialist – but then say you are a swing voter!''
x = a value that is not yet known in maths.
You may remember I stated a while back that all our political parties are socialist to one degree or another. So having in reality voted socialism all my life ( if you accept my definition) the unknown is what socialist party would I be voting for this time around after my hiatus.
''Obviously everything you say is just BS because you don't know what you are, or why you vote – if you ever do.''
That's a little hurtful. However, its Jan 1 and I predict it's going to be a shit year for you. So, you get a free pass. Happy New Year Marco.
[There we go again:
x = a value that is not yet known in maths.
Two weeks ago, I pulled you up for the exact same BS lie and sucking up too much oxygen here and giving Mods and commenters heaps of BS to shovel aside (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18-12-2022/#comment-1926967). To allow others to have genuine constructive debate here you are moved aside again for one week only, but expect much longer times in the near (!) future – Incognito]
Again, have you stood as an ACT candidate in the past?
No, Robert. I have never been an ACT candidate in the past. Unlike you, I have no desire for public office. The thought mortifies me. Too much hui, not enough doey, and too much crawling.
"Tis you who exaggerates by using the word Socialist in such a cavalier fashion." If you really believed in community good, you would not vote Act. But you will do what you deem "Right" because it appears you don't like some having a say in things. We are no longer “First past the post Democracy” having opted for MMP.
Act is here courtesy of MMP and a “Cup of Tea”. lol which was a rort on your precious Democracy.
The trouble with you and many others of your liberal ilk, is you take your life for granted. I must admit I had a similar attitude until I went overseas. Talk about a shock to the system.
Now, I can understand you not caring about democracy -most Kiwis don't. What I can't forgive is the liberal left trying to destroy our Western life style through education, gender/ feminism, indigenous rights and the promotion of tribalism, skewered journalism, anti Christianity…you name it. Anything but Western traditions.
This upcoming election is going to become very nasty. It may make the Springbok tour protests look like a kids event.
When you become scared to go out your front door – don't forget – you helped NZ ( whoops, Aotearoa) along this path to anarchy.
"Any serious conversation about this country's future would,by definition , exclude the. Natz and probably Act as well"
Are you joking Tony V? You do know that current polling shows that a near majority of voters (pretty sure that is a fact, but its from my memory) support these two parties. You want to exclude these democratically elected representatives from the debate? Really?
Historian Timothy Snyder on Trump and The Big Lie.
What did Trump know, and when did he lie about it? How did his Big Lie lead to specific actions to overturn and election and bring down the American system? What did the coup attempt of 2020-2021 look like from within the Trump administration itself?
Thanks to the excellent "Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol," we now know the answers to these and many other questions. I provide here just the briefest of summaries of the report’s recounting of the events of November 2020-January 2021.
"The unselect committee [sic] did not produce a single shred of evidence that I in any way intended or wanted violence at our Capitol," Trump said of the voluminous report in a video posted to Truth Social. "The evidence does not exist because the claim is baseless and a monstrous lie."
How can anyone can believe anything that man says? And yet 1/3 of Repugnants seem to continue to do so.
Poots decrees personnel involved in the invasion of Ukraine will pay no income tax.
He's legalised looting, too.
Soldiers, police, members of the security services and other state employees serving in the four regions no longer had to supply information on “their income, their expenditure, their assets”, the decree said.
The decree also granted them the right to receive “rewards and gifts” if they were of “a humanitarian character” and received as part of the military operation in Ukraine.
It applies to the partners and children of those serving, and is back-dated to February 24 2022 – the date Russia invaded Ukraine.
I wouldnt trust the pages of The Guardian to wrap my fish an chips in !! All too obviously at the behest of the UK state security apparatus its the 'poor Ukraine ' evil Russians from start to finish totally biased reporting , the sort of reporting you'd expect from a country at war with another country , is the UK at war with Russia ?
Key is a money man, it's driven his success his whole life. From that perspective his comments make a huge amount of sense. We don't have free trade with the USA or Europe and it seems unlikely we'll ever hit a deal done. Hence China is integral to NZs economic success.
If the USA or Europe really wanted to walk the talk we would have had an equivalent free trade deal years ago.
I thought it was interesting – given his business perspective – and the understanding that China is a hugely important market to NZ.
He's far less alarmist about the potential for China to invade Taiwan than many other commentators (and specifically ties this 'China attack risk' to Trump)
"New Zealand needs to judge for itself how credible Trump’s and others’ views of China’s military ambitions are, and how much of Trump’s rhetoric rests in his domestic political imperatives and reluctance to accept the club of superpowers may be about to have more than one member."
