The nats privatisation plans are getting more and more difficult. It was conceded yesterday that unless the legislation specifically prevents this happening a partially privatised SOE could sell individual power stations to overseas interests. Eventually they could all be sold. Being a company the directors need to act in the best commercial interests of all shareholders. If the price was right the power stations could all go.
To stop this the matter will need to be addressed in the proposed legislation. And if they do this then the price will take a hit.
Add Maori’s urgent application to the Waitangi Tribunal concerning the use of water and a professional investor is going to significantly discount any offer made. As far as I am concerned they should be allowed to. After all water and the rivers are taonga that Maori retain tino rangatiratanga over.
There must be a point where the sale process is not worth it. I wonder if we are there yet.
lprent – what is up with the Microsoft cloud/ Plunket banner ad on the home page?
Given that Shonkey and the Nats have already signalled their intention to roll out cloud hosting of govt services and information this ad is pretty wack -using Plunket and the kid to promote microsoft and this type of tech as cuddly or safe kind of glosses over how radical and experimental the move to host govt on the cloud really is.
It should never even go to tender – but can we assume from this that there will be a competitive open tender process? – I for one would dearly like a piece of the Nats IT splurge – Google and Microsoft must be drooling at the though of all the money one of them is about get out of NZ. And silly us, we are paying them while at the same time handing over our soverignty.
With the promise of lower costs, increased efficiencies, and new ways to meet organisational priorities, there is a lot of excitement about cloud computing. This is particularly true for government organisations that see ways to leverage the cloud to reduce costs, improve transparency, advance collaboration, better focus on critical needs, and increase citizen services.
Sound familiar? Ole Shonkey has been parroting the PR of the cloud pushers almost word for word. Their sales pitch obviously won him over, I wonder what his kickback is for regurgitating their spin.
I tend to pretty much ignore the ads except for the odd time. For instance the campaign against MMP banners ads last year, where I added the campaign for MMP logos to our logo.
Cheers Lynn – I am doing my best to ignore it but still find it galling. I was hoping that you might have some comment or might like to post perhaps on the ‘cloud’ and its pros and cons – this is your field after all and I would be most interested in your thoughts.
Cloud is a label covering a multitude of types of systems. This site uses two “cloud” sites for warm backup servers (one is meant to be hot – but needs more time to work on than I have now). One is configured as a VPS, but is easily scaleable. The other is a on demand system.
There isn’t anything much different to the remotely hosted dedicated servers, VPS, and web servers I have been using since 1997. All the usual security issues and problems with slow international links and latencies to code around. Hopefully if the government does it here, then they will do it over the local nets to one of the local clouds.
But you pretty much have security problems as soon as you allow any remote access to any system that doesn’t involve a physical access control with people looking over biometrics. Doesn’t matter that much if it is a terminal to a mainframe or a server on the public nets. You still have to put in a lot of connectivity security against man in the middle and stolen access codes. Systems based on the public systems is usually somewhat better these days – a lot more eyes looking for and fixing holes.
trouble is that means it’s the zealots who end up on the front lines, with no qualms at all about lobbing WP into housing projects or shooting children.
Another difficult moral challenge in an overwhelmingly shitty situation.
The Israeli soldiers who commit atrocities are carrying out government orders. If a soldier shoots a Palestinian child and/or demolishes a Palestinian home, it’s not any more acceptable if that soldier does it with a heavy heart and feels guilty.
The problem is the Israeli government, not the poor soldiers who are forced to carry out its crimes.
What “moral challenge” is there? You either participate in these atrocities, or you protest against them, as thousands of young Israelis do every year by refusing to join up.
it’s more how they interpret their orders, and what they choose to interpret as a “threat” that warrants lethal force, and so on.
No, that’s not right. While some Israeli soldiers are undoubtedly cruel, the fact is they are there because the Israeli government has sent them there. It wasn’t a few “bad eggs” who made the decision to destroy Gaza’s electricity supply, bomb its hospitals and schools and cut off its water. It wasn’t a few soldiers making a faulty interpretation of their orders that resulted in white phosphorus, cluster bombs and napalm being used on the civilians of Gaza and Lebanon.
Good to see you back, Morrissey – and in fine form with dear old Grumpers.
Did you see Norman Finkelstein’s recent demolition of the Palmer report ? – ‘Torpedoing the Law: How the Palmer Report Justified Israel’s Naval Blockade of Gaza’. “A careful analysis of the POI report shows that it is probably the most mendacious and debased document ever issued under the aegis of the United Nations.”
Still, should be useful for Geoff’s career earnings. I wonder if Chen and Palmer will diversify into strategic hasbara PR for the Israeli government ?
Yes, I have indeed read and listened to Finkelstein damning Palmer.
Don’t forget, though, it’s the Palmer-Uribe report. The real driver of the report was no doubt the notorious ex-President of Colombia (and notorious violator of human rights) Signor Uribe. Norman Finkelstein noted that the dice were loaded as soon as Uribe was named as the “investigator”.
I’m sure Palmer contributed little or even nothing of substance, other than sign his name to it.
I wonder if Chen and Palmer will diversify into strategic hasbara PR for the Israeli government?
They already have. For free. I believe Lenin had the right term for people like Palmer: useful idiots.
Fair enough, McFlock. I am not trying to say you are wrong. You’re not. It’s just a question of where the primary responsibility lies. As flawed as some of the Israeli soldiers might be, the primary responsibility for them being in the Occupied Territories lies not with them, but with the Israeli regime.
Why does the word communism automatically alert the moderators? Every time I use it my comments are sucked away. Is there an alternative? How about… “that state of social organisation preceeded by socialism”. Too wordy?
The word communism can only be used legitimately, no? Unlike Nazi, which always seems a little over the top in anything but a historical context. And commie can be humourous. We even have those “In Soviet Russia…” jokes on youtube. Can anyone remember any funny Nazi’s?
