Jen, I very much appreciate all of your posts/comments/insight about Syria, they are informative and as a result, am learning more and more about the situation over. Just wanted to say THANKS 🙂
Not sure. I have had a couple of queries about the server responses this morning. I’m not having any problems from Singapore. But I will have a look at the server now that I am awake excessively early.
If it is of any help, I have had the same problem intermittently over the last month or so. I use Vodaphone.
My workaround has been to use the back arrow at top of page to get back to the comment I wrote; select all the comment text and copy it; then open a separate TS in a new tab; go to post and comment I want to reply to or to the comment box for a new comment; paste and quickly submit. Pain in a..e but seems to work most times.
Re the original TS comment that won’t work and times out, I keep that open and recommend copying your comment rather than cutting it, as a backup to losing what you have written.
looking at my rather elderly and overloaded “smart” phone, I wonder if it’s a client-end thing just taking a while to run basic tasks?
Or maybe their cookies need to be cleared and refresh the page?
in other words their device is concentrating so much on sending stuff and reloading the page that it takes too long to process a request to or from the server?
Good to see a bit of pressure being put on these dodgy organisations.
They take 6 billion out of our economy every year.
And they have been found to cheat their customers and lie to officials.
Time to get tough with these crooked groups.
We should nationalise the banks and take money away from the control of private overseas interests
Banks under scrutiny, told to prove they have clean hands.
The country’s leading banks have been ordered to prove they are not ripping off their customers like their Australians counterparts have been doing.
A royal commission into Australia’s financial services sector has found banks have cheated customers and lied to regulators.
The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) and Reserve Bank spoke with the heads of New Zealand banks on Monday seeking concrete evidence the same was not happening here.
“We’ve asked them to provide reassurances to us that they have scrubbed their business models, and they have a basis for being confident that those issues don’t exist here,” FMA chief executive Rob Everett said.
Much of New Zealand’s financial sector is run by local offshoots of the same organisations now in the gun across the Tasman.
“Disability groups are accusing the Health Ministry of being mean-spirited and tight-fisted in its efforts to claw back money it gave out as a result of the pay equity settlement.
About 20,000 staff in the disability sector were included in the historic $2 billion deal that came into force in July.
Since then some employers have been overpaid but argue they should be able to keep the money.
Under the pay equity deal, care and support workers got a 21 percent wage increase.
To help make life easier for employers the ministry decided to pay the money in advance for this financial year to ensure disability services had a buffer of cash on hand to pay the new rates.
But the funding included a 2.2 percent annual inflation adjustment, which some providers have since been paid again in their new 12 monthly government contracts.
The ministry now wants to recoup the double payments by making a one off funding cut.”
For a start…and this is a really, really important point…the New Zealand Disability Support Network, of which Bennie is the Big Cheese, is not a ‘disability group’.
It is an organisation set up to represent the interests of Contracted Providers of government funded disability supports.
“Representing the interests” = ensuring the terms and conditions of the hotly negotiated contracts favour the Provider, who can neglect (in some cases to death), abuse and in some cases torture disabled clients and almost never be held properly to account.
The immediate past CEO formerly worked for the Ministry of Health.
This is not a happy clappy ‘we love the disabled’ group.
This is a hard core lobby group….
“What We Do
We are a network of organisations and individuals involved in providing disability support services.
We provide a strong voice to government on matters of policy, service design and legislation.
We promote innovation, quality services, research and deliver a provider development programme.
We ensure good communication with members and support for regional networks.
We contribute to government working parties and reference groups.
We respond to government requests for advice and input.
Membership Options
Level 1
For organisations with revenue of $10 million or more $6000+GST
Level 2
For organisations with revenue of $5 million to $10 million $4000+GST
Level 3
For organisations with revenue of $3 million to $5 million $3000+GST
Level 4
For organisations with revenue of $1.5 million to $3 million $1500+GST
Level 5
For organisations with revenue of $1 million to $1.5 million $1000+GST
Level 6
For organisations with revenue of $500,000 to $1 million $500+GST”
They linked with the PSA back in 2015 to raise concerns about the push to have more disabled people using Individualised Funding rather than being reliant on the often unreliable Contracted Providers.
Interesting reaction from some of the care workers from the provider organsiations and the PSA when users of IF told of how successful they had found having this control, how satisfying it was to be able to pay their workers up to $20 per hour (remember the providers were largely paying minimum wage at this stage) AND, after meeting all of their employer obligations were still (in some cases) able to return unused portions of their funding to the Ministry of Health at the end of the year.
No doubt in my mind that the roll out of IF was negatively impacted by poor administration and support by the Contracted Providers hosting the IF $$$…because of course it wouldn’t be proper for there not to be a commercial opportunity in the scheme somewhere, the more snouts in the trough the better…but the folk making best use of IF had managed to largely bypass these troughers.
The new System Transformation for disability supports has a strong emphasis on IF or Personal Budgets, which the NZDSN and the PSA are not entirely ecstatic about.
The new Labour govt in New Zealand decided to appeal the Human Rights Tribunal ruling that former Attorney General acted unlawfully by withholding evidence in my case.
@nzlabour is now officially defending what National did to my family. Increasing cost and prolonging injustice.”
I am interested in the Human Rights aspect of this case and was wondering if anyone else has come across anything through the media about the Crown’s appeal of the Human Rights Tribunal ruling that former Attorney General acted unlawfully by withholding evidence in Kim Dotcom’s case.
Having read the Human Rights Tribunal ruling I am interested on what basis the Crown has grounded their appeal.
Disgusting, lawyers out of control again, no wonder NZ productivity is down and we can’t pick out own apples or build a house anymore, too many lawyers (we have about 26% more practising lawyers per person that the UK which is supposedly a financial hub, why do we need so many lawyers in NZ, when we seem to be a mostly agricultural and construction economy?).
