The rise in Labour’s vote in Auckland is excellent news. If we can turn out last election’s stay away vote, then it really is game on. I see the Brash coup has yielded a positive result for ACT, lifting them by an awesome 0.2%. That’s enough to reduce them to just two MP’s, assuming that they win Epsom. Nice.
Yep, Ian. At all elections I can recall, the actual gap between Labour and the Nats narrows significantly from the polling, no matter which party was the favourite going in. That’s basically the undecided making up their mind. At the last election, Nationals actual vote dropped compared to the polling and Labour’s went up slightly. However, a significant number of potential Labour voters simply did not vote on the day. The challenge is to get the maximum number of that 11% undecided to a booth and ticking Labour twice.
MS pity Labs rise is not thru any positive policy, Then again I am waiting for the Ax the Tax to be policy, or when the $5k is to be fully implemented, or how a low wage economy can also be a net saver. Another case of succes as a result of protest against something, not that The Opposition is worthy of any support. rememerb that the crap we are in is part attributable to poor leadership that has gone before. 4 months to go and no solutions to our pressing problems.
With a close election looming all for me that will result is that a valuable few swing voters will be brought at the long term cost to the country.
The EMA is continuing to grapple with what to do with their CEO. I see that “Mr Thompson has been on leave since Friday”. I hope he is ill because if he is not actually sick we can add hypocrisy, lying and irony to the list of his transgressions.
From small bits I’ve caught on National Radio (checkpoint, mostly), he is making sure they go through a full and formal dismissal procedure before they can get rid of him, which is his right under the law.
One wonders if he’ll now have a better appreciation of those rules now that he is using them himself.
That was a question in my mind too.
But have a look at this:
“Thompson remains on sick leave”
Fiona Rotherham
16:32 30/06/2011
The EMA (Northern) says it’s uncertain when it will be able to speak with chief executive Alasdair Thompson who’s been on sick leave since he sparked a furore over his comments about women’s ”monthly sick problems”.
Association president Graham Mountfort says Thompson is ”not very well at all” but he wouldn’t comment on what that sickness entailed and whether it was related to stress over calls for his resignation since his controversial comments about gender pay equity last week.
Great material for me to show my boss later this afternoon to make a case for my working hours for the rest of the year.
I feel my testorone cycles tend to hit a low about 3pm every day. So I should be calling the afternoon off and going home then.
RNZ sports correspondent on the news this morning.
“At last Wimbledon’s Women’s tennis has a star quality final, lacking in the last few years…” Sharapova is one of the finalists.
So apparently the Williams sisters are not stars.
(Just wonder if the male reporter might be showing some of his personal preferences here.)
Heard it, too. Very odd remark, given that not only the Williams sisters, but Mauresmo, Davenport, Henin, Bartoli and Svonereva have all played the final since Sharapova last made an appearance. Of course, they’re only tennis players, whereas Sharapova is a celebrity, which makes all the difference.
When will the hard news component of TVNZ catch up up with the sports dept? Promo items should always contain a compilation package of newsreaders exposing their knickers during Wimbledon fortnight.
The treatment of the Williams sisters by both white fans and the MSM throughout their careers has been nothing short of disgraceful.
Every victory is depicted as a fluke, every upset even at the peak of their careers described as the beginning of the end.
It was if the media couldn’t wait till the Williams dominated era was at an end and “normal play” could resume. Now that the Williams sisters are getting older and that time is almost here, is it any surprise that this behavior still continues?.
Booed and defamed they have suffered every indignity down the years with grace and tolerance.
The RNZ comment, could more honestly have read: At last Wimbledon’s Women’s tennis has a WHITE quality final, lacking in the last few years…” Sharapova is one of the finalists.
Type in “Williams Sisters booed” into Google and this is only one of the incidents that comes up.
The wealthy white tennis loving fraternity don’t like the Williams’ and they never have.
They have never made any secret of it.
When you type “William sisters booed” there are numerous examples of the sisters being booed by white tennis audiences in the US and Paris, from Wimbledon to Australia.
The following is Serena’s account of one incident from a 2001 tennis tournament in California’s Indian Wells, a rich area in her home state of California.
