Btw, are you FCV-free? (khaleesi/Calici)
Apologies @ Sanc. It’s just that I’ve had to witness (over the past 12 hours) the ‘yoof of today’ indulging in virtual foreplay via a couple of cell phones – culminating in what was apparently a transactional ‘bootie call’.
Geez, that Jemaine Clement’s looking a bit grey these days eh?
That Wellington Supernatural better be worth it eh?
RNZ’s taking a real gamble I rekon shuvving him up on their interweb site.
Never mind. Someone from The Spinoff will be along very soon to legitimise it all.
Unfortunately I listened in as well but my primary task was getting breakfast so the time wasn’t totally wasted.
Didn’t you just love the preconceived prompt to several interviewees like: “so you’re saying the foreign buyers legislation will have the opposite effect on providing affordable housing than is intended”.
Please, please say yes or my whole “story” will collapse. The term “chilling effect” was used several times.
I was struck by one guy (American I think) who sounded so concerned that the Bill was sending signals being picked up offshore that NZ didn’t want foreign investment and this was a BAD thing. Good I thought. Too damned right many of us don’t.
His horror was what decades of neoliberalism and centuries of capitalist pillaging and theft does to you I guess.
Agreed @ Grey Area.
Mee toooo, except I wasn’t so concerned with getting on with breakfast, I was more concerned with the apparent fob off from Sanctuary in my quest for a hookup, I went back to sleep.
And now, I’m listening to the sage Corin Dann on PLUS 1 and wondering whether it’d not be better to take another hour out of life in the name of sleep.
Decisons decisons!. Such a hard life!
OH CHRIST!!!! Now Wayne Mapp has just popped up as the gin-soaked sage.
I was horrified with Q+A today and exited that show for’ Discovery channel’ as I needed sanctuary for my mind to stay sane.
We need a new ‘Channel seven’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVNZ_7 now more than ever with real depth in investigative journalism not a horror show of empty ‘talking heads.’
I was struck by one guy (American I think) who sounded so concerned that the Bill was sending signals being picked up offshore that NZ didn’t want foreign investment and this was a BAD thing. Good I thought. Too damned right many of us don’t.
I’m pretty sure that the majority of us don’t want it and the only reason why we have it is because governments over the last decades have forced it upon us against our will.
Which means that we live in a dictatorship and not a democracy.
And then those parties go round doing things that we don’t want them to do. The whole neo-liberal implementation was against what the people wanted but no matter who we voted for we got the same shit. National did the TPPA which the majority didn’t want. Labour promised to change it or even to get rid of it if it didn’t meet their bottom lines. It didn’t meet those bottom lines and then they went and signed it anyway.
At what point were our wishes actually listened to?
The whole neo-liberal implementation was against what the people wanted but no matter who we voted for we got the same shit.
and then some of us campaigned and succeeded in changing the voting system but many people still continue to vote Labour regardless of the continual betrayals. We get the government that we collectively deserve.
‘we have elections every three years and a range of parties to vote for.’
Yes we do but we are constabtly brainwashed by the heavy use of right wing compliant broadcasting controlled by the right wing spin doctors and corportate involvement,.
So we are effectively controlled by the bussiness commutity and their interests and not ours.
This is not democracy – but is corpocracy, which is a recent term used to refer to an economic and political system controlled by corporations or corporate interests.
We have been indocrinated by this corpocracy medium in all our media here in NZ today.
<blockquote…but is corpocracy, which is a recent term used to refer to an economic and political system controlled by corporations or corporate interests.
If you’re going to quote Wikipedia then it would be good form to link to the article.
…is a recent term used to refer to an economic and political system controlled by corporations or corporate interests.
Queenstown should just scede from NZ and apply to become a SAR of China. I can just imagine them all waving little Chinese flags as the PLA marches up the main drag.
RNZ has gone deep into the south island I have noted, – and RNZ dont carry any ‘free half hour shows’ for our most isolated noth Island regions such as northland and Gisborne/HB east coast as they do in the south.
Perhaps that is because the HQ for RNZ has been centered in Dunedin for years.
Tim Brown is the RNZ regional reporter for Otago/Southland/Lakes.
I looked at his content, and it is the stereotypical regional reporter mix of human interest stories, crime, weather and good news propaganda for the local chamber of commerce/Federated Farmers. The guy is on a good wicket, he can file happy happy joy joy stories based on his chummy relationships with local business people and the rest of his content is derived from ringing up his mate at the cop shop, chatting to the mayor at events, and the weather. An easy life, with the advantage you get lots of nice invites and freebies.
This morning ridiculous piece highlights the danger of using a regional reporter to create an in depth critical investigation feature.
In this case, the local beat reporter is clearly the wrong person to do such a story, because he has clearly become far too chummy with the movers and shakers in town, which helps him get news and he (understandably) doesn’t want to shit in own nest.
The simple reality is if he had run a piece critical of of the despoiling of Queenstown by rampant speculation and unregulated development and supportive of the government position a whole lot of doors would slam shut on him. Why rock the boat?
As such, we should consider this mornings insight on RNZ mainly as an extended job application by Tim Brown for a role as PR flack for Queenstown Lake’s property developers association…
Good analysis. My half an ear told me he was out of his depth and/or doing a PR piece for foreign ownership and overseas financing of the “development” of Queenstown.
It saddens me that NZers are so venal and/or stupid that we allow a jewel like Queenstown to be so over-developed that we spoil the very character that drew people to it in the first place.
I last visited Queenstown six years ago and enjoyed a couple of days there but from what I’ve heard recently it’s over-full of tourists and traffic congestion. We’ll be visiting the South Island later this year but will be avoiding Queenstown.
It was one of the places we used to go to when I was a child (50s and 60s) but I haven’t been near it for a very long time – I think I would just burst into tears. My compensation for the ruination of Queenstown is that while the ghastlies who wrought all this damage are all corralled in Queenstown they aren’t wrecking the rest of NZ. Does Queenstown just need to take one for the team?
We are probably well into the autumn of this development cycle most of the fruit on the tree is getting pretty squishy, the rest that hasn’t ripened by now is unlikely to before winter sets in. And it’s looking like a very hard winter is going to sweep through our local economy, it’ll be tough for those that can’t afford to keep warm.
But hard winters kill off the bugs and weeds to allow the spring growth opportunities to flourish.
Interesting to look at the photo accompanying the RNZ piece of Shotover Country. Each of those houses would be a tradie with a million dollar mortgage, unfortunately they are unlikely to winter well.
The Queenstown council are bascially traitors who would gladly run a Vicy-style puppet regime for a foreign power. They need to be packed and more patriotic people put in their place.