Even a Moron should be able to work out that not releasing Dot coms information held about him from government agencies when he was being publicly persecuted in a bizarre inappropriate and ultimately found illegal police/cops/FBI shakedown…. was wrong. Now to waste more taxpayers money on lawyers appealing it… outrageous.
What’s the legal bill so far for NZ taxpayers – 5 million and counting just on the lawyers… because Hollywood is too cheap to fight it’s own battles and our over represented NZ lawyers are only too keen to be troughers at the government purse and now wasting more money on appeals that show Kiwis citizens that our government love harassment and lack decency to see even the most basic of issues effecting privacy…
Whether this is a decision by the new “Labour Government “, as suggested by KDC and Bradbury is questionable, however.
As you know from reading the Human Rights Review Tribunal ruling, the “Crown” as the original defendant in this case comprised Crown Law as First Defendant and then in order, the Attorney-General, DPMC, Immigration, MBIE, MFAT, MOJ, and NZ Police as the other 2nd to 8th Defendents.
The Solicitor-General as Chief Executive of the Crown Law Office, and the Attorney-General are the two main Law Officers of the Crown.
The Attorney-General has two roles in government – one as the senior Law Officer of the Crown requiring the A-G to act independently free of political considerations on some matters; and the other as a Minister of the Crown with ministerial responsibilities with its associated political partisanship.
The Attorney-General as senior Law Officer has principle responsibility for the Government’s administration of the law which is exercised in conjunction with the Solicitor- General as is the junior Law Officer.
OTOH: “Subject only to the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General is the government’s chief legal adviser and advocate in the courts. In practice, the Solicitor-General provides advice directly to Ministers, departments and agencies of government and will appear as Senior Counsel for government interests in litigation and in particular appellate court matters. A key responsibility is to advise the government on constitutional questions.
The Solicitor-General also exercises a number of specific functions within the Crown’s prosecution process. These include responsibility for the prosecution of criminal jury trials and Crown representation in appeals against conviction and sentences.
By statute the Solicitor-General can exercise almost all of the statutory functions conferred on the Attorney-General. As the non-political Law Officer, the Solicitor-General has traditionally assumed responsibility for the exercise of those functions that should be undertaken independently of the political process, most notably the prosecution functions.
However, it has long been recognised that the nature and value of the office within government lies in part on the Solicitor-General’s duty to give independent advice and, in relation to certain functions, to act independently. That independence is of considerable constitutional importance. Such impartial advice can be seen to be given without political direction, even on politically contentious issues.”
In terms of the role of the Solicitor-General as the chief adviser and advocate in relation to the courts and the specific functions of this role in respect of the prosecution process, it could be that this decision to appeal the KDC HRRT ruling has been made by the Solicitor-General acting independently.
Please note that this is conjecture on my part, but I would be really interested to know whether this has been the case. If so, it cannot be sheeted to the “Government” per se – of whatever political persuasion or composition.
I will be following this appeal with interest, both from this aspect and the one you raised – the grounds that the appeal is being based on.
“The Crown” certainly did not make a great impression on the HRRT in terms of their original actions and the presentation of their defence to the Tribunal.
Sections (8) to (13) summarise the Tribunal’s impressions re KDC versus the Crown as witnesses rather succinctly.
“False Clarke Gayford rumours: Police and PM Jacinda Ardern respond to widely circulated fake slurs” by David Fisher.
Jacinda via Clarke is the victim of false news and Dirty Tricks are alive and well. Yuck!
Jacinda Ardern’s partner Clarke Gayford has been under an unprecedented assault of baseless rumour and false innuendo with the apparent intent of dragging down the Prime Minister.
For the past seven months, Gayford has been the subject – on social media and via word of mouth – of untrue allegations and accusations.
The sheer scale and nature of the claims have led to Police Commissioner Mike Bush taking the extraordinary step of signing off a media release that rejects the speculation.
One News last night had a disturbing story about allegations that Corrections officers had sexually assaulted prisoners – and that Corrections was for some reason not bothering to track these allegations:
How do Labour and Green supporters here feel about it being years before the welfare overhaul comes about?
Anecdotally, I know most weren’t expecting changes over night, but now that Labour have indicated it may not come about until after the next election, how do you feel about the delay?
Personally, considering some of the horror stories coming out of WINZ one would have thought Labour would have made the overhaul a priority.
The Green Party seem rather silent on the matter. Especially so now they have Marama as co-leader.
Maybe the poor would get more welfare if they banded together and formed a religion…. see Gloriavale below, but I don’t think they are the only ones who can gather substantial government benefits in this way… funny how the tinder date women got her benefit cut, but this sort of practise is ok, (maybe because they are rich and a harder target?).
“The problem is that poor families really can’t wait until the deliberations of a welfare working group, they’ve already had to wait far too long and we’re picking up the social cost of that every day, we’re hearing from the sector about how … things have got worse.” – Susan St John.
Seeing as the welfare overhaul was part of Labour’s confidence and supply deal with the Greens, it’s surprising the Greens have nothing to say on the delay.
So much for the notion of the Greens keeping Labour in check. I’m starting to think my vote for the Greens was a waste of time.
Sue Bradford? She understood that time is something you don’t have when you are hungry and homeless….
Welfare has been allowed to get into a mess and a lot of people who don’t need benefits get them, while working people increasingly need them because the wages are so low, while those who need benefits them don’t get them, so that the costs overrun and more and more ‘reforms’ can be justified, at the same time this means less left people vote left (because their lives have got worse) and more right people vote right (because welfare feels like a bottomless pit)…
Yes, savenz, Sue Bradford understands that time is something you don’t have when you are hungry and homeless.