He's realistic about the internal direction China (aka Xi) is taking – into social control, and greater party control over the economy. China has no interest in becoming like the West.
From the ecological perspective – this seems to be the greatest risk to me.
For starters, China still has hundreds of millions of people it needs to move from the rural countryside to cities and towns and with this urbanisation will come massive economic stimulation.
China is only a tiny way through the infrastructure deficit it needs to complete from roads to energy, and airports to railways.
That’s before the trillion-plus dollars to be spent on the Belt and Road programme which looks to connect China with Europe, like a modern version of the old Silk Road.
I don't think that Key is wrong. But, how is any of this compatible with ambitions to reign in climate-change emissions?
China’s middle class is nascent. In time they will become the largest source of tourists in the world, the biggest buyers of luxury goods, and the largest consumers of commodities anywhere.
I'm more interested in why are these articles being written? Every time JK pops up in public lately it seems to involve excessive fawning over China. It isn't something he did a lot during his time in politics, so why is he getting on the wagon now? Is he on somebody's payroll, and if so who?
Well, we have no proof, but I bet China would pay a pretty penny for high status Western PR people. If Jacinda goes down a similar route after leaving office, we will have a fire to attach to the smoke.
Here's the link – Premium Herald – but you should be able to see it via Press Reader through your local library (yay libraries – breaking down the information barriers!)
you're lucky Incog got to this before I saw it, because I modded you for exactly this a mere 12 days ago and I explained why. Expect a ban if you do it again. Both Incog and I are sick of our time being sucked up by people who know better.
Given that last phrase, he has no knowledge of Chinese history. The Middle Kingdom is the land between heaven and earth. The Han are born to rule over us all.
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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 CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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; ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
“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 ...
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, ...
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, ...
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, ...
.“$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 ...
“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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 → ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter 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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track 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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
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 publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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, ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Earthwise hosts Lois and Martin Griffiths. Earthwise presenters Lois and Martin Griffiths on Plains FM 96.9 community radio talk to Dr David Robie, a New Zealand author, independent journalist and media educator with a passion for the Asia-Pacific region. David talks about the struggle to raise awareness ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
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Disinformation researchers have provided that without anyone needing to repeat violent material here. Stop flogging this dead horse.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[This is a sub-thread from here: https://thestandard.org.nz/the-standards-political-awards-for-2022/#comment-1928795. Things were going off-topic and started to derail the Post – Incognito]
Disinformation researchers ….
No. No evidence. None that I have seen/heard/read. Kate 'Out damned spot!' Hannah's reckons aren't evidence.
Show me the evidence that there was a higher proportion of protestors in Wellington with actual intent to inflict physical harm on MPs than there were in Auckland in 2012 who wished the guillotine and the blood was real.
Show me the magic window your disinformation researchers have into peoples hearts and minds. And get them to cast the same lens over the assembled in Auckland in 2012.
It's a shame you have ended up in this place. Hopefully next year offers more peace.
You only accept research when it suits your narrative, as your comment @ 7.1.1.1.1 and the one above @ 7.1.1 clearly show.
You reject the research by a group of NZ scientists because you don’t like their conclusions.
How did they get “the magic window [… ]into peoples hearts and minds” [sic], you ask.
Here is the answer:
https://thedisinfoproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-murmuration-of-information-disorders-May-2022-Report-FULL-VERSION.pdf
You constructed a strawman and fake equivalence with 2012 protests and demand impossible evidence. You make absurd requests for evidence and selectively accept and reject evidence based on your bias and prejudice. You are acting as a diversion troll.
…research by a group of NZ scientists
Is putting together a selection of mainstream media articles and oldish academic texts 'research'? I read that particular piece of 'work' when it first came out and failed to find much in the way of actual evidence that proves that the anti mandate protestors in Wellington were almost universally weak-minded victims of of mis/dis or mal information promulgated by far right, fascist, misogynist, racist anti- Semites.
These 'scientists' completely failed to address any of the claims by many of the Wellington protestors that the Pfizer product had caused serious injuries and in some cases deaths.
Any fuckwit, (stepping away from the propaganda machine for a minute or two) would see that there is something not quite adding up when amidst the piled up corpses and the horrorshow that was the hospitals in mid 2021 health authorities and governments in many western countries had to bribe or coerce the population to take the life saving shiny new 'vaccines'.
Yes…many rushed to roll up their sleeves initially…but the enthusiasm waned….as did the efficacy of these shiny new products. And when there is active censorship of doctors speaking publicly of side effects…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJAqU31FZ3o
…one really needs to listen to the whole piece.