I listened to the Insight report, and as a Queenstown resident for 35 years I thought it was quite balanced for an outside cub reporter. Tim Brown gave away his lack of local knowledge and experience in the fist few minutes when he described Queenstown as a winter, and now summer resort. Sorry Tim, our peak time is summer, and has always been, going back to 1860’s. The winter product is quite new, developed initally in the 50’s and greatly expanded in 80’s through to now.
The treatment of our housing problems, which are nothing new, it’s been a problem from the very start of European settlement in the early 1860’s and a constant issue for as long as I have been here was accurate.
The section on the American owners Glenorchy Camping Ground and Gibbston Valley Wines I found enlightening regarding their attitude to New Zealand residency. That both parties could easily gain residency, but choose not to, made me wonder about their commitment to New Zealand.
Our housing trust is doing some very good work in providing accomodation for workers, using a variety of models which are evolving with time. The proposed legislation is being tweaked to accomodate situations like the housing trust, hopefully it can be made to work well at this end.
The choice, if you can call it that, between high end homes ($5 Million +) for the 1% and suburban sprawl for “kiwi workers” comes down to sustainability. The high end is a lot easier on the landscape and environment and provides ongoing, sustainable employment. Building houses to house people to build more houses to house more people to do I don’t know what isn’t going to make Queenstown a better place. The reality is that enjoyment of our environment is the only productive economic activity the place has been able to sustain. The challenge is to do this in a form that the environment, both physical and social, can sustain.
It’s my view that the high end has a lot to offer in this regard, and suburbia spreading across the landscape may not be the way to go.
I live in the queenstown lakes district and have to disagree. The high end $10-20 million houses tend to be located intrusively in the landscape where everyone is forced to look at them and their negative effects on landscape values. In this way one rich prick adversely affects many people visiting the District.These houses also negatively impact the local economy which relies on these landscapes.
Any house, of any value designed or sited inappropriately is a tragedy for the landscape. In my experience here, the “rich pricks” don’t have a monopoly on this behaviour.
There’s plenty of quite modest homes and subdivisions slapped in middle of bare paddocks around the district, and a lot of very well designed and sympathetically sited mansions around the place too. The “rich pricks” generally have the resources, and inclination to do something about mitigating the landscape effects of their presence, which is more than can be said for the mass of roofs that’s Shotover Country.
“We tested many possible alternatives and the most plausible one is that ’Oumuamua must be a comet, and that gasses emanating from its surface were causing the tiny variations in its trajectory.”
The other being that it’s actually a spaceship and it’s altering its trajectory for it’s next port of call.
Google throws up this https://youngnats.national.org.nz/contact
Postal Address. NZ Young Nats 41 Pipitea Street Thorndon, Wellington 6011 … The Best Party on Campus. Authorised by G Hamilton, 41 Pipitea St, Wellington.
The Am Show Good morning your in Queens Town that place won’t be so popular when man made Global warming melts the snow its a beautiful little Town .
Yes Duncan I found that out about the day light hours in Southland you won’t get light till about 9 am its Day light in the beautiful Rotorua at 730 am.
I think a $10 tax charge per bed in Queens town is a need to keep this Aotearoa Iconic little town functioning efficiently and in a environmentally friendly way.
Our waste recycling well we will have to charge the company’s who produce this waste and pass the money on to make recycling profitable make the policy so that manufactures will save money by using less packing they could even reuse some of this packing thats they way money people react to being hit in the hip pocket .
I say that money payed for plastic bags should passed on to the recycling industry so they can afford to by the plants to recycle this waste in Rotorua we have just got recycling bins for every house which is a good thing but its a shame if the recycling just ends up in warehouseing there is a good oppertunity for Rotorua being central to most of Aoteraroa city’s to create a recycling industry land is affordable here and we need more jobs for Our people . You know that the whole Papatuanuku heres about Queens town thats were all the VIP go .ka kite ano.
P.S Congratulations Samantha you deserved your win
Good evening Newshub at six some of these males who complained about the winner of Dancing With The Stars don’t realise that wahine can win to and there moans just show there core values are archaic Samantha deserved her win.
Yes many Tangata whenua fall victim to the loan predators I say that interest rates should be caped at 5x the Reserve Banks rate not100 % .
Car finance is a major player in this as one tangata has mentioned the thing is by the time the tangata has payed the car off its stuffed so they trade it in get nothing for the trade in and refinance thats a sham. Ingred its quite warm for Rotorua Ka kite ano
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New Zealand needs to be more aggressive in pursuing economic opportunities and resist the short-term thinking affecting some of its major industry, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says.Mr Peters told Wellington Chamber of Commerce members this morning that the planned closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will have ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has ridiculed the National Party "circus", with the politician saying it was in "chaos" after the resignation of another MP.Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon announced on Monday he would retire from politics after he allegedly sent inappropriate pornographic images to a young woman. Following a ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters today outlined what he saw as the requirements to re-open New Zealand's borders for tourists and travellers. If New Zealand was dealing solely with an Australian state such as Tasmania, we wouldn't need a vaccine, said Mr Peters, but these moves were complicated by the ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters appears to have prompted last-minute alterations to proposed legislation for commercial landlords and their tenants. Mr Peters told reporters on Wednesday said that he was making sure the proposed bill was in step with what the parties had actually agreed to. He said he ...
Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprise and New Zealand First List MP Shane Jones attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new NZ Post "super depot" in Wellington. The state-owned postal service, which got $280 million from the Coalition Government last month, is expanding its operations to handle surging parcel volumes. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYIntroduction Good afternoon. Welcome to you all here today and party supporters watching from around the country. We appreciate your hard work keeping New Zealand First strong; thank you for keeping the faith. Sixty-three days out from Election Day, ...
The diversity of conservation boards around Aotearoa is increasing with 47 appointments to 14 of the 15 conservation boards across New Zealand announced today by the Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party is honoured to be remembering former co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons today at a public memorial service in the heart of Wellington at the Cathedral of St. Paul’s. Following her passing in March, this celebration of her life brings together her friends, family and colleagues to honour her life ...
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has announced a $2.5 million boost for South Westland to help a regional alliance of local businesses and government agencies provide nature based jobs. ...
Investing in infrastructure is one major way we can create jobs, stimulate the economy, and keep New Zealand moving post COVID-19. That's why this week we rolled out a massive number of infrastructure announcements - in Tairāwhiti, Wairarapa, Otago, Southland and more! ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters says the National Party’s Auckland Transport announcement today is a breath-taking plan on the never never. While it is promising to see that National all of a sudden has rediscovered railways in Auckland, including trains ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP A range of projects announced by the Hon Shane Jones in Southland and Otago will build communities and create jobs, according to New Zealand First List MP Mark Patterson. The town of Gore received funding to build a new public library and ...