[It used to be a common “flag” for RWNJ trolls during the last government. But that use does seem to have faded now. Lynn – time to review this? — r0b]
[lprent: Yep. Along with a number of other words and phrases. I’ll have a review of them in the next couple of weeks when the warm weather and my current project crunch let up. The most effective way is to scan the archives of moderated comments to see what they are being used for now. ]
Are you crazy? Hitler had a silly moustache and farted a lot, goering had fabulous blue uniforms and silly batons but was so fat that none of the planes in his airforce were big enough to get him off the ground, goebbels had a congenital malformation and constantly talked about being in the master race…
Aside from the entire planned deaths of millions (and just winging the deaths of millions more) thing, the entire crew seemed to be characters taken from the unreleased comedy classic “Carry On Up the Thousand Year Reich”.
“…The demise of the Occupy camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral was long overdue.
That is not to say it should never have been there at all.
The protest that the police dismantled late on Monday night was loud, scruffy and angry.
And embedded in its sometimes incoherent messages was a core feeling of dissatisfaction which spoke to many struggling to make sense of the most severe financial crisis since the 1930s.
A world in which the richest few grow ever richer –
– while everyone else feels the squeeze cannot possibly be justified –
– and Occupy can take credit for providing a focus for a much wider concern…”
Yeah that story from The Independent is a bit sad, not just for the person who wrote it being a typical “don’t look too hard” journalist, but that the occupiers themselves haven’t thought through what St. Paul’s represents well enough and shouted it out in the media. The Church and versions of capitalism go hand in hand and have for thousands of years. It’s the very forms of oppression that Occupy protest against. Christianity seems to me to be the basis of the style of capitalism most of the western world experience: In the old testament it it regards “earthly treasures” as evidence of god’s blessing and mental illness as evidence of sin. It trades in an “eye for an eye” style of adversarial thinking with all the attendant hypocrisies. Then in the New Testament, apparently many years later, once the Church and religious heirachies are cemented, it seeks to both mentally and materially disarm the people and asks them to remain poor and to “give to caesar what is caesar’s” and not fight back. Even on Christ’s last night alive, the man who fought back against the soldiers was chided by Christ and the soldiers ear healed. Many communities have experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed by corporate interests. The Church would suggest they just lay down and turn philosophical.
So which book do we take as rule? Just discard one over the other as it suits? The Church has done nothing to address this contradiction in it’s one major text and teachings. There is no denying that Christianity is a good way into the exercise of thinking morally if you have no alternative and many have had their circumstances improved by christian intervention. But like capitalism, it’s down sides are many and brutal. That Occupy chose St. Paul’s was a good decision and cannot be devalued on the basis that the church did or continues to do some good stuff somewhere, once. One hundred odd days is nothing compared to eras of christian oppression.
Well yes I agree that any movement, especially American, that stands up and says “Down with religion!” isn’t likely to gain any traction. But that is not what I argue and the overuse of political expediency as soon as things get hard for fledgling organisations is usually the death of them. The Alternet.com story you link to falls prey to the same thinking they award the conservatives within religion:
“Those who worship the gods of selfishness may proclaim themselves to be saved by Jesus, but they do not follow his teachings. As politics and religion continue to influence each other in America, progressives need to realize how completely conservatives have distorted the religion they claim to believe in. And we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about our own values using the familiar language of Christ — a language the vast majority of our fellow Americans already understand.”
Picking and choosing Christ’s words and saying you’re a christian, even a progressive Christian, would be very post-modern, but your Bible would tell you you were a hypocrite – bit of problem. Progressive Churches are popular here in Auckland. My brother attends one and the influence of that on our relationship has all but ended our connection. As far as I understand it, they have reduced christianity to a kind of new-age pop music based sub-culture that mistakes emotion for the truth and contagion emotion as the prescence of a spirit. Nothing wrong with that, if it spins your wheels, but it isn’t very christian as far as a biblical definition goes and not at all intelligent – the kind of intelligent you need to be to be effectively politically progressive. In order to get the progressive church ideas to work, it requires a level of cognitive dissonance to step around the psychological contradictions and it still embraces a big part of the selfishness intertwined with free market capitalism. This problem is not isolated to progressive churches, of course.
I cannot see how Occupy can embrace christianity, officially, if they were to form some sort of “government” or socially influencial body and maintain their own direction. The two philosophies in contact would cause continued rifts. They are less damned if they don’t than if they do. In the very least you’d need a mediatory body between them and stuff like that is just too damn hard to make work in real life. Freedom of religion, but not power in conjunction with the state.
You are looking at religion (conservative and progressive) in its most tedious forms. Andrew Little, an atheist himself, used a Christian quote in his maiden speech: “What gaineth a man who gains the world but loses his soul.” Then there’s “whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me.” The literature of Dickens, who used the deeper Christian values to challenge the complacent Victorians. Religious concepts continue to permeate our culture and come up poignantly in such things as popular songs, as in “Won’t you help to sing/ this song of freedom/’cause all I ever have/redemption song. Not to mention Mickey Savage, who described Labour’s reforms as “Christianity in Action.”
One thing I am more and more confident about: we have more chance of gaining ground on the left by putting forward a deeper moral vision than the one the right employs, than by hoping that the sciences will ultimately “prove” we are right.
Christianity seems to me to be the basis of the style of capitalism most of the western world experience:
Well, that shows that you know little or nothing about it! The Book of Acts is afaik the first depiction of socialism in practice, and word to the wise, the Old Testament may have supported the idea that material wealth was a sign of good favour, but it has been superceded by, let’s see, what is it called, oh yes, the New Testament (the clue being in the name.)
Do you seriously think that Jesus should have said “Oh good one, yeah, have at it with your sword, violence is always the answer”. As if.
