First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October – 1 November 2018
Improving air quality, combating climate change – saving lives
A schoolboy walks through smoke and fumes emitted from a waste dump in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt
Air Pollution is “the ‘new tobacco…” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director general
If you received an invitation to attend the conference and have not yet registered using the INDICO web portal, then please do so before as soon as possible. The link to the INDICO registration web portal can be found in the invitation email message.
The first two days of the conference will present evidence, identify gaps and solutions, and will be targeted at practitioners and other technical and political representatives from the health sector and other sectors relevant to the discourse. The third day will be a High-Level Action Day.
Conference provisional programme – updated 28 October
pdf, 799kb
Live webcast (active from 30 October 2018)
Conference overview agenda
pdf, 205kb
Time to nationalise the banks.
This is well overdue.
Their parasitic behaviour is leeching billions of dollars out of the New Zealand economy.
“ANZ’s New Zealand business made more money than Fonterra, Spark, Fletcher Building, the Warehouse, Air New Zealand and the major supermarkets combined last year and it’s not good enough, according to activist investor Sam Stubbs.
ANZ New Zealand announced a record net profit of $1.98 billion this morning – while its parent company Australia and New Zealand bank made A$6.4b.
But Stubbs, founder and managing director of KiwiSaver provider Simplicity, and a critic of the banks, said ANZ was taking advantage of its dominant position to extract unreasonable profits.
“The ANZ profit is classic rent-seeking behaviour.”
Yo James – what’s your take on the smashing the National Party has taken over the past few weeks and what do you reckon about the likelihood that they’ve a lot more coming?
“not really on topic”
This is Open Mike, James. “Open” probably means…open.
National’s disease must be hurting it’s followers something awful, I reckon. They’ve had a shocker! It’s as if a curtain fell and they were all exposed, standing there, trousers around their ankles, looking startled. Paula Bennett, btw, looks permanently startled these days. Judith Collins always did (it’s the arched eyebrows).
Wow, Stupid and Nasty in the same comments. You’re not a National MP are you? You’re still happy to support at least one rapist who Woodhouse let stay, Tuppence Shrewsbury supports and loves rapists!!! (judging by her comment)
Who said I support national? not supporting labour or the greens does not equal supporting national. Quite enjoying the JLR train wreck to be honest.
Just as I am enjoying watching the amateurs currently in government make stupid calls on an almost daily basis. It concerned me that the JLR affair was letting them off the hook.
The NZ operations are actually quite standalone from the Australian parent. If the Government so decided it COULD nationalise them. The bigger question is where would it get the cash to do so. Unless of course by nationalise they mean taking ownership without compensation. I believe that is called stealing and will lead to the NZ economy imploding.
You have little to no evidence that the State did not get full or even fair value for the Electricity companies. They got Market price, which by definition is full and fair value.
he bigger question is where would it get the cash to do so.
It’s a sovereign government with its own currency. Just create the money – done. And, hey, if they leave them as is they’ll make enough profit to cover it.
WTF is with “stone grill” steak in a restaurant? I got told it was so I could cook the steak to my satisfaction. If I could cook it perfectly at home, I wouldn’t order it in a restaurant. And why does it cost the same as a cooked steak? WTF does the chef do – make the salad? It totally pisses me off. Steak, medium rare, on a plate. That’s what I want. Not a hot rock and a pile of ingredients.
Maybe stonegrill was invented by the devil? Take a prime cut of steak, and give it to someone without the skill to cook it properly, and they paid full price for it so they’ll probably eat the entire thing.
While not quite as bad, deconstructed salads really piss me off. Someone putting all the ingredients of a salad on a plate, that you then have to toss yourself like some sort of after work Paula Bennet.
I can honestly say that I’m not eating beef grown in the Amazon.
Here’s the thing though: If the world was being economic little to no food would ever be imported/exported. Each country would grow the food that it needs to feed its own people.
Tahiti is French, and the French generally cook better than us. The best lamb I have ever eaten was in France, But the French breed their best lambs purely for meat flavour, and do not compromise for quality of wool. Then they cook it better as well.
I doubt if all our best goes to export. Upon returning from France, I was positively impressed with the quality of meat that normal people can buy here.
What you’re actually saying is that many countries can’t support themselves.
That’s what’s called unsustainable.
And, no, trade doesn’t fix that. Take Egypt for example. IIRC, it can presently feed 60% of its population from it’s own farms. The rest is a result of import paid for by the export of their oil. Egypt’s oils has Peaked. This means that in a few years, at most, Egypt is going to be in famine and there’s nothing that they can do about it through trade because have pretty much nothing else to export.
Jeez, if only they had some local attractions or a global trade route to leverage ff. Then they might get someone to stump up several billion for a nuclear power plant to offset that emerging energy deficit. As it is, poor Egypt: Land of the Pharked.
So if they export that energy, or use it to attract energy-intensive industries, they can use the revenue to buy food from countries that have lots of arable land and make lots of food, but possibly want things those industries produces.
We had a mortgage with Westpac. Not our choice, but Westpac swallowed up Trustbank who we were originally with. Weren’t happy, but what can you do. The interest rate wasn’t too bad so we stayed, vowing to change when the mortgage went. Remember how they called themselves WestpacTrust . . . for while . . . just to look good! Anyway, when we got some money, discharged the mortgage and were looking for where to invest, Westpac had the best interest rate. So to get something back out of them we put our money there. We are looking to change banks when the investment matures. Our best options look to be Kiwibank or TSB. I hate the fact that WPC is an Ozzie bank with profits going overseas, however we want the best return for money. Quandary. Hate them but want the most out of our money.
If they are making super profits then that must mean Kiwibank is as well. In which case why doesn’t the government just instruct Kiwibank to hoover up all the customers in NZ by undercutting the other majors?
IF you want an answer to your question about kiwibank’s position in the he market, Sam Stubbs was interviewed on RNZ yesterday.
I heard him mention how they were loaded with post shop assets and an obligation to provide relevant sservices…
There was another issue that I didn’t totally grasp but my attention was divided. Ahh, it was undercapitalised.
Both were dampeners on growth.
Each staff member generated approximately$220,000 profit. Profit!
Surely it makes sense to you to have the many billions of dollars profit stay in Aotearoa.
It can only be an ideologue mindset that makes you see otherwise.
Kiwibank is undercapitalised and can’t take advantage of the market. Hmmm… whose fault is that again? I’ll give you a clue, it is the owner of the Bank.
Doogs, what you said about westpac adding the word trust for a while, made me smile, marketing for sure.
Building Societies are awesome, our local Nelson Building Society (NBS) contributes so much to the community.
For example if one is looking for fundraising for a community event and asks around the banks for support, all the big banks will say no, but not the NBS, they often support community events and needs.
Part of the problem is that it seems, in conversations I’ve had with people, that many have no idea who owns the banks and react with astonishment to discover that banks called Auckland Savings Bank and Bank of New Zealand don’t belong to us!
100% of my personal and business banking is with a 100% NZ-owned bank. Made the switch when I became aware of how much profit Australian banks were extracting from NZ.
That said, it was easy to do as my business banking needs are largely transactional. If you’re a business that requires significant bank lending, you are stuck with the Aussie-owned banks.
To Cinny at 2.1.4 : To change to kiwi -owned banks IS certainly the glaringly obvious solution, and has been for considerable time….confounds me why they are not totally utilised by New Zealanders. I have aways had the best help one could wish.
Recently the ANZ in Motueka closed it’s doors, some friends who bank with them were complaining, but yet they still didn’t move to either Kiwibank or the NBS.
I think it’s one of those things that people place in the ‘too hard basket’, then when they finally get round to changing banks, say things like, gosh that was easy I should have done it a long time ago.
Went with Kiwibank a few years ago, and refinanced the mortgage last year with them again. We haven’t regretted it. The lack of ability to just rock on up to the bank to discuss things is mitigated by online support and us planning a bit better.
If you think they are not providing a suitable service that people are willing to pay for why isn’t Kiwibank doing better then? It is a completely State controlled Bank.
@Gosman, Kiwibank would do better if it was more a full service bank. Also banking has also come down to relationships and history, so that there are big incentives to stick with the same bank as people’s situation gets more insecure with work.
Aka in NZ massive amount of people now are on contract, gig work or self employed. The history of that becomes a key, in a banking arrangement. Nobody wants to shift all their business, then find out, they have a bad month or months and have the bank breathing down their necks.
So there are many reasons that people stay with their bank. Satisfaction and best deals are not the only factors when you get into the NZ situation of significant proportions of the population are in insecure work and therefore take strategic positions on banking and insurance.
The amount of banking, financial institutions and insurance that has gone out of business also makes people cautious in NZ about new banks and services in that sector.
They are profiting not because they are great banks but because NZ has embraced everything to do with neoliberalism and that is all about profits for the most dominant, which are banks here. And our government does not believe in any sort of financial regulation even bank deposits are not guaranteed nor Kiwisaver.
Not sure if Kiwibank have evolved since I thought about joining them, but standing in a queue at the post office stating your business rather than a private office at a bank or getting a mobile person around takes time with Kiwibank and much longer than if you have an existing relationship with a bank and assigned a personal banker.
Had a friend who was a school principal in a small town, so a bit weird that she was queuing up and stating all the business of the school, while the rest of the community could over hear.
Stuff like that, makes Kiwibank less. a fit for complicated, private and urgent types of banking.
Also anything to do with property in Auckland generally require quick and flexible banking decisions as the market is fast and auction driven. Took me so long to buy a house in Auckland that my 6 months of pre application had expired and then you need to get it back quickly if you see a house to bid on. Therefore you don’t want a new bank that might be slower to make decisions on anything.
So maybe Kiwibank and the co operatives can get more market share if they step up for more complicated, faster decision making banking, with more customer service and privacy for customers and a long term relationship approach with customers.
The offshore banks level of customer service has defiantly got a lot worse over the years, so if NZ banks stepped up, they could win more business.
Just telling you what people have told me Solka and my own experiences trying to change to Kiwibank a few years ago, maybe you don’t have a business or run an organisation, or have complicated banking, or what ever.
Judging by your stalking of people and the Green Party I’d say you are a unique individual that would probably need a private room in any instance and Kiwibank staff probably usher you straight to one so people don’t overhear your language and tone so you may have never experienced the problems that polite less demanding people might be experiencing.
Actually, when I made the appointment to see the mortgage person a few years ago we had the option of my place or one of their branches. Small meeting room, 4 chairs, one table, her laptop. Easy as. That was kiwibank.
Shopping around, ANZ went with the open plan, wide spaces between desks idea. Probably had private rooms for people who didn’t need mortgages, though 🙂
to solkta at22.1.1.1: Yes, of course Kiwibank has private rooms and specialists in banking also, friendly at all times. I think some here trying hand at fake news.
My Kiwibank, in Hastings, is a mess. The Carpets are permanently stained, the counter is so banged around it looks like an old pub first thing in the morning, the note counting machine is so temperamental its a running joke, and the manager insists on interviewing people at a table right next to the queue. Its awkward to put it mildly.
if I didn’t know(hope?) better I would think they were purposefully running it into the ground.
+1 Siobhan- Kiwibank needs to look at the details. If a bank looked like you suggest and treated you like that, would you seriously consider it?
A little bird suggests, if you start calling everyone a piece of shit, you might get that private room that a certain poster seems convinced is always offered.
Of course it also might effect that application or have you escorted out too:)
Seriously NZ banks should have an online complaints page for example or even suggestions page at the banks, they might learn a bit more than hiring a marketing firm from Auckland or Wellington who never leave the central suburbs and think they are doing a stellar job at marketing and people are too lazy to change.
There are obstacles to changing and issues with the service levels and criteria levels and types of banking that the NZ banking sectors offers!
Wellsford,s the same Siobhan run by a couple of asian ladies theres often queues and you stand there looking at their static displays of stuff they,d like to sell and cant help thinking “what a load of crap “Heres a relatively large commercial space which presumably the proprietors are renting along with the actual agency but it seems all so halfhearted !?.Why ?Why isnt kiwibank being rolled out in all little towns and villages in nz taking over where the post office used to trade …….buggered if i know ….seems like theres plenty of scope there but not much direction ….or something ….whats holding them back ???
It has very much evolved since then. If you go to most Post shops they have a separate desk and private rooms for Kiwibank customers. I ask again, why isn’t Kiwibank a “Full service Bank”?
@ Gosman, your word ‘most’ is obviously significant. Also more service level might be a recent thing, that people who previously tried to join Kiwibank did not have, at the time. People try to change once, if they don’t have the best experience they may not try again.
P.s. I did not have a bad experience with Kiwibank but it did not work out because I take wholistic approach with banking and even a small house in Aukcland now may require significant amount of debt which you now split loans for and then you have to make sure they all expire at the same time, and then hope that interest rates don’t go up while you are waiting. It’s not that easy to change if you have decent sized loans for business or housing.
I personally hate ANZ and would never bank with them after having a bad experience with them years ago. Also having John Key on the board would put me off. So I would never bank with them.
But they do things like monitor companies house so if you set up a business, voila , you get a friendly letter straight away with free bank fees for your business for 3 years.
That is how they make the money, they are proactive, reel you in, then screw you over with extreme profiteering when they have you tied up.
That’s banking in NZ and the government needs to set higher standards.
And Kiwi bank (or anyone else) never sends a nice letter when they could easily target new businesses like ANZ do.
Kiwibank and other NZ banks needs to understand customers positions and concerns better.
The person who posted about the rural ANZ bank closing but still people don’t change, clearly don’t understand how difficult it is to make money in the rural sector and get loans. It is not easy to change banks in those sectors at all.
Many NZ banks only specialise in retail banking, and have very high, unwieldy criteria for farms and business. NZ banks and regulators don’t seem up to speed or understand that the big OZ banks have those customers screwed over in debt and tied up with few alternatives.
I can’t remember exactly, but somebody posted and I think most of Fletchers? losses, were due to ANZ bank fine print on some refinancing terms of loans they took out.
As for our constant messages on how easy it is to change banks, electrical or telecom companies. Nope… it ain’t… in real terms it often costs you a bundle of time, non productivity, failed services and extra charges. And our regulators do nothing to stop this type of practise of third party fuck ups.
Kiwibank isn’t a state controlled bank and it operates the same way all the other banks do and is artificially constrained so as not to be able to out compete the private banks which it could easily do if the government got in and supported it properly.
The foreign banks treat NZ like the cash cow run from OZ. They are mostly responsible for our 2nd biggest exports out of NZ being profits.
Yep while our government screws up with another bad trade deal of TPPA or what ever they fuck they rebranded it to, (which even the most neoliberal Parker can not describe as a good deal (was it a 7 out of 10 he gave it?). The government also fail to do anything about about banks and the NZ entire economy is always around giving banks more profits aka corporate welfare to construction, more immigration, more immigration to small businesses like petrol attendants and cafe owners (who then support higher rents and prices on commercial property and residential) selling off land assets, privatisation, oil and gas, exports of water…
“our research suggests that PFI may lead to a loss of benefits in kind and a redistribution of income, from the public to the corporate sector. It has boosted the construction industry, many of whose PFI subsidiaries are now the most profitable parts of their enterprises, and led to a significant expansion of the facilities management sector. But the main beneficiaries are likely to be the financial institutions whose loans are effectively underwritten by the taxpayers, as evidenced by the renegotiation of the Royal Armouries PFI (NAO 2001a).”
The public should also ask themselves why the tax working group never recommended financial transaction taxes to tax outward and inward money flows.
In short government wants to continue to transfer profits from the people and assets of NZ to the construction, financial and banking sectors, and are not going to tax the banks and financial industries appropriately for their extreme profits . Nor regulate appropriately to the construction sector or banking to stem the rot right through those sectors.
The NZ banking sector is incredibly competitive including a State controlled Bank. If the banks are making super profits why isn’t the government instructing Kiwibank to undercut them and take a bigger share of the market?
Because the issue with Kiwibank is much more than just a lack of political will. The organisation needs HUGE injection of capital if it has any hope of competing for major work such as being the Government’s banker.
The dogma is that a large bank that makes huge profits every year is a good safe bank (and safe bet for shareholders). I say dogma, but it is really a myth, as we know too well.
It also is ironic that the bank’s customers contribute a large part to the overall profits.
So, it’s a catch-22 for the people: lower the profits and customers will go elsewhere and the bank goes bust or fleece the customers to increase profit margins and they will flock to your bank and thus increase the ‘financial health’ of the bank.
To a point, this would work well if not for greed and bad business decisions on behalf of the banks (cue: GFC).
Of the ~52 corporates in the “List of a few major corporate collapses”, only a third are/were banking businesses.
Banks feature at the top of the “List of scandals without insolvency” (probably needs regular updating):
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group scandal involving misleading file notes in the Financial Ombudsman Service (Australia) presented to the Victorian Supreme Court.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group allegations of racial bigotry toward billionaire businessman Pankaj Oswal and his wife. Court was presented with emails where an ANZ staff member comments to ANZ CEO Mike Smith: “We are dealing with Indians with no moral compass and an Indian woman as every bit as devious as PO (Mr Oswal).”
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group toxic culture. Court case where allegations were made by ex-employees that the bank’s senior management tolerated drugs and strip clubs.
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group alleged manipulation of the Australian benchmark interest rates. ANZ is currently being pursued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, which filed an originating process in the Federal Court of Australia against ANZ in March 2016.
“So, it’s a catch-22 for the people: lower the profits and customers will go elsewhere and the bank goes bust or fleece the customers to increase profit margins and they will flock to your bank and thus increase the ‘financial health’ of the bank.”
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence of corruption and rampant profiteering in the banking ‘industry’.
Hypothesis 1. A bank’s profitability will be a contributing factor in determining that bank’s ‘ratings agency grade’ (AAA, AA, A, BBB etc.)
Hypothesis 2. The grades that ratings agencies give banks, and individual bank products/offers/bonds, are factors affecting the (bank/product) choice of some potential customers.
“Garnering better grades [from ratings agencies] for the tobacco bonds meant the bankers could sell more of them…”
These hypotheses may be false; falsifying evidence (a link or two will do) welcome.
Gosman (>140 of comments on The Standard in the last week; 70 (!) on the “National badly wants Kiwibuild to crash” post alone) often asks for evidence, and seems to have a significant aversion to using Google’s search engine – not a single link or quote in those 70 comments.
You claim that “They [the two hypotheses] had nothing to do with the claim i [sic] was questioning.”
If you genuinely don’t understand how these hypotheses relate to the claim you quoted/questioned, then I don’t have the means to help you in this forum.
“Burden of proof is also an important concept in the public arena of ideas. Once participants in discourse establish common assumptions, the mechanism of burden of proof helps to ensure that all parties contribute productively, using relevant arguments.”
Regrettably, the largest political party in parliament has (temporarily) lost its footing and is unable to contribute productively at present.
In your opinion. Given your opinion is quite obviously biased against said political party I don’t think it holds much weight in determining what is or isn’t productive discourse.
I have made no claims regarding my (or your) political bias, or lack thereof, in this particular exchange – such claims are largely unnecessary in this forum (IMO).
Certainly one assumption we can agree on is that we are (both) expressing our opinions.
In my opinion, this recent statement (among others), made by a former 7th-ranked opposition National party MP, has caused said party to (temporarily) lose its footing.
“It dawned on me, ‘I know this script, I helped write this script.’ At that point, I felt bad for what I did to Todd. But that’s the modus operandi of the National Party – when people become a liability you push them out the door.”
IMO this is a revealing quote, and I thank you Gosman for the opportunity to trot it out again (hopefully not for the last time). The opposition National party really is looking a bit wobbly at the moment (IMO), and will likely recover somewhat (again, IMO) ‘going forward’.
Gosman’s Law: as a discussion thread on TS grows longer, the probability of Gosman deliberately misunderstanding or twisting a comment and then asking for evidence approaches one.
One thing I’m curious about is that the 18 apparently arrived on SK1 and SK2 sans baggage, yet I seem to remember seeing the contingent depart with baggage.
(From the images shown on TV in the early stages of it all).
Everything the Saudis have said turns out to be such obfuscation, spin and bullshit, they’d not be out of place as gNat MPs. The latest being that ‘Turkish collaborator’ that they’re so unwilling to identify.
Wonder what was in their luggage then? Didn’t know about that, will check it out, thanks for the info, there are so many dodgy aspects to it all.
The thing with the princes uncle returning is really interesting because he has been away for years, and has never supported the prince being in power.
And uncle does not support the princes ongoing war on Yemen.
I could be wrong @ Cinny though I do recall seeing some of them towing the standard type luggage on wheels. It may take a little more than going thru’ Aljazeera, CNN or BBC footage.