A lot of people I know that voted left have given up on so-called left wing parties and no longer partake in elections. In fact, I’ve yet to meet a right-winger that doesn’t vote.
10. Overhaul the welfare system, ensure access to entitlements, remove excessive sanctions and review Working For Families so that everyone has a standard of living and income that enables them to live in dignity and participate in their communities, and lifts children and their families out of poverty.
a. Safe sleeping environment devices will be made available for vulnerable families.
Nothing about timing but if there is nothing immediate in the Budget in a couple of weeks, then yes the left have cause to be concerned.
The drawn-out timing (up to 3 years from now) was announced by Labour’s Social Development Minister on the last episode of the Nation.
What blew me away was there was nothing from the Greens on this drawn-out timing, yet when it came to the less well off subsidising those that can afford a new EV, the Greens were quick to publicly announce they are considering it. Despite it going against their social justice stance.
So instead of speaking up on the drawn-out timing to help the less well off, they decided to speak up on a policy proposal that will benefit the well to do at the expense of the less well off.
Due to their lack of the vote, I don’t expect the Greens to enforce all the changes they campaigned on. However, I do expect them to speak up and show us how they are working on trying to secure more.
What we’ve got is them gifting questions to the opposition and telling us they are considering getting the less well off to subsidise the well to do.
I dont actually. I know enough about them to understand they do not indulge in the tail wagging the dog and will abide by the letter and intent of agreements they sign.
“They do not indulge in the tail wagging the dog and will abide by the letter and intent of agreements they sign.”
And in saying that, are you implying speaking up and showing us how they are working on trying to secure more doesn’t abide by the letter and intent of agreements they’ve signed? Because that would be incorrect, despite what you claim to know.
Addionally, Tracey, your question reminds me of the stance some centrist take. We don’t have to worry and cater to the left as they have nowhere else to turn too.
One of the issues of welfare seems to be some unusual arrangements allowed, such as the Gloriavale community who seem to have copious amounts of children who apparently need government welfare support, giving their WFF’s (estimated over 3 million a year in WFF welfare payments to the families who then put it in the wealthy community leaders bank accounts)… God provides in mysterious ways… someone was also complaining how they got such a good ero report when they are segregated and girls taught women’s work. I believe Gloriavale also qualify for some education funding for their own schools from the tax payer to the tune of $200,000… to teach that sort of stuff… God via the tax payers provides again, it seems.
Just a wee heads up on the ‘news’ that hemp is good food, and being permitted as food, and kiwi farmers might move into it as an alternate income to milking.
This is all true. BUT, and it’s a biggie…
Hemp is an accumulator of heavy metals. Cadmium, that comes with many Phosphate fertilisers, is a widespread problem on Dairy (and other) land, with levels threatening to shut certain land from production, or out of specific markets (EU). Our Councils are already fully aware of this issue.
So, here’s what actually needs to happen.
We identify the (so much) polluted land, and grow Hemp for FIBRE, until the land is cleared for food. The Hemp will detoxify the land while making a profit for Farmers. Talk about a gift horse. Now let’s see if anyone’s listening.
It’s an elegant solution to an enormous potential screw up.
I think there’s a project in Australia looking to use a salt bush for a similar use, specifically for heavy metails and radioactive stuff. The idea being that the salt bush absorbs the pollutants, and it’s then taken and burned and the metals collected (radioactive rope might be an issue).
These types of plants are called hyperaccumulators, and were initially discovered as inhabitants of serpentine soils and mine tailings. Unfortunately most grew too small or too slow to be of use but science continues the search. Did you know some clever folks have found a strain of Brassica juncea to harvest gold from tailings?
The Am Show Mark I would not have liked to be in your shoes when that bomb went off
on the Black Caps tour of Pakistan in 2002 that would have been unexpected and made me ——-my pants.
We should be great full that OUR Tipunas had the forsight to use diplomacy and intelligence to work together to leave us all this beautiful country Aoteraroa .
One phenomenon about this school PEE description is that it confirms my concerns that there is heaps of PEE out there and there is good reason to call out people using the word CRACK in any way in public is not acceptable.Duncan there need to be a advertising campaign showing what PEE does to you as soon as I heard about PEE we talked to our children about the bad side affects of PEE it is easy to see PEE users some people just don’t know how easy it is to see all addicts.
Gossip is a human trait everyone does it I take all information with a grain of salt untill I get it confirmed from other sources some people take gossip as a fact and use it to harm other people Good name like the sandflies are doing to me but are thats OK Eco Maori is just a broke brown person with no rights. Ka kite ano P.S its good that my———– know that I am innocent
I say that what happen in that NZ School is unacceptable and who ever dreamt that up should be canned full stop P.S we should never let it be accepted that PEE becomes a common thing in New Zealand as this type of behavior will do make it the norm. I wonder what that principal career was before he started teaching I think I know what it was
The Am Show Negative gearing is not just used by house owners business use it to structure there business to avoid paying tax that’s a fact we need to even the playing feild for all If they middle class are worried about there retirement they should join that great Labour invention Kiwi saver Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub tangata I agree with that drug councler its insane to expose te Mokopunas to that information on PEEEEE.
ITS obvious that the fuel companies are running campaign to maximise their profits. The Queen horses
Phil and Tyrone are magnificently beautiful animals I will be getting me A horse or 2 soon as I build my Pa back home.
