The Zionist project to wipe Palestinians out of the history books, and indeed out of existence itself, (a project similar, at least in its ultimate aim, as the aim of the Holocaust to rid Europe of Jews), it is a project that requires propaganda.
The latest Zionist propaganda to justify Israel’s slaughter of demonstrators in Gaza, protesting against their imprisonment in the world’ biggest open air prison, follows a predictable and well plotted trajectory.
How to begin;
First off you have to put out the idea that both sides are, trapped in an intractable conflict, in which both sides are equally culpable, from there you slowly work in the idea, that your side is not as bad as the other side, and that your side is more civilised, more disciplined, more established, and have nicer uniforms. Compared to this, the other side are all depicted as an undisciplined, anarchic, unwashed dangerous rabble, inscrutable and alien, beyond reason.
The purpose of this propaganda, is no matter how monstrous our crimes, our domination must surely be the better option.
David Cumin would say such propaganda.
He is a Zionist.
His ease in getting a platform to disseminate such propaganda is the issue.
The editors at Stuff, TVNZ and NZME are the problem.
Ad 1.2
2 June 2018 at 8:47 am
Which of the links provided in his article are untrue?
Kia ora Ad,
David Cumin’s article, befitting a propaganda piece, is littered with inaccuracies and distortions. (Not to mention all the usual hateful <a href='http://www.dictionary.com/browse/calumny'calumnies common in racist hate speech). But I will deal with just two of the most glaring lies and distortions, which are contained in just one sentence.
Hamas is backed by Iran and has a genocidal charter that calls for the destruction of Israel
David Cumin
Firstly, Hamas has been, and still is, a supporter of the revolution in Syria against the Assad regime. This support has put Hamas at odds with the Iranian leadership which is major backer of the Assad regime. This is a fact that any pro-Israeli commentator would be well aware of.
In a Middle East split along sectarian lines between Shi’ite and Sunni Islam, the public abandonment of Assad casts immediate questions over Hamas’s future ties with its principal backer Iran, which has stuck by its ally Assad, as well as with Iran’s fellow Shi’ite allies in Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
“I salute all the nations of the Arab Spring and I salute the heroic people of Syria who are striving for freedom, democracy and reform,” Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, visiting Egypt from the Gaza Strip, told thousands of Friday worshippers at Cairo’s al-Azhar mosque.
“We are marching towards Syria, with millions of martyrs,” chanted worshippers at al-Azhar, home to one of the Sunni world’s highest seats of learning. “No Hezbollah and no Iran.
Secondly Hamas does not have a genocidal charter that calls for the destruction of Israel. What Hamas does maintain and has refused to back away from, (unlike their P.A. rivals), is their support for the right of return for the millions of displaced Palestinian refugees, to their traditional homeland inside the current state of Israel. Zionists have conflated this demand as calling for the destruction of the “Jewish State”, and truthfully, indeed it would mean the destruction of Israel in its current form as an apartheid State, where full citizenship is granted only to Jews. To conflate this as a genocidal policy against Jews is like conflating the ANC demand for the end of apartheid as a genocidal policy against white South Africans. I have even read statements from Hamas leaders saying that they don’t care what this new state would be called, either Palestine, or Israel, as long as all citizens both Arab and Jews have equal rights.
Jen, I watched the UN Security Council meeting this morning.
The required 9 votes were achieved for the Kuwait proposal, but due to the USA voting against it was not passed.
Am sick to death of the control of the 5 permanent members, there’s no democracy on that council, freaking disgraceful.
Sick of the bullshit narrative coming from ‘Murica their spin is always the same.. if you are not pro Israel, you are pro-terrorist Hamas…. it’s rotten propaganda.
Hamas has never been recognised as a terrorist group by the UN.
Meanwhile, the real terrorists are ordering the ongoing murders of innocents while sitting behind the safety of their desks.
Am sick to death of the control of the 5 permanent members, there’s no democracy on that council, freaking disgraceful.
The veto is there to prevent democracy in the same way the Representative Democracy is there to prevent democracy. To prevent the major powers and their allies from being held to account for their actions.
Make no mistake – the rich and powerful do like the idea that they can be held to account.
Cinny (1.3) … The US and msm thrive on propaganda. It keeps them alive. Shocking!
You state …
“Meanwhile, the real terrorists are ordering the ongoing murders of innocents while sitting behind the safety of their desks.”
True. Also however let’s not forget too, the murdering Zionists are 100% protected by the deliberate turned blind eye of the West, which in their appalling feigned ignorance of the brutal events in Gaza, are equally culpable of murder and possible genocide as much as the rogue barbaric state of Israel is.
Jenny.. the ongoing genocide against citizens of the Gaza Strip is sickening. The capture of our MSM by Zionist spin is even worse. We need to call it out at every opportunity.
What happens when you sell off public land that was previously social/state housing in a partnership… such as this example in London where
“in Elephant and Castle, South London. The new development, a result of the collaboration between Southwark council and Australian multinational construction company Lend Lease, is going to be on the site of the old Heygate Estate. While the Heygate was home to 1,194 social-rented flats at the time of its demolition, the new £1.2bn Elephant Park will provide just 74 such homes among its 2,500 units”.
Time for a rethink of selling off NZ social housing and creating these ‘partnerships’ aka free land from the state to build the same number or less houses years later! Maybe a makeover would be a better use of public money and assets and ensuring an development was kept in house so that the assets stay with the state for the purposes they were designed for!!
“Anyone who says Elephant and Castle wasn’t a hole that needed redeveloping is mad. ”
Ad the redevelopment achieved a 93% reduction in social housing despite creating an extra 1306 units – I believe anyone defending that needs a bloody hard look in the mirror.
As is frequent Ad you miss an important point amongst the ones you decide to comment on. Having a small bedsitter in London that is in reasonable order that is affordable is a living area that is a haven, if not heaven. Of course the recent fire in the high-rise indicates that such places must be properly designed, with Council minute control and meet all safety requirements with extra requirements that are likely to be complied with. And then they have to take responsibility to check and see they are kept up to date.
Was talking to someone who rents a place in Auckland, 1 bedroom at $450 p/w and works a close to minimum wage job in the centre. She was thinking of moving to Australia or the provinces… Since the rates, insurance and body corp probably takes up 1/3 of the rent alone, then the costs of a mortgage on the property, I’m not seeing the rents going down anytime soon… therefore the standards of housing need to be lowered or wages start rising, and fixed expenses start lowering, many are just being forced to move out of the city. There are plenty more there to replace them for residency.
The debate NZ needs to have is do we need more low wage or underpaid people who after the initial few years to gain residency, do the same thing as the original person to be replaced again, into the Ponzi scheme, multiplying our low wage, low skill and over demand housing issues… or support the original person/tackle why we have suddenly got this problem we did not have a decade ago?
Same happening with a tradie I know. He is underpaid by about 50% of what he should be paid but is just waiting for the residency paperwork to quit his job in construction. In the meantime it means that the lower waged and expectations of the employee’s in that industry are being propped up by the process… while stopping local people gaining access into that industry…(why would you if you are underpaid and treated like a easily replaced commodity?)
Michael Hudson:
” You could say that international competition is based on labor’s cost of living in each country. The most important expense in every country’s cost of living today is housing. What makes a country competitive in manufacturing or other sectors comes down to how much it costs to pay for housing.
20 or 30 years ago only 10 percent to 12 percent of one’s income had to go for housing. That’s about the ratio in Germany today. But in America today it’s over 40 percent in the big cities. It’s also over 40 percent in London, and and it’s rising throughout Europe. But this is not a force of nature. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s largely because banks have found that they can do to housing the same thing they’ve done to education: Housing is an excuse to get people into debt”
Even though Sydney wages are higher than Auckland, there is no way you could build in Auckland for that price per sq m
Yes Auckland has large ‘non build costs’ which include $12k for water supply/sewage infrastructure contribution, $12k for power supply/lines infrastructure costs. Then there is council infrastructure costs, reserve contribution etc etc. This could end up as $50-80k. But are not considered ‘build costs’.