That there is going to be disagreements on interpretations of christianity is exactly the point. Three of here us disagreeing and now you casting unsupported insults. So how will that help government? Religion is a private practice, in his own words (should you believe them) god existed before the world, before the earth, before religion, before the church and will after those things are gone. Vicky, you are picking and choosing. You deny the entire old testament to suit your taste. In some circles that would be blasphemy. The christian god said he was the same now as he ever was and never changes, yet he eagerly gave orders to his people to slaughter anyone that got in his way, no niceties, no mercy. Now you say god is a liar, that he’s changed and didn’t mean it, because the new testament exists and Jesus was a socialist. Jesus himself could only turn a blind eye to homosexuality, where his father openly condemned it; how will you include gays in your religiously progressive new world? Just ignore that part too? This is where the dissonance starts, don’t demand that the entire population of the world join in. And Olwyn above you calls deference to the old as “tedious”. This is the kind of myopic understanding of christianity that starts wars. How is the state going to be better off with you or anyone else defining who is wrong or right based on your narrow version of morality. Who must be hated because they do or think this or that? And how will you include immigrants, with their own religions and perspectives to your progressive cause? As I said, it is not politically intelligent. It is a minefield for developing political movements and must be avoided.
. Now you say god is a liar, that he’s changed and didn’t mean it, because the new testament exists
No, I don’t say God is a liar. I say that peoples’ understanding of God changed, and Jesus came among other things, to explain how God is, and bring about that change.
and Jesus was a socialist.
Yes.
Jesus himself could only turn a blind eye to homosexuality, where his father openly condemned it; how will you include gays in your religiously progressive new world?
I don’t know of any gays who want to be included! All gays I know, hate religion with a purple passion. From my own point of view, gays are almost infinitely less important than they think they are!
don’t demand that the entire population of the world join in.
When have I ever done that? I don’t recall demanding that anyone ‘join in’.
And how will you include immigrants, with their own religions and perspectives to your progressive cause?
I am an ESOL teacher – I teach immigrants, a surprising number of whom are Christians. (Not surprising to me, but hey, I am certain it would amaze you! 🙂 ) As for the Muslims, they are not all keffiyeh wearing terrorists, (and I am sure that amazes you as well) and hold differing views on political/social subjects, as is true of any population.
Your hatred is simply tedious.
Damn – I’ve had three guys in my roof doing the Govt funded Pink Batts instalation and it all went quite about an hour ago. I crept down the passage and all I could hear was snoring.
Damn – I’ve had three guys in my roof doing the Govt funded Pink Batts instalation and it all went quite about an hour ago. I crept down the passage and all I could hear was snoring.
It is despicable that National and their apologists are trying to gain political ground and public support for the Privacy (Information Sharing) Bill over such an issue, especially when it’s ultimately the Ministers responsibility to ensure such failings do not occur.
Television New Zealand journalists working on the Fair Go programme have been told not to produce stories which would upset their advertisers, Parliament has heard.
Time, methinks, to go to a non-commercial public broadcaster as it’s obvious that any commercial operation is, by its very nature, compromised.
That the House conduct an urgent inquiry into the decisions regarding prosecutions relating to the Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009.
Petition number: 2011/5
Presented by: Phil Twyford
Date presented: 29 February 2012
Referred to: Commerce Committee
Which MPs from which political parties are going to put their hands up and say that they DON’T agree with ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’?
Which MPs from which political parties are going to put their hands up and say that they DON’T agree ‘that the House should conduct an urgent inquiry into prosecutions relating to the Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009’?
Especially when to date four ‘regulatory bodies’ – the former (useless) Securities Commission, the new Finance Markets Authority (FMA), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the NZ Police – have refused to charge the now Minister of Regulatory Reform, the (new) ACT Party Leader and MP (but for how long?) for Epsom?
“She’s tough. She’s been there. She’s been a solo mum. She’s had it hard. She’s come out the other end. Labour hates her. And she hates them more”
This is seriously bad writing by Garner, he really gives no real balance at all. CL is correct, its a bloody rah rah for Bennett.
If she becomes leader, I will have to stand against her myself in Waitakere. West Auckland will not know whats hit it. I might just stand for the fun of it.
Ghastly writing, just Bennett back up propaganda. Equally ghastly is the thought of Garner’s possible “crush” on her blooming into something more enduring and becoming three of them.Ugh, ugh and poor little ugh!
Has anybody heard if she is going to be investigated by the Human Right Commision about flouting privacy laws or has My Leader managed to get that one shut down.Also, seeing as she had to GO ON THE BENEFIT because she was so tired how in the hell does she think that any other single working mother is goingto manage what she “wonder woman” could not do. I would also like the complete story about her hardship days. Who looked after her child. Did she get support from her parents? There is a lot she is not saying.Was she living on her own with noone to support her when she came home exhausted! Or did she live with mummy and daddy. Maybe Duncan knows. It would make a great TV story As he said, she came out the other end. Whose I wonder?
Award-winning filmmakers Tom and Sumner Burstyn from Cloud South Films are reaching out to concerned Kiwi citizens to help fund their next documentary with the working title Fracking Whakatutu.
Thats interesting, I loved their film this way of life.. Utterly beautiful. Apparently started as a documentary about horse whisperers and became this fascinating film about modern NZ culture.
This Way of Life was a very nice film. It will be interesting to see how they will apply their obvious artistic camera skills and if they can gain access to get footage from fracking sites. I hear the industry is pretty secretive, with good reason I might add.
This Way of Life was excellent and I expect they’ll do a good job on this one. There was a confrontation scene at the end of the doco which showed the filmmakers aren’t cowards like our so many of revered celebrity journalists.
LIAR WATCH No. 2
grumpy The Standard, March 1, 2012
1.) “I go by the simple process of believing that Islamic Radicals are bad bastards and anyone who stands up to them are [sic] good bastards. Sort of the opposite of your opinion.”
2.) “I try to be objective.”
– – – – – – – – – ——- – – – – – – – ——– – – – – – –
If you enjoyed this, you might like to see….
I note that “grumpy” has compounded his foolishness by launching into a drooling rage against Noam Chomsky, and cited a notorious right wing site to “refute” him.
I note also that for some reason I am unable to reply to his muddled message….
(Lin, could you explain why there is no “Reply” option on his messages? It has the effect of giving our far right wing friend an entirely spurious last word.)
