"Come along for a 'Picnic' at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, a place that symbolises our ancestors that fought for our freedom," a statement on Unite's website read.
What a gang of deluded fuckwits! Do they not realise that every service person since way back when has been vaccinated without choice or rights of refusal. To compound this lack of awareness, the most vulnerable to death with/by Covid overwhelmingly are of the age group that most closely represent those they purport to extol.
After WW2, thousands of young men were forced to do Compulsory Military Training. The 'youngsters' of this cohort are now in their 70's – and were all COMPULSORILY vaccinated, in case they were required as war fodder. Guess what they might think of these self-entitled pricks who want to wrap themselves in sham patriotism, while happily handing out premature death sentences to these people- all in the name of their 'freedumbs".
One might suggest that Unite should watching their backs. It is not only the old buggers that will be offended, there are thousands of younger active and former service men and women who may decide that the fuckwit brigade should be physically dealt too for their blatant disrespect.
The Ukranians are neither confirming or denying the attack on the fuel depot, so there has been some speculation that it was a false flag attack by the Russians.
However, I don't see the point of the Russians staging a false flag attack on this asset. It is strategic infrastructure the Russians need to support their heavily armour dependent effort in the region they have just signalled they want to focus on. It would make an ideal opportunistic target for the Ukranians and would fit with their MO of targeting Russian logistics.
I would suspect a false flag attack if an empty school had been hit, or there had been some sort of chemical incident in Russia.
I agree. I don’t think there really is much point. Unless they wanted to do something like staging a chemical attack against Russian civilians to justify using chemical weapons themselves.
That dissatisfied members of the Russian forces in the area may have carried out the attack themselves because they want to force Russia to exit the war.
Attacking that sort of installation as a false flag makes no sense at all. But mutiny in the ranks is certainly a possibility.
Anything to excuse the highly probable eh? You should be engaged by NATO in a psyops role. At least you might sound a little more credible than old sleepy Joe.
Do you have anything to back up your speculation that the US or NATO had anything to do with that attack? Especially given the extraordinary efforts they have gone to to make sure they weren't directly involved in this fight. Imagine if it had been the US and a helicopter crashed and the Americans were caught?
Or is it more likely to be forces that have been refusing to obey orders and shoot down their own air craft, or back a tank over their own commander?
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Aleksandr Motuzyanık … said, "Ukraine is carrying out a defensive operation to repel the Russian attack. But this does not mean that Ukraine is responsible for all the disasters and events that occurred on the territory of the Russian Federation. This is not the first time we have seen such accusations. Therefore, we cannot confirm this information. I neither deny it."
To screw with the Russian heads though, the Ukranians (regardless of whether or not they carried out the attack) could issue the following press release:
"After investigating this incident we can confirm that Ukraine did not carry out this attack. However, our sources inside the Russian military advise us that the attack was carried out by discontented members of the Russian airforce…"
How is he a 'good mayor'? He's gone against 72% of his own constituents, and appears to have actively shut down debate on the issue. He's also thrown away the opportunity to work with a powerful block of councils to effect change to what is a deeply flawed plan, which is foolish, considering his own Deputy said that "councillors were generally in agreement about having strong misgivings about aspects of the Government’s reform agenda."
He's gone against 72% of his own constituents, and appears to have actively shut down debate on the issue.
What article have you been reading? It sounds like you’re making up things. As you know, I get tetchy when I get the distinct feeling that commenters make up stuff to suit their biased narrative, especially when they make rather bold allegations.
"An unscientific poll of Otago Daily Times readers found 71.74% of respondents thought the council was wrong to pull out of Communities 4 Local Democracy, while 28.26% thought it had done the right thing. There were a total of 2265 voters in the poll."
'…and appears to have actively shut down debate on the issue.'
"While Aaron Hawkins remained mayor, no serious opposition would be mounted to the city council losing control of assets as part of the Government’s Three Waters reforms, Cr Jim O’Malley said. "He has actively blocked that in the past 12 months," Cr O’Malley said."
Fascinating, how your biased mind seems to work, truly fascinating.
You seem to think that the results of “[a]n unscientific poll” of “2265 voters in the poll” is representative of Dunedin’s constituents.
You also seem to think that reckons of one disgruntled councillor mean that debate was shut down. First, that’s not what the councillor said, but simply your incorrect interpretation. There’s nothing in the linked article suggesting that Hawkins has or did shut down debate as you allege. In addition, there’s mention of at least 2 pivotal votes and “numerous opportunities for the council to express concern”. Looks to me there’s been plenty of lively debate.
"You seem to think that the results of “[a]n unscientific poll” of “2265 voters in the poll” is representative of Dunedin’s constituents."
Do you have any other polls that say differently?
"First, that’s not what the councillor said, but simply your incorrect interpretation. "
How do you interpret the suggestion that the mayor blocked opposition?
"“numerous opportunities for the council to express concern”"
Yes that would be a claim made by the mayor who has been the one accused of shutting down debate.
"there’s mention of at least 2 pivotal votes"
And there's mention by the Deputy mayor Christine Garey of councillors being "generally in agreement about having strong misgivings about aspects of the Government’s reform agenda."
You made up these allegations, you find the evidence, which is not in the article I read. I read the facts, not your interpretations or allegations. Explain how there have been at least 2 pivotal votes without prior debate.
If you have other polls, preferentially scientific ones conducted by an independent party, let’s hear it, from you.
Council minutes will no doubt show there’s been plenty of debate. Go find those minutes and read them before you spread your disinformation here.
Even the Deputy Mayor referes to agreement and misgivings; is she a mindreader too just like you?
It seems I have to activate my recent moderation warning to you.
You're having some reading comprehension issues today.
"You made up these allegations,"
No. I quoted directly from the article.
"Even the Deputy Mayor referes to agreement and misgivings;"
But I didn't say there wasn't any disagreement – the votes were close, so clearly there was. What I said was that the mayor 'appears to have actively shut down debate', a claim supported directly from the article by the comments of Cr O'Malley.
"It seems I have to activate my recent moderation warning to you."
Go for your life. I'm not retracting comments that were based directly on the contents of an article that is in the public domain.
[Your conclusion is untenable from the info in that one single article. You make a serious allegation about the Mayor “actively” obstructing the democratic process, i.e. debate, apparent (to you) or not. There are many ways of a attempting a “serious opposition” (whatever that means) from mounting, e.g. persuasive arguments in open and robust debate and/or a legalistic behaviour. Evidence for this or to the contrary may be found in the minutes of Council meetings and/or elsewhere but you made no effort to find any because you’ve already made your conclusions and closed off your mind to other information. You also extrapolate from an unscientific poll result to come to your conclusion about the constituents of Dunedin. So, it is obvious that you subtly twist things your way to suit your bias and spread misinformation and disinformation. I have warned you recently this misleading behaviour here would result in an instant ban. So, take a week off – Incognito]
Yes I'd suggest the local government elections are a reasonable proxy for what local government feels about 3 Waters. And government will have no choice but to listen if it continues to languish in the 36% range or worse.
My feeling is that the government will "hear the word" of this upcoming result and put the proposal up for central government election.
If he has it right, it's by being lucky that his green party future career points in that direction, more than by his ability.
Not sure how many of the council actually support 3waters. But the mana whenua do support it.
So there is a chunk of council, like the mayor, who have "concern" or "misgivings" about it but will do nothing, and another chunk who are actually prepared to oppose it.
There is a certain poetry to councils losing billions of dollars worth of assets with a farcical amount of compensation, with mana whenua looking on and cheering. Who says history never repeats, lol
The biggest OPEX is the housing of the economy’s workforce….time (well past) to cut our biggest cost, and maybe, just maybe we may improve our productivity.
in the last 2 years the population has been stable,and yet house prices went up 40%,and building costs went through the roof,where a lot of the component's are locally sourced.
The cost of land say in CHCH should not have changed,there is for example 47 hecatres of residential land in the 4 avenues alone.
