The country's first report of deepfaked pornography saw the identity of a New Zealander being used.
Apparently, you can't tell it's a fake. So this is how Trump can wipe out Biden's 13-point lead overnight: a deepfake political ad showing him doing something scary.
Deepfake technology enables anyone with a computer and an Internet connection to create realistic-looking photos and videos of people saying and doing things that they did not actually say or do.
Several deepfake videos have gone viral recently, giving millions around the world their first taste of this new technology: President Obama using an expletive to describe President Trump, Mark Zuckerberg admitting that Facebook's true goal is to manipulate and exploit its users…
The amount of deepfake content online is growing at a rapid rate. At the beginning of 2019 there were 7,964 deepfake videos online, according to a report from startup Deeptrace; just nine months later, that figure had jumped to 14,678.
Today we stand at an inflection point. In the months and years ahead, deepfakes threaten to grow from an Internet oddity to a widely destructive political and social force. Society needs to act now to prepare itself.
Imagine deepfake footage of a politician engaging in bribery or sexual assault right before an election; or of U.S. soldiers committing atrocities against civilians overseas; or of President Trump declaring the launch of nuclear weapons against North Korea. In a world where even some uncertainty exists as to whether such clips are authentic, the consequences could be catastrophic.
In a recent report, The Brookings Institution grimly summed up the range of political and social dangers that deepfakes pose: “distorting democratic discourse; manipulating elections; eroding trust in institutions; weakening journalism; exacerbating social divisions; undermining public safety; and inflicting hard-to-repair damage on the reputation of prominent individuals, including elected officials and candidates for office.”
So AI tech has achieved this new higher-level competence and expertise and made it available to market players. And we have this local operation:
The time for Trump to strike with one of these ads is around a week prior to the close of his campaign, giving enough time for the impact to swing 20% of voters around, and not enough time for technical evaluation to counter the impact persuasively.
The actual, unfaked clips of Biden making inflammatory speeches are far worse than anything coming from those crafty North Korean and Russian masterminds in the Valley of the Uncanny.
No not our Weta! We are better than this, but can you step out of the fakery and still stay in the tech world? Is it going to be so intertwined that it is impossible to have any probity?
The Environment Court ruled that it was not within its jurisdiction to consider the impact of exports or plastic waste, particularly because bottles in itself did not require a resource consent.
Ngāti Awa has alleged the court, therefore, closed its mind to the impact the end-use would have at a local level.
Hopkins said it was impossible to separate the water-take from the bottling, and the court should have considered the impact of end-use.
"My submission is that the bottling is an essential part of the activity and that the Environment Court got it wrong when it said the primary activity was the water-take.
Is it too late for the new Regulated Product Stewardship Scheme to have an effect in the High Court case brought by Sustainable Otakiri?
"We have an acknowledgement that the water would not be taken if it could not be bottled … the water bottling is arguably the primary activity or, at the very least, an essential component of the activity, and it should not be considered as subordinate to the water take," he said.
Creswell New Zealand Limited – a subsidiary of Chinese Company Nongfu Spring – has proposed to produce 154,000 plastic bottles per hour over a period of 25 years.
That is 3.7 million bottles per day, 3 billion bottles a year and 33.75 billion bottles in total.
edit
Oh dear, folk tales time again, for truth! The Emperor's New Clothes – the fact that The Emperor was naked could only be observed and spoken about by an innocent unhampered by the overwhelming conventions and precedents of the herd.
That the water needed to be contained in some way was beyond the power of knowledge or imagination of the Court. Would a dam have received such positive acceptance? What if the plastic bottles had to be returned to the country of origin – would the profit-taker accept responsibility for recycling them?
Harman seemed a tad bitter about it. But it's a reasonable strategy – to try to appear like some natural phenomenon one barely notices but is essential and inevitable all the same; like air.
Harman has never gotten over Bill Rowling's humiliating him live on television on election night 1981. Harman had not prepared properly for the interview and froze up on camera. Rowling cut him no slack and didn't help him out by speaking and thus giving Harman a chance to sort himself out. A large crowd of Labour Party workers surrounded them, and their jeering laughter must still resonate in Harman's memory all these years later.
It was one of the only happy memories for Labour supporters in an otherwise grim night as Muldoon held on to win.