[lprent: With a threaded messages system there has to be a limit on how nested the programmers allow it to get. Otherwise you eventually wind up with replies that are indented so far to the right that they are splashed against the right boundary as a column of single or hyphenated words.
WordPress has a maximum of 10 ? reply levels deep. We use their maximum. When you hit it, then there is no reply button.
As someone said below, walk up the parent comments until you find a reply button and use that. Or start a new thread. ]
You really are foolish, my friend. If you’re going to substitute random Google results for argument, you couldn’t have blundered on to a less credible source than Arthur Schlesinger. Not that it matters to you, but in case anyone serious is reading this, Schlesinger was the official house myth-maker of the Kennedy clan, and a supporter of everything that JFK did, including the terror campaign against Cuba and the start of the destruction of South Vietnam.
Chomsky was merely the most distinguished of the many intellectuals who showed him up for what he was. Not that this will mean anything to you, of course. I’m sure you don’t even know who Arthur Schlesinger was, and are only familiar with him through stumbling on his dyspeptic and absurd spleen-vent via your Google-searching.
Anti semitic, holocaust denier, nazi sympathiser etc. etc.
Your absurd and fanciful list of accusations against Chomsky is not your own, of course. You don’t know enough to even slander him.
It only makes you look dishonest—and even more foolish.
Seems to depend on you [sic] political viewpoint, either he’s the messiah or a devious lying prick.
You’re seeking to trivialize and turn everything into a joke. That’s because you’re out of your depth. Please read one of the books on that site. If you want to continue ignoring Chomsky, feel free, but you should read one of the others. As it is, you’re lamentably ill-informed. Are you Leighton Smith?
Undoubtably, though, the doyen of the Left.
Again, you have little or no comprehension of what you are writing. Chomsky is perhaps even more critical of the Leftist establishment than he is of the pseudo-scholars of the rabid right, who you unwittingly quote with relish.
Do you ever think for yourself?
That’s rich coming from someone who has inadvertently cited a discredited old Kennedy apparatchik and (even funnier) a lunatic site from the furthest reaches of the braindead right.
Are you mad?
Schlesinger opposed the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Iraq war and was a columnist for that well known right wing media organization – The Huffington Post.
He was also foolish enough to let himself be tricked into writing for Norman Podhoretz’s barmy Commentary magazine, from which you (unwittingly) took that ridiculous and mendacious quote.
Has anyone read Gordon McLauchlan’s book The Pasionless People lately? Some of the points in the 1976 book about our doughiness seem to either be still applicable or be applying again.
“Here in a beautiful, benign and uncrowded country…we suffer…from depression and…angst… Unhappiness has become such an epidemic that our smugness, once unassailable, is wearing thin.”
We look to see ourselves and find ‘a group of people who have nurtured in isolation from the rest of the world a Victorian, lower-middle class, Calvinist, village mentality…There is no passion to give us a dream of the good life, a vision of love and beauty, a sense of a variety of lifestyles, of alternative viewpoints and philosophies through which we may fulfil ourselves in different ways.”
…New Zealanders have no moral or social philosophy…Right now, influence within our society is factionalized, compacted into pressure groups which exert their power almost exclusively for selfish needs without any sense of a total community.”
Has anyone read Gordon McLauchlan’s book The Pasionless People lately? Some of the points in the 1976 book about our doughiness seem to either be still applicable or be applying again.
It’s an awesome book! I read it some time in the 1980s.
Peter Dunne said in a letter to the Ohariu anti asset sales meeting tonight that he had pledged support for the policy, and that it would be “dishonorable” to renege on his promise. I think it would be more dishonorable to support policies that were not in the best interests of NZ people.
I think the right needs to start putting its money where its mouth is and start circulating a petition for a Citizens Initiated Referendum to ban unions and collective bargaining. Surely this is doable, with many rich pricks with money burning holes in their pocket. If a bunch of god bothering child beaters can do it, then the biggest and richest business barons will have no problems doing it, Im sure Farrar, Slater and Cactus, can mobilise volunteers.
I am being deadly serious here. I have even thought up possible questions:
Should workers be barred from forming and joining trade unions?
Should collective bargaining between workers and their employers be outlawed?
I’m willing to help circulate the petition too, if need be.
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
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 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
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Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
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The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
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The nats privatisation plans are getting more and more difficult. It was conceded yesterday that unless the legislation specifically prevents this happening a partially privatised SOE could sell individual power stations to overseas interests. Eventually they could all be sold. Being a company the directors need to act in the best commercial interests of all shareholders. If the price was right the power stations could all go.
To stop this the matter will need to be addressed in the proposed legislation. And if they do this then the price will take a hit.
Add Maori’s urgent application to the Waitangi Tribunal concerning the use of water and a professional investor is going to significantly discount any offer made. As far as I am concerned they should be allowed to. After all water and the rivers are taonga that Maori retain tino rangatiratanga over.
There must be a point where the sale process is not worth it. I wonder if we are there yet.
The sale process has never been worth it despite the spin Key and English put on it.
lprent – what is up with the Microsoft cloud/ Plunket banner ad on the home page?
Given that Shonkey and the Nats have already signalled their intention to roll out cloud hosting of govt services and information this ad is pretty wack -using Plunket and the kid to promote microsoft and this type of tech as cuddly or safe kind of glosses over how radical and experimental the move to host govt on the cloud really is.
It should never even go to tender – but can we assume from this that there will be a competitive open tender process? – I for one would dearly like a piece of the Nats IT splurge – Google and Microsoft must be drooling at the though of all the money one of them is about get out of NZ. And silly us, we are paying them while at the same time handing over our soverignty.
Microsoft = evil. Time we all went open source.
From clicking the MS banner ad:
Sound familiar? Ole Shonkey has been parroting the PR of the cloud pushers almost word for word. Their sales pitch obviously won him over, I wonder what his kickback is for regurgitating their spin.
Just an ad. They pay for the servers.
I tend to pretty much ignore the ads except for the odd time. For instance the campaign against MMP banners ads last year, where I added the campaign for MMP logos to our logo.