“What got me most of all was that it wasn’t just a scattered bunch of boos. It wasn’t coming from just one section. It was like the whole crowd got together and decided to boo all at once. The ugliness was just raining down on me, hard. I didn’t know what to do. Nothing like this had ever happened to me. What was most surprising about this uproar was the fact that tennis fans are typically a well-mannered bunch. They’re respectful. They sit still. And in Palm Springs, especially, they tended to be pretty well-heeled, too. But I looked up and all I could see was a sea of rich people—mostly older, mostly white—standing and booing lustily, like some kind of genteel lynch mob. I don’t mean to use such inflammatory language to describe the scene, but that’s really how it seemed from where I was down on the court. Like these people were gonna come looking for me after the match. … There was no mistaking that all of this was meant for me. I heard the word nigger a couple times, and I knew. I couldn’t believe it. That’s just not something you hear in polite society on that stadium court. … Just before the start of play, my dad and Venus started walking down the aisle to the players’ box by the side of the court, and everybody turned and started to point and boo at them. … It was mostly just a chorus of boos, but I could still hear shouts of ‘Nigger!’ here and there. I even heard one angry voice telling us to go back to Compton. It was unbelievable. … We refused to return to Indian Wells. Even now, all these years later, we continue to boycott the event. It’s become a mandatory tournament on the tour, meaning that the WTA can fine a player if she doesn’t attend. But I don’t care if they fine me a million dollars, I will not play there again.”
Type in “Williams Sisters booed” into Google and this is only one of the incidents that comes up.
This is extremely misleading, and it’s not insignificant that it appears in the hard-right Telegraph. Serena Williams was being booed because the day before this match she had made several bumptious and ignorant remarks condemning the French government for “not supporting” the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Good on you VOR for commenting on this “odd remark”.
However if you are really taking notice you will see it is not that “odd”.
Talking of the almost unremarked racism we tolerate, when spoken by European New Zealanders:
When she visited this country Tony Veitch compared Serena Williams to “an ape” on the radio.
And still he has a job in Broad Casting.
Paul Holmes called Kofe Annan a “Cheeky Darky”. And it didn’t affect his career one bit.
Phil Goff says he will work with “non Maori” Mana MPs in the “unlikely” event they ever elect one.
Nobody even questions him about it.
Helen Clark labels the Maori Party as “Haters and wreckers” for opposing the confiscation of the Foreshore and Seabed, and is applauded.
We all think it is quite acceptable. And these people are held up and kept in their prominent positions in our society.
Compare this soft ride for European New Zealanders, to the way we pillory the like of North, or Harawira for thinking we’re racist, (and worse yet, voicing it).
Does this character description of controversial Californian professional tennis instructor and father of Serena and Venus Williams remind us of any controversial public figure, in this country?
Venus and Serena have quieted detractors who panned their father’s style and language. They said Richard Williams was arrogant, that he served from the mouth and that he hurt his daughters’ chances, not only by criticizing the racism and the stuffiness of the people who run tennis, but criticizing the game itself.
In an exclusive interview from his home in Palm Beach, Fla., Richard Williams says from day one others attempted to tell him a “better” way to raise Venus, and later Serena, to be tennis champions. And while he has maintained a public persona of a man who couldn’t care less what others thought, he does admit now that the negativity did get to him. “When people criticize you, I don’t care how much you say it doesn’t bother you, it does,” he says. “It bothers you when people criticize you, especially when you’re doing the best that you can do. Because once you are doing the best you can do, you realize there is nothing else you can do.
Is it obfuscation or can’t they remember? It would be interesting to see how many schools deliver their own charters today to the Ministry of Education’s regional offices. I hear at least half of the schools are rebelling.
I have heard of some schools who are submitting their charters but with a sort of Claytons nod at National Standards. A sort of compliance but not complying. Notice the comments of support on the Yahoo link are only about obedience and never about the validity of NS. (See my note below re “Insight.”)
It seems so… and I guess it depends on what you’re counting when a handful = 200 .
About 200 primary schools across the country – nearly ten per cent – have thumbed their noses at the Education Ministry by handing in their school charters without controversial national standards targets.
Many of the charters, which outline a school’s aims for the upcoming year, were taken to seven Education Ministry offices nationwide at 10am this morning by representatives from the schools, Boards Taking Action Coalition spokeswoman Jane Forrest said.
Charters were handed in with targets using ”existing and reliable achievement data” as required by National Education Guidelines, she said.
There is a quite brilliant read on todays Archdruid report where the question is asked:
The declining years of a rich and powerful society resemble nothing so much as a game of musical chairs in which, in the end, all the chairs will be taken away. What’s the winning strategy in a game in which everyone inevitably loses sooner or later?
A common thread on posts from left and right is the question of who should get what today? Very few ask the question in relation to a long gradual decline in what is available to divide diminishes.
National Standards was announced last Sunday as a topic for this Sunday’s “Insight” program on National Radio after 8am. (Some of those Insight programs start off OK but get bogged down especially if Chris is asking the questions.)
It was said on the radio a few days ago that Vietnam is having 30% inflation now. That will have a terrible effect on their economy and may be a forerunner of your link Kevin.
Can someone enlightren me as to if our PM actually draws his salary or donates it to charity (which one) or takes a token value of $1.
I’d also be interested to know if the MP for Mangakieie (sam the man) in akl has proved he donated one his salalries to charity as he was an akl city counciller and an MP for awhile there.
