With climate change now so evident by what we’re seeing in the Northern Hemisphere, it is clear only radical and abrupt action will mitigate devastating effects for complex life on Earth.
The bacteria must be happy the Earth is run by psychopaths, devout believers in a capitalist system which is devouring the Earth.
Since democracy gave 1 vote to
1 person the Tory agenda is to undermine the power of democracy.
Gossipboy your part of this cynical undermining.
But gossipboy you would be nothing if it weren’t for the benefits of the universal vote.
What’s clear is that you’d rather focus on the failure of the left to clean up the messes capitalism causes than consider how to stop capitalism causing those problems in the first place.
In the US both Republicans and Democrats are trying to do just that by getting money out of politics there by bringing in another amendment to their constitution. As long as the big corporations can legally bribe Lawmakers to ignore the majority of a countries people there can never be a true democracy. Republicans fell for trumps words during his campaign to drain the swamp. Far from draining it, he actually just replaced the mild swamp monsters with their more dangerous versions. Until true democracy is restored in the US we have little hope in NZ of doing much. We can negotiate with the American people for valid change, but we can not negotiate with politicians paid off to ignore the will of the people and ignore those corporations ignoring what rules there are against pollution. If anyone else deliberately ignored rules or safety measures and spilled the sorts of industrial wastes they do on a regular basis stole billions of dollars in money via scams they would be thrown in jail. The heads of corporations however sometimes might throw an underling under a bus or pay a small fine that does not even make a dent in the profits they made from breaking the rules because they have the lawmakers in their pockets to ignore what they are doing.
At the moment the 3 big superpowers of the US, Russia, and China have to much power and policies being fueled by greedy people.
Climate change mitigation money at the UN was billions, what did they do with it all?
All up in smoke on “Reseach”? I couldn’t find any info that looked accountable.
Why don’t they put something in the aviation fuel, surely more photochemical smog would reduce the warming? Like that AdBlue stuff, but for cloud seeding.
Anyone seen any reports on progress with these mitigation technologies? Seems that smog from Chinese industry is the planet’s current saviour, blocking out the heat. Hope they don’t get too clean too fast. Could more dust storms be our lucky escape? answer?
We send our hopes for a good meeting while overseas Winston; –
Thanks for being a caretaker for Governmment while Jacinda was on leave you did great; – and while away, we hope you keep an eye on National meddling in our new Government poliices, as National are trying to sabotage our political system at present.
Welcome back to parlament Jacinda, we love the family pictures and the new baby is stunning – wel done mom.
G, you can tune in from 2pm… Question time is live from 2pm to around about 3pm. Sitting days vary, but when Parliament is in session question time runs from Tues-Thursday inclusive. After which there is the general debates etc
thanks cinny and tony below, i will endeavour to pry myself away from the workshop and tune in.
i hope i can finish the cape cod chair i am building by then.
You can go direct to Radionz and The House.
A report comes on 6.55pm weeknights giving their report on the latest. Legislation, issues and insights from Parliament (RNZ)
You really are a total nut job aren’t you?
I have never proposed such a thing. But you are so stupid that you don’t realise that.
OK you idiot. Produce evidence that I have ever advocated “creationism” as being sensible.
Otherwise why don’t you just keep your stupid mouth shut.
As well as watching live online, you can also watch all past sessions of Parliament via the Watch/On Demand options on the Parliament website. Here is a rough summary of what is available via the Watch option on the Parliament website I threw together for another purpose recently.
The “Live” option allows live watching of Parliament including Question Time and all other sittings of the House. When Parliament TV is not broadcasting live content, it shows information from select committees about submissions on bills, petitions and inquiries – including closing dates.
There is a generic selection choice of Oral Questions or All. However, The On Demand options were updated earlier this year allowing much better filtering and search choices – Title Search, Subject, Dates (from/to), People (MPs by name including past MPs no longer in the House) and Stage (long list of drop down options).
The main “Video” Option offers a whole range of informative videos on various Parliamentary procedures – eg how to make submissions, NZ sign language etc – and other related matters. For example, the latest addition is a one hour video “Celebrating 125 years of women’s suffrage”.
The main “Audio” option allows you listen live to Parliament online and also offers a range of Podcasts on various subjects including “An owners guide for Parliament”. I note that these have not been added to since 2017.
Should have added that JA is apparently staying in Auckland until the weekend then moving into Premier House in Wellington with Clarke and baby over the weekend and staying there for the next two weeks when Parliament is sitting although may be doing some day trips elsewhere over that time. Presumably back to Auckland about 17 Aug for the two week Parliamentary recess over the weeks starting 20 and 27 August.
Gossipboy he was arrested in international waters and tasered.
Gossipboy you haven’t got any balls your just a minion who is like a tagger hiding behind the bushes Trumpeting reheated Pro Tory BS.
Nothing original very little truth.
Question…. why the sudden interest for national in reducing class sizes, when…. apparently the previous government didn’t gather any data about class size during their nine year tenure ?
You know those patsy questions that Government MPs are allowed to ask?
Has Nikki Kaye misunderstood the process? Does the Hon Nikki think she should be asking the patsies to allow Chris a free run to demolish her? (Not that the other Opposition questions are much better – looking at you Simon dear boy.)
That is bizarre that they pay Maori/nurses less if they are in primary health and work at Maori health organisations! I thought they all had to be paid the same for experience! That is crazy.
I also think I saw something that those in ‘aged care’ also on average get paid less, and that is why that industry has such a shortage or nurses as it is already hard to get nurses as it is, without paying them less. Of course we all know how the private sector gets away with paying less for nurses…
I wonder how much money would be available for wages if the state took aged care away from the profit gouging private sector and provided for it from the public purse?
I also wonder (have for a long while) what capacity exists for people in aged care facilities to collectively buy their own facilities and provide their own external care requirements via some co-operative arrangement?
I think there is a real opportunity for fair aged care facilities. Apparently a few doctors (maybe in Nelson) have done this and have retirement homes where the residents actually own them and can sell them without any profiteering under the private models and they actually get the medical care as promised (many of the private developers with retirement villages promise the world and fail to deliver such as providing an in care medical facility or community halls) that were promised when elderly bought.
What I can’t work out, is why Grey power is not all over this? Most private aged care is a massive property and fees scams.
Someone was saying it was $7 to wash a sock for example.
Saying that private enterprise is everywhere, with a mother charged $55 for 1 minute late picking up their child.
Why worry about regulation of private practise I wonder?
I wonder how much money would be available for wages if the state took aged care away from the profit gouging private sector and provided for it from the public purse?
Somewhere between 7% and 10% of that spent by the government on the private providers.
I’d heard about this anomaly a few years back and I had assumed it had be sorted.
In that Natrad piece David Clark is quoted…”Health Minister David Clark said nurses in primary health or iwi providers are usually employed by private employers.
While he said he values their work, their pay is not negotiated with the government and the settlement would not be extended to them.”
…as if these providers are not funded through the DHBs….
Now…if the funding package from the DHB to the iwi provider does not allow for the Maori nurses to be on the same payrate as mainstream pubic health/district health nurses then whoever is negotiating the contracts with the DHB or the Ministry of Health need to pull their finger out and do their job. refuse to sign contracts unless equal pay for nurses is part of the package.
It is not as if there are not enough Maori Primary Health Providers do form a collective for better contract bargaining.
” The Ministry is charged with setting the direction for Māori health and guiding the sector as we work to increase access, achieve equity and improve outcomes for Māori.”
Winston Peters in particular, but also Labour, have put their strongly expressed immigration policies from the election campaign on the back burner at least.
Corrin Dann: You told your supporters you wanted it at ten thousand.
Winston Peters: Yeah well I lost the argument because I didn’t get enough votes because people like you said it wouldn’t work. Now you say it will.
It was one of Winston’s most prominent ‘bottom lines’, but he isn’t even bothering to try to hold Labour to their immigration policy.
Immigration was one of the few differences between Labour and NZ First and National. Clearly it was an issue for voters – because the coalition won, not National.
Most of the new migrants themselves don’t want more migrants until something is done about infrastructure and cost of living and they don’t want cheaper and cheaper people coming in either as it’s reducing their own wages too and creating more competition in business and not in a good way, but a race to the bottom.
The only people screaming for more immigration is neoliberal Wellington economists, immigration lawyers and go betweens and bad businesses who don’t pay market wages and conditions (look at what the labour inspector is finding new cases of underpaying near daily and it’s the migrant anti exploitation group championing more inspectors) and our first human trafficking cases!
Way to go, NZ! Fuck over workers, make everyone their own poorly performing ‘business or dependant contractors’ with broken down vehicles, counterfeit and stolen goods being resold and more corner shops with alcohol, cigarettes and synthetic drugs… as well as ensuring after paying for expenses migrant workers earn less than they would in their own countries, Kiwis are leaving key industries in disgust or not going in there in the first place due to the mess and uncertainty.
Lazy non functional immigration policy and the link to paid education tertiary providers, (often with poor quality degrees) is also driving up rents and housing and put strain on all the infrastructure like hospitals, transport and schools. Due to the poor accounting practices of neoliberals they can’t see that the taxpayers are worse off with these constant scams in many ways not just money but reputation.
