What are you saying? Not wanting third world employment conditions in New Zealand deserves a knighthood? Besides I am pretty sure that he was not being rewarded for his contributions to workers rights.
RNZ’s article suggests he was….
Amazing they don’t report the other side of his treatment of workers.
‘Mr Talley is a joint managing director of Talleys Group Limited, one of New Zealand’s leading producers of primary food goods.
He has spent his lifetime promoting the employment of New Zealanders in the fishing industry, including attempts to place Foreign Charter Vessels under the control of New Zealand labour laws.’
He only has money to make charitable donations because he rips his workers off. No different to that bloke that makes those arse-achingly overlong fantasy films in Wellington.
My first question is how did he borrow the money, investors are treated differently to first home owner-occupiers. Have banks changed their rules on loans to investors? Last I heard a first time investor needed around 35% for a deposit, it was only existing investors who could get low deposit loans by using their equity as collateral.
Looks like he’s the LEECH of the family, live rent free, and then what? Hit them up as Guarantor. When’s he going to fix them up for the ‘free’ rent life he’s enjoyed?
“that today’s first-home buyers needed to make sacrifices.”
Or their Parents do. Another half written Advertorial (Can’t call that crap an article) from the Granny
‘He was adamant the nondescript one-storey brick house he now owns would not be his last, and echoed sentiments expressed by Barfoot & Thompson director Peter Thompson that today’s first-home buyers needed to make sacrifices.’
Presumably as it’s a “first home” he only needed 20% deposit by glossing over the fact he’ll never live there. His parents may also have given him money or acted as guarantors.
But the key thing which the article keeps trying to hide under phrases like “through hard work and modest living” is that he worked a 40-hour week while living rent-free at his parents’ place. This is simply impossible for the majority of people, and not because they don’t “work hard”.
Not to mention he was fortunate enough to have lecturers who were okay with him recording and listening to lectures later rather than participating in class.
I don’t want to hate on a guy I know next to nothing about, but having the Herald portray him as some kind of everyman who proves you can ~do anything if you want it enough~ is repugnant.
“Presumably as it’s a “first home” he only needed 20% deposit by glossing over the fact he’ll never live there. ”
That was my first thought too Stephanie but banks are pretty tough on that and since he was granted an interest-only loan it suggests the bank knew they were lending on an investment property (the usual home loan is a table mortgage)
“His parents may also have given him money or acted as guarantors.”
Yeah that’s a more likely scenario, I’d expect to find a sugar-daddy in there somewhere. His $45k is only a 15% deposit and I’ve not heard of banks making commercial loans like that. Commercial property, which is what investment properties are, usually requires a 35-40% deposit or at least guarantees amounting to the same.
I strongly recommend you all go to werewolf.co.nz to read the critique of the convention centre cult we have going. Gordon Campbell drives a bus through the Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Queenstown business cases, showing them to be worse than our sports stadium cult of the 1990s. They are no substitute for an economic development plan from governments local or Central. And they suck hard earned money out of our pockets for dubious benefit. With thanks to Tussock:
“The name’s Lanley, Lyle Lanley. And I come before you good people tonight with an idea. Probably the greatest -Aw, it’s not for you. It’s more a Shelbyville idea.
Mayor: Now, wait just a minute. We’re twice as smart as the people of Shelbyville. Just tell us your idea and we’ll vote for it.
“All right, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll show you my idea. I give you the Springfield Convention Centre!”
(Everyone gasps!)
“I’ve sold convention centres to Brockway, Ogdenville, and Noth Haverbrook, and, by gum, it put them on the map!
Well, sir, there’s nothin’ on earth like a genuine, bond fide, hotel-attached, 3,000 seat, convention centre!
What’d I say?”
Obviously a very dishonest article which is published in the knowledge that its dishonesty can never be challenged in a degree commensurate with its reach. And thus the cargo cult and its devotees are further aggrandised.
I can think of an example, not an article. But Boag g bringing up free trade and the greens aren’t for free trade, on the nation or q&a, and it is dishonesty on several levels. Firstly she did not specify what the Greens failure was, does Boag not get that the Greens are for global trade in carbon, for fair international trade, and implicitly want uniform global governance to save the planet. National are even opposed to tax reform to bring us into alignment with oz, distortions create opportunities where there was none. So how dishonest on Boag to keep bringing up an issue that National are weaker on, Saudi business get special treatment, so much for free trade. And its a theme with Boag, she does not have to be all that smart if she keeps to the prepackage attack that the other guest spend time deconstructing when that’s what its designed to do undermine the TV shows purpose talk about issues of the day, not mislead us into believing National are free traders, they are not. Free trade requires governance to create a fair trading system where all agents get to compete on similar merits. National hate that, they want distortion how else are the wealthy to stare down the newer brighter leaner smarter new competitors.
Its a damn shame that Boat is never pressed and expose or the intellectual fraud she is.
…”An objective look at US interests in the region paint an entirely different picture. The Americans seek to maintain absolute hegemony in the Mideast, even as they exit costly military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Their primary interests are 1) access to low cost oil and gas, 2) propping up Israel, and more recently, 3) undermining Russian (and Chinese) influence in the region…
And I read today that ISIS/ISIL/Daesh got hold of 2,300 US built Humvees when Iraqi forces fled Mosul, as well as many, many other items of US made military equipment.
