One of the modern mysteries of the current government is how Kelvin Davis went from being one of the most effective Members of the NZ Labour party while in opposition to one of its biggest liabilities when in government. His handling of the Corrections portfolio is risible. His answers to Guyon Espiner on Morning Report today were simply pathetic.
I don’t know how you can claim that when he did not even read a report on his area of responsibility (that has apparently been available since November) till last week.
I can claim it with the content of his response….the decision was based on the evidence of best practice.
Whether the projection of the number of incarcerations had deteriorated further had no bearing on that.
Would it be better for him to be able to say he had read that particular report before the decision?…of course, even if only for optics…would the content of that report have impacted the decision?….it would have only reinforced the need for the the decision taken.
Not particularly…I have no idea what reports/studies he HAS read (or any other politician for that matter) and as stated the latest report only reinforces the need to work on reducing prison musters.
I actually agree with the policy of smaller prisons rather than large ones however that doesn’t mean he is excused from reading reports about predicted increases in prison populations before he makes important decisions on what to do. I would at least expect him to read the report and re-evaluate his position based on the information.
It would make very little difference whether he had read the report or not. The government had a significant body of material that warned them of the negative consequences of their oil and gas decision, but they made it anyway. Arrogance is becoming a key characteristic of this government.
For once I agree with Baba Yaga, it was a stupid decision that won’t cut our CO2 emissions by one µg, but it will limit NZ’s future energy options with needless and possibly avoidable costs of importing fuel. We will run out of natural gas soon, it’s 50% cleaner burning than other fossil fuels. What a waste.
We will probably end up burning more coal and wood.
And your evidence for changing track towards renewables meaning we have to buy more fossil fuel offshore is? And burning more wood and coal?
Half of this argument is changing how people think about consumption, not stupid arguments over keeping consumption at the same level. Feeding into idiots like baba yaga and his fake attempt to be blissfully ignorant of the the impact of that mentality is producing. Is a bloody painful and tired debate – one which I might add we have had on this site for a very long time.
Time to accept we have to change, or take responsibility for being the person who supports the destruction of human habitation. Those are the choices at this stage. Between a wrecker or not.
Don’t worry yourself on behalf of the oil companies,
Aparently, they are getting everything they wanted
The Austrian player also reiterated that the New Zealand government’s decision to not issue any new offshore exploration permits would have no impact on existing permits and rights, meaning that if OMV drills a discovery well it can be converted into a production licence.
Chief financial officer Reinhard Florey said recently: “We are in a very good position in New Zealand. We’re having around 50% of all available exploration licences in New Zealand.
“So even if there would be a tender of licences right now, we would not go for it because we have sufficient licences for the next 10 years, 15 years to explore. So we don’t see any impact on our business, not on the production as well as on the exploration activities.”
Meanwhile government regulators have tied up the Greenpeace protest vessel Taitu to the wharf on pain of massive fines if they put to sea.
And Greenpeace Aotearoa Director Russel Norman and climate activist Sara Howel have been convicted in the courts of breaching the Anadarko Amendment against protesting offshore oil exploration.
I’m finding it interesting seeing which ministers are doing well and which are being quite arrogant.
I thought Grant Robertson which have got a bit drunk with power but no he’s making a good fist of finance and Kris Faafoi is doing well in consumer affairs and then compare them to the arrogance shown by Twyford or the incompetence by Curran as examples
In Twyfords defence, he does best work when he puffed up like a chicken, or he has himself under the pump.
As for Curran, I think myself and others questioned her ability, long before labour came to power. So that should not be a surprise to no one.
Look on the bright side, if you can only think of two it’s way better than the last government who had arrogance and incompetence across it’s whole cabinet.
Well David Clarks not living up to the pre election hype either (Jami-Lee Ross seems to be setting something up) , Littles apparent problem of not being able to talk to Winston before announcing policy, Nash is making some missteps (especially over briefing papers) and that’s not even counting what NZFirst have been up to
I also want to point out I don’t think any of the Labour MPs are stupid (well maybe Curran), they just seem to be not sure of what they’re doing
I refer back to my previous (vague) idea of a quick-fire training course for MPs before they’re allowed to do things in that being a minister is damn important yet its all about the on the job training which, to me anyway, seems horribly inefficient
We are better served with talented amateurs, rather than trained idiots who think they know what is best. I’m all for them making some mistakes, and we should let new governments and ministers make mistakes, and only punish them if they do not learn. We have a good mechanism for that – elections.
You should go to Wellington Puckish Rogue, and get why we don’t want the ministers trained by people in and outside that environment. And putting aside ideological capture – be it left or right I’m sure we agree we don’t want that.
“And putting aside ideological capture – be it left or right I’m sure we agree we don’t want that.”
Well no we don’t want that but its like the mistakes a minister makes can have extremely negative repercussions so maybe theres a middle ground that could be found
A small training session set up by senior National and Labour MPs thats not about policies but how to ask questions etc
Maybe even instead a rule book for incoming speakers written by Lockwood Smith and vetted by Labour and the Greens so as not to get another dud speaker…
I dunno it just doesn’t seem right that you have the most important jobs in the country and you learn it by on the job training only
Fair enough. I’ll watch some more. I still find it odd that he’s deputy PM given he presents poorly.
But you may be right and he’s the solid performer behind the leader.
I also thought about Bennett and wondering how come she’s where she is given her incompetence. But I’m happy for her to stay there and for Bridges to stay front and centre as well.
Don’ t doubt that he is…(after all hes been an MP for some time) but as Anne noted (and I agreed) he dosn’t appear confident in interview situations, particularly ones expected hostile…(and for PRs observation, that was something unmet as an opposition MP)…..and none of this is necessarily indicative of his competence in his portfolio(s), though it certainly will be painted thus by the opposition.
I agree Pat.Kelvin Davis is passionate and dedicated to what he truly believes in. I was thinking this morning that seeing as Guyon is so proud oh his mastery of Te Reo that Kelvin should just answer him in Te Reo. I believe that he would be very articulate using it.
The Government is setting out to reduce the prison population so the reported predicted increase will be a way to measure their success. What if the prisoner population stays around 10,000? Will this mark a huge success? And how come the Report predict that the 3,000 now on remand will become 6,000? Remember those on remand have not yet been convicted and for some who are convicted, they have already served the prison sentence on remand.
You may well be correct however it is the fact that Kelvin Davis is not all over this subject which is of concern. He’s doing an appalling job and this is from someone who thought he was great at holding the last government to account and scored numerous hits against them. It’s like he’s been replaced with some incompetent boob.
Perhaps Kelvin Davis ought to do what National did for nine years and refuse to appear on Morning Report, and only be interviewed by pro-government sycophants and then only when he feels like it?
The problem with Kelvin Davis is not his lack of competence (his past history is testament to that) it is his lack of confidence when facing hostile opponents either of the journo or politico variety. He needs some expert training how to cope with them.
Anyone who has listened to him at private functions where no media are present would know he is a actually a very capable speaker and on top of his portfolios, but it does not come across in the public arena.
“The problem with Kelvin Davis is not his lack of competence (his past history is testament to that) it is his lack of confidence when facing hostile opponents either of the journo or politico variety. He needs some expert training how to cope with them”
Thats the impression I get too….is a lack of self confidence in an interview situation ….and we have more than enough overconfident/arrogant politicians so it is not unwelcome.
Didn’t seem to be a problem when he was opposition, I thought he came across quite well (I mean I disagreed with what he was saying but he spoke well and was quite effective)
maybe there are other things going on for him. Of course you’d want him to crack preferably on the news. Real people do these jobs mate and they live real lives – stop being a creep.
Yep I’m sure you’d prefer that however your rightwing agenda is not the subject.
Why do rightwingers try to hunt out weakness, and even create perceived weakness, to drop someone and make them suffer? Politics? Masculinity? No, sport is the answer imo – the hunt – stupid pack behaviour and bully antics hiding deep insecurities.