They also pay so little in taxes with such poor wages that effectively it’s another subsidy from taxpayers to employers. No wonder neoliberals love immigration!
10 years ago I thought immigration was a good thing. Under the current neoliberal version of immigration, I am disgusted how it is being used to create more and more profit for the 1% and exploiters and wreck the environment and create poor quality and unsustainable development with massive bills for the future residents.
Pete George he is in a coalition and he knows being pragmatic wins votes.
PG trying for what being divisive after all your talk about being United and being boringly pragmatic.
Did anyone else come across Parliamentary Debates last night whilst flicking through broadcast TV channels looking for something worthwhile to watch?
I was thinking maybe its time for Bennett or Collins to take some of the new ‘bucks’ under their wing and issue some motherly type guidelines. Remind them that when one of your own is on their feet delivering a speech, the camera is on you too if you’re seated behind. Expectations are for the mandatory ‘NOD’ and fake smile along with the occasional “hear hear!”. Picking your nose, and doing neck and embouchure exercises, along with a thoroughly bored look on your face doesn’t fit with the authoritative image the party wishes to portray.
Paula Bennet’s always acutely aware when she’s “in shot”, so much so that she behaves manically, grimacing, eye-popping, giving great horse-laughs, twisting herself into a pretzel of indignation at anything a Government minister might say or bows of adoration at every squeak from Simon…
Botox I reckon. Face massage and body shape management plus dress planning. All important stuff for Gnashional fillies in the race to power and prestige, jumping high over the fallen bodies of contenders with just the slightest cut from a high-heeled hoof.
“Face massage and body shape management plus dress planning”
Do you really want to go down this road? Is this something only National do or would you like some examples of Labour politicians doing this exact same thing?
Why don’t we try keeping it on the what they do and not what they look like instead
Indeed @PR. We don’t want to give her an excuse to cry victimhood.
Better to create some transformational muppets to mount on the wall across the road in Backbenches.
Do you know if she’s still capable of climbing a ladder or does she have an enterage of coolies to do that for her?
Its not about her crying victimhood its about the idea that its ok to target a female politician, any female politician, over her looks
It suggests that a part of a females worth, or power, is based on her physical attributes
It says that unless a women reaches some level of physical attractiveness (based on who knows what) her views, her politics, are worth less than others
Like your lots constant comments about Helen Clark‘s appearance and sexuality. Eh!
Personally I think there is plenty to condemn Bennett, and we should not be lowering ourselves to the same level as the right wing. Who never gave a shit when Helen Clark or Jacinda Adern was the target.
Bennett has enough to justify, with her continued child abuse, of the hundreds of thousands of children, whose lives they blighted.
‘Like your lots constant comments about Helen Clarkes appearance and sexuality. Eh!’
They were wrong to do so then and they’re wrong to do so now. However, at some point, someone has to say enough is enough otherwise the cycle keeps on keeping on.
‘Personally I think there is plenty to condemn Bennett, and we should not be lowering ourselves to the same level as the right wing. Who never gave a shit when Helen Clark or Jacinda Adern was the target.’
The right should also not lower themselves to the level of the left wing either, we (all of us) should try to be better
well you know me @PR. I’m an equal opportunity targeter. I base my targeting on merit.
But right now darling, I’m wondering whether the ‘sardonically witted’ Scott Eady’s “The Philanthropist’s Stone, (2015 ) is actually a pisstake – especially after the last gNAT Party Conference I saw at MFC where little gNitz were fawning all over it.
I’m waiting for him to come out and confess it’s actually an “Ode to the National Party”. A new re-imaged gNat Blue Column, upon which we mount a polished golf leaf turd, with a few glitter candles randomly poked in the substance.
She reminds me of the generals that stand next to north Korean kim. Hoping to get noticed as the most loyal lacky in the line up . And fearing getting the chop if caught not being fervent enough.
And fearing getting the chop if caught not being fervent enough.
Our Paula would clap and clap and clap…..
For three minutes, four minutes, five minutes, the ‘stormy applause, rising to an ovation’ continued. But palms were getting sore and raised arms werealready aching. And the older people were panting from exhaustion. It was becoming insufferably silly even to those who really adored Stalin. However, who would dare be the first to stop?
Whenever Paula Benefit used that word (and it was frequently) I had a mental picture of her holding up a large bolt of material and running round and round her victims wrapping them up so tight they couldn’t move.
Annette King when she was in the role of deputy leader was much smarter than Paula. Her witticisms flung across the chamber whenever the cameras were on her were not only funny… they used to rile her opponents to the point of sour complaints to the Speaker which he rarely upheld. Occasionally she was made to “withdraw and apologise” which she would carry out with decorum and aplomb (and a lovely smile) and that served to rile them further.
Had to have a chuckle at the attitude of some Auckland air bnb operators.
In a council ‘amnesty’ some hosts put their hands up and were landed with big bills.
“However, Mr Pitch said it was unfair that he should have to pay while others did not”
Oh the irony.
It was fine when he didn’t pay fees that conventional accommodation providers had to.
bit scummy of the council to announce an amnesty then fine people for being honest.
Still, Phil Goff has form for being in power the retrospectively changing things.
Are they back dating the new tourist taxes to the conventional hotel providers too for years, or are they just going to hit the small operators with retrospective taxes. Um think I know the answer…. pick on the small people who probably do that so they can pay their rates in the first place! Thats that new ‘sharing economy’ the neoliberals love so much… extra sharing for big players by the look of it.
Hi savenz, my understanding is that these fees are to bring the smaller operators into line with the conventional providers, i.e.:the ‘big player’s’ have already paid their ‘dues’.
I do agree greed is at the root of most of the problems we face as a society.
I did a few homestay type activity in Auckland a few years ago, very hard work and actually risky as you don’t really get to pre check the guests. I did it to get some extra money at the time because my body corp and expenses was going through the roof, eventually I sold up though.
My guess is a lot of these people might be doing it quite casually to get a bit of extra money so they can pay bills just to keep their house or apartment, not as some sort of extravagant or commercial venture.
There is no way that somebody who might have to pay $10,000 extra in rates would keep going in my view as the amount you would have to charge is huge.
The rental people charge much more for short stay about 20% in fees, you have new booking fees from the on line sites that were not there a few years ago and then high cleaning and laundry costs as well as repairs. There is not a lot of profit and was employing people…
Maybe they should pay extra to the council but not ridiculous amounts more like a charge per guest stay like the hotels, but it should not be retrospective just like the hotel operators are not having to pay retrospectively.
Oh well, those Auckland housing and accomodation shortages, look like they might be getting worse.
savenz
dThe fees have suddenly gone up by 100% or something very large and been backdated. If airbnb people are trying to start a new business and sidle through the side of regulations, and that is unfair, it is still unfair to land them with these sudden high costs.
It is a poke in the eye for the smaller business, the system wants to sequester all the profitable business in NZ, out compete it, out-bureaucratic control it, pay lowering wages and salaries and manipdulate the market supplying our needs, ie produce that can be sold overseas at high prices and charge the same in NZ, wood that we should have for building our own accommodation, houses that we need to live in and so on.
To look further. It is getting to the position that more and more are working just to manage to live, not to have a ‘living’ that satisfies and fulfils human needs, Most of the advantages of trading are absorbed by a small percent of people here and overseas, many of whom are into private equity, and corporates, that business and social commenters point out are inhuman entities and almost like robotic entities served by humans.
Just to cheer you up! Now don’t thank me warmly it’s fine pleased to bring some sunshine to your day. Hah. It is a horrible scenario but we need to look at the darkness, those who aren’t hell-bent-on despising open discussion; the so-called conservatives and ‘common-sense’ types who are cowards and complacent. Heroes who will look at Mordor are needed and some are to be found here. You beauts.
I agree with you greywarshark! But can anybody get it through to a government encapsulated by market lobbyists and neoliberals around them post Natz?
Labour can’t just keep saying pay more taxes and allowing market forces to drive up every price and only focusing on those who live here!
Those that try to make a few xtra dollars aka air B& B are targeted, those that don’t try and are on welfare are told off even though worker shortages in many areas from fruit picking to health assistants could be changed so that conditions are there for workers, (do the figures currently and find out they are worse off after paying their expenses to work accomodation, travel, food etc, that is why they don’t do that anymore, not laziness!)
Now today workers being locked out of a construction site. Why are these firms going under when apparently we are in a construction boom?
It’s nothing to do with the workers and more to do with the process of construction has changed under Rogernomics for example into low wage trickle down, tenders, more tenders, more legal, more paperwork, less emphasis on actually getting in there, and doing the work with a quality crew that is NOT subcontracted to the cheapest worker.
Also if someone from the government mentions unemployed working for the dole under minimum wages, for an employer, I will scream!
Generally the expenses one faces in NZ are above minimum wage levels for a start!
Then add in costs of temp work of only a few weeks to rural areas like fruit picking, costs of accomodation, keeping existing accomodation going to return to, cost of dole being cut off, food which tends to be more expensive as you move around as your basics are still at home… there’s a reason they used to get people in NZ on orchards and now they don’t!
The industry body should provide mini vans for a start for travel and pick up, ensure decent accomodation on site (maybe decent caravans that can go between sites) and provide an above wage to compensate for the temp work and mucking around in that industry!
As well as invest in automation for picking in the future!
