Here’s an interesting story that played out behind all the smoke and noise of last week’s Chump eruptions. If there’s anything to this, it ties a lot of threads together in a damning way. It also raises the possibility that all the WTF from last week might have been a calculated distraction.
But the Mooch was getting fantastic ratings. If it was about the show, surely he’d be kept on a bit longer just to pull the punters. My money’s on the idea the The Mooch was even Trumpier than Trump, and that couldn’t be tolerated.
If you own a swimming Pool and you haven’t used it for a while. You sometimes need to do a chlorine shock treatment to bring it back to a basic level, then reset the chemicals needed to maintain your Pool. I think The Mooch was the Shock Treatment
and 10 days sounds about right. Happy Swimming
Pretty queer commentary from Jacinda Ardern on Radio NZ this morning.
When commenting about the polls directly, she failed to give any direct support for Andrew Little. She simply deferred and started talking about policy and getting the message out.
The Labour Party barely survived a change of leadership one year out from election last time, so it would be pretty disastrous to change the leader seven weeks out.
I sincerely hope Andrew LIttle stays the course, and that all MP’s including the Deputy figure out that they must show and state that they support Andrew Little as leader.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the media used the opportunity provided by an election to look at the significant social and environmental issues facing the citizens of this country and the world, then look at the solutions presented by the various parties?
But no. We get absolute garbage.
Polls….
Personalities….
Scoops…….
The media should be one of the stalwarts of our democracy.
Instead it undermines and weakens it.
And so we end up with mindless media parrots like Gower, Garner and Soper.
Even worse our taxpayer funded media is fronted by puppets like Hosking and Espiner.
If you are talking about TVNZ sure it is owned by the State. But unless Hosking gets any New Zealand on Air funding, which I doubt, there is no public money funding his show. Quite the opposite. His popularity allows TVNZ to charge a premium for ads in his time slot. Which adds to the bottom line which enables a dividend to the Crown.
The real issue is why does the Government own a dog with fleas commercial TV station? It is because thanks to certain political parties there is now a built in hysteria to the State divesting itself of business that it should not be in.
Exactly. The media cannot handle TOP because it is a policy based party. It rejects the innane left / right language. But the media can’t get much past Gareth and cats.
The only choice in this election now is National supported by either TOP or New Zealand First. Get out there and support TOP. And donate money if you can afford it.
It is excellent. I agree with probably 80 percent of TOP policy. Their climate change and water policy is way ahead of any other political party. Their policy to increase the drinking age to 20 is nuts but you can’t have everything.
What do you like about the CCT? Particularly, why do you think it’s better than a capital gains tax? I’m looking for reasons to like the CCT, and RedLogix had a go at persuading me of it’s merits but didn’t convince me.
srylands likes it because he hopes 4.99% of people vote for it, ensuring that 4.99% of potential change the government votes are wasted chasing the TOP. These are 4.99% of voters not voting for NZF or the greens or Labour, so that is a win for srylands
Because a comprehensive capital tax incentivises people to examine their capital holdings on an ongoing basis. Not just when they are selling. Such a tax would stop over investing in houses.
If you want to read about it in detail, Geoff Simmons has written about it. Just Google it or watch his video.
Example my family member who is 91 lives in a $4 million 6 bedroom house in Pakarunga. Ridiculous. But he has no incentive to invest that capital in productive assets.
It is surprising that people who usually consider “property rights” to be sacrosanct, in this case are quick to determine what that personal property should be used for.
In this case, you believe that family member needs to divest his choice of residence, and invest in “productive assets”. What is your definition of productive assets? And why productive, instead of social assets or environmental? He may well be in a place he considers ideal, with community contacts and neighbours that he enjoys. Even if he is not, the principle is the same. Are you so tired of spending your own money, that you feel a need to dictate how others spend theirs?
The reasoning behind taxing the residential property someone is living in is flawed on multiple levels.
It ignores the social and community connections that contribute to wellbeing of those who have lived in the same neighbourhood for years, and gives them two options to pay taxes. To downsize their residence, or to invite others to live with them.