“The AFL-CIO was blunt in the call that went out to Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat who represents San Diego: Vote yes on fast-track authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, people familiar with the conversation recall, and they’d spend a million dollars to knock him out in next year’s primary. If he managed to win, they’d drop another million against him in the general election.”
Some good reads about US Democrats, TPP, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton.
Australia’s capacity to tackle important public issues – such as climate change, growing inequality, tax avoidance, budget repair, an ageing population, lifting our productivity and our treatment of asylum seekers – is diminishing because of the power of vested interests, with their lobbying power to influence governments in a quite disproportionate way.
Lobbying has grown dramatically in recent years, particularly in Canberra. It now represents a serious corruption of good governance and the development of sound public policy
It had taken just fifty-three days from the announcement of the government’s mining tax proposal to the overthrow of its author, the prime minister. No election, no vote in parliament, no public debate. Greens leader Bob Brown said the mining companies spent $27 million on their lobbying campaign and saved themselves $10 billion when Gillard restructured the tax package
[lprent: Be careful about using too much shouting in conversation. ]
In just 24 hours, Wyden and five of those Democratic holdouts – Michael Bennet of Colorado, Dianne Feinstein of California, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Patty Murray of Washington, and Bill Nelson of Florida – caved and voted for fast-track. Bennet, Murray, and Wyden – all running for re-election in 2016 – received $105,900 between the three of them. Bennet, who comes from the more purple state of Colorado, got $53,700 in corporate campaign donations between January and March 2015, according to Channing’s research.
Almost 100% of the Republicans in the US Senate voted for fast-track – the only two non-votes on TPA were a Republican from Louisiana and a Republican from Alaska
[lprent: Be careful about using too much shouting in conversation. ]
EU moves to regulate hormone-damaging chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility were shelved following pressure from US trade officials over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade deal, newly released documents show.
Draft EU criteria could have banned 31 pesticides containing endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). But these were dumped amid fears of a trade backlash stoked by an aggressive US lobby push, access to information documents obtained by Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe show.
[lprent: Be careful about using too much shouting in conversation. ]
Received Andrew Little’s latest monthly newsletter to members and he talks about the budget of course. However he also had the following to say:
In the last week there has been some talk
about Labour and means testing of NZ
Super. This has been a bit of mischief from
the government and some other quarters,
but I’d like to make it very clear that Labour
will not be considering means testing of NZ
Super while I am leader. Universal
superannuation is a cornerstone of a
progressive society.
A bit of mischief sounds like an understatement and it highlights what a bunch of wholesale bastards this government and sections of the media are proving to be. Dirty Politics rolls on and on…
Craig H gave us a good idea what really happened over Little’s original comment and I hope that in future Labour and Little will stop taking this crap and sue the bastards if necessary.
There may also be a growing realisation that this government is not helping those on the breadline as they claim… or maybe more and more people are finding themselves on the breadline…
What makes you think that Winston would go left? In the past he has ( I think gone with the largest party. Also Winston has a very blue seat. This will be part of his thinking. And then would Winston want to play second fiddle to the Greens,
Personally I doubt Winston will never go into a coalition with the greens. He will go withnNational. I have no doubt about that
As far as I can tell the same (as in: the first poll after Budget Day) One News Colmar Brunton Poll in May 2014 showed a 4.0% increase for National and a 1.0% drop for Labour.
This year’s budget supposedly left the Left for dead and we see National dropping one percentage point and Labour staying steady. Interestingly, the fraction of undecided voters rose 4 points to 13%.
National is playing a very strategic game so I would not read too much into this result.
Maybe but it’s a bit deceptive trying to apply margin of error to only select parts of the Poll. But agree the next poll will be defining for Andrew Little and Labour.
Yes, and that is because he is largely invisible these days. I don’t know whether this is intentional and he is quietly gathering momentum in the ‘provinces’ which won’t show through in the polls yet, or whether he has run out of steam for some reason. Its time he again started to show the mettle we saw late last year.
Because it always seems to take longer to show through jester. That is something that was well known back in the 70s and 80s (when I was first involved in politics) and I don’t think it has changed much despite improved technical methods.
My worry is that Little is getting sucked into the perspective of the inward looking Thorndon Bubble, exactly as Cunliffe did by the end of his first 6 months as leader.
Labour has to aggressively rebrand and reposition itself to put daylight between it and National. It is running out of time to do so convincingly before 2017.
He did bring out the call for means tested Super, and since that has been shot down he might be a bit gun shy for a while longer yet. I’m hoping to see some more passion from him, I think that’s what people want to see, something to break steady as she goes Key.
Little had a bad couple of weeks leading up to and during this poll, while the Nats, superficially, looked as if they were actually doing something about Auckland’s housing problems and child poverty. I am actually really relieved that it didn’t support that last Roy Morgan poll.
I notice there are a large percentage of refused and don’t knows (13% in total). I suspect there are a lot of people not that interested at this stage. I’d expect the Greens to get a boost in the next poll because of having a new co-leader and the extra media coverage that provides.
As far as Labour and Little go, there won’t be any dramatic increases, but hopefully there will be some slow steady progress once the policy reviews have concluded. I’m also hoping Labour and the Greens can get some joint policy ideas out there as that would help both parties I think.