It’s a shame Susie Fergusson didn’t put the idea to Frank Gardiner this morning
Rachel Stewart explains why the election of Bolsonaro is terrible news for life on this planet.
“Bolsonaro has an environmental hit list that is bold and brash. Just when the world needs the “lungs” of the world more than ever, he is planning a paved highway to run right through the Amazon rainforest. And no more will a government commitment to preserving vast areas for indigenous people be tolerated. Bolsonaro has previously said that he will “not give the Indians another inch of land”.
He has also promised to scrap the country’s Environment Ministry altogether, putting it under the scope of the Agriculture Ministry, which is led by agribusiness. Which, to be fair, is only one step further than our own Environment Ministry overseeing regional councils who many — including me — consider to be the biggest enviro rapists on behalf of dairy farming in New Zealand. But, I digress.
……we need the two Americas to work hard on stopping runaway climate change like never before — one being the planet’s biggest emitter and the other holding the massive key to any chance of keeping climate change in check at 1.5C.
Because that’s the Amazon’s job. The rainforest absorbs approximately a quarter of the CO2 absorbed by all the land on earth. Every inch of deforestation matters. And what’s the motive for deforestation in Brazil? Cattle ranching. The billions of us have created a massive consumer demand for beef so that clearing land for cattle ranching is lucrative and with Bolsonaro in charge, now unstoppable.”
No.
We need to stop eating meat in the quantities we do.
Or the planet is doomed.
“The researchers found a global shift to a “flexitarian” diet was needed to keep climate change even under 2C, let alone 1.5C. This flexitarian diet means the average world citizen needs to eat 75% less beef, 90% less pork and half the number of eggs, while tripling consumption of beans and pulses and quadrupling nuts and seeds. This would halve emissions from livestock and better management of manure would enable further cuts.
In rich nations, the dietary changes required are ever more stark. UK and US citizens need to cut beef by 90% and milk by 60% while increasing beans and pulses between four and six times. However, the millions of people in poor nations who are undernourished need to eat a little more meat and dairy.”
And less pets. Get rid of pets (especially cats and dogs) before we eat less red meat. Of course tree hugger veges tend to like hugging furry animals so I suspect they won’t want to do that. They are just happy to expect others to give up something.
This may be an unworthy thought – but I keep having it. Are those two mountain guides dead at least in part because the Morgan family has too much money and can indulge itself at will?
Yes – I guess you are right. Thanks.
Somehow it seemed doubly sad to me that people die doing something as ultimately pointless as indulging the whims of others.
Depends if they were taking undue risks I guess? Need someone with mountaineering knowledge to see if this was a typical hike, or a freak accident. Very sad nonetheless.
Our letter to Government today stating that our NZ Government must participate in this “first World Health air pollution conference this week in Geneva, in our interests to save our citizens health and wellbeing from health effects of all sources of air pollution.
Protecting our environment & health.
In association with other Community Groups, NHTCF and all Government Agencies since 2001.
• Health and wellbeing.
• East Coast Transport Project.
TO;
Hon Phil Twyford – Minister of Transport.
Hon’ Jacinda Ardern PM.
Hon Winston Peters. Deputy PM.
Hon’ Shane Jones. Minister of Regional Development.
Hon’ Grant Robertson. Minister of Finance.
Hon’ Stuart Nash. MP For Napier Wairoa/ Matawai regions.
Hon’ Megan Woods. Minister of Energy.
URGENT PRESS RELEASE; – ACTION NEEDED HERE BY – Transport Minister Twyford.
1st November 2018.
Dear Ministers, Local civic authorities & rail stakeholders,
Subject; http://www.who.int/airpollution/events/conference/en/ First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October – 1 November 2018
What a “breath of fresh air WHO are as they finally take air pollution seriously” Bravo to World Health Organisation, (WHO).
WHO are also are focusing on the urban residents who are also health effected by “toxic heavy road traffic air pollution” too.
WHO are claiming that even schools and busy traffic routes be redesigned away from schools and suburban areas also.
Rail services restoration will make a dramatic reduction of ‘road based freight’ now ruining our residential areas and the health of our urban communities.
Now World Health Organisation (WHO) are holding a ‘first’ conference over several days in Geneva on ‘urban air quality health effects to humans finally so we need to observe and act in our residential communities best interests for their health and wellbeing, and we advocate all rail services be restored to our cities around NZ and truck routes be realigned away from our current locations wrongly placed close to residential areas such as Napier’s controversial ‘HB Expressway’ which was originally designated as a “commuter road for Hastings residents to get to the new Napier Airport in 1963”.
Sadly the residents living alongside this road were not considered as to the effects to their health and wellbeing, but this road was pushed as a solution to become the principal truck freight route through Napier to the Port and the rest of NZ, without any resulting noise effects or air pollution mitigation was ever planned to be given the affected residents in the final stages of the HB Expressway’s development.
Gisborne has the same issues of loss of rail and using heavy truck fleets to run right through Gisborne city to the Eastland port and destroying the health and wellbeing of its residents too.
What a “breath of fresh air WHO are as they finally take air pollution seriously” Bravo to World Health Organisation, (WHO).
WHO are also are focusing on the urban residents who are also health effected by “toxic heavy road traffic air pollution” too.
WHO are claiming that even schools and busy traffic routes be redesigned away from schools and suburban areas also. http://www.who.int/airpollution/events/conference/en/
First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October – 1 November 2018
Improving air quality, combating climate change – saving lives
A schoolboy walks through smoke and fumes emitted from a waste dump in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt
Air Pollution is “the ‘new tobacco…” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director general
If you received an invitation to attend the conference and have not yet registered using the INDICO web portal, then please do so before as soon as possible. The link to the INDICO registration web portal can be found in the invitation email message.
The first two days of the conference will present evidence, identify gaps and solutions, and will be targeted at practitioners and other technical and political representatives from the health sector and other sectors relevant to the discourse. The third day will be a High-Level Action Day.
Conference provisional programme – updated 28 October
pdf, 799kb
Live webcast (active from 30 October 2018)
Conference overview agenda
pdf, 205kb
Your response to our call is requested please email
@cleangreen, the NZ taxpayers are subsidising public organisations that subcontract to corporates that do things such as change from trolley buses to diesel and increasing emissions to the public for the next 10 years…http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=113048
While in Auckland our taxes are there to escalate and provide for more polluting cruise ships, some of which apparently can release more emissions than 1million cars in emissions in one day.
So as yet, NZ, not interested in worrying about air pollution. Apart from ways to tax end consumers of course and get that little extra tax in the pocket while pretending it was all to save the planet.
The government and council treatment of corporate polluters and policy around that shows that air pollution is just not on the agenda and that the RMA is woefully inadequate to provide quality decisions, long term risk assessments, regulation , enforcement or penalty around environmental damage in this country.
As David Parker gives himself credit for ratification of #CPTPP, let’s pause for a moment to consider the tremendous work he did to maintain public support for it in Opposition. #nzpolpic.twitter.com/FpfujXo4XK
@BM shocking the government are selling off more state land and NZ assets. Of course that does not excuse the Natz who demolished the state houses on it in 2015. The people of NZ are punched from the left and punched from the right. They seem to share the same neoliberal Thatcher driven sell off state housing and land, policies on housing.
Interesting conflation you have made there. I mean, I am sure your not deliberately diminishing the thousands who are being killed in Yemen by comparing it to local beltway politics. It sure does look that way though.
So, the story is that a block of land in Auckland had a series of State houses demolished in 2015 and part of that land is being developed with new state houses. Another portion is to be sold.
I quote the purpose as stated by the manager of the project from the the third of BM’s reference.
“Housing New Zealand asset development general manager Patrick Dougherty said the development was not part of the KiwiBuild programme but part of the Auckland Housing Programme (AHP).
The AHP started in June 2016 and will deliver 5200 new state homes and about 12,800 new affordable and market homes over 10 years.
The sale of the 20 market sites would enable Housing New Zealand to build more state houses in other high demand parts of Auckland, he said.”
Two things. First, the money goes towards providing more housing. It is after all houses that are required, not land.
Secondly, since it is a stated intention by the Minister that the types of housing should be indistinguishable from the outside, it makes sense to me that the housing provided be of a ‘mixed’ style to avoid the stigmatisation of being a State House tenant. The former ‘pepperpot’ strategy of earlier decades was also expected to help the problem of stigmatising and slums.
Well do I remember my school days of the Sixties when over the northern fence was “The Settlement”.
But they could be developing all the land itself and then using the state controlled rents to keep rents down while paying off the debt over time.
As in the UK examples, selling state housing and land to the private sector does not work, because the rising population demands more cheap rents and social housing to keep up with the population growth, and then the state rents start to rise because the state has less housing to work with to keep afloat and has to pay more to the private sector to rent the houses that they previously owned.
The Mt Albert decision was made by the previous National government. It was subject to considerable public consultation at the time. The number of HNZ dwellings is about the same, and the extra land sales will fund further HNZ properties. HNZ could not get the density they needed with the zoning in Mt Albert.
Patients are still begging for Ministry of Health funding for high dose vitamin C infusions.
Absolutely no doubt that vitamin C at the very least improves the quality of life for many cancer patients and research indicates that it can accentuate radiotherapy efficacy…so why not fund the stuff?
Its not as if its expensive or demands superskills to administer.
I had a quick look at the link provided and could not find a single RCT amongst the citations. One report involved a single patient. Most were reports that concluded bycalling for more clinical studies. “Personal accounts ” represent evidence of the very weakest kind.
One would need to do far better than this to gain public funding. Did you even read the reports that were linked?
I am wondering if you think it would be acceptable for health treatments that are not supported by any RCTs , but by ” personal accounts”, should be publicly funded ?
“I am wondering if you think it would be acceptable for health treatments that are not supported by any RCTs , but by ” personal accounts”, should be publicly funded ? ”
Vitamin C was my secret ingredient for recovery from strength training, and especially after a real workout like we good for nothin’ poor folks are wont to do e.g. 12 hours loading trucks*…
I digress.
If you work/train like a lunatic, try Vitamin C straight after. Faster recovery. It’s good stuff.
*I so want to see the working class collectively go on strike. Haha the world stops, the lights go out. Watch the deluded rich tossers ‘run the place’ then.
It was a mere nine years ago this day that I wrote my first post for the Standard. It contains one of the most polarising, but accurate lines I have ever written:
“To put it simply, you cannot be a socialist, a greenie or any kind of progressive and eat meat.”
Like you, Moz, I’m all in favour. In my opinion, the best way to terrorize journalists is to write pointless and inaccurate transcripts of their shows and post them on the interwebs. That’ll show ’em.
so true, what part of meat is to like really?
Animal cruelty towards sentient beings, slaughter, worker exploitation, gross desensitising conditions for meatworkers, life long health issues, inefficient land use and other negative environmental and climate effects…
…which for more and more people trump the fleeting pleasure some get from deadly chemical saturated processed meats, and charred slabs of “bogus bovis” beef which supermarkets are virtually giving away at the moment
Thank you.
It was an epiphany for me the day I discovered the amorality of eating animals.
Like Ad, stopping eating meat and dairy sawxme shed the kilos.
So it’s a decision for the sake of animals, for the sake of the environment and, as a side benefit, it’s good for your health !
“A self-administration of a death, which we’re calling ‘assisted dying.'”
RNZ National, Thursday 1 November 2018, 9:10 a.m.
This morning Kathryn Ryan employed her most serious, slow talking register, clearly enunciating every word to show how serious she is. One question she never asked was: Who’s going to “administer” this killing of the old and disabled and sick? The army? Will they bring back the institution of executioner?
New research from the University of Otago shows a majority support some form of euthanasia or assisted dying in New Zealand – and those attitudes have remained relatively constant for the past 20 years. A group of researchers from the school of medicine at Otago have examined existing studies from the last 2 decades which asked people what they thought of euthanasia. Lead author, Jessica Young joins Kathryn to talk through the findings.
Interesting question. I am sure they could get soldiers to do it. Perhaps just line them up and use them during weapons qualifying. Or… I know this is crazy but hear me out … it could be done by a doctor who is familiar with the patient and is aware of their needs.
I note from the article only 14% of modern oaths prevent Euthanasia. The argument could be made that by swearing to do no harm a Dr would be required to meet a patients wishes to end suffering.
I agree there are concerns around introduction of Euthanasia. The risk for abuse may mean that it really can’t be viably legalised. I of course wouldn’t make some ridiculous argument about having to get the military or executioners to carry out suicide assistance. Feel free to make a reasoned argument against though. I am always keen to learn.
Full kudos to Iain Lees-Gallaway for recognising and openly stating, that he may have made an unsound decision over the Czech guy and is now proceeding to put it right.
As opposed to the b.s. and bluster we’re hearing from Slimon Bridges.
They need to deport the drug lord asap. Also begs the question why the government granted the drug lord residency in NZ, when he had previously taken trips back to the EU?
Will anybody be held to account, aka the person that compelled the report aka probably his lawyer missing out the pertinent facts??? Also the naivety of our government that falls for a sob story from known liars every time… while being hard of heart to their own people in tents or working 3 jobs to keep these drug lords in prison and the results of their crimes…
Weak. Stone him he is filth. Stone the filthy drug dealing out of him. Stone the drug lord but only after I’ve had a beer and some chaser preloads cos I throw straighter after a few – just ask my pets he he ha ha burp.
Weird, you are the only ones talking about stoning him. The Druglord can have lovely life back in the EU and NZ are well rid of him and hopefully the government can make sure he doesn’t come back under another false passport.
Also he is just as likely, if not more, to be in danger from his drug mates in NZ for narking,( if that is how he managed to help grease his residency application here). Win win to get rid of him where he can be anonymous in the EU unlike in NZ where he is now very well known.
Nope, do you? Save us from pop psychologists or people who have attended too much therapy and therefore feel the need to throw conditions around as insults instead of taking mental health seriously.
I was not insulting Marty or suggesting he had such a condition or making any judgement on those who do but rather making a statement about your incoherent language. Thought that would have been obvious.
When did the offending occur christy? When did he fly home for a visit?
Slick Bodges is outraged at discovering the turd he deposited on the doorstep. Why hasn’t that been cleared up? It’s outrageous.
Yep, apparently Eugenie Sage, didn’t feel there was any options apart from grant the Chinese the offshore water permits…. then looked like a hypocrite and fool and untrustworthy for doing so. I’m not sure how Ian made such a botch up on the drug lord residency, but labour campaigned on cleaning up immigration only to be caught granting it to a convicted criminal drug lord who enjoys trips back to his mates in the EU ???
The message to politicians seems to be to WAKE up and do a bit of research themselves and stick to their guns, rather that look like untrustworthy hypocritical fools and rely on reports and advice that are not fit for purpose.
@Solka, Greens campaign on not selling off overseas water rights then one of their MP’s signs off water rights once getting elected. I think you are the fool for not understanding what hypocrite means.
The Greens also campaigned and stand for good process. Changing laws under urgency is bad practice that the Greens were very vocal criticising National for. Passing retrospective legislation is extremely bad practice and contrary to the principles of natural justice.
They also need to work with their partners and at a pace that allows for competing legislative priorities.
AND, Eugenie did not take this action as a Green MP but as a Crown Minister who is obliged to follow the law.
As usual you just prattle on with your own bigoted view of things totally impervious to the actual details of the matter.
I’m with solkta and well expressed that … solkta!
Really, SaveNZ? Eugenie, selling out at the first opportunity?
Hardly. Have you met the woman? Not a sell-out, by any stretch of (your) imagination.
First, they must pass “Go” and pay their street repairs bill.. There is also a small matter of the sale of the railway stations and the electric utilities!
Mrs Mac1 told me that Guyon Espiner on RNZ this morning really put Simon Bridges and his bluster firmly in place.
Along the lines of
Espiner-“Well, in your time in office you didn’t deport the man.”
Bridges- “Well, the Minister acted on the advice given.”
Espiner- “Well, what’s different, now?”
And the bit I heard at the end- again well-paraphrased.
Espiner-“You want the Minister to resign. Will Mr Woodhouse resign?”
Bridges- “But he’s not the Minister.”
Espiner-“Will he resign as the shadow Minister?”
Bridges-“Rant rant rant”
Bridges never ‘heard’ the Espiner call for Woodhouse’s resignation even though he made it twice.
Chris T, a dismal attempt to attack the government and divert criticism of his own time in power, in all its lacking.
Lets face it, the Natz helped with policy decisions to keep the drugs moving into NZ, created one of the highest immigration in the world for nearly a decade of low skilled people coming here to work in supermarkets, and bakeries and then created committees to put forward policy to evict tenants on Meth tests, and create the shock doctrine housing crisis….
… meanwhile Labour and Greens were blind to it and campaigned on higher taxes, middle class rental standards for people who can’t even afford rental with the above climate created by the Natz, and legalising drugs (Greens)… then they wonder why people can’t choose who to vote for????
People with your view make this country unsafe imo. Drugs are rife idiot. At every sector and height in society. That is why it is a health issue imo. You’d chuck people in jail and that EXPANDS the drug relationships with criminals. Wake up like your name says.
Actually I’m suggesting deport the drug lord, not have our taxes and judicial system spending hundreds of thousands on his prison stay and sentencing, and any further ones, based on his current crime record, it’s not going to be the last time Kiwi tax payers will support his arse in prison where as you say, the prison system “EXPANDS the drug relationships with criminals”.
Now they have the benefit of EU drug lords helping the expansion, yippee!
Am just listening to the midday news, and there is a lot still to go on this issue.
Question Time today has only one question on it from Woodhouse to Lees-Galloway. There are no questions from Bridges or Bennett to the PM or Deputy PM so it is probable that neither Bridges or Bennett will be in the House.
Yes mac1. I heard Bridges stammer and dodge. He had the gall to say, ” The Minister cannot become a detective and go out and detect.”
But says Guyon, “How is that different from the present case?”
Mumble, deflect mumble.
Very funny Simon.
However his reasoning made a mockery of Winston the day before at question time.
Winston made a lot out of Galloway making the decision himself, rather than relying/blaming officials.
Remember, gsays, that Peters made a lot of the Minjster’s decision making by comparing it to the previous government which after 2014 gave the responsibility away to the officials. In this case, Minister Lees-Galloway acted on advice given by officials who did not have for whatever reason the same information that became available to National. That the decision was made by Lees-Galloway was Peter’s point. The quality of advice is another issue and does not reflect at all upon Peters.
One of National’s attack lines since day 1 has been this government is soft on crime. Why feed into that narrative by giving them an example like this on a plate.
Australia exports criminals who have lived in Australia their whole lives. New Zealand imports lying fraudulent drug dealers. That is what the National trolls will be yelling as a result of this cock up.
“It dawned on me, ‘I know this script, I helped write this script.’ At that point, I felt bad for what I did to Todd. But that’s the modus operandi of the National Party – when people become a liability you push them out the door.”
Which is exactly why the nats abrogated responsibility to the ministry for several years.
You get the big pay packet, you make the hard call.
The only real problem is that the increased publicity seems to have uncovered the contradictory information, which in turn could well make it look like the minister caved under pressure rather than simply acting on information received.
At least there is hope they will u turn and make sure that the embarrassment goes away, rather than have him served up next election as the government being the reason he is one of our new residents.
Iain has made a complete idiot of himself. Would love a photo of him to appear hiding behind the pillar to avoid reporters.
The Czech needs to leave the country immediately.
The “new info” will be the excuse for changing the decision. He has clearly not done due diligence in the first place (or made a very big error of judgement). Both National and Labour have been reluctant to send people packing IMO.
‘Immigration NZ is investigating claims that contradict the reasons why Iain Lees-Galloway granted residency to convicted drug smuggler Karel Sroubek.’
No, not really. Just a practical person. Would you want the Czech living next door to you?
As for ILG, I think its hard to say he’s handled the situation well.
I’m not following the Kiwibuild story as too depressing, but someone told me that the couple in the media who got ballot for the house, are a final year doctor who stands to make a lot of money in the future and they got a 4 bedroom house, when they are just a couple.
Good luck to the people as it is very hard to get a house and they are probably riddled with student debts and being a doctor is of great benefit to society, but it does seem a bit sad that those 3 extra bedrooms will be empty when there are families with a lot more kids living in one bedroom emergency housing, that could have benefited from those extra bedrooms and a new secure house.
And I would have preferred my taxes spent on helping families renting and state housing and land still owned by the state for future generations, rather than helping better resourced people up the property ladder.
Even if the land was leasehold to the state, it would have been better. Maybe removing his student loans in return for staying in NZ for 10 years might also be of more benefit to the public than a house that they can sell in 3 years.
Surprise, KiwiBuy working the way everyone thought it would.
That lovely young couple were bragging on the news hub facebook page about making 50 k already.