A lot of the new builds are being used for short term accomodation (airbnb) 2000 in CHCH single use alone.
All supported (made possible) by ever increasing book value…..which im sure we will agree is unsustainable….the moment that book value ceases to grow the whole house of cards collapses, and in the past few months (well before Ukraine) the indications are that enough are beginning to understand that….party is over, hangover to follow.
James Cooney, director of development company Wolfbrook Residential, said low interest rates and Government incentives to buy in new developments had strongly boosted sales of investment properties.
“There’s just so much demand, it’s ridiculous, and 80 to 90 per cent of it is coming from investors.”
New Government rules in force from this year mean mortgages for new properties require smaller deposits than existing ones, and are less likely to attract tax on capital gains.
The Government has announced that New Zealand will release more of its emergency oil stocks in response to the global impact on energy security as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
We do not have a physical reserve,we have a futures contract,too purchase an agreed amount of oil at the spot price.With backwardation the oil prices are less in the future market,then the spot at present.
The US has a wide spread (releasing a million barrels of physical oil) which has brought the spot price down WTI under 100bbl and the december futures up to 94bbl.
Some of those fighting in Ukraine are doing so to cause the fall of Putin, one group are Belarusians. They see Putin as one factor behind the continuance of the rule of the tyrant in Minsk.
About 200 members of the volunteer battalion are serving on the front lines, including in Irpin on Kyiv’s outskirts, where Ukrainian forces recently regained control, Kulazhanka and other recruits said.
They are funded and equipped mostly through donations from the Belarusian and Ukrainian diasporas, including in the United States. But the recent induction of the battalion into the armed forces has meant that some received guns and armor, including some supplied by NATO, from the Ukrainian military.
On my way back across the border, I met two German foreign fighters in their mid-fifties, who were also traveling back to Poland. They’d been at the Yavoriv base earlier the previous morning, when it was bombed. “The international legion is young guys who are hungry for an adventure. They’re cannon fodder,” said one. “They won’t come back from the front lines. They should leave.” He described weapons trainings done with YouTube videos.
KO has been rapped over the knuckles by the Tenancy Tribunal for their gross failure to manage the impact of disruptive tenants on their neighbours. In this case both the parties were KO tenants.
It was declared in the hearing that Kāinga Ora breached its legal obligation by failing to take all reasonable steps in ensuring the peace and comfort of their tenant.
"While the landlord took some reasonable steps, it has become clear that the action taken by the landlord was inadequate," Walker said.
"Some urgent action should have been taken for the landlord to meet their statutory responsibility."
There is nothing in the article, about recent steps (since this new policy was implemented in February) to deal with this issue.
What I'm not seeing (or at least not reported) is a directive to KO to take urgent action – and move out the tenant with the significant and ongoing history of disruptive behaviour.
The wimpish current policy of 'offering both parties alternative accommodation' (especially when they know there is no alternative accommodation) is useless. Evict the problem tenant, and leave the rest of the neighbourhood to enjoy a peaceful life.
The 1st one though indicates those on the state house waiting house includes some who need an accessible wet accessible bathroom area (which would probably push them up the list). They probably usually get a new unit or any existing units once modified as soon as it is available.
The point i was making was that Kainga Ora does evict people. Just not hte violent antisocial assholes.
Yeah, and they get a house when one is available.
Come to Rotorua, go to Fenton street and understand that most of the motels are full with people who wait for a state house. And most of them are not violent antisocial assholes.
Last, i see no difference between L and N, i consider them all unwilling to do what needs to be done when it comes to housing – affordable, clean and tidy housing.
Sabine, Kainga Ora are currently building many homes in Rotorua. More building has happened here in the last 12 months and this year than in the last 5o years we have lived in Rotorua. We built our first home here in 1973, that was the last time you could see new homes in all areas of Rotorua.
A new subdivision is beginning on the corner of Ranolf and Malfroy Streets. Currntly there are 37 new homes in Pukehangi, 190 are planned city wide. So our suggestion they are the same as National is hogwash.
It's estimated that up to 2000 homeless people – many of them from other centres – are staying at about 45 motels in the city. Last year, the Ministry of Social Development spent about $10m on emergency accommodation grants in Rotorua, which has the second worst homeless problem in the country, behind Auckland.
They can't build fast enough and plenty enough to make even just a dent, so now they are buying motels in Rotorua for the homeless families of our fair town.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says emergency accommodation is a "stopgap measure" and is concerned about its long-term social effects
However, she would not say how long motels would be used to house the homeless.
snip
She said the government had built more than 70 public houses and had 180 more in the pipeline.
snip
Rotorua-based list MP Tāmati Coffey said he believed that there were a lot of "desperate" locals who had been pushed out of the rental market in Rotorua's emergency accommodation.
"We don't want them to be in emergency housing, but we also don't want them to be filling up Kuirau Park. We also don't want them in the shops, in the door fronts of some of the shops around the CBD.
Btw, i live next to one of these houses that are being build. The property stood empty for two years, then the property got demolished, then the block stood empty for one year, now they have been building for about half a year, and i would guess it will take another half a year to finish.
At that rate and the number announced it will take another 20 odd years to house the estimated 2000 people (2021 number) in houses.
Btw, my neighbourgh has a family member live in the Garage, it is safer there then in the Motels. Go figure.
Fwiw, i think the effort of N and L in regards to housing are negligable.
Never mind the properties that got demolished, surely for the greater good and some new houses. Hopefully. Never mind that we actually now have less state houses then we used too.
The Government has sold or demolished nearly 2000 state houses since July 2018, Newshub can reveal.
And while Housing Minister Megan Woods continues to trumpet a bonanza state house build, the number of state houses managed by Kāinga Ora – Housing NZ – has actually fallen.
Ms Morris credited Destiny Church's Man Up programme, Whānau Ora, Auckland Action Against Poverty and the Blind Foundation for their continued support throughout the family's tenancy process.
She said Mangere Housing New Zealand staff also treated the family with dignity.
I know two people that have been "saved" from a drunken and lonely old age by Destiny Church.
It appears to be more than just a vanity and self enrichment project of Tamaki's, for many in it.
I suspect like most churches, and other "gangs", they have to be more than just a money making outfit to keep members.
Just heard an acquaintance has transferred from Destiny to Equip. Apparently the tithe is cheaper!
Tempted to let them know that the Presbyterians and Sallies etc, offer the same services, for a voluntary donation!
Well, I guess they can go to the back of the line of the 20,000+ families who are waiting for a KO house.
'Inconvenience' is people parking on the berm, or not mowing the lawn, or having parties every weekend. Annoying. But you just live with it.
This is (as determined by both the police and the Tenancy Tribunal) illegal antisocial behaviour (threats, harassment, etc.). No neighbour should have to put up with it, because KO can't deal with a problem tenant.
And, 9/10 of the problem behaviour would stop immediately, if the tenants concerned knew they would be kicked out for anti-social behaviour.
The government can rent a motel just for these assholes and hide them there just as they do with those that are not antisocial violent assholes but who are unlucky enough to not being put up in state houses as these antisocial violent assholes. Like all the several hundreds of families that can’t get state houses because the government gives them to violent antisocial assholes. .
No they don't need greater support, they need no support. At some stage you cut the abuser out of your life and you put the effort to those that want to be good and law abiding citizens.
The right to safety from your feral neighbours is stronger.
Bear in mind that we are talking about people who conduct a relentless campaign of active harassment, threats, property damage and actual physical violence.
Just imagine what that does to your mental health, let alone physical well-being. We've had story, after story, in the media of families who are literally afraid to leave their houses, because of the (usually gang adjacent) neighbours.
Nothing preventing KO from choosing to house the anti-social in motels – it's still a 'roof over their heads' – just not one that's particularly attractive.
Given that the State can't care for and fix everyone at the same time (9 years of neglect, I hear the echo); then perhaps they need to follow standard triage principles, and deal with the people who 'can' be fixed in the short term. Get them out of the way and resolved, and then try to do something about the long-term dysfunctional.