Harman has only got older and bitterer and more right wing since then.
Richard Harman also said that National have taken down all policy from their website! It could mean they are reviewing it due to deciding it was inadequate. It could also signify camouflage…
Ad, Robertson said Labour Policy would be out there in two weeks, after Parliament rises.
On Q&A this morning talking with Jack Tame, towards the end of the interview. Sorry, unable to link.
No, that would make it 5 weeks before the election. In 2017 their campaign launch was five weeks before the election. Presumably they will do the same this time, policy announced then and in the days directly after.
I wonder what his dad thinks? If he's still alive. Back in the seventies, he was our very own Carlos Santana, he was that good a guitarist.
Before the pandemic, Te Kahika’s Facebook page was free of politics. It primarily documented his career as a guitarist, following in the footsteps of his father, the pioneering musician Billy TK.
His posts started to become politically tinged in late March, in the early days of level four restrictions. Like everyone else, Te Kahika was in self-isolation with his family, which meant he had his days free to research issues online.
Much of this research veered towards fringe ideas, circulated on Facebook and YouTube. His political posts became regular, and increasingly incorporated information from the emerging ecosystem of conspiracy theories related to the pandemic, typically centring on unsubstantiated or outright false claims.
It culminated in his live broadcast, which merged these ideas into a unified theory: That the pandemic had been planned, and the New Zealand Government was at the forefront of a global push to enslave the population.
The party’s Facebook page, not yet two months old, already has 20,000 followers, more than the ACT party, which has been online for nine years.
They even share their political culture. Consider
how far the Outdoors Party has shifted. Five years after its formation as a party for moderate environmentalists, it has come to embrace the farthest fringes of the conspiracy movement… Both the NZPP and the Outdoors Party have tapped into a conspiracy pipeline that has prospered online, particularly on Facebook and YouTube, and has come to dominate the edges of New Zealand politics.
A pity the writer of that article didn't provide links to the two featured parties' websites so readers could read for themselves the policies and kaupapa.
This article was first published back in May…and I guess has had a reprise due to the rise and rise of NZPP. Their website is most certainly more slick than I expected and there is a sophistication in their policy statements that came as a pleasant surprise. Other than demanding open and transparent government ( and who doesn't want that?/sarc) there is a refreshing lack of dogma. There's ..'this is what we believe, but we want you, the people, to help us form policy that more of us can live with.'.
The NZOP… I spent an evening with this bunch when they came to support a local activist group and I was made welcome even though I have no commitment to either group. A lovely assemblage, headed up by the inimitable Sue Grey, and I felt like the time machine had transported us all back to an early, early Green Party hui. Jeanette got more than one mention.
Of course both of these parties have individuals with what can be described as 'fringe' views…but scratch the veneer of many sitting MPs and no doubt you will find some pretty extreme opinions. Well concealed, in the main, by the attendant spin doctors and minders. For the most part.
Personally, I think Charlie Mitchell erred by trying to incorporate the word "conspiracy" as many times as possible…poor reading of the then (in May) and now insecurities of the communities poorly served by the governments of the past thirty years.
Interesting to see Billy Te Kahika attracting so many views….maybe the time is ripe for some of these new parties to gain some ground.
It's more a video of Vinny under false pretences of wanting to hear Feney, dominating the entire conversation with his theories. According to Vinnie we're all to go into our police stations and demand to speak to the " chiefs" about our government.
" Personally, I think Charlie Mitchell erred by trying to incorporate the word "conspiracy" as many times as possible…poor reading of the then (in May) and now insecurities of the communities poorly served by the governments of the past thirty years. "
But -:
"Their website is most certainly more slick than I expected and there is a sophistication in their policy statements that came as a pleasant surprise."
Why so Rosemary? Seems as if the promotion is undermined by exceptionalism.
Alternately, mistrusting more empty promises, the Party could just post on their website news like –
——————–
A laissez-faire pollie was campaigning in the back country, let's just say in Northland. Outside a derelict house, he saw a young guy digging a garden. The pollie approached the man, ready to make his pitch for a vote.
Just as the pollie was getting started, an old man called from inside the house, " Son, get in the house! And who is that guy you're talking to?"
