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
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
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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