The TOP solution is delayed payment, but that is a cultural hurdle unlikely to be overcome without considerable distress and pain.
TOP also provides scenarios that consider the mortgage of a occupied residential house to be the same as a term investment of capital. This ignores the reality that many have taken mortgages out and by the time the house is paid off, the amount invested has often been four to five times the original price. They then tax you on the imputed rent that you have “saved”.
Brilliant, no?
The other comparable scenario that they provide is the necessity to pay CGT on investment properties. Also ignoring the fact that maintenance expenses are permitted with investments, which reduce the amount of tax paid by investors. Maintenance of your own home adds up over the years and will be taken out of net income for most people.
The other issues they don’t mention, is the appropriate taxing of income or benefits from family trusts etc, and the use of other ownership vehicles to protect assets, and income from being taxed appropriately. Because of this, the ones who will be consistently paying these taxes are the ones who are wage and salary earners, without separate companies, trusts and accountants who know how to provide benefits without declaring personal income for taxation.
Very little attention is given to the tax avoidance by multi-nationals – apart from – we will look at it.
And the deferment of company taxes for up to three years, will be abused by those who already treat company formations like a row of dominoes to be set up and knocked down in order to leave behind compliance and debt messes.
Molly good one. Having to defend the right to own a house (what effontery from little people) – that goes up in value because it’s one of the few worthwhile investments in the country, is trying to tax the air you breathe, the quality and friendliness of your neighbours and so on. The social value, the family time that is spent in the house, the place where you can be warm and think about what life is, can entertain other humans and animals, it is an extension of the people living in it.
But the hard-edged economists who like everything cut and dried, neat and packed, would probably say we should stack in like sardines, like in the cheap sleep hotels with pods you climb into, shut the grill and have a decent kip for low cost. But for a home you want more. And not to be charged for everything in life:
This keeps coming to mind from Le Mis – sorry if you/ve seen it before.
Charge ’em for the lice, extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice (Hand it over!)
Here a little slice, there a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks I knows
How it all increases, all them bits and pieces
Jesus! It’s amazing how it grows!
And a pome about the politicians in Gnashional:
Master of the house? Isn’t worth my spit!
Comforter, philosopher and lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain, regular Voltaire
Thinks he’s quite a lover but there’s not much there
What a cruel trick of nature landed me with such a louse
God knows how I’ve lasted living with this bastard in the house!
AZLYRICS
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k6uqhKEAOM
I would agree with you Draco if we had a legislative and economic framework that provided long-term secure tenancy.
At present, that does not exist, and it is most likely only property owners that will be able to offer friends, family (and strangers) accommodation. Many tenancies have an upper limit to tenant numbers.
Also, there is a guardianship that exists in long-term land ownership, of which our Robert Guyton is a good example. A long-term positive environmental vision is more likely to be realised on private property, and it is unlikely that that would be true for government owned/managed properties.
Ideally a collective ownership model would provide both the flexibility, and the connection to place that would create a culture where both environment and community were positively nurtured.
I would agree with you Draco if we had a legislative and economic framework that provided long-term secure tenancy.
True but it’s only legislation. Same as the idea that land/home ownership is secure. It’s only legislation.
And in NZ the state owns the land anyway and it can be taken off you at any time – as long as due compensation is made. Just make the same apply to state rentals.
A long-term positive environmental vision is more likely to be realised on private property
No it’s not.
All those farmers out there destroying our waterways and destroying our land through unsustainable practices own the fucken land.
and it is unlikely that that would be true for government owned/managed properties.
Government is accountable to the public whereas private isn’t. This means that we can steer the government to better land practices. Which apparently we can’t do with private land ownership.
Ideally a collective ownership model would provide both the flexibility, and the connection to place that would create a culture where both environment and community were positively nurtured.
Well, I’ll keep on submitting for planning provisions and frameworks that encourage and support community ownership. I think the ownership needs to be community sized and locally managed rather than controlled at a national level for optimal outcomes.