But nope, trafficked workers or those not too good at Maths and can’t work out their expenses vs wages, seems to be the go in NZ for industry to rely on!
You’re onto to it sdvenz – one of the stalwarts on here who comes up with ideas not just moans, sneers, simplistic answers, some form of ism, or just a love of being contentious and defending the comfortable though indefensible.
So far in Auckland under Rogernomics Phil, rates rises, petrol taxes introduced, tourist taxes for hotels and now retrospective rates valuations, I hear their is a toilet tax planned as well as a new amount for organic material to be collected separately. None of this apparently can be collected with the billions they already have.
Who doesn’t need to pay a tax at Auckland Council? America’s cup billionaire village, nope no tax for them in fact the ratepayers pay them millions for the tourist opportunity. Million dollar reports for a billion dollar stadium. Westgate developers to make shopping malls, where they are now suing the council over perceived losses…
Oh it really helps to be a multimillionaire developer or at least a billionaire yacht owner or organiser to get the Auckland council to forego taxes, actually give them millions of dollars.
What is wrong with this picture from an inequality perspective and going forward, I wonder?
This is the sort of shit that does my head in and leaves workers deep in the lurch, hopefully with the sorting of MSD some/all of these dumped workers can get adequate support to get by.
Ebert construction folds, contractors arrive to locked gates and can’t get their tools etc back. Good ol’ receivers PWC says contractors “would have to go through the receivership process to get their assets back”
And seems as tho’ Directors may have known up to a week ago that the plug was to be pulled.
What ever happened to being conscientious and maybe giving people a heads up and fairly allowing access to their tools (livelihoods). How much more debt did contractors take on for Ebert in that time that has enlarged the albatrosses now around their necks?
hi john, listening to the receiver on rnz, his reasoning for having the gates locked was protecting the assets of the workers.
he reckoned that the contractors would thieve other workers gear.
i suppose, as a receiver, he is used to people with greedy hearts.
not everyone is motivated by getting anothers share of the pie.
funny how workers almost always take a hit in loss of wages and income, yet there is enough money to pay receivers, accountants and lawyers- parasites in my eyes.
while i am at it: when do directors pay for the consequences of their governance, either from their own full wallets or gaol time?
Gsays, my guess is the last thing on the receivers minds is protecting the workers. They will get nothing!
But will the government clean up this practise of screwing over small construction firms and subcontractors?
So far, nope, they will listen to rich lobbyists and big construction industry multinationals saying, we need more workers we can’t fill shortages, and then they import in cheap workers, so that the original developer who failed to run their business properly and goes under is back the next week, has more’new workers to exploit and the ones not being paid, go under themselves and cause a domino effect to the economy and leave the industry in disgust.
How come they can’t be escorted in to get their tools? They need their boxes of socket sets, drills etc and it should be a case of government imposing some sort of anti-lien thing so that the company just can’t perform what is a sort of theft or denial of rights and access. Come on government central and local. You don’t seem to have any idea about business and how much effort and personal investment goes into one, or just being a contractor- John Campbell has been filling his last period with RadioNZ with a close look at the travails of contractors who have responded with some interesting anecdotes of what they have to put up with.
The idea at present is that you go to university, or tertiary, pay for your education and that automatically gets you on the way to a good salary working for some entity, and you pay back for your education. All’s sweet.
That’s probably what all the policy and law makers did. No idea of entrepreneurship, starting a physical business, and the extra costs in actually making things rather than getting a keyboard and buying an app and setting off as a smart alec in touch with the latest memes and in tune with the tech future. Bollocks.
The tech future is a bunch of isolated anomic people who have given up the idea of true interacting and helpful communities living in a harmonious, and sustainable way, respecting each other’s strengths and expecting them to limit their weaknesses, willing to give a hand to others but expecting reciprocal attitudes, having freedom of choice so diversity but having concern for others. They won’t have to be perfect. They wons’t have to meet some sociopaths unreasonable time limits forced on them to keep up with the competition, talking at a rate of knots as if they are on speed. They will live on less money and be shabby chic as part of their style but not part of a fashion, making things and selling them using tech as an accessory, not their whole life frame.
MXD should get dumped. A Ministry of Small Business and Enterprise should be in its place. This would help people get some enterprise going and set up markets and promotions so people can trade on top of whatever benefit they are being paid. At present the desire is to push people intoi poverty and then sneer at them for being needy and unable to manage their lives. It’s a real ‘bitch’ of an attitude in the worst sense, and is so old-fashioned and classist, we talk about Dickens and we are not wrong to compare with his scenarios.
The idea would be to have everyone involved with their community, making stuff, helping whatever, and it would include volunteering which would be regarded as work if having a positive outcome and keeping to reasonable standards. Education and goals would be a base of people’s lives.
Retired people would have a special place in the community as elders who were wise, and to help that wisdom they would be expected to do some education and then choose what area they would concentrate on to pass on their wisdom.
Mentoring would be big on their agenda.
Less rentiers and more doers of positive assistance. And wouldn’t cost more than MSD and their poisonous soul-destroying methods led by Shipley and Richardson.
New leaders will revitalise us and wipe the crime statistics rise way down. Deadbeat dads will have a place in society where they can be good citizens and better role models to their children, even if rather inadequate.
‘This displays an absolute contempt for voters, not to mention bad faith. If they weren’t willing to consider amendments, why did they even bother asking for submissions? It would have been more honest to say “we’re passing this, fuck you” from the outset – at least that way all those people wouldn’t have wasted their time.’
Shame when blogs are doing a better job at reporting whats happening then the MSM are
Been happening for a long time, the politicians including councils are grossly out of touch and reducing democracy by their behaviour and have been for at least a decade+.
Problem here in NZ the Directors and the Management are never held accountable it is normally the small shareholders and the workers or contractors who end up sucking on the kumara ?
It’s not just here in NZ. In fact, we seem to be copying the worst aspects of letting the rich get away with their actions that cause massive damage to society that we see in the US/UK.
How has this happened? How has the plutocracy, particularly the financial elite, been able to get away with crashing major economies, while maintaining their power and making others pay for its mistakes? In the UK, they’ve got away with it by blaming the public sector, the previous Labour government, and penalising and stigmatising those who have least to do with the crisis – the unemployed and other people on benefits. Remarkably, despite being key players in the most serious economic crisis for 80 years, the City of London and Wall Street have effectively seen off any threats to their power, and deepened their grip on politics. How come they seem to control everything when no one voted for them?
The thing is that Treasury iis lately always on the side of business, usually big business, and has been taught to despise government as being inefficient and spenders. Why that should be a bad thing is not clear. National have spent on roads and have lost big money for the country by underwriting large and ineffective or failing technology programs.
Treasury can help RW governments stay in power by showing them how to have tax cuts, and diminished services but still maintain living standards for the wealthy. Inevitably the people will buck at the services becoming non-existent, or scanty or random. Then the left wing comes in and tries to fix the problems somehow, but they have to keep the wealthy happy because otherwise the businessmen and women will throw their dummies out and go wah. So Labour/Coalition goes ahead and starts remedying the cracks in the system spending on delayed maintenance that has become structural. Then the RW starts the refrain that they are spenders and will put taxes up.
And that is the unhealthy situation where the wealthy instead of feeling grateful and happy to belong to such a bonzer little country with bonzer people, become class conscious and don’t want even the shadow of a brown hoodied person in their ‘hood. NZ camaraderie and togetherness has broken down under the onslaught of constant disruption caused bythe combination of neo lib economics and the free market abandonment of NZ manufacturers. Unfortunately that seems the only cohesive system in the country, and it is anti people and so the country.
“I think it’s clear that the Taliban, the Afghan government, and the Afghan people as a whole are more ready for peace than ever. At this point, there is a need for assurances from the U.S. side that they will be willing to withdraw their troops, or at least modify their deployments, and that they will accept the result of talks among Afghans,” said Barnett Rubin, a senior fellow at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University. “The problem is that any sustainable peace deal also needs to have involvement from other countries in the region, including Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, and India.
The current administration is unable to even cooperate with Canada, so successfully engineering such a deal doesn’t seem very likely.”
lols to Canada
Which underscores not only the negative effect of the Trump administration on world peace, but also how necessary hard diplomatic work with multiple parties really is to get lasting results.
Oh dear.
Pauline Kingi has resigned from the enquiry into the process of appointment of Mr Wally Haumaha.
So the unpleasant Bishop has undermined the integrity of a good person.
I’m inclined to agree PR. I’d go further and ask how on Earth could Martin think that after such a public endorsement of this disgraceful cop, it would be appropriate for Kingi to look into the circumstances of his near Top Cop job?
Yes Bishop and Co were just gleaning political milage out of this and I’d hazard they really don’t give a shit about the effect Wally’s words had on his mates’ victims, but his appointment was wrong and appointing a known fan of his to look into it.
Very, very sad. And Tracey Martin again confirmed my respect for her in how she handled Bishop and the other Nats constantly interrupting etc in today’s Question 8 on this issue.
Oh dear dear dear deary me!
Eric Watson and Owen Glenn. What an unseemly display!
Does anyone know where Eric has chosen his bolt hole? Greenland maybe, or somewhere up a Southland Fjord. Those 1st World problems eh? Such a bugger!!!
