Open Mike 01/06/2018

88 comments on “Open Mike 01/06/2018 ”

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1. Sanctuary 1

   1 June 2018 at 6:48 am

   Unitec logged another 31 million dollar loss, calling into question it’s viability.

   Meanwhile, the architect of the corporate hatchet job that wrecked the place and led to the institutions decline – failed and grossly overpaid CEO Rick Ede – bailed out last year to become CEO of a large TAFE in Melbourne.

   Other members of his disastrous leadership team have also done the chicken run to Australia, picking up management sinecures across the continent.

   Oh, to be a member of the teflon managerial corporate class.
   • tc 1.1

     1 June 2018 at 7:03 am

     You’ll need at least an empathy bypass, a diploma in sociopathic behaviour or be a club member who has others do the spade work.

     Seen plenty aspiring to be allowed into that club executing scripts but it’s fairly exclusive so they often have to jump back offshore.

     Such a boys club at the upper levels of NZ corporate, SOE, Co-op and trust troughs even the drop ins struggle to get to grips with them in order to do what’s being asked of them.
   • Ad 1.2

     1 June 2018 at 7:37 am

     Unitec’s problems are the same as any other polytechnic across the country:
     the economy’s overall unemployment rate is a bit above 4%, so people are going straight to jobs.

     Plenty of polytechnics from north, south, east and west are in statutory management or some other form of very strong oversight or frankly no longer viable.

     Polytechnics are a counter-cyclic sponge to the economy.
     When the economy is doing badly, polytechnics are full of people retraining.
     When it’s doing overall well, people doing see the need to retrain, so they enroll.
     • cleangreen 1.2.1

       1 June 2018 at 8:10 am

       UNITECH’s;

       Some are good; – some are bad.

       We need them to retrain for new jobs sunshine,, as jobs are changing all the time due to compamies moving to automation.

       Evidence is here already;

       My son served an appprenticship in germany and come home with his German diploma in Master Electrician, but he was foced to be retrained theorough a Unitech for two years at cost to him before he could work as an electician.
       • dukeofurl 1.2.1.1

         1 June 2018 at 9:38 am

         The first year free fees should help a lot for apprentices, as industry based courses allow it for 2 years.
         The NZQA course level to qualify starts at level 3 and up ( a bachelors degree is level 8), so you can see it will help a lot of non university level courses.
     • greywarshark 1.2.2

       1 June 2018 at 5:33 pm

       Ad’s is the explanation that the RW neolibs can offer, under their present regime.
       True, as far as it goes. However if the polytechnics/institutes and NZ skill and job seekers, and those wanting to upgrade their knowledge, were able to come together for each others’ benefit, with good outcomes for us all making us an advanced country the outcome as presently discussed would not occur.
2. DB 2

   1 June 2018 at 7:25 am

   Those of the upper class should not be allowed to associate with one another as they are worse than gangs when they get together, and the damage they do far more wide reaching. I propose a non-associative law to keep these crooks from gathering. Zero contact policy. Also, a state house between every mansion.

   Then, I propose a course of correction for these narcissistic nonces.

   Gardening. Using their hands as the tools they were designed for CEO’s can transport excrement from their heated lavatories to the dirt outside. Here they will learn to grow and shuck corn, to make biofuel for their helicopters.

   Rehab. These coke fuelled brandy swafflers are deep into their own denial. P is a common utility for that ‘extra big job’, replacing the speed, ephedrine and temgesics of yesteryear. Using HNZ guidelines for P, we can identify these hypocritical hubris hummers by the residues on their marble counters. I recommend letting the Salvation Army in on this phase, they can deliver the 12 steps, and there in the fine print, Jesus! CEO’s love a bit of fine print.

   Community service. Picking up rubbish is normally a Herald journalists job, but CEO’s do it as well. Operation clean streets will see CEO’s armed with litter sticks and refuse bags descend upon our populated areas to leave them in better shape than when they arrived.

   Those who do not commit suicide through self-realisation will all be given a participation certificate, vouchers for a haircut, and directions to WINZ.
   • cleangreen 2.1

     1 June 2018 at 8:13 am

     100% DB I agree fully, it smacks of greesy paims entirely here.