"Says he's a politician," the son said. "In that case, you'd better bring the spade and your shoes inside with you."
——————–
"The myth of Māori exceptionalism says that only a handful of us are worthy, and that we damn our sisters, aunties, mothers and grandmothers to worthlessness with our material success. “If you can do it, why can’t they?"
I did understand your comparison and support your views. The thinking is similar – that Charlie's duplicious piece needed addressing and I support your challenging him by looking further.
The alternate story is a push back too. I don't support BillyTK's prior theories either nor JLR exploiting Billy.
That BillyTK has decided to bring attention to the shite deal Northland has historically got ( which you rightly pointed out ) AND put his hat in to run for parliament, is worthy of some praise. Apologies if I misread.
I had a look through BTK's FB page but it was hard to spot which one the Spinoff was referring to. And you know, I’d rather not have to watch screeds of his stuff.
Neither right nor left, I fight only for the freedoms god has given us to grow in perpetuity lettuces and pumpkins and go fishing, without health at the end of a needle, our DNA threatened by 5G and our children dumbed into serving Jacinda Ardern's globalist agenda through screen mediated education and junk food. Ti hei mauri ora.
It failed to consider what might have prompted the development of cancel culture, or whether it might be appropriate in some circumstances. So the pre-determined conclusion was 'cancel culture bad'. I can think of a few serial abusers of free speech rights whose cancellation did not seem misplaced to me.
Though Jacinda was surely not the most disempowered victim of the likes of Jones, I don't think the boycott of his advertisers represented the kind of totalitarian tyranny Sky Australia intends such measures should be construed as.
A better report would have looked at good and bad instances, to help the public appreciate the boundaries of cancel culture legitimacy. Such a meditation was however beyond the capabilities of the "journalist".
He writes slanging Human Rights.
in his June 2020 blog " No Punches Pulled ".
Quote from that piece he wrote -:
"That said it would be fun to " work" in the Human Rights Commission creating these rights. Some off-the- top examples; the right for me to have it off with Miss New Zealand each year sounds a good start" .
Caution rushing to his page, his ticker might explode over his rush of excitement from too much traffic.
A ' Cancel culture' example too , would be silencing youth by banning TikTok.
The report from the panel, led by Tony Randerson, a retired Court of Appeal Judge, explains in depth why the RMA has failed to live up to our hopes for it. Their 23-page summary of what’s gone wrong and how we can fix it is well worth reading. Their full 531-page report delivers extensive evidence and analysis for their conclusions and proposals.
The RMA’s key failures are: “a lack of clear environmental protections; a lack of recognition of the benefits of urban development; a focus on managing the effects of resource use rather than on planning to achieve outcomes; a bias towards the status quo; lack of adequate national direction; insufficient recognition of Te Tiriti and lack of support for Māori participation; weak and slow policy and planning; weak compliance, monitoring and enforcement; capability and capacity challenges in central and local government; and weak accountability for outcomes and lack of effective monitoring and oversight.”
The panel says the solution is not more reform of the RMA but to replace it with a new twin-Act approach. The Natural and Built Environments Act would retain some of the key RMA principles, but it would recognise the concept of Te Mana o te Taiao — the importance of maintaining the health of our natural resources, such as air, water and soil, and their capacity to sustain life. Stronger national direction and a significant overhaul of processes and plans would reduce complexity and deliver specified outcomes, targets and limits for both natural and built environments.
The Strategic Planning Act would set long term goals for the country and help to integrate the NBEA with existing legislation in allied areas such as climate, land transport and local government. In addition, the panel is calling for a new and separate Managed Retreat and Climate Change Adaptation Act. This Newsroomreport gives more details on the overall proposals and this one on the new climate act.
The panel’s report drew strong support from a collaboration of environmental and business groups which have developed their own deeply researched proposals for resource management reform over the past few years. Its members are the Environmental Defence Society, Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern), Property Council of New Zealand and Infrastructure New Zealand. All their reports, including their latest out this week on urban issues, are available here.
Seems like an impressive effort at producing consensus involving multiple stakeholder groups. We can probably be confident of a robust outcome – which will require proposed legislation to go through the select committee process first.
I daresay I could Jackie-Chan it: 300 takes, several serious injuries, all for one successful take. Dunno about 22 seconds though- might stop for a breather a couple of times.
