In the context of Robertson’s speech to business yesterday, a very nice line from Fran O’Sullivan this morning that encapsulates this challenge of this government:
“Ensuring the country buys the argument that the Government is simply out to introduce fairness will not be easy, after New Zealand has enjoyed being part of the global market for nigh on three decades.”
When a government’s committed to “opportunity” (as this NZ Labour led one is), it’s ”fair enough” that you wind up fucked up – because bad choices and all of that jazz.
This government is the bride, the groom and the church of “status quo”.
Here we are entering the silly season and the weather is great at last, but there is still the gloom and doom of impending nuclear war and accelerating, unmitigated climate change. However there are positives out there for the Left at the end of 2017…..
1. NZ. The new govt is off to a good start. The opposition, for all the biased media support, just looks to be negative, tired, yesterdays men.
2. Aus. Turnbull is on his last legs.
3. Brit. May is on her last legs.
4. USA. Trump is doing as predicted (pre election) and destroying America. I find it interesting watching the USA unfolding on a daily basis.
5. The AngloZionist Empire ( USA, Israel, NATO Countries) plan for world ownership is being successfully challenged by the likes of Russia and China.
6. The Middle East. The Iran/ Syria/Hezbollah/ Russia bloc are successfully holding up the Saudi/ ISIS/ Israeli/ USA bloc.
7. Nth Korea. Maybe all they want is recognition as a World Power and a bit of respect.
Have a great summer everyone and be careful out there. The New Year promises many challenges.
Don says we shouldn’t have Te Reo (Guyon) on National Radio because no one understands it.
Kim says therefore we shouldn’t have business report on National Radio because no one understands it.
Ha!
I think she realised he was never going to give up his position using logical arguments because it’s a political position that has nothing to do with logic.
The only way he would change his mind is if his position no longer had political utility.
But the good thing is that after his performance he may find his position no longer has political utility.
~~~~~~~~~~
As an aside, it shows the power of the baby boomers – their weight of numbers means that airtime could be given over to a cultural perspective that belongs to the distant past.
I strongly disagree that business does not belong on non-commercial radio.
It is at the basis of a modern advanced society and everyone should realise it.
It was thinking that business could be constantly pressed for more money that brought the severe hatred of the business class to do away with unions. If the WEA had spent more time teaching workers about business, turnover, not-for-profit, co-operatives, profitsharing and the role of worker involvement in them we would not have been so easily sidelined by Labour 1984.
Business is everyone’s business. We need intelligent approaches to it, to how much efficiency, how much time off, how to manage markets and not allow ourselves into a race to the bottom for wages and conditions and export prices. Too much complacency. No one is promising us a rose garden, a nice lounger for all. A holiday is not even offered to those that business won’t employ, just ceaseless striving for a job.
But business, work, that we want and want to do. Circulating money with many inputs, and many payments – at present business is poorly and needs a boost from the bottom-up.
I say this because RNZ s now so cash trapped that the CEO has sent us a letter after we asked them why we in HB/Gisborne has no reporter here now for two years to cover our regional community RNZ media issues of deep public concern to our communities.
For instance, like loosing our rail services in 2012 as many bussiness owners are requesting we push government now again for rail to return, and RNZ said they have no staff now to cover our rail issues.
The RNZ CEO said we have no reporter in our HB/Gisborne region and offered no assistence.
So you are happy that we miss out on our regional “public affairs” media coverage while Bussiness gets to cover all their own issues everywhere else now?
That is the logic that drove our community’s wild to reject private bussiness interests taking our last RNZ media coverage dollars for their interests and denying us the funding for a regional reporter for HB/Gisborne?
We need business news on RNZ – just in a totally different format, where the present high priests of the economic ideology of neo-liberalism are challenged, not simply given an amplifier. I don’t want or need to hear the unquestioned views of the CEO of one of the 4 Australian banks. Instead I expect them to be interrogated and their arguments and actions put under the blowtorch. In its present format, all we get is neoliberal propaganda.
We should be presented with alternative economic voices and philosophies.
The current ‘RNZ Bussiness news’ is just a copy of CNBC, and smells of Steven Joyce all over again.
