If the amount of toy throwing tantrums from Wayne Brown, Mautrice "millions of data points" Williamson, and Christine Fletcher in the last few days is any indication their ukelele band of aging boomer duffers on the council don't have their numbers to sell the airport shares or for their slash and burn budget.
Brown in particular was a complete blathering idiot again by naming the two “left” councillors who he thought got him over the line on the airport share sale. Immediately the heat went on the two councillors in question who then ran a mile from backing the mayor’s proposal. I mean, what did he expect? Then he resorted to crude threats, typical.
Maurice Williamson and Christine Fletcher were bot on RNZ this morning, Williamson attempting to scare the horses with weary 1990s TINA shroud waving and Christine Fletcher reprising Hyacinth Bucket while kicking the council sataff in the teeth, going so far as claiming she has been seeking “legal advice” about the the briefings from the council staff.
They are NOT happy. They thought the good old days of the pre-super city Auckland council dominated by C&R fogeys was back with a vengeance.
If Mayor "buckets" Brown response to the severe flooding was an indication….he should never be near any decision making. Ol' Nat failures Maurice Williamson and Christine Fletcher ditto.
Hopefully there are enough with sense..and ability, to put a halt to these TINA's….
At some point the golf courses are going to have to come back into the frame.
Selling the council’s golf courses would reduce the ongoing losses from running the courses of over $160 million per year and raise north of $4 billion in an asset sales process, which would lift the combination of avoided losses and interest savings to over $320 million a year.
Check out the number of councils that are in serious trouble either in governance or in finances or both.
Unfortunately, the 13 or so golf courses that Auckland Council owns are a bit like Eden Park – they suck up a lot of public $$$$$ but are run by the political elite who have the ability to mount campaigns to ensure that the flow of public money remains unabated.
Look what happened with Chamberlain Park golf course – unused to the point where Council was having to do everything to keep it going, but the minute there was a suggestion that the course be shared by reducing it to 9 holes and the waterway remediated and opened up for more local use, all hell broke loose.
The moans that this was the only course available to "working class" people soon vanished beneath a tide of financial support for a Judicial Review (which failed on all counts) and a political campaign (which failed to get any C&R people elected in the relevant Ward).
However, Covid and a few other things seems to have largely halted the plans for change and one has no faith that they will be pursued under this administration.
I don't necessarily support golf course sales – in general I don't support selling publicly owned land – you never get it back.
However, I do, most certainly, support repurposing those areas into more generally accessible parkland, sports and recreation areas and wetland remediation (January has taught us all how valuable these can be)
It's possible that there might be some housing conversion in some areas – though I'd be highly cautious about this – our green-spaces are too precious to be built over. And, while the air-port shares have been characterized as 'selling the family silver'; in reality, it's our green spaces which are the family silver of our cities.
Of course, if a private entity and/or community trust wants to purchase one of the golf courses – at full land and improvements value price – with a permanent covenant to prevent it being converted into any other use – I'd be willing to consider this. I note that those wealthy-golf-playing users are highly reluctant to consider this option.
There are some of them which are not suitable for housing development as they are in wet areas – Narrow Neck being the most obvious.
However they cost a lot to maintain and that includes a shedload of chemicals for weed control, fertalisers etc, so there is an ecological cost as well.
There is certainly a premium to be obtained for housing that abuts a golf course and in these days of using less, there is nothing scared about 18 holes.
The airport sale is not really a "budget proposal". It is a chance for Brown's rich mates to pick up shares that are a surefire bet to appreciate billions. This is what it is all about really.
I was listening to ZB yesterday (crazy I know but RNZ is boring in the afternoon) where they had a debate on the airport sale. Simon Barnet to his credit was arguing that the airport should be retained by the council. A finance expert texted in and said Auckland Airport was one of the key shares he would always recommend as part a balanced portfolio, along with the banks, power companies etc.
'The airport sale is not really a "budget proposal". It is a chance for Brown's rich mates to pick up shares that are a surefire bet to appreciate billions. This is what it is all about really.'
The shares are freely tradable on the stock exchange at present they have appreciated by 33% over the last 5 years so hardly stellar returns.
The AIA share price tanked in 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, the comparable performance over the last 5 years with NZ50G, for example, is arguably stellar.
There will end up being a rates rise considerably more than 4.5% but less than 10%, a bit more borrowing, and maybe some shares sold.
Aything less than total victory for the boomer ukelele band will infuriate the old duffer vote and the spewing in the Herald will be enormously funny to read.
Wayne Brown's lack of tranparency and accountability to the media (except for chosen lackies like Boresman at the Herald) appears to finally be becoming a story:
The guy has had a dream run with the media, with hagiographic coverage by NZME and a benefit of the doubt approach from the “B” team that is the rest of the MSM. It looks like they've begun to get a bit tired with that “B” team moniker.
If the non-NZME MSM decide to go to war with the mayor, things will start to get spicey.
Newshub also have the story – Brown apparently invited only "sensible" media and Newshub were excluded. Brown is using tame media as a propaganda machine and excluding others – he should go now.
Bernard would not be pleased when he saw the collection of dingbats and frootloops who were invited as VIP guests. The "Westmere Weirdo Collection" for a start. Lisa Praegar and her mates.
What was with his press conference? Watch it. Halting delivery, rude, sarcastic and gratuitously nasty. The guy is the complete ugly boomer. What a tosser.
He slammed Auckland transport for spending $ 11 million in tarting up the vodofone building they decided was their.new hq..plus for the huge annual lease they pay..and told them to get out of there..and move into the council building..
I don't have any problems with that..
And he slammed that troughing exercise the heart of the city..for what it is..
And I don't have any problems with that..
I would also have no problem with him clearing out the enormous amount of comms staff that council employs…(with them I have long wondered w.t.f. do they actually do all day..?
And what's with the fucken vehicles they buy…?
Why do they have to have massive diesel suvs to drive around in..?..suvs that never see mud on their tyres..and are really really expensive/polluting..
Give them vans…and nissan bloody micras to drive around in..
And yes…focus on the golf courses…and return them to public use..open spaces open to all..and any building on to be community focused…
And speaking of troughing..why is former mayor phil trough not in the gun for this blowout..?
Because the head of the Finance Committee of the previous Council was Councillor Desley Simpson. Former wife of a Nat MP, present wife of the previous National Party President. The finances were in her hands. She is now the Deputy Mayor.
And Phil Goff returned substantial amounts of his Mayoral Office budget unspent. He was not a profligate Mayor.
Time to remember that as well as being a cu t, this guy is a proto-fascist, surrounded by people who will help him achieve that way of working , including ex-tobacco industry folk and others with similar moral values.
According to the story on the radio this morning, Te Whata Ora has inherited 270 middle managers they plan to rationalise to 110 and 200 comms staff they want to slash by a huge amount as well.
I wish the Ukrainians the best of luck in throwing out the russian invaders. Unfortunately it will not happen without the loss of many Ukrainian lives, which is appalling. No Ukrainian wanted or asked for this.