I’ve wanted this answered for years. Key made a deal of his donations. It should, therefore, be outed. He raised, it, not us. But he trades on it (or at least his supporters do, how many times have we seen, ‘he donates it to salary’ in posts?) so it should be a matter of record.
Also very interesting is that John Key has shares in BoA (bank of America). This is a matter of public record as they are mentioned on the Beehive website and they are not part of the blind trust.
This means that he might also have shares in other US banks as a lot of bonuses would have been paid in shares and bonds but we don’t know that as they would have been in his blind trust.
Why is this important? If John Key has a massive financial interest in the collapsing banking system he has a massive conflict of interest when it comes to making the best decisions for the NZ people.
For example the BoA is very exposed to the European debt crisis and the only way they can stave of collapse is by pushing the Greek people (and the other PIIGS countries for that matter) further into debt and thereby causing extreme poverty and deprivation for the people living in those countries.
With the MSM pointing out that we are already in debt per person for the sum of $ 4000 we are being prepared for the last great looting of our assets by the international banksters.
Are we to believe that John Key will actively look for better solutions for the people he represents or for the banks in which he own shares or who does he really represent: Us little people or the banks in which he holds such a stake.
His 20 year banking career tells me that he will let nothing interfere with him amassing a fortune, never has and never will.
Added to that: If he donates his wages to charity he can claim that since he did not receive any money form NZ he does not owe it allegiance. Well, he can to himself at least.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 10.1.1.1.1
This idea that John Key is in the pay of a secretive international cabal of bankers hell bent on taking over the world is, even by your standards, quite bonkers.
I am saying that John Key has a huge conflict of interest because he has millions worth of shares in banks which are exposed to huge financial risks in Economically week countries.
The loans given to these countries, most notably Greece at the moment mostly goes straight to French and German banks who hedged their investments in these countries with US banks.
And the SEC filings are those given by the BoA. What makes you think that these banks will not give loans to keep the financial system from collapsing especially if they can buy the countries assets for cents on the dollar. Whether you believe in secretive cabals or not has nothing to do with the way “to big to fail banks” operate.
John Key has millions he stands to loose if the BoA goes under. If he has to make a choice between the interests of us little people who have “made poor lifestyle choices” and his own millions what do you think he will do?
No “conspiracy theory” here. Just greed and a small group of greedy people working together to protect their interests.
Damn you, Felix. You’ve forced me go to her website and wade through nine flavours of nuttiness. My eyes hurt, and you are to blame. I just cannot resist a goading, especially when someone has skilfully and wittily worked excrement into my name. It is my one character flaw.
Ev is, of course quite right when she says: “Where do I say that in this comment “[emphasis, mine]. She did not explicitly say that John Key was guiding New Zealand towards a new World Order controlled by the shady Bilderberg group.
“Of course not a lot of people here even know about the existence of the Bilderberg group. But they should because their ambassador to the US is a Bilderberg man… Michael Moore, labour party man, ex-finance minister, WTO CEO and one time prime minister today is serving as the ambassador to the US and him together with John Key and Don Brash are the three finance guys guiding New Zealand towards a new World Order.”
John Key is a nice guy and people just gave him the $50 mill because they liked him and all that economic collapse is because people borrowed for mortgages they could not pay back.
And the banks really are the victims here and the ridiculous bonuses they pay themselves are really just little compensations for the hardship they go through.
Yeah right!
Here is a good link to an article about the Bilderberg group for those curious about this secretive group of rich pricks
@ Ev (a bit above): with such a flagrant misrepresentation of what I said, I think we should expect Felix to direct an angry tirade at “Travellerexcrement”. Or not.
Felix an me go back a long time Gormy, no chance of playing us against each other I’m afraid.
For those of you who want to educate themselves or who still believe that 19 young mostly Saudi’s directed by a mad man with kidney problems in a cave in Afghanistan could pull of 9/11 breaking all the laws of physics collapsing three buildings with two planes in free fall speed into pyroclastic flows here is one of the best doco’s called 9/11 mysteries.
And for those who warm their house with Kerosene heaters; Best beware, Kerosene burns so hot it collapses steel framed buildings within the hour. Your heater and your house don’t stand a change!!!
Intermittent signal getting through. I have just heard some things that I hope will be good news for us in NZ. One is that a person with meat and wool background has got the lead position in Federated Farmers. Of course that doesn’t mean that dairy interests have the wrong steer but its good to see a shift from the one sector fencepost.
Another signal – from Wools of NZ I think they call themselves. The sheep farmers have been thinking, coming up with ideas which didn’t take, then thinking again. Brilliant we need some smart forward thinkers with ideas to get ahead by mixing their own nous with best information and systems for best outcomes. Wool must come back into prominence with peak oil causing greater costs for synthetics. We will be ready to ride that wave.