Nice tie Mike many thanks to the good Tangata Sea cleaner for there great work Ka pai
There is a lot of different foods we eat that can cause harm to animals like chocolate is never to be fed to dogs as it hypes them up and could cause more damage to the dog good on the Australian for putting there foot down on this issue. Ka kite ano
Newshub you would think the sandflys would spend there time chasing the PEEEEE dealers instead of wasting there time and resources harrsing ECO MAORI knowing how much is on the street and that the Mokopunas are using the poison Ana to kai Ka kite ano P.S I think they have there priorities worng
The Crowd goes Wild Mulls and Melissa you will be a good team I have a hard time with the sandflys always harresmeing me on the roads to keep my self control I just tell myself that they are trying to minupulate my behaviour and calm down I’m not letting them change my behaviour muppets.
Monty Betham is a excellent ambassador for Rugby League and the Warriors many thanks from ECO MAORI Monty for your good work Ka kite ano Wairangi is going to be brused after that Monty
The Crowd goes Wild To admit one needs glass is to admit one is getting long in the tooth Melissa it took me a couple of years to admit I needed glasses lol Ka kite ano
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Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University richardernestyap/Shutterstock Parents are often advised to burp their babies after feeding them. Some people think burping after feeding is important to reduce or prevent discomfort crying, or to ...
Workers at a major ASB contact centre in Auckland have voted to take strike action and withdraw their labour following disappointing pay negotiations with the employer and an "offer" to workers that would leave them worse off than the previous year. ...
The Labour Party is demanding Peters be stood down, saying "he's embarrassed the country" with a "totally unacceptable" attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. ...
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance, whose members were victims of a China-backed cyber attack, is discussing forming a standing committee to deal with foreign influence. ...
The PSA is concerned that the voluntary redundancies being offered to staff by Stats NZ will impact on the agency’s ability to deliver on its core functions. ...
Results ranged from surprisingly yum to soul-destroying. I love cooking. The kitchen is a hearth of culinary creation, of sensory delights, of gastronomic poetry. I also can’t afford anything nice. Why does a pack of instant noodles and some milk cost ten bucks? I love you, Aotearoa, but I miss ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Police in Solomon Islands are on high alert ahead of the election of the prime minister today. The two candidates for the top job are former foreign affairs minister Jeremiah Manele at the head of the Coalition for National Unity and Transformation, which is ...
He’s fine but it feels like I’m losing a friend and it’s making me bitter. How do I say ‘enough is enough’? Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzHey Hera,I’ve recently moved in with a girlfriend, her partner Steve, and his friend. We all live in a lovely little house. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Chartres, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney shutterstockAhmet Misirligul/Shutterstock You go to the gym, eat healthy and walk as much as possible. You wash your hands and get vaccinated. You control your health. This is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jacqueline Hendriks, Research Fellow and Lecturer, Curtin University Children and young people may be seeing news headlines about men murdering women or footage of people rallying to call for action. Perhaps they or their friends have even gone to the protests. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Balanzategui, Senior Lecturer in Media, RMIT University ABC “Bluey mania” shows no sign of abating. Bluey’s season finale, The Sign, was the most viewed ABC program of all time on iView. A “hidden” follow-up episode, aptly named The Surprise, created ...
Labour market figures came in softer than the Reserve Bank had forecast, but they won’t be enough to move the needle on interest rates, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Unemployment ...
The campaign will engage the community and encourage submissions on the bill to the New Zealand government by the closing submission deadline of Friday 31st of May 2024 4pm. ...
The paper raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand's political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency plays in that. ...
The Urban Habitat Collective was an attempt to built an innovative new form of apartment building in Wellington. Here’s why it failed, and why the idea could still work, writes co-founder Bronwen Newton. When we started the Urban Habitat Collective in November 2018, we thought we were starting a revolution, ...
Two decades ago this week, a controversial law that attempted to define ownership of the foreshore and seabed prompted a formidable display of outrage and kōtahitanga as 15,000 marched to parliament. Jamie Tahana looks back.‘Hīkoi, hīkoi,” they chanted by the thousands as the biggest Māori march in a generation ...
Terence O’Brien had the rare and no doubt undesired distinction of rising to one of the most exalted positions in New Zealand diplomacy, then being unceremoniously recalled to Wellington without explanation just when his career was at its zenith. What is perhaps more surprising is that he appears to have ...
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Why has New Zealand slipped from third to 12th on Quality of Death Indexes over the past decade or so? Hospice New Zealand Chief Executive Wayne Naylor has a list of reasons. “We don’t have a current national strategy – the Government hasn’t renewed our 2001 strategy, so we don’t ...
While women’s sport is exploding in Aotearoa and around the world, you still don’t hear a lot of talk about athletes and their periods, RED-S, breastfeeding and visible panty-lines. SASS (Suze and Sez Sports)Talk isn’t afraid to have that kōrero.LockerRoom founder Suzanne McFadden and Olympian broadcaster Sarah ...
On an unusually hot night in January 2019, a little boy’s lifeless body was found face up in a small town’s sewage oxidation pond. To the police, it was an open and shut case: three-year-old Lachlan Jones had run away from his home in the Southland town of Gore, climbed ...
A Labour Party Member’s Bill aims to plug a culpability gap between manslaughter and health and safety breaches The post New push for corporate killing laws appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Rongotai MP Julie Anne Genter has apologised in Parliament after National accused her of intimidating and attacking one of its ministers in the House. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Prime Minister and state and territory leaders met on Wednesday as the national cabinet to discuss a crisis gripping Australia – the horrific number of women murdered this year. The killings have shocked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Radhika Raghav, Teaching Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Otago Netflix Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is known for his big-budget Bollywood production, featuring grand sets, star casts, meticulously choreographed dance sequences and lavish costumes, jewellery and furnishings. ...