Till then, am seriously considering how to install an environmentally friendly septic system in our unused land without giving an indication to council that we will invite tiny house dwellers to share our location. (have about 1500m2 next to our only storage shed. Any workable suggestions welcome)
Little and Labour need to dig deep and stop in fighting which is what the Natzis and MSM want, we require a united Labour Party if we are going to have a constructive Coalition Government, either Labour & NZF or Labour/NZF/Greens ?
You can blame the MSM all you like, but its your dopey and disloyal MPs including Littles deputy (and Mike Wiliams) who are feeding the media the stuff they want to hear.
You would think that after this many leaders in such a short time they would realise that the problem is not the leader, it is the party, those within it who set the tone and what the party is perceived to stand for. The MSM, the National party, etc are not responsible, the party is.
Adern is not the answer. Labour needs to distance itself from the Greens, the PC, the broad church, talk of quotas, etc, etc and return to it’s roots. Labour has to be unafraid to offend some people, it has forgotten about the working class and has suffered as a result.
“You would think that after this many leaders in such a short time they would realise that the problem is not the leader, it is the party, those within it who set the tone and what the party is perceived to stand for.”
You are correct, of course. However, it is far easier to blame the dastardly MSM, Hooten, Phil Quin, Josie Pagani, Mike Hosking, Guyon Espiner, Uncle Tom Cobley.
In fact, blame anyone if it will divert from the fact that Labour doesn’t have any credible policy, Clint Smith is a moron as far as strategy and comms is concerned and the whole party is an absolute mess.
Well, you’d at least have to agree that Labour is doing something wrong in the MMP environment? 4 terms in opposition would tend to suggest they haven’t quite nailed a winning strategy for MMP…
I am used to MMP. I voted for MMP and I like MMP. The working class and the Greens are incompatible. Lbour needs the working class more than it needs the Greens. How many more leaders until the party wakes up.
National have used the same strategy in the last 3-4 Elections and Labour have bought into it, when will they learn, harden up, time for another cup of concrete Andrew Little & Labour, do not bend over for National and MSM, New Zealand needs a strong Labour Leader going forward. 5 Labour Leaders in 9 Years all initiated by National & MSM ?
ones has to wonder about the political nous of the PLP….Little resigning or being rolled will only be a negative for the future of the Labour Party…..and it won’t save anyones seat either, likely the contrary…..braindead the lot of them.
If anyone thinks that running a Green-influenced government will be easy, check out how hard it is to get one single cycleway in one of the highest Green-polling areas in the country:
Another ridiculous ban. Your right of course, but why?
There is nothing particularly unusual in Gosman’s comment (it is just his opinion) that merits such draconian action.
[take the rest of the week off. Read the Policy. Track down Lynn’s recent comments about moderation and the election and the burden on moderator time. If you want to talk about moderation decisions, at the least you need to do that in a respectful way (hint, starting a comment with “another ridiculous ban” isn’t it) and that doesn’t waste moderator time.
Yes, Gosman’s comment was usual for Gosman, and that’s a pattern of behaviour for his brand of trolling. He’s having a go at the site participants (authors and commenters) in a deliberate windup. That’s clearly against the site rules. He’s ascribing implied views to people here but so generally it can’t be rebutted without becoming a derail. Which is what Gosman wants. Unfortunately for him but fortunately for the rest of us, the point of TS is to provide a space for and foster debate for the broader labour movement. We are under no obligations to provide space for trolls.
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
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Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
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TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
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Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
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TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
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An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
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Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
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 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
Water cremation is the biggest thing to happen to the death industry in the last 100 years. Alex Casey meets the people trying to bring it to Aotearoa. Through a set of mirrored doors down the industrial end of Christchurch’s St Asaph Street, death is getting a new lease on ...
Opinion: New Health NZ commissioner Lester Levy is authorised to assume operational leadership – chief executive Margie Apa is effectively relegated to his operational deputy The post All-powerful Levy is feudal baron of a $28b fiefdom appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Here’s an interesting story that played out behind all the smoke and noise of last week’s Chump eruptions. If there’s anything to this, it ties a lot of threads together in a damning way. It also raises the possibility that all the WTF from last week might have been a calculated distraction.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bill-browders-senate-judiciary-committee-hearing_uk_597ee55ce4b02a4ebb7675a6
That didn’t last long. The Mooch has been cut loose.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/31/anthony-scaramucci-out-white-house-communications-director/526300001/
Trump running his admin like a “reality” tv show…..