Half finished apartment blocks and new housing estates that were never occupied litter the landscape in Europe and North America. Is this how the housing bubble bursts here as well?
Good morning The Am Show that was the bird sign that Winston gave brownly .
The AllBIRDS Shoe range made from sugar kane rubber is cool I will by a set of there low carbon jandles most of te SUGAR should be made in rubber
Condolences to all those people who have lost love ones and there houses we have to respect Papatuanuku more than we are at the moment . We can stop using OIL the OIL Baron’s have been blocking any proudct that compeets with OIL thats they way cheats behave I see there is a good story on the stuff website Main story
My computa is playing up muppets once again Ka kite ano P.S so this is short and sweet
Many thanks to Stuff website in Aotearoa for showing the good kiwis the truth of how te tangata whenua whenua was ripped from them with tricks cheats and lies thats a fact link below Ka kite ano
I see the neo liberal TROLL’S jumped on that first story I posted above pushing there dumb payed for troll views on the good kiwis.
The facts are the NZ Company and the Crown set OUT to suppress te tangata whenua right from the start of contact with tangata whenua.
The trolls chose not to hear that the waitangi settlements payments has been less than 1c in the dollar Ask Garth Morgan .
These idiots who say what about being thank full for what the crown gave tangata whenua . Thanks for treating us like second rate people in our own land thanks for charging us for rent’s that take one person wage’s to pay for a moldy house .
Thanks for treating Eco Maori like a criminal when I have worked hard since I was 14 I did not steal or cheat I have been honest with everyone I have met and worked hard for all my employers but that’s not good enough these people expect tangata to kiss there ASS sorry Eco Maori will not kiss anyone ASS why should I bow down because I’m Tangata whenua to anyone.
There are many native people around Papatuanuku who are thriving without the British Crown being part of there society . Tangata whenua should be in the flash cars the flash houses and flash jobs we can not even enjoy the beautiful sights around Aotearoa how many tangata whenua do you see at all these flash Holiday locations why we can not afford a holiday because we are struggling to stay afloat so thanks for that .
How did bill english probably not his original family name get to were he is with land ripped from tangata that’s how and that’s the point the troll’s are choosing to ignore
All the wealthy people of new zealand are were they are from land ripped from tangata whenua Ana to kai ka kite ano link below
I say that Te Wananga O Aotearoa should chase this industry one of the fastest growing industry’s on Papatuanuku
I dream of te tangata whenua atua’s being main characters on video games and becoming the number 1 game in Papatuanuku I wanted to keep this to my self and set up the process to achieve this but what can one broke tane do so when I saw this story I decided It does not matter who achieve’s this task just as long as the idea lifts all te tangata whenua mana .
People will tell you it cannot be achieved don’t listen to them just find away to achieve the goal of a large tangata whenua gaming and ap programing industry link below.
Another mess by national party after they changed the family court law the amount of warrents to take childred from there care givers rose sharply by 50%
Eco Maori is connecting the dots on many of these topics . link below ka kite ano.
I take 11 year old whane mokopuna to the hosptial they give her something to make here sleep in my absence they do not tell me this fact the Doctor ask her some questions that are totally obscene as if she been abused. I have taken her to the hosptial 3 times she stayed 2 nites at the hospital I take her back today and nothing no service And to top it all off my daugter told me she read the notes and it say’s they pregnancy tested her urine.
While the cops hide around the corner praying to get shit on Eco Moari also we still don’t no what’s wrong with our mokopuna we have had know advice on how to solve this problem with our mokopunas health problems thats how the CROWN treats tangata whenua I will be dragging there ASSES over the hot coals of te high COURT Muppets
Ka kite ano P.S you see tangata Eco Maori is dealing with RED NECK SCUM
Good evening Newshub Thats the way pay employers the dole to train tangata in the traded house building industry.
I don’t know enough on the waitangi settlement that was sign in parliament today .
I have my option on the treaty settelments industry I will inform you later .
I will go buy some of those shoes and jandles that are carbon neutral that are
AllBirds Eco Maori admires all the birds on Papatuanuku ka pai.
There you go Mike our tangata whenua culture is being noticed all around Papatuanku J-Lo has noticed it thanks for this story .
Fonterra is smelling the milk A2 milk is a high value milk product which is what Fonterra was formed to do provide more value for OUR farmers shows you what a change of generals can do to a organization.
Hope the weather is going to warm up soon Ingrid
Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild Markere and Mulls yes the judges must have been blind not to see that the head but in the second round of Joe Parkers fight and now the cheat trys to say he had a broken hand.
Well many thanks to Wyatt for his 200 games for the Crusaders thats a great mile stone I see Joe Moody is te tangata whenua ka pai .
Yes Mark Graeme deserves his inclusion in to the NRL Hall of Fame I see Big Mal Manenga got a jacket to Ka pai I remember when they were playing and Wally Lewes they are hard men.
Ka kite ano P.S you know I will be cheering the Crusaders on this weekend
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – 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 of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
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Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
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. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
With climate change now so evident by what we’re seeing in the Northern Hemisphere, it is clear only radical and abrupt action will mitigate devastating effects for complex life on Earth.
The bacteria must be happy the Earth is run by psychopaths, devout believers in a capitalist system which is devouring the Earth.
Yes Ed so true;
But the captians of industry is hard fixed only on profit -profit!!!!
They aere blindly seeking just more profit while our ‘Rome’ burns as they no care or responsibility for what they do.
Tomorrow could be the last day of earths existence and the corporates would still be trying to make that last buck.
There needs to be major wide sweeping law changes to curb their power and restrict their activities.
“There needs to be major wide sweeping law changes to curb their power and restrict their activities.”
The call from most lefties since forever.
Yes. And failure to heed that call has resulted in wildfires in the artic circle, toxic rivers, and so on.
Soon the repercussions will effect something or someone you do actually care about.
Since democracy gave 1 vote to
1 person the Tory agenda is to undermine the power of democracy.
Gossipboy your part of this cynical undermining.
But gossipboy you would be nothing if it weren’t for the benefits of the universal vote.
Whatever. What is clear is the left haven’t worked out how to change the system dramatically using the levers they have available.
What’s clear is that you’d rather focus on the failure of the left to clean up the messes capitalism causes than consider how to stop capitalism causing those problems in the first place.
In the US both Republicans and Democrats are trying to do just that by getting money out of politics there by bringing in another amendment to their constitution. As long as the big corporations can legally bribe Lawmakers to ignore the majority of a countries people there can never be a true democracy. Republicans fell for trumps words during his campaign to drain the swamp. Far from draining it, he actually just replaced the mild swamp monsters with their more dangerous versions. Until true democracy is restored in the US we have little hope in NZ of doing much. We can negotiate with the American people for valid change, but we can not negotiate with politicians paid off to ignore the will of the people and ignore those corporations ignoring what rules there are against pollution. If anyone else deliberately ignored rules or safety measures and spilled the sorts of industrial wastes they do on a regular basis stole billions of dollars in money via scams they would be thrown in jail. The heads of corporations however sometimes might throw an underling under a bus or pay a small fine that does not even make a dent in the profits they made from breaking the rules because they have the lawmakers in their pockets to ignore what they are doing.
At the moment the 3 big superpowers of the US, Russia, and China have to much power and policies being fueled by greedy people.
Climate change mitigation money at the UN was billions, what did they do with it all?
All up in smoke on “Reseach”? I couldn’t find any info that looked accountable.
Why don’t they put something in the aviation fuel, surely more photochemical smog would reduce the warming? Like that AdBlue stuff, but for cloud seeding.
Anyone seen any reports on progress with these mitigation technologies? Seems that smog from Chinese industry is the planet’s current saviour, blocking out the heat. Hope they don’t get too clean too fast. Could more dust storms be our lucky escape? answer?
We send our hopes for a good meeting while overseas Winston; –
Thanks for being a caretaker for Governmment while Jacinda was on leave you did great; – and while away, we hope you keep an eye on National meddling in our new Government poliices, as National are trying to sabotage our political system at present.
Welcome back to parlament Jacinda, we love the family pictures and the new baby is stunning – wel done mom.
We will watch Parliament today.
+ 100% was just thinking what a stellar job Winston has done over the last six weeks.
Thanks Winston, all the best for your mission overseas.
Agree Cinny
Winston very impressive.
Winston didn’t even need to bring his A game while filling in. The second string National party front bench just cannot lie as easily as John Key.
Hi clean green.
As a very casual observer of the goings on in Wellington, I have no idea of how and when to watch parliament.
Any tips?
G, you can tune in from 2pm… Question time is live from 2pm to around about 3pm. Sitting days vary, but when Parliament is in session question time runs from Tues-Thursday inclusive. After which there is the general debates etc
Here is the link for the live stream
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament
Or tune in via Freeview, channel 31
Hope that helps 🙂
Forgot to add, that question time on sitting days re-screens at 6pm.
And…. if you head to the “In The House” youtube channel you can catch up there… here is the link for that 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/user/inthehouseNZ/videos
thanks cinny and tony below, i will endeavour to pry myself away from the workshop and tune in.
i hope i can finish the cape cod chair i am building by then.
You can go direct to Radionz and The House.
A report comes on 6.55pm weeknights giving their report on the latest.