     “Those of the upper class should not be allowed to associate with one another as they are worse than gangs when they get together,”
     • Tuppence Shrewsbury 2.1.1

       1 June 2018 at 10:30 am

       Ah, so upper class drug users are bad and lower class ones deserve sympathy and help.

       The stifling discrimination of low expectations on the left astounds me
       • OnceWasTim 2.1.1.1

         1 June 2018 at 11:37 am

         Ah!!!!!! Aha!!!!! Gotcha!!!!
         Except is that what he’s saying?
       • Draco T Bastard 2.1.1.2

         1 June 2018 at 12:20 pm

         They should be treated the same so a CEO that turns up to work high one P/Alcohol/Marijuana etcetera gets fired and sent to prison just like the minimum wage worker.
       • DB 2.1.1.3

         1 June 2018 at 12:44 pm

         Do you need some counsel Tuppence, maybe a hug?
       • patricia bremner 2.1.1.4

         1 June 2018 at 4:30 pm

         You’re full of it!!
         • patricia bremner 2.1.1.4.1

           1 June 2018 at 6:41 pm

           This comment was aimed at Tuppence.*$#@!!
   • greywarshark 2.2

     1 June 2018 at 5:35 pm

     DB Great ideas.
3. Ed 3

   1 June 2018 at 7:36 am

   Paula Bennett should resign from political life after her disgraceful handling of the Meth housing issue.
   Appalling, just appalling.
   Demonising the vulnerable to gain votes:
   Scum like behaviour.

   And shame on those New Zealanders who fall for such dog whistle Politics. If you really would vote for National after these revelations, look in the mirror.

   Who are you?
   What do you stand for?

   Is it just greed and your own selfish interests?
   And if so you are as bad as Bennett.
   • AsleepWhileWalking 3.1

     1 June 2018 at 8:28 am

     If only she had resigned when she was still minister.
     • gsays 3.1.1

       1 June 2018 at 10:41 am

       Speaking of resigning…
       I heard a sentence on checkpoint yesty that has echoed since.
       …paid $46,000 a month…
       A big wig in HNZ refusing to respond to checkpoint’s inquiries.

       Perhaps he should be re-reading his job description…
       • OnceWasTim 3.1.1.1

         1 June 2018 at 12:26 pm

         I think you’ll find @gsays that the Minister has confidence in his “official”, and that he’s probably met or exceeded his KPIs – possibly even exceeded some of them going forward.
         Possibly the only thing that would cause the Minister to lose confidence would be if he jumped up and slit his throat over a P fuelled ‘conversation’ over accountability overseen by a previous responsible Minister for Housing and Feral Affairs.
         It’s possible of course that Phil T might be a bit of a masochist.
         • OnceWasTim 3.1.1.1.1

           1 June 2018 at 12:53 pm

           I’m not sure when it will be that when Ministers rely SOLELY on the advice of their officials, they’ll get the advice of the Fox in charge of the Henhouse. Today, in our neo-liberal corporatised Western Whurl, there is no such thing as a public or a society. The public is the disposable plastic bag and the “official” the Gucci designed Maggie handbag.
           I heard Phil T this morning tell us his officials acted on the best advice available (at the time).
           Well actually, they didn’t.
           They had people closer to the coalface telling a different and antithetical story.
           But….you know, unless Ministers want to open their eyes a little wider to possibilities (better still, science and probabilities), this transformational government is pushing shit uphill (which is why I wonder if Phil T) might not be a bit of a masochistic martyr
         • McFlock 3.1.1.1.2

           1 June 2018 at 1:08 pm

           Basically, a minister saying they’ve lost confidence in an official makes the official’s role untenable and the official is in line for a massive payout, because all they did was fulfill the requirements of the previous administration.

           Otherwise you end up with the US model, where a change in regime is accompanied by wholesale culls of thousands of public servants. Which means that the new policy is implemented by people new to their roles and of doubtful competence, or (in the case of the current US regime) entire departments are sabotaged by simply not filling the vacancies. Or even worse, bad policies get competent zealots enforcing their objectives – Pruitt springs to mind, neutering the EPA and removing all mention of climate change.

           So give me competent moral vacuums to administer government policy. And then we merely get the government we deserve, rather than revolving-door zealots who spend their time as consultants in corporate sinecures whenever their team is out of power.
           • OnceWasTIm 3.1.1.1.2.1

             1 June 2018 at 3:13 pm

             What was it….. something like “Like Sand Through the Hour Glass, So Are the Days of Our Lives…”
             I actually agree McF in terms of your worry about the US model.