For those interested in the debate over Artificial Intelligence and its probable National Party role in election advertising I urge you to listen to yesterday's "The Detail" programme on RNZ.
National would be mad to continue using AI into the election campaign. As it is, they have a credibility problem. Running ads using AI would mean the integrity of National would be what was discussed in the media, not the content of the advertisments.
I really don't see why people are vexxing about this. Likely, every party will be using it at the next election. I think people are just jealous that National got in first.
From what I have seen, there doesn't appear to be any problem with using that technology. After all, even if real people are used in ads, people often aren't aware if the people actually believe what they are saying.
It would be a problem though, if AI were used, say to generate video of Hipkins confessing to be a pedo, or similar.
That is where I think the greatest danger lies, in that it is getting increasingly difficult for people to distinguish what is true and what is false.
But, I see no problem at all in the context for which it was used in those ads. As I said, everyone will be using it next time.
I suppose making up fictitious people saying what you want them to say is cheaper than going out and paying real people to do it, as they said on "The Detail" last night.
I suppose making up fictitious people saying what you want them to say
Isn't that what all advertising is?
How is it morally superior to pay an actor to pose in your advertisement, or pay for a stock image to illustrate your advertisement; rather than using an AI to generate the image?
No one supposes that the actor agrees with the content of the advertisement (Does the Briscoes lady really buy everything from that store?) – let alone a stock image – where the actor may not even know their image has been used.
Frankly, artificial intelligence is probably the only intelligence they have access to. It probably has more human qualities and charm than most of their MPs too. Luxon likely feels safer when it's rifling through the barbecue cutlery than when Nicola or Simian are grasping at steak knives.
I am not saying there shouldn't be concern about the use of AI. I think there is a danger we start to lose our sense of humanity.
For instance, songwriters such as bill Dillan, and Paul Simon wrote songs based on their life experiences and thoughts. It won't be long before the likes of ChatGpt can write content as well as that, but, not based at all on its own thoughts or beliefs.
I still am trying to understand why there is a problem in this context. The ads I have seen use AI generated pictures of people. So what? It is probably a lot less complex in terms of getting authorisation to use pictures etc. And certainly no copyright issues as per their experience in previous elections.
It is really no different than using a face of a real person that hardly anyone recognises.
A major advantage with using this sort of technology is that it can be adjusted to create an image with exactly the required expression, and exactly the right context in terms of background etc.
Having dabbled in projects requiring lots of stock images myself, it isn't that easy to find real content that meets the requirements exactly.
A major advantage with using this sort of technology is that it can be adjusted to create an image with exactly the required expression, and exactly the right context in terms of background etc.
That’s exactly one of the major concerns, i.e., it can be very quickly & easily personalised with personal information that’s already out there, especially on Social Media.
If you had actually listened to The Detail programme on RNZ (cf. @ 7 with link in article linked @ 7.2) you would have known this and you wouldn’t have wondered “why people are vexxing about this”.
Why should we engage with you if you don’t engage with us and the material we provide you?
I listened to most of that. And it really isn't saying anything different to what I have already said. That the technology has the capacity to be misused.
I think the real danger is the technology being used to create pics/video of real people rather than imaginary people.
I highly doubt that politcal parties will stoop to that level. But there probably is danger from some of the fringe elements because it is so cheap and accessible.
For instance, if Jacinda was still PM, I could imagine anti-vax crazies creating video of Jacinda stating that she knew the Covid Vaccine was poison, or something like that.
I agree that our legisaltion is well behind on that. But, as you have already said, there is current defamation laws etc.
We also have advertising rules here that control a lot of what can be broadcast, though the likes of Twitter has its own rules.
So long as AI isn't doing anymore than what traditional actors, or stock photos can do, then it should be controlled by existing laws.
An interesting situation could be if AI generated say a video of a character that looked very much like Hipkins or Luxon making some sort of imaginary statement in the future.
Is that defamatory? Because no-one knows what will happen in the future, as to whether that statement will ever be made or not.
You seem to be having problems reply to the right comments in the thread!? Why is that?
We also have advertising rules here that control a lot of what can be broadcast, though the likes of Twitter has its own rules.
Since you’re referring to Twitter and its ‘rules’ I’m taking you even less serious than before.
So long as AI isn't doing anymore than what traditional actors, or stock photos can do, then it should be controlled by existing laws.
You’re once again completely missing the point; governments and their laws & regulations are always miles behind new IT developments and most definitely with the latest GPT-AI improvements. It was discussed on The Detail. In any case, where have you been hiding and do you follow the news at all?
An interesting situation could be if AI generated say a video of a character that looked very much like Hipkins or Luxon making some sort of imaginary statement in the future.
You love your hypotheticals, don’t you? But you’re diverting away again from what has already happened, is already happening, and what we have been discussing here all along. Why don’t you stay on topic?
Is that defamatory? Because no-one knows what will happen in the future, as to whether that statement will ever be made or not.
And it really isn't saying anything different to what I have already said. That the technology has the capacity to be misused.
How do you know if you didn’t listen to all of it? In any case, this is a gross misrepresentation of what was discussed in that episode of The Detail.
I think the real danger is the technology being used to create pics/video of real people rather than imaginary people.
I highly doubt that politcal parties will stoop to that level.
You seem to have glossed over everything that others and we have discussed here, including the mock-up fast and furious 10 movie poster. You tell us with an honest face that those faces don’t resemble the real cast of the fast and the furious?
But there probably is danger from some of the fringe elements because it is so cheap and accessible.
You’re deflecting again; the National Party is not a ‘fringe element’.
For instance, if Jacinda was still PM […]
Strawman and red herring fallacies combined in one.
”I have been exploring ChatGPT of late, so I shared the answer it had given to a question about the shortcomings of AI in decision-making:
‘AI's limitations in decision-making arise from its lack of common sense, emotional understanding, and creativity. It can perpetuate biases and discrimination due to flawed training data and struggles to handle unforeseen situations. Additionally, AI lacks ethical reasoning and may make decisions that are technically correct but ethically questionable. These limitations highlight the need for human oversight and intervention to ensure responsible and unbiased decision-making in AI systems.’
It’s well worth a read.
My own thoughts are that as long as businesses can monetise AI, which they have already, the horse has bolted. We’re just walking behind with a shovel.
My own thoughts are that as long as businesses can monetise AI, which they have already, the horse has bolted. We’re just walking behind with a shovel.
I think it will be up to individual countries and the various platforms such as twitter to set rules to control how the technology is used within the scope of their authority.
Here you can see russian media Fontanka SPB online bragging how russia gonna sell in St Petersburg the “elite” sweet cherry they stole from Ukrainian city Melitopol they attacked and occupied. All you need to know about russians.
They also add it is organized by “Zaporizhzhia authorities” which actually means “russia pawns on occupied territory” . Fkc you russia hope you choke on it
The Electoral Commission is investigating Sue Grey's Outdoors&Freedom Party and Brian Tamaki's Vision? Party, after both took $66k from the $4.1mi election advertising budget, then the next day merged into the umbrella Freedoms NZ Party with a third group.