But the Mooch was getting fantastic ratings. If it was about the show, surely he’d be kept on a bit longer just to pull the punters. My money’s on the idea the The Mooch was even Trumpier than Trump, and that couldn’t be tolerated.
who would know the reason…other than the obvious one that Trump is not the full quid
What a fandango.
If you own a swimming Pool and you haven’t used it for a while. You sometimes need to do a chlorine shock treatment to bring it back to a basic level, then reset the chemicals needed to maintain your Pool. I think The Mooch was the Shock Treatment
and 10 days sounds about right. Happy Swimming
The Mooch is gone.
10 days must surely be a record.
Pretty queer commentary from Jacinda Ardern on Radio NZ this morning.
When commenting about the polls directly, she failed to give any direct support for Andrew Little. She simply deferred and started talking about policy and getting the message out.
The Labour Party barely survived a change of leadership one year out from election last time, so it would be pretty disastrous to change the leader seven weeks out.
I sincerely hope Andrew LIttle stays the course, and that all MP’s including the Deputy figure out that they must show and state that they support Andrew Little as leader.
Good on her.
Talk policies, not polls.
Leadership aspirations – be careful what you wish for cos you might get it.
But isn’t that what Ed said they should do? Don’t dance to the tunes put up by prats like Gower. Own the moment don’t let them control it,
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the media used the opportunity provided by an election to look at the significant social and environmental issues facing the citizens of this country and the world, then look at the solutions presented by the various parties?
But no. We get absolute garbage.
Polls….
Personalities….
Scoops…….
The media should be one of the stalwarts of our democracy.
Instead it undermines and weakens it.
There is no I. F. Stone in our media
Or any intellectual like Noam Chomsky.
The 5 Filters of the Mass Media Machine
Or journalists like Amy Goodman
“Shadows of Liberty”: New Film Explores How Corporate Control of Media Erodes Press Freedoms
And so we end up with mindless media parrots like Gower, Garner and Soper.
Even worse our taxpayer funded media is fronted by puppets like Hosking and Espiner.
Whoa. How is Hosking taxpayer funded?
Independent State Broadcaster ?
If you are talking about TVNZ sure it is owned by the State. But unless Hosking gets any New Zealand on Air funding, which I doubt, there is no public money funding his show. Quite the opposite. His popularity allows TVNZ to charge a premium for ads in his time slot. Which adds to the bottom line which enables a dividend to the Crown.
The real issue is why does the Government own a dog with fleas commercial TV station? It is because thanks to certain political parties there is now a built in hysteria to the State divesting itself of business that it should not be in.
lol
says it provides a dividend, calls it a dog with fleas tv station.
Exactly. The media cannot handle TOP because it is a policy based party. It rejects the innane left / right language. But the media can’t get much past Gareth and cats.
The only choice in this election now is National supported by either TOP or New Zealand First. Get out there and support TOP. And donate money if you can afford it.
What are your thoughts on TOP’s Comprehensive Capital Tax proposal?
It is excellent. I agree with probably 80 percent of TOP policy. Their climate change and water policy is way ahead of any other political party. Their policy to increase the drinking age to 20 is nuts but you can’t have everything.
What do you like about the CCT? Particularly, why do you think it’s better than a capital gains tax? I’m looking for reasons to like the CCT, and RedLogix had a go at persuading me of it’s merits but didn’t convince me.
srylands likes it because he hopes 4.99% of people vote for it, ensuring that 4.99% of potential change the government votes are wasted chasing the TOP. These are 4.99% of voters not voting for NZF or the greens or Labour, so that is a win for srylands
Surely someone of deeply held principles such as srylands can elucidate the merits of a policy he’s just said he approves of.
Because a comprehensive capital tax incentivises people to examine their capital holdings on an ongoing basis. Not just when they are selling. Such a tax would stop over investing in houses.
If you want to read about it in detail, Geoff Simmons has written about it. Just Google it or watch his video.