And sheep pellets are good for the garden – so that helps with the pollution side. Perhaps dairy farmers can collect the pats, dry them in methane fuelled machines and ship them to India for fuel. The country people use them for cooking I have heard.
We can now work further on developing hemp which is a more than viable alternative to cotton I have heard. First we have to get some politicians who are interested in advancing the country, to take the bold step from criminalise, punish, imprison to acceptance, control, overview, treat excess, and tax anything taxable. This would require a change from the present of just tapping into our combined wealth to advance their mates never-ending wants and power plays.
It is a shame the “left”,(whateva that reduces to), do not have the leadership, (that understands what it would take), to win this election, win NZ back for people who want open government, insted of these neo-facists. I’m sure this is part of their ‘plan’ to make themselves richer while we down stream just get cow shit!
It is an even greater shame that the baby boomer generation have no attention span, are so easily mis-directed, mis-informed and led astray.
(yes, yes you are, no look over there, no, really).
I think it’s time we lost the incumbants, though there is probably a good one or two in any bunch, the vine is rotten and need to be cut down so it can grow towards the light again, the greens new paper ‘o lobbist is a very good start, but still doesn’t remove the problem of the highest-ups of all 3 main political parties answering to the same master.
Want to fix the economy? Get rid of USA political influence in NZ!
Want to fix the economy? Get rid of USA political influence in NZ!
Now this much, I agree with… Get rid of USA influence generally, I’d say. It’s why 20-something are so stooooooooooooooopid and 40-somethings on RNZ say that planes have bathrooms! 😀 (Has she ever tried taking a bath in one?)
Dr Brash says he is constantly regaled with horror stories of the “little Hitlers” who far too often seem to populate the lower levels of local and regional government. The comments came up as Brash was advocating for further reforms of the Resource Management Act.
The total cost to the United States of its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus the related military operations in Pakistan, is set to exceed US$4 trillion ($4.8 trillion) – more than three times the sum so far authorised by Congress in the decade since the September 11 attacks.
The hawks initial estimates were between US$40 to US$80b and some even suggested that they would pay for themselves. Well, the initial estimates were quickly proven wrong but this has gone far beyond what even the pessimists were predicting at the time.
Family-owned company responds to downturn in sales by cutting half its workforce – and selecting only women for redundancy
An engineering firm in northern Italy has sparked controversy after making almost half its workforce redundant – and selecting only women.
A union official quoted the company as having reported to the small businesses association: “We are firing the women so they can stay at home and look after the children. In any case, what they bring in is a second income.”
No one at the company, Ma-Vib, which is based in Inzago near Milan, could be reached for comment.
Italians, what do you expect with a PM who thinks that bunga bunga parties are the way to rule Italy and where every show has to have one male presenter and 20 very blond bimbo’s keeping the guy’s ego from collapsing. Oh, and were every male has a mother complex. Jeez, That those women had a job at an engineering firm in the first place is something to behold.
Documents provided to Greenpeace by the Smithsonian under the US Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) show that the Charles G Koch Foundation, a leading provider of funds for climate sceptic groups, gave Soon two grants totalling $175,000 (then roughly £102,000) in 2005/6 and again in 2010. In addition the American Petroleum insitute (API), which represents the US petroleum and natural gas industries, gave him multiple grants between 2001 and 2007 totalling $274,000, oil company Exxon Mobil provided $335,000 between 2005 and 2010, and Soon received other grants from coal and oil industry sources including the Mobil Foundation, the Texaco Foundation and the Electric Power Research Institute.
British government officials approached nuclear companies to draw up a co-ordinated public relations strategy to play down the Fukushima nuclear accident just two days after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and before the extent of the radiation leak was known.
Internal emails seen by the Guardian show how the business and energy departments worked closely behind the scenes with the multinational companies EDF Energy, Areva and Westinghouse to try to ensure the accident did not derail their plans for a new generation of nuclear stations in the UK.
“This has the potential to set the nuclear industry back globally,” wrote one official at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), whose name has been redacted. “We need to ensure the anti-nuclear chaps and chapesses do not gain ground on this. We need to occupy the territory and hold it. We really need to show the safety of nuclear.”
I think we should both be grateful we are alive, with such a magnificent opportunity. I think at times, well most the time, you and I ‘both’ act like spoilt brats.
Considering we have this case, we are hardly truly appreciating it, well ‘I do’, but at times I forget to appreciate it as I worry about my minute problems, sulking and so on.
We just worry about the small things and hiccups without embracing the enormous blessing we both have.
Anyway-
Lets just say if you died, you are not going too, but if you did- I would miss you.
You’re not going to die, you need to solve the case, this is serious, you need to solve the case!!!