[one week starter ban, full moderation note below – weka]
yeah nah
//
because of the statement made by AHPRA that doctors shouldn't say anything that was going to impede the government's vaccine roll out and they took that to mean not to publicly raise their concerns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=109&v=MJAqU31FZ3o&feature=youtu.be
Ah. So. The silly doctors misunderstood the instructions from their governing body?
It can be difficult. I get that. Acknowledging that there are serious side effects from a product without actually putting folks off risking said serious side effects from that product.
Informed consent…a balancing act for sure.
A pity about the mandates that forced folk to risk the product despite knowing the risks of serious adverse effects. Or to have another shot after suffering adverse effects from the first.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-delta-outbreak-man-fights-for-vaccine-exemption-after-terrible-eight-weeks-after-first-dose/PZZMFQOP3IM2MGMW3LTHM7A4P4/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/127779571/auckland-teen-denied-covid-vaccine-exemption-despite-reaction-rare-disorder?rm=a&cx_rm-ctrl=true
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/127291645/i-feel-absolutely-worthless-chronic-fatigue-sufferers-cant-get-covid19-vaccine-exemption-despite-expert-support?rm=a
Why is this stuff worthy of being relitigated please?
Trying again now is not going to change hearts and minds for the majority about the efficacy of the vaccine, the need to have acted in ways we had never envisaged because of the pandemic, the frightening impact of disinformation largely emanating from the USA and eagerly grabbed by VFF and Counterspin and promulgated, the sad, in more ways than one, misguided occupation at Parliament.
Now we are in a reflecting or learning mode not a relitigating mode.
Learning means that are there things we could/should have done better and a number were canvassed on TS after the occupation had ended and from my recollection ranged from 'following the money' for VFF and Counterspin to see the sources so as to be able to track these should a similar occurrence arise, better comms from NZ Govt/Police, better education for our children particularly in learning how to critique information, civics etc.
If you go back to that time you will see any number of thoughtful suggestions.
As writers and readers we are better placed now to reflect and move forward. I am sure there will be any number of studies on aspects such as policing, awareness by our general populace on what is mis- or dis- information while preserving an ability to question.
My biggest takeaway from the sign, along with others, used to introduce the year past is the egregious and painful grammar. If anything summed up, in a sign for a pedant like me, the strange nature of protest and some of the beliefs (magnets, tracking devices etc) it is this sign. Complete with mixed up tenses and 'poop' (in my circles still a US word)
'We didn't fling any……..
What we don't need is a re-run of the same arguments from that time, with no reflection.
Please.
Thanks Rosemary McDonald for a reasoned response. It's sad that a post well reference by MSM links gets dismissed as "conspiracy theory" in these parts
it doesn't bode well for 2023
[Oh dear, the first day on the NY and you have already broken your own resolution. Remember that you left the site of your own volition (https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-08-12-2022/#comment-1925201)? I fully expected you would renege on your promise. You have a bad history of too many Mod notes and bans. You are now officially banned until further notice – Incognito]
Mod note
Quite. Might be handy to consider a notion of vexatious commenter..
And again, you are moving the goal posts to suit your wider conspiracy narrative. Health workers are not immune to conspiracy theories, as the recent unbelievably sad story about the blood transfusion of a baby because of major surgery has shown.
Banned until post-election (14/11/23) for ignoring moderation.
see https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01-01-2023/#comment-1928867
Moderation comment.
In the spirit of starting the year as I mean to go on, I’m putting a stop to your pattern of behaviour, which I will explain below. Indefinite ban, with no warning because I don’t want my holiday time wasted on chasing you up.
I disagree that you are trolling (in the sense of intentionally winding people up), but I can see why it comes across that way. I think the problem here is partly your argument style, but also your unwillingness to slow down and learn what is needed in terms of argument, evidence and linking.
I want to be very clear here that in moderating I don’t care about the content of your argument. I’m ok with people arguing all sorts of things, so long as 1) they can back up claims of fact and 2) they can make an actual argument. In fact, I want you to up your game, so that the counter culture argument here can be coherent and useful to the debate.
I also care that these conversations tie everyone up in knots and don’t go anywhere.
The problems I see and am moderating you for are:
1. Not defending your argument or providing evidence when asked.
Specifically, as an example, you compared a 2012 left wing protest against Nact policies, that used political theatre that included mock guillotines, with the Feb 2022 occupation of parliament grounds that included people making death threats to MPs. The argument appears to be that the 2012 protests were similar to the 2022 ones. You don't explain but the implication is that the 2012 protestors made death threats.