The house seems to have a simple slab and is 1.5 storys with enclosed garage
Sorry, but as I see it only Germany has a far-sighted policy. Our folly of ever-increasing values will lead to either a bubble- burst, or a hell-hole of a society. Or quietly likely both.
And I own my house – no mortgage any more.
One way to tackle lazy immigration, is to radically increase the amount of pay a sponsored person needs to get and have provisions in place if it is an employment scam.
To get away from low wage culture, new work permits should be over $100k to justify a skill that is really both a shortage and a decent level of experience. We might actually claw our way back up the OECD tables on child poverty for example if we import actual skilled people not prop up lazy industry and insane immigration policy.
Then remove the ability for relative to piggy back on other family members who have migrated here. Maybe replacement with a long term visa where the family members coming have to have private health insurance and pay overseas fees for any children in tow… Might not solve the housing problem but will at lease reduce the long term welfare bills of current residents. There have been a significant number of cases of ‘abandonment’ of sponsored relatives and it should not be acceptable when we have our own elderly and children getting less and less resources and debt piling up for the next generation to pay for.
NZ hold most of their assets in property. Once that goes they will be like the Vietnamese in the micro houses, with a much lower standard of housing needed or our government increasingly selling off public assets to solve the crisis, while the from other countries buy up luxury housing or land here to build luxury housing.
Look at the writing on the wall, many of the residents of NZ are starting to live in too much poverty already, under bridges and in cars or struggle to survive on wages. And we have a welfare system, something has gone horribly wrong with current policy!
What evidence do you have that our immigration policy is “lazy”?
I’m not interested in the instances, what are the trends and policies that back you up?
Have you had a look at the categories that are favored by NZImmigration?
The weightings are all there in black and white. Do a bit of work and find the links.
As for ‘piggybacking’, you might want to have a look at our very long relationship with a variety of Pacific Islands and with Australia before cutting them off. These century-long diplomatic and post-colonial relationships are reasonably important to our society and to theirs.
You have to have lived in New Zealand for 10 years to get NZSuper.
Where are your figures Ad, you’re just a Nat apologist. Show us your links supporting how great immigration is for NZ. Here’s some real figures for the categories Immigration NZ uses to select immigrants:
Essential skills visa approvals 2016/17
Truck Driver (General) 400
Winery Cellar Hand 396
Waiter 345
Sales Assistant (General) 320
Personal Care Assistant 289
Massage Therapist 259
Baker 231
Painting Trades Worker 220
Builder’s Labourer 185
Kitchenhand 181
Fast Food Cook 118
Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers nec 116
Bar Attendant 102
Hardly essential skills, just a way to drive down local wages e.g. now we have Ritchies wanting to add Bus Drivers to this category because they don’t want to pay real wages to NZ’ers.
Before you parrot National party policy that benefits them, perhaps support your own arguments with some stats.
From the link: The only way we will know who knew what is to see all the paperwork between relevant ministers and agencies. Have a proper inquiry.
Doesn’t Garner read the newspapers? Doesn’t he listen to the news? My understanding is that Phil Twyford announced there would be a full inquiry two days ago. But of course by failing to mention that little nugget of info. Garner can leave a negative impression of Twyford’s handling of the matter, and claim he was the first to mention an inquiry.
What’s bugging me Anne is while many on the left are focusing on blaming National for this (and some would say rightly so) many seem to be overlooking the new standard that HNZ has adopted still isn’t fit for purpose.
The Gluckman report clearly states the most commonly used methods in NZ meth manufacturing no longer use solvents. Therefore, the primary contaminant associated with manufacturing is methamphetamine itself. In which Gluckman stated he wouldn’t be worried about until the meth residue reached the level of several hundred micrograms per 100cm2. Indicating the new standard HNZ has adopted is still far to conservative.
Hence, we can expect to see more unnecessary clean up costs, stress and social harm resulting from this although higher, yet conservative standard.
We should be urging the Government to quickly act to correct this.
” many on the left are focusing on blaming National for this (and some would say rightly so…”
And Chairman, what do you say ? Do you blame National for this?
It appears they are culpable to some extent. But there are also questions over HNZ’s role.
An inquiry is going to be held so lets hope that gets to the bottom of things. And of course, I wouldn’t want to pre-empt that.
And what are your feelings on the new but still conservative standard adopted by HNZ?
Any concern about repeating the same mistake all over again? As it seems all you are concerned about is getting National and not ensuring things are actually put right.
“It appears they are culpable to some extent.”
Wow, Chair, you’re really socking’ it to ’em! Don’t hold back – “it appears” “to some extent” – could you have chosen words more weaselly than those? I doubt it. I don’t know why anyone would bother discussing the issue with someone to whom it only “appears” “to some extent” – you’re clearly here to shift blame from National, who deserve to have this appalling behaviour stamped hard onto their record in indelible ink.
“it appears”
“to some extent”
Apologist obfuscator.
What are your thoughts about Mike Sabin’s involvement/influence in this matter, Chairman?
Seeing as the new standard HNZ has adopted will still require clean up work to be done and that this Government aren’t acting with urgency to correct this, are you implying Mike Sabin’s involvement/influence extends to this Government too, Robert?
It was a question, Robert. And like the two before it, you avoided answering.
Here’s another.
If you’re genuinely disgusted with what National allowed to happen re the meth debacle, where is your disgust of this Government for potentially allowing similar, albeit with a higher, yet still conservative standard?
I’m guessing that will be another question you’ll avoid answering.
“Potentially” you say? Yes, you always call to arms over what Labour potentially have or haven’t done, boy-who-cries-wolf. I’m with you though, in my disgust at National’s behaviour around what you’ve called, “the meth debacle”, Chair. I’m expecting that Labour, having shown good signs so far of repairing that harm, follow through and do all that’s possible. I’ll give them time to find the best path before doing as you are trying to do; damn their actions almost as soon as they have gotten under way. I’m not so keen as you are to harm their efforts or confidence in them. As for not answering your questions; I’m not avoiding doing that, they just weren’t particularly interesting questions.
Chairman, a few days ago you were heavily criticising Twyford for not apologising. He has since done so, without recognition from you. Premature rubbish from you.
And you want a revision of the new standard? So what exactly is your recommended change? If you know so well that the new standard is wrong, what is the correct standard?
With references and citations, of course.
“Chairman, a few days ago you were heavily criticising Twyford for not apologising.”
No. That wasn’t me. I was on his case for ruling out compensation. But I see he has done a bit of a flip flop on that, which is good. And if it wasn’t for the immense public outcry (such as from the media and people like myself) the flip flop would have been unlikely.
He was ignorant to the fact HNZ are still pursuing tenants for now-discredited meth decontamination. Which I see in another turn around has now stopped. The media pressure and public outcry was again immense.
And that the new standard HNZ has adopted is still not fit for purpose. Meaning unnecessary costs, stress and social harm is still going to be created. All based upon a “might be”.
The citation for my argument comes from the Gluckman report and what Gluckman stated (re he wouldn’t be worried until the meth residue reached the level of several hundred micrograms per 100cm2).
I’m not out to harm their efforts, Robert. I’m applying public pressure for them to improve their effort.
I’ve applauded the good they’ve done.
While you’re willing to wait, I don’t want to see more unnecessary costs and social harm. And with HNZ having already implemented its new standard, the potential risk for this is very real.
Seems you are more concerned about causing harm to Labour, than the potential harm caused to HNZ tenants and the fiscal cost to taxpayers.
How long are you prepared to wait? And what will you do if they don’t find the “best path”?
It will be more difficult to encourage them to change direction after the path ahead is set. Hence, it’s far easier to guide them onto it now.