Cheers Lynn – I am doing my best to ignore it but still find it galling. I was hoping that you might have some comment or might like to post perhaps on the ‘cloud’ and its pros and cons – this is your field after all and I would be most interested in your thoughts.
Cloud is a label covering a multitude of types of systems. This site uses two “cloud” sites for warm backup servers (one is meant to be hot – but needs more time to work on than I have now). One is configured as a VPS, but is easily scaleable. The other is a on demand system.
There isn’t anything much different to the remotely hosted dedicated servers, VPS, and web servers I have been using since 1997. All the usual security issues and problems with slow international links and latencies to code around. Hopefully if the government does it here, then they will do it over the local nets to one of the local clouds.
But you pretty much have security problems as soon as you allow any remote access to any system that doesn’t involve a physical access control with people looking over biometrics. Doesn’t matter that much if it is a terminal to a mainframe or a server on the public nets. You still have to put in a lot of connectivity security against man in the middle and stolen access codes. Systems based on the public systems is usually somewhat better these days – a lot more eyes looking for and fixing holes.
Burning Conscience Israeli Soldiers Speak Out
Thousands of young Israelis refuse to serve in the army. Listen to these two young ex-soldiers and you’ll see why more and more of them are refusing…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI-X49eJfHA&feature=watch_response
trouble is that means it’s the zealots who end up on the front lines, with no qualms at all about lobbing WP into housing projects or shooting children.
Another difficult moral challenge in an overwhelmingly shitty situation.
The Israeli soldiers who commit atrocities are carrying out government orders. If a soldier shoots a Palestinian child and/or demolishes a Palestinian home, it’s not any more acceptable if that soldier does it with a heavy heart and feels guilty.
The problem is the Israeli government, not the poor soldiers who are forced to carry out its crimes.
What “moral challenge” is there? You either participate in these atrocities, or you protest against them, as thousands of young Israelis do every year by refusing to join up.
it’s more how they interpret their orders, and what they choose to interpret as a “threat” that warrants lethal force, and so on.
it’s more how they interpret their orders, and what they choose to interpret as a “threat” that warrants lethal force, and so on.
No, that’s not right. While some Israeli soldiers are undoubtedly cruel, the fact is they are there because the Israeli government has sent them there. It wasn’t a few “bad eggs” who made the decision to destroy Gaza’s electricity supply, bomb its hospitals and schools and cut off its water. It wasn’t a few soldiers making a faulty interpretation of their orders that resulted in white phosphorus, cluster bombs and napalm being used on the civilians of Gaza and Lebanon.
It was the Israeli government.
Good to see you back, Morrissey – and in fine form with dear old Grumpers.
Did you see Norman Finkelstein’s recent demolition of the Palmer report ? – ‘Torpedoing the Law: How the Palmer Report Justified Israel’s Naval Blockade of Gaza’. “A careful analysis of the POI report shows that it is probably the most mendacious and debased document ever issued under the aegis of the United Nations.”
Still, should be useful for Geoff’s career earnings. I wonder if Chen and Palmer will diversify into strategic hasbara PR for the Israeli government ?
Good to see you back, my friend!
Yes, I have indeed read and listened to Finkelstein damning Palmer.
Don’t forget, though, it’s the Palmer-Uribe report. The real driver of the report was no doubt the notorious ex-President of Colombia (and notorious violator of human rights) Signor Uribe. Norman Finkelstein noted that the dice were loaded as soon as Uribe was named as the “investigator”.
I’m sure Palmer contributed little or even nothing of substance, other than sign his name to it.
I wonder if Chen and Palmer will diversify into strategic hasbara PR for the Israeli government?
They already have. For free. I believe Lenin had the right term for people like Palmer: useful idiots.
Some of the time it was. Particularly when involving calls for tactical support and most specifically who to shoot and where.
Fair enough, McFlock. I am not trying to say you are wrong. You’re not. It’s just a question of where the primary responsibility lies. As flawed as some of the Israeli soldiers might be, the primary responsibility for them being in the Occupied Territories lies not with them, but with the Israeli regime.
Why does the word communism automatically alert the moderators? Every time I use it my comments are sucked away. Is there an alternative? How about… “that state of social organisation preceeded by socialism”. Too wordy?
The word communism can only be used legitimately, no? Unlike Nazi, which always seems a little over the top in anything but a historical context. And commie can be humourous. We even have those “In Soviet Russia…” jokes on youtube. Can anyone remember any funny Nazi’s?
[It used to be a common “flag” for RWNJ trolls during the last government. But that use does seem to have faded now. Lynn – time to review this? — r0b]
[lprent: Yep. Along with a number of other words and phrases. I’ll have a review of them in the next couple of weeks when the warm weather and my current project crunch let up. The most effective way is to scan the archives of moderated comments to see what they are being used for now. ]
“Can anyone remember any funny Nazi’s?”
Are you crazy? Hitler had a silly moustache and farted a lot, goering had fabulous blue uniforms and silly batons but was so fat that none of the planes in his airforce were big enough to get him off the ground, goebbels had a congenital malformation and constantly talked about being in the master race…
Aside from the entire planned deaths of millions (and just winging the deaths of millions more) thing, the entire crew seemed to be characters taken from the unreleased comedy classic “Carry On Up the Thousand Year Reich”.
Tossers.
http://whoar.co.nz/2012/occupys-valuable-message/
“…The demise of the Occupy camp outside St Paul’s Cathedral was long overdue.
That is not to say it should never have been there at all.
The protest that the police dismantled late on Monday night was loud, scruffy and angry.
And embedded in its sometimes incoherent messages was a core feeling of dissatisfaction which spoke to many struggling to make sense of the most severe financial crisis since the 1930s.
A world in which the richest few grow ever richer –
– while everyone else feels the squeeze cannot possibly be justified –
– and Occupy can take credit for providing a focus for a much wider concern…”
(cont..)
phil-at-whoar.