I’m not going to let you comment further on this site until you back that up with evidence (you’ve been asked once in a comment, and you didn’t, now it’s mandatory). Or you can retract it, apologise for wasting my moderator time and misleading the commentariat.
If you didn’t mean to imply that, then you can restate, clearly, why you are comparing the two protests. By clear I mean explain it so everyone will understand (your usual rhetorical style won’t work).
I will likewise find the evidence of death threats made by the freedom protestors in 2022.
2. Strawman arguments via hyperbole. You said,
My emphasis
But no-one that I’ve seen has claimed that the freedom protestors were “almost universally weak-minded victims of of mis/dis or mal information promulgated by far right, fascist, misogynist, racist anti- Semites.”
That you have said this makes me realise you have a profound lack of understanding of what the argument is here. You misrepresent the argument, wilfully imo (this is the hyperbole), and it breaks the debate because then people have to stop and correct you and you usually don't respond to that.
3. info flooding with youtubes and links instead of using them to support the argument you are making in your own words.
I've explained this to you too many times to go into again here, but the gist is:
I'm putting you on the ban list for a week, because I honestly cannot be bothered with the aggravation. When you come back I will need to see a response to the first point before you can comment here again. If you are unclear on anything, please ask.
[Edit: I’d written the following reply to Rosemary McDonald before weka jumped in and while I was making lunch. Although it is not fair to reply to a commenter who cannot reply because of a ban I’m not deleting my reply and post it anyway as is, mainly for future (moderation) reference – Incognito]
And again, your narrative is full of BS assertions. SSDD.
A typical BS misrepresentation of the aims, methods, and conclusions of the research project. QED.
So far, only 2 confirmed deaths in NZ, as already mentioned to you. From your link @ 7.1.1 (https://thestandard.org.nz/the-standards-political-awards-for-2022/#comment-1928795):
That is 0.0048 % and 0.00012 %, respectively.
Scare quotes don’t add any weight or value to your BS narrative. On the other hand, they just say much about you and your motivations.
Vaccine efficacy waned for a number of reasons and a crucial one was the spread of new variants.
There was no bribery in NZ to take up the vaccine unless you’re referring to free lollies at some vaccination places.
The alleged censorship of doctors and other health practitioners is another favourite conspiracy theory parroted by folks in rabbit holes. AFAIK, in NZ none was censored for speaking publically about side effects as such. This is, of course, absurd nonsense because doctors are expected to warn people about potential side effects, it is part of their job & duty. However, professional bodies such as the Medical Council of New Zealand did take action against a few of their peers for spreading mis- and dis-information about the Covid-19 vaccine(s). In addition, NZ Health (MoH) did officially warn people about potential side effects and warning signs – you can still find that information on the official websites, of course. Your accusations are untenable, as usual.
You have again successfully derailed a Post and discussion thread with your ignorant and misleading conspiracy nonsense, which is why I’ve moved this sub-thread to OM.
From Tracy Watkins in Stuff this morning.
[unlinked quote deleted]
My irony meter went off the scale. Who is it that promotes soundbites, cheap shots, and populism. Why, journalists of course. Ms Watkins needs to look much closer to home.
Sorta sounds like a soundbite
Any 'serious' conversation about this country's future would, by definition, exclude the Natz and probably Act as well, for both these parties think short term.
Come on… and the left doesn't?
Whether you like it or not roughly 50% of this country are center right voters. You need to understand why that is and ensure that you're speaking to these kiwis too. That's how you make progress, you take as many people with you as possible.
Recent history proves that the left does think longer term.
Think Kiwibank, Kiwi Saver, 3 Waters, RMA. Think flags, golf with Obama. Ridiculous roads.
I think that the current leftie lot in the Beehive think very, very long term.
Remember their major policy at the 2017 election? Kiwibuild. 100,000 houses to be built.
When will that be done? It the case of Kiwibuild I suspect that the completion date is unlikely to be before 2500 AD.
That certainly qualifies as long term doesn't it?
As with so many trolls, your short memory is not suited to
trollingconversations about long-term views and future planning.https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-resets-kiwibuild-help-more-new-zealanders-home-ownership [4 September 2019]
''Recent history proves that the left does think longer term.''
3 Waters – the cost benefit analysis?
The cons:
1- Racial strife.
2- Reinterpretation of what democracy means.
3- Huge bureaucracy.
4- General lack of public understanding about what Three Waters is, and how it will operate.
5- Stripping of ratepayer assets.