Legislation, issues and insights from Parliament (RNZ)
Permanent page to click on to:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/the-house
Use Radionz, slimmed down to RNZ.. or I fear lose it – RNZ..RN…R………..?
Question time also repeats at 10pm on sitting days.
More use if you actually go out to work during the day.
The On Demand on the Parliament website is handy as you can just pick the interesting questions to watch.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?oral=true
On Demand – Questions.
Alwynger Take your own advice and set up a privately funded charter school that teaches creationism.
You really are a total nut job aren’t you?
I have never proposed such a thing. But you are so stupid that you don’t realise that.
OK you idiot. Produce evidence that I have ever advocated “creationism” as being sensible.
Otherwise why don’t you just keep your stupid mouth shut.
Channel 31 on Freeview – Question time from 2pm to about 3pm.
Entertaining stuff!
Channel 31 on Freeview – Question time from 2pm to about 3pm.
Entertaining stuff!
edit – snap, Cinny beat me to it!
Tony, sync… awesomesauce that should always happen… and just did 🙂
lol Cinny. We shall have to stop meeting like this!!!
As well as watching live online, you can also watch all past sessions of Parliament via the Watch/On Demand options on the Parliament website. Here is a rough summary of what is available via the Watch option on the Parliament website I threw together for another purpose recently.
The main Parliament site link is – https://www.parliament.nz/en
Choose the Watch option – https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/
You then have the choice of Live, On Demand, Video or Audio – and that page also provides this link to a Help page for watching and listening:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/footer/website-help/the-parliament-tv-and-radio-page-explained/
The “Live” option allows live watching of Parliament including Question Time and all other sittings of the House. When Parliament TV is not broadcasting live content, it shows information from select committees about submissions on bills, petitions and inquiries – including closing dates.
The “On Demand” option allows you “access to over 30,000 individual videos of Parliament TV content” – https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand
There is a generic selection choice of Oral Questions or All. However, The On Demand options were updated earlier this year allowing much better filtering and search choices – Title Search, Subject, Dates (from/to), People (MPs by name including past MPs no longer in the House) and Stage (long list of drop down options).
The main “Video” Option offers a whole range of informative videos on various Parliamentary procedures – eg how to make submissions, NZ sign language etc – and other related matters. For example, the latest addition is a one hour video “Celebrating 125 years of women’s suffrage”.
The main “Audio” option allows you listen live to Parliament online and also offers a range of Podcasts on various subjects including “An owners guide for Parliament”. I note that these have not been added to since 2017.
However, RNZ run regular “In the House” podcasts on what is happening in Parliament which can be found here – http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/the-house
Jacinda is not due today. One said midnight Thursday, another midnight Wednesday.
Peters flies out midnight tonight to Singapore for ASEAN and meeting US Sec of State, Mike Pompeo.
Should have added that JA is apparently staying in Auckland until the weekend then moving into Premier House in Wellington with Clarke and baby over the weekend and staying there for the next two weeks when Parliament is sitting although may be doing some day trips elsewhere over that time. Presumably back to Auckland about 17 Aug for the two week Parliamentary recess over the weeks starting 20 and 27 August.
Yeah, he really stood up for the NZ citizen put in custody by the Israelis. You must be so proud /sarc.
Gossipboy he was arrested in international waters and tasered.
Gossipboy you haven’t got any balls your just a minion who is like a tagger hiding behind the bushes Trumpeting reheated Pro Tory BS.
Nothing original very little truth.
Question…. why the sudden interest for national in reducing class sizes, when…. apparently the previous government didn’t gather any data about class size during their nine year tenure ?
Chris Hipkins yesterday, good work.
I think the answer might be in here:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/105910145/primary-principals-and-teachers-to-strike-for-a-day
I reckon it is good old wedge politics by National, divide and conquer, and attack the Government when & where it’s vulnerable.
Thanks Incognito, makes sense.
So many messes for our new government to clean up.
Hipkins was all over her. Nice work.
You know those patsy questions that Government MPs are allowed to ask?
Has Nikki Kaye misunderstood the process? Does the Hon Nikki think she should be asking the patsies to allow Chris a free run to demolish her? (Not that the other Opposition questions are much better – looking at you Simon dear boy.)
That was hilarious, basically turned into a patsy question for the government.
Worth noting this –
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/363093/nurses-pay-rise-won-t-benefit-most-maori-nurses
That is bizarre that they pay Maori/nurses less if they are in primary health and work at Maori health organisations! I thought they all had to be paid the same for experience! That is crazy.
I also think I saw something that those in ‘aged care’ also on average get paid less, and that is why that industry has such a shortage or nurses as it is already hard to get nurses as it is, without paying them less. Of course we all know how the private sector gets away with paying less for nurses…
I wonder how much money would be available for wages if the state took aged care away from the profit gouging private sector and provided for it from the public purse?
I also wonder (have for a long while) what capacity exists for people in aged care facilities to collectively buy their own facilities and provide their own external care requirements via some co-operative arrangement?
I think there is a real opportunity for fair aged care facilities. Apparently a few doctors (maybe in Nelson) have done this and have retirement homes where the residents actually own them and can sell them without any profiteering under the private models and they actually get the medical care as promised (many of the private developers with retirement villages promise the world and fail to deliver such as providing an in care medical facility or community halls) that were promised when elderly bought.
What I can’t work out, is why Grey power is not all over this? Most private aged care is a massive property and fees scams.
Someone was saying it was $7 to wash a sock for example.
Saying that private enterprise is everywhere, with a mother charged $55 for 1 minute late picking up their child.
Why worry about regulation of private practise I wonder?
This case of disgusting private sector price gouging was reported on TVNZ just in the last day or so.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/fair-go-moving-retirement-village-costs-family-large-chunk-inheritance
Somewhere between 7% and 10% of that spent by the government on the private providers.
I’d heard about this anomaly a few years back and I had assumed it had be sorted.
In that Natrad piece David Clark is quoted…”Health Minister David Clark said nurses in primary health or iwi providers are usually employed by private employers.
While he said he values their work, their pay is not negotiated with the government and the settlement would not be extended to them.”
…as if these providers are not funded through the DHBs….
which according to this….https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/services-and-support/health-care-services/maori-health-provider-directory …they are.
Now…if the funding package from the DHB to the iwi provider does not allow for the Maori nurses to be on the same payrate as mainstream pubic health/district health nurses then whoever is negotiating the contracts with the DHB or the Ministry of Health need to pull their finger out and do their job. refuse to sign contracts unless equal pay for nurses is part of the package.
It is not as if there are not enough Maori Primary Health Providers do form a collective for better contract bargaining.
and…the funding MUST be provided as …https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/populations/maori-health?mega=Our%20work&title=M%C4%81ori%20health…
” The Ministry is charged with setting the direction for Māori health and guiding the sector as we work to increase access, achieve equity and improve outcomes for Māori.”
There is a collective of iwi healthcare providers and in 2016 they commissioned this report…
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5747ba3ff85082e7c411b01a/t/57e0730359cc68c115b5dbf6/1474327304488/NHC-Primary+Care+Sustainability+Paper+-+Web+Edition.pdf
“The Sustainability of
Very High-Needs
Primary Care Practices
in a Capitated Environment”
….which may shed some light into the dark places.
Winston Peters in particular, but also Labour, have put their strongly expressed immigration policies from the election campaign on the back burner at least.
Corrin Dann: You told your supporters you wanted it at ten thousand.
Winston Peters: Yeah well I lost the argument because I didn’t get enough votes because people like you said it wouldn’t work. Now you say it will.
It was one of Winston’s most prominent ‘bottom lines’, but he isn’t even bothering to try to hold Labour to their immigration policy.
https://yournz.org/2018/07/31/government-so-far-reneged-on-immigration-promises/
Good point though petey, wasn’t it.
Immigration was one of the few differences between Labour and NZ First and National. Clearly it was an issue for voters – because the coalition won, not National.
Most of the new migrants themselves don’t want more migrants until something is done about infrastructure and cost of living and they don’t want cheaper and cheaper people coming in either as it’s reducing their own wages too and creating more competition in business and not in a good way, but a race to the bottom.
The only people screaming for more immigration is neoliberal Wellington economists, immigration lawyers and go betweens and bad businesses who don’t pay market wages and conditions (look at what the labour inspector is finding new cases of underpaying near daily and it’s the migrant anti exploitation group championing more inspectors) and our first human trafficking cases!
Way to go, NZ! Fuck over workers, make everyone their own poorly performing ‘business or dependant contractors’ with broken down vehicles, counterfeit and stolen goods being resold and more corner shops with alcohol, cigarettes and synthetic drugs… as well as ensuring after paying for expenses migrant workers earn less than they would in their own countries, Kiwis are leaving key industries in disgust or not going in there in the first place due to the mess and uncertainty.
Lazy non functional immigration policy and the link to paid education tertiary providers, (often with poor quality degrees) is also driving up rents and housing and put strain on all the infrastructure like hospitals, transport and schools. Due to the poor accounting practices of neoliberals they can’t see that the taxpayers are worse off with these constant scams in many ways not just money but reputation.
They also pay so little in taxes with such poor wages that effectively it’s another subsidy from taxpayers to employers. No wonder neoliberals love immigration!