We need the labour model of “corporate environmental & social responsibility” but of course the corporates dont want that as it hurts their shareholder bottom line eh?
We object giving the corporates a free ride on ur public service money while our provinces loose their voice as a result of corporate greed using RNZ for their ibenefit and stopping our community public vioces.
Maybe this was their intent to make the mioney dry up so regional environmental and social issues can’t get RNZ media coverage on our only voice on public radio?
Yes and unbiased reports of how the economy is going and the reason and hopes for whatever policies are being pursued with concrete examples of where the good will land instead of just saying it will be good for NZ.
“Though we want Goyon Espiner gone as heis a national biased supporter and unfit to show balanced reporting.”
I heard the same sentiments, but from exactly the opposite side of the political spectrum in 2014 when Guyon Espiner took Key to bits over DP. Had an ex Nat Minister in the gallery (he’s a regular who admires one of our artists) the morning after the interview saying some very uncharitable things about Mr Espiner and his political preferences.
Graeme, Thanks for that flashback, as I remembered it so very well.
I recall that day when John Key looked at Guyon Espiner as if he was about to put out a contract to kill him; – as Keys ‘rivetting’ glaring stare’ he sent to Espiner even sent a chill down my spine too.!!!!!!!!
After that day we saw Guyon never try to tackle Key again and since then, Espiner has flipped to being the ‘verbial trumpet-chorus boy’ for English, Joyce, Bridges, Bennett, Maggie, Collins, Brownlee and co.
So we suspect Espiner just lost his will to fight any further against the Key Government that day.
lol…Mr Espiner’s problem is not a political bias (imo) rather it is his inability to think on his feet and consequently he misses so many opportunities to explore issues in greater depth…superficial would best describe him.
bwaghorn
So true. They have a contract with God that they wrote out themselves that says they are entitled to whatever they want throughout life and in their declining years to the end.
As for us at The Standard, I think we are on a Mission from God like the Blues Brothers.
OMG. He is a carbunkled caricature of the most grostesque sort of 1970s white settler racism. The idea he was giving as good as he got is nonsense to my mind. Kim Hill was giving him the rope to hang himself, which he ultimately did by claiming the Moriori were the first settlers of NZ.
At which point Kim Hill terminated the interview, having removed all doubt in any intelligent pesons mind that the guy is a superannuated crank and a crackpot fringe merchant.
Still, Don Brash would probably still win a seat in Queensland. Or Alabama.
And even worse he proclaims to speak for 99% of white people.
Maybe 99% of the white people he meets i.e. the stale, pale, males …
… and he only thinks they agree with him because they don’t argue with him
…. and they don’t argue with him because their wives give them the “no, please not here” look.
Wasn’t able to listen to it all but agree. Kim Hill did a masterly job providing him with the rope etc. He talked about encouraging people to speak their own languages among themselves. Indians need to talk Indian. Chinese need to talk Chinese. Laplanders need to talk Laplandese and so on. And of course he encourages Maori to learn to speak Maori. Yes folks, he thinks that’s a good thing. He supports that.
Okay my paraphrasing is a bit naughty but that was the essence of what he was saying.
He comes from the “I’m not racist BUT……”, and “How can I be racist – I married an Ayeshun myself” and emotion, culcha, ambition and opportunity all measured in terms of cost, and “it’s not fair because they’re getting more than me for my hard-earned tax payer dollar” mindset. “No such thing as sussoighty” all expressed in his most practiced WASP eggsent thinking he has the tone of authority, whereas “the truth is” (as they say in best neo-liberalese), he’s a worn out, pompous, holier-than-thou, bitter old queen who probably spends most of his time worrying about how he’s going to take his [supposedly hard-earned] luxuries in life across to the other side. And the most insulting thing to my limited level of intelligence is that he’ll have an expectation that I should feel sympathy for the prick when that happens. I hope I last long enough to be able to piss on his grave (which is likely to me some kitsch monument to his ego).