News that Rio Tinto has announced that it is planning to wind-down operations at the Tiwai Point Aluminium Smelter could not have a come at a worse time for the people of Southland. While it has been clear that Rio Tinto was never going to support Southlanders over the long haul, ...
Whenua/land, roto/lakes and awa/rivers in the central North Island will benefit from increased habitat protection with new biosecurity investment across iwi and Crown-managed lands and lakes announced Conservation and Land Information Minister Eugenie Sage in Rotorua today. ...
As part of a broader plan to reduce the increasing amount of rubbish ending up in New Zealand’s landfills, the Government is to fund new recycling infrastructure and expand the national waste levy scheme.$124 million Government investment in recycling infrastructurePlans confirmed to increase and expand the waste ...
The Government is providing an investment totalling more than $100 million for regions to protect against and mitigate the effects of climate change, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones have announced. Six regions will receive funding from the $3 billion allocated to infrastructure projects from the ...
Three major local projects at Te Kuiti and Otorohanga have been given the money to get moving after the impact of Covid 19, says the Minister of Māori Development Hon Nanaia Mahuta. The projects range from a Sports Centre for Te Kuiti, a redevelopment of the Otorohanga Kiwi House and ...
The Coalition Government has extended three New Zealand Defence Force deployments to the Middle East and Africa by two years, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “These deployments promote peace in the Middle East and Africa by protecting civilians and countering the spread of ...
The release of the National Climate Change Risk Assessment shows that the progress this Government has made to solve the climate crisis is essential to creating cleaner and safer communities across New Zealand. “Because of this report, we can see clearer than ever that the action our Government is taking ...
The second round of the Community Resilience Fund is now open for applications for sport and recreation organisations experiencing financial hardship between 1 July and 30 September 2020. “The fund opens today for five weeks – closing on September 6. The amount awarded will be decided on a case-by-case basis ...
Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today declared Rakitū Island, off the coast of Aotea/Great Barrier Island, predator free. “I’m delighted to announce that with rats now gone, Rakitū is officially predator free. This is a major milestone because Rakitū is the last DOC administered island in the Hauraki Gulf Marine ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing $8.75 million to restore significant historic sites at Ōhaeawai in the Far North, upgrade marae and fund fencing and riparian planting. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones made the announcements following a service at the historic St Michael’s Anglican Church at Ōhaeawai today. Just ...
The Chatham Islands will receive close to $40 million for projects that will improve its infrastructure, add to its attraction as a visitor destination, and create jobs through a planned aquaculture venture, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the islands, first ...
The Government is delivering more initiatives to reduce energy hardship and to give small electricity consumers a voice, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods said today. “In addition to the initiatives we have already delivered to support New Zealand families, we are responding to the Electricity Price Review with further ...
Government, iwi, NGOs and rehabilitation groups are working together to turn around the fortunes of the nationally endangered hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin following a series of terrible breeding seasons. The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage helped launch the Five Year Action Plan at the annual Yellow-Eyed Penguin symposium in Dunedin today. “I ...
The membership of the Tourism Futures Taskforce has now been confirmed, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced at an event at Whakarewarewa in Rotorua today. “The main purpose of the independent Tourism Futures Taskforce is to lead the thinking on the future of tourism in New Zealand,” Kelvin Davis said. Joining ...
More than $300 million in funding has been approved to protect strategic tourism businesses, drive domestic tourism through regional events and lift digital capability in the tourism industry, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. A $400 million Tourism Recovery Package was announced at Budget 2020, and with today’s announcements is ...
From 2021 permits will be required for New Zealanders wanting to export hard-to-recycle plastic waste. The Associate Minister for the Environment, Eugenie Sage, today announced the requirements as part of New Zealand’s commitments to the Basel Convention, an international agreement of more than 180 countries which was amended in May ...
The building and construction sector is still showing strong growth, with the number of new dwellings consented up more than 8 per cent compared to last year, reflecting a welcome confidence in the Government’s COVID-19 response package, Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa says. “While it is still too ...
Government investment of $23 million for Bay of Plenty flood protection will allow local communities to address long-standing flood risks and provide jobs, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced in Rotorua today. These projects are being funded by the Infrastructure Reference Group’s (IRG) shovel ...
Investment for projects that will create hundreds of jobs in Rotorua were announced today by Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. These projects will provide opportunities for economic development in a region that has been hard hit by COVID-19,” Winston Peters said. Fletcher ...
For the first time, primary schools will have access to funding for counsellors for their students, Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin announced today. “A major investment of $75.8 million will provide greater access to guidance counsellors to help primary and secondary school students deal with mental health and wellbeing issues,” ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark today welcomed the release of the Report of the Government Inquiry into Operation Burnham and related matters, and the Government response. “I thank the Inquiry for their thorough and detailed report, on a highly complex issue. I accept the recommendations of the report, and fully support ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones has announced $6 million of One Billion Trees funding for seven regional initiatives to create jobs and provide long-lasting environmental and economic benefits. The projects range from improving one of the poorest-quality water catchments in Otago to restoring 52km of waterways around Hokianga Harbour. Six of the ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters today announced $5.5 million in funding from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) for two Kawerau projects and says this is a significant boost for the people of Kawerau. “These projects will bring much-needed investment and will create up to 60 jobs for locals,” Mr Peters ...
Kaingaroa Village in the Bay of Plenty is to get $5 million to help fund a comprehensive upgrade of its infrastructure, facilities and housing, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. Mr Tabuteau travelled to the remote village to make the announcement, telling Kaingaroa residents how the funding ...
The Rangiuru Business Park project near Te Puke is getting $18 million from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This is all about unlocking the potential of this region. When it’s finished, the Rangiuru Business Park will be the Bay of Plenty’s ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has today announced that a $26 million investment in Ōpōtiki will see important public amenities upgraded and further progress made on new aquaculture opportunities. “The people of Ōpōtiki have been waiting decades for real investment in key infrastructure, and support for the incredible aquaculture opportunities ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio wishes to congratulate the Cook Islands community throughout Aotearoa for the 9th year of Te ‘Epetoma o Te Reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani, the Cook Islands Language Week. “This is a proud milestone that reflects on the huge effort made by the Cook ...
Aucklanders in the Eastern Suburbs will soon have more ways to get around, with Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter kicking off construction on Section 2 of Te Ara Ki Uta Ki Tai, the Glen Innes to Tāmaki Drive Shared Path today. The Glen Innes ...
The Government is stepping up the fight against measles and protecting hundreds of thousands more young adults by investing up to $40 million for a year-long measles-catch-up campaign and $23 million to fully fund and develop the National Immunisation Solution, Associate Minister of Health Julie Anne Genter announced at Mangere ...
Attorney-General David Parker has today released the findings of the Government inquiry held into Operation Burnham and related events. The operation took place on 21-22 August 2010 in Tirgiran Valley, Afghanistan, and was carried out by NZSAS troops and other nations’ forces operating as part of the International Security Assistance ...