             The problem is that for many in senior and sometimes muddle management positions, it ISN’T just a case of “all they did was fulfill the requirements of the previous administration.” More often than not they were instrumental in advising on policy and then implementing it

             And it doesn’t alter my point : I’m not sure when it will be that when Ministers rely SOLELY on the advice of their officials, they’ll get the advice of the Fox in charge of the Henhouse.

             Self fulfilling…….and certainly non-transformational
             • McFlock …

               1 June 2018 at 3:57 pm

               That can happen, but at the same time I think it’s a rehash of the problem with democracy in general – it’s the worst possible system, until you look at everything else that’s been tried.

               Even policy advice rests largely on trying to satisfy the objectives of the boss. And if someone has their own barrow to push, if they push it too hard and it’s in conflict with the boss, the boss wins.

               But I agree that relying solely on the advice of a ministry tends to make the minister a passive respondent rather than an active leader. Which is one reason I like the reviews the govt is doing currently – make their thinking and priorities open, rather than simply be an edifice from whence decisions are implemented.
               • OnceWasTIm …

                 2 June 2018 at 2:33 pm

                 “But I agree that relying solely on the advice of a ministry tends to make the minister a passive respondent rather than an active leader. Which is one reason I like the reviews the govt is doing currently ….”

                 absofuckinglootly! And truly independent reviews which take account of both Muntries/departments, but also various advocacy groups that represent the people (sometimes also known as the victims) those Munstries/departments supposedly s e r v e

                 HCNZ and Gluckman, case in point.
                 but then:
                 https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/358747/changes-to-student-visas-could-restrict-post-study-employment
                 and you’ll see what I mean (above). An excellent piece by Alistair McClymont.
                 Thankfully, today (the next from when we last posted), there is a first ‘small step’ – in this case towards remedying some of the horrendous cases of exploitation I know the responsibly Minister is aware of.
                 (From what I hear, he still has faith in his ‘officials’)

                 So we’ve used HCNZ and INZ (part of MoBIE) as examples, we could go on, as I’m sure you’re aware.
           • alwyn 3.1.1.1.2.2

             2 June 2018 at 2:05 pm

             You talk about “culls of thousands”.
             There are thousands of Political appointments but it really isn’t as many as it might sound when you consider the size of the country and the number of Federal employees.
             There are about 4,000 Political appointees out of a civilian work force of around 2.7 million.
             https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_appointments_in_the_United_States
             https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_civil_service

             If you compare that to New Zealand it would represent around about 60 people. I am quite sure we have a lot more Political appointments in New Zealand when you count all the ones in Ministers offices.

             Indeed, by the US system of Government it would include all the Cabinet Ministers so we could say it includes half the comparable number in the New Zealand Ministerial positions alone. They would all qualify for your description of policy being implemented by “people new to their roles and of doubtful competence”.
             That would describe the entire New Zealand Cabinet, wouldn’t it?
             • McFlock …

               2 June 2018 at 8:54 pm

               Aaand then we look at the state dept for how that works in practice.
       • greywarshark 3.1.1.2

         1 June 2018 at 5:48 pm

         Good example of how the CEOs have so much control. Everything can be shed by the Minister ‘Oh that’s an operational matter”. The leaders of some government agencies have king-like authority it seems to me, Transport Agency etc.

         The CEO is in charge of administering the law, the Minister looks as if he/she is sitting on the eggs, but there is an incubating actually keeping them warm and hatching them etc. that is quite separate to the facade that we imagine as reality.

         Being a top manager in NZ under neolib is never having to say you are sorry.
         I said that about farmers the other day, and this is just another bunch to add to the group, the Naked Executives that parade and challenge us to accuse them of unseemly behaviour; ‘When the king made his appearance, Andersen cried out, “Oh, he’s nothing more than a human being!’ [Hans Christian Andersen, The Emperor’s New Clothes.]
   • Bewildered 3.2

     1 June 2018 at 8:39 am

     Thanks for the lecture Ed
   • Fireblade 3.3

     1 June 2018 at 8:48 am

     Willie Jackson and Judith Collins were on the AM Show today regarding the flawed meth testing. He dominated Judith and left her gasping for air.