I still think that Labour didn’t expect to get into power and so had the luxury of saying damn near anything they liked while in opposition but are now finding out its a different kettle of fish having to implement their pre-election promises
The dirty gnats are still finding their feet so it’s no wonder they are floundering so badly – for instance I doubt the public know ANY opposition member portfolios – I don’t know any, even Steven bridges – that’s for sure lol
But they are making the changes I wanted, unlike the Nats who mostly seem to sweep things under the carpet…….
I guess like anyone in anew job there is a bit of a learning curb. I was aware of this when labour was in opposition and the lost experienced people like king and cunliffe. There is very little previous ministerial experience in labour currently. But they will get that on the job.
I can’t really understand why so much criticism of Twyford. I think he’s working his butt off on two very difficult port folios with crusher braying at him (ridiculous the idea that he could have solved the housing crisis in 5 minutes)
Honestly thanks for outlining the concerns about Twyford.
It is a huge project they are undertaking ie building more affordable homes +++++it’s like any big project until you start it, you can’t really know what you are facing. Know this from my own home renovation projects. Even if you really shot up before hand things somehow unfold in unforeseen ways (I won’t bore you with the details here)……
The kiwi build apprenticeship thing is going ahead, heard some announcement about it very recently, but new apprentices will not yet have the experience to do the work. Yes the thing about fast tracking migrants for the job doesn’t fit with what they said about cutting back on migration (although they still may achieve that reduction). But needs must.
Twyford has signed off some great transport gains for Auckland (rail links), set up kiwi build, he I think is responsible for getting unoccupied houses eg owned by Auckland transport available for those needing emergency accommodation (better than motels) and he also got off his arse and phoned gluckman about the science behind meths testing.
So it might look a bit messy, but he’s working hard towards his targets, getting some smalls gains and setting it up so it’s good to go. After all it’s a massive task he has got
The big problem facing Twyford is, as you say, Kiwibuild is a huge undertaking with a lot riding on it, like a big gamble kind of thing, in that if he succeeds he (and Labour) will gain the kind of kudos Michael Joseph Savage received and can then look at three terms in office, at least (yeah its that big)
But if Kiwibuild fails he (and again Labour) will likely get the opposite reaction and all that entails
And at this stage it’s too early to tell. It might not be quite as black and white either, eg in areas outside Auckland kiwi build probably has more chance of success as the housing situation is quite as bad and the scale is less…….
I am reminded of what jacinda ardearn said (and I was sitting in the gallery when she said it) “I rather be the govt that tried and didn’t quite get their, than the govt that didn’t try at all” or words to that effect
It can’t succeed unless they use Savage’s funding model.
He’s just burnt a truckload of credibility trying to accommodate foreign investors – who will then limit his success just when he needs to push on through to a higher order of magnitude.
@exactly Stuart Munro and the foreign workers also undermining Labour’s so called Kiwi jobs and foreign buyers now even be bought in the mix to buy up the land and profit from it, or quasi private COO type companies be virtually given away public land in secret deals that are not providing much affordable housing aka HCL and if the buyers end up being foreigners or new residents who then rent them out after the withholding period, and the renters need more accomodation supplement to pay for the rising rents in the aforementioned Kiwibuild houses, it is gonna be a joke.
The NZ way seems to be market forces needing government money propping it up in a Kind of quasi public money for private profits. Not a nice story.
If they want to get Kiwibuild to succeed they need to use local and resident builders even if they have to train them on mass themselves, use local land and probably not sell them at all, as the city needs cheap rentals the most. Then use the rents to make more, exactly how private developers do it, only the profit goes back to the state to make more rentals!
I’m saying that Kiwibuild was/is being touted as a new rendition of the quarter acre dream, a continuation of Michael Joseph Savages ideas for state housing, a home and back yard for the kids to play in
All the marketing shows pictures of detached houses or town houses. Even the Kiwibuild logo is a house. Apartments are nowhere to be seen in the feel good PR images
It is interesting to see which Labour MPs are showing themselves in power, I mean Grant Robertson is doing quite well in that I thought he might have been one of the ones to get a bit arrogant but no hes doing well and Kris Faafoi is making a good fist on consumer affairs, again without the arrogance
Now compare those two that’re getting on with the job with someone like Twyford or Curran for example
“On 12 March, an explosion in Unit 1 was caused by the ignition of the hydrogen, destroying the upper part of the building. On 14 March, a similar explosion occurred in the Reactor 3 building,.”
actually I did edit the wikipage (simply pointing out the main differences between the two explosions, volume of material ejected and height of ejection) , it (the edit) lasted about five minutes.
Well the Lie must have begun with Tepco who controlled the initial analysis, Why this lie continues, lazyness?, ignorance? I really dont know ,
Huh – well Andre followed up with the tech analysis. You seem to be basing your opinion on your eyesight and limited knowledge of what you think a hydrogen explosion should look like. That is not evidence of a big lie.
Personally I think fukishima is such a massive disaster and cover up for real and the effects of that CONTINUING leakage of radiation into the ground and thus the sea are only now becoming known. That is where evidence of a big lie will be found imo.
Oh? Why is a hydrogen explosion not a satisfactory explanation?
Considering the enormous range of concentrations that hydrogen is explosive at, I don’t find it even slightly surprising that there could be a huge difference in the energy released by explosions in identical chambers. One could have exploded while there was still very little hydrogen while the other may have developed a much higher concentration before the explosion.
Even the assumption the explosions were in identical chambers is unwarranted, it seems the explosions were because the hydrogen was vented into the maintenance halls.
“Even the assumption the explosions were in identical chambers is unwarranted,”
Exactly! The video evidence clearly shows they were not.
think for a moment about the mechanics of how you might produce a vertical column of approx 1 kilometer (by comparison to the vent towers) of a great volume of material (observed falling) and then consider the dynamics of a hydrogen explosion (very fast!) in a light containment (the upper floor of the building)
reactor three was not “similar” to reactor one, certainly hydrogen explosion can be observed in both cases ( detonation, shock wave, bright flash) but what occurred after that was fundamentally different.
There’s plenty of reasons why there might be a much larger plume from one explosion than the other.
For instance, depending on maintenance operations, one of the halls may have had a large quantity of some sort of maintenance supplies that ignited, that either wasn’t present or wasn’t ignited in the other (because of a lower energy initial explosion).
Or there may be simple differences in the geometry and construction of the maintenance halls that accounts for the differences seen.
If both explosions were initiated by hydrogen that escaped from the containment vessel, which was generated in both cases by superheated steam reacting with zirconium inside the vessel, why is calling them “similar” a lie?
“For instance, depending on maintenance operations, one of the halls may have had a large quantity of some sort of maintenance supplies that ignited, that either wasn’t present or wasn’t ignited in the other (because of a lower energy initial explosion).”
Well if that was the case the wikipedia would say something like “the observed differences was due to the large amount of explosive material stored in the upper level of reactor three”
But that scenario does not address the major difference which is the vertical velocity and volume of the ejecta.
And I have some experience of physical objects being moved around by rapidly expanding gases, in experiments where everything we could think of was tightly controlled. And there were some pretty wild variations in outcomes even with initial conditions set to be as identical as possible.
So I don’t see a problem with describing those two explosions as “similar”, given the root causes of the two are the same. Given that there were likely to be substantial differences in initial conditions at the time of initiation, substantial differences in the appearance of the aftermath seems more likely than not.
Well thats the assumption you are steered towards by the description as “similar”
Best not question that assumption eh
easier to postulate “likely to be substantial differences in initial conditions” without any evidence and no such “differences” ever having been outlined.
I suggest you familiarize yourself with the differences between Detonation and Deflagration.
Ok, let’s take your new bit of theorising at face value (at a grand total of two comments it doesn’t seem to have attracted much attention). And no, I can’t be bothered trying to dig up a rebuttal of it.
So then the explosion at reactor 1 was the result of a known hazrd of pressuried water reactors (superheated steam reacting with zirconium cladding to produce hydrogen). Then reactor 3 explosion was due to a different but also well known hazard of pressurised water reactors. But somehow, probably due to technical differences of opinion among experts, the reactor 3 explosion is being misattributed to the same known hazard of pressurised water reactors as the explosion at 1.