Because, the fastest way to make a gang life attractive to the next generation, is to see criminals getting way with anti-social and intimidating behaviour with zero consequences.
How – you sit down and have a hard think and pull out your hankies.
And the other people who have been trying to be good citizens and not have their children turn in to a…holes just should look on with a saintly expression and get a big dog with big teeth. I saw in a usa film about a working solo father trying to protect his two boys in their inadequate room. He barked when people rattled the doorknob as he couldn't afford a dog. Or perhaps a recording? Ideas that the helpful government should pass on to it's poor and reasonably honest tenants.
People who are most damged probably can never be rehabilitated. They should have a special working farm prison with amenities and get locked into their rooms at night so they can't get out and start fires, pinch farm bikes, rape women or whatever has become their habitual obsession. They could be happy there so for god's sake take away their freedom – to create misery. And have tough cahps in charge, just practice isolation for people who threaten attack and never trust them completely, safety first and stun guns as backups. If they behave it could be a good place with their own room and decent bedding as long as they don't get the urge to slash it. Most of the men, no women permanently there, would be likely to have been assessed as mentally unbalanced.
So we are not solving anything considering that these people cause harm to law abiding citizens – presumably at their cost. So that is OK?
And some will always end up in Prison – that is why we have prisons, to get the criminal elements that wreak havoc in the community out of hte community.
In the meantime we are warehousing families who work in rundown motels at a million dollar or so
so my solution would be that these guys can live in a run down motel and the good state houses go to good families that work, but don't make enough to pay market rent. But i guess that is not awesome and 'woke' enough.
It is an outrage that you have no qualms about comparing assholes to criminals. They are of course not the same thing.
People who have no money for a long time have a propensity to be assholes because they have to fight for absolutely everything and everything in their life can be taken away – such little as they have.
Anyone who carries the badge 'woke' for actually caring for people that are really really hard to deal with … well those people don't give much thought for your labels.
You'll see such people out every weekend with other badges on them like St Johns, St Vincent De Paul, St Francis, Te Whanau Waipereira, Habitat for Humanity, Barnardo's, Tear Fund, The Compassion Soup Kitchen, City Mission, World Vision, and bunches of Anglican and Catholic trusts and entities. Kiwi volunteers and underpaid staff by the thousand.
They don't give a damn about how you disparage their work or the people they work with.
They understand your scorn, derision, rage and urge to punish. They've seen those stories for several thousand years.
People who have no money for a long time have a propensity to be assholes because they have to fight for absolutely everything and everything in their life can be taken away – such little as they have.
You have hit the nail on the head Ad. The above description is a plan for growing more assholes. You big softie Ad. Could you spread your sympathy wider to people who bear the brunt of thr poor caring of these people by authority figures for many years. As many of those people suffering from the effects of those poorly cared for people is likely to follow the same path as them, never having seen a different life, but forced to live amongst the rough, dishonest or vicious. Role models you know, get copied.
surely Tiny Dean has a motel space available for them on Fenton Street.
That is where we warehouse homeless families that work in many cases and can not afford rent. Just a thought. Or is that to good for criminals that wreak havoc in the areas where they get state houses that seemingly one can only get when one is a lawbreaking antisocial criminal.
That is just sour nastiness Sabine, and your constant attacks on the motelliers who have offered their properties says more about your bitterness than their motives. Constant carping and wild generalisations don't prove a thing. Too broad a brush. You confirmed the building programme, then got hung up on the time it takes to get consents and do infrastructure.. typical.!!
No sour nastiness about that at all Patricia. Just facts, inconvenient facts.
It was facts when National did nothing to alleviate the housing crisis and started housing people in motels and it is a fact now that Labour does it too.
We are warehousing people for month/years on end in Motels. In Rotorua and elsewhere.
And if you are pleased with the little that is happening that is good for you. Me i look at my neighbor in his two bedroom unit, with his wife, his son, the daughter, the grand child and the occasional cuzzy cause they have no where to go. This is now a fact in any town in NZ, but particularly in Auckland and Rotorua. Nothing nasty about that. It is actually just a tragedy. A tragedy of epic proportions.
I think Sabine has been really clear about her proposal – rent a motel for the people who are unable to live in a civilized fashion with their neighbours.
What's your one? Or do you think it's OK for them to continue their reign of terror (and that's exactly what it is, in some instances), with no consequences.
My proposal would be to rent the house next to Poto Williams, and put them there.
In the real world, there are already people living in the said motels on the waiting list for state housing.
And telling people in state housing that Labour will do nothing about their neighbour problems leaves them to wonder whether they would be better off under National.
To prove itself serious about such a social contract Labour would have abandon debt targets and bring in CGT, wealth and estate taxation and MMT. And at some risk of being seen as too radical for the centre.
On current policy settings it would have to plot a more measured course – and that means winning elections regularly if it is to make progress over time. That does not happen if the people in state housing are unhappy, or those in motels, because of the behaviour of their neighbours.
The social contract also involves law – landlords have certain responsibilities – including KO.
So, in your Hobsonville Plus vision – what do you do with a tenant who consistently exhibits anti-social behaviour (loud parties til 3am, smashed bottles across shared driveways, hard-core gang associates visiting, dealing drugs, feral dogs chained on the property, physical intimidation, threats, and actual violence against anyone who is brave enough to complain, regular and open domestic violence against women and children resident at the property, etc.)
[Before you say I'm making this up – all of this has been witnessed by friends at a local KO house – luckily, for them, slightly down the road, rather than actually next door]
Don't say the police will deal with it – because they won't – or at least, not until there is a case of actual assault – and even then it will be 'a visitor to the house' rather than a resident, so KO won't do anything.
Treat people like scum and replicate the problem a hundredfold.
That's exactly what KO are doing to the innocent neighbours caught up in this drama. Treating them like scum….
I do not doubt your example. And I am sure there are hundreds more.
You apply as many wraparound services as are required to change the situation. It usually involves a set of interventions from the following state entities, and there's no particular order to this:
Kainga Ora, NZPolice, MSD, MoE, local Kura, MOH and DHBs, urban Maori trust services, Oranga Tamariki or whatever it will be called, local service trusts, wider family members, tonnes upon tonnes of taxpayer $$ and family group conferences, Corrections and MoJ, and finally employers who are prepared to take on Not in Education Employment or Training …
… literally hundreds of thousands of dollars working day after day to lever each and every one of these people out of the desperation and rage they are in.
And yes not all fo them will work and some will still go to gangs, for which the only control is NZPolice and MoJ and Corrections. But then, how did we bring our jail count down from 13,000 to 8,000 in 2 terms?
Hobsonville has most of those services built in.
No it is not easy. Yes that is is what our taxpayer funding is for. Yes that is the essence of the social democratic state.
Pretty pictures and plans, very artistic. But people who want to be good citizens are being treated like scum under the present system Ad. If you don' think that is right the present system is wrong, and should be changed speedily for a better one. What can you do about that, without having fancy modern housing.
Just help with something now not in future years when built, warm, dry house, with sun and light, safe space for kids to play,some shade area beside for super hot summers, friendly, respectful neighbours, own area with gate for wandering dogs and people (though a man who insisted on entering a property despite a warning notice not to use the back entrance, got bitten by the guard dog in one Nelson property, and was able to plead rights and the dog be ordered to be put down). Makes you realise that you are on a different planet than Labour planners. Send in the clowns – Don't you love a farce? My fault, I fear,
I thought that you'd want what I want
Sorry my dear…
Sabine’s proposal sucks and is a typical simpleton solution. Unless such motel is in the wop-wops there will always be neighbours in the hood, just not in adjacent rooms.
The issue is not going away by not doing anything. It is getting worse. And anyone who will run on 'law and order' will pick up all those that feel that law and order has been abandoned.
We have no issues housing homeless people in motels the up and down the country. At great cost to the tax payer – as they are the ones that pay all the bills.
But i guess we will see what happen in the near future. Elections are only a few months away.