     Willie stated that National and Bennett knew the testing method was flawed and ignored it because it suited thier narrative and benifit bashing. That idiot Garner then called Willie a nut-job

     I give top marks to Willie Jackson for having the guts to publically call-out the National Party lies.
     • James 3.3.1

       1 June 2018 at 9:03 am

       That would be why the host had to apologise to willie and said he left his brain in the car park and only his mouth turned up – and that was on meth.

       The guy came across as unhinged.
       • Fireblade 3.3.1.1

         1 June 2018 at 9:13 am

         I agree with you that Garner came across as unhinged.
         • bwaghorn 3.3.1.1.1

           1 June 2018 at 10:45 am

           Garner is golums great grandson one voice is reasonable and calm then the true cave dwelling troglodyte turns up to leave you under no illusion as to who garner really is
       • AB 3.3.1.2

         1 June 2018 at 3:25 pm

         Nope – he massacred Collins totally
     • Muttonbird 3.3.2

       1 June 2018 at 11:16 am

       This all fits the pattern. National are dangerously incompetent at social policy if not downright malevolent.

       Adds to the narrative that a Labour led government has to come in and pick up the pieces.
       • cleangreen 3.3.2.1

         1 June 2018 at 4:02 pm

         100% perfectly said there MB
   • fender 3.4

     1 June 2018 at 11:08 am

     “Paula Bennett should resign”

     Yes, I got my hopes up last week when she said “I’m ley ving”
     • mikes 3.4.1

       1 June 2018 at 5:30 pm

       No no no… she should stay.

       Of the people I see fairly regularly only two are National party voters and they’re both adamant they won’t ever vote National whilst she is deputy leader (or leader). They are good, kind people which is unusual for National voters but I doubt they’re the only two feeling that way.
   • Draco T Bastard 3.5

     1 June 2018 at 12:17 pm

     Paula Bennett should resign from political life after her disgraceful handling of the Meth housing issue.

     She should have been jailed for a minimum of two years when she gave out the private details of a couple of beneficiaries.
4. Sanctuary 4

   1 June 2018 at 7:59 am

   Unitec’s problems are largely the result of the botched restructuring. Rick Ede was appointed to do a root and branch hatchet job on an institute that had until then largely resisted neoliberal “modernisation”.

   A large corporate management structure was created complete with a lavishly refurbished office block in building 48 (isolated from the rest of the hoi-pilloi and nick-named “the palace” by the staff) for all the be-suited widget sellers of the managerial class. They then proceeded to apply all the worst aspects of outdated 1990s management practices to a 1980s institution.

   There was no clear educational end goal, and no clearly articulated vision of how Unitec wished to position itself in the marketplace. All the staff got was an isolated and out of touch new management elite distracted by the glamour of turning themselves into a property development company.

   All sorts of appallingly bad decisions were made, with a deliberate HR policy of stripping out the “dead wood” of long service staff that in the process all to frequently threw the baby out with the bathwater and eviscerated the institutional memory of the place. For instance, the centre of excellence TV and film school was abolished for no reason other than cost cutting. The automotive department, in dire need of modernisation, was simply butchered for short term savings and left crippled and with plummeting enrolments.

   The outsourcing of enrollments was a complete fiasco. the outsourcing of some IT functions like the service desk was bungled. Lack of consultation saw staff morale crash to all time lows. Salaries were and are no longer competitive to attract the best academic or general staff, and the quality of teaching crashed with the departure of the best and/or most experienced staff.

   The whole exercise of the Unitec restructure under Ede was textbook example of how NOT to do such a thing, and when the chickens started to come home to roost he did what everyone in his class does – evaded personal responsibility and bailed out.
   • Rosemary McDonald 4.1

     1 June 2018 at 8:35 am

     “There was no clear educational end goal, and no clearly articulated vision of how Unitec wished to position itself in the marketplace.”

     I recall that there were discussions a few years ago that the ‘face of education was changing’ and that ‘learning environments were evolving…’ and such talk. Unitec was not going to need so many actual buildings and land to put them on because learning would be on line, via an intra-web set ip.