How does this difference of opinion turn into a lie, let alone the foundations of some kind of conspiracy theory? Whether it was in fact a steam explosion or a hydrogen explosion doesn’t change the arguments against using that pressurised water reactor design.
How many times did Bridges say ‘spray and walk away’ this morning on Espiners show. I counted three but could have missed a few. AND he didn’t answer Guyons question as to whether he would forgo the Winter Allowance. I heard this morning that 140 people had opted out of it. Did you hear that Si. As for his amazement at Kelvin not having read report on figures on inmates rising the should just look to his right and ask the ever incompetent Paula Bennett to comment on this. When did she ever read ANYTHING? Going out on a limb here. NEVER?
Kelvin Davis performed well with the struggling Guyon this morning. Davis kept saying to the non responsive RNZ dummie, that Labour are not going to build mega prisons, but will develop ways to release prisoners on remand, and those suffering with Mental health problems. Thereby reducing the number of persons in prison.
Do not be misled by devotee TROLLS who suck on the incoherence of Simon Bridges.
Whatever, do not go with the trapsetting nonsense of people like Guyon and other low IQ RNZ so called journos.
While we are concentrating on banning plastic bags that are polluting our oceans and environment, can we also ban using components of plastic in our vehicle tyres please?
As “synthetic tyres” today now have the very same chemicals inert in them also as all plastics have.
Many benzene components are included in our commonly used tyres and these tyres have black carbon dust
Worse is that the carbon tyre dust that is emitted from one truck with 32 tyres will shed 100 times the plastic dust (cancer causing) more than just one car.
This toxic carbon tyre dust have been found its way to our artic ice caps.
Tyre black carbon dust has now been found to have been carried from our road pollution ‘runoff’ and transported in heavy rain into our roadside water ducts and water ‘sheds’ and then sent out to the rivers and coast to be transferred to the Antarctic ice caps by the prevailing ocean currents.
Scientists have found that the black carbon dust that may include tyre dust settles on the ice caps and accelerates the melting of our ice caps now.
Tyre particles are now known to travel far greater distances than previously known now.
Paper bags are the go. Ban the plastic bag! Too late to tax it as the oceans are dying! Oh that will upset investors so probably the government would prefer to kill the ocean rather than tackle taxing a company for polluting or even worse a foreign company, (but fine for ordinary commuters with petrol tax.).
@Fireblade – the Stuff tracker is a good idea but should show how many homes have been demolished to make way for the Kiwibuild aka the truth, they start with a negative as the National government booted out loads of vulnerable people to make these stylish new houses which if you look at Hobsenville and Tamaki are being marketed around $800k – well beyond what any renter or working or even middle class family can afford! Then put the houses into price banks… what they used to be $350k, now the 3 bed houses are $650k and going up… The other issue is that banks don’t like to lend on unstable jobs and so many jobs now are unstable…everything is harder because banks can afford to be choosy.
The WOF looks like a joke when they are now housing emergency families in demolition houses when the whole idea was to promise affordable safe houses! Before they fell into the Natz lies they should have looked a bit closer at the demographics of Auckland and what was driving up the prices! I know Labour and Greens trying to do the right thing, but +practicality+ needs to be looked at not just the latest +flash reports+ that clearly are a little amiss aka the staggering price increases of new builds…. lack of affordable houses… lack of rentals in any form… jobs still paying the same as a decade ago… It’s what they said about the wage trickle down in the 1980’s, never happened now we have the housing trickle down – is labour being fooled by their own liars again?
Thanks Andre a pleasure, view this scientific literature for clarity as the NZ document focuses on the amount of road tyre dust particles which is now very alarming to us all.
Then I Quote; from scientical reseach here at Alfred Weagner Institute.
This is just one sample of research that is recently discovered and as we agee particulates are from various sources we know clearly in NZ studies road dust from tyres is a hazard to be now taken seriously now.We now have to call these particles from tyres as “Microplastics ” as the scientists are.
Read the recent NZ publication also to see the NZ ageement that tyre wear now causes mass amounts of road dust pollution.
Scientists bombarded microparticles in the ice samples with infrared light.
Using a mathematical method they then analysed the radiation they reflected back to identify what was in the samples.
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI)
Identifying different types of microplastic and the movement of the ice could help us work out the source of these pollutants, say researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI)
Microplastics are particles, fibres or fragments which range in size from just a few thousandths of a millimetre to under five millimetres.
They come from multiple sources including from the breakdown of bigger plastic items.
For example, they could come from putting synthetic clothes through the laundry which are then washed to the sea, or from car tyre friction on roads, creating a dust of the particles.
Scientists bombarded microparticles in the ice samples with infrared light.
Using a mathematical method they then analysed the radiation they reflected back to identify what was in the samples.
The tiny fragments of plastic ranged from types widely used in packaging such as polyethylene, to paints, nylon, polyester and cellulose acetate which is commonly used in making cigarette filters
Identifying different types of microplastic and the movement of the ice could help us work out the source of these pollutants, say researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI)
Microplastics are particles, fibres or fragments which range in size from just a few thousandths of a millimetre to under five millimetres.
They come from multiple sources including from the breakdown of bigger plastic items.
For example, they could come from putting synthetic clothes through the laundry which are then washed to the sea, or from car tyre friction on roads, creating a dust of the particles.
Scientists bombarded microparticles in the ice samples with infrared light.
Using a mathematical method they then analysed the radiation they reflected back to identify what was in the samples.
Scientists bombarded microparticles in the ice samples with infrared light. Using a mathematical method they then analysed the radiation they reflected back to identify what was in the samples
The process, reported in a study published in the journal Nature Communications, revealed there were far more microplastics than previous assessments
They study revealed that, with its process of freezing and melting sea ice, the Arctic is important in storing and transporting the plastic particles. Scientists said they could not yet say whether the particles released from melting sea ice stayed in the Arctic
The process, reported in a study published in the journal Nature Communications, revealed there were far more microplastics than previous assessments.
Gunnar Gerdts, whose laboratory made the measurements, said: ‘Using this approach, we also discovered plastic particles that were only 11 micrometres across.
‘That’s roughly one-sixth the diameter of a human hair, and also explains why we found concentrations of more than 12,000 particles per litre of sea ice – which is two to three times higher than what we’d found in past measurements’, he said.
They study revealed that, with its process of freezing and melting sea ice, the Arctic is important in storing and transporting the plastic particles.
WHAT ARE MICROPLASTICS AND HOW DO THEY GET INTO OUR WATERWAYS?
Microplastics are plastic particles measuring less than five millimetres (0.2 inches).
They have hit the headlines over recent years, as improper disposal has resulted in tonnes of waste making its way into the ocean.
Each year, tonnes of plastic waste fails to get recycled and dealt with correctly, which can mean they end up in marine ecosystems.
Although it’s unclear exactly how they end up in the water, microplastics may enter through simple everyday wear and tear of clothing and carpets.
Tumble dryers may also be a source, particularly if they have a vent to the open air.
Plastics don’t break down for thousands of years and it is estimated that there are already millions of items of plastic waste in the oceans. This number is expected to rise.
Studies have also revealed 700,000 plastic fibres could be released into the atmosphere with every washing machine cycle.
Current water systems are unable to effectively filter out all microplastic contamination, due to the varying size of particles.
The amount of plastic rubbish in the world’s oceans will outweigh fish by 2050 unless the world takes drastic action to further recycle, a report released in 2016 revealed.
More than 80 per cent of the world’s tap water is contaminated with plastic, research published in September 2017 revealed.
The US has the highest contamination rate at 93 per cent, followed by Lebanon and India, experts from the University of Minnesota found.
France, Germany and the UK have the lowest levels, however, they still come in at 72 per cent.
Overall, 83 per cent of water samples from dozens of nations around the world contain microplastics.
Scientists warn microplastics are so small they could penetrate organs.
Bottled water may not be a safer alternative, as scientists have found contaminated samples.
Creatures of all shapes and sizes have been found to have consumed the plastics, whether directly or indirectly.