Sir Robert devoted his life to disability rights after living in institutions in his younger years, says Kaihautū Tika Hauātanga | Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University Violence against women is not a women’s problem to solve, it is a whole of society problem to solve; and men in particular have to take responsibility. Those were the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Allen, Senior Lecturer in Chemical and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Newcastle Snapshot freddy/ShutterstockPlans to revive an old coal-fired power station using bioenergy are being considered in the Hunter region of New South Wales. Similar plans for the station ...
Responding to the long-awaited release of judges’ special allowances, including free air travel and hotels for spouses, generous sabbaticals, and access to limousines, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Alex Murphy said: “In what world does your employer ...
Analysis - The United States has unveiled plans to boost the weapons trade with Australia and the UK, on the same day that Winston Peters is expected to sketch NZ's position on AUKUS. ...
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How come I keep getting this when I try to post a comment about my time in Syria?
I wonder why.
Me too. Still getting it.
Will try again.
Nope.
Well your BRIEF comments seem to make it through.
It’s obviously a conspiracy.
Yeah, bit like the Arab spring, was a CIA plot, regime change, conspiracy theory.
Will try again.
Will try again
Nope.
A little help here.
Anything with the word starting with Sy…. and ending with ….ria seems to be blocked.
Syria.
Nope got thru.
Still the same.
Something with the Server.
Lynn is working on it.
Jen, I very much appreciate all of your posts/comments/insight about Syria, they are informative and as a result, am learning more and more about the situation over. Just wanted to say THANKS 🙂
Because even the server is bored shitless with that topic?
“Ay Rabs”, “Head Choppers”, “Rag Heads”, Who cares about them.
Kill them all.
Just do it quietly.
Eh, Sacha?
Fill your boots – in the nearest phone booth.
Not sure. I have had a couple of queries about the server responses this morning. I’m not having any problems from Singapore. But I will have a look at the server now that I am awake excessively early.
Thanks
I can’t see anything wrong. It may just be the usual network glitching between systems in NZ.
FYI: Two of the reported incidents seem to involve vodafone.
Must be a real doozy of a glitch.
Far Out.
(Do young people still say that).
Stick with it Lynn, we are rooting for you.
If it is of any help, I have had the same problem intermittently over the last month or so. I use Vodaphone.
My workaround has been to use the back arrow at top of page to get back to the comment I wrote; select all the comment text and copy it; then open a separate TS in a new tab; go to post and comment I want to reply to or to the comment box for a new comment; paste and quickly submit. Pain in a..e but seems to work most times.
Re the original TS comment that won’t work and times out, I keep that open and recommend copying your comment rather than cutting it, as a backup to losing what you have written.
Sorry for the bad grammar in the above.
looking at my rather elderly and overloaded “smart” phone, I wonder if it’s a client-end thing just taking a while to run basic tasks?
Or maybe their cookies need to be cleared and refresh the page?
in other words their device is concentrating so much on sending stuff and reloading the page that it takes too long to process a request to or from the server?
Good to see a bit of pressure being put on these dodgy organisations.
They take 6 billion out of our economy every year.
And they have been found to cheat their customers and lie to officials.
Time to get tough with these crooked groups.
We should nationalise the banks and take money away from the control of private overseas interests
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/356418/banks-under-scrutiny-told-to-prove-they-have-clean-hands
A starter for anyone interested in learning how banking works.
Would love to see our government switch to kiwibank.
Bill English continues to chase his dream of a low-wage economy
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/356412/bill-english-joins-board-of-australia-retail-giant
Serving politician on a private company board?
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving ‘group’.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/356424/cruel-irony-as-ministry-claws-back-pay-advance
“Disability groups are accusing the Health Ministry of being mean-spirited and tight-fisted in its efforts to claw back money it gave out as a result of the pay equity settlement.
About 20,000 staff in the disability sector were included in the historic $2 billion deal that came into force in July.
Since then some employers have been overpaid but argue they should be able to keep the money.
Under the pay equity deal, care and support workers got a 21 percent wage increase.
To help make life easier for employers the ministry decided to pay the money in advance for this financial year to ensure disability services had a buffer of cash on hand to pay the new rates.
But the funding included a 2.2 percent annual inflation adjustment, which some providers have since been paid again in their new 12 monthly government contracts.
The ministry now wants to recoup the double payments by making a one off funding cut.”
For a start…and this is a really, really important point…the New Zealand Disability Support Network, of which Bennie is the Big Cheese, is not a ‘disability group’.
It is an organisation set up to represent the interests of Contracted Providers of government funded disability supports.
“Representing the interests” = ensuring the terms and conditions of the hotly negotiated contracts favour the Provider, who can neglect (in some cases to death), abuse and in some cases torture disabled clients and almost never be held properly to account.
The immediate past CEO formerly worked for the Ministry of Health.
FYI
https://www.nzdsn.org.nz/members-2/
This is not a happy clappy ‘we love the disabled’ group.
This is a hard core lobby group….
“What We Do
We are a network of organisations and individuals involved in providing disability support services.
We provide a strong voice to government on matters of policy, service design and legislation.
We promote innovation, quality services, research and deliver a provider development programme.
We ensure good communication with members and support for regional networks.
We contribute to government working parties and reference groups.
We respond to government requests for advice and input.
Membership Options
Level 1
For organisations with revenue of $10 million or more $6000+GST
Level 2
For organisations with revenue of $5 million to $10 million $4000+GST
Level 3
For organisations with revenue of $3 million to $5 million $3000+GST
Level 4
For organisations with revenue of $1.5 million to $3 million $1500+GST
Level 5
For organisations with revenue of $1 million to $1.5 million $1000+GST
Level 6
For organisations with revenue of $500,000 to $1 million $500+GST”
They linked with the PSA back in 2015 to raise concerns about the push to have more disabled people using Individualised Funding rather than being reliant on the often unreliable Contracted Providers.