     Lecturers and tutors and students would all interact over the interweb and would not have to actually meet face to face, in person. No need for libraries (on the net) and most manual training could be done out in the community utilising industry.

     In fact…quite possible to have a ‘virtual’ educational establishment.

     At the time, the counter talk was around how there would be little or no opportunity for teaching staff and students to form real face to face relationships….so important for socialisation, forming support networks and friendships and physical gatherings for political activity…which used to be one of the de facto functions of tertiary institutions.

     Which, I imagine, was part of Ede’s brief.
     • DB 4.1.1

       2 June 2018 at 7:04 am

       That peer-peer relationship forming is very important. How else do we learn to be social animals without socialising. The online models largely divide and separate based on algorithms, and they are designed for efficiency and money savings, not people.

       University is the melting pot we should all be exposed to in some way. A multi-cultural environment where all walks of life come together to learn. But now, instead of institutes of higher learning, they’re fast becoming institutes of higher returns.

       Draining and separating society, till there’s no society left to support it.

       It’s not Capitalism, it is Ouroboros.
       • Incognito 4.1.1.1

         2 June 2018 at 10:58 am

         Much of (the) learning takes place in and through face-to-face interactions with peers, teachers, mentors, etc. Similarly, there’s research that shows that note-taking (by hand!) helps too – I don’t have links at hand at this very moment [double pun].
   • Ad 4.2

     1 June 2018 at 9:27 am

     If overall unemployment stays just above 4% for another two years, it’s very hard to see more than a handful of polytechs surviving.
5. Sanctuary 5

   1 June 2018 at 8:13 am

   I see the crackpot wing of the right are going nuts over the scrapping of the three strikes law, with political giants like David Garrett confidently predicting the end of civilisation and the rise of immortan joe. Then again, these are the same crazies who love Judith and thought getting rid of charter schools would see riots on the streets.
   • Pete 5.1

     1 June 2018 at 8:32 am

     Political giants like David Garrett? Did you deliberately leave out the other adjective ‘intellectual’?
6. cleangreen 6

   1 June 2018 at 8:14 am

   True as said Ed 100%
7. AsleepWhileWalking 7

   1 June 2018 at 8:30 am

   Someone won the social housing lottery. Hope the carpet etc stays.

   You lucky buggers! Better mow the lawn.

   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northland-age/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503399&objectid=12061971
   • Rosemary McDonald 7.1

     1 June 2018 at 8:40 am

     At a glance AWW, my guess would be that HNZ has in mind a particular type of tenant for this property….one perhaps who uses a wheelchair…hence removing the dishwasher (to get wheelchair under the sink) and some of the carpets (an absolute pain in the arse for wheelchair users).

     If this is the case….good on them.
     • AsleepWhileWalking 7.1.1

       1 June 2018 at 5:29 pm

       Makes sense.

       Hopefully this is the start of disabled being provided for rather than abandoned in preference for the easier to house cases.
8. Muttonbird 8

   1 June 2018 at 8:57 am

   National party aligned Glenfield Mall bans Shanan Halbert from campaigning but is happy to let Bidiot do so…

   …until the media found out.

   https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/security-called-into-northcote-by-election-mall-confrontation.html

   Shop somewhere fair, I say Boycott Glenfield Mall.
   • mauī 8.1

     1 June 2018 at 9:36 am

     If you take it from the mall manager’s point of view its not surprising she doesn’t want witch doctors (‘Shaman campaigning’) in the mall. lol
     • greywarshark 8.1.1

       1 June 2018 at 5:57 pm

       If it is being suggested that Shaman does not have a regular NZ sound to it, well Bidois doesn’t either, makes me think of bidet, and that has associations that are negative.
   • dukeofurl 8.2

     1 June 2018 at 9:43 am

     It was more Countdown allowed Bridges and Bidiot to do it. Bidiot works for Countdown!
     • Muttonbird 8.2.1

       1 June 2018 at 11:07 am

       I don’t know the place. Is Countdown not on the mall premises?
   • Anne 8.3

     1 June 2018 at 10:20 am

     What Labour’s Halbert should do is erect a huge banner in a place that is not impeding access outside the mall consorting voters to boycott the mall for the duration of the campaign. Make sure someone is present all day with a camera and record all abuse (physical and verbal) from the opposition and post it online for everyone to see. The MSM would pick up on it.