They’re always only a few months away. Which public assets will NAct flog off to their rich mates this time, and what public services will be privatised – gotta fund those tax cuts. My money's on water assets and health services (the pandemic’s over, right?), and they might give Serco another go – plenty of wealth to gorge on yet.
But I guess we'll see what happens in a few months.
"There's nowhere to sleep at the back of this line."
Really, so we have 20,000+ families sleeping in cars, then?
No, they're in motels – which everyone acknowledges is not adequate housing (apart from the most temporary of emergency housing).
But it does give them somewhere to sleep.
In February this year, Kainga Ora national services general manager Nick Maling announced a suite of changes to policy that would strengthen the way it managed disruptive behaviour in its homes.
Maling said the Residential Tenancies Act provided more scope to deal with unruly tenants by enabling Kāinga Ora to move disruptive residents out of communities more easily.
These changes included Kāinga Ora implementing a warnings process that allowed the public housing landlord to take disruptive tenants to the tribunal to end a tenancy if three incidents of a serious nature were documented in a 90-day period.
Maling noted they did not want to make tenants homeless and would work to provide alternative housing and support to address the causes behind residents' behaviour.
The changes were part of a broader Kāinga Ora Customer Programme that was focused on the wellbeing of state housing tenants and the communities they lived in, Maling said.
Maybe Kainga Ora tenants who have concerns about their neighbours behaviour need to become clients of the said agencies … .
Funny thing is National wants some of the said agencies to have a greater role in the lives of those on welfare, agencies that oppose National’s approach on Kainga Ora.
Oh, so it's fine for an 'ordinary' law-abiding family to be stuck in motel accommodation, but it's too sub-standard for anti-social criminals.
If they're a 'really difficult family' then just maybe – bog-standard KO independent living is *not* the most appropriate solution for them.
I'd like to see some actively monitored housing precincts (could be apartments) – which have a zero-tolerance for gang presence, and are gated so residents only.
I would assume that most people in these households are 'ok', but that one or two elements are not. These are the people that need to be removed. And if they are law breaking they need to be arrested, and locked up. And that is the issue, innit, that we are currently not arresting and locking up people who cause havoc.
Oh well, i guess its fair go for the 'tough on law and order crowd' as the current crowd seems to simply pretend that if you don't lock them up they will rehabilitate themselves, and no it wont be cheaper either as per the Corrections Ministers, cause average and fixed costs and leases.
Something is rotten at the heart of UK politics. The Russian oligarchy has embedded its tentacles deep in the Britsh aristocracy and they are exercising considerable power to suppress the truth. Reminds me of the Jian Yang saga and National's (no so hidden) propensity to suck up to CCP money
Like Russia, we are a deeply unequal society with an exceptionally narrow intermarried inter-director network with no more than a handful of key net worth people in: housing, building supplies, ports, airports, groceries, fuel, politics, media, milk, agriculture, meat, banking, bread, fruit, electricity production, broadband, and more. Most of our debt is controlled by Australia, and most of what we make is taken by China: just 2 countries.
We're under a total illusion that we are more economically free than Russia.
Bruce Jesson and WB Sutch would recognise this country as the worst possible scenario they had imagined.
But Kremlin aligned oligarchs are perhaps unusually active in promoting sociopathies like Brexit, which was intended to reduce the UK's influence and the effectiveness and cohesion of European powers.
The sociopathy of a Bill Gates is not intentionally directed towards the wrecking of Western society (though the various windows systems are hardly benign), they are his customers after all. But this limitation is not true of Kremlin operations, who would not be at all sad to see the present order collapse. They are in a very real sense the enemies of our states.
It's no more likely that Russians will be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine than Americans have been for theirs, but if tribunals were to be set up then there'd be a bunch of slam-dunk cases.
"Historically weak government finances, badly timed tax cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the vital tourism industry, have decimated the economy, triggering a currency crisis that has disrupted fuel imports and caused skyrocketing food prices."
Just read the obit for Dame Miriam Dell – what an outstanding woman. Just reading through this, it's filled with 'only woman on' and 'first woman to' – it's due to her (and the team of strong women around her) that we have made such progress towards equality not, that I – or probably Dell – think that we're there yet
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
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. ...
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. ...
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. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
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 ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
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The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
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"Come along for a 'Picnic' at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, a place that symbolises our ancestors that fought for our freedom," a statement on Unite's website read.
What a gang of deluded fuckwits! Do they not realise that every service person since way back when has been vaccinated without choice or rights of refusal. To compound this lack of awareness, the most vulnerable to death with/by Covid overwhelmingly are of the age group that most closely represent those they purport to extol.
After WW2, thousands of young men were forced to do Compulsory Military Training. The 'youngsters' of this cohort are now in their 70's – and were all COMPULSORILY vaccinated, in case they were required as war fodder. Guess what they might think of these self-entitled pricks who want to wrap themselves in sham patriotism, while happily handing out premature death sentences to these people- all in the name of their 'freedumbs".
One might suggest that Unite should watching their backs. It is not only the old buggers that will be offended, there are thousands of younger active and former service men and women who may decide that the fuckwit brigade should be physically dealt too for their blatant disrespect.
I see the villagers around Belgarod in Russia have been getting lots of "entertainment" over the last few nights:
First, a Russian ammunition dump explodes allegedly due to Ukranian shelling, or perhaps a missile attack:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/huge-explosions-major-russian-ammo-26587639
And now a huge fire at a fuel storage depot caused by two attack helicopters:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60952125
The Ukranians are neither confirming or denying the attack on the fuel depot, so there has been some speculation that it was a false flag attack by the Russians.
However, I don't see the point of the Russians staging a false flag attack on this asset. It is strategic infrastructure the Russians need to support their heavily armour dependent effort in the region they have just signalled they want to focus on. It would make an ideal opportunistic target for the Ukranians and would fit with their MO of targeting Russian logistics.
I would suspect a false flag attack if an empty school had been hit, or there had been some sort of chemical incident in Russia.
What would be the point of a false flag?
Exactly. No point to attack this sort of infrastructure as a false flag.
A false flag would be much more effective if it was attacking some sort of soft target.
itHow would the Russians benefit from any false flag on Russian territory?
I agree. I don’t think there really is much point. Unless they wanted to do something like staging a chemical attack against Russian civilians to justify using chemical weapons themselves.
Since Ukraine denies all knowledge, there is another highly disturbing implication and it ain't got anything to do with false flags.
Care to join the dots Tsmithfield?
Neither confirm nor deny is not the same thing as claiming no knowledge.
But are you suggesting another foreign actor could have done this? And if so, what would be the point?
Throwing a spanner into the works of peace negotiations?
Who might want the war to carry on and turn Ukraine into Afghanistan?
Actually, there is another possibility:
That dissatisfied members of the Russian forces in the area may have carried out the attack themselves because they want to force Russia to exit the war.
Attacking that sort of installation as a false flag makes no sense at all. But mutiny in the ranks is certainly a possibility.
Anything to excuse the highly probable eh? You should be engaged by NATO in a psyops role. At least you might sound a little more credible than old sleepy Joe.
Do you have anything to back up your speculation that the US or NATO had anything to do with that attack? Especially given the extraordinary efforts they have gone to to make sure they weren't directly involved in this fight. Imagine if it had been the US and a helicopter crashed and the Americans were caught?
Or is it more likely to be forces that have been refusing to obey orders and shoot down their own air craft, or back a tank over their own commander?
https://metro.co.uk/2022/03/31/russians-shooting-down-own-planes-and-refusing-to-follow-orders-16377838/
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/world/russia-ukraine-war-russian-soldier-reportedly-runs-over-his-commander-with-tank-in-protest/
I think there is more basis for my speculation than yours.