Agree Karen but I think Little needs to up the ante now. He’s slipping out of people’s minds and leaves himself vulnerable to a DP type perception campaign that… he hasn’t got what it takes. Those of us who have met and heard him know that he has – in dollops – but once that perception is allowed to set in, he’s in big trouble.
Correct IMO. ‘Waiting for policy to be finalised’ is exactly the wrong strategy. Policy is irrelevant. And Little must avoid being sucked into the Thorndon Bubble perspective which will be the death of his leadership. Cunliffe started off strongly as well but the moment he let himself slip into the Thorndon Bubble perspective he was stuffed.
Being forthright, trust worthiness on working class values and willing to stand up and speak plainly about how the current socioeconomic paradigm is screwing ordinary NZers and how he stands for change is 100x more important.
“Yes, and that is because he is largely invisible these days. I don’t know whether this is intentional and he is quietly gathering momentum in the ‘provinces’ which won’t show through in the polls yet, or whether he has run out of steam for some reason. Its time he again started to show the mettle we saw late last year”
I agree, although I don’t think he is the sort of guy to run out of steam. He is a quality person with integrity, with his head and heart in the right place. And he has good genuine values unlike Key who is simply untrustworthy and a very good deceptive actor in my opinion. I will trust Andrew Little any day over Key, English, Joyce, McCully and Bridges combined. That is for sure!
I also think once the Labour review is completed and the party decides on the major new policies and direction, Andrew Little will begin to get more and more visible and thus increase his preferred PM ‘popularity’. Key has been known to the public for the last 14 years from 2001 to 2015, while Winston has been in politics and is known by the public for over 37 years, from 1978 to 2015.
Whereas, Andrew Little has come from obscurity, from being an unknown in politics to be the leader of the Labour party and the leader of the opposition. He has been in this position for only about 7-8 months. Compare that to Key and Peters tenure of 14 & 37 years!
When Key first appeared on the popularity stage (In Aug, 2006, after being in parliament for 5 years) his initial popularity was 8.5, while at the same time Helen Clark’s preferred PM rating was 52.4.
Herald–DigiPoll[13] 31 August 2006 [nb 1] HC=52.4 Key= 8.5
Herald–DigiPoll[16] 22–24 September 2006 HC=50.8 Key =9.2
But Key did climb up quickly after the ‘under class’ speech in parliament about McGehan Close where Key met 12 year old Aroha and invited her to accompany him to Waitangi celebrations. After his noble act (or stunt) Key’s popularity soared. [Incidentally, Aroha left NZ within 3 years, and while in Australia, she made scathing remarks in an interview about Key, referring to him as an ‘ ‘arsehole’, who has done really nothing for the poor. He is just making every thing better for the high earners’, she said. However this did not diminish Key’s popularity]
Hopefully, Little’s preferred PM rating will grow little by little as time goes by.
Little’s popularity as PM will only go up if both he and Labour can demonstrate a direct understanding and cultural connection with the NZers they are supposed to represent.
Otherwise, its not a rational expectation to hope that Little’s popularity amongst voters will go up as a result of this or that other Labour Party internal process being conducted.
That IS what Labour is about. Check out their social, economic ans environmental policies from before the last election. Don’t get suckered in by the nasty tactics of our enemies and supposed friends as well as by the RW BS, dirty politics, lies and spin.
Hey CV, did you see the bit in Shaw’s speech about if the GP want to govern the country they need to be representative, and that people vote for who they feel a connection with? I thought of you 🙂
I do agree with you CR, that Little needs to be front footing a lot more during the policy review and he needs to talk more emphatically about growing inequality and the damage it is doing to NZ.
He also needs to do speak a lot louder, or get a phone that enhances his voice. I always have to turn the radio up when he is speaking on National Radio in order to hear what he is saying. This has been the case since he got elected. Am I the only one who has noticed this?
Nasty little incident right at the start of Seven Sharp
Television One, Monday 1 June 2015
Mike Hosking’s away tonight, but the nastiness quotient has not abated one little bit on this travesty of a show. I’m sure I was not the only viewer to have enjoyed the following bit of cattiness from the smiling assassin/attack dog/cat Pippa Wetzell. Meeeow….
PIPPA WETZELL: Hey you’re a dog… person aren’t you?
….[Slight but significant pause]….
NADINE CHALMERS ROSS: I like dogs, yes. More doggy discourse later in the program. PIPPA WETZELL: First up, though….
Anybody with a brain, however, will be watching Road Cops over on TV3— it’s much funnier and has more thoughtful people on it.
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Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
There is certainly plenty of room for better police training for dealing with protest activity that starts with a rights-based approach to ensuring people can fully exercise their human rights. ...
“We are thrilled that this Bill is making its way through the House and looks set to become law,” said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University Gumbariya/Shutterstock The Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates for the first time in four years has triggered a round of celebration. Mortgage holders are cheering the fact their monthly repayments are now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Housing supply in Australia will be a key battleground in the election campaign. With home ownership more and more out of reach for young and not so young Australians, red tape and low productivity are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Korolev, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, UNSW Sydney The United States and Russia agreed to work on a plan to end the war in Ukraine at high-level talks in Saudi Arabia this week. Ukrainian and European representatives were pointedly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock Sleep is the holy grail for new parents. So no wonder many tired parents are looking for something to help their babies sleep. A TikTok trend claims ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ranjana Gupta, Senior Lecturer, Accounting Department, Auckland University of Technology Jirsak/Shutterstock The profit made on every breakfast bowl of weet-bix is tax exempt, giving Sanitarium Health Food Company, owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, an advantage over other breakfast food companies. ...