     Take banner down overnight. 😈
   • AB 8.4

     1 June 2018 at 3:31 pm

     Interesting that they can claim the defence of ‘private property’ for their anti-democratic instincts.
     How private is a property that thousands of citizens visit daily? Can the mall owners defecate in the foodcourt for example – as they would be allowed to do inside their own house if they so wished?
     In any case – it seems like another good reason for not allowing malls in addition to them be soul-less temples to needless consumption.
9. Puckish Rogue 9

   1 June 2018 at 10:20 am

   Guest post from David Garrett about the three strikes law if anyones interested

   https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/06/guest_post_david_garrett_on_manifestly_unjust.html
   • Rosemary McDonald 9.1

     1 June 2018 at 10:47 am

     David Garrett in a kiwiblog ‘discussion’ about Ashley Peacock (who has never been convicted of any crime yet still remains incarcerated.)

     “David Garrett

     What a compassionate society we are…I heard the list of things wrong with this guy on the radio: autism, schizophrenia, retardation etc. etc….In by far the majority of countries such a flawed organism would be quietly done away with…We spend thousands of dollars and thousands of man hours on him…”

     https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2017/03/10_staff_for_one_patient.html#comment-1896581
     • Puckish Rogue 9.1.1

       1 June 2018 at 10:55 am

       Thats nice
   • Fireblade 9.2

     1 June 2018 at 11:16 am

     David Garrett should be an expert on law and order issues and he obviously has high moral standards

     Admitted stealing a dead baby’s identity to obtain a false passport. Assault conviction for brawling outside a bar in Tonga.
     • Puckish Rogue 9.2.1

       1 June 2018 at 11:19 am

       Did he do that, well I never. Thats the first time I’ve ever heard that therefore three strikes must be wrong.
       • Fireblade 9.2.1.1

         1 June 2018 at 12:08 pm

         Wonders will never cease. Puckered says three strikes must be wrong.
     • Gosman 9.2.2

       1 June 2018 at 2:34 pm

       That would make Metiria Turei an expert on benefit fraud then.
       • Stuart Munro 9.2.2.1

         1 June 2018 at 3:43 pm

         By no means.

         But we are becoming experts on the bottom feeding trolling by Gosman, flat earth economist and moral vacuum.
         • greywarshark 9.2.2.1.1

           1 June 2018 at 5:59 pm

           Stuart M
           I do think you should be careful about having any sort of association with Gosman, and his moral vacuum in case the sucking power reaches out across space and time and sucks you into his eerie wormhole in space or even into a black hole from whence you will never return.
           • Stuart Munro 9.2.2.1.1.1

             1 June 2018 at 6:14 pm

             But at my back I always hear
             Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near;
             And yonder all before us lie.
             Deserts of nutjobbery.
             • greywarshark …

               1 June 2018 at 6:20 pm

               Last line – Oh dear!
               • Stuart Munro …

                 1 June 2018 at 6:30 pm

                 They’re almost Lovecraftian really – lurkers on thresholds, colours out of time, sliggoth fanciers, tragic figures like the colossus of Ylournge.
                 • greywarshark …

                   1 June 2018 at 7:07 pm

                   Thanks Stuart M
                   Don’t give me anything more to think about as I will be occupied with what has just gone up for a while. I may be some time.
       • Sabine 9.2.2.2

         1 June 2018 at 8:10 pm

         as is Bill English, Housing Beneficiary Fraudster.

         🙂
     • dv 9.2.3

       2 June 2018 at 11:19 am

       AND then LIED on an afadavit as to previous convictions

       Isn’t that 3 strikes?

       https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10674161
10. Poission 10

    1 June 2018 at 11:16 am

    First day of winter.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Deja5jpU8AAVOHH.jpg

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dejge5CUwAA877x.jpg
    • Graeme 10.1

      1 June 2018 at 1:08 pm

      Yep. Really good trot of frosts in Central Otago this week, and looks like continuing for a few days yet.

      Last few winters have been very mild, hardly had a frost last year.