From tomorrow, community groups around New Zealand can apply to a $36 million fund established to encourage locally-led solutions as communities rebuild and recover from COVID-19, announced Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni and Minister for Community and Voluntary Sector Poto Williams. “The Community Capability and Resilience Fund (CCRF) builds ...
The Government has committed to improving Māori health and wellbeing over the next five years. The Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health) today released Whakamaua: Māori Health Action Plan 2020-2025 which sets the pathway towards achieving healthy futures for all Māori. “As kaitiaki of the system, the Ministry of Health ...
New environmental standards will make the re-consenting of existing marine farms more consistent across the country. The new regulations for the National Environmental Standards for Marine Aquaculture (NES-MA) will come into effect on 1 December, Environment Minister David Parker and Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash said. “The NES-MA removes complexities and ...
Today marks a milestone as the Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni and Minister for Māori Development Nanaia Mahuta co-sign an Addendum – with the Iwi Chairs of Te Rarawa, Ngāi Takoto and Te Aupōuri – to the Te Hiku o Te Ika Iwi-Crown Social Development and Wellbeing Accord (the ...
The Veterans’ Support Amendment Bill (No 2) passed its third reading today and will become law, announced Minister for Veterans Ron Mark. This amends the Veterans’ Support Act 2014 in response to recommendations from the 2018 review of the operation of the Act by Professor Ron Paterson. “Veterans have been ...
Minister for Racing Winston Peters says race courses can improve safety with this year’s first round of funding from the Racing Safety Development Fund. The Racing Safety Development Fund makes available $990,000 for distribution over two funding rounds for the 2020/21 financial year. “The racing industry is integral to the ...
The Government’s commitment to increase primary sector jobs and opportunities has been further boosted today with the re-opening of the Taratahi Agriculture Centre, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The Wairarapa-based training centre is reopening its doors after two years to deliver industry taster and familiarisation courses, to help workers displaced ...
New Zealanders are being invited to help recognise the work of the many “unsung heroes” in our ethnic communities during COVID-19. “Aotearoa New Zealand is home to 920,000 people who identify their ethnicity as Middle Eastern, Latin American, African, Asian, and Continental European. During the extraordinary time of the COVID-19 ...
The Government is allocating $40 million to assist with the cost of mediation and arbitration for New Zealand businesses and landlords to resolve issues about adjusting rent as they face the economic impacts of COVID-19, Justice Minister Andrew Little said. The Government had previously announced funding to improve access to ...
The Government has announced details of a planned new law to give Police the power to conduct random roadside drug testing of drivers, Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter and Minister of Police Stuart Nash announced today. The Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill was introduced to the house today ...
More warmer, drier homes and a big building boost for regional centres across New Zealand are two of the major benefits from a $500 million investment in the upgrade and renewal of state homes. Associate Housing Minister Kris Faafoi has confirmed the multi-million dollar expansion of the Kāinga Ora – ...
The Government will provide $8 million towards the revitalisation of the Paihia waterfront in the iconic Bay of Islands, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Bay of Islands is the cornerstone of Northland tourism and Paihia the hub for maritime-based tourism and recreation in the area. “Weather and economic ...
Health Minister Chris Hipkins welcomes confirmation of Canterbury DHB’s move into state-of-the-art Christchurch Hospital Hagley building which will serve the community well for decades to come. The Ministry of Health is on track to hand over the facility on 10 August 2020. Sterile Services is due to be operational on ...
Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk Timor-Leste’s Journalist Association (AJTL) and journalism students marched through the streets of the capital Dili today calling on the government to scrap plans to change the law to make defamation a criminal offence. Under the proposed law journalists could face jail sentences. Opponents of the proposed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Coates, Program Director, Household Finances, Grattan Institute The announcement of stage 4 restrictions in Victoria marks a new, and depressing, stage in Australia’s response to COVID-19. The new measures will close non-essential retailers and most child-care centres across Melbourne, and impose ...
China said on Monday it will suspend its extradition agreement with New Zealand in response to Wellington suspending its existing extradition treaty with Hong Kong, Reuters reports. ...
China said on Monday it will suspend its extradition agreement with New Zealand in response to Wellington suspending its existing extradition treaty with Hong Kong, Reuters reports. ...
On Saturday the man behind Game of Thrones hosted the ceremony for the prestigious Hugo Awards. Sam Brooks recaps. In a blog post just over a year ago, American writer George R.R. Martin said that New Zealand had “formal written permission” to jail him if he didn’t have The Winds of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Wood, Chief executive officer, Grattan Institute How do you occupy a child for long enough to get any work done? This will be the question confronting more than 150,000 Melbourne families for at least the next six weeks. The Stage 4 ...
China said on Monday it will suspend its extradition agreement with New Zealand in response to Wellington suspending its existing extradition treaty with Hong Kong, Reuters reports. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Non-essential retailers across Melbourne will be shut except for “click and collect” and delivery sales, and industries including meatworks and construction will be drastically scaled back, under Victoria’s unprecedented lockdown. The business shutdown details came ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Russo, Associate Professor, Director Cabrini Monash University Department of Nursing Research, Monash University Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced sweeping changes to businesses across metropolitan Melbourne, including closure of retail stores and restrictions on some industries, including construction. The new constraints ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Haskell-Dowland, Associate Dean (Computing and Security), Edith Cowan University In what seems to be a common occurrence, Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is once again in the headlines. After months of speculation about national security risks and users’ data being harvested by ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Controversial Papua New Guinea citizen Joe Chan has been arrested in Malaysia – this time under the name Djoko Soegiarto Tjandra. And also this time as an Indonesian, a wanted and convicted fugitive and graft convict, reports the PNG Post-Courier. He has been on the run ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Can we trust New Zealand’s military? There must now be serious doubt, given the landmark report released on Friday concluding the investigation into allegations made in the book Hit and Run by Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson about a ...
We need to crack on with building the systems and infrastructure necessary to be able to safely accommodate far more travellers than the system can currently handle. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Trigg, Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor of English Literature, University of Melbourne In our series Art for Trying Times, authors nominate a work they turn to for solace or perspective during this pandemic. The Greeks are at the gates, and the city ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says there are plans to increase testing of staff at airports and isolation facilities and to equip GPs to ramp up testing. ...
What happens when New Zealand’s queen of K-Pop rallies a room full of kids to become homegrown popstars? You get TVNZ On Demand’s K-Pop Academy.Korean pop music – or “K-pop” – is, arguably, the biggest musical genre on the planet. BTS is its most famous name, but South Korea is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University Creative destruction “is the essential fact about capitalism”, wrote the great Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter in 1942. New technologies and processes continuously revolutionise the economic structure from within, “incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is condemning Kaikoura District Council and Tararua District Council for failing to identify earthquake-prone buildings , as required by law. Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke says, “These Councils broke the law ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) has welcomed today’s release of the first National Climate Change Risk Assessment , but say that unless it’s paired up with a framework that enables councils to act on the assessments, communities will be ...