Previous research has also revealed microplastics absorb toxic chemicals, which are then released in the gut of animals.
That’s an impressive firehosing of irrelevant information.
I found precisely one mention of tyre dust in your DailyMail link, in the context of a phrase saying ‘hmm, we don’t really know where this stuff is coming from, maybe tyre dust, dunno?’
That rcaforum pdf was an impressive compilation of the composition of roadside dust contaminants and microdetail about their composition. But it was remarkably devoid about the hazards presented by the different contaminants. For instance, the section dealing with tyre dust failed to show any details around particulate size distribution, which is a critical bit of information in assessing the hazard. Although it did mention about less than 5% was small enough that it might become mobile again once it had settled on the ground. Nor did it contain any mention of uptake of these particles by marine life.
Meanwhile, scaremongering by joining together irrelevant factoids is how we end up with debacles like the meth-house testing scam.
mad heka duplicity alien was crowing in the Wairarapa Times Age yesterday morning that Winston Peters had been “FIRED” [sic] from the am show and was on two week suspension. Now he wont go back and merkin and dunnycan are really spitting the dummy. and besides what sort of juvenile language is that from a supposed adult.
why has politics in New Zealand descended into this sort of cocakamamie cross between reality teevee and womens weakly with the provincial rags as a support cast?
and for good measure Question time in the house has become a farce. if you dont believe me then watch and see for yourself. the nationals are like this pack of nitwitted drongos. One Brett Hudson asked a question to which he had just been given the answer.
The courts have finally got that case of including money loaned as some ones income in there assesment of money received fraudulently from winz they have ruled to clear the dept Ka pai.
There you go same day one week apart the only difference is the new Auckland fuel tax and no traffic jam today who said a fuel tax won’t decrease traffic.
Business conferenced allways go’s down in winter and what’s happening around Papatuanukue with trade won’t help plus most businesses are right-wing voters smitten that they lost the election.
Wow they found the Mokopunas lost in the Thailand caveing network that’s awesome I had my doubts but they are saved. Many thanks to the all the tangata who are part of the search team that found the Mokopunas.
There you go men behaveing badly at the basketball game between the Australian and the Philippins come on guys the whole Papatuanukue is watching you.
. Ka kite ano
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 23 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The Government’s social housing agency has backed out of a billion-dollar infrastructure alliance that would have built about 6000 new homes in Auckland – less than 18 months after signing a five-year extension.Labour says the decision to rip up the contract and sell off existing state houses could lead to ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...
Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...
Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...
Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...
It’s a little under two months since the White Ferns shocked the cricketing world, deservedly taking home the T20 World Cup. Since then the trophy has had a tour around the country, five of the squad have played in the WBBL in Australia while most others have returned to domestic ...
Comment: If we say the word ‘dementia’, many will picture an older person struggling to remember the names of their loved ones, maybe a grandparent living out their final years in an aged care facility. Dementia can also occur in people younger than 65, but it can take time before ...
Piracy is a reality of modern life – but copyright law has struggled to play catch-up for as long as the entertainment industry has existed. As far back as 1988, the House of Lords criticised copyright law’s conflict with the reality of human behaviour in the context of burning cassette ...
MONDAY“Merry Xmas, and praise the Lord,” said Sheriff Luxon, and smiled for the camera. There was a flash of smoke when the shutter pressed down on the magnesium powder. The sheriff had arranged for a photographer from the Dodge Gazette to attend a ceremony where he handed out food parcels to ...
As he makes a surprise return to Shortland Street, actor Craig Parker takes us through his life in television. Craig Parker has been a fixture on television in Aotearoa for nearly four decades. He had starring roles in iconic local series like Gloss, Mercy Peak and Diplomatic Immunity, featured in ...
The Ōtautahi musician shares the 10 tracks he loves to spin, including the folk classic that cured him of a ‘case of the give-ups’. When singer-songwriter Adam McGrath returns to Kumeu’s Auckland Folk Festival from January 24-27, he’s not planning on simply idling his way through – he wants the late ...
Alex Casey spends an afternoon on the job with River, the rescue dog on a mission to spread joy to Ōtautahi rest homes.Almost everyone says it is never enough time. But River the rescue dog, a jet black huntaway border collie cross, has to keep a tight pace to ...
Asia Pacific Report Fiji activists have recreated the nativity scene at a solidarity for Palestine gathering in Fiji’s capital Suva just days before Christmas. The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network recreated the scene at the FWCC compound — a baby Jesus figurine lies amidst the ...
By 1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver and 1News reporters A number of Kiwis have been successfully evacuated from Vanuatu after a devastating earthquake shook the Pacific island nation earlier this week. The death toll was still unclear, though at least 14 people were killed according to an earlier statement from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Scully, Professor in Modern History, University of New England Bunker.Image courtesy of Michael Leunig, CC BY-NC-SA Michael Leunig – who died in the early hours of Thursday December 19, surrounded by “his children, loved ones, and sunflowers” – was the ...
The House - On Parliament's last day of the year, there was the rare occurrence of a personal (conscience) vote on selling booze over the Easter weekend. While it didn't have the numbers to pass, it was a chance to get a rare glimpse of the fact ...
A new poem by Holly Fletcher. bejeweled log i was dreaming about wasps / wee darlings that followed me / ducking under objects / that i was fated to pickup / my fingers seeking / and meeting with tiny proboscis’s / but instead / i wake up / roll sideways ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Versta/Shutterstock Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world. While we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Terry, Professor of Business Regulation, University of Sydney Michael von Aichberger/Shutterstock Even if you’ve no idea how the business model underpinning franchises works, there’s a good chance you’ve spent money at one. Franchising is essentially a strategy for cloning ...
‘Targeting.” Crawl on broken glass for your entitlement.
Speak of the Devil….
What’s happening?
One of the modern mysteries of the current government is how Kelvin Davis went from being one of the most effective Members of the NZ Labour party while in opposition to one of its biggest liabilities when in government. His handling of the Corrections portfolio is risible. His answers to Guyon Espiner on Morning Report today were simply pathetic.
While his presentation was poor his reasoning was sound enough
I don’t know how you can claim that when he did not even read a report on his area of responsibility (that has apparently been available since November) till last week.
I can claim it with the content of his response….the decision was based on the evidence of best practice.
Whether the projection of the number of incarcerations had deteriorated further had no bearing on that.
Would it be better for him to be able to say he had read that particular report before the decision?…of course, even if only for optics…would the content of that report have impacted the decision?….it would have only reinforced the need for the the decision taken.
Guyon is over excited by a misperceived ‘gotcha’
Aren’t you the slightest bit concerned that he hadn’t seen the report until last week?
Not particularly…I have no idea what reports/studies he HAS read (or any other politician for that matter) and as stated the latest report only reinforces the need to work on reducing prison musters.
I actually agree with the policy of smaller prisons rather than large ones however that doesn’t mean he is excused from reading reports about predicted increases in prison populations before he makes important decisions on what to do. I would at least expect him to read the report and re-evaluate his position based on the information.
It would make very little difference whether he had read the report or not. The government had a significant body of material that warned them of the negative consequences of their oil and gas decision, but they made it anyway. Arrogance is becoming a key characteristic of this government.
Projecting much baba yaga.
All opinion, no substance.
https://www.interest.co.nz/news/94123/document-reveals-mbie-advised-energy-and-resources-minister-megan-woods-limit-oil-and-gas
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/104465563/government-warned-oil-decision-could-have-chilling-effect-in-investment-in-taranaki
I’ll post more if you want.
For once I agree with Baba Yaga, it was a stupid decision that won’t cut our CO2 emissions by one µg, but it will limit NZ’s future energy options with needless and possibly avoidable costs of importing fuel. We will run out of natural gas soon, it’s 50% cleaner burning than other fossil fuels. What a waste.
We will probably end up burning more coal and wood.
*Sigh* really.
And your evidence for changing track towards renewables meaning we have to buy more fossil fuel offshore is? And burning more wood and coal?