I have reason to believe if ‘we’ conduct ourselves properly and work towards revealing truths, I believe we may have some sort of way of controlling an outcome.
You need to solve the case and you need to get it together. It’s Her and She wants the case solved. I have a feeling She is angry with me at the moment for sulking.
Paula Bennett just made major stuff up at Friday nights Auckland stage challenge by announcing the wrong team had won, it appears she got her ST Peters and ST Cuths mixed up and yes their was tears.
What a circus this National Government are proving to be.
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Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
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Well done Ian Wishart. I wonder if he could also solve the Kirsty Bentley murder for the dumbo keystone cops?
The trend is in the right direction and this election is getting interesting …
Latest Herald poll is out.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10735604
The rise in Labour’s vote in Auckland is excellent news. If we can turn out last election’s stay away vote, then it really is game on. I see the Brash coup has yielded a positive result for ACT, lifting them by an awesome 0.2%. That’s enough to reduce them to just two MP’s, assuming that they win Epsom. Nice.
Interesting too that “Undecided voters totalled 11.2 per cent of those polled,…..”
When deciding they might fall either way but might be persuadable?
Yep, Ian. At all elections I can recall, the actual gap between Labour and the Nats narrows significantly from the polling, no matter which party was the favourite going in. That’s basically the undecided making up their mind. At the last election, Nationals actual vote dropped compared to the polling and Labour’s went up slightly. However, a significant number of potential Labour voters simply did not vote on the day. The challenge is to get the maximum number of that 11% undecided to a booth and ticking Labour twice.
Latest roy out too.. not much change there
http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2011/4681/
MS pity Labs rise is not thru any positive policy, Then again I am waiting for the Ax the Tax to be policy, or when the $5k is to be fully implemented, or how a low wage economy can also be a net saver. Another case of succes as a result of protest against something, not that The Opposition is worthy of any support. rememerb that the crap we are in is part attributable to poor leadership that has gone before. 4 months to go and no solutions to our pressing problems.
With a close election looming all for me that will result is that a valuable few swing voters will be brought at the long term cost to the country.
The EMA is continuing to grapple with what to do with their CEO. I see that “Mr Thompson has been on leave since Friday”. I hope he is ill because if he is not actually sick we can add hypocrisy, lying and irony to the list of his transgressions.
A bad case of manflu!
Thompson must have strong backers in the EMA, a number of them. Otherwise this would have been an open and shut case – gone by lunchtime.
From small bits I’ve caught on National Radio (checkpoint, mostly), he is making sure they go through a full and formal dismissal procedure before they can get rid of him, which is his right under the law.
One wonders if he’ll now have a better appreciation of those rules now that he is using them himself.
What a wonderful way of using ‘sick leave’ as a guise for his own pre-dismissal period.
Who said he was using sick leave? He could be using annual or unpaid.
That was a question in my mind too.
But have a look at this:
“Thompson remains on sick leave”
Fiona Rotherham
16:32 30/06/2011
The EMA (Northern) says it’s uncertain when it will be able to speak with chief executive Alasdair Thompson who’s been on sick leave since he sparked a furore over his comments about women’s ”monthly sick problems”.
Association president Graham Mountfort says Thompson is ”not very well at all” but he wouldn’t comment on what that sickness entailed and whether it was related to stress over calls for his resignation since his controversial comments about gender pay equity last week.
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5215151/Thompson-remains-on-sick-leave
No wonder, it appears males cycle hormonally every 24 hours. That explains a lot!
Great material for me to show my boss later this afternoon to make a case for my working hours for the rest of the year.
I feel my testorone cycles tend to hit a low about 3pm every day. So I should be calling the afternoon off and going home then.
AirNZ has withdrawn membership from the EMA.
Good on AirNZ for the brains to do that.
I’m visiting their site next to plan my next overseas flight with them .
http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=132919&fm=psp,nwl
RNZ sports correspondent on the news this morning.
“At last Wimbledon’s Women’s tennis has a star quality final, lacking in the last few years…” Sharapova is one of the finalists.
So apparently the Williams sisters are not stars.
(Just wonder if the male reporter might be showing some of his personal preferences here.)
Heard it, too. Very odd remark, given that not only the Williams sisters, but Mauresmo, Davenport, Henin, Bartoli and Svonereva have all played the final since Sharapova last made an appearance. Of course, they’re only tennis players, whereas Sharapova is a celebrity, which makes all the difference.
When will the hard news component of TVNZ catch up up with the sports dept? Promo items should always contain a compilation package of newsreaders exposing their knickers during Wimbledon fortnight.
The treatment of the Williams sisters by both white fans and the MSM throughout their careers has been nothing short of disgraceful.
Every victory is depicted as a fluke, every upset even at the peak of their careers described as the beginning of the end.