The Pros:
Bloody good water Infrastructure nationwide?
Heaps of jobs over 30 years? (6-9 thousand jobs over 30years.) I don't know how that figure is arrived at.
https://www.threewaters.govt.nz/how-will-three-waters-affect-me/workforce/#:~:text=Three%20Waters%20reform%20is%20a,over%20the%20next%2030%20years.
Long term thinking does not necessarily equate with better outcomes, or superiority over short term goals and aspirations.
"Long term thinking does not necessarily equate with better outcomes, or superiority over short term goals and aspirations."
That depends on what you're trying to achieve, and how well it is implemented.
3Waters was a dog from the beginning. But even if it was the greatest idea in history, it has been so poorly executed (from the infantile advertising to the tawdry attempt by the Minister to entrench public ownership) that public confidence has well and truly evaporated.
Absolutely Mickey.
Centrists understand that ideally left and right learn from the other and grow together. While the fringe accuse them of mediocrity, centrism is the solution to to and fro.
We also need effective centrists. Social democrats not bloody neo-liberals. Nothing wrong with capitalism but not at the expense of others or the environment.
Long term thinking requires the place still functions long term, ideally.
Tony, it's now 2023. Take your Right eye patch off and get a full take on what's happening.
What's happening?
An underwhelming political Right, apart from ACT, is consigning the Left to the knackers yard later on this year. Because like you, Labour refuses to look at the full picture. All Labour sees is the Calvary Hill they are prepared to die on. You may be right about National not being long term thinkers. But the way Labour is going about things doesn't amount to anything better in my opinion.
And with that, will come the greatest reduction in wages, conditions and general living standards in history.
National and ACT belive that wages are too high, and that workers in this country have had it too good for too long. For starters, ACT want to freeze the minium wage for 3 years, while allowing landlords to up their rent bascially when they like. Seymour sees public holidays as fascist, and wants to get rid of them, etc.
And you clearly support this garbage.
Well, Millsy, if that's the case, Labour better pull finger this year if they want a chance at election time. That's what many people can't get their heads around. The public has sent Labour a clear message of what they don't want. Labour isn't listening ( as of present). You need to ask yourself why. Labour's actions go against any political instincts aimed at survival.
I believe I've worked out why Labour appears hamstrung. And will be voting ACT accordingly, as I'd guess many swing voters are.
Why vote ACT? Do you hate workers havi g high wages? Do you hate public holidays or welfare benefits? Do you resent people having free healthcare?
A sulutary lesson has just come from the UK about the effects of ACT type policies.
If you want a functional country, don’t vote ACT
ACT rely on cognitive dissonance and ignorance.
I'm voting ACT for one reason only – they support our present democratic process. A country divided along racial lines using a reinterpretation of what democracy entails in a new nationhood order is not for most New Zealanders I would like to believe? If you can't learn for South Africa, the Gaza Strip, Rhodesia, Mauritius and other countries divided, then what Labour has been promoting will eventually come to pass regardless of who is in power.
Cut the wages of the workers at the local supermarket to own the Maori?
Have you ever seen ACT, opposing the wealthy buying political parties?
You know, ‘Democracy’!
Thought not!
Honouring a founding Treaty, you say
Which Treaty? What Interpretation? The treaty needs to go. It's not signed by all tribes. Some Maori don't recognise the Treaty. And others adhere to the ''Confederation of Chiefs of the United Tribes of New Zealand.'' That was annexed by the TOW.
Best we have a new constitution that's not race based. If not that, then next best thing by far is the status quo.
FFS go away and learn something.
''FFS go away and learn something.''
The floor is yours Solkta. Educate me. I’m sure all other posters believe they know all that needs to be known.
So now we're Treatytrolling? Cmon
One of the problems with democracy is the phenomenon known as "the tyranny of the majority". Because of this I think the views of minority groups – perhaps racial, cultural or religious – where they are in conflict with the majority should perhaps given more weight than mere numbers might suggest.
Tyranny of the majority…or the minority?
The context is clear and well explained by Mikesh.
The tyranny of the majority can mean that minorities get overlooked, as Mikesh says but the flipside is that the rights of the minorities are more likely to be addressed by the same 'tyrannical' majority once attention is drawn to them.
Simplifying things a little.
My apologies for not being clearer.
I put it to you at the present time we have a tyranny of the minority over the majority, and not the other way around.
Read the first paragraph of this preview in the link to understand what I mean.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20024687
which minorities specifically in NZ do you believe dominate, tyranise, or terrorise the majority?