And then to wade into The comments section of the Newshub Facebook page to boast that they’d already made $50k on it because the smaller house behind them “sold for more”. https://t.co/2LSLAZyQUX
Excellent not only do this deserving couple get given 50 k by the taxpayer, but they can also rent out the other three rooms and get themselves some good extra income.
I doubt there would have been many families in the draw
99% of the people would have been childless young couples with high earning jobs or young people financed by Mum and Dad looking for quick capital gain.
Kiwi Buy is nothing more than a taxpayer subsidy for young New Zealanders who have come from the middle to upper classes.
It is just envy. Your mob denied there was a even a problem lol. The problem is big. It will take multiple initiativess to sort. 1 year into this government and things are starting to happen on this one initiative. Somehow some people would prefer the gnats to still be there cos labour aren’t fixing things fast enough – more fool them I say.
In 2007, honest John Key said NZ was facing an urgent housing crisis.
Is it too late to ask the now Right Honourable Sir John Key his advice on how to stop “making the housing situation a lot worse”? Or maybe the opposition National party has a productive contribution?
“I’m not following the Kiwibuild story as too depressing”
With you there savenz. The argument for the cheerleading seems to be be, – well National created the mess…
Pretty low bar, and even that is not easily cleared, given the previous Clark government had the wheels in motion for the current house crisis.
Politics of envy, NZs talkback radio fav fodder, tall poppy syndrome etc… divide and conquer, one doesn’t dare stick ones head above the parapet, esp if one wins a KB raffle, how dare they!!! Nek minute, Collins claims innocent, well her fan proxies do…
They are giving away free prime state house land as part of the deal. They could retain both the houses and land for the state and future generations. Instead they are doing financial engineering and doublespeak which clearly fools quite a few so called leftie supporters of the Thatcher based scheme, but not all.
when it suits the right wingers and woke lefties house prices are so high because of the cost of the land, (not lazy immigration in fact we need more immigration because who is going to build the houses cheaply the, the Kiwis are drugged out hopeless types) , however it seems to suit woke lefties to now say that state land is not needed for state housing and rightfully given away in return for middle class housing with all the mod cons… a percentage sold off raffle style to those on $180k and without children in a 4 bedroom house.
Clearly logic was at work. I understand the right wingers being on board with the privatisation of state land, but the woke lefties seem just as eager.
Approx 2/3 of the land is no longer owned by the public and according to the woke lefties and righties once upon a time, they said it was the land that was worth all the money. Now suddenly the land is not worth much and they will swap it for building 1/3 houses.
Confused. Well I guess that’s he point but it all end up as state assets sell offs, disguised.
Now somehow the state no longer owns 2/3 of it’s valuable land because it has been non transparently taken through third parties and the state is left with approx 1/3 of the land it once had often with a similar amount of state houses it once had.
And the houses built are only affordable for the top 40% of people who would have got a house anyway.
Thinking about the new 4 bedroom house that will not house a family in need, I wonder what happened to that poor homeless family and little girl who narrowly missed out on a scholarship at St Cuthbert’s. That was a heart wrenching story.
“Over the next 10 years, 100,000 “affordable” homes will be built around the country.
But they’re not for low-income people, they’re not a gift from taxpayers and – in the end, anyway – the price the houses sell for is not the most important aspect of the scheme.
JC: “But they’re not for low-income people, they’re not a gift from taxpayers and – in the end, anyway – the price the houses sell for is not the most important aspect of the scheme.”
The Kiwibuild could never help people under say $40,000. Never intended to. The rebuilding of State houses are the best option for the working poor.
I’d hate to be a musician in his band. The lead singer (what else?) wouldn’t listen to the band, he’d have a different drummer in his head, and the songs (who else would be permitted to write them?) would be disassociated ramblings full of the first person singular.
Wonder what the band would be called? Probably none. Full billing to the lead singer only. No lead breaks for the guitarist and as for the vocal chorus, we won’t go there.
How many members of the family would be involved? What style of music? A little mix of punk, country, and hillbilly, but no blues, Mex or reggae for sure.
On RNZ Nine to Noon there were two very interesting interviews on education.
The first was with Hamish Brewer, a NZer who “now calls Virginia home where his mission is to turn around ailing schools. He is tattooed, he skateboards and he tells the students he loves them, in case no one else in their lives is telling them that. Hamish has won many awards and given speeches about his work.”
This guy was compelling in a “Ted Talks” way – which I don’t usually connect with. We really should be getting him back here, even if just temporarily, for some good ‘out of the box’ thinking. He was actually very supportive of the education he received here and the NZ system overall, but he certainly could give some educators here a bit of a shake-up.
Calling marty mars and other home schoolers (or those interested in home schooling) in relation to the second interview.
I recommend listening to it if you didn’t hear it. It was with Natalie Donaldson and Siobhan Porter, both part of Auckland Home Educators, a support and advocacy group for parent educators. They have five children each and have home-schooled them all.
{As an aside but also in relation to this morning’s Nine to Noon, the description of the interview with Jessica Young, University of Otago, at 11 above on attitudes to assisted dying earlier on in the programme was well off the mark. The interview did cover the restrictions etc on who could carry out or assist in an assisted death in detail – the person themself or a doctor, but not family members. ]
I assume one “veutoviper” is referring to my contribution at 9:25 am when he/she writes:
As an aside but also in relation to this morning’s Nine to Noon, the description of the interview with Jessica Young, University of Otago, at 11 above on attitudes to assisted dying earlier on in the programme was well off the mark.
How was I “off the mark” in pointing out the deceitful, anodyne language used (“self-administration of a death”) and the fact that Kathryn Ryan had failed to ask the obvious question, viz., Who is going to kill these people?
The interview did cover the restrictions etc on who could carry out or assist in an assisted death in detail – the person themself [sic] or a doctor, but not family members.
Doctors take an oath to look after people. “Look after” is not a synonym for “kill”.
She DID ask the question you claim she didn’t raise. As I said above, the answer was that the only people who would legally be allowed to carry out or assist in an assisted death would be the person themselves and/or a doctor; no-one else including family members would be allowed to.
But par for the course for you. Perhaps we (and Kiwiblog) should set up a Give A Little page for hearing aids for you.
the answer was that the only people who would legally be allowed to carry out or assist in an assisted death
To “carry out an assisted death” is a deceitful, euphemistic way of saying “to kill a dying person.” I am correct when I state that Ms. Ryan accepted this distortion of plain language, and failed to ask the pertinent question.
would be the person themselves [sic] and/or a doctor
Doctors take an oath to look after their patients. Palliative care, as in a hospice is assisting the dying; it is a world away from putting someone to death.
I’ll skip your witless little sortie into personal abuse.
When i see a bird dying in my garden i put a spade through its neck. When my old dog was so close to death that he was just suffering i took him for a final visit to the vet. These things to most people seem humane and sensible. When i do these things i feel like i am caring.
Human beings are not like stray birds. Leading humanitarian philosophers like Michael Laws and David Seymour would no doubt appreciate your analogy though.
This is hope fully a good out come for the common people of Yemen Peace and diplomacy is what is best for All Kia kaha
It has taken three years, 14 million people on the brink of starving to death and 10,000 dead civilians before the US finally asked for the chaos in Yemen to stop.
But it may be too late for the impoverished Arab nation, which borders Saudi Arabia, as it faces effectively being wiped off the Earth as more than half its population starve due to a sickening Saudi war tactic.
It was already one of the world’s poorest countries before a brutal civil war began in 2015 when rebel Houthi fighters seized the presidential compound in the country’s capital Sana’a and overthrew the government. Ka kite ano Link is below.
New Neighbour the last lot were sandflys contracted Actors and now it looks like a single wahine is moving in she will be a sandfly payed actor trying to set me up I know they are listening to everything in the house the perverts . So if anything happen its a sandfly set up. The muppets will try anything Ka kite ano
Eco Maori Give A ka pai to the Google employees who have made a stand to back up there wahine employees Equality is what the new generation wants and need.
We not stupid Equality for all and environmentally friendly.Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers around the world walked off the job Thursday (Friday NZ time) to protest the internet company’s lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct.Kia kaha people ka kite ano link is below.
Eco Maori did warn MP that there staff could be pro national and set them up and the immigration issue that Labour is having at the minute sure looks like a SET UP JOB.
‘ looking like the Government has made an embarrassing stuff-up over the controversial decision to allow a Czech criminal to stay in the country after he finishes his prison sentence. SET UP Ka kite ano link is below. P.S I will give the turned lefty a bit of a ——–
Kia ora Te Kaea the water isuses I say we need to audit all country’s council and legerslate to make them clean up our water.
That was awesome that the sights of the Southern right whale off Ohope Bay of plenty.
The Maori All Blacks will have a good team playing in Chicago this weekend.
Ka kite ano P.S Maori does some thing wrong no name suppression it’s gets plastered in the media???????.
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We've known about climate change for over forty years now,and it has been a major political issue for twenty. And yet fossil fuel companies have kept polluting with impunity, while government have looked the other way and twiddled their thumbs and refused to do anything because "the economy", or just ...
Sheer Loopiness: Many of those expressing bemusement at the antics of these #turnardern effacers, were convinced that they were yet another expression of the National Party’s increasingly spiteful anti-government propaganda campaign. They marvelled at the oddness of the perpetrators’ mindset and questioned the common-sense of allowing the rest of New Zealand ...
Brad Scott, GNS Science VolcanologistThis post was originally published by GeoNet.Following the 9 December devastating eruption at Whakaari/White Island we have put together some information about the island. New Zealand’s most active volcano Whakaari/White Island is currently New Zealand’s most active volcano, it has been since an eruptive episode ...
The Justice Committee has reported back on its Inquiry into the 2017 General Election and 2016 Local Elections, with a host of recommendations about how to improve our electoral systems. Some of their recommendations are already incorporate din the Electoral Amendment Bill currently before Parliament, but there's also a recommendation ...
Back in 2017, in order to make themselves "electable" in the eyes of rich people who oppose everything they stand for, the Greens signed up for NeoLiberalism, adopting a restrictive set of "Budget Responsibility Rules" which basicly prevented them from using government to make things better. Now, they're finally abandoning ...
Since invading in 2001, the US has consistently claimed that their war in Afghanistan has been going well, even when it continued year after year after year. Of course, they were lying, and thanks to the Washington Post and the US Freedom of Information Act, we get to see just ...
How should we think about artificial intelligence and the implications that it has for our work and leisure? There are many articles on artificial intelligence and its potential impacts on jobs, and the ethics of applications. These are important topics, but I want to focus on some less discussed aspects, ...
I love data. It’s amazing the sort of “discoveries” I can make given a data set and computer statistical package. It’s just so easy to search for relationships and test their statistical significance. Maybe relationships which ...
The other big story concerning Leeds Hospital is Boris Johnson's bizzare behaviour at Leeds Hospital, where he was confronted by a journalist and challenged about a four year old boy with suspected pneumonia who was left sleeping on the floor, rather than getting abed like a sick kid would in ...
So, for a brief period of history, it was alleged that a protester had punched Matt Hancock's SPAD (not a euphemism; special adviser) when Hancock visited Leeds Hospital.This was reported by the likes of Robert Peston and Laura Keunssberg, as well as the less credible Guido Fawkes. It also quickly ...
by Daphna Whitmore Last week France passed a law that equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. It is based on a definition of anti-Semitism that includes criticism of Israel such as: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist ...
Over the past year we've seen major bus problems in Hamilton and Wellington, as drivers have sought better wages and an end to the bullshit of split shifts, which basicly see them "married to the job". And now its Auckland's turn. When NZBus's drivers planned low-level strike action of not ...
The government has been congratulating itself over the passage of the Zero Carbon Act, which sets out long-term emissions targets. But those targets are insufficient. Meanwhile, Denmark is showing us how its done:Denmark’s parliament adopted a new climate law on Friday, committing to reach 70% below its 1990 emissions in ...
Another day, another piece of legislation with a secrecy clause. This time its the innocuous-seeming Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill, which (after establishing a new body and making it subject to the OIA in three different ways) includes the rapidly-becoming-standard clauses enabling it to request information from other public ...
The state of the United Kingdom is fractured, torn up, shredded. The Empire is gone, it died a long time ago. And yet, the country is still tracking with a lead in favour of the ones who play to the ingrained, class-bound division for political gain. It is a disgrace ...
On 27 September, Greta Thunberg addressed a crowd of 500,000 at the School Strike for Climate in Montreal, saying: “You are a nation that is allegedly a climate leader. And Sweden is also a nation that is allegedly a climate leader. And in both cases, it means absolutely nothing. Because ...
It should be obvious by now but let’s be clear: The same folk who regularly traffic in disinformation, misinformation and “fake news” are also those who most strongly claim that their freedom of expression rights are being violated when moves are made to curb hate speech (as opposed to protected ...
Michael SchulsonWhen Shane Burcaw flies on an airplane, he brings along a customized gel cushion, a car seat, and about 10 pieces of memory foam. The whole arsenal costs around $1,000, but for Burcaw it’s a necessity. The 27-year-old author and speaker — who, alongside his fiancée, Hannah ...
We are very pleased to publish this submission is from Lucinda Stoan. She is a social justice activist, mother, and educator, based in Washington State in the US. This detailed and comprehensive source-linked overview of trans issues and what is at stake will be useful for many people, especially in ...
New Zealand's Underarm Banker: It bears recalling that the “independence” of the Reserve Bank Governor was for decades held up by neoliberal capitalists as the most compelling justification for passing the Reserve Bank Act. Interesting, is it not, how the ruling class’s support for the Bank’s independence lasted no longer than ...
Rubbish In, Rubbish Out: Put all this together, and it’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that anyone who responds positively to a pollster’s request to “answer a few questions” is just ever-so-slightly weird. Desperately lonely? Some sort of psephological train-spotter? Political party member primed to skew the poll for or against ...
“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. A long and bitter court feud between former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig and Jordan Williams has been settled, with an apology and compensation from Williams. On Tuesday, Craig sent out ...
Samuel Becher, Victoria University of Wellington and Jessica C Lai, Victoria University of WellingtonEarlier this year, the New Zealand-based pizza chain Hell Pizza offered a limited-edition “Burger Pizza”. Its customers weren’t told that the “meat” was plant-based. Some customers complained to the Commerce Commission, which enforces consumer law in ...
Some people seem to want to close down any critical discussion of the current research into the relationship between water fluoride and child IQ. They appear to argue that claims made by researchers should not be open to critical review and that the claims be accepted without proper consideration ...
The government has been congratulating itself over the passage of the Zero Carbon Act, which sets out long-term emissions targets. Meanwhile, Climate Action Tracker has the shameful reality: those targets are insufficient:While New Zealand is showing leadership by having passed the world’s second-ever Zero Carbon Act in November 2019, under ...
The government introduced a Racing Industry Bill today. As an urban who horse racing as pointless-to-cruel, and gambling as a tax on stupidity and/or hope, this isn't normally a bill which would interest me in the slightest, beyond grumpiness at more government money for a dying industry. But there is ...
Check. Check. One, two, three, four. Is this thing ON? Hello readers, I logged in last night (yeah, it’s been a while) to mark THE END of the landmark legal case, Jordan Williams v Colin Craig, which (gulp) reached The Supreme Court, in which New Zealand’s most-defamed man was suing the politician he ...
Before The Birth: Israel’s most fervent supporters set their clocks ticking in Biblical times. They cite the kingdoms of David and Solomon as proof that, in the words of the Exodus movie’s theme-song: “This land is mine.” The majority of Israel’s backers, however, start their clocks in 1933 – the year Adolf ...
In an unreliable, strange and confusing world, Public Address is proud to present a measure of comfort and stability by annually asking everyone what words or phrases sum up the year that's been – and then giving some of them consumer goods as prizes for being clever or simply lucky.Well, ...
Both my parents are pretty handy – and they seem to have the right tools for most jobs in the garage and they know how to fix practically anything. A similar story could be told about their generation’s experience in the workforce – being a generalist was not unusual and ...
When it was revealed that NZ First had tried to enrich itself from public office via the Provoncial Growth Fund, the Prime Minister assured us that everything was OK as Shane Jones, the Minister responsible for the fund, had recused himself. Except it seems that that recusal came very late ...
Today is a Member's Day, and probably the last one of the year. After the marathon of the End of Life Choice Act, most of the bills up for debate today are uncontentious. First up is the second reading of Chlöe Swarbrick's Election Access Fund Bill. This will be followed ...
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee has reported back on the government's odious and tyrannical control orders bill. As expected, the fraudulent select committee process has made no significant changes (partly because they couldn't agree, but mostly because it was a stitch-up from the start, with no intention of ...
Yesterday, the government released its draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill, which will be put to a non-binding referendum at the next election. I'm not a drug policy expert, but Russell Brown is, and he thinks its pretty good. And pretty obviously, it will be a massive improvement on the ...
As you're probably aware, the draft bill outlining the proposed legal cannabis regime to be put to a referendum late next year was published yesterday, and has already attracted a flurry of comment. It's notable that a good deal of the comment is about proposals that aren't actually new.A minimum ...
One of the big problems in New Zealand climate change policy is the government working at cross-purposes with itself. It wants to reduce fossil fuel use, but encourages oil and gas exploration. It wants to reduce transport emissions, but then builds enormous new roads. The problem could be avoided if ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzAccording to the United Nations, food shortages are a threat ...
Last year, the government announced it was ending offshore oil exploration by no longer issuing new permits. The idea was that the industry would then die off as permits expired. Except almost immediately the government revealed its bad faith, by saying they would extend permits and alter conditions to keep ...
The government introduced the Education and Training Bill to Parliament yesterday. Its a massive bill, which replaces both existing Education Acts, as well as various other bits of legislation (including some which are still proceeding through the House). I'll leave the serious analysis to teachers and people who actually know ...
Amelia SharmanThere’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to micro-credentials, those bits of bite-sized learning that can help workers stay on top of technological change. What’s a micro-credential? While definitions vary, micro-credentials can be understood as short courses that allow people to learn new skills or have an existing competency recognised. ...
All Smiles Now: Claire Szabo is taking up her presidential role after serving as the CEO of Habitat For Humanity. Which is absolutely perfect! After KiwiBuild was so comprehensively mismanaged by Phil Twyford, the party has not only elected a new president from a thoroughly respectable not-for-profit, but one who ...
While much of the NZ left has transitioned to postmodern and identity politics in relation to transgender ideology, there are some very good articles about that deploy Marxist methodology in relation to this subject. The one below is from the British marxist group Counterfire and appeared on their site here ...
by Daphna Whitmore At Golden Oaks, a luxurious country retreat in the Hudson Valley, pregnant women have the best care money can buy. From the organic food, personalised exercise programmes, private yoga instruction and daily massages Golden Oaks looks like a country lodge for the upper class. Set some time ...
When Labour was running for election in 2017, it felt it needed to demonstrate "fiscal responsibility" and signed itself up to masochistic "budget responsibility rules". It was a fool's errand: the sorts of voters who demand fiscal responsibility are also the sorts of voters who believe that labour can never ...
Writing in Stuff, Joel MacManus looks at what we need to do to meet the Zero Carbon Act's targets. The core of it:1. Convert 85 per cent of vehicles on the road to electric. 2. Eliminate fossil fuels from all industrial heating up to 300 degrees Celsius. 3. Double our ...
Professors Janet Hoek and Richard Edwards, Emeritus Professor Phil Gendall, Jude Ball, Dr Judith McCool, Anaru Waa, Dr Becky FreemanRecent media reports have presented conflicting evidence on youth vaping in NZ. While some NZ school principals report concerns about increasing vaping on school grounds and confiscating vapes, ASH Year ...
“America the Beautiful!”, staunch defender of democracy, freedom and… a whole lot of despotic tyrants that play nice with what is called “the Washington Consensus.” America is indeed capable of immense good, but like any Nation, and most assuredly any aspirant to the mantle of Empire, great, immense evil. All ...
Image credit:The beginner’s guide to blogging I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is ...
1080 is used to control pests in NZ. Its use is contested by a noisy few. A new report claims high levels of 1080 in rats washed up on a beach. Flora and Fauna of Aotearoa (F&F) won’t name the laboratory that did their testing. It has sparked a hunt ...
What Kind Of Empire? The thing for Kiwis to decide is what kind of empire they want to belong to. The kind that, while offering its own citizens democratic rights, demands absolute obedience from its “friends”? Or, the kind that, while authoritarian at home, takes a relaxed attitude to the ...
It hasn't been a good week for the Conservatives, pollwise. All major recent polls are showing their lead shrinking.Comparing each pollster's current (between 29/11 and 22/11) and previous most recent poll.Com Res - Conservative lead down 3 points.You Gov - Conservative lead down 1 point.Kantar - Conservative lead down 4 ...