Half of this argument is changing how people think about consumption, not stupid arguments over keeping consumption at the same level. Feeding into idiots like baba yaga and his fake attempt to be blissfully ignorant of the the impact of that mentality is producing. Is a bloody painful and tired debate – one which I might add we have had on this site for a very long time.
Time to accept we have to change, or take responsibility for being the person who supports the destruction of human habitation. Those are the choices at this stage. Between a wrecker or not.
Global warming is a concern but not urgent to people facing wars, famines, ecological collapses, overfishing, depletion of soil and bees.
@Baba Yaga
Don’t worry yourself on behalf of the oil companies,
Aparently, they are getting everything they wanted
Meanwhile government regulators have tied up the Greenpeace protest vessel Taitu to the wharf on pain of massive fines if they put to sea.
And Greenpeace Aotearoa Director Russel Norman and climate activist Sara Howel have been convicted in the courts of breaching the Anadarko Amendment against protesting offshore oil exploration.
Guyon always plays the ‘gotcha game. He is predictable pain.
He enters interviews with a predetermined stance.
Sniggering Gyno would have a more difficult job springing his little traps if pollies made at least some effort not to make liars of themselves.
Listen to his responses and tell me that is what you should expect from a Minister of the Crown
https://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018651731
I’m finding it interesting seeing which ministers are doing well and which are being quite arrogant.
I thought Grant Robertson which have got a bit drunk with power but no he’s making a good fist of finance and Kris Faafoi is doing well in consumer affairs and then compare them to the arrogance shown by Twyford or the incompetence by Curran as examples
In Twyfords defence, he does best work when he puffed up like a chicken, or he has himself under the pump.
As for Curran, I think myself and others questioned her ability, long before labour came to power. So that should not be a surprise to no one.
Look on the bright side, if you can only think of two it’s way better than the last government who had arrogance and incompetence across it’s whole cabinet.
Should we mention the spy?
Too soon?
Well David Clarks not living up to the pre election hype either (Jami-Lee Ross seems to be setting something up) , Littles apparent problem of not being able to talk to Winston before announcing policy, Nash is making some missteps (especially over briefing papers) and that’s not even counting what NZFirst have been up to
I also want to point out I don’t think any of the Labour MPs are stupid (well maybe Curran), they just seem to be not sure of what they’re doing
I refer back to my previous (vague) idea of a quick-fire training course for MPs before they’re allowed to do things in that being a minister is damn important yet its all about the on the job training which, to me anyway, seems horribly inefficient
I thought Nash was one of yours 😉
We are better served with talented amateurs, rather than trained idiots who think they know what is best. I’m all for them making some mistakes, and we should let new governments and ministers make mistakes, and only punish them if they do not learn. We have a good mechanism for that – elections.
You should go to Wellington Puckish Rogue, and get why we don’t want the ministers trained by people in and outside that environment. And putting aside ideological capture – be it left or right I’m sure we agree we don’t want that.
“I thought Nash was one of yours”
No we’re good thanks 🙂
“And putting aside ideological capture – be it left or right I’m sure we agree we don’t want that.”
Well no we don’t want that but its like the mistakes a minister makes can have extremely negative repercussions so maybe theres a middle ground that could be found
A small training session set up by senior National and Labour MPs thats not about policies but how to ask questions etc
Maybe even instead a rule book for incoming speakers written by Lockwood Smith and vetted by Labour and the Greens so as not to get another dud speaker…
I dunno it just doesn’t seem right that you have the most important jobs in the country and you learn it by on the job training only
“Jami-Lee Ross seems to be setting something up”
Nah. Has already blown his load in the waiting room.
In the Jaws of the Dragon ?
He needs to lift his game but I’m not sure he can.
I agree he dosnt interview well…that dosnt necessarily mean he cant do his job competently….unlike say Paula Bennet who did neither
Fair enough. I’ll watch some more. I still find it odd that he’s deputy PM given he presents poorly.
But you may be right and he’s the solid performer behind the leader.
I also thought about Bennett and wondering how come she’s where she is given her incompetence. But I’m happy for her to stay there and for Bridges to stay front and centre as well.
Time will tell how competent he is behind the scenes…having said that, hes not the personality type youd want as party leader imo.
In person Davis is very well spoken and fluent in Te Reo. Probably just an off day
Don’ t doubt that he is…(after all hes been an MP for some time) but as Anne noted (and I agreed) he dosn’t appear confident in interview situations, particularly ones expected hostile…(and for PRs observation, that was something unmet as an opposition MP)…..and none of this is necessarily indicative of his competence in his portfolio(s), though it certainly will be painted thus by the opposition.
I agree Pat.Kelvin Davis is passionate and dedicated to what he truly believes in. I was thinking this morning that seeing as Guyon is so proud oh his mastery of Te Reo that Kelvin should just answer him in Te Reo. I believe that he would be very articulate using it.
Actually Davis hides behind TeReo to disguise his abject ignorance.
The Government is setting out to reduce the prison population so the reported predicted increase will be a way to measure their success. What if the prisoner population stays around 10,000? Will this mark a huge success? And how come the Report predict that the 3,000 now on remand will become 6,000? Remember those on remand have not yet been convicted and for some who are convicted, they have already served the prison sentence on remand.
You may well be correct however it is the fact that Kelvin Davis is not all over this subject which is of concern. He’s doing an appalling job and this is from someone who thought he was great at holding the last government to account and scored numerous hits against them. It’s like he’s been replaced with some incompetent boob.
Perhaps Kelvin Davis ought to do what National did for nine years and refuse to appear on Morning Report, and only be interviewed by pro-government sycophants and then only when he feels like it?
The problem with Kelvin Davis is not his lack of competence (his past history is testament to that) it is his lack of confidence when facing hostile opponents either of the journo or politico variety. He needs some expert training how to cope with them.
Anyone who has listened to him at private functions where no media are present would know he is a actually a very capable speaker and on top of his portfolios, but it does not come across in the public arena.
“The problem with Kelvin Davis is not his lack of competence (his past history is testament to that) it is his lack of confidence when facing hostile opponents either of the journo or politico variety. He needs some expert training how to cope with them”
Thats the impression I get too….is a lack of self confidence in an interview situation ….and we have more than enough overconfident/arrogant politicians so it is not unwelcome.
“lack of self confidence”
Didn’t seem to be a problem when he was opposition, I thought he came across quite well (I mean I disagreed with what he was saying but he spoke well and was quite effective)
maybe there are other things going on for him. Of course you’d want him to crack preferably on the news. Real people do these jobs mate and they live real lives – stop being a creep.
I’d prefer him to do the honourable thing and resign before he cracks up
Yep I’m sure you’d prefer that however your rightwing agenda is not the subject.
Why do rightwingers try to hunt out weakness, and even create perceived weakness, to drop someone and make them suffer? Politics? Masculinity? No, sport is the answer imo – the hunt – stupid pack behaviour and bully antics hiding deep insecurities.
“Why do rightwingers try to hunt out weakness, and even create perceived weakness, to drop someone and make them suffer?”
Like left wingers and their partners never do it themselves
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10411294
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11235412
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12066885
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11161586
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/settle-petal-ron-mark-told-off-for-sexist-remark.html
I still think that Labour didn’t expect to get into power and so had the luxury of saying damn near anything they liked while in opposition but are now finding out its a different kettle of fish having to implement their pre-election promises
Lol yes you mean opposition 101.
The dirty gnats are still finding their feet so it’s no wonder they are floundering so badly – for instance I doubt the public know ANY opposition member portfolios – I don’t know any, even Steven bridges – that’s for sure lol
Huh, Marty, you mean Simon Joyce don’t you?
At least bill Collins has gone lol
But Judith Bennett and Paula English are still there.
You are probably right about that pr.
But they are making the changes I wanted, unlike the Nats who mostly seem to sweep things under the carpet…….
I guess like anyone in anew job there is a bit of a learning curb. I was aware of this when labour was in opposition and the lost experienced people like king and cunliffe. There is very little previous ministerial experience in labour currently. But they will get that on the job.
I can’t really understand why so much criticism of Twyford. I think he’s working his butt off on two very difficult port folios with crusher braying at him (ridiculous the idea that he could have solved the housing crisis in 5 minutes)
“I can’t really understand why so much criticism of Twyford.”