Staub is wrong btw, democracy isn’t defined as majority rules.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consensus_democracy
My laptop’s dictionary definition doesn’t say anything about majority rules either,
Does Winston count as the tyranny of the minority?
I don't know Cricklewood. What do you think?
For me yes, it's a flaw in the Mmp system that a party holding 5 percent of the vote can hold a vastly disproportionate influence when the conditions are right.
@ Weka
Which minorities specifically in NZ do you believe dominate, tyranise, or terrorise the majority?
Maori.
''Staub is wrong btw, democracy isn’t defined as majority rules.''
I don't think he is. He may be defining democracy as the average man understands it- a simplistic overall view. But I understand your point. To repeat one of your definitions.
''A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.''
Therefore by that definition Maori should have a say in our democracy and they do. Maori only council seats. Special funding. Priority in our medical system over other races in some cases, and special cultural reports for Maori criminals. All permissible given the definitions you and others have provided.
The question is: When do we cross that invisible line into minority tyranny under the guise of democracy? When Maori just demand, demand and demand? I believe we have crossed that line and Labour hasn't the guts to say ''enough is enough, you are affecting other members of society with your behaviour and demands. I'm hoping ACT will say that to their faces ( good luck with that David)
Then we have the Maori elites attitude towards democracy. They love it when it's working in their favour. In fact they have made tremendous strides in recent years. But they know nothing beats outright control. That's why Willie Jackson is tearing the last of his hair out. He's stuck in the middle between extreme Maori demands, and knowing what his majority European caucus will accept.
If we go back to one of your definitions regarding democracy we have this part:
''typically through elected representatives.''
Maori can bypass that. They don't have to be elected to council in a general vote. Seats are guaranteed around the council table for Maori wards.
who choose which Māori take the Māori ward positions?
what process was used to decide to have a Māori ward?
I will answer that. The process used is the majority rules democracy you espouse. Democratically elected councils vote to have a Māori ward. People on the Māori roll can then vote in democratic elections for candidates in that Māori ward. If they are on the Māori roll they can’t vote in the general ward.
Really can’t see the problem here (and you certainly haven’t explained how it’s a problem), sounds democratic to me.
https://www.votelocal.co.nz/maori-wards-and-constituencies/
@ Cricklewood.
Yes, I get you. Probably the best example of minority tyranny. But it's legal. That's the problem. It allows a minorities to sway the fate of a country to varying degrees. But sometimes it works out.
I recently attended a Winston rally. A heckler called out: '' what did you do for the country when you went with Labour? You were just a handbrake on what Labour wanted to do.
Winston replied: ''And what happened when the handbrake came off? ''
The crowd erupted.
Are Māori really over-represented in the tyrannising and terrorising stakes? I'm sorry if that's been your experience – it's not mine.
In what areas might Māori "dominate" the majority, i.e. non-Māori Kiwis? Certainly not in health and wealth statistics. Māori do contribute disproportionately to the success of the All Blacks, but personally I'd opt for the significant hike in longevity and wealth that non-Māori enjoy. Are there any ACT policies acknowledging and designed to address these significant real-life disparities?
Tbh, given their health/wealth disadvantages, the idea that we are under the heel a dominant Māori minority makes no sense.
Or do you/ACT perhaps think that Māori are exploiting their disadvantages unfairly? To paraphrase Eric Blair, all Kiwis are equal, but some Kiwis are more equal than others.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/19-03-2022/danyl-mclauchlan-on-too-much-money-a-book-about-what-divides-us
For me yes, it's a flaw in the Mmp system that a party holding 5 percent of the vote can hold a vastly disproportionate influence when the conditions are right.
It wasn't just 5% of the vote. I'm pretty sure the National MPs would also have voted against CGT.
You are voting ACT because you have been voting ACT. This is not a change in your behaviour, as you pretend, but more of the same. Question: have you stood as an ACT candidate in the past?
The Great Nostradamus delves into my past. I'm a swing voter who hasn't voted for many years. I'm voting this year in what I consider the most important election in NZs history. But apparently according to the great one I have been voting ACT all along. It must be true, we live in a matrix construct that is powered by Robert's reality. Well I never. A food forester and matrix master mixed into one.
!!!!!!
How does one be a swing voter and not vote? Surely a contradiction in terms if ever there was one. You can't be a non voter and a swing voter at the same time. Either you vote or you don't vote, you can't do both.
And then you have the effrontery to call yourself an x Socialist – but then say you are a swing voter!
Obviously everything you say is just BS because you don't know what you are, or why you vote – if you ever do.