Paramedics have reiterated their support for New Zealand First MP Darroch Ball's bill to impose mandatory prison sentences on those who assault our first responders and prison officers. There are more than 50 cases of abuse and assault against New Zealand paramedics each week. The figure has remained largely unchanged ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has revealed the Party’s stance on a proposed single public broadcaster. He said it had been the NZ First policy to support and strengthen public sector media. "For this reason, we welcome the initiative of Minister Faafoi to progress work in this area. Both ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First Introduction Good morning, and thank you for your attendance here today. Let us start by acknowledging the work of all the media outlets and reporters, particularly the regional reporters, who have been covering this week’s tragedy at Whakaari White Island. It ...
New Zealand First MP Darroch Ball’s bill introducing a six-month minimum sentence for assaults on first responders has passed its first reading in Parliament. Mr Ball said the new offence of "injuring a first responder or prison officer with intent" would target people who attacked paramedics, police, firefighters, and corrections ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters gave his final interview for 2019 on The Country to tell farmers they have never had it better under the current coalition Government. “Here you've got these record returns [for farmers]. These returns would be nothing like a record if the currency under the ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said that New Zealand's Cook Islands High Commissioner, Tessa Temata, has died over the weekend. Ms Temata, 52, died in Palmerston North and had returned to New Zealand for medical treatment. She was the first New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands of Cook Island ...
A new defence report has mapped out how New Zealand's soldiers will navigate rising seas, and a year after the Defence Force announced its need to prepare for climate change. In the “Responding to the Climate Crisis” report, the Force restates its operational plan and sets goals to tackle climate ...
We're rebuilding New Zealand - our transport network, our hospitals, our schools and more... After nine years of neglect there's a lot to fix - but we're getting on with the job. ...
We're rebuilding New Zealand - our transport network, our hospitals, our schools and more... After nine years of neglect there's a lot to fix - but we're getting on with the job. ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, has called for awareness to be raised and more stringent biosecurity checks to be put in place for African Swine Fever (ASF), a widespread virus that is uncontrolled in most of Asia and a serious ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Human Rights A critical step has been taken to end gender based violence against women and girls in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for Human Rights Jenny Marcroft MP has welcomed the passing of the first reading of the Crimes (Definition of Female ...
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says it's time to recognise market forces haven't led to the expected reduction in Māori smoking rates and try a new approach. The Party had recently invoked the agree to disagree clause in their Coalition Agreement with the Labour Party, and will not support ...
Live from the Whanganui Opera House, on the final day of the 2019 Labour Party Conference, Jacinda Ardern announced the largest investment in school property in 25 years. ...
The Coalition Government will be banning foreign donations to political parties and candidates, ahead of next year’s general elections. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament and passed under urgency – emphasising the need for such restrictions to safeguard our democracy. The bill introduces a new requirement that party secretaries and ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones opened Taipā's $19 million bridge recently, improving transport infrastructure in the Northland region. The two-lane bridge is 107m long with a 2.5m-wide shared walking and cycling path, and will reduce the congestion that the old one-lane bridge was notorious for. The project had also included ...
The Overseas Investment Office have rejected the application of Mercury Agriculture LP, which is 92 per cent controlled by Canadian interests, to purchase more than 2000 hectares of South Canterbury and Otago land. Mercury wanted to buy 2000ha at Rangitata, 1494ha near Ashburton, 816ha near Cromwell and 212ha near Temuka. ...
This weekend was Labour's 103rd Party Conference! We welcomed over 500 of our Labour whānau in red to Whanganui, where we reflected on the last two years in Government, and looked ahead to 2020 and beyond. We know the long-term challenges facing New Zealand won't be tackled overnight, but we're making ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced that the Provincial Growth Fund will invest $9.6 million to seal the final unsealed section of State Highway 43 from Stratford to Taumarunui. The Minister said sealing the 12-kilometre gravel section of the highway – also called the “Forgotten World Highway” - through ...
Former Finance Minister and former chair of the Tax Working Group, Sir Michael Cullen, has voiced his support for New Zealand First’s decision to oppose the planned increase in tobacco excise tax. In an interview with The Weekend Collective, he said that increasing the price was no longer effective in ...
Māori are natural storytellers. On the marae we use stories to tell our history, to teach the next generation life lessons and to let people know, in our most creative of ways, who we are and where we have come from. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First has invoked the ‘Agree to Disagree’ provisions of the Coalition Agreement because it cannot support the announced 11.46 percent increase in the tobacco excise from 1 January 2020. “Studies show that the automatic tobacco excise increases are having less effect ...
Taupō-based company Geo40 has made a breakthrough in extracting near battery-grade lithium from geothermal fluid which its says could be a gamechanger. Its chief executive John Worth said the earth mineral was highly prized, with battery-grade lithium selling for US$10,000 (NZ$15,600) a tonne. Geo40 was founded in 2010 to find ...
Crown research institute AgResearch Ltd, as part of its Future Footprint plan, had intended to relocate top scientists and support staff — particularly those focused on sheep genetics and genomics — from Invermay to Lincoln. However, those plans seem to have been shelved at the request of the Coalition Government. ...
Ten engineering firms in Southland are receiving a total of $2.13 million in Provincial Growth Fund funding to lift productivity and create new jobs. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced in Invercargill that the 10 engineering and manufacturing firms would receive funding to assist them with buying equipment that ...
The number of new residents to New Zealand is the lowest it has been in nearly two decades and it has earned the ire of the immigration industry. The industry alleges that 'Trump-style extreme vetting' is being put in place aimed at keeping a lid on immigration numbers. June Ranson, ...
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is one step closer to modernising its fleet after the United States State Department recently approved the sale of five new C-130J Hercules aircraft to New Zealand. Arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, in Fort Worth, Texas, will provide the aircraft, but as a "foreign military ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development A $261,000 loan from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) has helped a family-run business in Manawatū to scale up manufacturing capacity, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced at its opening today. Ashhurst-based skin-care business The Herb Farm is on track to ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Regional Freight Hub near Palmerston North has taken a step forward with the completion of the master plan, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said. Shane Jones unveiled the high-level design of the new Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) backed rail-road hub ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of DefenceTērā te haeata takiri ana mai i runga o Pukaha!Ara tai uru, whai uru, whai uru!Ara whai ato, whai ato, whai ato!Ara rā tini, ara rā tini, ara ri!The rays of the morning sun strike a new dawn upon Pukaha ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic DevelopmentThe Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $772,000 in opportunities for growth in Manawatū-Whanganui, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today.NZ Bio-Forestry Limited will receive a $380,000 boost for game-changing research which could unlock significant growth in the wood processing sector, ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced today the appointment of diplomat Sarah Lee as New Zealand’s High Commissioner to South Africa. She will be the first female Head of Mission to represent New Zealand in Africa. “New Zealand’s relationship with South ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones wants to create a log barging facility at Hicks Bay and turn the area into a Special Economic Zone. The move would be part of protecting New Zealand's forests from being depleted by India and China, he said. It follows his announcement last week to strengthen ...
New Zealand First supports the changes recommended by the Winter Grazing Taskforce to improve animal welfare outcomes through the winter months, and the establishment of a pan-sector action group to implement them. New Zealand First Primary Industries Spokesperson Mark Patterson says the report highlights areas of concern about the animal ...
Former prime ministers Helen Clark and Sir John Key, formerly from the Labour and National parties respectively, have joined forces in support of New Zealand First’s plan to relocate Auckland's port to Whangārei. While Ms Clark and Sir John spent their political careers on opposite sides of the political divide, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is in Japan for the Foreign Ministers' meeting of the G20 grouping of countries as one of nine "invited" countries. He has used the opportunity to cast a spotlight on the plight of Pacific countries, calling out countries which still offered subsidies or Government assistance to ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson on his election victory. “New Zealand and the United Kingdom are close friends and despite our distance we are strongly connected by our history and people,” Jacinda Ardern said. “I look forward to continuing to work with Prime ...
The Government has released its long term vision for a sustainable 21st Century rail network that gets our cities moving, connects our regions and gets more freight off the roads. Deputy Prime Minister and State Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters said the Government is committed to rebuilding New Zealand’s ...
I want to start by acknowledging the families who have experienced such grief and such loss since the extraordinary tragedy on Monday. Today was all about reuniting them with their loved ones. We've just come from the airport where many of them were gathered and in amongst what you can ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further support for Samoa’s longer term needs as it continues to respond to a devastating measles epidemic. “Samoa’s health system has experienced massive strain in the wake of the measles epidemic. The volume of patients needing care during this outbreak, and the number of ...
Discounted electric bikes will be offered up to public sector staff across the country as part of the Government’s work to reduce transport emissions and support healthier transport options. Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter officially launched the new initiative at Wellington Hospital today. “The Government has negotiated bulk-purchase ...
The Australian and New Zealand Governments today launch an historic joint bid to bring the FIFA Women’s World Cup to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time. Australian Minister for Youth and Sport, Richard Colbeck and New Zealand Minister for Sport and Recreation Grant Robertson will announce the bold campaign, ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) has approved a $15 million loan to help re-establish a gold mining operation at Blackwater Gold Mine, near Reefton, Rural Communities Minister and local MP Damien O’Connor announced at an event on the West Coast today. “This is great news for the Coast that could ...
Papakāinga model inspires whānau well-being A housing project by Kohupātiki whānau in Hastings is an outstanding example of a Māori-led housing initiative that can reduce financial pressure and reconnect whānau to their whakapapa says the Minister for Māori Development Hon Nanaia Mahuta. Minister Mahuta officially opened the Aroha Te Rangi ...
Restoration efforts for a significant wetland in the Hawke’s Bay are getting more support announced Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage. “Wetlands are vital to healthy landscapes and ecosystems. They function as nature’s ‘kidneys’, filtering and protecting water quality, acting as nature’s sponges after rain and are home to ...
Nelson has today seen the launch of Housing First Nelson Tasman. Today’s launch marks the expansion of the Government’s homelessness programme, Housing First, to the top of the South Island. “Housing First is a proven programme that puts people who are experiencing homelessness and multiple, high and complex needs into ...
New Government funding announced today will help communities make a difference in tackling environmental issues Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage announced in Hawkes Bay today. The Ministry for the Environment’s Community Environment Fund is dedicating $243,101 to growing the capacity and capability of the Environment Hubs Aotearoa’s (EHA) ...
The days of vulnerable consumers falling victim to loan sharks, truck shops and other predatory lenders are numbered, following the Credit Contracts Legislation Amendment Bill passing its third reading tonight. “Too many Kiwis are being given loans that are unaffordable and unsuitable, trapping them in debt and leaving their families ...
A Bill that prevents terrorism and supports the de-radicalisation of New Zealanders returning from overseas has passed its third reading, Justice Minister Andrew Little says. The Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill is a carefully targeted response to manage the risk posed by a small number of New Zealanders who have ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio will travel to Samoa on Friday, where New Zealand medical teams are helping Samoa respond to an outbreak of measles. “New Zealand has been working closely with the Government of Samoa and offering our assistance from the ...
The Government has changed the law to improve student safety and welfare in university halls of residence and other student accommodation. The Education (Pastoral Care) Amendment Bill passed its third reading this afternoon and details of an interim Code of Practice setting out the Government’s expectations of tertiary providers have also been released. ...
A new tool to help councils fund and finance infrastructure could mean some housing developments happen a decade earlier than currently planned, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford said today. “This new tool, developed by the Government in partnership with industry and high-growth councils, will allow councils to access private debt ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has welcomed the release of a bold new vision for the country’s vital food and fibre sector. “I’m delighted that New Zealand’s major farmer and grower organisations are today supporting the Primary Sector Council’s vision – Fit for a Better World,” he said. “The international consumers ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has congratulated the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government for completing a well-conducted referendum on the future political status of Bougainville. “New Zealand supported the referendum process by providing technical advice through the New Zealand Electoral Commission and leading a Regional Police ...
In light of Cabinet’s position that freight operations on prime land in downtown Auckland are no longer viable, the Government will now embark on a short work programme to enable decision-making in the first half of next year, Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones says. Minister Jones is today releasing the ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter has received the report back from a surgical mesh restorative justice process undertaken by Victoria University. The process heard stories, either in person or online submission, from more than 600 people affected by surgical mesh. “The report made for heart-breaking and confronting reading,” says ...
The Water Services Regulator Bill – Taumata Arowai , introduced to Parliament today, is a milestone for drinking water safety in New Zealand and will help improve environmental outcomes for urban waterways, rivers and lakes. “This is a breakthrough for New Zealanders in terms of providing safe drinking water throughout ...
Kia ora koutouE ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā matā wakaTēnā koutou katoaHaere ngā, moe maiKoutou ma ngā Rangatira Ko Anaru ahauKo au te Minita mo ngā TureHe Honore tino nui kei roto I ahau No reira tena koutou katoa Today, we are releasing two reports that are the ...
The Government is looking to turn around the long-term challenges of criminal justice by taking a new approach to break the cycle of offending to ensure there are fewer victims of crime. Justice Minister Andrew Little released two reports today, Turuki! Turuki! from Te Uepū Hāpai I te Ora, and ...
New Zealand firms expanding beyond the start-up phase are set for more support after today’s passage of the Venture Capital Fund Bill, Associate Finance Minister David Parker said. The Bill, which establishes a $300 million Venture Capital Fund, puts in place a key initiative of the Wellbeing Budget’s economic package. ...
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi, e ngā rau rangatira mā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Señora Presidenta, Excellencies, Delegates. International action A common thread that runs through the Paris Agreement is the commitment we have made to each other to do what we can to ...
The Government is lifting capital investment to the highest level in more than 20 years as it takes the next step to future-proof New Zealand. Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced $12 billion of new investment, with $8 billion for specific capital projects and $4 billion to be added to ...
The Government is forecast to run $12 billion worth of surpluses across the four years to 2023/24 as the economy continues to grow. The surpluses will help fund day-to-day capital requirements each year. These include fixing leaky hospitals, building new classrooms to cover population growth and take pressure off class ...
Budget 2020 will continue the Coalition Government’s focus on tackling the long-term challenges facing New Zealand while also investing to future-proof the economy. When the Government took office in 2017 it was left with crumbling infrastructure, severe underinvestment in public services, degraded rivers and lakes, a housing crisis and rising ...
The Minister responsible for the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011 (te Takutai Moana Act 2011), Andrew Little has welcomed the launch of an online geospatial tool that provides data-rich, dynamic coastline maps that will significantly boost research and evidence-gathering under the Act. Te Kete Kōrero a Te ...
The Chief Victims Advisor to Government Dr Kim McGregor, QSO, has been reappointed in her role for a further two years. Dr McGregor has held the role since it was established in November 2015. She provides independent advice to government on how to improve the criminal justice system for victims. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare have today announced the deployment of a network of DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami) buoys. “New Zealand and the Pacific region are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. It is vital we have adequate warning systems in place,” ...
DART Buoys Announcement Aotea Wharf, 9.30am 11 December 2019 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements to Minister for Civil Defence Hon Peeni Henare also here today. White Island It is with regret that this event shadows the tragic natural disaster two days ago. The volcanic eruptions on White Island have claimed 5 lives, ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the first reading of the Racing Industry Bill in parliament today. This is the second of two Bills that have been introduced this year to revitalise New Zealand’s racing industry. “Our domestic racing industry has been in serious decline. The Government is committed to ...
Minister for Disability Issues, Carmel Sepuloni, is pleased to announce that $291,321 is to be awarded to national and local community initiatives to maintain and promote the use of New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). “New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world where Sign Language is an ...
Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has announced today the Coalition Government’s initial response to work completed by the independent statutory body, the Veterans’ Advisory Board. “When Professor Ron Paterson completed his review of the Veterans’ Support Act in 2018, he made a number of recommendations, including one which I referred ...
The Government will fund the bulk of the cost of a rural water supply for the Ohakea community affected by PFAS contamination, Environment Minister David Parker announced today at a meeting of local residents. This new water scheme will provide a reliable and clean source of drinking water to the ...
I have had the opportunity to be briefed on the details of the volcanic eruption of Whakaari/White Island, off the coast of Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty. The eruption happened at 2.11pm today. It continues to be an evolving situation. We know that there were a number of tourists ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Civil Defence Peeni Henare have today confirmed initial Government support of $100,000 for communities affected by the severe weather that swept across the South Island and lower North Island over the weekend. The contribution will be made to Mayoral relief funds across the ...
New Zealand's High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, Tessa Temata, died in Palmerston North over the weekend, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said today. Ms Temata, 52, had recently returned to New Zealand for medical treatment. "On behalf of the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, we extend ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today announced construction is underway on Wellington commuter rail upgrades which will mean more frequent services and fewer breakdowns. The upgrades include converting the Trentham to Upper Hutt single track section to a double track, with a new signalling system, upgraded stations and level crossings, and ...
Napoleon demanded that his generals be lucky. Conservative PM Boris Johnson, as he surveys a thumping victory in the British general election, would meet that criterion.His luck bears a resemblance to that of Margaret Thatcher. Like her, he has made a decisive break with orthodox establishment thinking. That presents ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison has rejected or sidelined a number of recommendations from the long-awaited Thodey review of the public service that might have constrained his and his government’s power. Not surprisingly, a proposal to ensure changes ...
Analysis - The "do nothing" government announces a big spend-up on infrastructure, moving the Port of Auckland, and Winston Peters throws his weight behind NZME's bid to buy Stuff. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]For their last video for the year, University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini and Michelle Grattan look backwards to the big issues which have shaped political discourse. They discuss the surprise election results, and ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has acknowledged Ngāti Awa for their role as tangata whenua (people of the land) in leading and caring for affected whānau (family members), following the Whakaari / White Island eruption and recovery operation earlier today. ...
The Environment Committee has opened for public submissions on the Urban Development Bill. The bill follows on from the Kāinga Ora–Homes and Communities bill, which disestablished Housing New Zealand and set up a Crown entity in the same name. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Loader, Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Murdoch University, Murdoch University This article is part of our Gender and Christianity series. To understand contemporary Christian ideas about gender, and specifically masculinity, we need to go all the way back to the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Gissing, General Manager, Risk Frontiers, Adjunct Fellow, Macquarie University Calls are growing for a national bushfire plan, including from former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who says they are an issue of national security and the federal government must provide hands-on leadership. ...
Pro-democracy lobby group Democracy Action welcome New Zealand First’s commitment to hold firm rejecting the Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene’s bill to entrench the Māori seats. The Bill, which would require any changes to the seats to require the ...
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.Sometimes you are just doing a podcast as usual and then Colin Mathura-Jeffree gives you a call and throws your world off its axis. In a very special edition of Colin’s Cranny: Live, ...
We get a handle on the artists and artworks that shaped this decade in Aotearoa.As 2019 draws to a close, the four nominees for this year’s Turner Prize subverted the competition – they asked to receive the award as a collective. Meanwhile, at Art Basel Miami Beach, a banana taped ...
The second and final report of Te Uepū Hāpai i te Ora, the Safe and Effective Justice Advisory Group, contains nothing we didn’t know 30 years ago. Yet generations of politicians have ignored the same advice, writes Laura O’Connell Rapira.Between the 1950s and 1990s, New Zealand experienced seismic social, economic ...
Fuel company Z Energy has cut its earnings forecast for the year by 10 percent because of tougher competition and falling margins, and is forecasting a big cut in dividends. ...
Liquidators of the hacked cryptocurrency exchange Cryptopia have travelled to the United States, to retrieve customers' information and certain crypto-assets. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kath Albury, Professor of Media and Communication, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology Popular commentary on dating apps often associates their use with “risky” sex, harassment and poor mental health. But anyone who has used a dating app ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Grimmer, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania Australian shoppers are set to spend $52.7 billion this Christmas. In the words of the retail industry, we are “stampeding” to empty our wallets, both online and ...
NZ Herald and many other media outlets ran a story on a man whose farts could repel mosquitos, despite the story coming from a satire news site and not being verified in any way, writes Dan Satherly for Newshub.“Man’s farts so deadly he kills mosquitoes in a 6m radius” is ...
Timing right to borrow our way to a stronger economy in 2020 The Government’s announcement of its intent to invest significantly in the county’s infrastructure could turbo charge an economic recovery that was already showing positive signs for ...
A poem by writer, journalist, and former Manus Island refugee Behrouz Boochani.Forgive me my loveTranslated by Moones Mansoubi, Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, 2018 Forgive me my bird as I am not able to embrace you.But here,in this corner,I know some migrating birds that I smile to at dawn.I embrace them ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Powles, Senior Lecturer in Security Studies, Massey University The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, a chain of islands that lie 959 kilometres northwest of Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, has voted unequivocally for independence. The referendum saw 85% voter turnout during ...