'Under the Broadcasting Act, each registered party is entitled to a taxpayer-funded allocation for TV and radio advertising during the campaigning period…..But the Broadcasting Act also contains provisions for funding allocations to be delivered to a “group of parties” instead of each distinct party, if the commission deems those parties have joined forces."
Perhaps if they had merged even a few weeks later, the EC might have let it slide, but the NEXT DAY is a bit obviously pigs in the trough.
Sue Grey was that noisy lawyer shrieking about Baby W with the heart defect and untainted blood in front of the High Court. She is also under review by the Law Society for releasing the name of a boy who died of other causes, claiming he had died of the 'jab', which upset his family greatly.
Tamaki, who said 4-5 months ago 'I will not stand in the election…politics is not for me', also claimed that Gisbourne was flooded because of the number of searches from there for 'gay porn' – based on Brian's personal investigation of PornHub.
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How Labour’s and National’s failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought New Zealand to the brink of economic and cultural chaos.TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition Government’s failure to retain, and build upon, the public ...
“Members of Parliament don’t work for us, they represent us, an entirely different thing. As with so much that has turned out badly, the re-organising of MPs’ responsibilities began with the Fourth Labour Government. That’s when they began to be treated like employees – public servants – whose diaries had ...
It’s becoming a classic case study for why lobbying deals with politicians need greater scrutiny. Former National Minister Steven Joyce runs a lobbying company with a major client – the University of Waikato. The University desperately wants $300m+ of taxpayer funding to establish a third medical school in New Zealand, ...
Time To Choose: Like it or not, the Kiwis are either going into AUKUS’s “Pillar 2” – or they are going to China.HAD ZHENG HE’S FLEET sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks ...
Henry Ergas writes – When in Randall Jarrell’s Pictures from an Institution, a college president is accused of being a hypocrite, the novel’s narrator retorts that the description is grossly unfair. After all, the man is still far from the stage of moral development at which the charge ...
David Farrar writes – Radio NZ reports: The Education Review Office says too many new teachers feel poorly prepared for their jobs. In a report published on Monday, the review office said 60 percent of the principals it interviewed said their new teachers were not ready. ...
New Zealand’s economic performance and the PM’s vision Michael Reddell writes – When I wrote yesterday morning’s post, highlighting how poorly both New Zealand and its Anglo peer countries have been doing in respect of productivity in recent times (ie, in the case of New ...
Hi all,Firstly - thank you! You guys are awesome. The response I’ve received to last night’s mail has been quite overwhelming. It’s a ghastly day outside, but there are no clouds in here.In case you didn’t read my email and are wondering what on earth I’m talking about you can ...
If there was still any doubt as to who is actually running this government – and it isn’t the buffoon from Botany – then this week’s announcement of a huge spend up on charter schools has settled the matter. While jobs and public services continue to be cut in the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gaye Taylor As widespread drought raises expectations for a repeat of last year’s ferocious wildfire season, response teams across Canada are grappling with the rapidly changing face of fire in a warming climate. No longer quenched by winter, nor quelled by the ...
Half of Christchurch City Holdings Ltd’s directors and its chair resigned en masse last night in protest at Christchurch City Council’s demand to front-load dividends File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The chair of Christchurch City Council’s investment company and four of its independent directors resigned in protest last ...
The University of Waikato has reworded an advertisement that begins the tender process for its new $300 million-plus medical school even though the Government still needs to approve it. However, even the reworded ad contains an architect’s visualisations of what the school might look like. ACT leader David Seymour told ...
As a follow-up to the Rings of Power trailer discussion, I thought I needed to add something. There has been some online mockery about the use of the same actor for both the Halbrand and Annatar incarnations of Sauron. The reasoning is that Halbrand with a shave and a new ...
This isn’t quite as dramatic as the title might suggest. I’m not going anywhere, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about.Let’s start with a typical day.Most days I send out a newsletter in the morning. If I’ve written a lot the previous evening it might be ...
Buzz from the Beehive The promise of tax relief loomed large in his considerations when the PM delivered a pre-Budget speech to the Auckland Business Chamber. The job back in Wellington is getting government spending back under control, he said, bandying figures which show that in per capita terms, the ...
Yesterday de facto Prime Minister David Seymour announced that his glove puppet government would be re-introducing charter schools, throwing $150 million at his pet quacks, donors and cronies and introducing an entire new government agency to oversee them (the existing Education Review Office, which actually knows how to review schools, ...
Te Pāti Māori have launched a petition to stop the repeal of Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act. This announcement comes prior to the first reading of the Section 7AA repeal bill in Parliament today. “Section 7AA forces the Government to adhere to Te Tiriti o Waitangi with respect ...
The Government has yet again failed to do the one thing that needs to happen to ensure houses can be built – commit to ongoing funding, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Treasury officials have outlined many ways in which the Fast Track Approvals Bill is deeply flawed, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking says. ...
Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick used this year's State of the Planet to call on the Government to prioritise people and planet as the delivery of the Budget approaches. A full transcript of their speeches can be found below. ...
Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick have used their State of the Planet speeches to challenge the Government to prioritise people and planet over profit as the delivery of the Budget approaches. ...
The Government’s introduction of legislation that would enable landlords to end tenancies with no reason marks a dark day for the 1.4 million people who rent their home in Aotearoa. ...
The Minister for Mental Health has found the Suicide Prevention Office and mental health support for 111 calls slipping through his fingers, says Labour spokesperson for Mental Health Ingrid Leary. ...
Today’s justification from the Minister for Children for scrapping protections for our tamariki was either a case of ignorance or deliberate deception. ...
The Green Party says the Government’s misguided policy on gangs will fail, following the announcement of the establishment of a national gang unit and district gang disruption units to target gang activities. ...
“With Police pay negotiations still unresolved after six months in Government, Mark Mitchell has today rolled the Commissioner out for a rebrand of their approach to gang crime,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said. ...
The Government bringing back 50 charter schools will not increase achievement and is a distraction from the core mission of the education system, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Te Pāti Māori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
The Coalition Government’s Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill, which will improve tenancy laws and help increase the supply of rental properties, has passed its first reading in Parliament says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “The Bill proposes much-needed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 that will remove barriers to increasing private ...
Standing here in Cassino War Cemetery, among the graves looking up at the beautiful Abbey of Montecassino, it is hard to imagine the utter devastation left behind by the battles which ended here in May 1944. Hundreds of thousands of shells and bombs of every description left nothing but piled ...
I present a legislative statement on the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill Mr. Speaker, I move that the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill be now read a first time. I nominate the Social Services and Community Committee to consider the Bill. Thank you, Mr. ...
The Bill to repeal Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has had its first reading in Parliament today. The Bill reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the care and safety of children in care, says Minister for Children Karen Chhour. “When I became the Minister for Children, I made ...