Example my family member who is 91 lives in a $4 million 6 bedroom house in Pakarunga. Ridiculous. But he has no incentive to invest that capital in productive assets.
It is surprising that people who usually consider “property rights” to be sacrosanct, in this case are quick to determine what that personal property should be used for.
In this case, you believe that family member needs to divest his choice of residence, and invest in “productive assets”. What is your definition of productive assets? And why productive, instead of social assets or environmental? He may well be in a place he considers ideal, with community contacts and neighbours that he enjoys. Even if he is not, the principle is the same. Are you so tired of spending your own money, that you feel a need to dictate how others spend theirs?
I too like the TOP Comprehensive Tax Policy (and their families only) UBI.
And I genuinely believe that they have almost nothing in common with ther Nats, so would support a Labour lead/participating government.
With the turmoil of recent days regarding the Labour leadership, Im ready to bet a tray of sossy rolls on Winston being the next PM.
After all, he will tell everyone that hes the man with all the experience to lead the country………
The reasoning behind taxing the residential property someone is living in is flawed on multiple levels.
It ignores the social and community connections that contribute to wellbeing of those who have lived in the same neighbourhood for years, and gives them two options to pay taxes. To downsize their residence, or to invite others to live with them.
The TOP solution is delayed payment, but that is a cultural hurdle unlikely to be overcome without considerable distress and pain.
TOP also provides scenarios that consider the mortgage of a occupied residential house to be the same as a term investment of capital. This ignores the reality that many have taken mortgages out and by the time the house is paid off, the amount invested has often been four to five times the original price. They then tax you on the imputed rent that you have “saved”.
Brilliant, no?
The other comparable scenario that they provide is the necessity to pay CGT on investment properties. Also ignoring the fact that maintenance expenses are permitted with investments, which reduce the amount of tax paid by investors. Maintenance of your own home adds up over the years and will be taken out of net income for most people.
The other issues they don’t mention, is the appropriate taxing of income or benefits from family trusts etc, and the use of other ownership vehicles to protect assets, and income from being taxed appropriately. Because of this, the ones who will be consistently paying these taxes are the ones who are wage and salary earners, without separate companies, trusts and accountants who know how to provide benefits without declaring personal income for taxation.
Very little attention is given to the tax avoidance by multi-nationals – apart from – we will look at it.
And the deferment of company taxes for up to three years, will be abused by those who already treat company formations like a row of dominoes to be set up and knocked down in order to leave behind compliance and debt messes.
Molly good one. Having to defend the right to own a house (what effontery from little people) – that goes up in value because it’s one of the few worthwhile investments in the country, is trying to tax the air you breathe, the quality and friendliness of your neighbours and so on. The social value, the family time that is spent in the house, the place where you can be warm and think about what life is, can entertain other humans and animals, it is an extension of the people living in it.
But the hard-edged economists who like everything cut and dried, neat and packed, would probably say we should stack in like sardines, like in the cheap sleep hotels with pods you climb into, shut the grill and have a decent kip for low cost. But for a home you want more. And not to be charged for everything in life:
This keeps coming to mind from Le Mis – sorry if you/ve seen it before.
Charge ’em for the lice, extra for the mice
Two percent for looking in the mirror twice (Hand it over!)
Here a little slice, there a little cut
Three percent for sleeping with the window shut
When it comes to fixing prices
There are a lot of tricks I knows
How it all increases, all them bits and pieces
Jesus! It’s amazing how it grows!
And a pome about the politicians in Gnashional:
Master of the house? Isn’t worth my spit!
Comforter, philosopher and lifelong shit!
Cunning little brain, regular Voltaire
Thinks he’s quite a lover but there’s not much there
What a cruel trick of nature landed me with such a louse
God knows how I’ve lasted living with this bastard in the house!
AZLYRICS
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k6uqhKEAOM
Ah, but is owning houses a right anybody should have?
I would agree with you Draco if we had a legislative and economic framework that provided long-term secure tenancy.
At present, that does not exist, and it is most likely only property owners that will be able to offer friends, family (and strangers) accommodation. Many tenancies have an upper limit to tenant numbers.