Fisheries New Zealand starts consultation today on proposed changes to catch settings for rock lobster and scallops for the new fishing year beginning 1 April 2020. ...
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. This was the declaration of the pigs who control the government in George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm– a tart comment on the hypocrisy of governments that proclaim the absolute equality of their citizens but gives power and privileges ...
SPCA has been working flat out to desex more than 80 animals a day over the last year, which is the most desexing SPCA has done since recording the figures. ...
“The fact so many families are struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table must be addressed urgently if we’re to provide the foundations for a good life for the next generation of New Zealanders,” says Scott Figenshow, Chief Executive ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (Hamish Hamilton, $40)Winner of the 2019 Booker Prize.2The Body: ...
This holiday season Te Tari Taiwhenua, Department of Internal Affairs wants to offer parents and caregivers some advice on how to help keep your family safe online. ...
A report released by the Chief Victims advisor Kim McGregor advising there needs to be an Independent Victims body is being welcomed by Victim Rights lobby group Sensible Sentencing Trust. National spokesperson Jess McVicar says the trust have ...
For the third time in five years, the United Kingdom has gone to the polls today. From the summer islands of New Zealand, join The Spinoff as we follow the results rolling in.9.30am: So, with polls about 90 minutes away from closing, the top line is this – we’ve got ...
Winston Peters will back an NZME proposal to buy Stuff with a 'Kiwishare' guarantee the merged news company will keep regional news and separate websites for at least two years. ...
The Executive Director of Dapaanz (Addiction Practitioners’ Association Aotearoa New Zealand), Sue Paton says the announcement that Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment court would become permanent immediately, following successful pilots in Auckland ...
Online marketplace Sidekicker is taking advantage of people who have little choice but to juggle multiple low-paying jobs to make ends meet, writes artist and freelancer Ben Markley.After graduating early this year with one of the least vocational degrees, I didn’t expect the largest array of job prospects. Nevertheless, I ...
National is vowing to bring back and expand health sector targets dropped by the current Government and mulling whether to scrap elected District Health Boards. ...
More than 10,000 people have signed a petition launched a week ago, calling for better support and funding for community midwives. The 10k figure was reached after the first four days. Chief executive of the College of Midwives, Alison Eddy, said last ...
Information obtained by animal rights organisation SAFE has revealed rodeo organisers are refusing to halt calf-roping events in rodeo, despite the Government’s animal welfare advisors’ recommendation that they do so. ...
Subject; Deputy PM said quote; “New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has challenged his Cabinet colleagues for the delay over a Northport decision, criticising it as "paralysis by analysis". https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/405385/paralysis-by-analysis-winston-peters-assessment-of-the-delay-over-northport ...
If the Productivity Commission's report on local government funding, released yesterday, had been relied on by NASA as the basis for getting astronauts to the moon, its greatest achievement by now would have been launching a $2 skyrocket 40 feet into the air ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin Mayne, Molecular biologist and bioinformatician, CSIRO Humans have a “natural” lifespan of around 38 years, according to a new method we have developed for estimating the lifespans of different species by analysing their DNA. Extrapolating from genetic studies of species with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Evans, Professor of Governance and Director of Democracy 2025 – bridging the trust divide at Old Parliament House, University of Canberra A new, ongoing survey on how young Australians understand and imagine their democracy is already challenging long-held stereotypes. The survey ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Francesco Paolucci, Associate Professor; Head of Health Policy Program, Sir Walter Murdoch School of Public Policy and International Affairs, University of Newcastle Private health insurance has come under intense scrutiny in recent months, as it becomes clear health insurers are failing to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Zaphir, Researcher for the University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project; and Online Teacher at Education Queensland’s IMPACT Centre, The University of Queensland This is the second of two essays exploring key theories – cognitive load theory and constructivism – underlying teaching ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW On Monday the Australian government will release the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO). This will – as required by the Charter of Budget Honesty – provide an update on the key assumptions made in this ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia It seems like every time we switch on the idiot box we are confronted with news footage of another disaster. Bushfires in Australia. A hurricane in North America. A tsunami ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Andrew Little indicates justice system changes after reports, Auckland buses back on the road, and National release health proposals. Two significant reports for the justice sector were released yesterday. The first was Turuki! Turuki! Transforming our Criminal Justice System from the Chester Borrows-led Safe and ...
On Wednesday, the government announced a $12 billion infrastructure package. It turns out that scrapped National Party roading projects are back in consideration for funding under the scheme. ...
Andy Ruiz Jr pulled of a massive shock by KO’ing Anthony Joshua in New York. And then delivered another stunning moment when he stepped onto the scales in Saudi Arabia. ...
What happens when your work is the victim of attempted sabotage by a group of slow-moving middle-aged men? Author and journalist Michelle Duff reveals all.Initially, it was kind of unclear what I was looking at. The disembodied hand loomed from the shaky first-person footage, flipping the cover of the book ...
The National Party leader sits down with Alex Braae to talk political rhetoric, misinformation, and whether he’ll have any dance partners after next year’s election.How cynical is Simon Bridges? It’s a question that has dogged National’s leader over the past year.Being an opposition leader is, of course, a difficult job ...
Sharon Brettkelly calls home to the Bay of Plenty to give us an insight into what Whakatane locals are thinking in the wake of Whakaari-White Island's eruption ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison is picking up that Australia’s devastating, prolonged fires are producing a soured, anti-government mood among many in the community. It may not be entirely rational for people to turn on politicians in such ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katharine Kemp, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, UNSW, and Co-Leader, ‘Data as a Source of Market Power’ Research Stream of The Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation, UNSW Today, the federal government responded to the recommendations of the Australian Competition and ...
Winston Peters hopes mergers of NZME and Stuff and RNZ and TVNZ will save local journalism. Bernard Hickey argues they are more likely to again prove costly diversions. ...
The foreign affairs minister Winston Peters will be travelling to Samoa tomorrow to visit hospitals and medical teams dealing with the ongoing measles outbreak. ...
Andrew Little says the justice system is “taking wrecked lives and wrecking them just a little bit more”, but will the Govt cough up with what's needed for transformative change? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lidia Morawska, Professor, Science and Engineering Faculty; Director, International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (WHO CC for Air Quality and Health); Director – Australia, Australia – China Centre for Air Quality Science and Management (ACC-AQSM), Queensland University of Technology Bushfire smoke ...
Winston Peters is bemoaning how long a decision on Northport is taking, saying if you're faced with inevitability, you should act. But Cabinet ministers have put off making a call until next year. ...
Open Mike 01/11/2018 
by Karim Pourhamzavi Mass protests are occurring across Iran, taking place in over 100 cities. The protests have been sparked by the government’s cutting of fuel subsidies, a measure which caused fuel prices to double overnight. Mass protests are hardly new in Iran, but there is an important difference ...11 hours ago
What other song could we play as the UK's political rule book gets torn up and thrown away?Video courtesy of YouTubeThis post is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...16 hours ago
Legendary in my own mind, I mean. All times are NZ, which is an hour10.00am (NZ) There's about an hour to go until the exit poll is released. At that point, half of the British voting public will devastated, and the other half celebrating wildly. Unless everyone is simply confused.Turnout seems ...19 hours ago
If you want to study propagandist techniques, you are typically told to study Dictatorships. Not unfair, but what’s always been more interesting to me is so-called “democratic” countries and their broader information systems. Why? Because people opt for it, even as they decry “totalitarian regimes!”.. It’s quite an eye ...2 days ago
Introducing legislation which shits on the public's right to know seems to have become a daily occurrence for this government. Today's example is the Infrastructure Funding and Financing Bill. The bill establishes a framework for the establishment of "special purpose vehicles" (SPVs) to hide debt from local government balance sheets ...2 days ago
Below is the longlist of words and phrases generated in the korero phase of Public Address Word of the Year 2019, with some editorial moderation. Now it's time to vote. As you'll doubtless be able to see, you get three ranked choices. Use your power wisely. Or frivolously, whatever.As usual, ...2 days ago
by Daphna Whitmore This week 800 unionised bus drivers in Auckland were suspended from work after they refused to collect fares as part of a campaign of industrial action. Drivers working for Auckland’s largest bus company NZ Bus are asking for more pay and better working conditions after being offered ...2 days ago
As details emerge about what unfolded on Whakaari / White Island two days ago, my thoughts go out to all the families affected by this terrible event. My thoughts are also with the first responders who worked in perilous circumstances to assist and protect those affected. Both local and ...2 days ago
I love data. It’s amazing the sort of “discoveries” I can make given a data set and computer statistical package. It’s just so easy to search for relationships and test their statistical significance. Maybe relationships which ... 4 days ago
The state of the United Kingdom is fractured, torn up, shredded. The Empire is gone, it died a long time ago. And yet, the country is still tracking with a lead in favour of the ones who play to the ingrained, class-bound division for political gain. It is a disgrace ...6 days ago
It should be obvious by now but let’s be clear: The same folk who regularly traffic in disinformation, misinformation and “fake news” are also those who most strongly claim that their freedom of expression rights are being violated when moves are made to curb hate speech (as opposed to protected ...7 days ago
“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. A long and bitter court feud between former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig and Jordan Williams has been settled, with an apology and compensation from Williams. On Tuesday, Craig sent out ...1 week ago
“America the Beautiful!”, staunch defender of democracy, freedom and… a whole lot of despotic tyrants that play nice with what is called “the Washington Consensus.” America is indeed capable of immense good, but like any Nation, and most assuredly any aspirant to the mantle of Empire, great, immense evil. All ...2 weeks ago
Image credit: The beginner’s guide to blogging I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is ... 2 weeks ago
Paramedics have reiterated their support for New Zealand First MP Darroch Ball's bill to impose mandatory prison sentences on those who assault our first responders and prison officers. There are more than 50 cases of abuse and assault against New Zealand paramedics each week. The figure has remained largely unchanged ...13 hours ago
Just after 2pm on Monday this week, Whakaari / White Island erupted. Read the Prime Minister's statement here, and watch her statement to the House below. ...13 hours ago
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson on his election victory. “New Zealand and the United Kingdom are close friends and despite our distance we are strongly connected by our history and people,” Jacinda Ardern said. “I look forward to continuing to work with Prime ...10 hours ago
Napoleon demanded that his generals be lucky. Conservative PM Boris Johnson, as he surveys a thumping victory in the British general election, would meet that criterion. His luck bears a resemblance to that of Margaret Thatcher. Like her, he has made a decisive break with orthodox establishment thinking. That presents ...4 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison has rejected or sidelined a number of recommendations from the long-awaited Thodey review of the public service that might have constrained his and his government’s power. Not surprisingly, a proposal to ensure changes ...6 hours ago
The ACT leader says his arguments haven't changed - but the circumstances that make them relevant have. ...9 hours ago
Analysis - The "do nothing" government announces a big spend-up on infrastructure, moving the Port of Auckland, and Winston Peters throws his weight behind NZME's bid to buy Stuff. ...10 hours ago
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has acknowledged Ngāti Awa for their role as tangata whenua (people of the land) in leading and caring for affected whānau (family members), following the Whakaari / White Island eruption and recovery operation earlier today. ...11 hours ago
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s.Sometimes you are just doing a podcast as usual and then Colin Mathura-Jeffree gives you a call and throws your world off its axis. In a very special edition of Colin’s Cranny: Live, ...13 hours ago
Three Otago institutions are teaming up to improve the future of rural health care. ...14 hours ago
Fuel company Z Energy has cut its earnings forecast for the year by 10 percent because of tougher competition and falling margins, and is forecasting a big cut in dividends. ...15 hours ago
House prices are on the rise again with record increases in 10 regions, but with fewer sales overall. ...15 hours ago
Liquidators of the hacked cryptocurrency exchange Cryptopia have travelled to the United States, to retrieve customers' information and certain crypto-assets. ...15 hours ago
The Government’s homelessness program ‘ Housing First’ has expanded to the top of the South Island. ...16 hours ago
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. This was the declaration of the pigs who control the government in George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm – a tart comment on the hypocrisy of governments that proclaim the absolute equality of their citizens but gives power and privileges ...17 hours ago
Winston Peters will back an NZME proposal to buy Stuff with a 'Kiwishare' guarantee the merged news company will keep regional news and separate websites for at least two years. ...20 hours ago
National wants all Kiwi kids running for 15 minutes a day; and Auckland Council stops issuing urgent property reports until the New Year. ...20 hours ago
National is vowing to bring back and expand health sector targets dropped by the current Government and mulling whether to scrap elected District Health Boards. ...20 hours ago
ACC admits it has fallen short in the way it has dealt with surgical mesh patients as a report into their experiences is released. ...20 hours ago
A high-risk mission to recover the bodies left behind after Monday's deadly eruption on Whakaari-White Island is now underway. ...22 hours ago
The infrastructure industry is pleased, but wants more detail. ...23 hours ago
Andy Ruiz Jr pulled of a massive shock by KO’ing Anthony Joshua in New York. And then delivered another stunning moment when he stepped onto the scales in Saudi Arabia. ...24 hours ago
Sky Sport News' Kate King and Ravinder Hunia wrap up another stellar week for Kiwi sportswomen ...24 hours ago
A wildly entertaining - and expert - guide to the best kids books of 2019 by bookseller and author Hera Lindsay Bird. ...24 hours ago
Dr Julie Deslippe and Justyna Giejsztowt discuss the ways we can tackle the threats climate change poses to our native alpine plants. ...24 hours ago
We need to look after our precious brains, argues Dr Malvindar Singh-Bains of the University of Auckland. ...24 hours ago
Sharon Brettkelly calls home to the Bay of Plenty to give us an insight into what Whakatane locals are thinking in the wake of Whakaari-White Island's eruption ...1 day ago
Winston Peters hopes mergers of NZME and Stuff and RNZ and TVNZ will save local journalism. Bernard Hickey argues they are more likely to again prove costly diversions. ...1 day ago
Andrew Little says the justice system is “taking wrecked lives and wrecking them just a little bit more”, but will the Govt cough up with what's needed for transformative change? ...1 day ago
Light rail along Dominion Rd is further behind than many might have thought. ...1 day ago
The Environmental Defence Society has launched an insightful, bold and practical roadmap for reforming our resource management system. ...1 day ago
What a “breath of fresh air WHO are as they finally take air pollution seriously” Bravo to World Health Organisation, (WHO).
WHO are also are focusing on the urban residents who are also health effected by “toxic heavy road traffic air pollution” too.
WHO are claiming that even schools and busy traffic routes be redesigned away from schools and suburban areas also.
http://www.who.int/airpollution/events/conference/en/
First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October – 1 November 2018
Improving air quality, combating climate change – saving lives
A schoolboy walks through smoke and fumes emitted from a waste dump in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt
Air Pollution is “the ‘new tobacco…” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director general
If you received an invitation to attend the conference and have not yet registered using the INDICO web portal, then please do so before as soon as possible. The link to the INDICO registration web portal can be found in the invitation email message.
The first two days of the conference will present evidence, identify gaps and solutions, and will be targeted at practitioners and other technical and political representatives from the health sector and other sectors relevant to the discourse. The third day will be a High-Level Action Day.
Conference provisional programme – updated 28 October
pdf, 799kb
Live webcast (active from 30 October 2018)
Conference overview agenda
pdf, 205kb
Time to nationalise the banks.
This is well overdue.
Their parasitic behaviour is leeching billions of dollars out of the New Zealand economy.
“ANZ’s New Zealand business made more money than Fonterra, Spark, Fletcher Building, the Warehouse, Air New Zealand and the major supermarkets combined last year and it’s not good enough, according to activist investor Sam Stubbs.
ANZ New Zealand announced a record net profit of $1.98 billion this morning – while its parent company Australia and New Zealand bank made A$6.4b.
But Stubbs, founder and managing director of KiwiSaver provider Simplicity, and a critic of the banks, said ANZ was taking advantage of its dominant position to extract unreasonable profits.
“The ANZ profit is classic rent-seeking behaviour.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/personal-finance/news/article.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=12152050
Yo Ed.
How are you going to nationalise an Australian bank ?
You don’t really think your own stuff thru do you ?
Yo James – what’s your take on the smashing the National Party has taken over the past few weeks and what do you reckon about the likelihood that they’ve a lot more coming?
Robert. Hardly on topic is it. But since you asked as I have commented a couple of times it was a clusterfuck.
So back to the topic in hand.
Oops typo so other post in holding.
but in reply – not really on topic is it Robert ?
And I’m guessing nationals week is going better than labour’s.
I bet Cindy regrets backing her minister – reading between the lines.
“not really on topic”
This is Open Mike, James. “Open” probably means…open.
National’s disease must be hurting it’s followers something awful, I reckon. They’ve had a shocker! It’s as if a curtain fell and they were all exposed, standing there, trousers around their ankles, looking startled. Paula Bennett, btw, looks permanently startled these days. Judith Collins always did (it’s the arched eyebrows).
Yep. Open mike. But you have problems understanding how threads and reply work huh?
Sorry James, Robert is on to it. You on the other hand are fully exposed, trousers around your ankles…. Daily.
I think Robert thought the topic was not thinking things through so responded accordingly.
You talkin bout the guy the gnatss let stay here jimbo?
Huh
Didn’t he arrived under a Labour government, and granted residency by a Labour minister?
Yo Bobbie fatdude
Why are labour and the greens still hugging garden variety crims and giving them citizenship?
Didn’t Thiele get in under gnattynil tuppy?
He did, but he didn’t distribute large volumes of class b drugs imported for a meth dealing gang though.
Maybe you can check whether a whole bunch of prisoners donated $14k each to the Labour Party?
I checked, It wasn’t 14k each. each was linked with the 14k though
Oh, well I guess a list MP is worth top dollar then. Even for an opposition party.
Maybe National MP’s are worth more than Labour mp’s, which ever side they sit on.
Maybe the Labour MPs weren’t for sale.
Elegant, McFlock.
Oh they are, the price is so low it’s not worth reporting on though.
Cabinet clubs with GR at the wellington club. Donations being solicited in Auckland Restaurants.
JLR may be pointing fingers, but the coalitions silence on this issue is deafening
Wow, Stupid and Nasty in the same comments. You’re not a National MP are you? You’re still happy to support at least one rapist who Woodhouse let stay, Tuppence Shrewsbury supports and loves rapists!!! (judging by her comment)
Who said I support national? not supporting labour or the greens does not equal supporting national. Quite enjoying the JLR train wreck to be honest.
Just as I am enjoying watching the amateurs currently in government make stupid calls on an almost daily basis. It concerned me that the JLR affair was letting them off the hook.
Opposition is back though! yea booiii
Your politics are to the right of National….
You Nationalise their NZ Operations.
There, that wasn’t that hard really was it?
Not really a detail person are you?
See it’s in the detail that the deluded ideas like this fall apart.
@ James,
Explanation necessary
The NZ operations are actually quite standalone from the Australian parent. If the Government so decided it COULD nationalise them. The bigger question is where would it get the cash to do so. Unless of course by nationalise they mean taking ownership without compensation. I believe that is called stealing and will lead to the NZ economy imploding.
Like the taxpayers not being given a full or even fair value for the flogging of its power generators Gossie ? How about those State houses also….
You have little to no evidence that the State did not get full or even fair value for the Electricity companies. They got Market price, which by definition is full and fair value.
Predictable neolib response and State houses ?
And State Houses what?
Except that the market is delusional.
Ed never says what he means by “nationalise” and will only tell you to ask google. I’ve tried to start that conversation with him a number of times.
Asking Google is a waste of time as there are multiple meanings of the term so Ed is an idiot.
Your logic is impeccable.
It’s a sovereign government with its own currency. Just create the money – done. And, hey, if they leave them as is they’ll make enough profit to cover it.
You don’t allow foreign banks to operate here.
Simple.
By the way, when the Amazon rainforest gets felled to make way for cattle farms, we can thank people who eat beef.
Don’t you care about the world you are leaving your children and grandchildren?
Why would we thank them, Ed? And how would we? Do they all read The Standard?
James always brags about his heavy consumption of steak.
It shows in his constipated commenting style 🙂
Actually it’s mainly in reply to you going nuts over me mentioning a bbq.
As it is – I eat some steak but prefer pork and chicken.
I also love lamb but find it to fatty to eat regularly.
So my steak intake isn’t that high – but when I do eat beef I make sure it’s good quality.
WTF is with “stone grill” steak in a restaurant? I got told it was so I could cook the steak to my satisfaction. If I could cook it perfectly at home, I wouldn’t order it in a restaurant. And why does it cost the same as a cooked steak? WTF does the chef do – make the salad? It totally pisses me off. Steak, medium rare, on a plate. That’s what I want. Not a hot rock and a pile of ingredients.