Apart from The Daily Blog I feel in fear of losing my rights to free speech on blogs. Which I take as a compliment though. Though speaking truth without fear nor favour is a cold business. This blog is integrally about power as Labour has always been. Except the 35ists were for us.
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1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winner’s circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
Popstars wasn’t just a reality television revolution, it was also a huge moment for Y2K fashion.It’s 25 years since girl group TrueBliss was formed on New Zealand national television, breaking new ground for both the reality television industry and the shiny clothing industry. With the first episode on NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Pepping, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Griffith University Marvin / Shutterstock Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, Lecturer in Quantitative Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation, The University of Melbourne Trismegist san, Shutterstock Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbour vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Shutterstock/S Curtis Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth’s fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don’t have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Crocker, PhD Student in Economics, Deakin University Here’s something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a charity director outlines how she’s saving for retirement and buying secondhand. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 45 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Charity director, mum of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Yates, Research Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a ...
It’s been called a failed experiment and a judicial straightjacket but the government says the revised three strikes law will be a more workable regime, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Three ...
New Zealand’s Palestinian community and Palestinian Youth Aotearoa are voicing alarm and disappointment with the lack of factual rigour present during the Israeli Ambassador’s appearance as a guest on TVNZ’s Q+A With Jack Tame Sunday (21/04). ...
Both ACT leader David Seymour, who played a key role in drawing up the assisted dying law, and hospice leaders say it's time the legislation was changed. ...
Public submissions on proposed gang control laws are being heard today. Rising gang membership has been cited as rationale for a crackdown – but what do we actually know about how many people belong to gangs in New Zealand?What’s all this then?A rise in the number of gang ...
Climate activists are setting their sights on an unpopular target, and hoping to bring lots of the public with them. It’s hard to miss the Majestic Princess: the enormous cruise ship, docked at Auckland’s Prince’s Wharf, looms over the nearby buildings. The ship, which can fit nearly 6,000 people, ...
Black Ferns trailblazer Kendra Cocksedge was on the verge of tears when her young protégé, Hannah King, unassumingly broke the news. Three-time Rugby World Cup winner Cocksedge and Lincoln agriculture student King meet every few weeks over a hot chocolate, in an enduring mentorship that’s spanned years. “Before we even ...
Opinion: We’ve kicked the tyres on the perception NZ’s economy is in a parlous state compared to Australia. We take a quick tour of relative trends in GDP, housing markets, labour markets, trade, the fiscal situation, and the outlooks for inflation and interest rates. We find the cyclical positions of ...
Opinion: Making sure developers, local and central government, and landowners are all on the same page makes sense The post A new kind of city deal appeared first on Newsroom. ...
One News last night ran this story;https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/deepfake-pornography-triggering-alarm-bells-nz-officials
Apparently, you can't tell it's a fake. So this is how Trump can wipe out Biden's 13-point lead overnight: a deepfake political ad showing him doing something scary.
So AI tech has achieved this new higher-level competence and expertise and made it available to market players. And we have this local operation:
The time for Trump to strike with one of these ads is around a week prior to the close of his campaign, giving enough time for the impact to swing 20% of voters around, and not enough time for technical evaluation to counter the impact persuasively.
The actual, unfaked clips of Biden making inflammatory speeches are far worse than anything coming from those crafty North Korean and Russian masterminds in the Valley of the Uncanny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unXkkvNxIfU
Who's this Li?
To get yourself the answer, you need to read the linked reports. Clue: an expert in the tech. Another clue: oriental…
No not our Weta! We are better than this, but can you step out of the fakery and still stay in the tech world? Is it going to be so intertwined that it is impossible to have any probity?
You know human nature: attracted to money & power. Tech fakery gets you both, who's a gonna say no?? 🤑 😕
Fake portrayal of a politician doing something scary?
Trump has been doing scary things for a number of years. Not fake, boldly overtly, proudly. Bizarre.
The way things work in the States what heinous thing would have Biden have to do to be worse?
Big Ups to the New Lynn LEC last night for putting on another excellent Mid Winter Dinner.
In fact, shoutout to all the Labour crews working their butts off knocking on doors this morning.
Love ya work team.