Yeah that story from The Independent is a bit sad, not just for the person who wrote it being a typical “don’t look too hard” journalist, but that the occupiers themselves haven’t thought through what St. Paul’s represents well enough and shouted it out in the media. The Church and versions of capitalism go hand in hand and have for thousands of years. It’s the very forms of oppression that Occupy protest against. Christianity seems to me to be the basis of the style of capitalism most of the western world experience: In the old testament it it regards “earthly treasures” as evidence of god’s blessing and mental illness as evidence of sin. It trades in an “eye for an eye” style of adversarial thinking with all the attendant hypocrisies. Then in the New Testament, apparently many years later, once the Church and religious heirachies are cemented, it seeks to both mentally and materially disarm the people and asks them to remain poor and to “give to caesar what is caesar’s” and not fight back. Even on Christ’s last night alive, the man who fought back against the soldiers was chided by Christ and the soldiers ear healed. Many communities have experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed by corporate interests. The Church would suggest they just lay down and turn philosophical.
So which book do we take as rule? Just discard one over the other as it suits? The Church has done nothing to address this contradiction in it’s one major text and teachings. There is no denying that Christianity is a good way into the exercise of thinking morally if you have no alternative and many have had their circumstances improved by christian intervention. But like capitalism, it’s down sides are many and brutal. That Occupy chose St. Paul’s was a good decision and cannot be devalued on the basis that the church did or continues to do some good stuff somewhere, once. One hundred odd days is nothing compared to eras of christian oppression.
while understanding yr historical reading..
..now is now…
..and really..i agree with the writer of this piece..
..who points out that progressives and religions (to use a broad-brush) need to get/work together..
..if we hope to achieve meaningful change..
http://whoar.co.nz/2012/why-progressives-cant-ignore-religion/
phil-at-whoar.
Well yes I agree that any movement, especially American, that stands up and says “Down with religion!” isn’t likely to gain any traction. But that is not what I argue and the overuse of political expediency as soon as things get hard for fledgling organisations is usually the death of them. The Alternet.com story you link to falls prey to the same thinking they award the conservatives within religion:
“Those who worship the gods of selfishness may proclaim themselves to be saved by Jesus, but they do not follow his teachings. As politics and religion continue to influence each other in America, progressives need to realize how completely conservatives have distorted the religion they claim to believe in. And we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about our own values using the familiar language of Christ — a language the vast majority of our fellow Americans already understand.”
Picking and choosing Christ’s words and saying you’re a christian, even a progressive Christian, would be very post-modern, but your Bible would tell you you were a hypocrite – bit of problem. Progressive Churches are popular here in Auckland. My brother attends one and the influence of that on our relationship has all but ended our connection. As far as I understand it, they have reduced christianity to a kind of new-age pop music based sub-culture that mistakes emotion for the truth and contagion emotion as the prescence of a spirit. Nothing wrong with that, if it spins your wheels, but it isn’t very christian as far as a biblical definition goes and not at all intelligent – the kind of intelligent you need to be to be effectively politically progressive. In order to get the progressive church ideas to work, it requires a level of cognitive dissonance to step around the psychological contradictions and it still embraces a big part of the selfishness intertwined with free market capitalism. This problem is not isolated to progressive churches, of course.
I cannot see how Occupy can embrace christianity, officially, if they were to form some sort of “government” or socially influencial body and maintain their own direction. The two philosophies in contact would cause continued rifts. They are less damned if they don’t than if they do. In the very least you’d need a mediatory body between them and stuff like that is just too damn hard to make work in real life. Freedom of religion, but not power in conjunction with the state.
You are looking at religion (conservative and progressive) in its most tedious forms. Andrew Little, an atheist himself, used a Christian quote in his maiden speech: “What gaineth a man who gains the world but loses his soul.” Then there’s “whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me.” The literature of Dickens, who used the deeper Christian values to challenge the complacent Victorians. Religious concepts continue to permeate our culture and come up poignantly in such things as popular songs, as in “Won’t you help to sing/ this song of freedom/’cause all I ever have/redemption song. Not to mention Mickey Savage, who described Labour’s reforms as “Christianity in Action.”
One thing I am more and more confident about: we have more chance of gaining ground on the left by putting forward a deeper moral vision than the one the right employs, than by hoping that the sciences will ultimately “prove” we are right.
Well, that shows that you know little or nothing about it! The Book of Acts is afaik the first depiction of socialism in practice, and word to the wise, the Old Testament may have supported the idea that material wealth was a sign of good favour, but it has been superceded by, let’s see, what is it called, oh yes, the New Testament (the clue being in the name.)
Do you seriously think that Jesus should have said “Oh good one, yeah, have at it with your sword, violence is always the answer”. As if.
That there is going to be disagreements on interpretations of christianity is exactly the point. Three of here us disagreeing and now you casting unsupported insults. So how will that help government? Religion is a private practice, in his own words (should you believe them) god existed before the world, before the earth, before religion, before the church and will after those things are gone. Vicky, you are picking and choosing. You deny the entire old testament to suit your taste. In some circles that would be blasphemy. The christian god said he was the same now as he ever was and never changes, yet he eagerly gave orders to his people to slaughter anyone that got in his way, no niceties, no mercy. Now you say god is a liar, that he’s changed and didn’t mean it, because the new testament exists and Jesus was a socialist. Jesus himself could only turn a blind eye to homosexuality, where his father openly condemned it; how will you include gays in your religiously progressive new world? Just ignore that part too? This is where the dissonance starts, don’t demand that the entire population of the world join in. And Olwyn above you calls deference to the old as “tedious”. This is the kind of myopic understanding of christianity that starts wars. How is the state going to be better off with you or anyone else defining who is wrong or right based on your narrow version of morality. Who must be hated because they do or think this or that? And how will you include immigrants, with their own religions and perspectives to your progressive cause? As I said, it is not politically intelligent. It is a minefield for developing political movements and must be avoided.
No, I don’t say God is a liar. I say that peoples’ understanding of God changed, and Jesus came among other things, to explain how God is, and bring about that change.