On this point we are 100% in agreement McFlock. I might have to speak to Lucifer to turn up the heating a tad.
Maybe stonegrill was invented by the devil? Take a prime cut of steak, and give it to someone without the skill to cook it properly, and they paid full price for it so they’ll probably eat the entire thing.
Last time I asked for medium-rare at a restaurant they served me super-rare.
At least you could send it back because someone other than you stuffed it up
Thank You!
While not quite as bad, deconstructed salads really piss me off. Someone putting all the ingredients of a salad on a plate, that you then have to toss yourself like some sort of after work Paula Bennet.
I’m with you 100% on this. I want someone to cook it better than I can – that’s why I pay for the chef
I can pretty safely say I have never eaten any Amazonian beef
And you are aware of the environmental impact of meat, particularly beef, eating?
Imagine if we didn’t eat it! The cattle herds would grow exponentially and cover the face of the earth!
I honestly don’t give a shit.
Yes, James, we discussed constipation resulting from meat-eating earlier.
gold
Ok – that was very funny.
That’s sums your worldview up.
You don’t care.
Me not eating any NZ beef if not going to stop the impact of beef farming in the Amazon.
That’s banning a bank not nationalising it Ed.
Make up your mind.
I eat NZ beef. But you’re welcome none the less.
I thank you for not eating beef Ed, thank you. I am looking forward to Veganuary this year.
Thank the people who own cats and dogs.
I can honestly say that I’m not eating beef grown in the Amazon.
Here’s the thing though: If the world was being economic little to no food would ever be imported/exported. Each country would grow the food that it needs to feed its own people.
This forces sustainability as far as food goes.
Best NZ steak I ever ate was in Papeete Tahiti… but it should have been in NZ . Eat the best and export what is left over .
Tahiti is French, and the French generally cook better than us. The best lamb I have ever eaten was in France, But the French breed their best lambs purely for meat flavour, and do not compromise for quality of wool. Then they cook it better as well.
I doubt if all our best goes to export. Upon returning from France, I was positively impressed with the quality of meat that normal people can buy here.
Whoops – apologies to Ed.
“Each country would grow the food that it needs to feed its own people.”
Environmental factors prevent that. But nice try.
What you’re actually saying is that many countries can’t support themselves.
That’s what’s called unsustainable.
And, no, trade doesn’t fix that. Take Egypt for example. IIRC, it can presently feed 60% of its population from it’s own farms. The rest is a result of import paid for by the export of their oil. Egypt’s oils has Peaked. This means that in a few years, at most, Egypt is going to be in famine and there’s nothing that they can do about it through trade because have pretty much nothing else to export.
Jeez, if only they had some local attractions or a global trade route to leverage ff. Then they might get someone to stump up several billion for a nuclear power plant to offset that emerging energy deficit. As it is, poor Egypt: Land of the Pharked.
It’s not that they have an energy deficit – it’s that they have a resource deficit because they’ve exported all the oil.
Does the Suez Canal and tourism bring in enough to cover the loss of oil exports?
Gross, or compared to their oil imports?
And might Suez be why the Russians are putting $25bill towards a nuke plant?
More specifically, does it provide enough to allow the importation of enough food for 40%+ of their population?
A nuke plant isn’t going to feed them.
Neither is oil.
But energy is a resource, too.
Oh, and they have shedloads of sunshine.
So if they export that energy, or use it to attract energy-intensive industries, they can use the revenue to buy food from countries that have lots of arable land and make lots of food, but possibly want things those industries produces.
And thus we’ve invented global trade.
Sheez, it’s way too early for bickering children.
In keeping with the topic, how many of you use kiwi owned banks for either your home or business?
It’s very very easy to change banks, I highly recommend it.
We had a mortgage with Westpac. Not our choice, but Westpac swallowed up Trustbank who we were originally with. Weren’t happy, but what can you do. The interest rate wasn’t too bad so we stayed, vowing to change when the mortgage went. Remember how they called themselves WestpacTrust . . . for while . . . just to look good! Anyway, when we got some money, discharged the mortgage and were looking for where to invest, Westpac had the best interest rate. So to get something back out of them we put our money there. We are looking to change banks when the investment matures. Our best options look to be Kiwibank or TSB. I hate the fact that WPC is an Ozzie bank with profits going overseas, however we want the best return for money. Quandary. Hate them but want the most out of our money.
If they are making super profits then that must mean Kiwibank is as well. In which case why doesn’t the government just instruct Kiwibank to hoover up all the customers in NZ by undercutting the other majors?
IF you want an answer to your question about kiwibank’s position in the he market, Sam Stubbs was interviewed on RNZ yesterday.
I heard him mention how they were loaded with post shop assets and an obligation to provide relevant sservices…
There was another issue that I didn’t totally grasp but my attention was divided. Ahh, it was undercapitalised.
Both were dampeners on growth.
Each staff member generated approximately$220,000 profit. Profit!
Surely it makes sense to you to have the many billions of dollars profit stay in Aotearoa.
It can only be an ideologue mindset that makes you see otherwise.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018669198
Warning contains talking by Jim Mora and Peter dunne.
Kiwibank is undercapitalised and can’t take advantage of the market. Hmmm… whose fault is that again? I’ll give you a clue, it is the owner of the Bank.
Doogs, what you said about westpac adding the word trust for a while, made me smile, marketing for sure.
Building Societies are awesome, our local Nelson Building Society (NBS) contributes so much to the community.
For example if one is looking for fundraising for a community event and asks around the banks for support, all the big banks will say no, but not the NBS, they often support community events and needs.
Personally I use kiwibank, they’ve been great.
I use a New Zealand bank.
which one?
His mattress
Part of the problem is that it seems, in conversations I’ve had with people, that many have no idea who owns the banks and react with astonishment to discover that banks called Auckland Savings Bank and Bank of New Zealand don’t belong to us!
Precisely why CBA and NAB respectively retained those brands… both very strong in NZ.
100% of my personal and business banking is with a 100% NZ-owned bank. Made the switch when I became aware of how much profit Australian banks were extracting from NZ.
That said, it was easy to do as my business banking needs are largely transactional. If you’re a business that requires significant bank lending, you are stuck with the Aussie-owned banks.
To Cinny at 2.1.4 : To change to kiwi -owned banks IS certainly the glaringly obvious solution, and has been for considerable time….confounds me why they are not totally utilised by New Zealanders. I have aways had the best help one could wish.
Totally agree with you Heather.
Recently the ANZ in Motueka closed it’s doors, some friends who bank with them were complaining, but yet they still didn’t move to either Kiwibank or the NBS.
I think it’s one of those things that people place in the ‘too hard basket’, then when they finally get round to changing banks, say things like, gosh that was easy I should have done it a long time ago.
Went with Kiwibank a few years ago, and refinanced the mortgage last year with them again. We haven’t regretted it. The lack of ability to just rock on up to the bank to discuss things is mitigated by online support and us planning a bit better.
I don’t mind using Australian banks. Equally happy for an Australian to have my dosh as a Kiwi. We’re all Australasians together.
A.
Stalking Ed again James?
Yoo James …. Do you think ANZ appointed Key as a director because they wanted someone who would keep quiet and not dig up or into all the corruption they are involved with …. http://www.sarawakreport.org/2018/03/the-banking-spin-starts-commentary/
“The Panama Papers: ANZ was the leading Australian bank in Mossack’s universe”
” ANZ appears in 7548 of the Mossack documents, reflecting the bank’s extensive work in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Jersey. ”
Crooked hires Bent to be blind.
Don’t bother nationalising them – just out-compete them to the point that they go bankrupt.
1. 0% interest on mortgages
2. 0% interest business loans
3. Ban the private banks from creating money in any way, shape or form.
Result – private banks will collapse pretty much immediately and only Kiwibank will be left standing.
Good, Draco..
Much better than the conversation a few days back which you didn’t substantiate…
Which conversation was that?
Absolutely
If you think they are not providing a suitable service that people are willing to pay for why isn’t Kiwibank doing better then? It is a completely State controlled Bank.
@Gosman, Kiwibank would do better if it was more a full service bank. Also banking has also come down to relationships and history, so that there are big incentives to stick with the same bank as people’s situation gets more insecure with work.
Aka in NZ massive amount of people now are on contract, gig work or self employed. The history of that becomes a key, in a banking arrangement. Nobody wants to shift all their business, then find out, they have a bad month or months and have the bank breathing down their necks.
So there are many reasons that people stay with their bank. Satisfaction and best deals are not the only factors when you get into the NZ situation of significant proportions of the population are in insecure work and therefore take strategic positions on banking and insurance.
The amount of banking, financial institutions and insurance that has gone out of business also makes people cautious in NZ about new banks and services in that sector.
They are profiting not because they are great banks but because NZ has embraced everything to do with neoliberalism and that is all about profits for the most dominant, which are banks here. And our government does not believe in any sort of financial regulation even bank deposits are not guaranteed nor Kiwisaver.
What do you mean “Full service bank”?
How is Kiwibank not a “Full service bank”?
Not sure if Kiwibank have evolved since I thought about joining them, but standing in a queue at the post office stating your business rather than a private office at a bank or getting a mobile person around takes time with Kiwibank and much longer than if you have an existing relationship with a bank and assigned a personal banker.
Had a friend who was a school principal in a small town, so a bit weird that she was queuing up and stating all the business of the school, while the rest of the community could over hear.
Stuff like that, makes Kiwibank less. a fit for complicated, private and urgent types of banking.
Also anything to do with property in Auckland generally require quick and flexible banking decisions as the market is fast and auction driven. Took me so long to buy a house in Auckland that my 6 months of pre application had expired and then you need to get it back quickly if you see a house to bid on. Therefore you don’t want a new bank that might be slower to make decisions on anything.
So maybe Kiwibank and the co operatives can get more market share if they step up for more complicated, faster decision making banking, with more customer service and privacy for customers and a long term relationship approach with customers.
The offshore banks level of customer service has defiantly got a lot worse over the years, so if NZ banks stepped up, they could win more business.
Of course Kiwibank has interview rooms. Sounds like you are full of shit giving excuses rather than putting your money where your mouth is.
I’ve been a Kiwibank customer since it was founded.
Yes, Kiwibank had private rooms since the day they opened for business. They also have some branches dedicated to business customers.
No idea what they are like with mortgages or why they would be different than the Aussie-owned banks.
Just telling you what people have told me Solka and my own experiences trying to change to Kiwibank a few years ago, maybe you don’t have a business or run an organisation, or have complicated banking, or what ever.
Judging by your stalking of people and the Green Party I’d say you are a unique individual that would probably need a private room in any instance and Kiwibank staff probably usher you straight to one so people don’t overhear your language and tone so you may have never experienced the problems that polite less demanding people might be experiencing.
Face it, you are full of shit. Best to have a think before using the word “hypocrite” again.
Is your accusations of ‘shit’, how you manage the private room, Solka?
Face it, you are full of shit.
Actually, when I made the appointment to see the mortgage person a few years ago we had the option of my place or one of their branches. Small meeting room, 4 chairs, one table, her laptop. Easy as. That was kiwibank.
Shopping around, ANZ went with the open plan, wide spaces between desks idea. Probably had private rooms for people who didn’t need mortgages, though 🙂
to solkta at22.1.1.1: Yes, of course Kiwibank has private rooms and specialists in banking also, friendly at all times. I think some here trying hand at fake news.
Yes, the staff at the local one always seem like they are happy to be there and to help.
My Kiwibank, in Hastings, is a mess. The Carpets are permanently stained, the counter is so banged around it looks like an old pub first thing in the morning, the note counting machine is so temperamental its a running joke, and the manager insists on interviewing people at a table right next to the queue. Its awkward to put it mildly.
if I didn’t know(hope?) better I would think they were purposefully running it into the ground.
+1 Siobhan- Kiwibank needs to look at the details. If a bank looked like you suggest and treated you like that, would you seriously consider it?
A little bird suggests, if you start calling everyone a piece of shit, you might get that private room that a certain poster seems convinced is always offered.
Of course it also might effect that application or have you escorted out too:)
Seriously NZ banks should have an online complaints page for example or even suggestions page at the banks, they might learn a bit more than hiring a marketing firm from Auckland or Wellington who never leave the central suburbs and think they are doing a stellar job at marketing and people are too lazy to change.
There are obstacles to changing and issues with the service levels and criteria levels and types of banking that the NZ banking sectors offers!
Wellsford,s the same Siobhan run by a couple of asian ladies theres often queues and you stand there looking at their static displays of stuff they,d like to sell and cant help thinking “what a load of crap “Heres a relatively large commercial space which presumably the proprietors are renting along with the actual agency but it seems all so halfhearted !?.Why ?Why isnt kiwibank being rolled out in all little towns and villages in nz taking over where the post office used to trade …….buggered if i know ….seems like theres plenty of scope there but not much direction ….or something ….whats holding them back ???
It has very much evolved since then. If you go to most Post shops they have a separate desk and private rooms for Kiwibank customers. I ask again, why isn’t Kiwibank a “Full service Bank”?
@ Gosman, your word ‘most’ is obviously significant. Also more service level might be a recent thing, that people who previously tried to join Kiwibank did not have, at the time. People try to change once, if they don’t have the best experience they may not try again.
P.s. I did not have a bad experience with Kiwibank but it did not work out because I take wholistic approach with banking and even a small house in Aukcland now may require significant amount of debt which you now split loans for and then you have to make sure they all expire at the same time, and then hope that interest rates don’t go up while you are waiting. It’s not that easy to change if you have decent sized loans for business or housing.
I personally hate ANZ and would never bank with them after having a bad experience with them years ago. Also having John Key on the board would put me off. So I would never bank with them.
But they do things like monitor companies house so if you set up a business, voila , you get a friendly letter straight away with free bank fees for your business for 3 years.
That is how they make the money, they are proactive, reel you in, then screw you over with extreme profiteering when they have you tied up.
That’s banking in NZ and the government needs to set higher standards.
And Kiwi bank (or anyone else) never sends a nice letter when they could easily target new businesses like ANZ do.
Kiwibank and other NZ banks needs to understand customers positions and concerns better.
The person who posted about the rural ANZ bank closing but still people don’t change, clearly don’t understand how difficult it is to make money in the rural sector and get loans. It is not easy to change banks in those sectors at all.
Many NZ banks only specialise in retail banking, and have very high, unwieldy criteria for farms and business. NZ banks and regulators don’t seem up to speed or understand that the big OZ banks have those customers screwed over in debt and tied up with few alternatives.
I can’t remember exactly, but somebody posted and I think most of Fletchers? losses, were due to ANZ bank fine print on some refinancing terms of loans they took out.
That’s how those banks get the massive profits.
As for our constant messages on how easy it is to change banks, electrical or telecom companies. Nope… it ain’t… in real terms it often costs you a bundle of time, non productivity, failed services and extra charges. And our regulators do nothing to stop this type of practise of third party fuck ups.
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=113352
Kiwibank isn’t a state controlled bank and it operates the same way all the other banks do and is artificially constrained so as not to be able to out compete the private banks which it could easily do if the government got in and supported it properly.
The foreign banks treat NZ like the cash cow run from OZ. They are mostly responsible for our 2nd biggest exports out of NZ being profits.
Yep while our government screws up with another bad trade deal of TPPA or what ever they fuck they rebranded it to, (which even the most neoliberal Parker can not describe as a good deal (was it a 7 out of 10 he gave it?). The government also fail to do anything about about banks and the NZ entire economy is always around giving banks more profits aka corporate welfare to construction, more immigration, more immigration to small businesses like petrol attendants and cafe owners (who then support higher rents and prices on commercial property and residential) selling off land assets, privatisation, oil and gas, exports of water…
BTW, the PPP model (also rebranded constantly as an acronym) gives the most profits to banks and the financial sector. https://image.guim.co.uk/sys-files/Society/documents/2004/11/24/PFI.pdf
“our research suggests that PFI may lead to a loss of benefits in kind and a redistribution of income, from the public to the corporate sector. It has boosted the construction industry, many of whose PFI subsidiaries are now the most profitable parts of their enterprises, and led to a significant expansion of the facilities management sector. But the main beneficiaries are likely to be the financial institutions whose loans are effectively underwritten by the taxpayers, as evidenced by the renegotiation of the Royal Armouries PFI (NAO 2001a).”
The public should also ask themselves why the tax working group never recommended financial transaction taxes to tax outward and inward money flows.
In short government wants to continue to transfer profits from the people and assets of NZ to the construction, financial and banking sectors, and are not going to tax the banks and financial industries appropriately for their extreme profits . Nor regulate appropriately to the construction sector or banking to stem the rot right through those sectors.
The NZ banking sector is incredibly competitive including a State controlled Bank. If the banks are making super profits why isn’t the government instructing Kiwibank to undercut them and take a bigger share of the market?
Quite. KB could become our main bank if the political will exists which it doesn’t currently.
But the potential is there thanks to Jim Anderton, Rest In Peace Jim.
Why do you think the political will doesn’t exist?
You claim to understand the world of financials , gosman…
So you should understand why the political will doesn’t exist…
I’d like to hear your version…
Go for it….
Because the issue with Kiwibank is much more than just a lack of political will. The organisation needs HUGE injection of capital if it has any hope of competing for major work such as being the Government’s banker.
Draco’s solutions would work.
That’s about your level of understanding, Gosman….
So how does that feed into the ‘lack of political will’ , IYO ?
Would love to see government use kiwibank instead of an overseas bank for all their transactions.
Jim Anderton, Grandma rated him very highly, he was one of the good guys.
The dogma is that a large bank that makes huge profits every year is a good safe bank (and safe bet for shareholders). I say dogma, but it is really a myth, as we know too well.
It also is ironic that the bank’s customers contribute a large part to the overall profits.
So, it’s a catch-22 for the people: lower the profits and customers will go elsewhere and the bank goes bust or fleece the customers to increase profit margins and they will flock to your bank and thus increase the ‘financial health’ of the bank.
To a point, this would work well if not for greed and bad business decisions on behalf of the banks (cue: GFC).
There is no evidence for that claim.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_corporate_collapses_and_scandals
Of the ~52 corporates in the “List of a few major corporate collapses”, only a third are/were banking businesses.
Banks feature at the top of the “List of scandals without insolvency” (probably needs regular updating):
There has been plenty of frauds in NZ… so clearly no racial bias here..
Verdict on $9.2 million mortgage fraud
http://www.indiannewslink.co.nz/verdict-on-9-2-million-mortgage-fraud/
Husband and wife named in $50m mortgage fraud case
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11886925
Immigration NZ uncovers “significant, organised” agent fraud in India
https://thepienews.com/news/immigration-nz-uncovers-significant-organised-agent-fraud-in-india/
Ummm… what is this in response to? It certainly does not answer my question about Incognito’s claims.
Which claim?
This one
“So, it’s a catch-22 for the people: lower the profits and customers will go elsewhere and the bank goes bust or fleece the customers to increase profit margins and they will flock to your bank and thus increase the ‘financial health’ of the bank.”
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence of corruption and rampant profiteering in the banking ‘industry’.
Hypothesis 1. A bank’s profitability will be a contributing factor in determining that bank’s ‘ratings agency grade’ (AAA, AA, A, BBB etc.)
Hypothesis 2. The grades that ratings agencies give banks, and individual bank products/offers/bonds, are factors affecting the (bank/product) choice of some potential customers.
These hypotheses may be false; falsifying evidence (a link or two will do) welcome.
Gosman (>140 of comments on The Standard in the last week; 70 (!) on the “National badly wants Kiwibuild to crash” post alone) often asks for evidence, and seems to have a significant aversion to using Google’s search engine – not a single link or quote in those 70 comments.
Look up burden of proof and get back to me when you understand it.
BTW what was those two hypothesis you posted about? They had nothing to do with the claim i was questioning.
You claim that “They [the two hypotheses] had nothing to do with the claim i [sic] was questioning.”
If you genuinely don’t understand how these hypotheses relate to the claim you quoted/questioned, then I don’t have the means to help you in this forum.
“The burden of proof (philosophy)”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burden_of_proof_(philosophy)
Application> In public discourse>
“Burden of proof is also an important concept in the public arena of ideas. Once participants in discourse establish common assumptions, the mechanism of burden of proof helps to ensure that all parties contribute productively, using relevant arguments.”
Regrettably, the largest political party in parliament has (temporarily) lost its footing and is unable to contribute productively at present.
In your opinion. Given your opinion is quite obviously biased against said political party I don’t think it holds much weight in determining what is or isn’t productive discourse.
I have made no claims regarding my (or your) political bias, or lack thereof, in this particular exchange – such claims are largely unnecessary in this forum (IMO).
Certainly one assumption we can agree on is that we are (both) expressing our opinions.
In my opinion, this recent statement (among others), made by a former 7th-ranked opposition National party MP, has caused said party to (temporarily) lose its footing.