With women leading both major parties and the highest number of female MPs (38%) since women were first allowed to stand for Parliament in 1919, it’s time that proper attention was paid to one of the most fatal of women’s cancers. ...
Taxpayer handouts to electric car buyers will not save the planet, says the car review website dogandlemon.com . Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who has studied electric cars for over a decade, says: “The lobby group Drive Electric , which wants the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, UNSW With Victorians heading into a new round of even harsher lockdown measures, there will again be a focus on how people will cope — the ...
Respected business journalist Rod Oram visits the Nelson region next week to give two talks on the opportunities that Covid-19 presents for New Zealand to tackle climate change, poverty and what he calls “other deeply systemic failures”. Oram has ...
Transparency and clear disclosure of actions and policies have been key to the COVID-19 response, Reserve Bank Head of Financial System Policy and Analysis Toby Fiennes said delivering a speech in Wellington today. Market discipline is one of the three ...
Latest from the Beehive- The tourist industry is the biggest beneficiary of government funding distributed as loans or grants from an array of programmes and pots in the past few days. The $311 million of funding involved has resulted in the $400 million Tourism Recovery Package being fully allocated. Invitations, ...
As Victoria locks down again over a second wave of Covid-19, Andrew Geddis looks at how New Zealand might respond should community transmission be again detected here Melbourne’s adoption of “stage 4” restrictions to combat its Covid-19 outbreak - stay-at-home orders, limited exercise time, a night-time curfew - are a timely warning to us here ...
A major new report has outlined the biggest and most pressing risks New Zealand faces from climate change, and they go well beyond the science of changing weather patterns. What’s all this then?One of the most dangerous and concerning aspects of climate change is the unpredictability of it all. Some ...
The country's first national climate change risk assessment has identified 10 significant areas that need to be urgently addressed by the government in the next six years. ...
The first ever National Climate Change Risk Assessment has found 'New Zealand’s climate is warming, sea levels are rising, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe', Marc Daalder reports Over the next 70 years, wildfires and extreme storms will become more common in New Zealand, vast swathes ...
Time is running out to make voting easy in the 2020 General Election and referendums. About 500,000 eligible New Zealanders still haven’t enrolled to vote and half of them are under the age of 30. “Make voting easy this year by getting your enrolment ...
By Bryan Kramer, Papua New Guinea’s Minister of Police Assistant Commissioner Lesa Gale of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) staged a press conference to announce the arrest of five members of an Australian drug syndicate connected to the recent drug bust in PNG. This was a multi-agency operation that had ...
Announcing eight new episodes coming soon to The Spinoff and RNZ.Good news for people who love Bad News – Alice Snedden’s docu-comedy series tackling some of Aotearoa’s most contentious social and political issues is back for a second season.Like the first, which saw Alice go head-to-head with Don Brash in ...
One of the puzzling aspects of the global Coronavirus pandemic has been the absence of an international accord to grapple with the greatest challenge since the Second World War. After the global financial crisis of 2008-9, world leaders agreed to devise solutions – US presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama, ...
The Crazy Rich Asians author creates froth that may in fact be genius, says Sam Brooks. Kevin Kwan’s first novel Crazy Rich Asians had the kind of success every populist author dreams of. It became a beloved bestseller, which turned into a slightly less beloved trilogy, which then turned into ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Labour's economic plan is to focus on Covid recovery with investment in training and jobs, and that National's plan to reduce debt would mean $80 billion in cuts. ...
heTruly making a difference to New Zealanders’ mental health means addressing factors that go far beyond the health system’s remit. There’s a plan ready to go, writes Shaun Robinson of the Mental Health Foundation, and the next government must put it into action. “I need help.” That’s how many of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celia Harris, Vice Chancellor’s Senior Research Fellow, Western Sydney University We are all living through a major historical event, a once-in-a-century pandemic that has radically changed how we work, learn, travel, socialise and spend our free time. But for many of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Howard Manns, Lecturer in Linguistics, Monash University Things are really jeffed up for Karens right now. The Miley (“coronavirus”) did a Melba (“made yet another a comeback”), and Joe and Jane Bloggs are being drongos. In the process, “Karen” has become the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn Moore, Social Researcher, School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania In his book Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe writes that settler Australians wilfully misunderstood, hid and destroyed evidence of Aboriginal Australians’ farming practices. My analysis of secondary school textbooks shows this behaviour ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carl Grodach, Professor and Director of Urban Planning & Design, Monash University COVID-19 and the growing recession concentrated in the services sector will not just increase social inequality, but accelerate the growing spatial divide in our cities. As our new research report ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Glennda Scully, Professor, Curtin University The COVID-19 pandemic has driven a surge of calls to domestic violence support services, as survivors of violence spend more time at home with their abusers due to lockdowns and other restrictions. Many feel they can’t leave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carly Osborn, Visiting Research Fellow, University of Adelaide In our series Art for Trying Times, authors nominate a work they turn to for solace or perspective during this pandemic. There is a genre of novel that I have relied upon for many ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 3, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news, politics and the Covid-19 crisis, updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.45am: PM defends limited border chargesJacinda Ardern has defended the government’s decision to only charge Kiwis returning back into ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Exploring the rapid rise of Billy TK’s NZ Public Party, report finds senior military officers misled ministers over Operation Burnham, and Lake Taupō water monitoring to be led by iwi.Within the space of a few months, Billy Te Kahika Jr ...
There are four big decisions to get ready to make in this year's elections. As well as picking a preferred party and candidate, voters will vote on the End of Life Choice Bill and whether they support a bill which would legalise cannabis. Here are the basics on the Cannabis Legalisation and ...
The Health Ministry ticked off the aged care sector for restricting visitors to rest homes before the national lockdown. David Williams reports On March 17, the coronavirus outbreak was seemingly in its infancy – yet it was closer to pushing politicians into drastic action than many thought. Ministry of Health ...
As the cannabis referendum draws nearer, Finlay Macdonald takes note of a new book about New Zealand's attitude towards marijuana Like any number of New Zealanders, I have a rich store of anecdote about my personal relationship with weed. Youthful adventure, horticultural experimentation, bad cabbage, Thai sticks and close shaves ...
We are more comfortable than ever telling stories about intimate experiences in public, so why is miscarriage still such a taboo subject? I recall my mother telling me a story, many years ago, about losing a baby to miscarriage. She had experienced bleeding and been told by her doctor to go home, put ...