Kia ora koutou, good morning, and zao shang hao. Thank you Fran for the opportunity to speak at the 2024 China Business Summit – it’s great to be here today. I’d also like to acknowledge: Simon Bridges - CEO of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. His Excellency Ambassador - Wang ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing them ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed a New Zealand Government plane will head to New Caledonia in the next hour in the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. “New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing ...
The Coalition Government will introduce legislation this year that will enable roadside drug testing as part of our commitment to improve road safety and restore law and order, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Alcohol and drugs are the number one contributing factor in fatal road crashes in New Zealand. In ...
The Government has announced a series of immediate actions in response to the independent review of Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “Kāinga Ora is a large and important Crown entity, with assets of $45 billion and over $2.5 billion of expenditure each year. It ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour is pleased that Pseudoephedrine can now be purchased by the general public to protect them from winter illness, after the coalition government worked swiftly to change the law and oversaw a fast approval process by Medsafe. “Pharmacies are now putting the medicines back on their ...
Tēnā koutou katoa. Da jia hao. Good morning everyone. Prime Minister Luxon, your excellency, a great friend of New Zealand and my friend Ambassador Wang, Mayor of what he tells me is the best city in New Zealand, Wayne Brown, the highly respected Fran O’Sullivan, Champion of the Auckland business ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced that the Government will make it easier for lines firms to take action to remove vegetation from obstructing local powerlines. The change will ensure greater security of electricity supply in local communities, particularly during severe weather events. “Trees or parts of trees falling on ...
Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani were the top winners at this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy awards recognising the best in Māori dairy farming. Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced the winners and congratulated runners-up, Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board, at an awards celebration also attended by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Finance Minister ...
"On the 27th of March, I sought assurances from the Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs, that the Department’s correct processes and policies had been followed in regards to a passport application which received media attention,” says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. “I raised my concerns after being ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins has announced the appointment of three new District Court Judges, to replace Judges who have recently retired. Peter James Davey of Auckland has been appointed a District Court Judge with a jury jurisdiction to be based at Whangarei. Mr Davey initially started work as a law clerk/solicitor with ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour is calling on the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) to put ideology to the side and focus on students’ learning, in reaction to the union holding paid teacher meetings across New Zealand about charter schools. “The PPTA is disrupting schools up and down the ...
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly today announced the appointment of Craig Stobo as the new chair of the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). Mr Stobo takes over from Mark Todd, whose term expired at the end of April. Mr Stobo’s appointment is for a five-year term. “The FMA plays ...
Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “Heading to the beach for ...
New Zealand and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their close relationship, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand is committed to working with Tuvalu on a shared vision of resilience, prosperity and security, in close concert with Australia,” says Mr Peters, who last visited Tuvalu in 2019. “It is my pleasure ...
New Zealand is gravely concerned about the situation in New Caledonia, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The escalating situation and violent protests in Nouméa are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “The immediate priority must be for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met today with Samoa’s O le Ao o le Malo, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, who is making a State Visit to New Zealand. “His Highness and I reflected on our two countries’ extensive community links, with Samoan–New Zealanders contributing to all areas of our national ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has announced that he has approved Waiheke Island ferry operator Island Direct to be eligible for SuperGold Card funding, paving the way for a commercial agreement to bring the operator into the scheme. “Island Direct started operating in November 2023, offering an additional option for people ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Russia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Government’s first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges – Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich – Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “It is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealand’s relationship with Vanuatu,” Mr Peters says. “This ...
Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk will travel to Peru this week to represent New Zealand at a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on behalf of Trade Minister Todd McClay. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will be held on 17-18 May ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford will head to the United Kingdom this week to participate in the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) and the 2024 Education World Forum (EWF). “I am looking forward to sharing this Government’s education priorities, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford has today thanked outgoing New Zealand Qualifications Authority Chair, Hon Tracey Martin. “Tracey Martin tendered her resignation late last month in order to take up a new role,” Ms Stanford says. Ms Martin will relinquish the role of Chair on 10 May and current Deputy ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Call’s work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leaders’ Summit, ...
Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
Today’s announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Government’s pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. “The National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners. “New Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,” Mr ...
Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Bill’s introduction reaffirms the Coalition Government’s commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. “While section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. “I am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
“The results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,” Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “We heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, tēna koutou, apinun tru It’s a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Papua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,” Mr Peters ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Bartley, Postdoctoral Fellow, RMIT Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation, RMIT University In the occupied far east of Ukraine, Russian forces are aiming waves of missiles against Ukrainian civilian targets. Each of Russia’s state-of-the-art missile launch systems costs more than ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna DeMello, Research Fellow, University of Otago Getty Images Despite measures to reduce young people’s access to vapes, many countries are recording rising use by underage adolescents, especially since refillable “pod mods” and disposable devices have become widely available. In ...
The Education Ministry has taken back the job of financing, designing and building several school expansions, after companies said the public-private-partnership approach was too difficult. ...
The National Party insists there has been no conflict of interest in David Macleod's chairing the committee considering the contentious fast-track bill. ...
Joel MacManus endures five hours of fear and hatred as some of New Zealand’s most controversial figures – and a sitting MP – gather to fight against trans rights. Note: This article contains quotes that may offend. They have been included to present an accurate report of what was said ...
It raises valid concerns about Kāinga Ora, but there’s little to suggest the new direction for state housing charted in Sir Bill English’s report will address Aotearoa’s chronic shortage of affordable rental housing, argues Alan Johnson.Given previous National governments’ indifference or even hostility toward the idea of state housing, ...
Education is facing a bunch of changes, but the important ones are not banned cell phones or ‘woke’ foods. The Government has ordered teachers to adopt ‘structured literacy’ to get children reading. That means Reading Recovery, a system New Zealand pioneered and spread to the world, along with ‘whole language’, ...
What a difference a year has made for Caroline Powell. After coming last at the Badminton Horse Trials in 2023, Powell triumphed at this year’s event earlier this month, on board her sometimes-feisty Irish-bred mare Greenacres Special Cavalier – much to her astonishment. Now she hopes to succeed at the ...
The publishing sensation of 2024 is wartime memoir The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour and Jude Dobson, which tells the amazing story of a woman who operated behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied France. Sales went through the roof as soon as it was published: in its first week it became ...
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Comment: NZ’s main political parties need to reach a consensus on how to adjust to China’s dominance and coercion The post Bridging the Aukus chasm appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Jacinda Ardern’s leadership significantly enhanced New Zealand’s profile on the global stage. In the first five months of her second term of government, between December 2020 and April 2021, her name appeared 24 times in the Washington Post, 10 in the New York Times, 27 in the Times and ...
Comment: The public has seen the PM’s ruthless side, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where a member of the coalition faces the same punishment The post Christopher Luxon the disciplinarian appeared first on Newsroom. ...