IMO this is a revealing quote, and I thank you Gosman for the opportunity to trot it out again (hopefully not for the last time). The opposition National party really is looking a bit wobbly at the moment (IMO), and will likely recover somewhat (again, IMO) ‘going forward’.
Gosman’s Law: as a discussion thread on TS grows longer, the probability of Gosman deliberately misunderstanding or twisting a comment and then asking for evidence approaches one.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/francescoppola/2013/12/10/big-banks-versus-small-banks-size-doesnt-matter/#4fdb55bd1367
For those following the Khashoggi murder….
Keep an eye on what’s happening within the Saudi royal family, uncle has returned after a long absence.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/king-salman-brother-returns-riyadh-khashoggi-crisis-181031094006547.html
One thing I’m curious about is that the 18 apparently arrived on SK1 and SK2 sans baggage, yet I seem to remember seeing the contingent depart with baggage.
(From the images shown on TV in the early stages of it all).
Everything the Saudis have said turns out to be such obfuscation, spin and bullshit, they’d not be out of place as gNat MPs. The latest being that ‘Turkish collaborator’ that they’re so unwilling to identify.
Wonder what was in their luggage then? Didn’t know about that, will check it out, thanks for the info, there are so many dodgy aspects to it all.
The thing with the princes uncle returning is really interesting because he has been away for years, and has never supported the prince being in power.
And uncle does not support the princes ongoing war on Yemen.
I could be wrong @ Cinny though I do recall seeing some of them towing the standard type luggage on wheels. It may take a little more than going thru’ Aljazeera, CNN or BBC footage.
It’s a shame Susie Fergusson didn’t put the idea to Frank Gardiner this morning
Yes you are correct Tim,
They arrived with carry on luggage, then went and brought suitcases with wheels.
Apparently said suitcases were not checked before they went back to Saudi, and there are rumours that said suitcases contained body parts.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/kashoggi-latest-saudi-arabia-murder-turkey-remains-body-parts-consulate-istanbul-cctv-a8598796.html
Duty free, oncey.
Rachel Stewart explains why the election of Bolsonaro is terrible news for life on this planet.
“Bolsonaro has an environmental hit list that is bold and brash. Just when the world needs the “lungs” of the world more than ever, he is planning a paved highway to run right through the Amazon rainforest. And no more will a government commitment to preserving vast areas for indigenous people be tolerated. Bolsonaro has previously said that he will “not give the Indians another inch of land”.
He has also promised to scrap the country’s Environment Ministry altogether, putting it under the scope of the Agriculture Ministry, which is led by agribusiness. Which, to be fair, is only one step further than our own Environment Ministry overseeing regional councils who many — including me — consider to be the biggest enviro rapists on behalf of dairy farming in New Zealand. But, I digress.
……we need the two Americas to work hard on stopping runaway climate change like never before — one being the planet’s biggest emitter and the other holding the massive key to any chance of keeping climate change in check at 1.5C.
Because that’s the Amazon’s job. The rainforest absorbs approximately a quarter of the CO2 absorbed by all the land on earth. Every inch of deforestation matters. And what’s the motive for deforestation in Brazil? Cattle ranching. The billions of us have created a massive consumer demand for beef so that clearing land for cattle ranching is lucrative and with Bolsonaro in charge, now unstoppable.”
So what action can we do ?
Stop eating beef.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12151404
“
Do “we” eat Brazilian beef?
(Snap, Chris!)
The average NZer is eating less red meat.
No.
We need to stop eating meat in the quantities we do.
Or the planet is doomed.
“The researchers found a global shift to a “flexitarian” diet was needed to keep climate change even under 2C, let alone 1.5C. This flexitarian diet means the average world citizen needs to eat 75% less beef, 90% less pork and half the number of eggs, while tripling consumption of beans and pulses and quadrupling nuts and seeds. This would halve emissions from livestock and better management of manure would enable further cuts.
In rich nations, the dietary changes required are ever more stark. UK and US citizens need to cut beef by 90% and milk by 60% while increasing beans and pulses between four and six times. However, the millions of people in poor nations who are undernourished need to eat a little more meat and dairy.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/huge-reduction-in-meat-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown
Or the world could just have less kids
And less pets. Get rid of pets (especially cats and dogs) before we eat less red meat. Of course tree hugger veges tend to like hugging furry animals so I suspect they won’t want to do that. They are just happy to expect others to give up something.
How very alex jones of you.
fewer
This may be an unworthy thought – but I keep having it. Are those two mountain guides dead at least in part because the Morgan family has too much money and can indulge itself at will?
Since you asked, I think that is a tad harsh.
Yes – I guess you are right. Thanks.
Somehow it seemed doubly sad to me that people die doing something as ultimately pointless as indulging the whims of others.
Depends if they were taking undue risks I guess? Need someone with mountaineering knowledge to see if this was a typical hike, or a freak accident. Very sad nonetheless.
Our letter to Government today stating that our NZ Government must participate in this “first World Health air pollution conference this week in Geneva, in our interests to save our citizens health and wellbeing from health effects of all sources of air pollution.
Protecting our environment & health.
In association with other Community Groups, NHTCF and all Government Agencies since 2001.
• Health and wellbeing.
• East Coast Transport Project.
TO;
Hon Phil Twyford – Minister of Transport.
Hon’ Jacinda Ardern PM.
Hon Winston Peters. Deputy PM.
Hon’ Shane Jones. Minister of Regional Development.
Hon’ Grant Robertson. Minister of Finance.
Hon’ Stuart Nash. MP For Napier Wairoa/ Matawai regions.
Hon’ Megan Woods. Minister of Energy.
URGENT PRESS RELEASE; – ACTION NEEDED HERE BY – Transport Minister Twyford.
1st November 2018.
Dear Ministers, Local civic authorities & rail stakeholders,
Subject; http://www.who.int/airpollution/events/conference/en/ First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October – 1 November 2018
What a “breath of fresh air WHO are as they finally take air pollution seriously” Bravo to World Health Organisation, (WHO).
WHO are also are focusing on the urban residents who are also health effected by “toxic heavy road traffic air pollution” too.
WHO are claiming that even schools and busy traffic routes be redesigned away from schools and suburban areas also.
We have written to you all multiple times since becoming our new Government requesting to restore our railway to Gisborne that was damaged after a storm in March 2012; – and caused by a lack of rail funding maintenance in 2011 on after funding was cut by Minister of transport Steven Joyce; – http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1302/S00183/kiwirail-admits-lack-of-maintenance-led-to-wash-out.htm
Rail services restoration will make a dramatic reduction of ‘road based freight’ now ruining our residential areas and the health of our urban communities.
Now World Health Organisation (WHO) are holding a ‘first’ conference over several days in Geneva on ‘urban air quality health effects to humans finally so we need to observe and act in our residential communities best interests for their health and wellbeing, and we advocate all rail services be restored to our cities around NZ and truck routes be realigned away from our current locations wrongly placed close to residential areas such as Napier’s controversial ‘HB Expressway’ which was originally designated as a “commuter road for Hastings residents to get to the new Napier Airport in 1963”.
Sadly the residents living alongside this road were not considered as to the effects to their health and wellbeing, but this road was pushed as a solution to become the principal truck freight route through Napier to the Port and the rest of NZ, without any resulting noise effects or air pollution mitigation was ever planned to be given the affected residents in the final stages of the HB Expressway’s development.
Gisborne has the same issues of loss of rail and using heavy truck fleets to run right through Gisborne city to the Eastland port and destroying the health and wellbeing of its residents too.
What a “breath of fresh air WHO are as they finally take air pollution seriously” Bravo to World Health Organisation, (WHO).
WHO are also are focusing on the urban residents who are also health effected by “toxic heavy road traffic air pollution” too.
WHO are claiming that even schools and busy traffic routes be redesigned away from schools and suburban areas also.
http://www.who.int/airpollution/events/conference/en/
First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, 30 October – 1 November 2018
Improving air quality, combating climate change – saving lives
A schoolboy walks through smoke and fumes emitted from a waste dump in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt
Air Pollution is “the ‘new tobacco…” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director general
If you received an invitation to attend the conference and have not yet registered using the INDICO web portal, then please do so before as soon as possible. The link to the INDICO registration web portal can be found in the invitation email message.
The first two days of the conference will present evidence, identify gaps and solutions, and will be targeted at practitioners and other technical and political representatives from the health sector and other sectors relevant to the discourse. The third day will be a High-Level Action Day.
Conference provisional programme – updated 28 October
pdf, 799kb
Live webcast (active from 30 October 2018)
Conference overview agenda
pdf, 205kb
Your response to our call is requested please email
@cleangreen, the NZ taxpayers are subsidising public organisations that subcontract to corporates that do things such as change from trolley buses to diesel and increasing emissions to the public for the next 10 years…http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=113048
While in Auckland our taxes are there to escalate and provide for more polluting cruise ships, some of which apparently can release more emissions than 1million cars in emissions in one day.
So as yet, NZ, not interested in worrying about air pollution. Apart from ways to tax end consumers of course and get that little extra tax in the pocket while pretending it was all to save the planet.
The government and council treatment of corporate polluters and policy around that shows that air pollution is just not on the agenda and that the RMA is woefully inadequate to provide quality decisions, long term risk assessments, regulation , enforcement or penalty around environmental damage in this country.
This type of hypocrisy really does my head in…..
Re the war in Yemen….
US defence chief demands Yemen ceasefire; peace talks in 30 days
‘James Mattis says the US has watched the bloody conflict ‘long enough’ and he wants ‘dropping of bombs’ to stop.’
Meanwhile trump continues to sell weapons to the saudis so they can keep bombing Yemen.
WTF?
This type of hypocrisy really does my head in.
http://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2018/10/privatisation-of-public-land-a-broken-promise-by-government/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/108240059/Housing-New-Zealand-selling-super-block-of-Crown-land-in-Jacinda-Arderns-Mt-Albert-electorate
@BM shocking the government are selling off more state land and NZ assets. Of course that does not excuse the Natz who demolished the state houses on it in 2015. The people of NZ are punched from the left and punched from the right. They seem to share the same neoliberal Thatcher driven sell off state housing and land, policies on housing.
This government is Clarks 4th term.
That was Ponyboy wasn’t it BMmer.
The difference is the current government is naively and lazily benefiting neoliberal policy while the Natz engineered it further, post Clark.
Interesting conflation you have made there. I mean, I am sure your not deliberately diminishing the thousands who are being killed in Yemen by comparing it to local beltway politics. It sure does look that way though.
Did that action cause mass murder, genocide or starvation BM?
So, the story is that a block of land in Auckland had a series of State houses demolished in 2015 and part of that land is being developed with new state houses. Another portion is to be sold.
I quote the purpose as stated by the manager of the project from the the third of BM’s reference.
“Housing New Zealand asset development general manager Patrick Dougherty said the development was not part of the KiwiBuild programme but part of the Auckland Housing Programme (AHP).
The AHP started in June 2016 and will deliver 5200 new state homes and about 12,800 new affordable and market homes over 10 years.
The sale of the 20 market sites would enable Housing New Zealand to build more state houses in other high demand parts of Auckland, he said.”
Two things. First, the money goes towards providing more housing. It is after all houses that are required, not land.
Secondly, since it is a stated intention by the Minister that the types of housing should be indistinguishable from the outside, it makes sense to me that the housing provided be of a ‘mixed’ style to avoid the stigmatisation of being a State House tenant. The former ‘pepperpot’ strategy of earlier decades was also expected to help the problem of stigmatising and slums.
Well do I remember my school days of the Sixties when over the northern fence was “The Settlement”.
Aka Labour are selling off state land.
But they could be developing all the land itself and then using the state controlled rents to keep rents down while paying off the debt over time.
As in the UK examples, selling state housing and land to the private sector does not work, because the rising population demands more cheap rents and social housing to keep up with the population growth, and then the state rents start to rise because the state has less housing to work with to keep afloat and has to pay more to the private sector to rent the houses that they previously owned.
The Mt Albert decision was made by the previous National government. It was subject to considerable public consultation at the time. The number of HNZ dwellings is about the same, and the extra land sales will fund further HNZ properties. HNZ could not get the density they needed with the zoning in Mt Albert.
Patients are still begging for Ministry of Health funding for high dose vitamin C infusions.
Absolutely no doubt that vitamin C at the very least improves the quality of life for many cancer patients and research indicates that it can accentuate radiotherapy efficacy…so why not fund the stuff?
Its not as if its expensive or demands superskills to administer.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/northland/108205433/cancer-patients-call-for-vitamin-c-infusion-to-be-affordable
Or, could it be that our Beloved Misery is waiting for some enterprising start up to get their shit together and qualify for a license to profit….https://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=12152055
SSDD
And what is the evidence that you have no doubt about…?
https://www.otago.ac.nz/christchurch/research/vitamin-c/studies/
Plus….personal accounts from ordinary people who feel vitamin C (and other less mainstream medicinals) have improved their quality of life.
But of course those people don’t count….do they?
I had a quick look at the link provided and could not find a single RCT amongst the citations. One report involved a single patient. Most were reports that concluded bycalling for more clinical studies. “Personal accounts ” represent evidence of the very weakest kind.
One would need to do far better than this to gain public funding. Did you even read the reports that were linked?
“One would need to do far better than this to gain public funding.”
You jest? Surely?
Not at all, why would I be jesting?
I am wondering if you think it would be acceptable for health treatments that are not supported by any RCTs , but by ” personal accounts”, should be publicly funded ?
Have you heard of the placebo effect?
“I am wondering if you think it would be acceptable for health treatments that are not supported by any RCTs , but by ” personal accounts”, should be publicly funded ? ”
Hmmm…a conundrum indeed.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/105257599/cannabis-shows-no-benefit-for-chronic-pain-major-study-finds
yet…
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/regulation-health-and-disability-system/medicines-control/medicinal-cannabis/prescribing-cannabis-based-products
Science…eh?
Vitamin C was my secret ingredient for recovery from strength training, and especially after a real workout like we good for nothin’ poor folks are wont to do e.g. 12 hours loading trucks*…
I digress.
If you work/train like a lunatic, try Vitamin C straight after. Faster recovery. It’s good stuff.
*I so want to see the working class collectively go on strike. Haha the world stops, the lights go out. Watch the deluded rich tossers ‘run the place’ then.
@ WeTheBleeple (9.1.1.2) … what form of Vitamin C is best? Food … eg fruit, vegs, or liquid, tablet or powder?
Agree with the rest of your comments there comrade 🙂
Also high dose vit c three times a day at the first sign of a head cold.
Lessens the severity of the event and usually shortens it.
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/vitamin-c-pdq
It was a mere nine years ago this day that I wrote my first post for the Standard. It contains one of the most polarising, but accurate lines I have ever written:
“To put it simply, you cannot be a socialist, a greenie or any kind of progressive and eat meat.”
Cheers to every Standarnista who skips the roast flesh today and big ups to Ed and others who occupy the moral high ground every day.
Oh, and then there’s this, which I’ll dedicate to first bloke Clarke Gayford, NZ’s most prominent fish torturer:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/oct/30/are-we-wrong-to-assume-fish-cant-feel-pain
Better living, everyone!
Good to see you care about animals. So what’s your take on governments hounding, terrorizing and imprisoning journalists?
Like you, Moz, I’m all in favour. In my opinion, the best way to terrorize journalists is to write pointless and inaccurate transcripts of their shows and post them on the interwebs. That’ll show ’em.
Not a serious answer. No surprises there.
I note that you are overflowing in your praise of my transcripts and critiques whenever they align with your own thoughts.
By no conscious decision other than living with a vegetarian I have nearly weaned myself off this year.
Also getting rid of milk has helped get back to the weight I was at 30.
so true, what part of meat is to like really?
Animal cruelty towards sentient beings, slaughter, worker exploitation, gross desensitising conditions for meatworkers, life long health issues, inefficient land use and other negative environmental and climate effects…
…which for more and more people trump the fleeting pleasure some get from deadly chemical saturated processed meats, and charred slabs of “bogus bovis” beef which supermarkets are virtually giving away at the moment
forsaking meat–you and the planet are worth it!
Good one. And I sorta agree but after 38 years yege I’ve got a bit more bias and a bit less judgment.
Looking on that post I found this quote from me
“Time to walk the green walk not just talk the green talk.”
And today I wrote on the conference post
“Time to get serious labour – walk the walk not just talk about it please.”
Some things don’t change much…
Thank you.
It was an epiphany for me the day I discovered the amorality of eating animals.
Like Ad, stopping eating meat and dairy sawxme shed the kilos.
So it’s a decision for the sake of animals, for the sake of the environment and, as a side benefit, it’s good for your health !
“A self-administration of a death, which we’re calling ‘assisted dying.'”
RNZ National, Thursday 1 November 2018, 9:10 a.m.
This morning Kathryn Ryan employed her most serious, slow talking register, clearly enunciating every word to show how serious she is. One question she never asked was: Who’s going to “administer” this killing of the old and disabled and sick? The army? Will they bring back the institution of executioner?
Interesting question. I am sure they could get soldiers to do it. Perhaps just line them up and use them during weapons qualifying. Or… I know this is crazy but hear me out … it could be done by a doctor who is familiar with the patient and is aware of their needs.
Yes that doctor would possibly be aware of the financial needs (and greed) of the family of the ‘patient’, ‘client’, ‘victim’…
done by a doctor…
?????
Doctors can’t kill their patients.
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/greek/greek_oath.html
I didn’t realise Dr’s were still making the oath to Greek gods.
There is a modern version https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/hippocratic-oath-today/.
I note from the article only 14% of modern oaths prevent Euthanasia. The argument could be made that by swearing to do no harm a Dr would be required to meet a patients wishes to end suffering.
I agree there are concerns around introduction of Euthanasia. The risk for abuse may mean that it really can’t be viably legalised. I of course wouldn’t make some ridiculous argument about having to get the military or executioners to carry out suicide assistance. Feel free to make a reasoned argument against though. I am always keen to learn.
Full kudos to Iain Lees-Gallaway for recognising and openly stating, that he may have made an unsound decision over the Czech guy and is now proceeding to put it right.
As opposed to the b.s. and bluster we’re hearing from Slimon Bridges.
Why was a criminal drug dealer currently in prison even considered eligible for permanent residency?
There’s something super smelly about this.
Who knew Woodlouse and Lazy Galloway share a love of the noble art of kickboxdrugdealing BMmer?
They need to deport the drug lord asap. Also begs the question why the government granted the drug lord residency in NZ, when he had previously taken trips back to the EU?
Will anybody be held to account, aka the person that compelled the report aka probably his lawyer missing out the pertinent facts??? Also the naivety of our government that falls for a sob story from known liars every time… while being hard of heart to their own people in tents or working 3 jobs to keep these drug lords in prison and the results of their crimes…
Weak. Stone him he is filth. Stone the filthy drug dealing out of him. Stone the drug lord but only after I’ve had a beer and some chaser preloads cos I throw straighter after a few – just ask my pets he he ha ha burp.
//sarc
Weird, you are the only ones talking about stoning him. The Druglord can have lovely life back in the EU and NZ are well rid of him and hopefully the government can make sure he doesn’t come back under another false passport.
Also he is just as likely, if not more, to be in danger from his drug mates in NZ for narking,( if that is how he managed to help grease his residency application here). Win win to get rid of him where he can be anonymous in the EU unlike in NZ where he is now very well known.
you are the only ones talking about stoning him.
Do you think Marty has a dissociative personality disorder?
Nope, do you? Save us from pop psychologists or people who have attended too much therapy and therefore feel the need to throw conditions around as insults instead of taking mental health seriously.
I was not insulting Marty or suggesting he had such a condition or making any judgement on those who do but rather making a statement about your incoherent language. Thought that would have been obvious.
I got it.
I’m using humour to show the frothy nature of your responses. The stoners are more stoned than the stonee being stoned for being stoned.
“narking,( if that is how he managed to help grease his residency application here)”
Could be.
Lol
That is impressive
Try to down play a complete balls up by Labour. While also making a dismal attempt to divert from the topic and criticise the opposition
When did the offending occur christy? When did he fly home for a visit?
Slick Bodges is outraged at discovering the turd he deposited on the doorstep. Why hasn’t that been cleared up? It’s outrageous.
It’s almost like officials didn’t give Ian all the info at the time.
Something feels off about this whole situation, feels like a set up by the nats.
Why are the nats targeting this particular individual/case/situation?
Especially after we discover the nat’s were happy to let some sex offenders stay in the country when they were in power.