With any respect due, Chair (many on the Left would say, “none”), I would say you are guiding no-one. You ask, how long I’m prepared to wait: as long as it takes for this proactive Government to ascertain the depth of the problems National created for us all, formulate a reasonable response/cure then implement those responses. You delight in jumping ever gun that suits you in order to create discord; it’s tiresome and oh so predictable.
As long as it takes you say. I wonder how much more damage will be inflicted by then? But hey, clearly you don’t care as long as Labour aren’t hurt, right? Sickening.
Oh, nice/sneaky little piece of selective quoting there, Chair; you’re stooping, low, ‘coz you’ve been exposed, again, as insincere.
My words were: “as long as it takes for this proactive Government to ascertain the depth of the problems National created for us all, formulate a reasonable response/cure then implement those responses.”
Your “clipped” version is … dishonest.
Touché, Chairman. You are right: You were on about compensation, not apology. I acknowledge my error. But without my prod, I doubt if you would have mentioned Twyford’s improvement regarding compensation..
You remain determined to nail guilt on current govt, as this thread shows
“My words were: ‘as long as it takes for this proactive Government to ascertain the depth of the problems National created for us all, formulate a reasonable response/cure then implement those responses.'”.
Regardless, Robert, the key point was you did say as long as it takes.
Hence, the only one being exposed here is you, Robert.
How dull. Chair, if it’s not to take “as long as it takes”, do you propose it should take less time than it takes? Just wondering at your grasp on ideas and words, which seems … fleeting…
Regarding selective quoting (see your effort above) I notice you’ve said, and I quote, “Mike Sabin’s involvement”, confirming your knowledge that the former National MP is donkey-deep in this whole sordid business and indicating that you know a great deal more about Mr Sabin’s, “Methcon” business than you are letting on!. I’ll hold you to your words here and expect to hear more detail of what you are clearly well versed in; Sabin’s involvement. Like how that works, Chair?
12 November 2015 New Deputy Chair appointed to HNZC board
Executive Director of the Auckland Investment Office John Duncan has been appointed Deputy Chair of the Housing New Zealand Board, Housing New Zealand Minister Bill English announced today.
“Mr Duncan brings financial transaction and investment skills as well as a good understanding of the public sector environment at both a national and local level,” Mr English says.
Two additional new Housing New Zealand board members have also been appointed Managing Director of Castalia Michael Schur and Former National Party MP Tau Henare.”
22 August 2015 Young-Cooper named as new Housing NZ Chair
Housing New Zealand Minister Bill English has announced the appointment of Adrienne Young-Cooper as the Chair of Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC).
“Mrs Young-Cooper has been Deputy Chair of the HNZC Board since 2010. She brings extensive property and infrastructure investment knowledge and significant governance leadership experience to the role,” Mr English said.
Mrs Young-Cooper is currently the Chair of Hobsonville Land Company and sits on the board of the New Zealand Transport Agency.
From what I’ve seen so far I’d think Housing NZ and Standards NZ are in big trouble, the taxpayer is going to be forking out some serious $$$ in compensation claims.
What ever is paid out will be chump change compared to the cost of the damage that has already been done and the rorts successfully worked by the meth testing /remediation scammers.
Wasn’t Sabin one the “pioneers” of meth “testing”?
Maybe but I’m thinking we’ll end up seeing some hefty payouts to those innocent parties harmed by it.
Housing NZ don’t look to have any reasonable defence for their actions. There’s no-one else to blame, they made the “leap of logic” and IMO it’s likely they’ll be paying bigtime for it.
The next phase will probably see the legal fraternity poke their beaks in with opinions on all the legal ramifications and I’m expecting most of them to say compensation is a natural corollary in a situation like this
Is this Labour led Government’s adherence to fiscal constraint weighing against the odds homeowners, tenants, landlords, and insurance companies will be given compensation for the meth debacle?
You’re right. The bill will be rather hefty.
Nevertheless, with people adhering to the standard, shouldn’t they have a right (whether legal or morally) to compensation? I believe so.
Ironically, so do National. Which further puts Labour on the spot.
What will this Labour led Government do?
Spend millions fighting it out in court? Or willingly do the right thing?
I guess we’ll just have to wait & see won’t we. Whatever happens we can at least be sure that the average person will know who to blame for it. HNZ blew over $100 million on a white elephant and National had no idea it was wasted money. If you believe that I’ve a bridge to sell you…
What imaginary ball has the Government dropped this time, in your opinion, of course, The Chairman? Does it ever occur to you that most of the time the ‘ball’ is up in the air and that when it lands it bounces up again back up in the air? That’s a nice little thought experiment, isn’t it?
An apparent device that could possibly be used to dig (resembling moving earth) something that to some extent might be called a hole (or a small indentation in the soil), maybe in the right hands with appropriate guidance and moral support from The Chairman …
Are you then saying that fire risk, lack of responsibility and out breaks of violence are only bed when people are tenants but are ok if they own their house?
I am saying that any household in which drugs, weed and alcohol are used, the occupants should be removed. For safety reasons, To prevent out breaks of Violence; and because or the inevitable irresponsibility.
Home is not a Booze Refuge. Or A druggy hole. Or a ditch for brain dead zombies Eviction is the Fix.
Maybe I was distracted by the B.S. in the media about Roseanne. Or maybe black and brown lives just don’t matter that much.
Either way, the fact of the matter is – real news out of the USA is becoming hard to come by. With distraction, and deliberately ignoring of issues which actually matter to people, having become the new normal from the corporate media.
I think we need to be vigilant here in NZ. That said, I’ve been impressed with everyone still staying on top of the Meth Scam by national.
the ones that are doing the work in PR have been pointing out that the ‘official’ death toll is wrong since the day the orange menage arrived to throw paper towel at people in shelters.
PR has not had reliable electricity since the storm passed. That includes any and all hospitals, old folks homes and private residences. So anyone who was in intensive care atm of the storm, or in need of a breathing machine or any other life saving machine most likely die.
You then have the issue of no functioning sewerage and drinking water, bingo more people dying. And as the morgues don’t have electricity either, there is no point bringing your dead there so i would assume that especially in the more remote areas people are just burying their dead and no official count is taken.
but its ok, PR votes reliably D so why would the orange menace care. Besides, these storms are the new norm and people need to get used to the fact that the government is not there to help, especially the non white people.
besides, it is not just PR but pretty much any of the US Islands that were hit by the storms, and sadly for the people living under their blue tarps the next hurricane season has arrived.
I imagine it’s hidden by exactly the same mechanism the National Party uses to perpetrate human rights abuses and shit in hospital walls: lies, prejudice, and hate speech.
However, because they live in a country where the rule of law still applies, they got caught out, just like the National Party. It turns out that with-holding the information was “pretty legal”, just like meth test evictions.
The Puerto Rican government released data on Friday showing that there were far more deaths in the wake of Hurricane Maria than previously reported.
The report was released a day after Puerto Rico’s Institute of Statistics filed a lawsuit seeking updated information on fatalities that occurred as a result of the hurricane, which ravaged the island in September.
…
The data released Friday shows that there were at least 1,400 additional deaths in the months after Maria struck the island than during the same period the year before…
a country with 3.3 million poeple has lived without reliable electricity, sewerage and clean drinking water for now almost 9 month.
Hospitals had no electricity for weeks on end.
Old folk homes had no electricity for weeks on end.
schools have closed down and to a large part are still closed.
whole communities have been cut of from aid, and are stil struggling with simply getting the essentials
The US of A is not a democracy, at the very best ‘if they can keep it’ they are a republic, at the very worst they are currently led by a person and a congress and senate that care very little about brown people in general and certainly not enough to send Fema in to provide help.
I think the current lot in hte US government is about as unconcerned and depraved about the suffering of poor people as is the lot of the National Party when it comes to poor and brown people here in NZ. Maybe that is why you can’t understand how people dare die in large numbers after two major natural disasters when they have no houses, no electricity, no clean water, no food,no medical care and help etc etc, its the National Party Member in you.