By Maia Ingoe, RNZ News journalist A NZ Defence Force plane carrying 50 New Zealanders evacuated from New Caledonia landed at Auckland International Airport last night. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it would be working with France and Australia to ensure the safe departure of several evacuation ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Snow, Research Scientist, CSIRO CSIRO How often do you check your local weather forecast? How about your local climate projections for 2050? For many farmers, the answer to the first question is all the time. But the answer to the ...
Pacific Media Watch A Māori supporter of Pacific independence movements claims the French government has “constructed the crisis” in New Caledonia by pushing the indigenous Kanak population to the edge, reports Atereano Mateariki of Waatea News. A NZ Defence Force Hercules is today evacuating about 50 New Zealanders stranded in ...
COMMENTARY:By Gordon Campbell The split opening up in Israel’s “War Cabinet” is not just between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his long-term rival Benny Gantz. It is actually a three-way split, set in motion by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. It was Gallant’s open criticism of Netanyahu that finally flushed ...
Reacting to today’s Budget Speech from Labour’s Finance spokesperson, Barbara Edmonds, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “It is encouraging to see that one of Labour’s stated priorities is to focus on creating ‘a level ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kylie Turner, System Lead, Sustainable Economies, Climateworks Centre atk work/Shutterstock In the budget last week, the government was keen to talk about its efforts to turn Australia into a renewable superpower under the umbrella of the Future Made in Australia policies. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Opposition Leader Peter Dutton might have done us a favour. As part of his budget reply speech on Thursday night he promised to stop foreigners buying existing Australian homes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Maguire, Associate Professor in Human Rights and International Law, University of Newcastle The request by Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), for arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders is a significant step in the effort to ...
RNZ Pacific A New Zealand author, journalist and media educator who has covered the Asia-Pacific region since the 1970s says liberation “must come” for Kanaky/New Caledonia. Professor David Robie sailed on board Greenpeace’s flagship Rainbow Warrior until it was bombed by French secret agents in New Zealand in July 1985 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Renwick, Professor of Agricultural Economics, Lincoln University, New Zealand Fonterra caught the business world by surprise last week with plans to sell off its consumer brands and businesses – including supermarket mainstays such as Anchor, Fresh’n Fruity and Mainland. The move ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Small, Senior lecturer, Above the Bar School of Educational Studies and Leadership, University of Canterbury With an air force plane on its way to rescue New Zealanders stranded by the violent uprising in New Caledonia, many familiar with the island’s history ...
A New Zealand government plane is heading to New Caledonia to assist with bringing New Zealanders home. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today confirmed it was the first in a series of proposed flights. Peters said the flight would carry around 50 passengers with the most pressing needs from Nouméa ...
Regional councils must focus on building meaningful and enduring relationships with iwi and hapū to support better freshwater management, says the Auditor-General in a new report. ...
Chris Glaudel, Deputy Chief Executive of Community Housing Aotearoa, sees the announcement as a step towards addressing New Zealand’s high and rising levels of homelessness by improving our approach and system to delivering affordable homes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research fellow, Middle East studies, Deakin University The death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash this week occurred during one of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s most challenging periods. Raisi, a prominent figure in the political elite, ...
The end of universal flu shot funding for under-12s is a step backwards for New Zealand child health, say experts from the University of Auckland and the University of Otago. New Zealand’s decision to no longer offer free influenza vaccines for all children under 12 will likely wipe out recent ...
The PSA is taking action to force the Ministry of Education to comply with its legal obligations to do everything it can to find other roles for staff it is laying off because of the Government’s spending cuts. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrea Waling, Senior Lecturer & Research Fellow, Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University Netflix There has been much excitement in the lead up to the first four episodes of Bridgerton’s season three, featuring leading couple Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa De Bortoli, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Council for Educational Research Taylor Flowe/Unsplash, CC BY Australian teenagers have more disruptive maths classrooms and experience bullying at greater levels than the OECD average, a new report shows. But in better news, Australian ...
Poet, editor and former bookseller Jane Arthur’s debut children’s novel Brown Bird is the story of a shy, self-conscious 11-year-old – partly based on her childhood self – venturing out of her quiet comfort zone. Children’s books are close to my heart because mostly I believe that adults are rings ...
Peter Jackson is bringing Lord of the Rings back to Wellington, producing two new Gollum films in Wellington. Madeleine Chapman (Gollum) argues with Madeleine Chapman (Smeagol) about it. First of all, I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. Of course it’s great news!I don’t know, it gives me ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a part-time media librarian and superannuitant explains how he spends and saves. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Male Age: 65 Ethnicity: EuropeanRole: Media librarian ...
The Government’s Environmental Select Committee is refusing to engage meaningfully when it matters the most over new fast tracking environmental legislation, says Ngāti Ruanui. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Marsh, Senior Research Fellow in Public Health, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Christoph Soeder/dpa New Zealand’s decision to no longer offer free influenza vaccines for all children under 12 will likely wipe out recent gains in uptake. And it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexis Anja Kallio, Deputy Director (Research), Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University Many young people in contact with the justice system come from backgrounds of extreme poverty, parental abuse or neglect, parental incarceration and disrupted education. These complex traumas often manifest as addictions ...
The agency was found to be underperforming and ‘not financially viable’, explains Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A damning report A government-ordered ...
Asia Pacific Report For more than 76 years, Palestinians have resisted occupation, dispossession and ethnic cleansing, culminating in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Yet in the midst of this catastrophic seven months of “hell on earth”, it is a paradox that there exists an extraordinary oasis of peace and nature. ...
You’ll never set foot in one. But its emissions still effect you. Shanti Mathias reports on a campaign to make private jet owners pay for their emissions in some way. The private jet passengers saunter down the red carpet, wearing sunglasses and heels; paparazzi cameras flash. The sky is blue, ...
Quality teachers back on the front line can only be a good thing. One of the difficult things we teach in senior English classes at secondary school is the development of an idea. This involves deepening your argument, without instead “going sideways” and merely adding examples while repeating the same ...
Opinion: As an indication of the eye-watering sums involved for the mega-prison plans announced two weeks ago by Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell, consider that $932 million has already been spent on a separate facility due to open at Waikeria next year – that’s about $1.5 million for each of the ...
Opinion: People with certain types of health conditions are more likely than others to have their symptoms dismissed, minimised or disbelieved. These conditions are diagnosed based on the patient self-report of symptoms, where there is no definitive diagnostic test that can prove the existence of disease or demonstrate structural or ...
The intensity of it, ironically, can feel like bullying. Social media activism is reaching something of a peak with the war in Gaza, using the hashtag Blockout2024. It started at this year’s MetGala when influencer and model Haley Kalil was caught on video muttering ‘let them eat cake’ – suddenly ...
It’s 2011 and I am 43 years old. My partner, Christine, and I got together when I was 36. We had been friends for about 10 years before that. One of the first things I asked Christine was whether she wanted to have kids. I had just come out of ...
If the amount of toy throwing tantrums from Wayne Brown, Mautrice "millions of data points" Williamson, and Christine Fletcher in the last few days is any indication their ukelele band of aging boomer duffers on the council don't have their numbers to sell the airport shares or for their slash and burn budget.