Could this… https://www.mfe.govt.nz/waste/product-stewardship-responsible-product-management/regulated-product-stewardship
…be the means to resolving this…https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/422298/environment-court-accused-of-multiple-errors-in-awaiti-water-take-case ?
The Environment Court ruled that it was not within its jurisdiction to consider the impact of exports or plastic waste, particularly because bottles in itself did not require a resource consent.
Ngāti Awa has alleged the court, therefore, closed its mind to the impact the end-use would have at a local level.
Hopkins said it was impossible to separate the water-take from the bottling, and the court should have considered the impact of end-use.
"My submission is that the bottling is an essential part of the activity and that the Environment Court got it wrong when it said the primary activity was the water-take.
Is it too late for the new Regulated Product Stewardship Scheme to have an effect in the High Court case brought by Sustainable Otakiri?
"We have an acknowledgement that the water would not be taken if it could not be bottled … the water bottling is arguably the primary activity or, at the very least, an essential component of the activity, and it should not be considered as subordinate to the water take," he said.
Creswell New Zealand Limited – a subsidiary of Chinese Company Nongfu Spring – has proposed to produce 154,000 plastic bottles per hour over a period of 25 years.
That is 3.7 million bottles per day, 3 billion bottles a year and 33.75 billion bottles in total.
Think about that for a minute or two….
That would be:
3,696,000 bottles per day
1,349,040,000 bottled per year
33,726,000,000 for the 25 year period
Doable?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZybbjLgOuQ
edit
Oh dear, folk tales time again, for truth! The Emperor's New Clothes – the fact that The Emperor was naked could only be observed and spoken about by an innocent unhampered by the overwhelming conventions and precedents of the herd.
That the water needed to be contained in some way was beyond the power of knowledge or imagination of the Court. Would a dam have received such positive acceptance? What if the plastic bottles had to be returned to the country of origin – would the profit-taker accept responsibility for recycling them?
RNZ political panel this morning, Richard Harman's take on Labour's campaign: "they're trying to pretend they don't exist."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2018757586/the-weekend-panel-with-jane-clifton-and-richard-harman
Harman seemed a tad bitter about it. But it's a reasonable strategy – to try to appear like some natural phenomenon one barely notices but is essential and inevitable all the same; like air.
Harman has never gotten over Bill Rowling's humiliating him live on television on election night 1981. Harman had not prepared properly for the interview and froze up on camera. Rowling cut him no slack and didn't help him out by speaking and thus giving Harman a chance to sort himself out. A large crowd of Labour Party workers surrounded them, and their jeering laughter must still resonate in Harman's memory all these years later.
It was one of the only happy memories for Labour supporters in an otherwise grim night as Muldoon held on to win.
Harman has only got older and bitterer and more right wing since then.
It's terrible how some old men have trouble letting go of the past.
If only Bill had won. Though 'if' is the people's motto.
Both major parties reek of complacency and lack of policy.
Richard Harman also said that National have taken down all policy from their website! It could mean they are reviewing it due to deciding it was inadequate. It could also signify camouflage…
Equivalent of a flag at half mast for their departing guru Hooton..
At uni it was said that a Party having no policy about something, was actually a Policy not to have one.
Perhaps Matthew Hooton has had this above thought.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/422543/political-lobbyist-matthew-hooton-resigns-as-national-party-staffer
Getting rid of Hooton priceless
Ad, Robertson said Labour Policy would be out there in two weeks, after Parliament rises.
On Q&A this morning talking with Jack Tame, towards the end of the interview. Sorry, unable to link.
That would make it three weeks before the election.
They've had plenty of time to prepare.
I go with Daniel Shand’s thinking. He' ll write policy later as current Policies are not going to be delivered anyway.
New party. Vote Shand
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12352994
No, that would make it 5 weeks before the election. In 2017 their campaign launch was five weeks before the election. Presumably they will do the same this time, policy announced then and in the days directly after.
That would make sense, don't you think?
I wonder what his dad thinks? If he's still alive. Back in the seventies, he was our very own Carlos Santana, he was that good a guitarist.