Well off the top of my head (without googling) Labour made promises about housing including but not limited to:
Kiwibuild using apprenticeships which look to being dropped for foreign workers
Cutting back immigration but now allowing more foreign workers (see above)
Kiwis building the houses now looks to be either pre-fabs (not that i’m opposed to them) or simply buying the houses off developers
The houses being touted now looking like including apartments when it was described as homes for families (and all that entails)
The time frames for said houses being pushed back
The costs for the home raising
The easiest way for Twyford to shut National up is to start producing houses and at the moment i think 18 have been announced to be built
Kiwibuild was a major pre-election promise so of course National was going to attack it, especially given all of the above
Honestly thanks for outlining the concerns about Twyford.
It is a huge project they are undertaking ie building more affordable homes +++++it’s like any big project until you start it, you can’t really know what you are facing. Know this from my own home renovation projects. Even if you really shot up before hand things somehow unfold in unforeseen ways (I won’t bore you with the details here)……
The kiwi build apprenticeship thing is going ahead, heard some announcement about it very recently, but new apprentices will not yet have the experience to do the work. Yes the thing about fast tracking migrants for the job doesn’t fit with what they said about cutting back on migration (although they still may achieve that reduction). But needs must.
Twyford has signed off some great transport gains for Auckland (rail links), set up kiwi build, he I think is responsible for getting unoccupied houses eg owned by Auckland transport available for those needing emergency accommodation (better than motels) and he also got off his arse and phoned gluckman about the science behind meths testing.
So it might look a bit messy, but he’s working hard towards his targets, getting some smalls gains and setting it up so it’s good to go. After all it’s a massive task he has got
The big problem facing Twyford is, as you say, Kiwibuild is a huge undertaking with a lot riding on it, like a big gamble kind of thing, in that if he succeeds he (and Labour) will gain the kind of kudos Michael Joseph Savage received and can then look at three terms in office, at least (yeah its that big)
But if Kiwibuild fails he (and again Labour) will likely get the opposite reaction and all that entails
Agree or.
And at this stage it’s too early to tell. It might not be quite as black and white either, eg in areas outside Auckland kiwi build probably has more chance of success as the housing situation is quite as bad and the scale is less…….
I am reminded of what jacinda ardearn said (and I was sitting in the gallery when she said it) “I rather be the govt that tried and didn’t quite get their, than the govt that didn’t try at all” or words to that effect
It can’t succeed unless they use Savage’s funding model.
He’s just burnt a truckload of credibility trying to accommodate foreign investors – who will then limit his success just when he needs to push on through to a higher order of magnitude.
@exactly Stuart Munro and the foreign workers also undermining Labour’s so called Kiwi jobs and foreign buyers now even be bought in the mix to buy up the land and profit from it, or quasi private COO type companies be virtually given away public land in secret deals that are not providing much affordable housing aka HCL and if the buyers end up being foreigners or new residents who then rent them out after the withholding period, and the renters need more accomodation supplement to pay for the rising rents in the aforementioned Kiwibuild houses, it is gonna be a joke.
The NZ way seems to be market forces needing government money propping it up in a Kind of quasi public money for private profits. Not a nice story.
If they want to get Kiwibuild to succeed they need to use local and resident builders even if they have to train them on mass themselves, use local land and probably not sell them at all, as the city needs cheap rentals the most. Then use the rents to make more, exactly how private developers do it, only the profit goes back to the state to make more rentals!
“The houses being touted now looking like including apartments when it was described as homes for families (and all that entails)”
Are you saying families in many cities around the world do not live in apartments?
I’m saying that Kiwibuild was/is being touted as a new rendition of the quarter acre dream, a continuation of Michael Joseph Savages ideas for state housing, a home and back yard for the kids to play in
Not apartment blocks
Was/is it?
Don’t recall anyone touting that all homes would be detached houses on quarter acre blocks.
The policy in 2012 included apartment blocks.
Before the election the policy included apartments and terraced houses.
Where was the kiwibuild policy touted as a rendition of the quarter acre dream?
I’m not talking policy, I’m talking the “feelz”
Got any examples?
All the marketing shows pictures of detached houses or town houses. Even the Kiwibuild logo is a house. Apartments are nowhere to be seen in the feel good PR images
(google image search “kiwibuild”)
Certainly not just quarter acres though
As for the logo… a bit of projection there I think.
Simple solution Gos, stop listening to Guyon! he is a dork.
Guyon’s a dork because Kelvin Davis came across as a right plonker???
Guyon’s never been anything else.
actually i agree gos about kelvin being a plonker, but that doesn’t excuse Guyon or his presence on morning report.
Look on the bright side we could have had Greg Oc’onnor for minister of corrections! eeeek
Maybe someone’s vetting his reading list too closely gozzer.
It is interesting to see which Labour MPs are showing themselves in power, I mean Grant Robertson is doing quite well in that I thought he might have been one of the ones to get a bit arrogant but no hes doing well and Kris Faafoi is making a good fist on consumer affairs, again without the arrogance
Now compare those two that’re getting on with the job with someone like Twyford or Curran for example
Yeah ( breathless) so true wow good spotting onto it yeah nah maybe not really no rubbish boo.
A sympathetic interview.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/shows/2018/07/one-addict-s-story-of-being-evicted-by-housing-nz.amp.html
Poto Kingi has been told by HNZ she cannot apply for a home for three years after being evicted for meth (not cooking).
They tell her to go to a boarding house where the temptation of meth will be all around her. Choosing not to use she couch surfs instead.
here is an example of a mass lie
from wikipwdia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster#Units_1,_2,_and_3
“On 12 March, an explosion in Unit 1 was caused by the ignition of the hydrogen, destroying the upper part of the building. On 14 March, a similar explosion occurred in the Reactor 3 building,.”
I invite you to consider the evidence
here is footage from reactor one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJZo_8_LI90
and reactor three
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVp2NnY16g0
These explosions are NOT “similar” there clearly is a fundamentally different process at reactor 3 explosion.
why the lie? and how has this lie continued in the face of video evidence?
Why don’t you edit the Wiki page and correct the “lie”? Anyway, who’s doing the lying, according to you?
actually I did edit the wikipage (simply pointing out the main differences between the two explosions, volume of material ejected and height of ejection) , it (the edit) lasted about five minutes.
Well the Lie must have begun with Tepco who controlled the initial analysis, Why this lie continues, lazyness?, ignorance? I really dont know ,
What I do know is that hydrogen explosion alone does not explain what is observed in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVp2NnY16g0
You seem to be speaking with definitives – how do you know so much about hydrogen explosions?
ignorant comment marty. what do you know?
Huh – well Andre followed up with the tech analysis. You seem to be basing your opinion on your eyesight and limited knowledge of what you think a hydrogen explosion should look like. That is not evidence of a big lie.
Personally I think fukishima is such a massive disaster and cover up for real and the effects of that CONTINUING leakage of radiation into the ground and thus the sea are only now becoming known. That is where evidence of a big lie will be found imo.
Oh? Why is a hydrogen explosion not a satisfactory explanation?
Considering the enormous range of concentrations that hydrogen is explosive at, I don’t find it even slightly surprising that there could be a huge difference in the energy released by explosions in identical chambers. One could have exploded while there was still very little hydrogen while the other may have developed a much higher concentration before the explosion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_safety
Even the assumption the explosions were in identical chambers is unwarranted, it seems the explosions were because the hydrogen was vented into the maintenance halls.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zirconium_alloy#Oxidation_of_zirconium_by_steam
“Even the assumption the explosions were in identical chambers is unwarranted,”
Exactly! The video evidence clearly shows they were not.
think for a moment about the mechanics of how you might produce a vertical column of approx 1 kilometer (by comparison to the vent towers) of a great volume of material (observed falling) and then consider the dynamics of a hydrogen explosion (very fast!) in a light containment (the upper floor of the building)
reactor three was not “similar” to reactor one, certainly hydrogen explosion can be observed in both cases ( detonation, shock wave, bright flash) but what occurred after that was fundamentally different.