Whether in the boardroom, or behind the lens, Angela Ruske has played a crucial part in the Otago Nuggets' golden NBL basketball season. As the Otago Nuggets were on their way to grasping their first men's NBL title, Angela Ruske was trying to stay calm courtside by focusing through her camera lens. ...
When do we get a prime minister who looks like New Zealand, asks Laura O’Connell Rapira.I want a Māori prime minister. I want a trans Samoan deputy prime minister and I want a former refugee as speaker of the house.I want a Muslim mayor. I want a disabled deputy mayor ...
People like me already don’t know when we will see ‘home’ again, thanks to the forthcoming border fees, writes Jai Breitnauer. We don’t need to be judged for it too.About eight weeks ago we got a message we had been dreading – my father-in-law was in hospital having been in ...
New Zealanders are about to vote on two of the most polarising social issues of our time - how much do you know about the cannabis and end of life referendums? In less than five weeks, New Zealanders will vote on two polarising issues in referendums, held at the same ...
What's in the diary for this week? Newsroom Pro collates the newsworthy events you need to know about. Today | 6 July sdfsdf sfsdf sfds Tuesday | 7 July sdfsdf sfsdf sfds Wednesday | 8 July sdfsdf sfsdf sfds Thursday | 9 July sdfsdf sfsdf sfds ...
Social Credit has prevailed in the first round of its High Court challenge to the Overseas Investment Office decision to grant Chinese owned company Hong Kong Jingang permission to take over New Zealand’s second largest milk processing company, Westland ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As Melbourne moved to an extraordinary 8pm to 5am daily curfew and Stage 4 restrictions, and Victoria declared a “state of disaster”, Scott Morrison took to social media with a message for the embattled residents. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rodney Tiffen, Emeritus Professor, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney James Murdoch is not the most obvious candidate for editorial heroism. His route to resigning from the News Corp board because of “disagreements over certain editorial content” has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Twomey, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Sydney A “state of disaster” has been declared for the whole of Victoria from 6pm, Sunday August 2, for a month. How is this different from the existing “state of emergency” and what powers ...
As the state of Victoria continues to record shocking new Covid-19 numbers – 671 cases today – a strict new stage 4 lockdown is being imposed. Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist at the University of South Australia explains what the means.Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that metropolitan Melbourne will move ...
Jacinda Ardern’s “kind” government rather unkindly wants to push through under urgency this week amendments to residential rental tenancy law that are both unworkable and vicious, Tenancies War spokesman Mike Butler said today. If the Residential Tenancies ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics, University of South Australia Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that metropolitan Melbourne will move to “stage 4” restrictions from 6pm Sunday, as new cases of COVID-19 continue to rise. The state recorded another 671 cases and ...
“We welcome the protest letter signed by European Ambassadors against Israel's plans to commence construction in the illegal settlement of "Givat Hamatos" and possibly the so-called E1 Area on the outskirts of occupied Jerusalem. However, ...
By RNZ Pacific Nineteen more cases of covid-19 have been confirmed in Papua New Guinea, taking the total number so far in the country to 91. The Pandemic Response Controller, David Manning, announced the new cases in the capital Port Moresby where almost 80 of PNG’s cases had been confirmed ...
Open Mike 01/07/2018 
Can we trust New Zealand’s military? There must now be serious doubt, given the landmark report released on Friday concluding the investigation into allegations made in the book Hit and Run by Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson about a 2010 SAS killing raid in Afghanistan. The most recent Colmar Brunton ...7 hours ago
In New Zealand, we've just had the report of the Hit and Run inquiry, which found that a New Zealand led raid had accidentally killed civilians, including a child. meanwhile, around the same time, the British SAS was conducting its own raids in Afghanistan, and theirs were a hell of ...8 hours ago
Story of the Week... Opinion of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study Finds As climate change raises sea levels, storm surges and high tides will ...11 hours ago
"Who's youse accusin' of innference?" Without the timely intervention of a team of top American political consultants and campaign experts, Boris Yeltsin would never have won his second term as President of the Russian Federation. The Russians waited 20 years to return the favour.WHEN IT COMES to the disinformation game, ...14 hours ago
As polling day in the American presidential election draws closer, things are looking bad for Donald Trump. The polls show that he is tracking well behind his Democrat rival. Most people assume that the President will be striving might and main to avoid what looks increasingly likely to be a ...16 hours ago
Our health professionals do an amazing job. Image credit: Wikipedia – Cardiac surgery. Finally, I have got back to these rankings. A long period in hospital and computer problems meant the June 2020 rankings were abandoned. Now, with a new personal defibrillator implanted in my chest and a new hard ...2 days ago
Over the last few days, reports have emerged of people travelling from New Zealand and testing positive for Covid-19 upon arrival at their destination. First in South Korea and now in Australia. What might these positive tests mean? They’re false-positives As Toby Morris and I have explained before, there are ...2 days ago
Former National Minister - Wayne MappYou could tell that the Hit and Run book by investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson was right on the money by the way former National Party Minister of Defence, Wayne Mapp, reacted to its now largely vindicated claims.Even though the recent inquiry into ...2 days ago
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White Rabbits!
Ribbit ribbit. My……. you’re up early big boy.
Btw, are you FCV-free? (khaleesi/Calici)
Apologies @ Sanc. It’s just that I’ve had to witness (over the past 12 hours) the ‘yoof of today’ indulging in virtual foreplay via a couple of cell phones – culminating in what was apparently a transactional ‘bootie call’.
So um, can we? CAN WE!!!!?
Geez, that Jemaine Clement’s looking a bit grey these days eh?
That Wellington Supernatural better be worth it eh?
RNZ’s taking a real gamble I rekon shuvving him up on their interweb site.
Never mind. Someone from The Spinoff will be along very soon to legitimise it all.
Thanks. I’ll go have a listen.
Hmmm, sounds like the Queenstown Property Speculators are getting a free half hour show courtesy of some moron reporter on RNZ just now.
#switchedoff
Unfortunately I listened in as well but my primary task was getting breakfast so the time wasn’t totally wasted.
Didn’t you just love the preconceived prompt to several interviewees like: “so you’re saying the foreign buyers legislation will have the opposite effect on providing affordable housing than is intended”.
Please, please say yes or my whole “story” will collapse. The term “chilling effect” was used several times.
I was struck by one guy (American I think) who sounded so concerned that the Bill was sending signals being picked up offshore that NZ didn’t want foreign investment and this was a BAD thing. Good I thought. Too damned right many of us don’t.
His horror was what decades of neoliberalism and centuries of capitalist pillaging and theft does to you I guess.
Agreed @ Grey Area.
Mee toooo, except I wasn’t so concerned with getting on with breakfast, I was more concerned with the apparent fob off from Sanctuary in my quest for a hookup, I went back to sleep.