10 years ago I thought immigration was a good thing. Under the current neoliberal version of immigration, I am disgusted how it is being used to create more and more profit for the 1% and exploiters and wreck the environment and create poor quality and unsustainable development with massive bills for the future residents.
Pete George he is in a coalition and he knows being pragmatic wins votes.
PG trying for what being divisive after all your talk about being United and being boringly pragmatic.
Did anyone else come across Parliamentary Debates last night whilst flicking through broadcast TV channels looking for something worthwhile to watch?
I was thinking maybe its time for Bennett or Collins to take some of the new ‘bucks’ under their wing and issue some motherly type guidelines. Remind them that when one of your own is on their feet delivering a speech, the camera is on you too if you’re seated behind. Expectations are for the mandatory ‘NOD’ and fake smile along with the occasional “hear hear!”. Picking your nose, and doing neck and embouchure exercises, along with a thoroughly bored look on your face doesn’t fit with the authoritative image the party wishes to portray.
Yeah things like that really make me despair, i mean how hard is it to just simply assume that the camera is on you always and to act accordingly
Paula Bennet’s always acutely aware when she’s “in shot”, so much so that she behaves manically, grimacing, eye-popping, giving great horse-laughs, twisting herself into a pretzel of indignation at anything a Government minister might say or bows of adoration at every squeak from Simon…
Yep. The perfect MP to provide some training in the art of media synthetics. There’s probably a future earn in it for her when the knives come out.
I’d have thought media training would have covered how not to look like a twat on camera, I guess not
She always looks to me as though she’s on some sort of drug!
Botox I reckon. Face massage and body shape management plus dress planning. All important stuff for Gnashional fillies in the race to power and prestige, jumping high over the fallen bodies of contenders with just the slightest cut from a high-heeled hoof.
“Face massage and body shape management plus dress planning”
Do you really want to go down this road? Is this something only National do or would you like some examples of Labour politicians doing this exact same thing?
Why don’t we try keeping it on the what they do and not what they look like instead
Indeed @PR. We don’t want to give her an excuse to cry victimhood.
Better to create some transformational muppets to mount on the wall across the road in Backbenches.
Do you know if she’s still capable of climbing a ladder or does she have an enterage of coolies to do that for her?
Its not about her crying victimhood its about the idea that its ok to target a female politician, any female politician, over her looks
It suggests that a part of a females worth, or power, is based on her physical attributes
It says that unless a women reaches some level of physical attractiveness (based on who knows what) her views, her politics, are worth less than others
I thought she was an alien lizard, just like the rest of the National caucus.
Certainly any trace of human empathy and concern, has been long removed.
As I say if theres a politician you don’t like or agree with because of their policies or actions then focus on that, its all good
Like your lots constant comments about Helen Clark‘s appearance and sexuality. Eh!
Personally I think there is plenty to condemn Bennett, and we should not be lowering ourselves to the same level as the right wing. Who never gave a shit when Helen Clark or Jacinda Adern was the target.
Bennett has enough to justify, with her continued child abuse, of the hundreds of thousands of children, whose lives they blighted.
‘Like your lots constant comments about Helen Clarkes appearance and sexuality. Eh!’
They were wrong to do so then and they’re wrong to do so now. However, at some point, someone has to say enough is enough otherwise the cycle keeps on keeping on.
‘Personally I think there is plenty to condemn Bennett, and we should not be lowering ourselves to the same level as the right wing. Who never gave a shit when Helen Clark or Jacinda Adern was the target.’
The right should also not lower themselves to the level of the left wing either, we (all of us) should try to be better
I agree there.
well you know me @PR. I’m an equal opportunity targeter. I base my targeting on merit.
But right now darling, I’m wondering whether the ‘sardonically witted’ Scott Eady’s “The Philanthropist’s Stone, (2015 ) is actually a pisstake – especially after the last gNAT Party Conference I saw at MFC where little gNitz were fawning all over it.
I’m waiting for him to come out and confess it’s actually an “Ode to the National Party”. A new re-imaged gNat Blue Column, upon which we mount a polished golf leaf turd, with a few glitter candles randomly poked in the substance.
I agree.
Ditto. It is getting well over the top.
Mind you, this last night was well beyond the pale IMHO, particularly the last para, even if the comment it was responding to was itself a step too far.
https://thestandard.org.nz/reason-73-why-charter-schools-are-wrong-they-teach-creationism/#comment-1508569
Same person at similar time. https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-30-07-2018/#comment-1508568
Wow, someone popped a fuse there.
Someone needs a hug, or a lie down. Theres passionate and theres being a dick.
Yes, botox for sure – but that constant leer looks manic to me
She reminds me of the generals that stand next to north Korean kim. Hoping to get noticed as the most loyal lacky in the line up . And fearing getting the chop if caught not being fervent enough.
joe90
What an apt quote. You take the cake – the biggest piece for you.
Sounds like book I should keep an eye out for . Although I need no more proof of my own species idiocy.
btw, I reckon she misread the dose.
But you know, she’s happy and comfy, so no harm done eh?
No need for an intervention or a ‘wraparound’ service just yet
Thanks for the laugh OWT. “Wraparound.”
Whenever Paula Benefit used that word (and it was frequently) I had a mental picture of her holding up a large bolt of material and running round and round her victims wrapping them up so tight they couldn’t move.
She overdoes it doesn’t she Robert. 🙂
Annette King when she was in the role of deputy leader was much smarter than Paula. Her witticisms flung across the chamber whenever the cameras were on her were not only funny… they used to rile her opponents to the point of sour complaints to the Speaker which he rarely upheld. Occasionally she was made to “withdraw and apologise” which she would carry out with decorum and aplomb (and a lovely smile) and that served to rile them further.
Fighting for her political life now that Simon has chucked her under the benefit bus.
Had to have a chuckle at the attitude of some Auckland air bnb operators.
In a council ‘amnesty’ some hosts put their hands up and were landed with big bills.
“However, Mr Pitch said it was unfair that he should have to pay while others did not”
Oh the irony.
It was fine when he didn’t pay fees that conventional accommodation providers had to.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/363069/airbnb-hosts-angered-by-auckland-council-s-retrospective-bed-tax
bit scummy of the council to announce an amnesty then fine people for being honest.
Still, Phil Goff has form for being in power the retrospectively changing things.
Hi tuppence shrewsbury, from what I have read, there is talk of rates and tax.
There is no mention of fines.
Do you know of otherwise, or are you making things up?
Are they back dating the new tourist taxes to the conventional hotel providers too for years, or are they just going to hit the small operators with retrospective taxes. Um think I know the answer…. pick on the small people who probably do that so they can pay their rates in the first place! Thats that new ‘sharing economy’ the neoliberals love so much… extra sharing for big players by the look of it.
Hi savenz, my understanding is that these fees are to bring the smaller operators into line with the conventional providers, i.e.:the ‘big player’s’ have already paid their ‘dues’.
I do agree greed is at the root of most of the problems we face as a society.
I did a few homestay type activity in Auckland a few years ago, very hard work and actually risky as you don’t really get to pre check the guests. I did it to get some extra money at the time because my body corp and expenses was going through the roof, eventually I sold up though.
My guess is a lot of these people might be doing it quite casually to get a bit of extra money so they can pay bills just to keep their house or apartment, not as some sort of extravagant or commercial venture.
There is no way that somebody who might have to pay $10,000 extra in rates would keep going in my view as the amount you would have to charge is huge.
The rental people charge much more for short stay about 20% in fees, you have new booking fees from the on line sites that were not there a few years ago and then high cleaning and laundry costs as well as repairs. There is not a lot of profit and was employing people…
Maybe they should pay extra to the council but not ridiculous amounts more like a charge per guest stay like the hotels, but it should not be retrospective just like the hotel operators are not having to pay retrospectively.
Oh well, those Auckland housing and accomodation shortages, look like they might be getting worse.
hey clearly you have far more experience than me in all this.
it is an example of a lumbering bureaucracy trying to keep up and control new business models.
i feel you are right that most operators are looking for a supplementary income as opposed to building an empire.
my point was the squealing nature of ‘it’s not fair’ when they were asked to pay their dues, very steep as they may appear.
savenz
dThe fees have suddenly gone up by 100% or something very large and been backdated. If airbnb people are trying to start a new business and sidle through the side of regulations, and that is unfair, it is still unfair to land them with these sudden high costs.
It is a poke in the eye for the smaller business, the system wants to sequester all the profitable business in NZ, out compete it, out-bureaucratic control it, pay lowering wages and salaries and manipdulate the market supplying our needs, ie produce that can be sold overseas at high prices and charge the same in NZ, wood that we should have for building our own accommodation, houses that we need to live in and so on.
To look further. It is getting to the position that more and more are working just to manage to live, not to have a ‘living’ that satisfies and fulfils human needs, Most of the advantages of trading are absorbed by a small percent of people here and overseas, many of whom are into private equity, and corporates, that business and social commenters point out are inhuman entities and almost like robotic entities served by humans.
Just to cheer you up! Now don’t thank me warmly it’s fine pleased to bring some sunshine to your day. Hah. It is a horrible scenario but we need to look at the darkness, those who aren’t hell-bent-on despising open discussion; the so-called conservatives and ‘common-sense’ types who are cowards and complacent. Heroes who will look at Mordor are needed and some are to be found here. You beauts.