An interesting hui in Auckland ( http://disabilityconnect.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Invite-to-individualised-funding.pdf) there was much hand wringing from PSA and NZDSN about the pitfalls of increased control by disabled people over their allocated funding.
Interesting reaction from some of the care workers from the provider organsiations and the PSA when users of IF told of how successful they had found having this control, how satisfying it was to be able to pay their workers up to $20 per hour (remember the providers were largely paying minimum wage at this stage) AND, after meeting all of their employer obligations were still (in some cases) able to return unused portions of their funding to the Ministry of Health at the end of the year.
No doubt in my mind that the roll out of IF was negatively impacted by poor administration and support by the Contracted Providers hosting the IF $$$…because of course it wouldn’t be proper for there not to be a commercial opportunity in the scheme somewhere, the more snouts in the trough the better…but the folk making best use of IF had managed to largely bypass these troughers.
The new System Transformation for disability supports has a strong emphasis on IF or Personal Budgets, which the NZDSN and the PSA are not entirely ecstatic about.
Tough.
I read Kim Dotcom’s following announcement through Twitter (https://twitter.com/KimDotcom) on the 29/4 which reads;
“KimDotcom@KimDotcom
The new Labour govt in New Zealand decided to appeal the Human Rights Tribunal ruling that former Attorney General acted unlawfully by withholding evidence in my case.
@nzlabour is now officially defending what National did to my family. Increasing cost and prolonging injustice.”
I am interested in the Human Rights aspect of this case and was wondering if anyone else has come across anything through the media about the Crown’s appeal of the Human Rights Tribunal ruling that former Attorney General acted unlawfully by withholding evidence in Kim Dotcom’s case.
Having read the Human Rights Tribunal ruling I am interested on what basis the Crown has grounded their appeal.
Cheers, S.T.
Disgusting, lawyers out of control again, no wonder NZ productivity is down and we can’t pick out own apples or build a house anymore, too many lawyers (we have about 26% more practising lawyers per person that the UK which is supposedly a financial hub, why do we need so many lawyers in NZ, when we seem to be a mostly agricultural and construction economy?).
Even a Moron should be able to work out that not releasing Dot coms information held about him from government agencies when he was being publicly persecuted in a bizarre inappropriate and ultimately found illegal police/cops/FBI shakedown…. was wrong. Now to waste more taxpayers money on lawyers appealing it… outrageous.
What’s the legal bill so far for NZ taxpayers – 5 million and counting just on the lawyers… because Hollywood is too cheap to fight it’s own battles and our over represented NZ lawyers are only too keen to be troughers at the government purse and now wasting more money on appeals that show Kiwis citizens that our government love harassment and lack decency to see even the most basic of issues effecting privacy…
Thanks for the update, ST. I am also interested as to what basis the “Crown” is using for it’s appeal.
Having Googled to see if there is any further information, all I could find was KDC’s tweet and a blog post on TDB by Martyn Bradbury which provides no further information.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/04/30/labour-party-attack-kim-dotcom-major-blunder/
Whether this is a decision by the new “Labour Government “, as suggested by KDC and Bradbury is questionable, however.
As you know from reading the Human Rights Review Tribunal ruling, the “Crown” as the original defendant in this case comprised Crown Law as First Defendant and then in order, the Attorney-General, DPMC, Immigration, MBIE, MFAT, MOJ, and NZ Police as the other 2nd to 8th Defendents.
The Solicitor-General as Chief Executive of the Crown Law Office, and the Attorney-General are the two main Law Officers of the Crown.
The Attorney-General has two roles in government – one as the senior Law Officer of the Crown requiring the A-G to act independently free of political considerations on some matters; and the other as a Minister of the Crown with ministerial responsibilities with its associated political partisanship.
The Attorney-General as senior Law Officer has principle responsibility for the Government’s administration of the law which is exercised in conjunction with the Solicitor- General as is the junior Law Officer.
OTOH:
“Subject only to the Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General is the government’s chief legal adviser and advocate in the courts. In practice, the Solicitor-General provides advice directly to Ministers, departments and agencies of government and will appear as Senior Counsel for government interests in litigation and in particular appellate court matters. A key responsibility is to advise the government on constitutional questions.
The Solicitor-General also exercises a number of specific functions within the Crown’s prosecution process. These include responsibility for the prosecution of criminal jury trials and Crown representation in appeals against conviction and sentences.
By statute the Solicitor-General can exercise almost all of the statutory functions conferred on the Attorney-General. As the non-political Law Officer, the Solicitor-General has traditionally assumed responsibility for the exercise of those functions that should be undertaken independently of the political process, most notably the prosecution functions.
However, it has long been recognised that the nature and value of the office within government lies in part on the Solicitor-General’s duty to give independent advice and, in relation to certain functions, to act independently. That independence is of considerable constitutional importance. Such impartial advice can be seen to be given without political direction, even on politically contentious issues.”
http://www.crownlaw.govt.nz/about-us/law-officers/
In terms of the role of the Solicitor-General as the chief adviser and advocate in relation to the courts and the specific functions of this role in respect of the prosecution process, it could be that this decision to appeal the KDC HRRT ruling has been made by the Solicitor-General acting independently.
Please note that this is conjecture on my part, but I would be really interested to know whether this has been the case. If so, it cannot be sheeted to the “Government” per se – of whatever political persuasion or composition.
I will be following this appeal with interest, both from this aspect and the one you raised – the grounds that the appeal is being based on.
“The Crown” certainly did not make a great impression on the HRRT in terms of their original actions and the presentation of their defence to the Tribunal.