Where did you get 'neither confirm nor deny' from?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/300556574/ukraine-denies-they-were-behind-strike-on-russian-territory-as-talks-resume
Making stuff up again to support your obsessions?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5KE-QqK2mI
Exactly: Also:
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-foreign-minister-says-he-has-no-information-about-who-carried-out-2022-04-01/
To screw with the Russian heads though, the Ukranians (regardless of whether or not they carried out the attack) could issue the following press release:
"After investigating this incident we can confirm that Ukraine did not carry out this attack. However, our sources inside the Russian military advise us that the attack was carried out by discontented members of the Russian airforce…"
classic psyops
Pretty understandable however – flying a helicopter over an enemy country rich in manpads is likely rather stressful.
Yes, such a statement could sow seeds of doubt within the Russian forces on a number of levels: eg:
Do the Ukranians have sources inside our military?
Do we have a mutiny in our own forces? etc.
Or possibly some locals who decided to get involved as they have Ukrainian friends or relatives just across the border?
Mayor Hawkins of Dunedin goes against joining with other Councils who oppose the 3 Waters programme. Maori relationship healed, Council rift deepens.
Council schism over Three Waters broad | Otago Daily Times Online News (odt.co.nz)
Great to see a good Major making a principled stand and also paying a political cost for it. Proper politics.
How is he a 'good mayor'? He's gone against 72% of his own constituents, and appears to have actively shut down debate on the issue. He's also thrown away the opportunity to work with a powerful block of councils to effect change to what is a deeply flawed plan, which is foolish, considering his own Deputy said that "councillors were generally in agreement about having strong misgivings about aspects of the Government’s reform agenda."
What article have you been reading? It sounds like you’re making up things. As you know, I get tetchy when I get the distinct feeling that commenters make up stuff to suit their biased narrative, especially when they make rather bold allegations.
From the article referenced by Ad
'He's gone against 72% of his own constituents…'
"An unscientific poll of Otago Daily Times readers found 71.74% of respondents thought the council was wrong to pull out of Communities 4 Local Democracy, while 28.26% thought it had done the right thing. There were a total of 2265 voters in the poll."
'…and appears to have actively shut down debate on the issue.'
"While Aaron Hawkins remained mayor, no serious opposition would be mounted to the city council losing control of assets as part of the Government’s Three Waters reforms, Cr Jim O’Malley said. "He has actively blocked that in the past 12 months," Cr O’Malley said."
Fascinating, how your biased mind seems to work, truly fascinating.
You seem to think that the results of “[a]n unscientific poll” of “2265 voters in the poll” is representative of Dunedin’s constituents.
You also seem to think that reckons of one disgruntled councillor mean that debate was shut down. First, that’s not what the councillor said, but simply your incorrect interpretation. There’s nothing in the linked article suggesting that Hawkins has or did shut down debate as you allege. In addition, there’s mention of at least 2 pivotal votes and “numerous opportunities for the council to express concern”. Looks to me there’s been plenty of lively debate.
So, again, what article have you been reading?
"You seem to think that the results of “[a]n unscientific poll” of “2265 voters in the poll” is representative of Dunedin’s constituents."
Do you have any other polls that say differently?
"First, that’s not what the councillor said, but simply your incorrect interpretation. "
How do you interpret the suggestion that the mayor blocked opposition?
"“numerous opportunities for the council to express concern”"
Yes that would be a claim made by the mayor who has been the one accused of shutting down debate.
"there’s mention of at least 2 pivotal votes"
And there's mention by the Deputy mayor Christine Garey of councillors being "generally in agreement about having strong misgivings about aspects of the Government’s reform agenda."
It’s all in there.
You made up these allegations, you find the evidence, which is not in the article I read. I read the facts, not your interpretations or allegations. Explain how there have been at least 2 pivotal votes without prior debate.
If you have other polls, preferentially scientific ones conducted by an independent party, let’s hear it, from you.
Council minutes will no doubt show there’s been plenty of debate. Go find those minutes and read them before you spread your disinformation here.
Even the Deputy Mayor referes to agreement and misgivings; is she a mindreader too just like you?
It seems I have to activate my recent moderation warning to you.
You're having some reading comprehension issues today.
"You made up these allegations,"
No. I quoted directly from the article.
"Even the Deputy Mayor referes to agreement and misgivings;"
But I didn't say there wasn't any disagreement – the votes were close, so clearly there was. What I said was that the mayor 'appears to have actively shut down debate', a claim supported directly from the article by the comments of Cr O'Malley.
"It seems I have to activate my recent moderation warning to you."
Go for your life. I'm not retracting comments that were based directly on the contents of an article that is in the public domain.
[Your conclusion is untenable from the info in that one single article. You make a serious allegation about the Mayor “actively” obstructing the democratic process, i.e. debate, apparent (to you) or not. There are many ways of a attempting a “serious opposition” (whatever that means) from mounting, e.g. persuasive arguments in open and robust debate and/or a legalistic behaviour. Evidence for this or to the contrary may be found in the minutes of Council meetings and/or elsewhere but you made no effort to find any because you’ve already made your conclusions and closed off your mind to other information. You also extrapolate from an unscientific poll result to come to your conclusion about the constituents of Dunedin. So, it is obvious that you subtly twist things your way to suit your bias and spread misinformation and disinformation. I have warned you recently this misleading behaviour here would result in an instant ban. So, take a week off – Incognito]
Mode note
Yes I'd suggest the local government elections are a reasonable proxy for what local government feels about 3 Waters. And government will have no choice but to listen if it continues to languish in the 36% range or worse.
My feeling is that the government will "hear the word" of this upcoming result and put the proposal up for central government election.
3 Waters is big enough to need a fresh mandate.
The fact that he has gone against 72% of his constituents doesn't mean he is not a 'good mayor'. Those constituents may be wrong.
What fact?
I support Aaron's actions and rationale. He has it right, imo, and the others have it wrong.
Dunedin resident here, & I support Hawkins.
If he has it right, it's by being lucky that his green party future career points in that direction, more than by his ability.
Not sure how many of the council actually support 3waters. But the mana whenua do support it.
So there is a chunk of council, like the mayor, who have "concern" or "misgivings" about it but will do nothing, and another chunk who are actually prepared to oppose it.
There is a certain poetry to councils losing billions of dollars worth of assets with a farcical amount of compensation, with mana whenua looking on and cheering. Who says history never repeats, lol
30,000 Residents driven out of the Big Lemon over the last three years.Low rate of local GDP,excessive cost plus local economy.
A more sustainable city would need another 100000 to leave.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/housing-affordability/300556431/chief-economist-says-unaffordable-housing-in-auckland-is-driving-people-away
Median house price to income of 14.69…..nothing more needs to be said.
Thats the cost,the OPEX will increase around 15% by August next year (rates insurance,interest,electricity).
Potemkin policy and wasteful spending will not make it better.
But all the inflation is imported….nothing to be done about, so the experts say.
Unsustainable is.
Well some commodities are antifragile,Onions seem unchanged in price.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/128192151/pak-n-saves-ageing-shopping-lists-show-steep-rise-in-food-prices
And no futures market…i wonder if theres a connection?
That is why there is always been a future in Onions,the other commodity classes Boom and Bust,
The biggest OPEX is the housing of the economy’s workforce….time (well past) to cut our biggest cost, and maybe, just maybe we may improve our productivity.
in the last 2 years the population has been stable,and yet house prices went up 40%,and building costs went through the roof,where a lot of the component's are locally sourced.
The cost of land say in CHCH should not have changed,there is for example 47 hecatres of residential land in the 4 avenues alone.
A lot of the new builds are being used for short term accomodation (airbnb) 2000 in CHCH single use alone.
All supported (made possible) by ever increasing book value…..which im sure we will agree is unsustainable….the moment that book value ceases to grow the whole house of cards collapses, and in the past few months (well before Ukraine) the indications are that enough are beginning to understand that….party is over, hangover to follow.
Its going to be one hell of a hangover
Bigger then we can expect.(8 months ago)
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/business/125970733/developers-take-new-tack-in-search-for-land-as-investors-buy-up-new-homes
The gov and finance sector writing cheques the real economy cant possibly honour
the banks have a lot to answer for again.the RBNZ needs to make the banks increase their capital reserves,
Theyre getting around to it…..the Reserve Bank Act (1989) was a coup d'etat unrecognised.