Puerto Rico has become a US financial slave colony and does not have the ability to protect itself properly from such disasters. They are not given proper US citizenship and have been sold to ruthless bondholders who they owe a big debt to. Politicians spent more than they received in tax and sold bonds to cover the overspend. In 2014 when three major credit agencies downgraded several bonds issued by Puerto Rico to “junk status” they found themselves unable to borrow more money by issuing more bonds. The United States Congress then enacted a law known as PROMESA, which appointed an oversight board with ultimate control over the commonwealth’s budget and nasty austerity measures have been introduced there. The US Congress as also rallied in support of bondholder’s to strengthen their rights and prevent Puerto Rico from negotiating better terms with the bondholders.
Streaming cow poo farmers are businesses any other businesses creating pollution in waterways are fined and made to stop immediately and also have to pay for the clean up.
Farmers vote for the party of personal responsibility but like their Party never take any responsibility.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I would accept your notion of polluters getting fined and held accountable if the local authorities (councils) weren’t lead and staffed by fellow dairy farmers.
That approach relies on all participants arguing in good faith and having a shared purpose of increasing shared understanding in the first place. Respectfully, that is often not what we see here.
Trump is being his usual self Porto Rico is in deep debt and this is Trump’s Karma kill innocent peasants who are not allwhite move on ignore.
Trump is a nasty tyrant.
Not surprising the US vetoed such a UN resolution, but…
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley rejected the Kuwaiti-authored resolution – which sought “international protection” for Palestinian civilians – as “grossly one-sided” and “morally bankrupt”, saying it failed to mention Hamas’s role in instigating violence.
“But there is a first principle question about how the government can spend $886m over ten years to compensate farmers for Mycoplasma bovis and deny compensation to state house tenants. Both are suffering harm due to no fault of their own. The question of where fault lies needs to be considered, but it’s hard to see from a justice principle why one should be helped and the other not.”
Pundit
A rather revealing piece, but from a rathe managerial / governance point of view. I was struck by Graeme Edgeler’s comment which put it all to bed;
by Graeme Edgeler on June 02, 2018
Graeme Edgeler
“”Any board would have been irresponsible not to take a cautious approach in the face of disputed science about potential harm to its tenants, especially when they include many of New Zealand’s most vulnerable.”
In what sense is taking a decision to make families with young children homeless (a massive risk factor for all sorts of harms) being cautious?”
Watkins comment that was quoted by Edgeler encapsulates the thinking of many managers in New Zealand, and probably the world to risk. They manage the perceived risk, rather than the core business. The board, and management, saw themselves as managers of houses, rather than a houser of people.
Congratulations to the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands for unanimously voting to allow adults to grow their own cannabis for medical use.
R&R Jacinda is in this for the long game plan one were people work smarter not harder
just because there is no mention of Maori in the Labour lead coalition goverment does not mean Maori have not gained from the new Goverment they have done more for Maori in six month than natinal did in 9 years in my eyes . ka kite ano
P.S I like the elderly gents views
The Hui some people in clive have used the Te mata peak debate to troll Maori .
The Hasting council should apologize to Ngati Kahungunu for this problem.
There is a lot of tupuna connected to Te mata peak the giants of our past
Look how the council handled the water issues they tryed to hide it and it bit there arrogant—– ana to kai.
I quite like Andrew Littles way of consulting more Maori on the issues with Treaty settlements as just a few Maori have a say . I don’t know anyone whom has gained from these settlements .So i say the tangata who are part of the settlements are the only one that gain from treaty settlements
ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub wow flooding in Auckland Eco Maori just left Auckland last nite its been ————–down in Vagas today.
Why was dairy dack dune aloud to let this drug be sold legally for years now we have addicts hooked on the——–ask the national party he received his karma .
Google new ap sounds good it will be good for people going to country’s where they don’t know the cultures I would have been stuffed getting around Auckland without Google maps some mite try and use this against me but I have been there long enough to have a fair idea of were I am.
Many thanks to Queen Elisabeth for her Royal tree canopy’s project this is brilliant trees live for hundreds and thousands of years OUR forests must be saved .
There seem to be a bit more bad publicity been sprayed about OUR All Blacks .
Eco Maori Knows who is doing this there are people who have the medias ears and inside information I bet little thing like those happen to sports people all the time the difference is some are pushing these small issues .
Ka kite ano P.S Lebron James looked——– at his team m8 blunder
Dancing with the stars Eco Maori is a big fan of AC/DC Thunder Struck is up there .When I went to Te Tairawhiti I was listening to Susy on the radio ???????????? .
Rodger from the rock is my pick everyone knows this kia kaha m8.
Ka kite
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 ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
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 ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
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From the propaganda playbook.
The Zionist project to wipe Palestinians out of the history books, and indeed out of existence itself, (a project similar, at least in its ultimate aim, as the aim of the Holocaust to rid Europe of Jews), it is a project that requires propaganda.
The latest Zionist propaganda to justify Israel’s slaughter of demonstrators in Gaza, protesting against their imprisonment in the world’ biggest open air prison, follows a predictable and well plotted trajectory.
How to begin;
First off you have to put out the idea that both sides are, trapped in an intractable conflict, in which both sides are equally culpable, from there you slowly work in the idea, that your side is not as bad as the other side, and that your side is more civilised, more disciplined, more established, and have nicer uniforms. Compared to this, the other side are all depicted as an undisciplined, anarchic, unwashed dangerous rabble, inscrutable and alien, beyond reason.
The purpose of this propaganda, is no matter how monstrous our crimes, our domination must surely be the better option.
And so it goes….
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/middle-east/104295988/commentary-that-palestinians-innocent-israelis-evil-is-morally-bankrupt
David Cumin would say such propaganda.
He is a Zionist.
His ease in getting a platform to disseminate such propaganda is the issue.
The editors at Stuff, TVNZ and NZME are the problem.
Which of the links provided in his article are untrue?
Young Gazans are born into a society ruled by Hamas, a terror organisation that does not allow elections
Not true.
Oh. You want to know about the links someone who stated that provided. Sheesh.
Kia ora Ad,
David Cumin’s article, befitting a propaganda piece, is littered with inaccuracies and distortions. (Not to mention all the usual hateful <a href='http://www.dictionary.com/browse/calumny'calumnies common in racist hate speech). But I will deal with just two of the most glaring lies and distortions, which are contained in just one sentence.
Firstly, Hamas has been, and still is, a supporter of the revolution in Syria against the Assad regime. This support has put Hamas at odds with the Iranian leadership which is major backer of the Assad regime. This is a fact that any pro-Israeli commentator would be well aware of.
Secondly Hamas does not have a genocidal charter that calls for the destruction of Israel. What Hamas does maintain and has refused to back away from, (unlike their P.A. rivals), is their support for the right of return for the millions of displaced Palestinian refugees, to their traditional homeland inside the current state of Israel. Zionists have conflated this demand as calling for the destruction of the “Jewish State”, and truthfully, indeed it would mean the destruction of Israel in its current form as an apartheid State, where full citizenship is granted only to Jews. To conflate this as a genocidal policy against Jews is like conflating the ANC demand for the end of apartheid as a genocidal policy against white South Africans. I have even read statements from Hamas leaders saying that they don’t care what this new state would be called, either Palestine, or Israel, as long as all citizens both Arab and Jews have equal rights.
Jen, I watched the UN Security Council meeting this morning.
The required 9 votes were achieved for the Kuwait proposal, but due to the USA voting against it was not passed.
Am sick to death of the control of the 5 permanent members, there’s no democracy on that council, freaking disgraceful.
Sick of the bullshit narrative coming from ‘Murica their spin is always the same.. if you are not pro Israel, you are pro-terrorist Hamas…. it’s rotten propaganda.