Sections (8) to (13) summarise the Tribunal’s impressions re KDC versus the Crown as witnesses rather succinctly.
https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Decisions/2018-nzhrrt-7-dotcom-v-crown-law-others.pdf
Thanks veutoviper…..will wait and see what appears next then…..good points raised and noted which I appreciate your response.
“False Clarke Gayford rumours: Police and PM Jacinda Ardern respond to widely circulated fake slurs” by David Fisher.
Jacinda via Clarke is the victim of false news and Dirty Tricks are alive and well. Yuck!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12043351
Ugh scary stuff
One News last night had a disturbing story about allegations that Corrections officers had sexually assaulted prisoners – and that Corrections was for some reason not bothering to track these allegations:
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2018/05/how-can-they-not-track-this.html
Excellent to see that the school workers’ strikes are spreading across more states in the USA: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/us-teachers-strikes-spread-across-five-states/
How do Labour and Green supporters here feel about it being years before the welfare overhaul comes about?
Anecdotally, I know most weren’t expecting changes over night, but now that Labour have indicated it may not come about until after the next election, how do you feel about the delay?
Personally, considering some of the horror stories coming out of WINZ one would have thought Labour would have made the overhaul a priority.
The Green Party seem rather silent on the matter. Especially so now they have Marama as co-leader.
Maybe the poor would get more welfare if they banded together and formed a religion…. see Gloriavale below, but I don’t think they are the only ones who can gather substantial government benefits in this way… funny how the tinder date women got her benefit cut, but this sort of practise is ok, (maybe because they are rich and a harder target?).
I see from your link the Government is going to look into it.
“The problem is that poor families really can’t wait until the deliberations of a welfare working group, they’ve already had to wait far too long and we’re picking up the social cost of that every day, we’re hearing from the sector about how … things have got worse.” – Susan St John.
Seeing as the welfare overhaul was part of Labour’s confidence and supply deal with the Greens, it’s surprising the Greens have nothing to say on the delay.
So much for the notion of the Greens keeping Labour in check. I’m starting to think my vote for the Greens was a waste of time.
Sue Bradford? She understood that time is something you don’t have when you are hungry and homeless….
Welfare has been allowed to get into a mess and a lot of people who don’t need benefits get them, while working people increasingly need them because the wages are so low, while those who need benefits them don’t get them, so that the costs overrun and more and more ‘reforms’ can be justified, at the same time this means less left people vote left (because their lives have got worse) and more right people vote right (because welfare feels like a bottomless pit)…
Yes, savenz, Sue Bradford understands that time is something you don’t have when you are hungry and homeless.
A lot of people I know that voted left have given up on so-called left wing parties and no longer partake in elections. In fact, I’ve yet to meet a right-winger that doesn’t vote.
From the confidence and supply agreement:
https://www.greens.org.nz/sites/default/files/NZLP%20%26%20GP%20C%26S%20Agreement%20FINAL.PDF
Nothing about timing but if there is nothing immediate in the Budget in a couple of weeks, then yes the left have cause to be concerned.
The drawn-out timing (up to 3 years from now) was announced by Labour’s Social Development Minister on the last episode of the Nation.
What blew me away was there was nothing from the Greens on this drawn-out timing, yet when it came to the less well off subsidising those that can afford a new EV, the Greens were quick to publicly announce they are considering it. Despite it going against their social justice stance.
So instead of speaking up on the drawn-out timing to help the less well off, they decided to speak up on a policy proposal that will benefit the well to do at the expense of the less well off.
What the hell are they up too?
“I’m starting to think”
Gosh, starting to? You really are a feeble little troll.
No. I’m a disappointed Green voter.
feeble.
When it comes to social justice,”feeble” and largely good for nothing is how the Greens are currently coming across.
You are such a try-hard.
It’s a pity and a real let down the Greens aren’t trying harder.
Can you explain how you thought a party polling around 5% last September was going to be able to enforce all the changes you wanted in 6 months?
Due to their lack of the vote, I don’t expect the Greens to enforce all the changes they campaigned on. However, I do expect them to speak up and show us how they are working on trying to secure more.
What we’ve got is them gifting questions to the opposition and telling us they are considering getting the less well off to subsidise the well to do.
Do you not share my disappointment, Tracey?
I dont actually. I know enough about them to understand they do not indulge in the tail wagging the dog and will abide by the letter and intent of agreements they sign.
“I know enough about them…”
Do you?
So you are happy and have no problem with them gifting questions away and considering getting the less well off to subsidise the well to do?
“They do not indulge in the tail wagging the dog and will abide by the letter and intent of agreements they sign.”
And in saying that, are you implying speaking up and showing us how they are working on trying to secure more doesn’t abide by the letter and intent of agreements they’ve signed? Because that would be incorrect, despite what you claim to know.
If not, what was your point?
” I’m starting to think my vote for the Greens was a waste of time. ” where do you think your vote would have been used better?
Nowhere, at this stage. Hence, my desire to see the Greens up their game.
Addionally, Tracey, your question reminds me of the stance some centrist take. We don’t have to worry and cater to the left as they have nowhere else to turn too.
One of the issues of welfare seems to be some unusual arrangements allowed, such as the Gloriavale community who seem to have copious amounts of children who apparently need government welfare support, giving their WFF’s (estimated over 3 million a year in WFF welfare payments to the families who then put it in the wealthy community leaders bank accounts)… God provides in mysterious ways… someone was also complaining how they got such a good ero report when they are segregated and girls taught women’s work. I believe Gloriavale also qualify for some education funding for their own schools from the tax payer to the tune of $200,000… to teach that sort of stuff… God via the tax payers provides again, it seems.