It was if the media couldn’t wait till the Williams dominated era was at an end and “normal play” could resume. Now that the Williams sisters are getting older and that time is almost here, is it any surprise that this behavior still continues?.
Booed and defamed they have suffered every indignity down the years with grace and tolerance.
The RNZ comment, could more honestly have read: At last Wimbledon’s Women’s tennis has a WHITE quality final, lacking in the last few years…” Sharapova is one of the finalists.
Type in “Williams Sisters booed” into Google and this is only one of the incidents that comes up.
The wealthy white tennis loving fraternity don’t like the Williams’ and they never have.
They have never made any secret of it.
When you type “William sisters booed” there are numerous examples of the sisters being booed by white tennis audiences in the US and Paris, from Wimbledon to Australia.
The following is Serena’s account of one incident from a 2001 tennis tournament in California’s Indian Wells, a rich area in her home state of California.
Serena Williams was only 19 at the time.
Type in “Williams Sisters booed” into Google and this is only one of the incidents that comes up.
This is extremely misleading, and it’s not insignificant that it appears in the hard-right Telegraph. Serena Williams was being booed because the day before this match she had made several bumptious and ignorant remarks condemning the French government for “not supporting” the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
THAT is why the French crowd was booing her.
Good on you VOR for commenting on this “odd remark”.
However if you are really taking notice you will see it is not that “odd”.
Talking of the almost unremarked racism we tolerate, when spoken by European New Zealanders:
When she visited this country Tony Veitch compared Serena Williams to “an ape” on the radio.
And still he has a job in Broad Casting.
Paul Holmes called Kofe Annan a “Cheeky Darky”. And it didn’t affect his career one bit.
Phil Goff says he will work with “non Maori” Mana MPs in the “unlikely” event they ever elect one.
Nobody even questions him about it.
Helen Clark labels the Maori Party as “Haters and wreckers” for opposing the confiscation of the Foreshore and Seabed, and is applauded.
We all think it is quite acceptable. And these people are held up and kept in their prominent positions in our society.
Compare this soft ride for European New Zealanders, to the way we pillory the like of North, or Harawira for thinking we’re racist, (and worse yet, voicing it).
Does this character description of controversial Californian professional tennis instructor and father of Serena and Venus Williams remind us of any controversial public figure, in this country?
Anne Tolley on Morning Report describing the number of schools refusing to submit national standards targets in their charters :
John Key on Morning Report describing the number of SAS troops involved in the Kabul hotel shoot out :
Have both been to the latest Crosby Textor night school on obfuscation?
Is it obfuscation or can’t they remember? It would be interesting to see how many schools deliver their own charters today to the Ministry of Education’s regional offices. I hear at least half of the schools are rebelling.
According to the Herald, the SAS have defeated the Taliban. So there must have been more than just a handful huh!
I have heard of some schools who are submitting their charters but with a sort of Claytons nod at National Standards. A sort of compliance but not complying. Notice the comments of support on the Yahoo link are only about obedience and never about the validity of NS. (See my note below re “Insight.”)
“….the National Standards Sector Advisory Group includes a recommendation that Education Minister Anne Tolley authorise the ministry to “explore with the sector the desirability of extending national standards to years 9 and 10”.
That would go down well eh?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/5216445/National-standards-in-high-schools-proposed
@jackal – hilarious headline! Those pathetic terrorists crushed under the mighty heel of the proud and mighty Key-wi Empire!
It seems so… and I guess it depends on what you’re counting when a handful = 200 .
Anne must have big hands. (John too.)
There is a quite brilliant read on todays Archdruid report where the question is asked:
The declining years of a rich and powerful society resemble nothing so much as a game of musical chairs in which, in the end, all the chairs will be taken away. What’s the winning strategy in a game in which everyone inevitably loses sooner or later?
A common thread on posts from left and right is the question of who should get what today? Very few ask the question in relation to a long gradual decline in what is available to divide diminishes.
The war in Libya is a rich man’s war!!!
Thanks for that! It’s all such a mess of confusion, but one thing is certain, it’s not as simple as it is portrayed…
National Standards was announced last Sunday as a topic for this Sunday’s “Insight” program on National Radio after 8am. (Some of those Insight programs start off OK but get bogged down especially if Chris is asking the questions.)
Toot, toot!!
All aboard, have your tickets ready.
It was said on the radio a few days ago that Vietnam is having 30% inflation now. That will have a terrible effect on their economy and may be a forerunner of your link Kevin.
Can someone enlightren me as to if our PM actually draws his salary or donates it to charity (which one) or takes a token value of $1.
I’d also be interested to know if the MP for Mangakieie (sam the man) in akl has proved he donated one his salalries to charity as he was an akl city counciller and an MP for awhile there.