A closer look at some of the homegrown talent currently commanding television screens around the globe. The new season of The White Lotus hit our screens this week, and with it a familiar face in New Zealand actor Morgana O’Reilly. To secure a role in one of the world’s most ...
"This is a crisis of the Government’s own making and the unit is another sign of desperation," said PSA acting national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Francesca Perugia, Senior Lecturer, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University Australia’s housing crisis has created a push for fast-tracked construction. Federal, state and territory governments have set a target of 1.2 million new homes over five years. Increasing housing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ash Watson, Scientia Fellow and Senior Lecturer, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock When we’re uncomfortable we say the “vibe is off”. When we’re having a good time we’re “vibing”. To assess the mood we do a “vibe check”. And when the atmosphere in ...
What’s up with the man from Epsom? The leader of the Act Party has been in plenty of headlines in the last two weeks, ranging from a controversial letter to police on behalf of constituent Philip Polkinghorne (written before David Seymour was a minister) to an attempt to drive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, Australian National University Newly published research has found clear evidence that openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and queer+ (LGBTIQ+) Australian politicians were disproportionately targeted with personal abuse on social media at the ...
Gilmore Girls, Schitt’s Creek, even The Vampire Diaries – they’re all set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. So what is it like to actually know your neighbours? My favourite television shows are set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. Characters attend town meetings where they debate local ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yanyan Hong, PhD Candidate in Communication and Media Studies, University of Adelaide IMDB On the surface, Ne Zha 2: The Sea’s Fury (2025), the sequel to the 2019 Chinese blockbuster Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child, is a high-octane, action-packed and ...
Wellington travellers say their buses are so hot they’re often forced to get off early and walk. Shanti Mathias explores the impact of non-functioning air conditioning on public transport. When Bella, a young professional living in Wellington, thinks about taking the bus, her first thought is “Ugh”. The bus might ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Kroen, Research Fellow Planning and Transport, RMIT University The cleanup is underway in northern Queensland following the latest flooding catastrophe to hit the state. More than 7,000 insurance claims have already been lodged, most of them for inundated homes and other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Subha Parida, Lecturer in Property, University of South Australia Carl Oberg/Shutterstock Houses and fire do not mix. The firestorm which hit Los Angeles in January destroyed nearly 2,000 buildings and forced 130,000 people to evacuate. The 2019–20 Australian megafires destroyed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Tasmania has been burning for more than two weeks, with no end in sight. Almost 100,000 hectares of bushland in the northwest has burned to date. This includes the Tarkine rainforest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology Sydney This week, the Productivity Commission released its much-awaited report into productivity growth in Australia’s housing construction sector. It wasn’t a glowing appraisal. The commission found physical productivity – the total number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascale Lubbe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Ecology, University of Otago Royal spoonbills are among several new species that have crossed the Tasman and naturalised in New Zealand. JJ Harrison/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA When people arrived on the shores of Aotearoa ...
Stats NZ’s head is stepping down over the agency’s failure to safeguard census data, and more officials may soon be in the firing line, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. An ‘absolutely unacceptable’ failure Stats NZ chief ...
Health NZ is under greater government scrutiny, with the new health minister setting up a unit he says will "drive greater accountability and performance". ...
Manurewa Marae acknowledges should have done better at handling completed census forms, following an inquiry into steps government agencies took to protect data. ...
Police failed to protect people from protesters at a high-profile rally and made unlawful arrests at another, the Independent Police Conduct Authority says. ...
Comment: Crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are making it easier for people to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum without having to handle digital wallets or private keys. These allow investors to buy and sell cryptocurrency through their regular brokerage accounts.This has opened the door for billions of dollars ...
One of the bloody Tally brothers received a knighthood for in reality services to the National Party by way of donations …
I never, ever buy Talleys at the supermarket.
Me too. They’re on the same list as Shell, McDonalds, and the Eagles.
nor do I
Never mind that he was responsible for ensuring that overseas fishing fleets fell under NZ labour laws, or that he donates to many charities, aye?
What are you saying? Not wanting third world employment conditions in New Zealand deserves a knighthood? Besides I am pretty sure that he was not being rewarded for his contributions to workers rights.
No, it’s you being a cock by saying that it’s only because of his “services to the National Party by way of donations” that got it.
Are you saying that the largesse that Talley displayed to a number of National MPs’ campaign funds was totally irrelevant?
RNZ’s article suggests he was….
Amazing they don’t report the other side of his treatment of workers.
‘Mr Talley is a joint managing director of Talleys Group Limited, one of New Zealand’s leading producers of primary food goods.
He has spent his lifetime promoting the employment of New Zealanders in the fishing industry, including attempts to place Foreign Charter Vessels under the control of New Zealand labour laws.’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/275089/nz's-newest-knights-and-dames
He only has money to make charitable donations because he rips his workers off. No different to that bloke that makes those arse-achingly overlong fantasy films in Wellington.