Yes.
I don’t know of any gays who want to be included! All gays I know, hate religion with a purple passion. From my own point of view, gays are almost infinitely less important than they think they are!
When have I ever done that? I don’t recall demanding that anyone ‘join in’.
I am an ESOL teacher – I teach immigrants, a surprising number of whom are Christians. (Not surprising to me, but hey, I am certain it would amaze you! 🙂 ) As for the Muslims, they are not all keffiyeh wearing terrorists, (and I am sure that amazes you as well) and hold differing views on political/social subjects, as is true of any population.
Your hatred is simply tedious.
“I don’t know of any gays who want to be included!”
/facepalm
Damn – I’ve had three guys in my roof doing the Govt funded Pink Batts instalation and it all went quite about an hour ago. I crept down the passage and all I could hear was snoring.
😀
Parata steps over the bounds of decency
It is despicable that National and their apologists are trying to gain political ground and public support for the Privacy (Information Sharing) Bill over such an issue, especially when it’s ultimately the Ministers responsibility to ensure such failings do not occur.
Don’t upset advertisers, Fair Go staff told
Time, methinks, to go to a non-commercial public broadcaster as it’s obvious that any commercial operation is, by its very nature, compromised.
http://202.68.89.83/en-NZ/PB/Presented/Petitions/7/b/d/50DBHOH_PET3097_1-Petition-of-Penelope-Mary-Bright-and-307-others.htm
29 February 2012
Petition of Penelope Mary Bright and 307 others
That the House conduct an urgent inquiry into the decisions regarding prosecutions relating to the Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009.
Petition number: 2011/5
Presented by: Phil Twyford
Date presented: 29 February 2012
Referred to: Commerce Committee
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
So!
Which MPs from which political parties are going to put their hands up and say that they DON’T agree with ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’?
Which MPs from which political parties are going to put their hands up and say that they DON’T agree ‘that the House should conduct an urgent inquiry into prosecutions relating to the Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009’?
Especially when to date four ‘regulatory bodies’ – the former (useless) Securities Commission, the new Finance Markets Authority (FMA), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the NZ Police – have refused to charge the now Minister of Regulatory Reform, the (new) ACT Party Leader and MP (but for how long?) for Epsom?
For background information – do feel free to check out http://www.pennybright4epsom.org.nz
Which ACT Party members/supporters will put THEIR names forward for NOT believing in ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’?
Remember 3 ACT Party Leaders ago?
Former ACT Party Leader Rodney Hide?
Rodney believes in ACT’s ‘ONE LAW FOR ALL’.
Rodney also believes that John Banks and Don Brash should be charged, and said so publicly on Radio Live 20 January 2012.
Cheers!
Penny Bright
Anti-Corruption Campaigner
Good on you Penny.
Tui advertising breaches law
What is the point in having advertising rules when they’re regularly breached with impunity?
Duncan Garner busts out the pom-poms and reveals he has secret crush
…and suggests that the MP who likes to have things explained to her on a whiteboard could be the next leader of the National Party!!!???
.
[Was that supposed to be a link? If so, fixed it. — r0b]
“She’s tough. She’s been there. She’s been a solo mum. She’s had it hard. She’s come out the other end. Labour hates her. And she hates them more”
This is seriously bad writing by Garner, he really gives no real balance at all. CL is correct, its a bloody rah rah for Bennett.
If she becomes leader, I will have to stand against her myself in Waitakere. West Auckland will not know whats hit it. I might just stand for the fun of it.
Ghastly writing, just Bennett back up propaganda. Equally ghastly is the thought of Garner’s possible “crush” on her blooming into something more enduring and becoming three of them.Ugh, ugh and poor little ugh!
And who knows. You may have as big an electoral effect as Pete George had in Dunedin last election.
😉
Has anybody heard if she is going to be investigated by the Human Right Commision about flouting privacy laws or has My Leader managed to get that one shut down.Also, seeing as she had to GO ON THE BENEFIT because she was so tired how in the hell does she think that any other single working mother is goingto manage what she “wonder woman” could not do. I would also like the complete story about her hardship days. Who looked after her child. Did she get support from her parents? There is a lot she is not saying.Was she living on her own with noone to support her when she came home exhausted! Or did she live with mummy and daddy. Maybe Duncan knows. It would make a great TV story As he said, she came out the other end. Whose I wonder?
Get the word on fracking out
Award-winning filmmakers Tom and Sumner Burstyn from Cloud South Films are reaching out to concerned Kiwi citizens to help fund their next documentary with the working title Fracking Whakatutu.
Thats interesting, I loved their film this way of life.. Utterly beautiful. Apparently started as a documentary about horse whisperers and became this fascinating film about modern NZ culture.
This Way of Life was a very nice film. It will be interesting to see how they will apply their obvious artistic camera skills and if they can gain access to get footage from fracking sites. I hear the industry is pretty secretive, with good reason I might add.
This Way of Life was excellent and I expect they’ll do a good job on this one. There was a confrontation scene at the end of the doco which showed the filmmakers aren’t cowards like our so many of revered celebrity journalists.
Winston Peters was ejected from the debating chamber for saying Gerry Brownlee was an illiterate woodwork teacher. Classic! And so true.
Actually, it’s not true. Brownlee might be a pain in the ass, but he’s hardly illiterate.
LIAR WATCH No. 2
grumpy
The Standard, March 1, 2012
1.) “I go by the simple process of believing that Islamic Radicals are bad bastards and anyone who stands up to them are [sic] good bastards. Sort of the opposite of your opinion.”
2.) “I try to be objective.”
– – – – – – – – – ——- – – – – – – – ——– – – – – – –
If you enjoyed this, you might like to see….
LIARWATCH No. 1 (Populuxe1):
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-27022012/#comment-441643
I note that “grumpy” has compounded his foolishness by launching into a drooling rage against Noam Chomsky, and cited a notorious right wing site to “refute” him.