There’s plenty of reasons why there might be a much larger plume from one explosion than the other.
For instance, depending on maintenance operations, one of the halls may have had a large quantity of some sort of maintenance supplies that ignited, that either wasn’t present or wasn’t ignited in the other (because of a lower energy initial explosion).
Or there may be simple differences in the geometry and construction of the maintenance halls that accounts for the differences seen.
If both explosions were initiated by hydrogen that escaped from the containment vessel, which was generated in both cases by superheated steam reacting with zirconium inside the vessel, why is calling them “similar” a lie?
“For instance, depending on maintenance operations, one of the halls may have had a large quantity of some sort of maintenance supplies that ignited, that either wasn’t present or wasn’t ignited in the other (because of a lower energy initial explosion).”
Well if that was the case the wikipedia would say something like “the observed differences was due to the large amount of explosive material stored in the upper level of reactor three”
But that scenario does not address the major difference which is the vertical velocity and volume of the ejecta.
Have you actually viewed the video’s of the two events?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJZo_8_LI90
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVp2NnY16g0
simply dismissing the second event as “similar” to the first just does not work. .. look for yourself!
Yes, I did view the two videos.
And I have some experience of physical objects being moved around by rapidly expanding gases, in experiments where everything we could think of was tightly controlled. And there were some pretty wild variations in outcomes even with initial conditions set to be as identical as possible.
So I don’t see a problem with describing those two explosions as “similar”, given the root causes of the two are the same. Given that there were likely to be substantial differences in initial conditions at the time of initiation, substantial differences in the appearance of the aftermath seems more likely than not.
“given the root causes of the two are the same.”
Well thats the assumption you are steered towards by the description as “similar”
Best not question that assumption eh
easier to postulate “likely to be substantial differences in initial conditions” without any evidence and no such “differences” ever having been outlined.
I suggest you familiarize yourself with the differences between Detonation and Deflagration.
as well here is rather more plausible and well explained mechanism that could produce the observed events
http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/?p=3018
Ok, let’s take your new bit of theorising at face value (at a grand total of two comments it doesn’t seem to have attracted much attention). And no, I can’t be bothered trying to dig up a rebuttal of it.
So then the explosion at reactor 1 was the result of a known hazrd of pressuried water reactors (superheated steam reacting with zirconium cladding to produce hydrogen). Then reactor 3 explosion was due to a different but also well known hazard of pressurised water reactors. But somehow, probably due to technical differences of opinion among experts, the reactor 3 explosion is being misattributed to the same known hazard of pressurised water reactors as the explosion at 1.
How does this difference of opinion turn into a lie, let alone the foundations of some kind of conspiracy theory? Whether it was in fact a steam explosion or a hydrogen explosion doesn’t change the arguments against using that pressurised water reactor design.
Similar isn’t identical xanthy.
And you can link to the research proving this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJZo_8_LI90
Ah, so you confirm that you’re talking out your arse.
Gotcha.
How many times did Bridges say ‘spray and walk away’ this morning on Espiners show. I counted three but could have missed a few. AND he didn’t answer Guyons question as to whether he would forgo the Winter Allowance. I heard this morning that 140 people had opted out of it. Did you hear that Si. As for his amazement at Kelvin not having read report on figures on inmates rising the should just look to his right and ask the ever incompetent Paula Bennett to comment on this. When did she ever read ANYTHING? Going out on a limb here. NEVER?
Deaf RNZ
Kelvin Davis performed well with the struggling Guyon this morning. Davis kept saying to the non responsive RNZ dummie, that Labour are not going to build mega prisons, but will develop ways to release prisoners on remand, and those suffering with Mental health problems. Thereby reducing the number of persons in prison.
Do not be misled by devotee TROLLS who suck on the incoherence of Simon Bridges.
Whatever, do not go with the trapsetting nonsense of people like Guyon and other low IQ RNZ so called journos.
“Whatever, do not go with the trapsetting nonsense of people like Guyon and other low IQ RNZ so called journos.”
agree wholeheartedly.
some time ago I decided to avoid the herald and one result was more exposure to RNZ… very disappointing.
where can I find real journalism of day to day events in NZ?
Most television and radio hosts/journalists suffer from very low IQ levels and sadly lack intelligence and have little common sense ?
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201107/common-sense-is-neither-common-nor-sense
If you have 26 minutes in your day, well worth watching this interview with Seymour M. Hersh. You may remember him from such reporting as the:
My Lai Massacre
Korean Air Flight 007
Attack on pharmaceutical factory in Sudan
Dick Cheney
and the questioning of the killing of Osama bin Laden
Just to name a few. With Chris Hedges.
Brilliant interview, how ironic that RT is usually more accurate than American corporate media
That isn’t hard. After all comparing Fox News and RT is like comparing identical twins with a brain deficit causing a childish lack of judgement.
Perhaps you shouldn’t be so hard on both of these deluded siblings, each so deranged by the objects of their pathetic adulation.
I’d be very careful with RT news though ropata. That said, I like this show, and redacted tonight.
‘Rid the use of plastic bags.’
While we are concentrating on banning plastic bags that are polluting our oceans and environment, can we also ban using components of plastic in our vehicle tyres please?
As “synthetic tyres” today now have the very same chemicals inert in them also as all plastics have.
Many benzene components are included in our commonly used tyres and these tyres have black carbon dust
Worse is that the carbon tyre dust that is emitted from one truck with 32 tyres will shed 100 times the plastic dust (cancer causing) more than just one car.
This toxic carbon tyre dust have been found its way to our artic ice caps.
Tyre black carbon dust has now been found to have been carried from our road pollution ‘runoff’ and transported in heavy rain into our roadside water ducts and water ‘sheds’ and then sent out to the rivers and coast to be transferred to the Antarctic ice caps by the prevailing ocean currents.
Scientists have found that the black carbon dust that may include tyre dust settles on the ice caps and accelerates the melting of our ice caps now.
Tyre particles are now known to travel far greater distances than previously known now.
https://e360.yale.edu/features/climate-connection-unraveling-the-surprising-ecology-of-dust
http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2016/03/22/the-damaging-effects-of-black-carbon/
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/06/140610-connecting-dots-dust-soot-snow-ice-climate-change-dimick/
http://washingtonsblog.com/2014/03/realistic-ways-stop-melting-arctic-ice.html
Do any of your links mention tyre dust anywhere in them? Mind pointing out where? I had a skim through and didn’t see any.
While there’s plenty to be critical of with current tyre manufacturing and how they are used, dust is a long long way down the list of problems.
Paper bags are the go. Ban the plastic bag! Too late to tax it as the oceans are dying! Oh that will upset investors so probably the government would prefer to kill the ocean rather than tackle taxing a company for polluting or even worse a foreign company, (but fine for ordinary commuters with petrol tax.).
Kiwibuild Tracker.
Designed and built by Stuff staff. Methodology vetted by NZ Initiative economist Sam Warburton.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/105105107/how-our-kiwibuild-tracker-works
@Fireblade – the Stuff tracker is a good idea but should show how many homes have been demolished to make way for the Kiwibuild aka the truth, they start with a negative as the National government booted out loads of vulnerable people to make these stylish new houses which if you look at Hobsenville and Tamaki are being marketed around $800k – well beyond what any renter or working or even middle class family can afford! Then put the houses into price banks… what they used to be $350k, now the 3 bed houses are $650k and going up… The other issue is that banks don’t like to lend on unstable jobs and so many jobs now are unstable…everything is harder because banks can afford to be choosy.
The WOF looks like a joke when they are now housing emergency families in demolition houses when the whole idea was to promise affordable safe houses! Before they fell into the Natz lies they should have looked a bit closer at the demographics of Auckland and what was driving up the prices! I know Labour and Greens trying to do the right thing, but +practicality+ needs to be looked at not just the latest +flash reports+ that clearly are a little amiss aka the staggering price increases of new builds…. lack of affordable houses… lack of rentals in any form… jobs still paying the same as a decade ago… It’s what they said about the wage trickle down in the 1980’s, never happened now we have the housing trickle down – is labour being fooled by their own liars again?