Hamas has never been recognised as a terrorist group by the UN.
Meanwhile, the real terrorists are ordering the ongoing murders of innocents while sitting behind the safety of their desks.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/vetoes-unsc-resolution-protection-palestinians-180601201831238.html
The veto is there to prevent democracy in the same way the Representative Democracy is there to prevent democracy. To prevent the major powers and their allies from being held to account for their actions.
Make no mistake – the rich and powerful do like the idea that they can be held to account.
I’m sure you meant :
FIFY
🙂
ty
Cinny (1.3) … The US and msm thrive on propaganda. It keeps them alive. Shocking!
You state …
“Meanwhile, the real terrorists are ordering the ongoing murders of innocents while sitting behind the safety of their desks.”
True. Also however let’s not forget too, the murdering Zionists are 100% protected by the deliberate turned blind eye of the West, which in their appalling feigned ignorance of the brutal events in Gaza, are equally culpable of murder and possible genocide as much as the rogue barbaric state of Israel is.
Jenny.. the ongoing genocide against citizens of the Gaza Strip is sickening. The capture of our MSM by Zionist spin is even worse. We need to call it out at every opportunity.
“The capture of our MSM by Zionist spin is even worse.”
So you are literally saying that the MSM and spin is worse than genocide.
Interesting view point.
Correct, James….
Genocide, it is…
Nikki Haley also used the term, ‘morally bankrupt’…
Propaganda!
What happens when you sell off public land that was previously social/state housing in a partnership… such as this example in London where
“in Elephant and Castle, South London. The new development, a result of the collaboration between Southwark council and Australian multinational construction company Lend Lease, is going to be on the site of the old Heygate Estate. While the Heygate was home to 1,194 social-rented flats at the time of its demolition, the new £1.2bn Elephant Park will provide just 74 such homes among its 2,500 units”.
Time for a rethink of selling off NZ social housing and creating these ‘partnerships’ aka free land from the state to build the same number or less houses years later! Maybe a makeover would be a better use of public money and assets and ensuring an development was kept in house so that the assets stay with the state for the purposes they were designed for!!
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2017/nov/13/brutal-london-the-capitals-housing-crisis-in-pictures
Anyone who says Elephant and Castle wasn’t a hole that needed redeveloping is mad.
And lumping thousands of poor people into a few towers has always been a disaster.
“Anyone who says Elephant and Castle wasn’t a hole that needed redeveloping is mad. ”
Ad the redevelopment achieved a 93% reduction in social housing despite creating an extra 1306 units – I believe anyone defending that needs a bloody hard look in the mirror.
What way in hell is that outcome desirable?
Nobody’s saying that. You implying that they are is what’s mad.
As is frequent Ad you miss an important point amongst the ones you decide to comment on. Having a small bedsitter in London that is in reasonable order that is affordable is a living area that is a haven, if not heaven. Of course the recent fire in the high-rise indicates that such places must be properly designed, with Council minute control and meet all safety requirements with extra requirements that are likely to be complied with. And then they have to take responsibility to check and see they are kept up to date.
Are we going to end up with luxury housing of more and more satellite families while the local people end up like this…
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2018/jun/01/inside-vietnams-micro-houses-in-pictures
Was talking to someone who rents a place in Auckland, 1 bedroom at $450 p/w and works a close to minimum wage job in the centre. She was thinking of moving to Australia or the provinces… Since the rates, insurance and body corp probably takes up 1/3 of the rent alone, then the costs of a mortgage on the property, I’m not seeing the rents going down anytime soon… therefore the standards of housing need to be lowered or wages start rising, and fixed expenses start lowering, many are just being forced to move out of the city. There are plenty more there to replace them for residency.
The debate NZ needs to have is do we need more low wage or underpaid people who after the initial few years to gain residency, do the same thing as the original person to be replaced again, into the Ponzi scheme, multiplying our low wage, low skill and over demand housing issues… or support the original person/tackle why we have suddenly got this problem we did not have a decade ago?
Same happening with a tradie I know. He is underpaid by about 50% of what he should be paid but is just waiting for the residency paperwork to quit his job in construction. In the meantime it means that the lower waged and expectations of the employee’s in that industry are being propped up by the process… while stopping local people gaining access into that industry…(why would you if you are underpaid and treated like a easily replaced commodity?)
Michael Hudson:
” You could say that international competition is based on labor’s cost of living in each country. The most important expense in every country’s cost of living today is housing. What makes a country competitive in manufacturing or other sectors comes down to how much it costs to pay for housing.
20 or 30 years ago only 10 percent to 12 percent of one’s income had to go for housing. That’s about the ratio in Germany today. But in America today it’s over 40 percent in the big cities. It’s also over 40 percent in London, and and it’s rising throughout Europe. But this is not a force of nature. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s largely because banks have found that they can do to housing the same thing they’ve done to education: Housing is an excuse to get people into debt”
With interest rates low and building materials going high, it’s not going to get better.
I see a winning design for a ‘project house’ in Sydney has been announced
The build costs they were aiming for were $900-$1100 per sq m by large home builder Mirvac
https://www.domain.com.au/news/picture-perfect-the-my-ideal-house-design-competition-winner-announced-20160429-goi2g3/
https://www.domain.com.au/news/sydney-architect-madeleine-blanchfields-reinvented-project-home-set-to-be-massproduced-20180601-h10udf/?utm_campaign=featured-masthead&utm_source=smh&utm_medium=link
[Images would likely stretch inside dimensions…!]
Even though Sydney wages are higher than Auckland, there is no way you could build in Auckland for that price per sq m
Yes Auckland has large ‘non build costs’ which include $12k for water supply/sewage infrastructure contribution, $12k for power supply/lines infrastructure costs. Then there is council infrastructure costs, reserve contribution etc etc. This could end up as $50-80k. But are not considered ‘build costs’.
The house seems to have a simple slab and is 1.5 storys with enclosed garage
Sorry, but as I see it only Germany has a far-sighted policy. Our folly of ever-increasing values will lead to either a bubble- burst, or a hell-hole of a society. Or quietly likely both.
And I own my house – no mortgage any more.
One way to tackle lazy immigration, is to radically increase the amount of pay a sponsored person needs to get and have provisions in place if it is an employment scam.
To get away from low wage culture, new work permits should be over $100k to justify a skill that is really both a shortage and a decent level of experience. We might actually claw our way back up the OECD tables on child poverty for example if we import actual skilled people not prop up lazy industry and insane immigration policy.
Then remove the ability for relative to piggy back on other family members who have migrated here. Maybe replacement with a long term visa where the family members coming have to have private health insurance and pay overseas fees for any children in tow… Might not solve the housing problem but will at lease reduce the long term welfare bills of current residents. There have been a significant number of cases of ‘abandonment’ of sponsored relatives and it should not be acceptable when we have our own elderly and children getting less and less resources and debt piling up for the next generation to pay for.
NZ hold most of their assets in property. Once that goes they will be like the Vietnamese in the micro houses, with a much lower standard of housing needed or our government increasingly selling off public assets to solve the crisis, while the from other countries buy up luxury housing or land here to build luxury housing.
Look at the writing on the wall, many of the residents of NZ are starting to live in too much poverty already, under bridges and in cars or struggle to survive on wages. And we have a welfare system, something has gone horribly wrong with current policy!
What evidence do you have that our immigration policy is “lazy”?
I’m not interested in the instances, what are the trends and policies that back you up?
Have you had a look at the categories that are favored by NZImmigration?
The weightings are all there in black and white. Do a bit of work and find the links.
As for ‘piggybacking’, you might want to have a look at our very long relationship with a variety of Pacific Islands and with Australia before cutting them off. These century-long diplomatic and post-colonial relationships are reasonably important to our society and to theirs.