Again, have you stood as an ACT candidate in the past?
Ok, Marco, let's have a look. Put you right where you are wrong.
''How does one be a swing voter and not vote? Surely a contradiction in terms if ever there was one. You can't be a non voter and a swing voter at the same time. Either you vote or you don't vote, you can't do both.''
Linear time is of the essence my friend. I said I hadn't voted for some years, that doesn't mean I haven't voted regularly in the past as a swing voter before not voting for a while.
''And then you have the effrontery to call yourself an x Socialist – but then say you are a swing voter!''
x = a value that is not yet known in maths.
You may remember I stated a while back that all our political parties are socialist to one degree or another. So having in reality voted socialism all my life ( if you accept my definition) the unknown is what socialist party would I be voting for this time around after my hiatus.
''Obviously everything you say is just BS because you don't know what you are, or why you vote – if you ever do.''
That's a little hurtful. However, its Jan 1 and I predict it's going to be a shit year for you. So, you get a free pass. Happy New Year Marco.
[There we go again:
Two weeks ago, I pulled you up for the exact same BS lie and sucking up too much oxygen here and giving Mods and commenters heaps of BS to shovel aside (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18-12-2022/#comment-1926967). To allow others to have genuine constructive debate here you are moved aside again for one week only, but expect much longer times in the near (!) future – Incognito]
Mod note
Again, have you stood as an ACT candidate in the past?
No, Robert. I have never been an ACT candidate in the past. Unlike you, I have no desire for public office. The thought mortifies me. Too much hui, not enough doey, and too much crawling.
I'm a pineapple, if you accept my definition.
Yes I picked where you were bound weeks ago. X says it all.
Oh, don't exaggerate. I publicly stated months ago I would be voting ACT for the same reason I have stated today.
"Tis you who exaggerates by using the word Socialist in such a cavalier fashion." If you really believed in community good, you would not vote Act. But you will do what you deem "Right" because it appears you don't like some having a say in things. We are no longer “First past the post Democracy” having opted for MMP.
Act is here courtesy of MMP and a “Cup of Tea”. lol which was a rort on your precious Democracy.
"Tis you who exaggerates by using the word Socialist in such a cavalier fashion.'
Eh? Aren't we talking about me being a supposedly ACT sycophant?
X supporting David and Act for Democracy. Yet you don't see the flaw in that argument? Supposedly. Enough already.
Talking of democracy. What do you think these people think of democracy?
https://www.trtworld.com/europe/greece-rescues-340-after-refugee-boat-capsizes-off-crete-118350
The trouble with you and many others of your liberal ilk, is you take your life for granted. I must admit I had a similar attitude until I went overseas. Talk about a shock to the system.
Now, I can understand you not caring about democracy -most Kiwis don't. What I can't forgive is the liberal left trying to destroy our Western life style through education, gender/ feminism, indigenous rights and the promotion of tribalism, skewered journalism, anti Christianity…you name it. Anything but Western traditions.
This upcoming election is going to become very nasty. It may make the Springbok tour protests look like a kids event.
When you become scared to go out your front door – don't forget – you helped NZ ( whoops, Aotearoa) along this path to anarchy.
Feminism is a Western tradition. Wtf are you on about?
Stop trolling. Making shit up about other commenter's beliefs is a quick way to a ban.
The great replacement, right?
"Any serious conversation about this country's future would,by definition , exclude the. Natz and probably Act as well"
Are you joking Tony V? You do know that current polling shows that a near majority of voters (pretty sure that is a fact, but its from my memory) support these two parties. You want to exclude these democratically elected representatives from the debate? Really?
your unlinked quote has been deleted. You can repost it with the link. I think you've been here long enough to understand this is a requirement.
Ooops.
Link attached.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300776308/a-new-year-how-about-we-start-talking-about-a-new-future
Historian Timothy Snyder on Trump and The Big Lie.
What did Trump know, and when did he lie about it? How did his Big Lie lead to specific actions to overturn and election and bring down the American system? What did the coup attempt of 2020-2021 look like from within the Trump administration itself?
Thanks to the excellent "Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol," we now know the answers to these and many other questions. I provide here just the briefest of summaries of the report’s recounting of the events of November 2020-January 2021.
https://snyder.substack.com/p/january-6-the-facts?
Once an organised criminal..
https://twitter.com/HelenKennedy/status/1607958025221857281
Talking of Big Lies .. from the ex-Potus who told the mostest. (30,000 and counting)
How can anyone can believe anything that man says? And yet 1/3 of Repugnants seem to continue to do so.