They even share their political culture. Consider
A pity the writer of that article didn't provide links to the two featured parties' websites so readers could read for themselves the policies and kaupapa.
https://www.outdoorsparty.co.nz/policy/
https://www.nzpublicparty.org.nz/what-we-stand-for
This article was first published back in May…and I guess has had a reprise due to the rise and rise of NZPP. Their website is most certainly more slick than I expected and there is a sophistication in their policy statements that came as a pleasant surprise. Other than demanding open and transparent government ( and who doesn't want that?/sarc) there is a refreshing lack of dogma. There's ..'this is what we believe, but we want you, the people, to help us form policy that more of us can live with.'.
The NZOP… I spent an evening with this bunch when they came to support a local activist group and I was made welcome even though I have no commitment to either group. A lovely assemblage, headed up by the inimitable Sue Grey, and I felt like the time machine had transported us all back to an early, early Green Party hui. Jeanette got more than one mention.
Of course both of these parties have individuals with what can be described as 'fringe' views…but scratch the veneer of many sitting MPs and no doubt you will find some pretty extreme opinions. Well concealed, in the main, by the attendant spin doctors and minders. For the most part.
Personally, I think Charlie Mitchell erred by trying to incorporate the word "conspiracy" as many times as possible…poor reading of the then (in May) and now insecurities of the communities poorly served by the governments of the past thirty years.
Interesting to see Billy Te Kahika attracting so many views….maybe the time is ripe for some of these new parties to gain some ground.
I see former Horowhenua Mayor Michael Feyen is standing as a candidate for NZPP, exposing how the shadow government operates in NZ.
https://youtu.be/NOedKQ4DLJQ?t=43
It's more a video of Vinny under false pretences of wanting to hear Feney, dominating the entire conversation with his theories. According to Vinnie we're all to go into our police stations and demand to speak to the " chiefs" about our government.
It'll be good to hear back from those who do?
Feyen gets his point out.
But yes, Vinny is too much. Unfortunately, the mainstream don't seem to be covering this.
Agreed on this point, Rosemary-
" Personally, I think Charlie Mitchell erred by trying to incorporate the word "conspiracy" as many times as possible…poor reading of the then (in May) and now insecurities of the communities poorly served by the governments of the past thirty years. "
But -:
"Their website is most certainly more slick than I expected and there is a sophistication in their policy statements that came as a pleasant surprise."
Why so Rosemary? Seems as if the promotion is undermined by exceptionalism.
Alternately, mistrusting more empty promises, the Party could just post on their website news like –
——————–
A laissez-faire pollie was campaigning in the back country, let's just say in Northland. Outside a derelict house, he saw a young guy digging a garden. The pollie approached the man, ready to make his pitch for a vote.
Just as the pollie was getting started, an old man called from inside the house, " Son, get in the house! And who is that guy you're talking to?"
"Says he's a politician," the son said. "In that case, you'd better bring the spade and your shoes inside with you."
——————–
"The myth of Māori exceptionalism says that only a handful of us are worthy, and that we damn our sisters, aunties, mothers and grandmothers to worthlessness with our material success. “If you can do it, why can’t they?"
https://i.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300058729/the-myth-of-mori-exceptionalism
Why so Rosemary? Seems as if the promotion is undermined by exceptionalism.
I was, I thought, making a comparison between the established NZOP and the very newly minted NZPP.
Hence my evaluation of surprising political slick.
I did understand your comparison and support your views. The thinking is similar – that Charlie's duplicious piece needed addressing and I support your challenging him by looking further.
The alternate story is a push back too. I don't support BillyTK's prior theories either nor JLR exploiting Billy.
That BillyTK has decided to bring attention to the shite deal Northland has historically got ( which you rightly pointed out ) AND put his hat in to run for parliament, is worthy of some praise. Apologies if I misread.
"It culminated in his live broadcast"
Do you know when that was, or have a link?
Sorry, no, I don't do facebook..
Try these.
https://twitter.com/NZPP_Official
https://www.facebook.com/NZPublicParty/
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=NZPP
The speech predates the formation of the NZPP. Are you saying they later uploaded it to their social media?
Who knows, but if it's his "a-hah" moment then surely the party would archive it.
I had a look through BTK's FB page but it was hard to spot which one the Spinoff was referring to. And you know, I’d rather not have to watch screeds of his stuff.