Brown in particular was a complete blathering idiot again by naming the two “left” councillors who he thought got him over the line on the airport share sale. Immediately the heat went on the two councillors in question who then ran a mile from backing the mayor’s proposal. I mean, what did he expect? Then he resorted to crude threats, typical.
Maurice Williamson and Christine Fletcher were bot on RNZ this morning, Williamson attempting to scare the horses with weary 1990s TINA shroud waving and Christine Fletcher reprising Hyacinth Bucket while kicking the council sataff in the teeth, going so far as claiming she has been seeking “legal advice” about the the briefings from the council staff.
They are NOT happy. They thought the good old days of the pre-super city Auckland council dominated by C&R fogeys was back with a vengeance.
If Mayor "buckets" Brown response to the severe flooding was an indication….he should never be near any decision making. Ol' Nat failures Maurice Williamson and Christine Fletcher ditto.
Hopefully there are enough with sense..and ability, to put a halt to these TINA's….
IMO….
It was good to see Mike Lee come out solidly against the sale of the airport shares.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2023/05/30/guest-blog-mike-lee-councils-airport-share-privatisation-will-disinherit-future-generations-of-aucklanders/
Still one guy in there with a memory.
At some point the golf courses are going to have to come back into the frame.
Selling the council’s golf courses would reduce the ongoing losses from running the courses of over $160 million per year and raise north of $4 billion in an asset sales process, which would lift the combination of avoided losses and interest savings to over $320 million a year.
Check out the number of councils that are in serious trouble either in governance or in finances or both.
All is not well.
Unfortunately, the 13 or so golf courses that Auckland Council owns are a bit like Eden Park – they suck up a lot of public $$$$$ but are run by the political elite who have the ability to mount campaigns to ensure that the flow of public money remains unabated.
Look what happened with Chamberlain Park golf course – unused to the point where Council was having to do everything to keep it going, but the minute there was a suggestion that the course be shared by reducing it to 9 holes and the waterway remediated and opened up for more local use, all hell broke loose.
The moans that this was the only course available to "working class" people soon vanished beneath a tide of financial support for a Judicial Review (which failed on all counts) and a political campaign (which failed to get any C&R people elected in the relevant Ward).
However, Covid and a few other things seems to have largely halted the plans for change and one has no faith that they will be pursued under this administration.
I'm aware of that Chamberlain debate, and agree white old people are NZ's most effective lobbyists.
Political noise ought to be generated about any asset sale.
But if the airport share sale fails as a budget proposal, the Mayor is going to need a Plan B. And he will need it very fast.
The Mayor needs to test whether he can get more Councillors to support golf course sales, not airport sales.
I don't necessarily support golf course sales – in general I don't support selling publicly owned land – you never get it back.
However, I do, most certainly, support repurposing those areas into more generally accessible parkland, sports and recreation areas and wetland remediation (January has taught us all how valuable these can be)
It's possible that there might be some housing conversion in some areas – though I'd be highly cautious about this – our green-spaces are too precious to be built over. And, while the air-port shares have been characterized as 'selling the family silver'; in reality, it's our green spaces which are the family silver of our cities.
Of course, if a private entity and/or community trust wants to purchase one of the golf courses – at full land and improvements value price – with a permanent covenant to prevent it being converted into any other use – I'd be willing to consider this. I note that those wealthy-golf-playing users are highly reluctant to consider this option.
There are some of them which are not suitable for housing development as they are in wet areas – Narrow Neck being the most obvious.
However they cost a lot to maintain and that includes a shedload of chemicals for weed control, fertalisers etc, so there is an ecological cost as well.
There is certainly a premium to be obtained for housing that abuts a golf course and in these days of using less, there is nothing scared about 18 holes.
However, if you're selling off the golf course for housing, then there is, no-longer an 18-hole golf course for the housing to abut.
The airport sale is not really a "budget proposal". It is a chance for Brown's rich mates to pick up shares that are a surefire bet to appreciate billions. This is what it is all about really.
I was listening to ZB yesterday (crazy I know but RNZ is boring in the afternoon) where they had a debate on the airport sale. Simon Barnet to his credit was arguing that the airport should be retained by the council. A finance expert texted in and said Auckland Airport was one of the key shares he would always recommend as part a balanced portfolio, along with the banks, power companies etc.
Just like the power generators, shift the dividend from public to private hands with a manufactured 'the sky will fall if we dont'.
We can all see how that worked out with them shelling out 3bill more in dividends than profit I.e. loading up debt on essential utility entities.
'The airport sale is not really a "budget proposal". It is a chance for Brown's rich mates to pick up shares that are a surefire bet to appreciate billions. This is what it is all about really.'
The shares are freely tradable on the stock exchange at present they have appreciated by 33% over the last 5 years so hardly stellar returns.
The AIA share price tanked in 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, the comparable performance over the last 5 years with NZ50G, for example, is arguably stellar.
Who are the council going to sell them to ?
Would the land be covenanted to stop massive in fill housing which will stuff the city even more than its currently being stuffed up ?
I take it you've never seen a masterplan before.
Pop over to Hobsonville.
I’ve seen hobsonville it is fkn hideous
There will end up being a rates rise considerably more than 4.5% but less than 10%, a bit more borrowing, and maybe some shares sold.
Aything less than total victory for the boomer ukelele band will infuriate the old duffer vote and the spewing in the Herald will be enormously funny to read.
There is a mathematical equation around airport shares I am still unclear on..
As 20% owners of airport shares council is responsible for 20% of the interest paid annually on the large debt the airport owes..
How much is that each year .?
And is that separate from or factored into/deducted from the dividend paid out to council..?
And re council debt…why is a one-off large rate rise a third rail..?
We are talking about real estate that has had massive increases in value..
The amount asked for in such a one-off (to clear debt)…would be chump change compared to the profits those owners have enjoyed..
And why can't commercial rates be amped up to something realistic..?
Once again this would be chump change in their annual overheads..
Why the third rail…?
Is anyone arguing for this..?
If not..why not…?
Wayne Brown's lack of tranparency and accountability to the media (except for chosen lackies like Boresman at the Herald) appears to finally be becoming a story:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/300893959/auckland-mayor-wayne-brown-cherrypicks-journalists-to-best-convey-his-message-on-major-council-budget-update
The guy has had a dream run with the media, with hagiographic coverage by NZME and a benefit of the doubt approach from the “B” team that is the rest of the MSM. It looks like they've begun to get a bit tired with that “B” team moniker.
If the non-NZME MSM decide to go to war with the mayor, things will start to get spicey.
Newshub also have the story – Brown apparently invited only "sensible" media and Newshub were excluded. Brown is using tame media as a propaganda machine and excluding others – he should go now.
I have to say – I didn't have "Wayne Brown loses Bernard Orsman" on my bingo card this week.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-mayor-wayne-browns-final-budget-plan-offers-lollies-in-exchange-for-selling-the-councils-airport-shares/LY63R6HZSVCOPPJNOAHJA65X7Y/
I read the orsman piece..