Also, there is a guardianship that exists in long-term land ownership, of which our Robert Guyton is a good example. A long-term positive environmental vision is more likely to be realised on private property, and it is unlikely that that would be true for government owned/managed properties.
Ideally a collective ownership model would provide both the flexibility, and the connection to place that would create a culture where both environment and community were positively nurtured.
But we are not there yet.
True but it’s only legislation. Same as the idea that land/home ownership is secure. It’s only legislation.
And in NZ the state owns the land anyway and it can be taken off you at any time – as long as due compensation is made. Just make the same apply to state rentals.
No it’s not.
All those farmers out there destroying our waterways and destroying our land through unsustainable practices own the fucken land.
Government is accountable to the public whereas private isn’t. This means that we can steer the government to better land practices. Which apparently we can’t do with private land ownership.
A communal system is far more likely to do that than a capitalist system which only destroys.
Well, I’ll keep on submitting for planning provisions and frameworks that encourage and support community ownership. I think the ownership needs to be community sized and locally managed rather than controlled at a national level for optimal outcomes.
Till then, am seriously considering how to install an environmentally friendly septic system in our unused land without giving an indication to council that we will invite tiny house dwellers to share our location. (have about 1500m2 next to our only storage shed. Any workable suggestions welcome)
Ed
You can thank Murdoch for that, NZ no longer has a true democracy, John Key’s only legacy
Little and Labour need to dig deep and stop in fighting which is what the Natzis and MSM want, we require a united Labour Party if we are going to have a constructive Coalition Government, either Labour & NZF or Labour/NZF/Greens ?
Yes as a National (potential NZFirst voter) I hope Andrew Little stays on as Labour leader
Little is toast. What a bloody shambles.
Congratulations MSM and dirty politics, you have just destroyed your fourth Labour leader, time yet to start on the next.
Seem to be hell bent on turning NZ into a one party state
You can blame the MSM all you like, but its your dopey and disloyal MPs including Littles deputy (and Mike Wiliams) who are feeding the media the stuff they want to hear.
I suspect that Little is toast this time.
Not a single MP in the Labour caucus came out with an endorsement of Andrew Little in the last 48 hours.
Looks like yet another Labour leader gone.
You would think that after this many leaders in such a short time they would realise that the problem is not the leader, it is the party, those within it who set the tone and what the party is perceived to stand for. The MSM, the National party, etc are not responsible, the party is.
Adern is not the answer. Labour needs to distance itself from the Greens, the PC, the broad church, talk of quotas, etc, etc and return to it’s roots. Labour has to be unafraid to offend some people, it has forgotten about the working class and has suffered as a result.
“You would think that after this many leaders in such a short time they would realise that the problem is not the leader, it is the party, those within it who set the tone and what the party is perceived to stand for.”
You are correct, of course. However, it is far easier to blame the dastardly MSM, Hooten, Phil Quin, Josie Pagani, Mike Hosking, Guyon Espiner, Uncle Tom Cobley.
In fact, blame anyone if it will divert from the fact that Labour doesn’t have any credible policy, Clint Smith is a moron as far as strategy and comms is concerned and the whole party is an absolute mess.
“Labour needs to distance itself from the Greens” – because that worked so well for them in 2014. It’s MMP, get used to it.
“It’s MMP, get used to it”.
Well, you’d at least have to agree that Labour is doing something wrong in the MMP environment? 4 terms in opposition would tend to suggest they haven’t quite nailed a winning strategy for MMP…
I am used to MMP. I voted for MMP and I like MMP. The working class and the Greens are incompatible. Lbour needs the working class more than it needs the Greens. How many more leaders until the party wakes up.
National have used the same strategy in the last 3-4 Elections and Labour have bought into it, when will they learn, harden up, time for another cup of concrete Andrew Little & Labour, do not bend over for National and MSM, New Zealand needs a strong Labour Leader going forward. 5 Labour Leaders in 9 Years all initiated by National & MSM ?