His current page was created on 2 July 2020 so I'd assume his previous posts were on another page.
edit: his personal page
https://www.facebook.com/BillyTKJunior/
This from 12 June seems to be unlisted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMilQ7LSyWo&feature=emb_title
Neither right nor left, I fight only for the freedoms god has given us to grow in perpetuity lettuces and pumpkins and go fishing, without health at the end of a needle, our DNA threatened by 5G and our children dumbed into serving Jacinda Ardern's globalist agenda through screen mediated education and junk food. Ti hei mauri ora.
Vox pop
Speaking to a connected lifelong Tory yesterday….the election conceded and the narrative is its a good time not to win.
Tory/RWs scared of hard work, only like to lead in the good times, Trump & Johnson great examples of this. Even Hooton bails when going gets tough.
What needs to be done post covid is against nact dna. They'll be happy to 'oppose' as they've done so far.
Election victory a desirable prize but could turn into a covid poisoned chalice.
Anyone else viewed "Head High" Great to see Te Reo be used in an everyday situation.
The live play does not depict just how impressive any 1st 15 game is, be it 1A,1B or 1C.
Well written, eh. For another level of the same smooth use of te reo in daily life, see Ahikāroa on Māori TV.
There has been a bit of talk of 'Cancel Culture' of late, thus I thought some here may be interested in this clip below.
https://youtu.be/_3MccCsSuU0
A very slanted report, for all that there are issues with cancel culture. It would have been more persuasive had it been more even-handed.
Out of interest, in what way did you perceive it being slanted? And in your mind, what did it fail to persuade you of?
It failed to consider what might have prompted the development of cancel culture, or whether it might be appropriate in some circumstances. So the pre-determined conclusion was 'cancel culture bad'. I can think of a few serial abusers of free speech rights whose cancellation did not seem misplaced to me.
Jones suggested the Prime Minister "shove a sock down her throat" during the tirade on 2GB radio on Thursday morning
Though Jacinda was surely not the most disempowered victim of the likes of Jones, I don't think the boycott of his advertisers represented the kind of totalitarian tyranny Sky Australia intends such measures should be construed as.
A better report would have looked at good and bad instances, to help the public appreciate the boundaries of cancel culture legitimacy. Such a meditation was however beyond the capabilities of the "journalist".
Bob Jones is 'cancel culture' king. BNA.
He writes slanging Human Rights.
in his June 2020 blog " No Punches Pulled ".
Quote from that piece he wrote -:
"That said it would be fun to " work" in the Human Rights Commission creating these rights. Some off-the- top examples; the right for me to have it off with Miss New Zealand each year sounds a good start" .
Caution rushing to his page, his ticker might explode over his rush of excitement from too much traffic.
A ' Cancel culture' example too , would be silencing youth by banning TikTok.
Thanks Stuart. Fair comment.
RMA reform must proceed on a consensus basis, to serve the nation effectively. Rod Oram's report on the process thus far is here: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/economic-recovery/oram-doing-right-by-the-economy-and-environment
Seems like an impressive effort at producing consensus involving multiple stakeholder groups. We can probably be confident of a robust outcome – which will require proposed legislation to go through the select committee process first.
Crook knee…
https://twitter.com/owenhabel2/status/1289002281883643905
A bare minimum of common sense.
I daresay I could Jackie-Chan it: 300 takes, several serious injuries, all for one successful take. Dunno about 22 seconds though- might stop for a breather a couple of times.
Level four lockdown for Melbourne and a citywide curfew from 8pm until 5am from tonight. Shit’s getting real over there.
From the state Premier:
https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1289784719215714305
They are still allowed to go to work. Madness!
More details from Premier on that tomorrow, tv3 news said.
not sure a State gov has the capacity to raise the wherewithal to fund a work lockdown.
Wonderful work by the Australian regime.
Betcha Ardern is signaling Malcolm already.
When Aussie sneezes, we catch a cold.
The little prick wasn't fourteen when he posted this.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/12/national-s-teen-candidate-william-wood-deletes-photo-with-white-supremacist-linked-gesture.html
Dammit you gave away the next scandal on the LP.
Apart from The Daily Blog I feel in fear of losing my rights to free speech on blogs. Which I take as a compliment though. Though speaking truth without fear nor favour is a cold business. This blog is integrally about power as Labour has always been. Except the 35ists were for us.