There’s a lot of it about. There might be a gene or two missing. And of course there’ll be a rw troll along shortly to remind me of how unkind and uncaring I am – no doubt. Not unlike that Whaleoil Mr Creosote that called someone from the West Coast ‘ferral’. Pots and Kettles
Gideon Levy is the most hated man in Israel – and perhaps the most heroic. This “good Tel Aviv boy” – a sober, serious child of the Jewish state – has been shot at repeatedly by the Israeli Defence Force, been threatened with being “beaten to a pulp” on the country’s streets, and faced demands from government ministers that he be tightly monitored as “a security risk.” This is because he has done something very simple, and something that almost no other Israeli has done. Nearly every week for three decades, he has travelled to the Occupied Territories and described what he sees, plainly and without propaganda. “My modest mission,” he says, “is to prevent a situation in which many Israelis will be able to say, ‘We didn’t know.’” And for that, many people want him silenced. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/is-gideon-levy-the-most-hated-man-in-israel-or-just-the-most-heroic-2087909.html
Gideon Levy is a Haaretz columnist and a member of the newspaper’s editorial board. Levy joined Haaretz in 1982, and spent four years as the newspaper’s deputy editor. He is the author of the weekly Twilight Zone feature, which covers the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza over the last 25 years, as well as the writer of political editorials for the newspaper.
Levy was the recipient of the Euro-Med Journalist Prize for 2008; the Leipzig Freedom Prize in 2001; the Israeli Journalists’ Union Prize in 1997; and The Association of Human Rights in Israel Award for 1996.
“Heroes” is a series devoted to those courageous and brilliant people who show us that, in a world seemingly run by crooks, abusers, scoundrels, mass murderers and liars, there are still reasons for optimism.
This video popped up in my feed yesterday and with the recent brouhaha over Golriz Ghahraman I can recognise the same techniques at play in New Zealand.
Don’t forget that the left won the election. The right is desperate. Don’t let them make us play defence.
Winston Peters won the election and has rather demonstrated a glaring weakness in the MMP system.
It doesn’t work particularly well unless you’ve got at least three independent parties of a similar size, the current mix of two large parties(I consider lab-green one party) hands a disproportionate amount of power to whoever can get the bigger party across the line, which in this case is Winston Peters.
Also, Golriz Ghahraman backstory has more holes than a rusty colander.
BM: “Also, Golriz Ghahraman backstory has more holes than a rusty colander.”
Now we are supposed to leap into explanations and defend of her.
BM treats us like a cheap sport. Drop a short punt into the pot and watch the boil.
When that dies down BM will drop in another prompt.
Don’t fall for it people.
Bullshit BM. You pull the legs off spider to see if they can still walk and giggle at your cleverness.
You put up short little claims that are usually false. Then giggle over the fallout as good people try and explain/defend.
Hard luck BM. Try somewhere else.
DRAIN THE SWAMP Remember Dirty Politics, the Nicky Hager book that exploded like a noisy but confusing bomb during the 2014 election? The premise was that Right-wing bloggers were doing the former government’s para-journalistic dirty work. It went underground after that but with a new centre-Left coalition in place, it was bound to rear its ugly head again. Which it certainly did this week when new Green MP and former refugee Golriz Ghahraman was targeted by the usual cabal of critics and stirrers over claims that she had deliberately misrepresented her legal career. Her calm response to every hostile interview and accusation, even a petty one from blogger David Farrar that she had not really seen anything traumatic during the Iran-Iraq war, was a masterclass in seeing off a minor political crisis while her critics looked small and obsessive. The final score: Golriz 1, dirt peddlers nil. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/99428911/week-in-review-the-filth-and-the-fury
Both those articles completely miss the mark. Outside of an outraged fringe, the problem isn’t that she defended an accused in a court of law. That is an unreasonable standard to hold a lawyer to. To say that’s the problem is creating a strawman argument easy to knock down. From my reading of most commentators, the problem is the way Golriz [allegedly] marketed herself. Personally I don’t think it was deliberate. Plenty of people have said she talked about it before the election. I think she was just very loose in the way she sometimes phrased things, a bad habit for a politician and a lawyer.