A shocking insight into the last days of the battle for Mosul and the behaviour or Iraqi soldiers
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mosuls-final-bloodbath-we-killed-everyone-men-women-children-1721780413
Mike Williams stabs Little in the back with a large knife RNZ this morning…fatal wound?
The way forward..Labour the unapologetic socialist party of Workers, the youth, the disenfranchised and the environment.
Turn Labour Left!
Adrian Thornton, That sounds like the Greens to me.
ones has to wonder about the political nous of the PLP….Little resigning or being rolled will only be a negative for the future of the Labour Party…..and it won’t save anyones seat either, likely the contrary…..braindead the lot of them.
New post on Labour’s leadership meeting is up.
Here: https://thestandard.org.nz/labour-leadership-meeting/
If anyone thinks that running a Green-influenced government will be easy, check out how hard it is to get one single cycleway in one of the highest Green-polling areas in the country:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/95300945/hundreds-turn-out-for-public-meeting-on-final-designs-for-rebooted-island-bay-cycleway
This is a war with the Council and neighbourhood about the removal of 57 car parks. Apparently that would “economically ruin the suburb.”
Lifeline funding cut 800k – more suicides and serious self harming now as people crack under their pressures.
I’ll try and put a post up once all the hooha has died down.
Another ridiculous ban. Your right of course, but why?
There is nothing particularly unusual in Gosman’s comment (it is just his opinion) that merits such draconian action.
[take the rest of the week off. Read the Policy. Track down Lynn’s recent comments about moderation and the election and the burden on moderator time. If you want to talk about moderation decisions, at the least you need to do that in a respectful way (hint, starting a comment with “another ridiculous ban” isn’t it) and that doesn’t waste moderator time.
Yes, Gosman’s comment was usual for Gosman, and that’s a pattern of behaviour for his brand of trolling. He’s having a go at the site participants (authors and commenters) in a deliberate windup. That’s clearly against the site rules. He’s ascribing implied views to people here but so generally it can’t be rebutted without becoming a derail. Which is what Gosman wants. Unfortunately for him but fortunately for the rest of us, the point of TS is to provide a space for and foster debate for the broader labour movement. We are under no obligations to provide space for trolls.
For context for others, here’s the ban https://thestandard.org.nz/labour-leadership-meeting/#comment-1360333 – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Wayne – you’re swooping pretty low here, donchathink?
“The Greens are neo liberals on bikes.
Running a surplus is fiscally irresponsible when…”
Some interesting ideas that shake the tree so that all the high fruit becomes available for the peeps down below.
We have to absorb the change in leadership, done. And can start the next chapter of the book soon. In the meantime you can listen to economic theory for the ret of this century which will help treat some of our ailments.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201852897/there-s-no-such-thing-as-fair-austerity
“The Greens are neo liberals on bikes.
Who get told to bugger off.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/95300945/hundreds-turn-out-for-public-meeting-on-final-designs-for-rebooted-island-bay-cycleway
Labour’s billboard issue solved, dig the 2008 ones out of the garage and put some hair extensions on Helen.
http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/labour-partys-first-campaign-billboard-is-displayed-at-a-residence-in-picture-id82798161
The new Labour leader must distance herself from the criminal actions of the greens to be able to survive.
[aw ffs. Banned. There have been no “criminal actions of the greens”] – Bill
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[2 months]
I’m not logged in as a moderator from my current location, but this earns d4j a ban in my book. Trolling, diversion, ugly and unoriginal.
(The sad part is that once upon a time you were better than this d4j).
RedLogix I was being nice NZ needs a Labour Party with integrity and honest principles.
Not really. Another party can rise and take over where MJS left off.
Just like the Greens are doing in fact.
🙄
So at least I have the schadenfreude of listening to your wailing to enjoy.
In any case, lower-case greens. Dad was never “better than this”.
Dunno about the leadership change cleaning outdead wood from Labour, but it seems to have helped clean tories away from TS 🙂
They’re just waiting for the focus grouped replies to come back from T/C and DPF.
Nah, I was thinking more of the longer-term attrition due to playing in mod traffic 🙂
Yanis Varoufakis from May Ted Talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB4s5b9NL3I
Capitalism will eat democracy — unless we speak up