You have to have lived in New Zealand for 10 years to get NZSuper.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/eligibility/seniors/superannuation/superannuation-overview.html
Are you aware of the governments’ policy towards selling off state houses?
If you want to do a good discussion on limiting immigration, why not propose a whole post on it.
Where are your figures Ad, you’re just a Nat apologist. Show us your links supporting how great immigration is for NZ. Here’s some real figures for the categories Immigration NZ uses to select immigrants:
Essential skills visa approvals 2016/17
Truck Driver (General) 400
Winery Cellar Hand 396
Waiter 345
Sales Assistant (General) 320
Personal Care Assistant 289
Massage Therapist 259
Baker 231
Painting Trades Worker 220
Builder’s Labourer 185
Kitchenhand 181
Fast Food Cook 118
Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers nec 116
Bar Attendant 102
Hardly essential skills, just a way to drive down local wages e.g. now we have Ritchies wanting to add Bus Drivers to this category because they don’t want to pay real wages to NZ’ers.
Before you parrot National party policy that benefits them, perhaps support your own arguments with some stats.
Braunias on Bennett
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12062725
More true than funny Robert ie the secret diary of PB.
Bennett endeavours to push responsibility on to everyone else rather than pick up any herself. Typical Nat
That is good 😈
“….and I was like, “In English?”
Brilliant.
Thanks Robert.
It’s not going away anytime soon…… no matter how much shite the prior national government tries to spin.
“Garner: Was the sorry meth sham a state-sponsored scam? ”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/104405915/garner-was-the-sorry-meth-sham-a-statesponsored-scam
From the link:
The only way we will know who knew what is to see all the paperwork between relevant ministers and agencies. Have a proper inquiry.
Doesn’t Garner read the newspapers? Doesn’t he listen to the news? My understanding is that Phil Twyford announced there would be a full inquiry two days ago. But of course by failing to mention that little nugget of info. Garner can leave a negative impression of Twyford’s handling of the matter, and claim he was the first to mention an inquiry.
What’s bugging me Anne is while many on the left are focusing on blaming National for this (and some would say rightly so) many seem to be overlooking the new standard that HNZ has adopted still isn’t fit for purpose.
The Gluckman report clearly states the most commonly used methods in NZ meth manufacturing no longer use solvents. Therefore, the primary contaminant associated with manufacturing is methamphetamine itself. In which Gluckman stated he wouldn’t be worried about until the meth residue reached the level of several hundred micrograms per 100cm2. Indicating the new standard HNZ has adopted is still far to conservative.
Hence, we can expect to see more unnecessary clean up costs, stress and social harm resulting from this although higher, yet conservative standard.
We should be urging the Government to quickly act to correct this.
” many on the left are focusing on blaming National for this (and some would say rightly so…”
And Chairman, what do you say ? Do you blame National for this?
It appears they are culpable to some extent. But there are also questions over HNZ’s role.
An inquiry is going to be held so lets hope that gets to the bottom of things. And of course, I wouldn’t want to pre-empt that.
And what are your feelings on the new but still conservative standard adopted by HNZ?
Any concern about repeating the same mistake all over again? As it seems all you are concerned about is getting National and not ensuring things are actually put right.
“It appears they are culpable to some extent.”
Wow, Chair, you’re really socking’ it to ’em! Don’t hold back – “it appears” “to some extent” – could you have chosen words more weaselly than those? I doubt it. I don’t know why anyone would bother discussing the issue with someone to whom it only “appears” “to some extent” – you’re clearly here to shift blame from National, who deserve to have this appalling behaviour stamped hard onto their record in indelible ink.
“it appears”
“to some extent”
Apologist obfuscator.
What are your thoughts about Mike Sabin’s involvement/influence in this matter, Chairman?
Stating it appears they are culpable to some extent is far from attempting to “shift blame”. I’m admitting I believe they are culpable to some extent.
As I don’t have all the evidence, I’m not going to put myself forward for defamation.
I know very little about what the true extent of Mike Sabin’s involvement/influence in this matter is/was.
If you have something solid on this then feel free to share it.
Talking of obfuscating, you never answered my questions.
Don’t forget the longer this Government takes to act, the more people that are going to unnecessarily suffer. Good for the clean up crews though.
Seeing as the new standard HNZ has adopted will still require clean up work to be done and that this Government aren’t acting with urgency to correct this, are you implying Mike Sabin’s involvement/influence extends to this Government too, Robert?
That’s a particularly…what’s the opposite of guileless?.. comment, Chair!
It was a question, Robert. And like the two before it, you avoided answering.
Here’s another.
If you’re genuinely disgusted with what National allowed to happen re the meth debacle, where is your disgust of this Government for potentially allowing similar, albeit with a higher, yet still conservative standard?
I’m guessing that will be another question you’ll avoid answering.
“Potentially” you say? Yes, you always call to arms over what Labour potentially have or haven’t done, boy-who-cries-wolf. I’m with you though, in my disgust at National’s behaviour around what you’ve called, “the meth debacle”, Chair. I’m expecting that Labour, having shown good signs so far of repairing that harm, follow through and do all that’s possible. I’ll give them time to find the best path before doing as you are trying to do; damn their actions almost as soon as they have gotten under way. I’m not so keen as you are to harm their efforts or confidence in them. As for not answering your questions; I’m not avoiding doing that, they just weren’t particularly interesting questions.
Chairman, a few days ago you were heavily criticising Twyford for not apologising. He has since done so, without recognition from you. Premature rubbish from you.
And you want a revision of the new standard? So what exactly is your recommended change? If you know so well that the new standard is wrong, what is the correct standard?
With references and citations, of course.
Vino
“Chairman, a few days ago you were heavily criticising Twyford for not apologising.”
No. That wasn’t me. I was on his case for ruling out compensation. But I see he has done a bit of a flip flop on that, which is good. And if it wasn’t for the immense public outcry (such as from the media and people like myself) the flip flop would have been unlikely.
He was ignorant to the fact HNZ are still pursuing tenants for now-discredited meth decontamination. Which I see in another turn around has now stopped. The media pressure and public outcry was again immense.
And that the new standard HNZ has adopted is still not fit for purpose. Meaning unnecessary costs, stress and social harm is still going to be created. All based upon a “might be”.
The citation for my argument comes from the Gluckman report and what Gluckman stated (re he wouldn’t be worried until the meth residue reached the level of several hundred micrograms per 100cm2).
I’m not out to harm their efforts, Robert. I’m applying public pressure for them to improve their effort.
I’ve applauded the good they’ve done.
While you’re willing to wait, I don’t want to see more unnecessary costs and social harm. And with HNZ having already implemented its new standard, the potential risk for this is very real.
Seems you are more concerned about causing harm to Labour, than the potential harm caused to HNZ tenants and the fiscal cost to taxpayers.
How long are you prepared to wait? And what will you do if they don’t find the “best path”?
It will be more difficult to encourage them to change direction after the path ahead is set. Hence, it’s far easier to guide them onto it now.
With any respect due, Chair (many on the Left would say, “none”), I would say you are guiding no-one. You ask, how long I’m prepared to wait: as long as it takes for this proactive Government to ascertain the depth of the problems National created for us all, formulate a reasonable response/cure then implement those responses. You delight in jumping ever gun that suits you in order to create discord; it’s tiresome and oh so predictable.
As long as it takes you say. I wonder how much more damage will be inflicted by then? But hey, clearly you don’t care as long as Labour aren’t hurt, right? Sickening.
Despicable.
Oh, nice/sneaky little piece of selective quoting there, Chair; you’re stooping, low, ‘coz you’ve been exposed, again, as insincere.
My words were: “as long as it takes for this proactive Government to ascertain the depth of the problems National created for us all, formulate a reasonable response/cure then implement those responses.”
Your “clipped” version is … dishonest.
Touché, Chairman. You are right: You were on about compensation, not apology. I acknowledge my error. But without my prod, I doubt if you would have mentioned Twyford’s improvement regarding compensation..