Perhaps both the Bar association and the Criminal Bar Association have had second thoughts.
I get 404, page not found for both the first two links.
I think they may have realised that the defence they were providing had absolutely nothing to do with what people were complaining about.
Her sin was to not come out at the beginning and say that she had been doing defence as well as prosecution work and also to enormously exaggerate the level she was operating at.
Would she really have been ranked so highly on the party list if the members had seen a truthful CV?
Poor old Mojo.
Strange that you got 404, page not found because I just checked them using the links below which I put up yesterday on Open Mike – and they worked perfectly, as did the additional link for the NZ Law Society.
Your links work just fine.
However the ones TMM put in certainly don’t.
Looking at them more closely I see he(she) seems to have added “…” at the end of each of them and that is presumably what is doing it.
If people are going to put in links it would be helpful if they check them. Why waste other people’s time.
They still don’t seem to have anything to do with what people were complaining about though. It wasn’t doing the defence work that was the problem. It was the Walter Mitty attitude shown in her CV that is the problem, and a very sad problem it is as the story shows.
Poor old Mojo.
I’m seeing people going on the offensive all the time and they don’t get banned. There are limits to that, but there’s no reason why you can’t attack BM’s arguments.
National offered up far more concessions than Labour, but Winnie was just “Taking the Piss”, good on him, Billshit Bill deserves all the crap that lands on him, if you live by the gun, you die by the gun.
“National offered up far more concessions than Labour”
You have some evidence for this claim do you?
Something other than the deep recesses of your imagination?
Come on. Out with it or we can just assume you are under the influence of some powerful hallucinogen.
See how simple it is to make stuff up, and spread half truths james. You should remember those feeling you are having now james, as you make people feel the same way when you make stuff and peddle half truths.
Which by the way, you do quite often. So you really don’t get the moral higher ground.
And the extra ministerial seat National was offering Peters over what the coalition was offering? funny how ppl forget the details of these negotiations though, no harm rubbing it in.
I watch these guys spew their BS and then 20 retaliatory comments follow to defend the position of the left, hit and run, peddling BS, the Goritz argument was a classic example, arguing semantics. Goritz’s response exemplifies the real politician that she is, all the BS hadn’t fazed her and the diplomacy was inspiring.
The concessions Peters got were what the market determined were necessary. The free market at work I’ve heard about a zillion times, is a thing of beauty.
Nick ‘swimmable rivers’ Smith, Steven ‘pretty legal, fiscal hole’ Joyce, Judith ‘Oravida’ Collins, Bill ‘discovered poverty last week’ English, Paula ‘put ’em in motels’ Bennett, John ‘no legacy’ Key…
Natz MPs, and cheerleaders for the National ‘no mates’ party are coming across as embittered victims of a NZ1st hit job. I think Winston chose what was, on the face of it, a less straightforward coalition because of nine years of neglect, corruption, lies, and growing inequality in NZ. “Time for a change.”
Cheer up BM, you’re just experiencing a small measure of the hopelessness the NZ left felt over the last 9 years.
‘Good, I can feel your anger… Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!’
Foreign Affairs budget to be increased and Mr. Peter’s Foreign Affairs budget requests cannot be vetoed. Mr Peters can spend his budget how he chooses.
All budget requests from New Zealand First Ministers that have been approved by Mr Peters must get priority.
As Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Peters has the sole right to nominate all Ambassadors and other diplomatic posts not just Washington and London but he cannot be stopped from appointing his mates to be consuls as he tried with Owen Glenn.
As Minister of SOEs Mr Peter’s has the sole power to appoint all the chair and directors of every SOE. Dozens of appointments.
New Zealand First can nominate over three years six people to be knights and its nominations will be favourably considered for other honours.
New Zealand First will appoint the next Chief of Defense.
A provision requires all Ministers to refer any request from or to a New Zealand First Minister to go through Mr Peters office.
The PM has agreed that she will not dismiss any NZ1 Minister, MP or appointee without Mr Peters approval and the PM has also agreed to dismiss any NZ First minister, MP or appointee if asked to by Winston Peters.