Yep, apparently Eugenie Sage, didn’t feel there was any options apart from grant the Chinese the offshore water permits…. then looked like a hypocrite and fool and untrustworthy for doing so. I’m not sure how Ian made such a botch up on the drug lord residency, but labour campaigned on cleaning up immigration only to be caught granting it to a convicted criminal drug lord who enjoys trips back to his mates in the EU ???
The message to politicians seems to be to WAKE up and do a bit of research themselves and stick to their guns, rather that look like untrustworthy hypocritical fools and rely on reports and advice that are not fit for purpose.
You have an error in your first sentence. It should read:
“To fools she looked like a hypocrite.”
@Solka, Greens campaign on not selling off overseas water rights then one of their MP’s signs off water rights once getting elected. I think you are the fool for not understanding what hypocrite means.
The Greens also campaigned and stand for good process. Changing laws under urgency is bad practice that the Greens were very vocal criticising National for. Passing retrospective legislation is extremely bad practice and contrary to the principles of natural justice.
They also need to work with their partners and at a pace that allows for competing legislative priorities.
AND, Eugenie did not take this action as a Green MP but as a Crown Minister who is obliged to follow the law.
As usual you just prattle on with your own bigoted view of things totally impervious to the actual details of the matter.
It is not the law to approve the application that is why it went to her. She approved it instead of stopping it. Its very simple.
Also after 1 year in office, where is the new laws on stopping practice, from the Greens?
The Minister’s job is to make the final decision based on the law. It really is that simple.
It’s not the law. It was her subjective position that got the consent through.
The whole point is that the Minister is supposed to be objective based on the law. The law as it stands does not allow for a subjective judgement.
subjective
adjective
1Based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.
‘his views are highly subjective’
Contrasted with objective
You’re the fool who doesn’t understand how the rule of law works.
I’m with solkta and well expressed that … solkta!
Really, SaveNZ? Eugenie, selling out at the first opportunity?
Hardly. Have you met the woman? Not a sell-out, by any stretch of (your) imagination.
I wonder if the official who didn’t disclose all the info, disclosed that fact to a slick bodger mate.
I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about
What turd?
https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/l/f/i/z/s/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620×349.1lfi0o.png/1504501119377.jpg
Nats have played one of their get-out-of-jail-free cards.
First, they must pass “Go” and pay their street repairs bill.. There is also a small matter of the sale of the railway stations and the electric utilities!
Mrs Mac1 told me that Guyon Espiner on RNZ this morning really put Simon Bridges and his bluster firmly in place.
Along the lines of
Espiner-“Well, in your time in office you didn’t deport the man.”
Bridges- “Well, the Minister acted on the advice given.”
Espiner- “Well, what’s different, now?”
And the bit I heard at the end- again well-paraphrased.
Espiner-“You want the Minister to resign. Will Mr Woodhouse resign?”
Bridges- “But he’s not the Minister.”
Espiner-“Will he resign as the shadow Minister?”
Bridges-“Rant rant rant”
Bridges never ‘heard’ the Espiner call for Woodhouse’s resignation even though he made it twice.
Chris T, a dismal attempt to attack the government and divert criticism of his own time in power, in all its lacking.
Lets face it, the Natz helped with policy decisions to keep the drugs moving into NZ, created one of the highest immigration in the world for nearly a decade of low skilled people coming here to work in supermarkets, and bakeries and then created committees to put forward policy to evict tenants on Meth tests, and create the shock doctrine housing crisis….
… meanwhile Labour and Greens were blind to it and campaigned on higher taxes, middle class rental standards for people who can’t even afford rental with the above climate created by the Natz, and legalising drugs (Greens)… then they wonder why people can’t choose who to vote for????
People with your view make this country unsafe imo. Drugs are rife idiot. At every sector and height in society. That is why it is a health issue imo. You’d chuck people in jail and that EXPANDS the drug relationships with criminals. Wake up like your name says.
Actually I’m suggesting deport the drug lord, not have our taxes and judicial system spending hundreds of thousands on his prison stay and sentencing, and any further ones, based on his current crime record, it’s not going to be the last time Kiwi tax payers will support his arse in prison where as you say, the prison system “EXPANDS the drug relationships with criminals”.
Now they have the benefit of EU drug lords helping the expansion, yippee!
Well now a gnat has rolled I’m sure he’ll be on the first flight out. You must be so proud that you’ve saved us all from a baddie.
It’d be a win for NZ
A.
That Espiner/Bridges interview is a Must Listen, IMO.
It is the hardest I have ever seen Espiner go on Bridges and raised some excellent questions and points that need to be followed up.
Here is the link.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018669287/czech-criminal-s-case-did-not-come-before-national-minister-bridges
Am just listening to the midday news, and there is a lot still to go on this issue.
Question Time today has only one question on it from Woodhouse to Lees-Galloway. There are no questions from Bridges or Bennett to the PM or Deputy PM so it is probable that neither Bridges or Bennett will be in the House.
Thanks for the link, veutoviper. I’ll hear how close my paraphrased versions actually were………
Heh, Bridges might have thrown Woodhouse under a bus there. Jeez Guyon, that was bloody good.
Please can Bridges remain as National Party leader.
Yes mac1. I heard Bridges stammer and dodge. He had the gall to say, ” The Minister cannot become a detective and go out and detect.”
But says Guyon, “How is that different from the present case?”
Mumble, deflect mumble.
Very funny Simon.
I agree on the kudos to the minister.
However his reasoning made a mockery of Winston the day before at question time.
Winston made a lot out of Galloway making the decision himself, rather than relying/blaming officials.
Remember, gsays, that Peters made a lot of the Minjster’s decision making by comparing it to the previous government which after 2014 gave the responsibility away to the officials. In this case, Minister Lees-Galloway acted on advice given by officials who did not have for whatever reason the same information that became available to National. That the decision was made by Lees-Galloway was Peter’s point. The quality of advice is another issue and does not reflect at all upon Peters.
Fair enough.
Today’s mentioning of the officials as part of a ‘reconsideration’ jarred with the ‘vibe’ I picked up from ‘Winston’ at QT.
The PM and her deputy have been made to look like fools over this.
They both arrogantly and smuggly defended the decision on Tuesday. By Wednesday “new evidence” was discovered which reopened the case.
Tomorrow the decision will be reversed to get this out of the headlines next week.
What a monumental cluster fuck and embarrassing u turn.
It’s actually not that bad – you’re catastrophying it imo.
Not really
One of National’s attack lines since day 1 has been this government is soft on crime. Why feed into that narrative by giving them an example like this on a plate.
Australia exports criminals who have lived in Australia their whole lives. New Zealand imports lying fraudulent drug dealers. That is what the National trolls will be yelling as a result of this cock up.
That’s not a cock up. This is a cock up.
Yep good points.
Which is exactly why the nats abrogated responsibility to the ministry for several years.
You get the big pay packet, you make the hard call.
The only real problem is that the increased publicity seems to have uncovered the contradictory information, which in turn could well make it look like the minister caved under pressure rather than simply acting on information received.
At least there is hope they will u turn and make sure that the embarrassment goes away, rather than have him served up next election as the government being the reason he is one of our new residents.
No decent human being should ever defend an action as ‘maintaining the integrity of the process’ nuffy nuffy, be his/her arse ever so smooth.
Iain has made a complete idiot of himself. Would love a photo of him to appear hiding behind the pillar to avoid reporters.
The Czech needs to leave the country immediately.
Jimmy, so it’s wrong to change ones mind when presented with new information?
The “new info” will be the excuse for changing the decision. He has clearly not done due diligence in the first place (or made a very big error of judgement). Both National and Labour have been reluctant to send people packing IMO.
Maybe we will find out more soon?
‘Immigration NZ is investigating claims that contradict the reasons why Iain Lees-Galloway granted residency to convicted drug smuggler Karel Sroubek.’
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12152730
Jimmy is an ideologue.
No, not really. Just a practical person. Would you want the Czech living next door to you?
As for ILG, I think its hard to say he’s handled the situation well.
I’m not following the Kiwibuild story as too depressing, but someone told me that the couple in the media who got ballot for the house, are a final year doctor who stands to make a lot of money in the future and they got a 4 bedroom house, when they are just a couple.
Good luck to the people as it is very hard to get a house and they are probably riddled with student debts and being a doctor is of great benefit to society, but it does seem a bit sad that those 3 extra bedrooms will be empty when there are families with a lot more kids living in one bedroom emergency housing, that could have benefited from those extra bedrooms and a new secure house.
And I would have preferred my taxes spent on helping families renting and state housing and land still owned by the state for future generations, rather than helping better resourced people up the property ladder.
Even if the land was leasehold to the state, it would have been better. Maybe removing his student loans in return for staying in NZ for 10 years might also be of more benefit to the public than a house that they can sell in 3 years.
Surprise, KiwiBuy working the way everyone thought it would.
That lovely young couple were bragging on the news hub facebook page about making 50 k already.
People took offence to that and went on the attack, that’s why they deleted their social media accounts, nothing to do with Judith Collins.
Not that you’d ever read that on such unbiased media outlets like TVNZ and Radio Pravda.
Da, comrade BM – Radio Pravda?
“those 3 extra bedrooms will be empty” – doesn’t it seem way more likely they will have some boarders?
Excellent not only do this deserving couple get given 50 k by the taxpayer, but they can also rent out the other three rooms and get themselves some good extra income.
Certainly, help pay for all those overseas trips.
Oh I would rather see any 4 brm homes go to families. But then I don’t set the rules.
I doubt there would have been many families in the draw
99% of the people would have been childless young couples with high earning jobs or young people financed by Mum and Dad looking for quick capital gain.
Kiwi Buy is nothing more than a taxpayer subsidy for young New Zealanders who have come from the middle to upper classes.
You’d say anything to bad mouth the government – similar to your mate bridges in that.
More tribal rubbish from Mars.
You are fake – fake caring and fake tears – you’re full of it.
Off topic but deep breathes’ time – a couple of links at 15 you may be interested in. The second is re home schooling.
Another (genuine) laugh out loud BM comment – please keep ’em coming.
It is just envy. Your mob denied there was a even a problem lol. The problem is big. It will take multiple initiativess to sort. 1 year into this government and things are starting to happen on this one initiative. Somehow some people would prefer the gnats to still be there cos labour aren’t fixing things fast enough – more fool them I say.
They’re not fixing anything they’re actually making the housing situation a lot worse.
Croc tears cos you don’t care.
In 2007, honest John Key said NZ was facing an urgent housing crisis.
Is it too late to ask the now Right Honourable Sir John Key his advice on how to stop “making the housing situation a lot worse”? Or maybe the opposition National party has a productive contribution?
Or kids.
Well hey Sacha, with a few tweaks on the 4 bedroom house plan they could comfortably house a family with three kids.
https://mclennan.co.nz/mclennan-kiwibuild/
Be heaps more betterer than this…https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/107874921/bucket-toilet-for-garage-tenants-the-vulnerable-kiwis-reforms-wont-help …. they’d have a proper flush toilet and everything!!!!
“I’m not following the Kiwibuild story as too depressing”
With you there savenz. The argument for the cheerleading seems to be be, – well National created the mess…
Pretty low bar, and even that is not easily cleared, given the previous Clark government had the wheels in motion for the current house crisis.
Folk have really short memories Molly.
I’ve yet to see compelling evidence that this current manifestation of the New Zealand Labour Party is appreciably different.
Politics of envy, NZs talkback radio fav fodder, tall poppy syndrome etc… divide and conquer, one doesn’t dare stick ones head above the parapet, esp if one wins a KB raffle, how dare they!!! Nek minute, Collins claims innocent, well her fan proxies do…
@ I feel love, The point is, should tax payer money and state land be a raffle? Or should it be means tested and fairly apportioned based on need?
But there is no taxpayer money involved. The houses are sold at cost.
They are giving away free prime state house land as part of the deal. They could retain both the houses and land for the state and future generations. Instead they are doing financial engineering and doublespeak which clearly fools quite a few so called leftie supporters of the Thatcher based scheme, but not all.
They are not giving anything away. It doesn’t cost $650,000 to build one of those houses.
The site is ex-defense force and has never been state housing.
when it suits the right wingers and woke lefties house prices are so high because of the cost of the land, (not lazy immigration in fact we need more immigration because who is going to build the houses cheaply the, the Kiwis are drugged out hopeless types) , however it seems to suit woke lefties to now say that state land is not needed for state housing and rightfully given away in return for middle class housing with all the mod cons… a percentage sold off raffle style to those on $180k and without children in a 4 bedroom house.
Clearly logic was at work. I understand the right wingers being on board with the privatisation of state land, but the woke lefties seem just as eager.
And they say, the voters are stupid….
rightfully given away
Nothing has been given away. Spinning yourself around in circles won’t change that fact.
Approx 2/3 of the land is no longer owned by the public and according to the woke lefties and righties once upon a time, they said it was the land that was worth all the money. Now suddenly the land is not worth much and they will swap it for building 1/3 houses.
Confused. Well I guess that’s he point but it all end up as state assets sell offs, disguised.
Now somehow the state no longer owns 2/3 of it’s valuable land because it has been non transparently taken through third parties and the state is left with approx 1/3 of the land it once had often with a similar amount of state houses it once had.
And the houses built are only affordable for the top 40% of people who would have got a house anyway.
Yes i think you are confused. I can’t make sense of any of that.
Wokey savey? That a Star Wars thingy?
Just some grammatical incoherence.
+1 Molly
Thinking about the new 4 bedroom house that will not house a family in need, I wonder what happened to that poor homeless family and little girl who narrowly missed out on a scholarship at St Cuthbert’s. That was a heart wrenching story.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11653678
Sorry I can only find the Granny link, but John Campbell lead the story for TV3 or radio NZ
“Over the next 10 years, 100,000 “affordable” homes will be built around the country.
But they’re not for low-income people, they’re not a gift from taxpayers and – in the end, anyway – the price the houses sell for is not the most important aspect of the scheme.
Here are five common myths about KiwiBuild.” ;
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/108210155/Five-myths-about-KiwiBuild-and-who-its-meant-to-help
This piece may go someway to cover a few misconceptions ….
JC: “But they’re not for low-income people, they’re not a gift from taxpayers and – in the end, anyway – the price the houses sell for is not the most important aspect of the scheme.”
The Kiwibuild could never help people under say $40,000. Never intended to. The rebuilding of State houses are the best option for the working poor.
Imagine if Donald Trump was a rock star
He’d be named Gene, and he’d be even worse than he is now….
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2017/12/general_debate_23_december_2017.html/comment-page-1#comment-2105352
I’d hate to be a musician in his band. The lead singer (what else?) wouldn’t listen to the band, he’d have a different drummer in his head, and the songs (who else would be permitted to write them?) would be disassociated ramblings full of the first person singular.
Wonder what the band would be called? Probably none. Full billing to the lead singer only. No lead breaks for the guitarist and as for the vocal chorus, we won’t go there.
How many members of the family would be involved? What style of music? A little mix of punk, country, and hillbilly, but no blues, Mex or reggae for sure.
And guess who’d own the venues he played at?
He’d be something like THIS godawful singer….
EDUCATION
On RNZ Nine to Noon there were two very interesting interviews on education.
The first was with Hamish Brewer, a NZer who “now calls Virginia home where his mission is to turn around ailing schools. He is tattooed, he skateboards and he tells the students he loves them, in case no one else in their lives is telling them that. Hamish has won many awards and given speeches about his work.”
This guy was compelling in a “Ted Talks” way – which I don’t usually connect with. We really should be getting him back here, even if just temporarily, for some good ‘out of the box’ thinking. He was actually very supportive of the education he received here and the NZ system overall, but he certainly could give some educators here a bit of a shake-up.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018669306/hamish-brewer-disrupting-education-with-love
Calling marty mars and other home schoolers (or those interested in home schooling) in relation to the second interview.
I recommend listening to it if you didn’t hear it. It was with Natalie Donaldson and Siobhan Porter, both part of Auckland Home Educators, a support and advocacy group for parent educators. They have five children each and have home-schooled them all.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018669313/home-schooling-pros-and-cons
{As an aside but also in relation to this morning’s Nine to Noon, the description of the interview with Jessica Young, University of Otago, at 11 above on attitudes to assisted dying earlier on in the programme was well off the mark. The interview did cover the restrictions etc on who could carry out or assist in an assisted death in detail – the person themself or a doctor, but not family members. ]
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018669299/majority-support-some-form-of-euthanasia
Ta. Forwarding
A.
I assume one “veutoviper” is referring to my contribution at 9:25 am when he/she writes:
As an aside but also in relation to this morning’s Nine to Noon, the description of the interview with Jessica Young, University of Otago, at 11 above on attitudes to assisted dying earlier on in the programme was well off the mark.
How was I “off the mark” in pointing out the deceitful, anodyne language used (“self-administration of a death”) and the fact that Kathryn Ryan had failed to ask the obvious question, viz., Who is going to kill these people?
The interview did cover the restrictions etc on who could carry out or assist in an assisted death in detail – the person themself [sic] or a doctor, but not family members.
Doctors take an oath to look after people. “Look after” is not a synonym for “kill”.
She DID ask the question you claim she didn’t raise. As I said above, the answer was that the only people who would legally be allowed to carry out or assist in an assisted death would be the person themselves and/or a doctor; no-one else including family members would be allowed to.
But par for the course for you. Perhaps we (and Kiwiblog) should set up a Give A Little page for hearing aids for you.
the answer was that the only people who would legally be allowed to carry out or assist in an assisted death
To “carry out an assisted death” is a deceitful, euphemistic way of saying “to kill a dying person.” I am correct when I state that Ms. Ryan accepted this distortion of plain language, and failed to ask the pertinent question.
would be the person themselves [sic] and/or a doctor
Doctors take an oath to look after their patients. Palliative care, as in a hospice is assisting the dying; it is a world away from putting someone to death.
I’ll skip your witless little sortie into personal abuse.
Leaving someone in agony for the sake of it is not a caring thing.
And killing that person is?
That option is refuted by palliative care doctors and nurses.
When i see a bird dying in my garden i put a spade through its neck. When my old dog was so close to death that he was just suffering i took him for a final visit to the vet. These things to most people seem humane and sensible. When i do these things i feel like i am caring.
Human beings are not like stray birds. Leading humanitarian philosophers like Michael Laws and David Seymour would no doubt appreciate your analogy though.
My dog on the other hand was the best natured person i have ever known.
I’ll be there for ya solka, you stay the fuck away from me though.
lol
Thanks
WOO HOO!
Letting fees are toast 😀
This will help the working poor amongst others AWW. Yay!
yei. excellent news.
Cracker read for aviation tragics and fearful fliers.
15:30:21 Capt got any ideas?
15:30:23 F/O actually not.
15:30:38 Capt we’re gonna brace.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/10/14/1577211/-The-A320-and-the-Hudson
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute
This is hope fully a good out come for the common people of Yemen Peace and diplomacy is what is best for All Kia kaha
It has taken three years, 14 million people on the brink of starving to death and 10,000 dead civilians before the US finally asked for the chaos in Yemen to stop.
But it may be too late for the impoverished Arab nation, which borders Saudi Arabia, as it faces effectively being wiped off the Earth as more than half its population starve due to a sickening Saudi war tactic.
It was already one of the world’s poorest countries before a brutal civil war began in 2015 when rebel Houthi fighters seized the presidential compound in the country’s capital Sana’a and overthrew the government. Ka kite ano Link is below.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12152869
New Neighbour the last lot were sandflys contracted Actors and now it looks like a single wahine is moving in she will be a sandfly payed actor trying to set me up I know they are listening to everything in the house the perverts . So if anything happen its a sandfly set up. The muppets will try anything Ka kite ano
Eco Maori Give A ka pai to the Google employees who have made a stand to back up there wahine employees Equality is what the new generation wants and need.
We not stupid Equality for all and environmentally friendly.Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers around the world walked off the job Thursday (Friday NZ time) to protest the internet company’s lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct.Kia kaha people ka kite ano link is below.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/108297125/google-employees-walk-out-to-protest-treatment-of-women
Eco Maori did warn MP that there staff could be pro national and set them up and the immigration issue that Labour is having at the minute sure looks like a SET UP JOB.
‘ looking like the Government has made an embarrassing stuff-up over the controversial decision to allow a Czech criminal to stay in the country after he finishes his prison sentence. SET UP Ka kite ano link is below. P.S I will give the turned lefty a bit of a ——–
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12153476
I say trump and the gop are going to need a huge box of tissue in about 5 days
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/31/trump-abandoned-civility-republican-party
Kia ora Te Kaea the water isuses I say we need to audit all country’s council and legerslate to make them clean up our water.
That was awesome that the sights of the Southern right whale off Ohope Bay of plenty.
The Maori All Blacks will have a good team playing in Chicago this weekend.
Ka kite ano P.S Maori does some thing wrong no name suppression it’s gets plastered in the media???????.