You remain determined to nail guilt on current govt, as this thread shows
“But without my prod, I doubt if you would have mentioned Twyford’s improvement regarding compensation.”
Wrong again, Vino.
https://thestandard.org.nz/nationals-strategy-on-the-housing-corp-p-fiasco/#comment-1489797
“You remain determined to nail guilt on current govt…”
Only where it is due.
“My words were: ‘as long as it takes for this proactive Government to ascertain the depth of the problems National created for us all, formulate a reasonable response/cure then implement those responses.'”.
Regardless, Robert, the key point was you did say as long as it takes.
Hence, the only one being exposed here is you, Robert.
How dull. Chair, if it’s not to take “as long as it takes”, do you propose it should take less time than it takes? Just wondering at your grasp on ideas and words, which seems … fleeting…
Regarding selective quoting (see your effort above) I notice you’ve said, and I quote, “Mike Sabin’s involvement”, confirming your knowledge that the former National MP is donkey-deep in this whole sordid business and indicating that you know a great deal more about Mr Sabin’s, “Methcon” business than you are letting on!. I’ll hold you to your words here and expect to hear more detail of what you are clearly well versed in; Sabin’s involvement. Like how that works, Chair?
Interesting that the person in charge of HNZ currently refuses to be interviewed by media or resign.
“Housing New Zealand’s (HNZ) chair Adrienne Young Cooper would not be interviewed but said she will not resign.
HNZ chief executive Andrew McKenzie also again refused to be interviewed”
So I wonder who are these people?
https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=26523499
What’s holding them back from commenting?
12 November 2015
New Deputy Chair appointed to HNZC board
Executive Director of the Auckland Investment Office John Duncan has been appointed Deputy Chair of the Housing New Zealand Board, Housing New Zealand Minister Bill English announced today.
“Mr Duncan brings financial transaction and investment skills as well as a good understanding of the public sector environment at both a national and local level,” Mr English says.
Two additional new Housing New Zealand board members have also been appointed Managing Director of Castalia Michael Schur and Former National Party MP Tau Henare.”
22 August 2015
Young-Cooper named as new Housing NZ Chair
Housing New Zealand Minister Bill English has announced the appointment of Adrienne Young-Cooper as the Chair of Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC).
“Mrs Young-Cooper has been Deputy Chair of the HNZC Board since 2010. She brings extensive property and infrastructure investment knowledge and significant governance leadership experience to the role,” Mr English said.
Mrs Young-Cooper is currently the Chair of Hobsonville Land Company and sits on the board of the New Zealand Transport Agency.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/portfolio/national-led-government-2014-2017/hnzc?page=1
Let’s hope the terms of reference in this Government’s inquiry extend to cover these appointments, Cinny.
Andew Mckenzie ex Auckland Council CFO…
Presided over the $1BN IT blackhole…
Moved on before the numbers had become public…
Did his lordship stoop to giving interviews back then?
Good on Henry Cooke, speaking truth to power on Stuff toay.
It sure won’t go away.
From what I’ve seen so far I’d think Housing NZ and Standards NZ are in big trouble, the taxpayer is going to be forking out some serious $$$ in compensation claims.
What ever is paid out will be chump change compared to the cost of the damage that has already been done and the rorts successfully worked by the meth testing /remediation scammers.
Wasn’t Sabin one the “pioneers” of meth “testing”?
Maybe but I’m thinking we’ll end up seeing some hefty payouts to those innocent parties harmed by it.
Housing NZ don’t look to have any reasonable defence for their actions. There’s no-one else to blame, they made the “leap of logic” and IMO it’s likely they’ll be paying bigtime for it.
The next phase will probably see the legal fraternity poke their beaks in with opinions on all the legal ramifications and I’m expecting most of them to say compensation is a natural corollary in a situation like this
Is this Labour led Government’s adherence to fiscal constraint weighing against the odds homeowners, tenants, landlords, and insurance companies will be given compensation for the meth debacle?
You’re right. The bill will be rather hefty.
Nevertheless, with people adhering to the standard, shouldn’t they have a right (whether legal or morally) to compensation? I believe so.
Ironically, so do National. Which further puts Labour on the spot.
What will this Labour led Government do?
Spend millions fighting it out in court? Or willingly do the right thing?
“What will this Labour led Government do? ”
I guess we’ll just have to wait & see won’t we. Whatever happens we can at least be sure that the average person will know who to blame for it. HNZ blew over $100 million on a white elephant and National had no idea it was wasted money. If you believe that I’ve a bridge to sell you…
But note that Chairman is doing his best to put all the onus onto the current govt. No surprises there.
He really is a crap troll.
Rubbish, Vino. See my discussion with Robert above.
Moreover, the only onus I’m putting on this current Government is for what they have and haven’t done.
Are you seriously going to defend their dropping of the ball?
“Rubbish, Vino. See my discussion with Robert above.”
Classic.
What imaginary ball has the Government dropped this time, in your opinion, of course, The Chairman? Does it ever occur to you that most of the time the ‘ball’ is up in the air and that when it lands it bounces up again back up in the air? That’s a nice little thought experiment, isn’t it?
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02-06-2018/#comment-1489967
An apparent device that could possibly be used to dig (resembling moving earth) something that to some extent might be called a hole (or a small indentation in the soil), maybe in the right hands with appropriate guidance and moral support from The Chairman …
He is, yes.
He is, yes.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait & see won’t we.”
Indeed. However, in the meantime when can apply public pressure to help nudge them onto the right path. Perhaps the Greens will also get on board?
What do you mean by ‘we’, Paleface?
Clean is Good
Any person(s) smoking or drinking any drug, weed, or alcohol should be evicted immediately from any rental or mortgaged Property,
For the reasons of danger of fire, lack of responsibility, and out breaks of violence.
These are the standards in work places. They should be the same in rental homes. Or homes with Mortgages.
Homes are too valuable to give to the careless
Sarcasm isn’t it OT.
There are some dangerous hobbies too.
Model airplane making and all that pesky glue…
No kids in state housing either, they can make a mess.
No need for insulation, the poor can do star jumps if cold- might help with obesity.
Cameras in the house’s so the state can clamp down on these ne’er do wells.
gsays
+1
/sarc
Are you then saying that fire risk, lack of responsibility and out breaks of violence are only bed when people are tenants but are ok if they own their house?
should ditches be considered rentals?
Hi Sabine
I am saying that any household in which drugs, weed and alcohol are used, the occupants should be removed. For safety reasons, To prevent out breaks of Violence; and because or the inevitable irresponsibility.
Home is not a Booze Refuge. Or A druggy hole. Or a ditch for brain dead zombies Eviction is the Fix.
Got it ?
Graham Capill’s penal policies cause crime. Therefore all your property should be confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Fair’s fair: don’t wanna do the time, stop creating more crime.
Coffee, it’s a stimulant.
Sugar.
People who grow their own vegetables, they are a deep threat to being clean.
So how did this pass under the radar?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/104331043/hurricane-marias-death-toll-in-puerto-rico-70-times-higher-than-official-count-study-says
Maybe I was distracted by the B.S. in the media about Roseanne. Or maybe black and brown lives just don’t matter that much.
Either way, the fact of the matter is – real news out of the USA is becoming hard to come by. With distraction, and deliberately ignoring of issues which actually matter to people, having become the new normal from the corporate media.
I think we need to be vigilant here in NZ. That said, I’ve been impressed with everyone still staying on top of the Meth Scam by national.
the ones that are doing the work in PR have been pointing out that the ‘official’ death toll is wrong since the day the orange menage arrived to throw paper towel at people in shelters.
PR has not had reliable electricity since the storm passed. That includes any and all hospitals, old folks homes and private residences. So anyone who was in intensive care atm of the storm, or in need of a breathing machine or any other life saving machine most likely die.