Poots decrees personnel involved in the invasion of Ukraine will pay no income tax.
He's legalised looting, too.
Soldiers, police, members of the security services and other state employees serving in the four regions no longer had to supply information on “their income, their expenditure, their assets”, the decree said.
The decree also granted them the right to receive “rewards and gifts” if they were of “a humanitarian character” and received as part of the military operation in Ukraine.
It applies to the partners and children of those serving, and is back-dated to February 24 2022 – the date Russia invaded Ukraine.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/dec/31/russia-ukraine-war-live-ukraine-troops-fighting-fiercest-battles-in-donbas-says-zelenskiy?
Terror state Russia is going all-in with its barbarism and brutality.
No talks, it's win-or-lose.
https://twitter.com/steven_pifer/status/1607883452053073920
https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/9766/Artykul/3093798,russia-to-pursue-military-campaign-in-ukraine-until-demands-are-met-lavrov
Zelenskyy's New Year speech. Watch the whole thing.
https://twitter.com/walter_report/status/1609325115585728513
I wouldnt trust the pages of The Guardian to wrap my fish an chips in !! All too obviously at the behest of the UK state security apparatus its the 'poor Ukraine ' evil Russians from start to finish totally biased reporting , the sort of reporting you'd expect from a country at war with another country , is the UK at war with Russia ?
Fuck the broom, this is more the business
Has anyone read the John Key article in today’s Herald? I’m intrigued to see how sycophant it is.
I can post the article if the mods allow it? But, yeah, it’s a little crawly. He makes no bones about being a huge fan of China.
Key is a money man, it's driven his success his whole life. From that perspective his comments make a huge amount of sense. We don't have free trade with the USA or Europe and it seems unlikely we'll ever hit a deal done. Hence China is integral to NZs economic success.
If the USA or Europe really wanted to walk the talk we would have had an equivalent free trade deal years ago.
I thought it was interesting – given his business perspective – and the understanding that China is a hugely important market to NZ.
He's far less alarmist about the potential for China to invade Taiwan than many other commentators (and specifically ties this 'China attack risk' to Trump)
He's realistic about the internal direction China (aka Xi) is taking – into social control, and greater party control over the economy. China has no interest in becoming like the West.
From the ecological perspective – this seems to be the greatest risk to me.
I don't think that Key is wrong. But, how is any of this compatible with ambitions to reign in climate-change emissions?
I did link earlier – but just belt and braces
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/sir-john-key-we-need-to-craft-our-own-view-of-china-using-its-past-and-potential-to-guide-us/PSDICCQP3FBR7O56CRWXKLN2S4/
I'm more interested in why are these articles being written? Every time JK pops up in public lately it seems to involve excessive fawning over China. It isn't something he did a lot during his time in politics, so why is he getting on the wagon now? Is he on somebody's payroll, and if so who?
Well, we have no proof, but I bet China would pay a pretty penny for high status Western PR people. If Jacinda goes down a similar route after leaving office, we will have a fire to attach to the smoke.
Mr Fiddy…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_Cent_Party
Here's the link – Premium Herald – but you should be able to see it via Press Reader through your local library (yay libraries – breaking down the information barriers!)
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/sir-john-key-we-need-to-craft-our-own-view-of-china-using-its-past-and-potential-to-guide-us/PSDICCQP3FBR7O56CRWXKLN2S4/
So he’d roll over and be Vichy France?
Looks like it. He may even become our master in the Pacific.
Quote from final part of the article:
[deleted]
[When you quote, you must link and you know this too. Weka already modded for this here today (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01-01-2023/#comment-1928845). This is your warning because I’m not going to waste much time on you this year – Incognito]
Mod note
you're lucky Incog got to this before I saw it, because I modded you for exactly this a mere 12 days ago and I explained why. Expect a ban if you do it again. Both Incog and I are sick of our time being sucked up by people who know better.
.https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-20-12-2022/#comment-1927308
Given that last phrase, he has no knowledge of Chinese history. The Middle Kingdom is the land between heaven and earth. The Han are born to rule over us all.
As far as I can see there is no land "between heaven and earth". It sounds like the sort of fictional “place” to which Gulliver might have traveled.
Yet another off-shore entitled rich prick who thinks he can do whatever he likes and f**k the neighbours:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130891710/american-billionaires-controversial-nye-pyrotechnic-bonanza-starts-fire-near-queenstown
How classy to excuse his behaviour by bragging about his "deep and long lived social and charitable connections".
What a tool.
https://twitter.com/vidtranslator/status/1607884462645288961