      Plumbers will be rubbing their hands with glee and looking to upgrade the ute to off-set the tax bill….
      • gsays 10.1.1

        1 June 2018 at 2:48 pm

        Jeez,tell that to the spring bulbs popping up in colyton and my quince tree that is blossoming again.
11. mac1 11

    1 June 2018 at 12:12 pm

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/national-had-no-idea-meth-guidelines-were-wrong-judith-collins.html

    Surely amongst the records of the Health Department, HNZ, the office of the Chief Scientific Adviser, etc etc, among the records of journalists and the media, amongst all the tweets and e-mails and correspondence from both sender and recipient, pertaining to the question of who knew what and when, there is enough to sheet home this claim to those irresponsible.

    How can Bridges, Collins and Bennett claim they did not know when journalists, bloggers, government scientists, and the departments themselves knew the science in2016? When Bennett herself admits to not thinking the advice was right?

    Bennett needs this nailed well and truly to her door. Along with her fellow- travelling cover-up mates. They knew, and covered up. Or, they did not know and thereby fail every test of responsible management. Which is it?

    At least Twyford is now acting honourably, with apology and promise of action in today’s news.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12062668
    • Ad 11.1

      1 June 2018 at 12:37 pm

      Calling for a report is a good start.

      I hope he goes further and undertakes a Ministerial inquiry.

      I was very interested to see Twyford answer in the affirmative this morning when Morning Report asked him if he still had confidence in the goverance of Housing New Zealand. He must be playing a pretty long game internally if that’s the case.
    • Anne 11.2

      1 June 2018 at 12:38 pm

      I can understand Twyford’s initial petulance over the situation. The almost unbelievable muck-up of a previous minister of housing must have infuriated him. Why should this government have to carry the can for the gross incompetence of a previous government. Once his anger had subsided he saw reason and that is to his credit.

      My own view is: it was the attitude of the last government and Paula Bennett in particular that was the real cause. They were so determined to paint beneficiaries as drug taking, work shy losers for political gain… they were willing to clutch at any straws to ‘prove their point’. Meth contamination met all the requirements, so they ignored the warnings and concerns being expressed and it was full steam ahead via Housing NZ.
      • McFlock 11.2.1

        1 June 2018 at 1:57 pm

        The methmyth was a convenient little gift for the nats:

        Tenants are evicted because of dirty poor people doing drugs;
        The cost of “decontamination” makes that property uneconomic to maintain, so could be sold at a loss;
        The dividend extraction by the government means less funds to make up the lost home;
        And blaming meth is a great way to pretend that the degrading of the housing system is the fault of dirty poor people rather than government policy.
        • Anne 11.2.1.1

          1 June 2018 at 5:40 pm

          And blaming meth is a great way to pretend that the degrading of the housing system is the fault of dirty poor people rather than government policy.

          A succinct way of saying in a sentence what took me a paragraph to say. 🙁
      • greywarshark 11.2.2

        1 June 2018 at 6:06 pm

        Anne
        I don’t think that it was gross incompetence of the National Minister of Housing.
        It was a malicious policy to wreak misery on poor people on benefits. The policies of hate and ruthless contempt sum up the RW attitude of all in government who have enabled this legislation.
12. Ad 12

    1 June 2018 at 12:35 pm

    For those of you who just hate banks, ANZ Australia is about to get done for knowingly taking part in a cartel:

    https://www.theage.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/anz-bank-facing-cartel-prosecution-20180601-p4zisr.html

    Guaranteed the ANZ legal team will be defending this tooth and nail.

    But it would be great to see them taught a real lesson.
13. pat 13

    1 June 2018 at 1:08 pm

    Collective decision making…..

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12062544
14. Ad 14

    1 June 2018 at 2:33 pm

    international media cottoning on to the nz-not-quite-100%Pure claims:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12062183
    • greywarshark 14.1

      1 June 2018 at 6:58 pm

      It’s not that other countries don’t have pollution problems, Swizerland’s Lake Zurich looks good in photos but they have regular problems with its water quality.

      Zurich has a beautiful lake but has a cyanobacteria, different to ours.
      https://www.livescience.com/21645-toxic-algae-global-warming-european-
      lakes.html

      None other European country “sprays” more pesticides in agriculture than Switzerland. More than 2,000 tons of toxins land in our fields every year – even though the government wanted to reduce pesticide usage to 1,500 tons by 2005. The goal was never approached.
      https://save-energy.tips/2018/01/26/water-pollution/

      Yet there have been detailed studies of Lake Zurich and efforts to improve water condition. The Europeans won’t tolerate us telling fibs about our standards in our ‘she’ll be right’ way of pushing boundaries, guidelines and even regulations until they pop.
      https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111201094250.htm

      When we say we are wonderful and give the impression that we are an unspoilt country of the world, we attract people a long way off the beaten track to come here. The rest of the world is also wonderful and if we oversell ourselves, people will stop coming here. Or they will make it a possible extra to an Australian trip, an add-on.