What is 'Potemkin policy'?
All front and no substance
Ah that's the Potemkin Village. Not Battleship Potemkin.
Understand the clarification.
All smoke no hangi.
With the promise of a great feed
here is a good example with Megan Woods.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/128249080/new-zealand-to-release-further-oil-reserves-in-response-to-russian-invasion-of-ukraine
We do not have a physical reserve,we have a futures contract,too purchase an agreed amount of oil at the spot price.With backwardation the oil prices are less in the future market,then the spot at present.
The US has a wide spread (releasing a million barrels of physical oil) which has brought the spot price down WTI under 100bbl and the december futures up to 94bbl.
Some of those fighting in Ukraine are doing so to cause the fall of Putin, one group are Belarusians. They see Putin as one factor behind the continuance of the rule of the tyrant in Minsk.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/01/ukraine-belarus-fighters-russia/?carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3677f44%2F62471fe679d9d21aa1133935%2F602879e6ae7e8a31ba10f3a9%2F8%2F70%2F62471fe679d9d21aa1133935
Foreign fighters are of mixed value
https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/among-ukraines-foreign-fighters
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/ukraine-pauses-new-recruiting-to-foreign-legion-as-it-grapples-with-non-military-volunteers
KO has been rapped over the knuckles by the Tenancy Tribunal for their gross failure to manage the impact of disruptive tenants on their neighbours. In this case both the parties were KO tenants.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/kainga-ora-residents-tenancy-tribunal-complaint-after-neighbour-hell-for-three-years/JHLXUDIR4RO72KZKNQRUNNA7ME/?c_id=1&objectid=12515078&ref=rss
It makes it evident that the statement last year from Poto Williams about KO taking a firmer line, was just so much hot air.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/02/associate-minister-of-housing-poto-williams-steps-in-to-change-k-inga-ora-complaints-process-for-unruly-tenants.html
There is nothing in the article, about recent steps (since this new policy was implemented in February) to deal with this issue.
What I'm not seeing (or at least not reported) is a directive to KO to take urgent action – and move out the tenant with the significant and ongoing history of disruptive behaviour.
The wimpish current policy of 'offering both parties alternative accommodation' (especially when they know there is no alternative accommodation) is useless. Evict the problem tenant, and leave the rest of the neighbourhood to enjoy a peaceful life.
After evicting them, where would you put the inconvenient poor?
i don't know, maybe the same place these guys have to go to?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/128142111/theyre-going-to-rip-our-whole-family-apart-a-week-after-mothers-death-kinga-ora-tells-family-to-leave
or where ever these guys went to?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/338294/housing-nz-orders-eviction-after-grandmother-s-death
It seems that KO can evict people, just not the poor hard done criminal elements.
The 2nd case occurred in 2017 under National.
The 1st one though indicates those on the state house waiting house includes some who need an accessible wet accessible bathroom area (which would probably push them up the list). They probably usually get a new unit or any existing units once modified as soon as it is available.
The point i was making was that Kainga Ora does evict people. Just not hte violent antisocial assholes.
Yeah, and they get a house when one is available.
Come to Rotorua, go to Fenton street and understand that most of the motels are full with people who wait for a state house. And most of them are not violent antisocial assholes.
Last, i see no difference between L and N, i consider them all unwilling to do what needs to be done when it comes to housing – affordable, clean and tidy housing.
Sabine, Kainga Ora are currently building many homes in Rotorua. More building has happened here in the last 12 months and this year than in the last 5o years we have lived in Rotorua. We built our first home here in 1973, that was the last time you could see new homes in all areas of Rotorua.
A new subdivision is beginning on the corner of Ranolf and Malfroy Streets. Currntly there are 37 new homes in Pukehangi, 190 are planned city wide. So our suggestion they are the same as National is hogwash.
Edit function would not respond. "currently"
According to this article from 2021 we have about 2000 homeless housed in motels in Rotorua.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300246795/rotorua-has-become-a-dumping-ground-for-the-countrys-homeless-some-locals-claim#:~:text=It's%20estimated%20that%20up%20to,45%20motels%20in%20the%20city.
They can't build fast enough and plenty enough to make even just a dent, so now they are buying motels in Rotorua for the homeless families of our fair town.
there https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/125821220/govt-moves-from-paying-motels-to-house-homeless-to-buying-its-own-in-rotorua
Housing homeless in Motels may be a stop gag, but its going to be a permanent one. 🙂
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/461753/ardern-motel-housing-a-stopgap-measure-but-no-end-date-in-sight-for-rotorua
Btw, i live next to one of these houses that are being build. The property stood empty for two years, then the property got demolished, then the block stood empty for one year, now they have been building for about half a year, and i would guess it will take another half a year to finish.
At that rate and the number announced it will take another 20 odd years to house the estimated 2000 people (2021 number) in houses.
Btw, my neighbourgh has a family member live in the Garage, it is safer there then in the Motels. Go figure.
Fwiw, i think the effort of N and L in regards to housing are negligable.
Never mind the properties that got demolished, surely for the greater good and some new houses. Hopefully. Never mind that we actually now have less state houses then we used too.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/04/government-has-sold-or-demolished-nearly-2000-state-houses-since-july-2018.html
The second eviction never took place. It was cancelled while National were, just, still the Government. The daughter who took over the lease gave special thanks to the Destiny Church. They must do some good.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/339203/grandchildren-facing-loss-of-state-home-given-reprieve
The link also mentions
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/339203/grandchildren-facing-loss-of-state-home-given-reprieve
I know two people that have been "saved" from a drunken and lonely old age by Destiny Church.
It appears to be more than just a vanity and self enrichment project of Tamaki's, for many in it.
I suspect like most churches, and other "gangs", they have to be more than just a money making outfit to keep members.
Just heard an acquaintance has transferred from Destiny to Equip. Apparently the tithe is cheaper!
Tempted to let them know that the Presbyterians and Sallies etc, offer the same services, for a voluntary donation!
Well, I guess they can go to the back of the line of the 20,000+ families who are waiting for a KO house.
'Inconvenience' is people parking on the berm, or not mowing the lawn, or having parties every weekend. Annoying. But you just live with it.
This is (as determined by both the police and the Tenancy Tribunal) illegal antisocial behaviour (threats, harassment, etc.). No neighbour should have to put up with it, because KO can't deal with a problem tenant.
And, 9/10 of the problem behaviour would stop immediately, if the tenants concerned knew they would be kicked out for anti-social behaviour.
The state has a duty to assholes.
There's nowhere to sleep at the back of this line.
We didn't bring our total prison number down from 12,000 to 8000 by more punishment.
The hard cases need even greater state support.
The government can rent a motel just for these assholes and hide them there just as they do with those that are not antisocial violent assholes but who are unlucky enough to not being put up in state houses as these antisocial violent assholes. Like all the several hundreds of families that can’t get state houses because the government gives them to violent antisocial assholes. .
No they don't need greater support, they need no support. At some stage you cut the abuser out of your life and you put the effort to those that want to be good and law abiding citizens.
Yep a motel set up just for these people is the right approach.
We house each criminal in this country with an average subsidy of $150,000 per year.
You can't get rid of the problem until you solve it.
Unfortunately, the 'cost' of not solving the problem is being borne by the neighbours – who are trapped in the situation with no way out.
They have rights, too. As this Tenancy Tribunal case has made crystal clear to KO.
Neighbours have rights. Sure.
The right to safe housing is stronger.
It's weak to simply say you can just chuck them on the streets. As if our duty of care is exhausted because it's hard.
The hard question the left must always answer is:
How do we care for and fix the most damaged?
The right to safety from your feral neighbours is stronger.
Bear in mind that we are talking about people who conduct a relentless campaign of active harassment, threats, property damage and actual physical violence.
Just imagine what that does to your mental health, let alone physical well-being. We've had story, after story, in the media of families who are literally afraid to leave their houses, because of the (usually gang adjacent) neighbours.