Government to investigate Gloriavale’s use of Working for Families payments
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/government-to-investigate-gloriavale-s-use-of-working-for-families-payments.html
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/04/22/dr-liz-gordon-bees-guns-and-cults-recent-happenings-in-education/
Q: what’s the difference between Centrepoint and Gloriavale?
A: one’s a commune run by a convicted sexual predator, and the other was run by Bert Potter.
Actually the answer is no difference. Both are run by sexual predators. Your attempt at humour is weak and illplaced imo
With the budget fast approaching- I hope those senior members of the govt will be reminded repeatedly of what was said at election time.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/10/what-labour-promised.html
https://www.labour.org.nz/10_reasons
Unlike in 99 (when the reverse was the case) last year is appearing to be over promised and under delivered
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/103480388/cheaper-gp-visits-delayed-as-govt-admits-it-cant-afford-this-year
So we are now prioritising what will be spent.
How can we trust any Politician?? National – Labour what really is the difference? Promise then renege, BUT we didn’t know…. Really
You thought Labour was significantly different to National in terms of behaviour? Why?
I think we all need a bit of a laugh today – so here we are.
The NZ is being left off of maps conspiracy – Jacinda Ardern and Rhys Darby
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2018/05/jacinda-ardern-rhys-darby-campaign-to-get-nz-on-world-maps-in-hilarious-video.html
Just a wee heads up on the ‘news’ that hemp is good food, and being permitted as food, and kiwi farmers might move into it as an alternate income to milking.
This is all true. BUT, and it’s a biggie…
Hemp is an accumulator of heavy metals. Cadmium, that comes with many Phosphate fertilisers, is a widespread problem on Dairy (and other) land, with levels threatening to shut certain land from production, or out of specific markets (EU). Our Councils are already fully aware of this issue.
So, here’s what actually needs to happen.
We identify the (so much) polluted land, and grow Hemp for FIBRE, until the land is cleared for food. The Hemp will detoxify the land while making a profit for Farmers. Talk about a gift horse. Now let’s see if anyone’s listening.
It’s an elegant solution to an enormous potential screw up.
Let’s get this right.
I think there’s a project in Australia looking to use a salt bush for a similar use, specifically for heavy metails and radioactive stuff. The idea being that the salt bush absorbs the pollutants, and it’s then taken and burned and the metals collected (radioactive rope might be an issue).
But it’s an interesting idea.
Nice heads up on the saltbush thank you.
These types of plants are called hyperaccumulators, and were initially discovered as inhabitants of serpentine soils and mine tailings. Unfortunately most grew too small or too slow to be of use but science continues the search. Did you know some clever folks have found a strain of Brassica juncea to harvest gold from tailings?
GOLD! (that always gets attention).
Mustard?
Lol that’ll end up in a posey michelin star restaurant
‘
Spider 16.
A love story
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/103579347/the-extraordinary-life-and-death-of-the-worlds-oldest-known-spider
The Am Show Mark I would not have liked to be in your shoes when that bomb went off
on the Black Caps tour of Pakistan in 2002 that would have been unexpected and made me ——-my pants.
We should be great full that OUR Tipunas had the forsight to use diplomacy and intelligence to work together to leave us all this beautiful country Aoteraroa .
One phenomenon about this school PEE description is that it confirms my concerns that there is heaps of PEE out there and there is good reason to call out people using the word CRACK in any way in public is not acceptable.Duncan there need to be a advertising campaign showing what PEE does to you as soon as I heard about PEE we talked to our children about the bad side affects of PEE it is easy to see PEE users some people just don’t know how easy it is to see all addicts.
Gossip is a human trait everyone does it I take all information with a grain of salt untill I get it confirmed from other sources some people take gossip as a fact and use it to harm other people Good name like the sandflies are doing to me but are thats OK Eco Maori is just a broke brown person with no rights. Ka kite ano P.S its good that my———– know that I am innocent
I say that what happen in that NZ School is unacceptable and who ever dreamt that up should be canned full stop P.S we should never let it be accepted that PEE becomes a common thing in New Zealand as this type of behavior will do make it the norm. I wonder what that principal career was before he started teaching I think I know what it was
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/103580992/quakes-rattle-the-northeast-of-the-south-island
The Am Show Negative gearing is not just used by house owners business use it to structure there business to avoid paying tax that’s a fact we need to even the playing feild for all If they middle class are worried about there retirement they should join that great Labour invention Kiwi saver Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub tangata I agree with that drug councler its insane to expose te Mokopunas to that information on PEEEEE.
ITS obvious that the fuel companies are running campaign to maximise their profits. The Queen horses
Phil and Tyrone are magnificently beautiful animals I will be getting me A horse or 2 soon as I build my Pa back home.
Nice tie Mike many thanks to the good Tangata Sea cleaner for there great work Ka pai
There is a lot of different foods we eat that can cause harm to animals like chocolate is never to be fed to dogs as it hypes them up and could cause more damage to the dog good on the Australian for putting there foot down on this issue. Ka kite ano
Newshub you would think the sandflys would spend there time chasing the PEEEEE dealers instead of wasting there time and resources harrsing ECO MAORI knowing how much is on the street and that the Mokopunas are using the poison Ana to kai Ka kite ano P.S I think they have there priorities worng
The Crowd goes Wild Mulls and Melissa you will be a good team I have a hard time with the sandflys always harresmeing me on the roads to keep my self control I just tell myself that they are trying to minupulate my behaviour and calm down I’m not letting them change my behaviour muppets.
Monty Betham is a excellent ambassador for Rugby League and the Warriors many thanks from ECO MAORI Monty for your good work Ka kite ano Wairangi is going to be brused after that Monty
The Crowd goes Wild To admit one needs glass is to admit one is getting long in the tooth Melissa it took me a couple of years to admit I needed glasses lol Ka kite ano