And now, I’m listening to the sage Corin Dann on PLUS 1 and wondering whether it’d not be better to take another hour out of life in the name of sleep.
Decisons decisons!. Such a hard life!
OH CHRIST!!!! Now Wayne Mapp has just popped up as the gin-soaked sage.
Easy.
Snore!!!!!!!!!!!
Agreed OnceWasTim,
I was horrified with Q+A today and exited that show for’ Discovery channel’ as I needed sanctuary for my mind to stay sane.
We need a new ‘Channel seven’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVNZ_7 now more than ever with real depth in investigative journalism not a horror show of empty ‘talking heads.’
I’m pretty sure that the majority of us don’t want it and the only reason why we have it is because governments over the last decades have forced it upon us against our will.
Which means that we live in a dictatorship and not a democracy.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10678798
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11986751
https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/poll-voters-love-labours-foreign-buyer-ban-ck-176137
Yes that’s right, its not like we have elections every three years and a range of parties to vote for.
We do that – yes.
And then those parties go round doing things that we don’t want them to do. The whole neo-liberal implementation was against what the people wanted but no matter who we voted for we got the same shit. National did the TPPA which the majority didn’t want. Labour promised to change it or even to get rid of it if it didn’t meet their bottom lines. It didn’t meet those bottom lines and then they went and signed it anyway.
At what point were our wishes actually listened to?
The whole neo-liberal implementation was against what the people wanted but no matter who we voted for we got the same shit.
and then some of us campaigned and succeeded in changing the voting system but many people still continue to vote Labour regardless of the continual betrayals. We get the government that we collectively deserve.
Well, there’s that too.
But even that just means that we need a better democratic system. One that doesn’t leave policy decisions solely to the MPs.
NZF is the only logical alternative ?
Yeh, right, because Winston has never gone back on a bottom line.
He’s so honest that he took his website down after the election.
solka;
‘we have elections every three years and a range of parties to vote for.’
Yes we do but we are constabtly brainwashed by the heavy use of right wing compliant broadcasting controlled by the right wing spin doctors and corportate involvement,.
So we are effectively controlled by the bussiness commutity and their interests and not ours.
This is not democracy – but is corpocracy, which is a recent term used to refer to an economic and political system controlled by corporations or corporate interests.
We have been indocrinated by this corpocracy medium in all our media here in NZ today.
<blockquote…but is corpocracy, which is a recent term used to refer to an economic and political system controlled by corporations or corporate interests.
If you’re going to quote Wikipedia then it would be good form to link to the article.
Queenstown should just scede from NZ and apply to become a SAR of China. I can just imagine them all waving little Chinese flags as the PLA marches up the main drag.
Falun Gong is not big in Q-Town.
And it’s illegal in China.
Yep, Sanctuary
RNZ has gone deep into the south island I have noted, – and RNZ dont carry any ‘free half hour shows’ for our most isolated noth Island regions such as northland and Gisborne/HB east coast as they do in the south.
Perhaps that is because the HQ for RNZ has been centered in Dunedin for years.
RNZ is headquartered in Auckland and the Dunedin studios were shuttered years ago, and sold to the University of Otago in 2010.
+ 1
Jeepers how can anyone believe anything anyone says.
It pays not to, with certain people anyway. Check this one out …
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/05/10/dr-liz-gordon-fixing-work-and-income/#comment-425956
Let us hope IRD and the PSA and WINZ get the increases correct this set of changes.
Hopefully a small glimmer of hope for many.
Tim Brown is the RNZ regional reporter for Otago/Southland/Lakes.
I looked at his content, and it is the stereotypical regional reporter mix of human interest stories, crime, weather and good news propaganda for the local chamber of commerce/Federated Farmers. The guy is on a good wicket, he can file happy happy joy joy stories based on his chummy relationships with local business people and the rest of his content is derived from ringing up his mate at the cop shop, chatting to the mayor at events, and the weather. An easy life, with the advantage you get lots of nice invites and freebies.
This morning ridiculous piece highlights the danger of using a regional reporter to create an in depth critical investigation feature.
In this case, the local beat reporter is clearly the wrong person to do such a story, because he has clearly become far too chummy with the movers and shakers in town, which helps him get news and he (understandably) doesn’t want to shit in own nest.
The simple reality is if he had run a piece critical of of the despoiling of Queenstown by rampant speculation and unregulated development and supportive of the government position a whole lot of doors would slam shut on him. Why rock the boat?
As such, we should consider this mornings insight on RNZ mainly as an extended job application by Tim Brown for a role as PR flack for Queenstown Lake’s property developers association…
Good analysis. My half an ear told me he was out of his depth and/or doing a PR piece for foreign ownership and overseas financing of the “development” of Queenstown.
It saddens me that NZers are so venal and/or stupid that we allow a jewel like Queenstown to be so over-developed that we spoil the very character that drew people to it in the first place.
I last visited Queenstown six years ago and enjoyed a couple of days there but from what I’ve heard recently it’s over-full of tourists and traffic congestion. We’ll be visiting the South Island later this year but will be avoiding Queenstown.
It was one of the places we used to go to when I was a child (50s and 60s) but I haven’t been near it for a very long time – I think I would just burst into tears. My compensation for the ruination of Queenstown is that while the ghastlies who wrought all this damage are all corralled in Queenstown they aren’t wrecking the rest of NZ. Does Queenstown just need to take one for the team?
Queenstown is…over-ripe.
Your analogy is pretty much spot on Robert.
We are probably well into the autumn of this development cycle most of the fruit on the tree is getting pretty squishy, the rest that hasn’t ripened by now is unlikely to before winter sets in. And it’s looking like a very hard winter is going to sweep through our local economy, it’ll be tough for those that can’t afford to keep warm.
But hard winters kill off the bugs and weeds to allow the spring growth opportunities to flourish.
Interesting to look at the photo accompanying the RNZ piece of Shotover Country. Each of those houses would be a tradie with a million dollar mortgage, unfortunately they are unlikely to winter well.
The Queenstown council are bascially traitors who would gladly run a Vicy-style puppet regime for a foreign power. They need to be packed and more patriotic people put in their place.
Sanctuary….Exactly my thoughts when listening to that Tim Brown piece this morning.
I listened to the Insight report, and as a Queenstown resident for 35 years I thought it was quite balanced for an outside cub reporter. Tim Brown gave away his lack of local knowledge and experience in the fist few minutes when he described Queenstown as a winter, and now summer resort. Sorry Tim, our peak time is summer, and has always been, going back to 1860’s. The winter product is quite new, developed initally in the 50’s and greatly expanded in 80’s through to now.
The treatment of our housing problems, which are nothing new, it’s been a problem from the very start of European settlement in the early 1860’s and a constant issue for as long as I have been here was accurate.