I yam thinking …
The saying goes ‘charity begins at home’.
So pledges to donate to charity should go to the family trust?
🙂
I’ve wanted this answered for years. Key made a deal of his donations. It should, therefore, be outed. He raised, it, not us. But he trades on it (or at least his supporters do, how many times have we seen, ‘he donates it to salary’ in posts?) so it should be a matter of record.
Very interesting.
Also very interesting is that John Key has shares in BoA (bank of America). This is a matter of public record as they are mentioned on the Beehive website and they are not part of the blind trust.
This means that he might also have shares in other US banks as a lot of bonuses would have been paid in shares and bonds but we don’t know that as they would have been in his blind trust.
Why is this important? If John Key has a massive financial interest in the collapsing banking system he has a massive conflict of interest when it comes to making the best decisions for the NZ people.
For example the BoA is very exposed to the European debt crisis and the only way they can stave of collapse is by pushing the Greek people (and the other PIIGS countries for that matter) further into debt and thereby causing extreme poverty and deprivation for the people living in those countries.
With the MSM pointing out that we are already in debt per person for the sum of $ 4000 we are being prepared for the last great looting of our assets by the international banksters.
Are we to believe that John Key will actively look for better solutions for the people he represents or for the banks in which he own shares or who does he really represent: Us little people or the banks in which he holds such a stake.
His 20 year banking career tells me that he will let nothing interfere with him amassing a fortune, never has and never will.
Added to that: If he donates his wages to charity he can claim that since he did not receive any money form NZ he does not owe it allegiance. Well, he can to himself at least.
Brink. Abyss.
Motivation and arguments, gormless fool. Sticks and stones and all that.
This idea that John Key is in the pay of a secretive international cabal of bankers hell bent on taking over the world is, even by your standards, quite bonkers.
Where do I say that in this comment?
I am saying that John Key has a huge conflict of interest because he has millions worth of shares in banks which are exposed to huge financial risks in Economically week countries.
The loans given to these countries, most notably Greece at the moment mostly goes straight to French and German banks who hedged their investments in these countries with US banks.
And the SEC filings are those given by the BoA. What makes you think that these banks will not give loans to keep the financial system from collapsing especially if they can buy the countries assets for cents on the dollar. Whether you believe in secretive cabals or not has nothing to do with the way “to big to fail banks” operate.
John Key has millions he stands to loose if the BoA goes under. If he has to make a choice between the interests of us little people who have “made poor lifestyle choices” and his own millions what do you think he will do?
No “conspiracy theory” here. Just greed and a small group of greedy people working together to protect their interests.
Even for a Gormless Fool you’re a fucking idiot, Oleoleshitbucket.
Why don’t you learn to fucking read and then have another go at what Ev wrote, eh?
Damn you, Felix. You’ve forced me go to her website and wade through nine flavours of nuttiness. My eyes hurt, and you are to blame. I just cannot resist a goading, especially when someone has skilfully and wittily worked excrement into my name. It is my one character flaw.
Ev is, of course quite right when she says: “Where do I say that in this comment “[emphasis, mine]. She did not explicitly say that John Key was guiding New Zealand towards a new World Order controlled by the shady Bilderberg group.
She saves that really nutty stuff for her blog:
“Of course not a lot of people here even know about the existence of the Bilderberg group. But they should because their ambassador to the US is a Bilderberg man… Michael Moore, labour party man, ex-finance minister, WTO CEO and one time prime minister today is serving as the ambassador to the US and him together with John Key and Don Brash are the three finance guys guiding New Zealand towards a new World Order.”
Suit yourself Gormy,
John Key is a nice guy and people just gave him the $50 mill because they liked him and all that economic collapse is because people borrowed for mortgages they could not pay back.
And the banks really are the victims here and the ridiculous bonuses they pay themselves are really just little compensations for the hardship they go through.
Yeah right!
Here is a good link to an article about the Bilderberg group for those curious about this secretive group of rich pricks
All we have to do is wait until he leaves politics because at that time there will be 1, 2, 3 or whatever, charities having a big drop in funding. 🙂
That would be too late!
@ Ev (a bit above): with such a flagrant misrepresentation of what I said, I think we should expect Felix to direct an angry tirade at “Travellerexcrement”. Or not.
Felix an me go back a long time Gormy, no chance of playing us against each other I’m afraid.
For those of you who want to educate themselves or who still believe that 19 young mostly Saudi’s directed by a mad man with kidney problems in a cave in Afghanistan could pull of 9/11 breaking all the laws of physics collapsing three buildings with two planes in free fall speed into pyroclastic flows here is one of the best doco’s called 9/11 mysteries.
And for those who warm their house with Kerosene heaters; Best beware, Kerosene burns so hot it collapses steel framed buildings within the hour. Your heater and your house don’t stand a change!!!