In it the claim is made that council pays out $100 million each year in interest..and receives back $23 million in dividend…(!)
If that claim is true..(and I know that in some years no dividend was paid…but you don't get that payout leniency with interest due..do you..?)
If that is true..it is economic madness for council to continue to own those shares…
How can it not be..?
And a breakdown of the last ten years could be useful..
How much was paid out in interest by council in those years..?
against how much was paid in dividend to Auckland council..?
That should bring things more sharply into focus..
Bernard would not be pleased when he saw the collection of dingbats and frootloops who were invited as VIP guests. The "Westmere Weirdo Collection" for a start. Lisa Praegar and her mates.
Holy shambolic ramble batman!
What was with his press conference? Watch it. Halting delivery, rude, sarcastic and gratuitously nasty. The guy is the complete ugly boomer. What a tosser.
What is the word for a male 'karen' ..?
Kevin.
Wayne will do.
I saw the highlights reel…
He slammed Auckland transport for spending $ 11 million in tarting up the vodofone building they decided was their.new hq..plus for the huge annual lease they pay..and told them to get out of there..and move into the council building..
I don't have any problems with that..
And he slammed that troughing exercise the heart of the city..for what it is..
And I don't have any problems with that..
I would also have no problem with him clearing out the enormous amount of comms staff that council employs…(with them I have long wondered w.t.f. do they actually do all day..?
And what's with the fucken vehicles they buy…?
Why do they have to have massive diesel suvs to drive around in..?..suvs that never see mud on their tyres..and are really really expensive/polluting..
Give them vans…and nissan bloody micras to drive around in..
And yes…focus on the golf courses…and return them to public use..open spaces open to all..and any building on to be community focused…
And speaking of troughing..why is former mayor phil trough not in the gun for this blowout..?
Because the head of the Finance Committee of the previous Council was Councillor Desley Simpson. Former wife of a Nat MP, present wife of the previous National Party President. The finances were in her hands. She is now the Deputy Mayor.
And Phil Goff returned substantial amounts of his Mayoral Office budget unspent. He was not a profligate Mayor.
Thank you for clarifying that…
So she would have approved a.t. spending $11 million on refurbishment..and $6 million (!) in lease payments each year..?
And the purchase of all those remuera tractors..?
And if she was running finances how was it not in this crisis situation just before the election..?
Under her watch…
Lets face it, Brown is just another National Party Poodle.
Time to remember that as well as being a cu t, this guy is a proto-fascist, surrounded by people who will help him achieve that way of working , including ex-tobacco industry folk and others with similar moral values.
According to the story on the radio this morning, Te Whata Ora has inherited 270 middle managers they plan to rationalise to 110 and 200 comms staff they want to slash by a huge amount as well.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/491097/te-whatu-ora-to-decide-fate-of-hundreds-of-jobs-on-friday
It seems stories of bloated DHB bureaucracies full of overpaid middle managers getting fat on the taxpayer dime may not have been far from the mark.
Ironic it is a Labour government taking the razor to the PMC when all the hot air on the issue always comes from the right.
In another item of interest, I read the Ukrainian government has begun turning off all CCTV cameras and blocking mobile phone signals.
That most likely signals the movement of units from rear areas to forming up points preparatory to an assault.
Slava Ukaini!
I wish the Ukrainians the best of luck in throwing out the russian invaders. Unfortunately it will not happen without the loss of many Ukrainian lives, which is appalling. No Ukrainian wanted or asked for this.
So check out how tight this town is.
The Mayor is the son of a senior Council official who was ousted and paid out massively, just before the election.
A major petition calling for the resignation of the Council chief executive was launched by an employee in a company owned by a sitting councillor.
That same business also employs the Mayor's mother.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/southland-top-stories/132193092/councillors-employee-set-up-petition-calling-for-gore-ceos-resignation
And of course as a result of no-one talking to each other at the council, they now have to put up their rates with no public consultation.
That is one divided town.
The sitting councillor and the Mayor were both on the same ticket at the last election.
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/southland/challenger-takes-lead-gore-mayoral-race-still-too-close-call
A lot of people in Gore not happy about the state of their town and the inability / unwillingness of the old guard to do anything about it.
A repost from yesterday.
For those interested in the debate over Artificial Intelligence and its probable National Party role in election advertising I urge you to listen to yesterday's "The Detail" programme on RNZ.
National would be mad to continue using AI into the election campaign. As it is, they have a credibility problem. Running ads using AI would mean the integrity of National would be what was discussed in the media, not the content of the advertisments.
I really don't see why people are vexxing about this. Likely, every party will be using it at the next election. I think people are just jealous that National got in first.
Yeah, right! I was very jealous of Chris Luxon, as not everybody can afford holidaying in Te Puke.
From what I have seen, there doesn't appear to be any problem with using that technology. After all, even if real people are used in ads, people often aren't aware if the people actually believe what they are saying.
It would be a problem though, if AI were used, say to generate video of Hipkins confessing to be a pedo, or similar.
That is where I think the greatest danger lies, in that it is getting increasingly difficult for people to distinguish what is true and what is false.
But, I see no problem at all in the context for which it was used in those ads. As I said, everyone will be using it next time.
Your reply contains a strawman fallacy, as there are already NZ Laws to protect people against defamation and false allegations.
You seem to be one of the Three Wise Monkeys.
I don't see any problem..in this case..of/from using ai images over stock photos…
Where's the problem..?
Exactly. As I pointed out below, AI images can be created to exactly match the requirement for the ad or whatever.
Not always that easy to do with stock images.
I suppose making up fictitious people saying what you want them to say is cheaper than going out and paying real people to do it, as they said on "The Detail" last night.
Isn't that what all advertising is?
How is it morally superior to pay an actor to pose in your advertisement, or pay for a stock image to illustrate your advertisement; rather than using an AI to generate the image?
No one supposes that the actor agrees with the content of the advertisement (Does the Briscoes lady really buy everything from that store?) – let alone a stock image – where the actor may not even know their image has been used.
The jealous chestnut this early in the election cycle, you tory's are really shitting yourselves 'ant ya.
Who you calling a tory..?…
Heh..!
Frankly, artificial intelligence is probably the only intelligence they have access to. It probably has more human qualities and charm than most of their MPs too. Luxon likely feels safer when it's rifling through the barbecue cutlery than when Nicola or Simian are grasping at steak knives.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/technology/this-election-year-we-need-to-brace-ourselves-for-ai
Way scarier scenarios than The War of the Worlds (the radio version).
I am not saying there shouldn't be concern about the use of AI. I think there is a danger we start to lose our sense of humanity.
For instance, songwriters such as bill Dillan, and Paul Simon wrote songs based on their life experiences and thoughts. It won't be long before the likes of ChatGpt can write content as well as that, but, not based at all on its own thoughts or beliefs.