“No different to that bloke that makes those arse-achingly overlong fantasy films in Wellington.”
I have heard a lot of descriptions about the crap Jackson makes, but that beats them all. Excellent.
Typical rightwing approach, give all the credit to the individual motivated by personal profit and none to the collective motivated by protecting the workers …
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8540637/Talleys-and-unions-decry-slave-ships
How many holes can people find in this story?
Student becomes property investor
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11457713
My first question is how did he borrow the money, investors are treated differently to first home owner-occupiers. Have banks changed their rules on loans to investors? Last I heard a first time investor needed around 35% for a deposit, it was only existing investors who could get low deposit loans by using their equity as collateral.
“he could while living a modest life rent-free at his parents’ home.
He only has a 15% deposit.
And no real income
He must have guarantor.
Looks like he’s the LEECH of the family, live rent free, and then what? Hit them up as Guarantor. When’s he going to fix them up for the ‘free’ rent life he’s enjoyed?
“that today’s first-home buyers needed to make sacrifices.”
Or their Parents do. Another half written Advertorial (Can’t call that crap an article) from the Granny
Article paid for by the BNZ and Barfoots.
‘He was adamant the nondescript one-storey brick house he now owns would not be his last, and echoed sentiments expressed by Barfoot & Thompson director Peter Thompson that today’s first-home buyers needed to make sacrifices.’
‘He is now working full-time for BNZ….’
“And no real income”
It does say near the bottom he’s now working full-time for BNZ. I’m wondering if that job includes some perks on borrowing money.
Good on him for getting those 2 properties, but he should credit his parents for helping him at least.
Typical appalling Herald story with an overt dishonest agenda.
Presumably as it’s a “first home” he only needed 20% deposit by glossing over the fact he’ll never live there. His parents may also have given him money or acted as guarantors.
But the key thing which the article keeps trying to hide under phrases like “through hard work and modest living” is that he worked a 40-hour week while living rent-free at his parents’ place. This is simply impossible for the majority of people, and not because they don’t “work hard”.
Not to mention he was fortunate enough to have lecturers who were okay with him recording and listening to lectures later rather than participating in class.
I don’t want to hate on a guy I know next to nothing about, but having the Herald portray him as some kind of everyman who proves you can ~do anything if you want it enough~ is repugnant.
This quote by the Herald’s Ayn Randian John Galt hero suggests there might be reasons to not admire the guy.
“It’s not going to stop at one. There will be another purchase – it’s just a matter of time.”
“Presumably as it’s a “first home” he only needed 20% deposit by glossing over the fact he’ll never live there. ”
That was my first thought too Stephanie but banks are pretty tough on that and since he was granted an interest-only loan it suggests the bank knew they were lending on an investment property (the usual home loan is a table mortgage)
“His parents may also have given him money or acted as guarantors.”
Yeah that’s a more likely scenario, I’d expect to find a sugar-daddy in there somewhere. His $45k is only a 15% deposit and I’ve not heard of banks making commercial loans like that. Commercial property, which is what investment properties are, usually requires a 35-40% deposit or at least guarantees amounting to the same.
He will probably end up becoming one of those fine specimens that lurk over here
I strongly recommend you all go to werewolf.co.nz to read the critique of the convention centre cult we have going. Gordon Campbell drives a bus through the Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Queenstown business cases, showing them to be worse than our sports stadium cult of the 1990s. They are no substitute for an economic development plan from governments local or Central. And they suck hard earned money out of our pockets for dubious benefit. With thanks to Tussock:
“The name’s Lanley, Lyle Lanley. And I come before you good people tonight with an idea. Probably the greatest -Aw, it’s not for you. It’s more a Shelbyville idea.
Mayor: Now, wait just a minute. We’re twice as smart as the people of Shelbyville. Just tell us your idea and we’ll vote for it.
“All right, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll show you my idea. I give you the Springfield Convention Centre!”
(Everyone gasps!)
“I’ve sold convention centres to Brockway, Ogdenville, and Noth Haverbrook, and, by gum, it put them on the map!
Well, sir, there’s nothin’ on earth like a genuine, bond fide, hotel-attached, 3,000 seat, convention centre!
What’d I say?”
Everyone: Convention Centre!
Castles in The Square
Obviously a very dishonest article which is published in the knowledge that its dishonesty can never be challenged in a degree commensurate with its reach. And thus the cargo cult and its devotees are further aggrandised.
Which article?
I can think of an example, not an article. But Boag g bringing up free trade and the greens aren’t for free trade, on the nation or q&a, and it is dishonesty on several levels. Firstly she did not specify what the Greens failure was, does Boag not get that the Greens are for global trade in carbon, for fair international trade, and implicitly want uniform global governance to save the planet. National are even opposed to tax reform to bring us into alignment with oz, distortions create opportunities where there was none. So how dishonest on Boag to keep bringing up an issue that National are weaker on, Saudi business get special treatment, so much for free trade. And its a theme with Boag, she does not have to be all that smart if she keeps to the prepackage attack that the other guest spend time deconstructing when that’s what its designed to do undermine the TV shows purpose talk about issues of the day, not mislead us into believing National are free traders, they are not. Free trade requires governance to create a fair trading system where all agents get to compete on similar merits. National hate that, they want distortion how else are the wealthy to stare down the newer brighter leaner smarter new competitors.