Intermittent signal getting through. I have just heard some things that I hope will be good news for us in NZ. One is that a person with meat and wool background has got the lead position in Federated Farmers. Of course that doesn’t mean that dairy interests have the wrong steer but its good to see a shift from the one sector fencepost.
Another signal – from Wools of NZ I think they call themselves. The sheep farmers have been thinking, coming up with ideas which didn’t take, then thinking again. Brilliant we need some smart forward thinkers with ideas to get ahead by mixing their own nous with best information and systems for best outcomes. Wool must come back into prominence with peak oil causing greater costs for synthetics. We will be ready to ride that wave.
And sheep pellets are good for the garden – so that helps with the pollution side. Perhaps dairy farmers can collect the pats, dry them in methane fuelled machines and ship them to India for fuel. The country people use them for cooking I have heard.
We can now work further on developing hemp which is a more than viable alternative to cotton I have heard. First we have to get some politicians who are interested in advancing the country, to take the bold step from criminalise, punish, imprison to acceptance, control, overview, treat excess, and tax anything taxable. This would require a change from the present of just tapping into our combined wealth to advance their mates never-ending wants and power plays.
It is a shame the “left”,(whateva that reduces to), do not have the leadership, (that understands what it would take), to win this election, win NZ back for people who want open government, insted of these neo-facists. I’m sure this is part of their ‘plan’ to make themselves richer while we down stream just get cow shit!
It is an even greater shame that the baby boomer generation have no attention span, are so easily mis-directed, mis-informed and led astray.
(yes, yes you are, no look over there, no, really).
I think it’s time we lost the incumbants, though there is probably a good one or two in any bunch, the vine is rotten and need to be cut down so it can grow towards the light again, the greens new paper ‘o lobbist is a very good start, but still doesn’t remove the problem of the highest-ups of all 3 main political parties answering to the same master.
Want to fix the economy? Get rid of USA political influence in NZ!
Now this much, I agree with… Get rid of USA influence generally, I’d say. It’s why 20-something are so stooooooooooooooopid and 40-somethings on RNZ say that planes have bathrooms! 😀 (Has she ever tried taking a bath in one?)
Friday Fun with Photos #7
Dr Brash says he is constantly regaled with horror stories of the “little Hitlers” who far too often seem to populate the lower levels of local and regional government. The comments came up as Brash was advocating for further reforms of the Resource Management Act.
Official cost of wars short by trillions
The hawks initial estimates were between US$40 to US$80b and some even suggested that they would pay for themselves. Well, the initial estimates were quickly proven wrong but this has gone far beyond what even the pessimists were predicting at the time.
And you thought Alisdair Thompson was bad!!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/30/italian-firm-women-job-cuts
Italians, what do you expect with a PM who thinks that bunga bunga parties are the way to rule Italy and where every show has to have one male presenter and 20 very blond bimbo’s keeping the guy’s ego from collapsing. Oh, and were every male has a mother complex. Jeez, That those women had a job at an engineering firm in the first place is something to behold.
Can the epmu spend some money on handsfree car kits!!!
Corporations managing the energy narrative… again. And the industries are not a surprise – again…
First up climate non-science and big petroleum
In second place Fukushima and the nuclear industry and the UK government.
Earthquake in Auckland 9:09pm.
2.9 on Richter Scale.
9km deep.
Centre located 10km east of Auckland.
Short and sharp.
My walls shook.
OK. Not in the same league as ChCh, but sent me scrambling to get outside.
I thought I had imagined it… Whew, only 2.9.. I am so scared of these things!
I popped out to offer assistance to whoever had run into the concrete wall in the garage. Figured out what it must have been when I didn’t find them.
Are you alright about that shake, I felt it for like a second, I felt it though.
If I died would you miss me?
I think we should both be grateful we are alive, with such a magnificent opportunity. I think at times, well most the time, you and I ‘both’ act like spoilt brats.
Considering we have this case, we are hardly truly appreciating it, well ‘I do’, but at times I forget to appreciate it as I worry about my minute problems, sulking and so on.
We just worry about the small things and hiccups without embracing the enormous blessing we both have.
Anyway-
Lets just say if you died, you are not going too, but if you did- I would miss you.
You’re not going to die, you need to solve the case, this is serious, you need to solve the case!!!
I have reason to believe if ‘we’ conduct ourselves properly and work towards revealing truths, I believe we may have some sort of way of controlling an outcome.
You need to solve the case and you need to get it together. It’s Her and She wants the case solved. I have a feeling She is angry with me at the moment for sulking.
Paula Bennett just made major stuff up at Friday nights Auckland stage challenge by announcing the wrong team had won, it appears she got her ST Peters and ST Cuths mixed up and yes their was tears.
What a circus this National Government are proving to be.