You’re deflecting and there’s obviously no point in having a convo with you on this topic.
I still am trying to understand why there is a problem in this context. The ads I have seen use AI generated pictures of people. So what? It is probably a lot less complex in terms of getting authorisation to use pictures etc. And certainly no copyright issues as per their experience in previous elections.
It is really no different than using a face of a real person that hardly anyone recognises.
Commentators seem to be unconcerned about the way National is using the technology, but rather about its potential to be misused.
And people don’t seem particularly bothered about the way National is using the technology.
A major advantage with using this sort of technology is that it can be adjusted to create an image with exactly the required expression, and exactly the right context in terms of background etc.
Having dabbled in projects requiring lots of stock images myself, it isn't that easy to find real content that meets the requirements exactly.
That’s exactly one of the major concerns, i.e., it can be very quickly & easily personalised with personal information that’s already out there, especially on Social Media.
If you had actually listened to The Detail programme on RNZ (cf. @ 7 with link in article linked @ 7.2) you would have known this and you wouldn’t have wondered “why people are vexxing about this”.
Why should we engage with you if you don’t engage with us and the material we provide you?
sigh
Selective quotes from selected sources aka confirmation bias.
In other words, nothing to see here folks, move on aka the Three Wise Monkeys.
I listened to most of that. And it really isn't saying anything different to what I have already said. That the technology has the capacity to be misused.
I think the real danger is the technology being used to create pics/video of real people rather than imaginary people.
I highly doubt that politcal parties will stoop to that level. But there probably is danger from some of the fringe elements because it is so cheap and accessible.
For instance, if Jacinda was still PM, I could imagine anti-vax crazies creating video of Jacinda stating that she knew the Covid Vaccine was poison, or something like that.
I agree that our legisaltion is well behind on that. But, as you have already said, there is current defamation laws etc.
We also have advertising rules here that control a lot of what can be broadcast, though the likes of Twitter has its own rules.
So long as AI isn't doing anymore than what traditional actors, or stock photos can do, then it should be controlled by existing laws.
An interesting situation could be if AI generated say a video of a character that looked very much like Hipkins or Luxon making some sort of imaginary statement in the future.
Is that defamatory? Because no-one knows what will happen in the future, as to whether that statement will ever be made or not.
You seem to be having problems reply to the right comments in the thread!? Why is that?
Since you’re referring to Twitter and its ‘rules’ I’m taking you even less serious than before.
You’re once again completely missing the point; governments and their laws & regulations are always miles behind new IT developments and most definitely with the latest GPT-AI improvements. It was discussed on The Detail. In any case, where have you been hiding and do you follow the news at all?
You love your hypotheticals, don’t you? But you’re diverting away again from what has already happened, is already happening, and what we have been discussing here all along. Why don’t you stay on topic?
QED; strawman fallacies galore from you.
At what point did you stop and why?
How do you know if you didn’t listen to all of it? In any case, this is a gross misrepresentation of what was discussed in that episode of The Detail.
You seem to have glossed over everything that others and we have discussed here, including the mock-up fast and furious 10 movie poster. You tell us with an honest face that those faces don’t resemble the real cast of the fast and the furious?
You’re deflecting again; the National Party is not a ‘fringe element’.
Strawman and red herring fallacies combined in one.
It looks like the PMs office was advised in late January about attendance data being held up. Interestinger and interestinger.
Could Hipkins be caught up in a breach of priveledge by extension if it turns out he was aware of the breach and didn't do anything about it?
700 Hawkes Bay properties to be bought out, thousands more affected.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300894282/maps-revealing-hawkes-bay-red-zones-released-to-residents
Aroha out to the people of Hawkes Bay.
Replying to MtL at 7.
Lianne Dalziel has a very thoughtful column on today’s Newsroom.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/fear-and-loathing-on-the-campaign-trail?utm_source=Newsroom&utm_campaign=ec227fb1d5-Daily_Briefing+1.06.2023&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_71de5c4b35-ec227fb1d5-47886425
”I have been exploring ChatGPT of late, so I shared the answer it had given to a question about the shortcomings of AI in decision-making:
‘AI's limitations in decision-making arise from its lack of common sense, emotional understanding, and creativity. It can perpetuate biases and discrimination due to flawed training data and struggles to handle unforeseen situations. Additionally, AI lacks ethical reasoning and may make decisions that are technically correct but ethically questionable. These limitations highlight the need for human oversight and intervention to ensure responsible and unbiased decision-making in AI systems.’
It’s well worth a read.
My own thoughts are that as long as businesses can monetise AI, which they have already, the horse has bolted. We’re just walking behind with a shovel.
Exactly. It is very difficult, if not impossible to control this as there are lots of places in the world not subject to controls. This sort of stuff popping up on twitter all the time now.
I think it will be up to individual countries and the various platforms such as twitter to set rules to control how the technology is used within the scope of their authority.
Are you kidding us? Elon Musk is going to protect us from mis- and dis-information spreading that’s enormously facilitated by GPT-AI!?
Imperialism has always been a criminal enterprise.
/
@MargoGontar
Here you can see russian media Fontanka SPB online bragging how russia gonna sell in St Petersburg the “elite” sweet cherry they stole from Ukrainian city Melitopol they attacked and occupied. All you need to know about russians.
[…]
@MargoGontar
They also add it is organized by “Zaporizhzhia authorities” which actually means “russia pawns on occupied territory” . Fkc you russia hope you choke on it
https://twitter.com/MargoGontar/status/1663965738833461256
The Electoral Commission is investigating Sue Grey's Outdoors&Freedom Party and Brian Tamaki's Vision? Party, after both took $66k from the $4.1mi election advertising budget, then the next day merged into the umbrella Freedoms NZ Party with a third group.
'Under the Broadcasting Act, each registered party is entitled to a taxpayer-funded allocation for TV and radio advertising during the campaigning period…..But the Broadcasting Act also contains provisions for funding allocations to be delivered to a “group of parties” instead of each distinct party, if the commission deems those parties have joined forces."
Perhaps if they had merged even a few weeks later, the EC might have let it slide, but the NEXT DAY is a bit obviously pigs in the trough.
Sue Grey was that noisy lawyer shrieking about Baby W with the heart defect and untainted blood in front of the High Court. She is also under review by the Law Society for releasing the name of a boy who died of other causes, claiming he had died of the 'jab', which upset his family greatly.
Tamaki, who said 4-5 months ago 'I will not stand in the election…politics is not for me', also claimed that Gisbourne was flooded because of the number of searches from there for 'gay porn' – based on Brian's personal investigation of PornHub.
Herald article on EC opening investigation
We’re not allowed to post imbedded YouTube clips?
Sad.
any way here’s some external links to reactions other than Simon Bridges’ at Wayne Brown’s diverse meeting yesterday to his budget:
Inside the Brown meeting
Johnsons all!
And here is the Mayor’s speech:
And who amongst us can argue with that? It is indeed a pity Mayor Brown did not invite children to hear his words…