Its a damn shame that Boat is never pressed and expose or the intellectual fraud she is.
A Middle Eastern woman analyst gives her opinion on how to beat ISIS
Sharmine Narwani is a commentator and analyst of Middle East geopolitics. She tweets @snarwani
‘To beat ISIS, kick out US-led coalition’
http://rt.com/op-edge/262393-isis-us-coalition-syria-iraq/
…”An objective look at US interests in the region paint an entirely different picture. The Americans seek to maintain absolute hegemony in the Mideast, even as they exit costly military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Their primary interests are 1) access to low cost oil and gas, 2) propping up Israel, and more recently, 3) undermining Russian (and Chinese) influence in the region…
And I read today that ISIS/ISIL/Daesh got hold of 2,300 US built Humvees when Iraqi forces fled Mosul, as well as many, many other items of US made military equipment.
NZ troops should be pulled out NOW!
http://rt.com/news/263769-iraq-isis-humvees-weapons/
‘2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone’: Iraq reveals number of US arms falling into ISIS hands
Yep, we should never have sent our forces in to a sectarian, tribal civil war.
McKinsey ‘assessing’ Fonterra ….. again
Good fees for the McKinsey partners.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/01/us/politics/challenging-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-gains-momentum-in-iowa.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytimes
“Challenging Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders Gains Momentum in Iowa”
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/democrats-recount-labors-pressure-tactics-118305.html
“The AFL-CIO was blunt in the call that went out to Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat who represents San Diego: Vote yes on fast-track authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, people familiar with the conversation recall, and they’d spend a million dollars to knock him out in next year’s primary. If he managed to win, they’d drop another million against him in the general election.”
Some good reads about US Democrats, TPP, Bernie Sanders, and Hillary Clinton.
Reasons to go vegetarian No94:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2015/may/29/its-time-to-wean-ourselves-off-the-fairytale-version-of-farming?fb_action_ids=958871387477189&fb_action_types=og.shares
Or to support ethical animal farming.
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/how-the-rise-of-the-lobbyist-is-corrupting-australias-democracy-20150517-gh2iyw.html
Australia’s capacity to tackle important public issues – such as climate change, growing inequality, tax avoidance, budget repair, an ageing population, lifting our productivity and our treatment of asylum seekers – is diminishing because of the power of vested interests, with their lobbying power to influence governments in a quite disproportionate way.
Lobbying has grown dramatically in recent years, particularly in Canberra. It now represents a serious corruption of good governance and the development of sound public policy
http://www.mybudget360.com/financial-hunger-games-reality-tv-money-for-poverty/
TV show is The Briefcase. I can’t boycott it since I already don’t watch TV now Campbell is gone.
http://meanjin.com.au/articles/post/lobbying-for-the-dark-side/
It had taken just fifty-three days from the announcement of the government’s mining tax proposal to the overthrow of its author, the prime minister. No election, no vote in parliament, no public debate. Greens leader Bob Brown said the mining companies spent $27 million on their lobbying campaign and saved themselves $10 billion when Gillard restructured the tax package
[lprent: Be careful about using too much shouting in conversation. ]
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/27/corporations-paid-us-senators-fast-track-tpp
In just 24 hours, Wyden and five of those Democratic holdouts – Michael Bennet of Colorado, Dianne Feinstein of California, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Patty Murray of Washington, and Bill Nelson of Florida – caved and voted for fast-track.
Bennet, Murray, and Wyden – all running for re-election in 2016 – received $105,900 between the three of them. Bennet, who comes from the more purple state of Colorado, got $53,700 in corporate campaign donations between January and March 2015, according to Channing’s research.
Almost 100% of the Republicans in the US Senate voted for fast-track – the only two non-votes on TPA were a Republican from Louisiana and a Republican from Alaska
[lprent: Be careful about using too much shouting in conversation. ]
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/22/eu-dropped-pesticide-laws-due-to-us-pressure-over-ttip-documents-reveal
EU moves to regulate hormone-damaging chemicals linked to cancer and male infertility were shelved following pressure from US trade officials over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) free trade deal, newly released documents show.
Draft EU criteria could have banned 31 pesticides containing endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). But these were dumped amid fears of a trade backlash stoked by an aggressive US lobby push, access to information documents obtained by Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe show.
[lprent: Be careful about using too much shouting in conversation. ]
Received Andrew Little’s latest monthly newsletter to members and he talks about the budget of course. However he also had the following to say:
In the last week there has been some talk
about Labour and means testing of NZ
Super. This has been a bit of mischief from
the government and some other quarters,
but I’d like to make it very clear that Labour
will not be considering means testing of NZ
Super while I am leader. Universal
superannuation is a cornerstone of a
progressive society.