      Thailand has had to ban tourists from one of its beaches for part-year because of numbers who were visiting for a few hours for a quick look, selfie, and then departing. The result was a degraded environment, and no financial return to the locals; the reason for tourism, which is a business! We need less tourists staying longer, paying more, ie less freedom campers! Organise our tourism so it doesn’t rely on skimming large numbers, wilfully misleading them and rorting ourselves in the process.

      https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/thailand/articles/the-idyllic-cove-from-the-beach-is-closing-due-to-overtourism/
      The idyllic cove that starred in The Beach, Danny Boyle’s adaptation of Alex Garland’s novel about the search for untouched backpacker paradise, has long been the victim of its own fame. The film encouraged waves of tourists to visit the once little-known Phi Phi Islands, where Maya Bay is located, and the sheltered strip of sand is now a far cry from the unspoiled utopia depicted on the big screen.

      As many as 5,000 people arrive each day on boat trips from the bustling mainland resorts of Krabi and Phuket, but fears about damage to the local reefs have finally spurred local authorities into action and tourists will be prevented from visiting for four months – from June 1 to September 30 – to let the corals recover.
15. Jilly Bee 15

    1 June 2018 at 5:03 pm

    Oh dear, the headlines on Granny Herald’s ‘The Business’ supplement scream out ‘FROM GLOOMY TO GLOOMIER’. For Gawd’s sake Liam Dann – OK maybe he didn’t come up with the heading on the cover, but the inside heading reads ‘Heading for winter of discontent’ – the article goes on to wax on about the pessimism of the Business Bigwigs, despite a business-friendly budget with a less than flattering photo of the Minister of Finance. What the bigwigs are muttering about is the proposed changes to employment law and how terrible things will be once the Employment Relations Bill. Doom and gloom I tells ya.
    Oh, then there’s Matthew Hooten’s weekly rant – nuff said.
    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12062090
    • patricia bremner 15.1

      1 June 2018 at 7:00 pm

      Well Jilly Bee, they realise banks may be hit by the bovis infection, that making money both sides of the meth trade just got harder, and their lies about how they were paying people correctly have been shown up.

      They are now beginning to believe their own doom and gloom, and it is the first day of winter, so tradition says it will be a cold snap.

      The business sector see unions flexing, and feel the pinch of profit sharing.
      Bring it on, with unemployment low and the promised benefits 4 weeks away, we will see how the cassandras feel after people start putting their money into the economy.
16. Eco Maori 16

    2 June 2018 at 7:13 am

    Some ECO MAORI music link below Ka kite ano.

    https://youtu.be/FM7MFYoylVs
    • eco maori 16.1

      2 June 2018 at 9:21 pm

      We must look after our precious Water ways and stop putting $$$$$$$$ in front of te mokopunas future stop pouring man made chemicals on the land and having it leach into our waterways the farmers believe the lies the big companies tell them that organic farming is unprofitable . The big companys tell them these lies so they buy there products nitrogen ect its all about the $$$$$$$$$ to them so primeval so unbelievable short sighted they can not even thing about te mokopunas future so self centered .
      When people first started farming in Aotearoa there were storys of how fast and big everything grew and after a few years that phenomenon stopped these people had a excuse they did not no that they had to replace the nutrients of te whenua we know now we can farm organically and profitably the soil is hooked on nitrogen so it takes a few years for organic farms to catch chemical farming when it does organic farming is much more profitable and sustainable and leaves chemical farms in there dust.
      We can not have farmers making there own nutrients worm farms crushed rock lime ect the big companys wont be able to milk the farmers who farm organically thats the way of Papatuanuku at the minute enough said here the link below

      https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/104351892/i-am-ashamed-a-rivers-pollution-starts-a-cultural-debate P.S we know that processed food is bad for US well so processed nutrients is bad for the land and water ka kite ano

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