I note also that for some reason I am unable to reply to his muddled message….
http://thestandard.org.nz/wanna-stop-problem-gamblers-close-the-casinos/#comment-442374
(Lin, could you explain why there is no “Reply” option on his messages? It has the effect of giving our far right wing friend an entirely spurious last word.)
[lprent: With a threaded messages system there has to be a limit on how nested the programmers allow it to get. Otherwise you eventually wind up with replies that are indented so far to the right that they are splashed against the right boundary as a column of single or hyphenated words.
WordPress has a maximum of 10 ? reply levels deep. We use their maximum. When you hit it, then there is no reply button.
As someone said below, walk up the parent comments until you find a reply button and use that. Or start a new thread. ]
Hit the reply button 3 messages or so up and your comment will come after Grumpy’s last two.
Here you go, better off on Open Mike anyway…….
http://www.paulbogdanor.com/chomsky/200chomskylies.pdf
Cripes Morrissey, I would have thought you would have worked out how the site works by now………………….
Thanks very much Lin. And thank you also, Te Reo Putake.
Don’t just take Populuxe1 and my word for it, here’s someone else from a long time ago.
“He begins as a preacher to the world and ends as an intellectual crook.”
– Arthur Schlesinger
(Commentary, December 1969)
Anti semitic, holocaust denier, nazi sympathiser etc. etc.
You really are foolish, my friend. If you’re going to substitute random Google results for argument, you couldn’t have blundered on to a less credible source than Arthur Schlesinger. Not that it matters to you, but in case anyone serious is reading this, Schlesinger was the official house myth-maker of the Kennedy clan, and a supporter of everything that JFK did, including the terror campaign against Cuba and the start of the destruction of South Vietnam.
Chomsky was merely the most distinguished of the many intellectuals who showed him up for what he was. Not that this will mean anything to you, of course. I’m sure you don’t even know who Arthur Schlesinger was, and are only familiar with him through stumbling on his dyspeptic and absurd spleen-vent via your Google-searching.
Anti semitic, holocaust denier, nazi sympathiser etc. etc.
Your absurd and fanciful list of accusations against Chomsky is not your own, of course. You don’t know enough to even slander him.
It only makes you look dishonest—and even more foolish.
Seems to depend on you political viewpoint, either he’s the messiah or a devious lying prick. Undoubtably, though, the doyen of the Left.
Do you ever think for yourself?
Seems to depend on you [sic] political viewpoint, either he’s the messiah or a devious lying prick.
You’re seeking to trivialize and turn everything into a joke. That’s because you’re out of your depth. Please read one of the books on that site. If you want to continue ignoring Chomsky, feel free, but you should read one of the others. As it is, you’re lamentably ill-informed. Are you Leighton Smith?
Undoubtably, though, the doyen of the Left.
Again, you have little or no comprehension of what you are writing. Chomsky is perhaps even more critical of the Leftist establishment than he is of the pseudo-scholars of the rabid right, who you unwittingly quote with relish.
Do you ever think for yourself?
That’s rich coming from someone who has inadvertently cited a discredited old Kennedy apparatchik and (even funnier) a lunatic site from the furthest reaches of the braindead right.
“As it is, you’re lamentably ill-informed. Are you Leighton Smith?”
No, just one of Slater’s sycophants.
Has anyone got a blowtorch? I need to permanently remove the visual imagery for “Whaleoil lickspittle” from my brain.
I am really not sure that we should be encouraging self-harm. Please don’t make drongo feel any worse than he obviously is. 😈
just one of Slater’s sycophants.
Ah! I thought so.
Thanks for the heads-up, my friend.
Are you mad?
Schlesinger opposed the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Iraq war and was a columnist for that well known right wing media organization – The Huffington Post.
FFS
He was also foolish enough to let himself be tricked into writing for Norman Podhoretz’s barmy Commentary magazine, from which you (unwittingly) took that ridiculous and mendacious quote.
Has anyone read Gordon McLauchlan’s book The Pasionless People lately? Some of the points in the 1976 book about our doughiness seem to either be still applicable or be applying again.
“Here in a beautiful, benign and uncrowded country…we suffer…from depression and…angst… Unhappiness has become such an epidemic that our smugness, once unassailable, is wearing thin.”
We look to see ourselves and find ‘a group of people who have nurtured in isolation from the rest of the world a Victorian, lower-middle class, Calvinist, village mentality…There is no passion to give us a dream of the good life, a vision of love and beauty, a sense of a variety of lifestyles, of alternative viewpoints and philosophies through which we may fulfil ourselves in different ways.”
…New Zealanders have no moral or social philosophy…Right now, influence within our society is factionalized, compacted into pressure groups which exert their power almost exclusively for selfish needs without any sense of a total community.”
It’s an awesome book! I read it some time in the 1980s.
He’s writing an update (Passionless People No. 2?) as we speak.
Greece cuts minimum wage by 22%; cuts youth rates by 32%
I’m sure these bankster neoliberal EU led steps will lead Greece to financial prosperity. Not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MUo4CHH7Xc&feature=g-user&context=G2acdc6eUCGXQYbcTJ33bKLqBzYhXj1ZuE-6cS5O4xehdqmUzFHdE
Why has Silent T refered to those on the benefit as Stupid and Lazy?
Peter Dunne said in a letter to the Ohariu anti asset sales meeting tonight that he had pledged support for the policy, and that it would be “dishonorable” to renege on his promise. I think it would be more dishonorable to support policies that were not in the best interests of NZ people.
I think the right needs to start putting its money where its mouth is and start circulating a petition for a Citizens Initiated Referendum to ban unions and collective bargaining. Surely this is doable, with many rich pricks with money burning holes in their pocket. If a bunch of god bothering child beaters can do it, then the biggest and richest business barons will have no problems doing it, Im sure Farrar, Slater and Cactus, can mobilise volunteers.
I am being deadly serious here. I have even thought up possible questions:
Should workers be barred from forming and joining trade unions?
Should collective bargaining between workers and their employers be outlawed?
I’m willing to help circulate the petition too, if need be.