Just to prove how out of touch the act party are.
https://horizonpoll.co.nz/page/513/72-support-banning-letting-fees?gtid=7729406816510KOJ
Thanks Andre a pleasure, view this scientific literature for clarity as the NZ document focuses on the amount of road tyre dust particles which is now very alarming to us all.
http://rcaforum.org.nz/sites/public_files/documents/stormwateremissionfactors.pdf
Microplastics
Then I Quote; from scientical reseach here at Alfred Weagner Institute.
This is just one sample of research that is recently discovered and as we agee particulates are from various sources we know clearly in NZ studies road dust from tyres is a hazard to be now taken seriously now.We now have to call these particles from tyres as “Microplastics ” as the scientists are.
Read the recent NZ publication also to see the NZ ageement that tyre wear now causes mass amounts of road dust pollution.
http://rcaforum.org.nz/sites/public_files/documents/stormwateremissionfactors.pdf
Scientists bombarded microparticles in the ice samples with infrared light.
Using a mathematical method they then analysed the radiation they reflected back to identify what was in the samples.
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5651783/Record-concentration-microplastics-Arctic-sea-ice-five-separate-locations.html
Identifying different types of microplastic and the movement of the ice could help us work out the source of these pollutants, say researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI)
Microplastics are particles, fibres or fragments which range in size from just a few thousandths of a millimetre to under five millimetres.
They come from multiple sources including from the breakdown of bigger plastic items.
For example, they could come from putting synthetic clothes through the laundry which are then washed to the sea, or from car tyre friction on roads, creating a dust of the particles.
Scientists bombarded microparticles in the ice samples with infrared light.
Using a mathematical method they then analysed the radiation they reflected back to identify what was in the samples.
The tiny fragments of plastic ranged from types widely used in packaging such as polyethylene, to paints, nylon, polyester and cellulose acetate which is commonly used in making cigarette filters
Identifying different types of microplastic and the movement of the ice could help us work out the source of these pollutants, say researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI)
Microplastics are particles, fibres or fragments which range in size from just a few thousandths of a millimetre to under five millimetres.
They come from multiple sources including from the breakdown of bigger plastic items.
For example, they could come from putting synthetic clothes through the laundry which are then washed to the sea, or from car tyre friction on roads, creating a dust of the particles.
Scientists bombarded microparticles in the ice samples with infrared light.
Using a mathematical method they then analysed the radiation they reflected back to identify what was in the samples.
Scientists bombarded microparticles in the ice samples with infrared light. Using a mathematical method they then analysed the radiation they reflected back to identify what was in the samples
The process, reported in a study published in the journal Nature Communications, revealed there were far more microplastics than previous assessments
They study revealed that, with its process of freezing and melting sea ice, the Arctic is important in storing and transporting the plastic particles. Scientists said they could not yet say whether the particles released from melting sea ice stayed in the Arctic
The process, reported in a study published in the journal Nature Communications, revealed there were far more microplastics than previous assessments.
Gunnar Gerdts, whose laboratory made the measurements, said: ‘Using this approach, we also discovered plastic particles that were only 11 micrometres across.
‘That’s roughly one-sixth the diameter of a human hair, and also explains why we found concentrations of more than 12,000 particles per litre of sea ice – which is two to three times higher than what we’d found in past measurements’, he said.
They study revealed that, with its process of freezing and melting sea ice, the Arctic is important in storing and transporting the plastic particles.
WHAT ARE MICROPLASTICS AND HOW DO THEY GET INTO OUR WATERWAYS?
Microplastics are plastic particles measuring less than five millimetres (0.2 inches).
They have hit the headlines over recent years, as improper disposal has resulted in tonnes of waste making its way into the ocean.
Each year, tonnes of plastic waste fails to get recycled and dealt with correctly, which can mean they end up in marine ecosystems.
Although it’s unclear exactly how they end up in the water, microplastics may enter through simple everyday wear and tear of clothing and carpets.
Tumble dryers may also be a source, particularly if they have a vent to the open air.
Plastics don’t break down for thousands of years and it is estimated that there are already millions of items of plastic waste in the oceans. This number is expected to rise.
Studies have also revealed 700,000 plastic fibres could be released into the atmosphere with every washing machine cycle.
Current water systems are unable to effectively filter out all microplastic contamination, due to the varying size of particles.
The amount of plastic rubbish in the world’s oceans will outweigh fish by 2050 unless the world takes drastic action to further recycle, a report released in 2016 revealed.
More than 80 per cent of the world’s tap water is contaminated with plastic, research published in September 2017 revealed.
The US has the highest contamination rate at 93 per cent, followed by Lebanon and India, experts from the University of Minnesota found.
France, Germany and the UK have the lowest levels, however, they still come in at 72 per cent.
Overall, 83 per cent of water samples from dozens of nations around the world contain microplastics.
Scientists warn microplastics are so small they could penetrate organs.
Bottled water may not be a safer alternative, as scientists have found contaminated samples.
Creatures of all shapes and sizes have been found to have consumed the plastics, whether directly or indirectly.
Previous research has also revealed microplastics absorb toxic chemicals, which are then released in the gut of animals.
That’s an impressive firehosing of irrelevant information.
I found precisely one mention of tyre dust in your DailyMail link, in the context of a phrase saying ‘hmm, we don’t really know where this stuff is coming from, maybe tyre dust, dunno?’
That rcaforum pdf was an impressive compilation of the composition of roadside dust contaminants and microdetail about their composition. But it was remarkably devoid about the hazards presented by the different contaminants. For instance, the section dealing with tyre dust failed to show any details around particulate size distribution, which is a critical bit of information in assessing the hazard. Although it did mention about less than 5% was small enough that it might become mobile again once it had settled on the ground. Nor did it contain any mention of uptake of these particles by marine life.
Meanwhile, scaremongering by joining together irrelevant factoids is how we end up with debacles like the meth-house testing scam.
Donald Trump and his regime of grotesques are a horror show.
Unfortunately, the Democrats are led by people like Charles Schumer….
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/07/01/senator-charles-schumer-architect-abettor-accomplice-of-and-accessory-to-gazas-martyrdom/
Using natural fibers will lower the plastic particles from the clothes in the washing. Less nanoparticles to be absorbed also.
Whats with this Eco Maori see that all the left political party’s need to keep up with there strong causes links below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOsM-DYAEhY&index=2&list=RDfKopy74weus
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/02/trump-fart-act-report-blows-through-washington#img-1 Ka kite ano
My latest blog post, defending the universality of the welfare state:
https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2018/07/02/of-useful-idiots-ii-the-universality-of-social-welfare-new-zealand-politics/
mad heka duplicity alien was crowing in the Wairarapa Times Age yesterday morning that Winston Peters had been “FIRED” [sic] from the am show and was on two week suspension. Now he wont go back and merkin and dunnycan are really spitting the dummy. and besides what sort of juvenile language is that from a supposed adult.
why has politics in New Zealand descended into this sort of cocakamamie cross between reality teevee and womens weakly with the provincial rags as a support cast?
and for good measure Question time in the house has become a farce. if you dont believe me then watch and see for yourself. the nationals are like this pack of nitwitted drongos. One Brett Hudson asked a question to which he had just been given the answer.
The courts have finally got that case of including money loaned as some ones income in there assesment of money received fraudulently from winz they have ruled to clear the dept Ka pai.
There you go same day one week apart the only difference is the new Auckland fuel tax and no traffic jam today who said a fuel tax won’t decrease traffic.
Business conferenced allways go’s down in winter and what’s happening around Papatuanukue with trade won’t help plus most businesses are right-wing voters smitten that they lost the election.
Wow they found the Mokopunas lost in the Thailand caveing network that’s awesome I had my doubts but they are saved. Many thanks to the all the tangata who are part of the search team that found the Mokopunas.
There you go men behaveing badly at the basketball game between the Australian and the Philippins come on guys the whole Papatuanukue is watching you.
. Ka kite ano