The section on the American owners Glenorchy Camping Ground and Gibbston Valley Wines I found enlightening regarding their attitude to New Zealand residency. That both parties could easily gain residency, but choose not to, made me wonder about their commitment to New Zealand.
Our housing trust is doing some very good work in providing accomodation for workers, using a variety of models which are evolving with time. The proposed legislation is being tweaked to accomodate situations like the housing trust, hopefully it can be made to work well at this end.
The choice, if you can call it that, between high end homes ($5 Million +) for the 1% and suburban sprawl for “kiwi workers” comes down to sustainability. The high end is a lot easier on the landscape and environment and provides ongoing, sustainable employment. Building houses to house people to build more houses to house more people to do I don’t know what isn’t going to make Queenstown a better place. The reality is that enjoyment of our environment is the only productive economic activity the place has been able to sustain. The challenge is to do this in a form that the environment, both physical and social, can sustain.
It’s my view that the high end has a lot to offer in this regard, and suburbia spreading across the landscape may not be the way to go.
I live in the queenstown lakes district and have to disagree. The high end $10-20 million houses tend to be located intrusively in the landscape where everyone is forced to look at them and their negative effects on landscape values. In this way one rich prick adversely affects many people visiting the District.These houses also negatively impact the local economy which relies on these landscapes.
Any house, of any value designed or sited inappropriately is a tragedy for the landscape. In my experience here, the “rich pricks” don’t have a monopoly on this behaviour.
There’s plenty of quite modest homes and subdivisions slapped in middle of bare paddocks around the district, and a lot of very well designed and sympathetically sited mansions around the place too. The “rich pricks” generally have the resources, and inclination to do something about mitigating the landscape effects of their presence, which is more than can be said for the mass of roofs that’s Shotover Country.
If the wunnerful foreign investors had been flat tack erecting cheap houses for workers they might have a bit of a point.
How the darkened side of America thinks. Although to be fair one of them sounds like he’s on the brink of crossing over to the enlightened side:
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-44649459/trump-supporters-on-family-separations-and-border-security
I will say no more…
When people wonder if Trump can be re-elected look no further than than those folk. We are all a bit “loyal” to our chosen heroes but…
To stay with the theme of the power of music and performing together: https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/opinion/105118732/music-has-the-ability-to-reach-into-my-soul
It would be great if e-tangata could be supported. Kia ora.
https://e-tangata.co.nz/media/we-need-your-help/
I see Winston is getting Nigel Farage’s endorsement because he is so much like Trump.
Kind of humorous
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/06/winston-peters-nz-s-own-version-of-trump-nigel-farage.html
Dunkin’ doesn’t like being kept waiting chrissy.
Knda funny
Little fat maori boy throwing his toys out of the cot ?
In response to the Capital Gazette shooting; here’s a great piece by Laurie Penny on Misogyny and Massacres.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/29/mass-shootings-white-male-fragility-capital-gazette-maryland-misogyny
Surprise.
http://www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/2018/06/30/incels-embrace-capital-gazette-shooter-but-only-after-they-learn-he-harassed-a-woman/
btw, the collective noun for MRA’s? A failure.
Incels…yeah, nah..
Make believe…yeah, yeah!
Truth is stranger than fiction – accelerating away – think about it…
https://www.universetoday.com/139545/oumuamua-accelerated-out-of-the-solar-system-like-a-comet/
The other being that it’s actually a spaceship and it’s altering its trajectory for it’s next port of call.
I’m not sure Occam’s razor is of much help here …
anybody here know who G Hamilton of 41 Pipitea St. Wgton is?
he is running scabby anti government threads on Facebook which are just out and out lies.
Google throws up this
https://youngnats.national.org.nz/contact
Postal Address. NZ Young Nats 41 Pipitea Street Thorndon, Wellington 6011 … The Best Party on Campus. Authorised by G Hamilton, 41 Pipitea St, Wellington.
Ah, so typical National Party lies.
It seems that they train them young.
National party GM.
https://nz.linkedin.com/in/greg-hamilton-596b4926
https://www.nbr.co.nz/tags/greg-hamilton
Have you seen the new Jonathan Pie clip?
He gets fair up the soap-boxers. I think his message is ‘Don’t waste time with shit that doesn’t matter.’
*Fruity language
The Am Show Good morning your in Queens Town that place won’t be so popular when man made Global warming melts the snow its a beautiful little Town .
Yes Duncan I found that out about the day light hours in Southland you won’t get light till about 9 am its Day light in the beautiful Rotorua at 730 am.
I think a $10 tax charge per bed in Queens town is a need to keep this Aotearoa Iconic little town functioning efficiently and in a environmentally friendly way.
Our waste recycling well we will have to charge the company’s who produce this waste and pass the money on to make recycling profitable make the policy so that manufactures will save money by using less packing they could even reuse some of this packing thats they way money people react to being hit in the hip pocket .
I say that money payed for plastic bags should passed on to the recycling industry so they can afford to by the plants to recycle this waste in Rotorua we have just got recycling bins for every house which is a good thing but its a shame if the recycling just ends up in warehouseing there is a good oppertunity for Rotorua being central to most of Aoteraroa city’s to create a recycling industry land is affordable here and we need more jobs for Our people . You know that the whole Papatuanuku heres about Queens town thats were all the VIP go .ka kite ano.
P.S Congratulations Samantha you deserved your win
Here is what Norway is doing to solve its plastic waste Eco Maori thinks this is the solution to OUR plastic waste problems link below .
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjS1uOUg__bAhVWQd4KHT9oDwYQFggvMAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.plasgranltd.co.uk%2Fnorwegian-approach-bottle-recycling-revolutionise-british-approach%2F&usg=AOvVaw005IRQ5Z0QXnbGyvkpel8S
Ka kite ano
Here we go someone who can see that the common people the poor pay more tax than a lot of wealthy people the link is below.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12081815
Ka kite ano
Ka pai Mexicans for voteing a left Tangata President all the best for your mokopunas future and yours link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/02/mexico-election-leftist-amlo-set-for-historic-landslide-victory Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub at six some of these males who complained about the winner of Dancing With The Stars don’t realise that wahine can win to and there moans just show there core values are archaic Samantha deserved her win.
Yes many Tangata whenua fall victim to the loan predators I say that interest rates should be caped at 5x the Reserve Banks rate not100 % .
Car finance is a major player in this as one tangata has mentioned the thing is by the time the tangata has payed the car off its stuffed so they trade it in get nothing for the trade in and refinance thats a sham. Ingred its quite warm for Rotorua Ka kite ano
Here is another reason why we should put a price on plastic waste at the start to reduce waste and protect our seabirds and wild life link below .
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/02/new-zealand-the-most-perilous-place-for-seabirds-due-to-plastic-pollution Ka kite ano