A bit of mischief sounds like an understatement and it highlights what a bunch of wholesale bastards this government and sections of the media are proving to be. Dirty Politics rolls on and on…
Craig H gave us a good idea what really happened over Little’s original comment and I hope that in future Labour and Little will stop taking this crap and sue the bastards if necessary.
http://thestandard.org.nz/labour-and-the-greens-2/#comment-1023166
Latest Colmar Brunton is out. National is at 48% Labour 31% Greens 10% NZ First 7%. No budget bump or maybe the budget bump was affected by Ponygate …
There may also be a growing realisation that this government is not helping those on the breadline as they claim… or maybe more and more people are finding themselves on the breadline…
Nice on the way to L 35% G15% nzf 4.5%
Still need to keep an eye on the polls over the next month or two to fully assess the impact of the Budget.
LAB + GR + NZF = 48%. Still 3% to 4% shy of forming a solid govt.
12% refused to answer or undecided. Would be good to see a margin of error analysis.
What makes you think that Winston would go left? In the past he has ( I think gone with the largest party. Also Winston has a very blue seat. This will be part of his thinking. And then would Winston want to play second fiddle to the Greens,
Personally I doubt Winston will never go into a coalition with the greens. He will go withnNational. I have no doubt about that
NZF could indeed go with National in the future, but John Key would have to be gone for that to happen.
As far as I can tell the same (as in: the first poll after Budget Day) One News Colmar Brunton Poll in May 2014 showed a 4.0% increase for National and a 1.0% drop for Labour.
This year’s budget supposedly left the Left for dead and we see National dropping one percentage point and Labour staying steady. Interestingly, the fraction of undecided voters rose 4 points to 13%.
National is playing a very strategic game so I would not read too much into this result.
Can’t be a hit from Ponytailgate Mickey, Key’s PM popularity rises to 44. Littles popularity now even with Winston on 9%
Margin of error stuff Jester. The result is in stark contrast with the last Roy Morgan so the next poll will be interesting.
Maybe but it’s a bit deceptive trying to apply margin of error to only select parts of the Poll. But agree the next poll will be defining for Andrew Little and Labour.
No it won’t. National will throw a lot more stuff at him and this may or may not work. Politics is a medium term game.
Littles popularity now even with Winston on 9%.
Yes, and that is because he is largely invisible these days. I don’t know whether this is intentional and he is quietly gathering momentum in the ‘provinces’ which won’t show through in the polls yet, or whether he has run out of steam for some reason. Its time he again started to show the mettle we saw late last year.
Why won’t the momentum in the provinces show through in the Poll Anne?
Because it always seems to take longer to show through jester. That is something that was well known back in the 70s and 80s (when I was first involved in politics) and I don’t think it has changed much despite improved technical methods.
Q. In a world rife with data manipulation why would the polls be given even a modicum of kudos ?
My worry is that Little is getting sucked into the perspective of the inward looking Thorndon Bubble, exactly as Cunliffe did by the end of his first 6 months as leader.
Labour has to aggressively rebrand and reposition itself to put daylight between it and National. It is running out of time to do so convincingly before 2017.
He did bring out the call for means tested Super, and since that has been shot down he might be a bit gun shy for a while longer yet. I’m hoping to see some more passion from him, I think that’s what people want to see, something to break steady as she goes Key.
Little had a bad couple of weeks leading up to and during this poll, while the Nats, superficially, looked as if they were actually doing something about Auckland’s housing problems and child poverty. I am actually really relieved that it didn’t support that last Roy Morgan poll.
I notice there are a large percentage of refused and don’t knows (13% in total). I suspect there are a lot of people not that interested at this stage. I’d expect the Greens to get a boost in the next poll because of having a new co-leader and the extra media coverage that provides.
As far as Labour and Little go, there won’t be any dramatic increases, but hopefully there will be some slow steady progress once the policy reviews have concluded. I’m also hoping Labour and the Greens can get some joint policy ideas out there as that would help both parties I think.
Agree Karen but I think Little needs to up the ante now. He’s slipping out of people’s minds and leaves himself vulnerable to a DP type perception campaign that… he hasn’t got what it takes. Those of us who have met and heard him know that he has – in dollops – but once that perception is allowed to set in, he’s in big trouble.
Correct IMO. ‘Waiting for policy to be finalised’ is exactly the wrong strategy. Policy is irrelevant. And Little must avoid being sucked into the Thorndon Bubble perspective which will be the death of his leadership. Cunliffe started off strongly as well but the moment he let himself slip into the Thorndon Bubble perspective he was stuffed.
Being forthright, trust worthiness on working class values and willing to stand up and speak plainly about how the current socioeconomic paradigm is screwing ordinary NZers and how he stands for change is 100x more important.
“Yes, and that is because he is largely invisible these days. I don’t know whether this is intentional and he is quietly gathering momentum in the ‘provinces’ which won’t show through in the polls yet, or whether he has run out of steam for some reason. Its time he again started to show the mettle we saw late last year”
I agree, although I don’t think he is the sort of guy to run out of steam. He is a quality person with integrity, with his head and heart in the right place. And he has good genuine values unlike Key who is simply untrustworthy and a very good deceptive actor in my opinion. I will trust Andrew Little any day over Key, English, Joyce, McCully and Bridges combined. That is for sure!
I also think once the Labour review is completed and the party decides on the major new policies and direction, Andrew Little will begin to get more and more visible and thus increase his preferred PM ‘popularity’. Key has been known to the public for the last 14 years from 2001 to 2015, while Winston has been in politics and is known by the public for over 37 years, from 1978 to 2015.