I agree with you greywarshark! But can anybody get it through to a government encapsulated by market lobbyists and neoliberals around them post Natz?
Labour can’t just keep saying pay more taxes and allowing market forces to drive up every price and only focusing on those who live here!
Those that try to make a few xtra dollars aka air B& B are targeted, those that don’t try and are on welfare are told off even though worker shortages in many areas from fruit picking to health assistants could be changed so that conditions are there for workers, (do the figures currently and find out they are worse off after paying their expenses to work accomodation, travel, food etc, that is why they don’t do that anymore, not laziness!)
Now today workers being locked out of a construction site. Why are these firms going under when apparently we are in a construction boom?
It’s nothing to do with the workers and more to do with the process of construction has changed under Rogernomics for example into low wage trickle down, tenders, more tenders, more legal, more paperwork, less emphasis on actually getting in there, and doing the work with a quality crew that is NOT subcontracted to the cheapest worker.
Also if someone from the government mentions unemployed working for the dole under minimum wages, for an employer, I will scream!
Generally the expenses one faces in NZ are above minimum wage levels for a start!
Then add in costs of temp work of only a few weeks to rural areas like fruit picking, costs of accomodation, keeping existing accomodation going to return to, cost of dole being cut off, food which tends to be more expensive as you move around as your basics are still at home… there’s a reason they used to get people in NZ on orchards and now they don’t!
The industry body should provide mini vans for a start for travel and pick up, ensure decent accomodation on site (maybe decent caravans that can go between sites) and provide an above wage to compensate for the temp work and mucking around in that industry!
As well as invest in automation for picking in the future!
But nope, trafficked workers or those not too good at Maths and can’t work out their expenses vs wages, seems to be the go in NZ for industry to rely on!
You’re onto to it sdvenz – one of the stalwarts on here who comes up with ideas not just moans, sneers, simplistic answers, some form of ism, or just a love of being contentious and defending the comfortable though indefensible.
So far in Auckland under Rogernomics Phil, rates rises, petrol taxes introduced, tourist taxes for hotels and now retrospective rates valuations, I hear their is a toilet tax planned as well as a new amount for organic material to be collected separately. None of this apparently can be collected with the billions they already have.
Who doesn’t need to pay a tax at Auckland Council? America’s cup billionaire village, nope no tax for them in fact the ratepayers pay them millions for the tourist opportunity. Million dollar reports for a billion dollar stadium. Westgate developers to make shopping malls, where they are now suing the council over perceived losses…
Oh it really helps to be a multimillionaire developer or at least a billionaire yacht owner or organiser to get the Auckland council to forego taxes, actually give them millions of dollars.
What is wrong with this picture from an inequality perspective and going forward, I wonder?
This is the sort of shit that does my head in and leaves workers deep in the lurch, hopefully with the sorting of MSD some/all of these dumped workers can get adequate support to get by.
Ebert construction folds, contractors arrive to locked gates and can’t get their tools etc back. Good ol’ receivers PWC says contractors “would have to go through the receivership process to get their assets back”
And seems as tho’ Directors may have known up to a week ago that the plug was to be pulled.
What ever happened to being conscientious and maybe giving people a heads up and fairly allowing access to their tools (livelihoods). How much more debt did contractors take on for Ebert in that time that has enlarged the albatrosses now around their necks?
Sucks!!
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/363102/ebert-construction-firm-goes-into-receivership-workers-locked-out-from-sites
hi john, listening to the receiver on rnz, his reasoning for having the gates locked was protecting the assets of the workers.
he reckoned that the contractors would thieve other workers gear.
i suppose, as a receiver, he is used to people with greedy hearts.
not everyone is motivated by getting anothers share of the pie.
funny how workers almost always take a hit in loss of wages and income, yet there is enough money to pay receivers, accountants and lawyers- parasites in my eyes.
while i am at it: when do directors pay for the consequences of their governance, either from their own full wallets or gaol time?
Gsays, my guess is the last thing on the receivers minds is protecting the workers. They will get nothing!
But will the government clean up this practise of screwing over small construction firms and subcontractors?
So far, nope, they will listen to rich lobbyists and big construction industry multinationals saying, we need more workers we can’t fill shortages, and then they import in cheap workers, so that the original developer who failed to run their business properly and goes under is back the next week, has more’new workers to exploit and the ones not being paid, go under themselves and cause a domino effect to the economy and leave the industry in disgust.
How come they can’t be escorted in to get their tools? They need their boxes of socket sets, drills etc and it should be a case of government imposing some sort of anti-lien thing so that the company just can’t perform what is a sort of theft or denial of rights and access. Come on government central and local. You don’t seem to have any idea about business and how much effort and personal investment goes into one, or just being a contractor- John Campbell has been filling his last period with RadioNZ with a close look at the travails of contractors who have responded with some interesting anecdotes of what they have to put up with.
The idea at present is that you go to university, or tertiary, pay for your education and that automatically gets you on the way to a good salary working for some entity, and you pay back for your education. All’s sweet.
That’s probably what all the policy and law makers did. No idea of entrepreneurship, starting a physical business, and the extra costs in actually making things rather than getting a keyboard and buying an app and setting off as a smart alec in touch with the latest memes and in tune with the tech future. Bollocks.
The tech future is a bunch of isolated anomic people who have given up the idea of true interacting and helpful communities living in a harmonious, and sustainable way, respecting each other’s strengths and expecting them to limit their weaknesses, willing to give a hand to others but expecting reciprocal attitudes, having freedom of choice so diversity but having concern for others. They won’t have to be perfect. They wons’t have to meet some sociopaths unreasonable time limits forced on them to keep up with the competition, talking at a rate of knots as if they are on speed. They will live on less money and be shabby chic as part of their style but not part of a fashion, making things and selling them using tech as an accessory, not their whole life frame.
I read this about digital nomads, which was instructive.
https://www.careershifters.org/expert-advice/work-from-anywhere-in-the-world
MXD should get dumped. A Ministry of Small Business and Enterprise should be in its place. This would help people get some enterprise going and set up markets and promotions so people can trade on top of whatever benefit they are being paid. At present the desire is to push people intoi poverty and then sneer at them for being needy and unable to manage their lives. It’s a real ‘bitch’ of an attitude in the worst sense, and is so old-fashioned and classist, we talk about Dickens and we are not wrong to compare with his scenarios.
The idea would be to have everyone involved with their community, making stuff, helping whatever, and it would include volunteering which would be regarded as work if having a positive outcome and keeping to reasonable standards. Education and goals would be a base of people’s lives.
Retired people would have a special place in the community as elders who were wise, and to help that wisdom they would be expected to do some education and then choose what area they would concentrate on to pass on their wisdom.
Mentoring would be big on their agenda.
Less rentiers and more doers of positive assistance. And wouldn’t cost more than MSD and their poisonous soul-destroying methods led by Shipley and Richardson.
New leaders will revitalise us and wipe the crime statistics rise way down. Deadbeat dads will have a place in society where they can be good citizens and better role models to their children, even if rather inadequate.
There’s no shortage of work for good builders.
Hell at our joint we don’t even have enough staff to get the bid proposals out the door, let alone build the things.
What is gutting is the thousands of dollars of tools that they’re forced to leave behind.
I thought we’d passed a law against being locked out from your stuff like this?
Isn’t denying the contractors/workers to get their tools effectively theft?
A $20 pair of boltcutters from Mitre 10 and a wait till sunset can solve a lot of problems.
Sounds like they may’ve pulled a fletchers.
Thank goodness your spell check is working
https://norightturn.blogspot.com/2018/07/contempt-for-voters.html
‘This displays an absolute contempt for voters, not to mention bad faith. If they weren’t willing to consider amendments, why did they even bother asking for submissions? It would have been more honest to say “we’re passing this, fuck you” from the outset – at least that way all those people wouldn’t have wasted their time.’
Shame when blogs are doing a better job at reporting whats happening then the MSM are
Been happening for a long time, the politicians including councils are grossly out of touch and reducing democracy by their behaviour and have been for at least a decade+.
You’re not wrong
Problem here in NZ the Directors and the Management are never held accountable it is normally the small shareholders and the workers or contractors who end up sucking on the kumara ?
It’s not just here in NZ. In fact, we seem to be copying the worst aspects of letting the rich get away with their actions that cause massive damage to society that we see in the US/UK.
Quoting Why We Can’t Afford the Rich:
The thing is that Treasury iis lately always on the side of business, usually big business, and has been taught to despise government as being inefficient and spenders. Why that should be a bad thing is not clear. National have spent on roads and have lost big money for the country by underwriting large and ineffective or failing technology programs.
Treasury can help RW governments stay in power by showing them how to have tax cuts, and diminished services but still maintain living standards for the wealthy. Inevitably the people will buck at the services becoming non-existent, or scanty or random. Then the left wing comes in and tries to fix the problems somehow, but they have to keep the wealthy happy because otherwise the businessmen and women will throw their dummies out and go wah. So Labour/Coalition goes ahead and starts remedying the cracks in the system spending on delayed maintenance that has become structural. Then the RW starts the refrain that they are spenders and will put taxes up.