Nothing preventing KO from choosing to house the anti-social in motels – it's still a 'roof over their heads' – just not one that's particularly attractive.
Given that the State can't care for and fix everyone at the same time (9 years of neglect, I hear the echo); then perhaps they need to follow standard triage principles, and deal with the people who 'can' be fixed in the short term. Get them out of the way and resolved, and then try to do something about the long-term dysfunctional.
Because, the fastest way to make a gang life attractive to the next generation, is to see criminals getting way with anti-social and intimidating behaviour with zero consequences.
How – you sit down and have a hard think and pull out your hankies.
And the other people who have been trying to be good citizens and not have their children turn in to a…holes just should look on with a saintly expression and get a big dog with big teeth. I saw in a usa film about a working solo father trying to protect his two boys in their inadequate room. He barked when people rattled the doorknob as he couldn't afford a dog. Or perhaps a recording? Ideas that the helpful government should pass on to it's poor and reasonably honest tenants.
People who are most damged probably can never be rehabilitated. They should have a special working farm prison with amenities and get locked into their rooms at night so they can't get out and start fires, pinch farm bikes, rape women or whatever has become their habitual obsession. They could be happy there so for god's sake take away their freedom – to create misery. And have tough cahps in charge, just practice isolation for people who threaten attack and never trust them completely, safety first and stun guns as backups. If they behave it could be a good place with their own room and decent bedding as long as they don't get the urge to slash it. Most of the men, no women permanently there, would be likely to have been assessed as mentally unbalanced.
But apparently you prioritise one right to SAFE housing over the other.
So we are not solving anything considering that these people cause harm to law abiding citizens – presumably at their cost. So that is OK?
And some will always end up in Prison – that is why we have prisons, to get the criminal elements that wreak havoc in the community out of hte community.
In the meantime we are warehousing families who work in rundown motels at a million dollar or so
But then you might consider that cheap.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/03/revealed-the-multimillion-dollar-cost-of-the-government-s-emergency-motel-policy.html
so my solution would be that these guys can live in a run down motel and the good state houses go to good families that work, but don't make enough to pay market rent. But i guess that is not awesome and 'woke' enough.
It is an outrage that you have no qualms about comparing assholes to criminals. They are of course not the same thing.
People who have no money for a long time have a propensity to be assholes because they have to fight for absolutely everything and everything in their life can be taken away – such little as they have.
Anyone who carries the badge 'woke' for actually caring for people that are really really hard to deal with … well those people don't give much thought for your labels.
You'll see such people out every weekend with other badges on them like St Johns, St Vincent De Paul, St Francis, Te Whanau Waipereira, Habitat for Humanity, Barnardo's, Tear Fund, The Compassion Soup Kitchen, City Mission, World Vision, and bunches of Anglican and Catholic trusts and entities. Kiwi volunteers and underpaid staff by the thousand.
They don't give a damn about how you disparage their work or the people they work with.
They understand your scorn, derision, rage and urge to punish. They've seen those stories for several thousand years.
People who have no money for a long time have a propensity to be assholes because they have to fight for absolutely everything and everything in their life can be taken away – such little as they have.
You have hit the nail on the head Ad. The above description is a plan for growing more assholes. You big softie Ad. Could you spread your sympathy wider to people who bear the brunt of thr poor caring of these people by authority figures for many years. As many of those people suffering from the effects of those poorly cared for people is likely to follow the same path as them, never having seen a different life, but forced to live amongst the rough, dishonest or vicious. Role models you know, get copied.
Sabine, These "arseholes" have families. What do you propose?
surely Tiny Dean has a motel space available for them on Fenton Street.
That is where we warehouse homeless families that work in many cases and can not afford rent. Just a thought. Or is that to good for criminals that wreak havoc in the areas where they get state houses that seemingly one can only get when one is a lawbreaking antisocial criminal.
How bout that Patricia?
Only Germans would have such conveniently short memories.
Sometimes the You Tube is called for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfl6Lu3xQW0
Surely that comment Ad doesn't reach the supposed high standard of The Standard? The reference to nationality is egregious surely.
ONLY Germans? You fishing?
That is just sour nastiness Sabine, and your constant attacks on the motelliers who have offered their properties says more about your bitterness than their motives. Constant carping and wild generalisations don't prove a thing. Too broad a brush. You confirmed the building programme, then got hung up on the time it takes to get consents and do infrastructure.. typical.!!
No sour nastiness about that at all Patricia. Just facts, inconvenient facts.
It was facts when National did nothing to alleviate the housing crisis and started housing people in motels and it is a fact now that Labour does it too.
We are warehousing people for month/years on end in Motels. In Rotorua and elsewhere.
And if you are pleased with the little that is happening that is good for you. Me i look at my neighbor in his two bedroom unit, with his wife, his son, the daughter, the grand child and the occasional cuzzy cause they have no where to go. This is now a fact in any town in NZ, but particularly in Auckland and Rotorua. Nothing nasty about that. It is actually just a tragedy. A tragedy of epic proportions.
I think Sabine has been really clear about her proposal – rent a motel for the people who are unable to live in a civilized fashion with their neighbours.
What's your one? Or do you think it's OK for them to continue their reign of terror (and that's exactly what it is, in some instances), with no consequences.
My proposal would be to rent the house next to Poto Williams, and put them there.
Sabine's solution is a ghetto worse than any you have ever seen in this country. TReat people like scum and replicate the problem a hundredfold.
My solution would look something like Hobsonville.
Who we are » Hobsonville Point
In the real world, there are already people living in the said motels on the waiting list for state housing.
And telling people in state housing that Labour will do nothing about their neighbour problems leaves them to wonder whether they would be better off under National.
So it should. Unless there is a social contract for all of us, not just the deserving, the left has no leg to stand on.
To prove itself serious about such a social contract Labour would have abandon debt targets and bring in CGT, wealth and estate taxation and MMT. And at some risk of being seen as too radical for the centre.
On current policy settings it would have to plot a more measured course – and that means winning elections regularly if it is to make progress over time. That does not happen if the people in state housing are unhappy, or those in motels, because of the behaviour of their neighbours.
The social contract also involves law – landlords have certain responsibilities – including KO.
So, in your Hobsonville Plus vision – what do you do with a tenant who consistently exhibits anti-social behaviour (loud parties til 3am, smashed bottles across shared driveways, hard-core gang associates visiting, dealing drugs, feral dogs chained on the property, physical intimidation, threats, and actual violence against anyone who is brave enough to complain, regular and open domestic violence against women and children resident at the property, etc.)
[Before you say I'm making this up – all of this has been witnessed by friends at a local KO house – luckily, for them, slightly down the road, rather than actually next door]
Don't say the police will deal with it – because they won't – or at least, not until there is a case of actual assault – and even then it will be 'a visitor to the house' rather than a resident, so KO won't do anything.
That's exactly what KO are doing to the innocent neighbours caught up in this drama. Treating them like scum….
I do not doubt your example. And I am sure there are hundreds more.
You apply as many wraparound services as are required to change the situation. It usually involves a set of interventions from the following state entities, and there's no particular order to this:
Kainga Ora, NZPolice, MSD, MoE, local Kura, MOH and DHBs, urban Maori trust services, Oranga Tamariki or whatever it will be called, local service trusts, wider family members, tonnes upon tonnes of taxpayer $$ and family group conferences, Corrections and MoJ, and finally employers who are prepared to take on Not in Education Employment or Training …
… literally hundreds of thousands of dollars working day after day to lever each and every one of these people out of the desperation and rage they are in.
And yes not all fo them will work and some will still go to gangs, for which the only control is NZPolice and MoJ and Corrections. But then, how did we bring our jail count down from 13,000 to 8,000 in 2 terms?
Hobsonville has most of those services built in.
No it is not easy. Yes that is is what our taxpayer funding is for. Yes that is the essence of the social democratic state.
A hostel might be a solution. Where obstreperous 'guests' could be kept away from those who can play nicely with others.