You then have the issue of no functioning sewerage and drinking water, bingo more people dying. And as the morgues don’t have electricity either, there is no point bringing your dead there so i would assume that especially in the more remote areas people are just burying their dead and no official count is taken.
but its ok, PR votes reliably D so why would the orange menace care. Besides, these storms are the new norm and people need to get used to the fact that the government is not there to help, especially the non white people.
besides, it is not just PR but pretty much any of the US Islands that were hit by the storms, and sadly for the people living under their blue tarps the next hurricane season has arrived.
I would call this bullshit. How on earth could 4,500 deaths directly due to a hurricane be “hidden” in a democratic first world country?
The survey and estimate methodology is indeed ‘interesting’
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1803972
I imagine it’s hidden by exactly the same mechanism the National Party uses to perpetrate human rights abuses and shit in hospital walls: lies, prejudice, and hate speech.
https://karengately.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/internet-troll-1.jpg
However, because they live in a country where the rule of law still applies, they got caught out, just like the National Party. It turns out that with-holding the information was “pretty legal”, just like meth test evictions.
an Island without power
6 month without power
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/07/591681107/6-months-after-hurricanes-11-percent-of-puerto-rico-is-still-without-power
and article from right after the Irma and Maria passed
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/puerto-rico-hurricane-recovery/os-hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-school-power-comes-back-on-20180117-story.html
hospitals without power
https://nexusmedianews.com/as-puerto-ricos-hospitals-languish-without-power-solar-offers-hope-video-a572cc442e23
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/us/puerto-rico-power-hospitals.html\
hospitals running out of everything
https://www.thedailybeast.com/puerto-ricos-hospitals-running-out-of-everything-and-patients-running-out-of-time
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/27/puerto-rico-faces-a-health-crisis-made-worse-as-majority-of-hospitals-are-inadequate
so essentially just use your brain,
a country with 3.3 million poeple has lived without reliable electricity, sewerage and clean drinking water for now almost 9 month.
Hospitals had no electricity for weeks on end.
Old folk homes had no electricity for weeks on end.
schools have closed down and to a large part are still closed.
whole communities have been cut of from aid, and are stil struggling with simply getting the essentials
The US of A is not a democracy, at the very best ‘if they can keep it’ they are a republic, at the very worst they are currently led by a person and a congress and senate that care very little about brown people in general and certainly not enough to send Fema in to provide help.
I think the current lot in hte US government is about as unconcerned and depraved about the suffering of poor people as is the lot of the National Party when it comes to poor and brown people here in NZ. Maybe that is why you can’t understand how people dare die in large numbers after two major natural disasters when they have no houses, no electricity, no clean water, no food,no medical care and help etc etc, its the National Party Member in you.
Puerto Rico has become a US financial slave colony and does not have the ability to protect itself properly from such disasters. They are not given proper US citizenship and have been sold to ruthless bondholders who they owe a big debt to. Politicians spent more than they received in tax and sold bonds to cover the overspend. In 2014 when three major credit agencies downgraded several bonds issued by Puerto Rico to “junk status” they found themselves unable to borrow more money by issuing more bonds. The United States Congress then enacted a law known as PROMESA, which appointed an oversight board with ultimate control over the commonwealth’s budget and nasty austerity measures have been introduced there. The US Congress as also rallied in support of bondholder’s to strengthen their rights and prevent Puerto Rico from negotiating better terms with the bondholders.
Streaming cow poo farmers are businesses any other businesses creating pollution in waterways are fined and made to stop immediately and also have to pay for the clean up.
Farmers vote for the party of personal responsibility but like their Party never take any responsibility.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I would accept your notion of polluters getting fined and held accountable if the local authorities (councils) weren’t lead and staffed by fellow dairy farmers.
This appealed to me as a guide to avoid the ad hominem arguments that sometimes have a negative effect on a topic discussed here:
https://www.facebook.com/brainpickings.mariapopova/posts/10155635206195745
That approach relies on all participants arguing in good faith and having a shared purpose of increasing shared understanding in the first place. Respectfully, that is often not what we see here.
Trump is being his usual self Porto Rico is in deep debt and this is Trump’s Karma kill innocent peasants who are not allwhite move on ignore.
Trump is a nasty tyrant.
Not surprising the US vetoed such a UN resolution, but…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/us-israel-palestine-un-resolution-violence-gaza-conflict-hamas-nikki-haley-a8379866.html
“But there is a first principle question about how the government can spend $886m over ten years to compensate farmers for Mycoplasma bovis and deny compensation to state house tenants. Both are suffering harm due to no fault of their own. The question of where fault lies needs to be considered, but it’s hard to see from a justice principle why one should be helped and the other not.”
Pundit
A rather revealing piece, but from a rathe managerial / governance point of view. I was struck by Graeme Edgeler’s comment which put it all to bed;
by Graeme Edgeler on June 02, 2018
Graeme Edgeler
“”Any board would have been irresponsible not to take a cautious approach in the face of disputed science about potential harm to its tenants, especially when they include many of New Zealand’s most vulnerable.”
In what sense is taking a decision to make families with young children homeless (a massive risk factor for all sorts of harms) being cautious?”
https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/meth-house-clean-up-only-just-begun
Watkins comment that was quoted by Edgeler encapsulates the thinking of many managers in New Zealand, and probably the world to risk. They manage the perceived risk, rather than the core business. The board, and management, saw themselves as managers of houses, rather than a houser of people.
Congratulations to the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands for unanimously voting to allow adults to grow their own cannabis for medical use.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/358764/cnmi-doctor-advocates-marijuana-as-medicine
The sky has not fallen….
Oi Oi Oi ozzie Ozzie Ozzie
Ova Ear:
https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-31-05-2018/#comment-1489494,
but then. hmmmmpf, yea/nah movin’ on “goan forwid: ssssssssssssssmetakef ekshully
So much shit and so little time left to consume And once we had a political party to represent us.
R&R Jacinda is in this for the long game plan one were people work smarter not harder
just because there is no mention of Maori in the Labour lead coalition goverment does not mean Maori have not gained from the new Goverment they have done more for Maori in six month than natinal did in 9 years in my eyes . ka kite ano
P.S I like the elderly gents views
The Hui some people in clive have used the Te mata peak debate to troll Maori .
The Hasting council should apologize to Ngati Kahungunu for this problem.
There is a lot of tupuna connected to Te mata peak the giants of our past
Look how the council handled the water issues they tryed to hide it and it bit there arrogant—– ana to kai.
I quite like Andrew Littles way of consulting more Maori on the issues with Treaty settlements as just a few Maori have a say . I don’t know anyone whom has gained from these settlements .So i say the tangata who are part of the settlements are the only one that gain from treaty settlements
ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub wow flooding in Auckland Eco Maori just left Auckland last nite its been ————–down in Vagas today.
Why was dairy dack dune aloud to let this drug be sold legally for years now we have addicts hooked on the——–ask the national party he received his karma .
Google new ap sounds good it will be good for people going to country’s where they don’t know the cultures I would have been stuffed getting around Auckland without Google maps some mite try and use this against me but I have been there long enough to have a fair idea of were I am.
Many thanks to Queen Elisabeth for her Royal tree canopy’s project this is brilliant trees live for hundreds and thousands of years OUR forests must be saved .
There seem to be a bit more bad publicity been sprayed about OUR All Blacks .
Eco Maori Knows who is doing this there are people who have the medias ears and inside information I bet little thing like those happen to sports people all the time the difference is some are pushing these small issues .
Ka kite ano P.S Lebron James looked——– at his team m8 blunder
Dancing with the stars Eco Maori is a big fan of AC/DC Thunder Struck is up there .When I went to Te Tairawhiti I was listening to Susy on the radio ???????????? .
Rodger from the rock is my pick everyone knows this kia kaha m8.
Ka kite