And that is the unhealthy situation where the wealthy instead of feeling grateful and happy to belong to such a bonzer little country with bonzer people, become class conscious and don’t want even the shadow of a brown hoodied person in their ‘hood. NZ camaraderie and togetherness has broken down under the onslaught of constant disruption caused bythe combination of neo lib economics and the free market abandonment of NZ manufacturers. Unfortunately that seems the only cohesive system in the country, and it is anti people and so the country.
Horrible people
https://i.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/105913133/shortland-streets-insensitive-down-syndrome-baby-storyline-controversy
I’ve never watched it, but from all accounts it is a third grade soap.
Is there such a thing as a 1st rate soap??
Sons of Anarchy bwaghorn.
Game of Thrones
Havent tried got yet but my man Ragnar has set the bar very high for that genre and he was real . As for anarchy a bit cheesy for me .
Nice last line from The Intercept today on whether peace was possible in Afghanistan, building on recent temporary truce moves:
https://theintercept.com/2018/07/30/afghanistan-peace-talks-taliban-trump/
“I think it’s clear that the Taliban, the Afghan government, and the Afghan people as a whole are more ready for peace than ever. At this point, there is a need for assurances from the U.S. side that they will be willing to withdraw their troops, or at least modify their deployments, and that they will accept the result of talks among Afghans,” said Barnett Rubin, a senior fellow at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University. “The problem is that any sustainable peace deal also needs to have involvement from other countries in the region, including Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, and India.
The current administration is unable to even cooperate with Canada, so successfully engineering such a deal doesn’t seem very likely.”
lols to Canada
Which underscores not only the negative effect of the Trump administration on world peace, but also how necessary hard diplomatic work with multiple parties really is to get lasting results.
Oh dear.
Pauline Kingi has resigned from the enquiry into the process of appointment of Mr Wally Haumaha.
So the unpleasant Bishop has undermined the integrity of a good person.
Shes still a good person but this avoids the taint of cronyism so thats a good thing
I’m inclined to agree PR. I’d go further and ask how on Earth could Martin think that after such a public endorsement of this disgraceful cop, it would be appropriate for Kingi to look into the circumstances of his near Top Cop job?
Yes Bishop and Co were just gleaning political milage out of this and I’d hazard they really don’t give a shit about the effect Wally’s words had on his mates’ victims, but his appointment was wrong and appointing a known fan of his to look into it.
Very, very sad. And Tracey Martin again confirmed my respect for her in how she handled Bishop and the other Nats constantly interrupting etc in today’s Question 8 on this issue.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=201761
And now Bishop is seeking to call an urgent debate on Dr Kingi’s resignation. The Speaker put it to the House but there were objections.
And Chris Hipkins is opening the General Debate thanking Peters for his good work as Acting PM. Damn, I have to go out, but will watch on return.
Just in case we start getting questions about the Economic Freedom Fighters of South Africa, here they are in their own words:
https://www.effonline.org/
Oh dear dear dear deary me!
Eric Watson and Owen Glenn. What an unseemly display!
Does anyone know where Eric has chosen his bolt hole? Greenland maybe, or somewhere up a Southland Fjord. Those 1st World problems eh? Such a bugger!!!
Is this how it begins?
Half finished apartment blocks and new housing estates that were never occupied litter the landscape in Europe and North America. Is this how the housing bubble bursts here as well?
Auckland:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/363102/ebert-construction-firm-goes-into-receivership-workers-locked-out-from-sites
London:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/12/buyer-led-development-what-the-schemes-look-like-now
Ireland:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2531852/Exorcising-Irelands-ghost-estates-Demolition-begins-housing-projects-built-economic-boom-left-country-300-000-homes.html
Spain:
http://www.30y3.com/markel-redondo-tu-casa-es-mi-casa-2/
US:
http://business.time.com/2011/08/01/bulldoze-the-new-way-to-foreclose/
Yes, and only fools will deny that the pathetic tinkering around the edges being done to try and mitigate the inevitable is not working.
Kiwibuild will bring similar headlines.
This government clearly hasn’t the balls to do what’s necessary.
Thanks for the depressing links Jenny.
You’re forgotten about all those new Chinese Cities that they have built and they are still building them btw that are standing empty.
Good morning The Am Show that was the bird sign that Winston gave brownly .
The AllBIRDS Shoe range made from sugar kane rubber is cool I will by a set of there low carbon jandles most of te SUGAR should be made in rubber
Condolences to all those people who have lost love ones and there houses we have to respect Papatuanuku more than we are at the moment . We can stop using OIL the OIL Baron’s have been blocking any proudct that compeets with OIL thats they way cheats behave I see there is a good story on the stuff website Main story
My computa is playing up muppets once again Ka kite ano P.S so this is short and sweet
Many thanks to Stuff website in Aotearoa for showing the good kiwis the truth of how te tangata whenua whenua was ripped from them with tricks cheats and lies thats a fact link below Ka kite ano
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/104100739/treaty-of-waitangi-what-was-lost
I see the neo liberal TROLL’S jumped on that first story I posted above pushing there dumb payed for troll views on the good kiwis.
The facts are the NZ Company and the Crown set OUT to suppress te tangata whenua right from the start of contact with tangata whenua.
The trolls chose not to hear that the waitangi settlements payments has been less than 1c in the dollar Ask Garth Morgan .
These idiots who say what about being thank full for what the crown gave tangata whenua . Thanks for treating us like second rate people in our own land thanks for charging us for rent’s that take one person wage’s to pay for a moldy house .
Thanks for treating Eco Maori like a criminal when I have worked hard since I was 14 I did not steal or cheat I have been honest with everyone I have met and worked hard for all my employers but that’s not good enough these people expect tangata to kiss there ASS sorry Eco Maori will not kiss anyone ASS why should I bow down because I’m Tangata whenua to anyone.
There are many native people around Papatuanuku who are thriving without the British Crown being part of there society . Tangata whenua should be in the flash cars the flash houses and flash jobs we can not even enjoy the beautiful sights around Aotearoa how many tangata whenua do you see at all these flash Holiday locations why we can not afford a holiday because we are struggling to stay afloat so thanks for that .
How did bill english probably not his original family name get to were he is with land ripped from tangata that’s how and that’s the point the troll’s are choosing to ignore
All the wealthy people of new zealand are were they are from land ripped from tangata whenua Ana to kai ka kite ano link below
https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2018/07/na-niu-tireni-new-zealand-made/ P.S thanks for conning my tangata that the justice systems are fair and honest
I say that Te Wananga O Aotearoa should chase this industry one of the fastest growing industry’s on Papatuanuku
I dream of te tangata whenua atua’s being main characters on video games and becoming the number 1 game in Papatuanuku I wanted to keep this to my self and set up the process to achieve this but what can one broke tane do so when I saw this story I decided It does not matter who achieve’s this task just as long as the idea lifts all te tangata whenua mana .
People will tell you it cannot be achieved don’t listen to them just find away to achieve the goal of a large tangata whenua gaming and ap programing industry link below.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/105948215/skills-in-creativity-and-code-make-computer-games-a-sweet-spot-for-nz ka kite ano P.S make sure you find people you trust to get this going
Another mess by national party after they changed the family court law the amount of warrents to take childred from there care givers rose sharply by 50%
Eco Maori is connecting the dots on many of these topics . link below ka kite ano.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@taken-by-the-state/2017/08/15/42664/minister-seeks-answers-over-uplift-warrants P.S theres a link that the stats went from 400 per year to 600 a year .
I take 11 year old whane mokopuna to the hosptial they give her something to make here sleep in my absence they do not tell me this fact the Doctor ask her some questions that are totally obscene as if she been abused. I have taken her to the hosptial 3 times she stayed 2 nites at the hospital I take her back today and nothing no service And to top it all off my daugter told me she read the notes and it say’s they pregnancy tested her urine.
While the cops hide around the corner praying to get shit on Eco Moari also we still don’t no what’s wrong with our mokopuna we have had know advice on how to solve this problem with our mokopunas health problems thats how the CROWN treats tangata whenua I will be dragging there ASSES over the hot coals of te high COURT Muppets
Ka kite ano P.S you see tangata Eco Maori is dealing with RED NECK SCUM
Good evening Newshub Thats the way pay employers the dole to train tangata in the traded house building industry.
I don’t know enough on the waitangi settlement that was sign in parliament today .
I have my option on the treaty settelments industry I will inform you later .
I will go buy some of those shoes and jandles that are carbon neutral that are
AllBirds Eco Maori admires all the birds on Papatuanuku ka pai.
There you go Mike our tangata whenua culture is being noticed all around Papatuanku J-Lo has noticed it thanks for this story .
Fonterra is smelling the milk A2 milk is a high value milk product which is what Fonterra was formed to do provide more value for OUR farmers shows you what a change of generals can do to a organization.
Hope the weather is going to warm up soon Ingrid
Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild Markere and Mulls yes the judges must have been blind not to see that the head but in the second round of Joe Parkers fight and now the cheat trys to say he had a broken hand.
Well many thanks to Wyatt for his 200 games for the Crusaders thats a great mile stone I see Joe Moody is te tangata whenua ka pai .
Yes Mark Graeme deserves his inclusion in to the NRL Hall of Fame I see Big Mal Manenga got a jacket to Ka pai I remember when they were playing and Wally Lewes they are hard men.
Ka kite ano P.S you know I will be cheering the Crusaders on this weekend