Pretty pictures and plans, very artistic. But people who want to be good citizens are being treated like scum under the present system Ad. If you don' think that is right the present system is wrong, and should be changed speedily for a better one. What can you do about that, without having fancy modern housing.
Just help with something now not in future years when built, warm, dry house, with sun and light, safe space for kids to play,some shade area beside for super hot summers, friendly, respectful neighbours, own area with gate for wandering dogs and people (though a man who insisted on entering a property despite a warning notice not to use the back entrance, got bitten by the guard dog in one Nelson property, and was able to plead rights and the dog be ordered to be put down). Makes you realise that you are on a different planet than Labour planners. Send in the clowns – Don't you love a farce? My fault, I fear,
I thought that you'd want what I want
Sorry my dear…
Sabine’s proposal sucks and is a typical simpleton solution. Unless such motel is in the wop-wops there will always be neighbours in the hood, just not in adjacent rooms.
Your proposal sounds moronic.
Now that is a really good idea, and some could be housed right next to Carmel Sepuloni, Phil Twyford and so on and so forth.
To see what 300 truly unrepentant undesirable outsiders next door to an MP, look no further than the protests at Parliament weeks ago.
Everyone but Act simply denied they existed.
Your desire for schadenfreude achieves nothing.
I am not sure, Why don't we try?
The issue is not going away by not doing anything. It is getting worse. And anyone who will run on 'law and order' will pick up all those that feel that law and order has been abandoned.
We have no issues housing homeless people in motels the up and down the country. At great cost to the tax payer – as they are the ones that pay all the bills.
But i guess we will see what happen in the near future. Elections are only a few months away.
They’re always only a few months away. Which public assets will NAct flog off to their rich mates this time, and what public services will be privatised – gotta fund those tax cuts. My money's on water assets and health services (the pandemic’s over, right?), and they might give Serco another go – plenty of wealth to gorge on yet.
But I guess we'll see what happens in a few months.
"There's nowhere to sleep at the back of this line."
Really, so we have 20,000+ families sleeping in cars, then?
No, they're in motels – which everyone acknowledges is not adequate housing (apart from the most temporary of emergency housing).
But it does give them somewhere to sleep.
Like every really difficult family is just another can to kick down the road.
Don't become a public servant whatever you do.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/kainga-ora-residents-tenancy-tribunal-complaint-after-neighbour-hell-for-three-years/JHLXUDIR4RO72KZKNQRUNNA7ME/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/461209/other-agencies-discourage-kainga-ora-from-evicting-misbehaving-tenants-select-committee-told
Maybe Kainga Ora tenants who have concerns about their neighbours behaviour need to become clients of the said agencies … .
Funny thing is National wants some of the said agencies to have a greater role in the lives of those on welfare, agencies that oppose National’s approach on Kainga Ora.
Oh, so it's fine for an 'ordinary' law-abiding family to be stuck in motel accommodation, but it's too sub-standard for anti-social criminals.
If they're a 'really difficult family' then just maybe – bog-standard KO independent living is *not* the most appropriate solution for them.
I'd like to see some actively monitored housing precincts (could be apartments) – which have a zero-tolerance for gang presence, and are gated so residents only.
I would assume that most people in these households are 'ok', but that one or two elements are not. These are the people that need to be removed. And if they are law breaking they need to be arrested, and locked up. And that is the issue, innit, that we are currently not arresting and locking up people who cause havoc.
Oh well, i guess its fair go for the 'tough on law and order crowd' as the current crowd seems to simply pretend that if you don't lock them up they will rehabilitate themselves, and no it wont be cheaper either as per the Corrections Ministers, cause average and fixed costs and leases.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/exclusive-expensive-failure-new-zealands-cost-per-prisoner-rises-while-jail-population-
What happens to the problem tenant after eviction, rather who's problem will it be next?
Does the law have any sway i.e fines or court?
KO are arguably the worst landlord in NZ. And Poto has to be in line to be one of our worst cabinet ministers.
Sorry to see Jen Psaki shifting from the White House to MSNBC.
Maybe Biden could swap for Rachel Maddow.
Good for her, imagine having to clean up after another Biden brain fart.
I would also assume better pay and a longer contract.
MSNBC is bleeding even faster than CNN. Better off joining Joe Rogan.
I consider it all just performative info/entertainment and i don't care nor do i listen/watch to either them.
Something is rotten at the heart of UK politics. The Russian oligarchy has embedded its tentacles deep in the Britsh aristocracy and they are exercising considerable power to suppress the truth. Reminds me of the Jian Yang saga and National's (no so hidden) propensity to suck up to CCP money
https://twitter.com/carolecadwalla/status/1509612965011804162?s=21&t=HBIItVqjpfwUvilulnXicg
Interesting post on the connection between oligarachs and UK torys.
https://fb.watch/c7oBj0CGT4/
Are some billionaires more moral because they are not billionaires called oligarchs?
Anyone who doesn't think we have a fully functioning oligarchy here in New Zealand is gravely mistaken.
Bernie Sanders gets it.
Anybody who thinks we do not have an oligarchy right here in America is sorely mistaken. – YouTube
Like Russia, we are a deeply unequal society with an exceptionally narrow intermarried inter-director network with no more than a handful of key net worth people in: housing, building supplies, ports, airports, groceries, fuel, politics, media, milk, agriculture, meat, banking, bread, fruit, electricity production, broadband, and more. Most of our debt is controlled by Australia, and most of what we make is taken by China: just 2 countries.
We're under a total illusion that we are more economically free than Russia.
Bruce Jesson and WB Sutch would recognise this country as the worst possible scenario they had imagined.
Well it's Michel's Iron Law after all.
But Kremlin aligned oligarchs are perhaps unusually active in promoting sociopathies like Brexit, which was intended to reduce the UK's influence and the effectiveness and cohesion of European powers.
The sociopathy of a Bill Gates is not intentionally directed towards the wrecking of Western society (though the various windows systems are hardly benign), they are his customers after all. But this limitation is not true of Kremlin operations, who would not be at all sad to see the present order collapse. They are in a very real sense the enemies of our states.
As Mickey Savage noted yesterday, our own 1% elite political donor class is pretty open about the politics it funds.
Yeah – wage suppression and climate denial – useless backward turkeys.
It's no more likely that Russians will be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine than Americans have been for theirs, but if tribunals were to be set up then there'd be a bunch of slam-dunk cases.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNTPyAsMmxs
Will no one think of whining, thin-skinned
Nazifar right feels.https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1509948907899564044
Well I give thanks today that I don't live in Sri Lanka.
As prices soar in crisis-hit Sri Lanka, many forced to moonlight | News | Al Jazeera
"Historically weak government finances, badly timed tax cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the vital tourism industry, have decimated the economy, triggering a currency crisis that has disrupted fuel imports and caused skyrocketing food prices."
"Well I give thanks today that I don't live in Sri Lanka."
….yet
We have a few months,and then we will be like the North sea Island off the coast of France.
https://twitter.com/TorstenBell/status/1509820318369693713?cxt=HHwWooC-8ZDl-vMpAAAA
Couldnt possibly happen ….NZ is Godzone.
And all wanting coke cans to rain from the sky
Exhibit 1.
https://www.transpower.co.nz/sites/default/files/interfaces/can/CAN%20Southland%20security%20issues%20and%20request%20for%20information%204289359753.pdf
Its been a funny old summer….quite wet in Canterbury.
Perhaps the climate is changing.
Just read the obit for Dame Miriam Dell – what an outstanding woman. Just reading through this, it's filled with 'only woman on' and 'first woman to' – it's due to her (and the team of strong women around her) that we have made such progress towards equality not, that I – or probably Dell – think that we're there yet
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/women-of-influence/128191223/obituary-teamaking-snub-spurred-a-lifetime-of-advocacy-for-women
That was a lovely read, she would have been awesome to meet. Make us some tea dear! Yeah, nah nah, make your own cuppa. Signed, the token woman.