Whereas, Andrew Little has come from obscurity, from being an unknown in politics to be the leader of the Labour party and the leader of the opposition. He has been in this position for only about 7-8 months. Compare that to Key and Peters tenure of 14 & 37 years!
When Key first appeared on the popularity stage (In Aug, 2006, after being in parliament for 5 years) his initial popularity was 8.5, while at the same time Helen Clark’s preferred PM rating was 52.4.
Herald–DigiPoll[13] 31 August 2006 [nb 1] HC=52.4 Key= 8.5
Herald–DigiPoll[16] 22–24 September 2006 HC=50.8 Key =9.2
But Key did climb up quickly after the ‘under class’ speech in parliament about McGehan Close where Key met 12 year old Aroha and invited her to accompany him to Waitangi celebrations. After his noble act (or stunt) Key’s popularity soared. [Incidentally, Aroha left NZ within 3 years, and while in Australia, she made scathing remarks in an interview about Key, referring to him as an ‘ ‘arsehole’, who has done really nothing for the poor. He is just making every thing better for the high earners’, she said. However this did not diminish Key’s popularity]
Hopefully, Little’s preferred PM rating will grow little by little as time goes by.
Little’s popularity as PM will only go up if both he and Labour can demonstrate a direct understanding and cultural connection with the NZers they are supposed to represent.
Otherwise, its not a rational expectation to hope that Little’s popularity amongst voters will go up as a result of this or that other Labour Party internal process being conducted.
That IS what Labour is about. Check out their social, economic ans environmental policies from before the last election. Don’t get suckered in by the nasty tactics of our enemies and supposed friends as well as by the RW BS, dirty politics, lies and spin.
http://campaign.labour.org.nz/all_our_announced_policies
Hey CV, did you see the bit in Shaw’s speech about if the GP want to govern the country they need to be representative, and that people vote for who they feel a connection with? I thought of you 🙂
I do agree with you CR, that Little needs to be front footing a lot more during the policy review and he needs to talk more emphatically about growing inequality and the damage it is doing to NZ.
He also needs to do speak a lot louder, or get a phone that enhances his voice. I always have to turn the radio up when he is speaking on National Radio in order to hear what he is saying. This has been the case since he got elected. Am I the only one who has noticed this?
Nasty little incident right at the start of Seven Sharp
Television One, Monday 1 June 2015
Mike Hosking’s away tonight, but the nastiness quotient has not abated one little bit on this travesty of a show. I’m sure I was not the only viewer to have enjoyed the following bit of cattiness from the smiling assassin/attack dog/cat Pippa Wetzell. Meeeow….
PIPPA WETZELL: Hey you’re a dog… person aren’t you?
….[Slight but significant pause]….
NADINE CHALMERS ROSS: I like dogs, yes. More doggy discourse later in the program.
PIPPA WETZELL: First up, though….
Anybody with a brain, however, will be watching Road Cops over on TV3— it’s much funnier and has more thoughtful people on it.
Mozzy
“PIPPA WETZELL: Hey you’re a dog… person aren’t you?
….[Slight but significant pause]….”
“Anybody with a brain, however, will be watching Road Cops over on TV3— it’s much funnier and has more thoughtful people on it.”
This explains why you were watching seven sharp Mozzy.
Ya got me, nigela—and ya got me good!
I got sick of explaining over and over again about the Green Party and James Shaw’s position on forming government with National (tl;dr, they won’t), so I wrote a synopsis, with quotes and links, that can be linked to whenever people are confused or when the NACT spinners are out and about (great quote about the spinners from Anarkaytie at the end).
http://thestandard.org.nz/labour-and-the-greens-2/#comment-1023716
(wouldn’t mind someone proof reading it).
Short sharp shock felt here in Dunners 3 to 4 mins ago
Quake just inland from Dunedin (4.4). How rare is that?
http://geonet.org.nz/quakes/region/newzealand/2015p409380
snap CV.
edit, upgraded to a 4.7
People living out west of Dunedin are reporting it was pretty scary. Guessing there will be minor reports of damage come tomorrow morning.
I bet, shallow and felt widespread. Looks like epicentre not far off the Middlemarch Rd, between Outram and Clark’s Junction.
There’s a fault through there,
https://dunedinstadium.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/254648019.jpg
thanks for that weka…a wee bit close to home for my liking…literally
always good practice I feel 😉
I thought quakes near Dunedin would be rare, but there was a shallow 4.1 in Oct last year in pretty much the same place.
http://earthquaketrack.com/nz-f7-dunedin/recent
Did you hear it?
I did hear today’s quake coming maybe two and a half seconds off before I felt it jolt…
a few people tweeting bout the sound.
Found this too,
http://ukeq.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/dunedin-rocked-by-moderate-quake.html?m=1
wow that was a damn quick (and passably thorough) write up
edit – lol Oct 16, 2014 – thanks for the link anyways weka, very informative
sorry, that’s the 2014 one.
People are keen at reporting on Geonet, aye?
A few thousand have completed the online report in just a short space of time.
Yeah, seemed a lot very quickly.
I suppose that’s a good sign. If power and Internet went out, it would be much worse.
I keep on meaning to get a disaster kit together. I think I’ll do it this week.
esp important going into winter.