LABOUR/GREEN GOVERNMENT
The government budget must be submitted to NZ1 (Winston) for approval
Labour has agreed to a 10 percent a year increase in the Foreign Affairs budget.
Labour has agreed that NZ1 manifesto promises will have priority. The Northland port and railway.
NZ1 nominations will be approved. For example to the port inquiry.
No concessions can be made to the Greens without prior approval from NZ1
No new policy not contained in the coalition agreement can be advanced by Labour Ministers without NZ1 approval.
All government appointments must be approved by NZ1
Also, Golriz Ghahraman backstory has more holes than a rusty colander.
If that’s a reference to her work in and around the UN where, some would insinuate, she refused to fight on the side of “the good guys” and for “the forces of good”, then you might want to consider that the UN has more holes in its integrity than would take to fill the Albert Hall.
Not something many liberals are comfortable to contemplate mind.
Bluddy good video Ovid! Very fitting of what happens on The Standard. Must watch.
John Key was expert at putting critics in boxes. Therefore he could just dismiss Nicky Hagar.
English/Joyce accuse Labour. Robertson spends long time with long explanations. Joyce is wrong but wins the popular vote. Almost won an election.
The Right Wing Trolls here do it all the time. Short pithy accusation. We spend many replies to refute. Troll shifts ground to a new point without ever conceding the original one. We spend many replies in hopeless refution. Troll wins.
Now National and Media henchmen are pouring on the accusations so that the Left must explain. No smoke without fire?
Except Jacinda knows. Her best response when a critic was quoted to her? “He’s wrong.” End of story.
Heh. I say “Don’t let them make us play defence” and BM immediately goads us into playing defence. Hats off to you, man. You’re certainly skilled in this.
So not a link of our cultural shift from treating authority with healthy irreverence (eg Keystone Cops) to one of (arguably) unhealthy reverence (eg – all those cop shows of cops saving us from our despicable selves). Ah well…
Contrary to my reputation as a rwnj, I do sometimes try and be a good human being. I’d like some advice. Growing up white, upper middle class in tidy neighborhoods with white picket fences and any problems kept strictly behind closed curtains, I’ve never really been exposed much to drug use. Recently, a young mother who fate made us meet, has been begging for help. She’s a drug user. She goes for periods of being clean, then for a week or two spends all her money on substance abuse. Now I’m a comparative stranger, but she keeps asking for money and rides to pick up drugs. Obviously that’s a no, though I have driven her home twice near midnight when she threatened to walk herself home and I couldn’t in good conscience let her do that. I’ve encouraged her to see a drug counselor, which she claims to have done. But she still now asks for money for food/or just food.
Anyway, long question medium, how can one assist such a person (or anyone; so hopefully the replies may help others, such as family members), without enabling them. If kids are involved, it makes it even harder. Can’t let them starve, but can’t enable them with food and gifts when they spend all their money. NB not so much interested in what government can do, I want practical advice for individuals and whanau.
If you don’t want to get involved then it’s probably none of your business. Give her some food at least though. That’s not enabling, that’s called helping another human being eat and not starve.
Agreed. Limit to what I can do as I don’t actually want to get too close to the situation. Won’t go into her house, won’t talk to her any longer than necessary. Don’t really “want” to help, but then this is a human with kids involved.
Stop supporting governments that increase inequality and defund mental health services. If you know anyone who voted for a government that increased inequality and defunded mental health services, make it clear that they are social lepers.
Good grief come on – asking an honest practical question here on what we as individuals do. We can have opinions about government till the cows come home, but sometimes we as individuals are called (or put in a position) to do something. Telling them to vote Labour in three years (assuming their enrolled) isn’t going to a) help the addiction now, or b) put food on the table. So up front – what would you do for them, besides refer them to rehab (which as far as I can tell is voluntary)?
Nah, you made your bed, and now you want everyone else to lie in it for you. What if your stain doesn’t wash out?
Given that you vote for human rights abuse, I think the best thing you can do for those kids is leave them alone and let the government get on with cleaning up after you.
“Anyway, long question medium, how can one assist such a person ”
Short answer is you can’t, well probably not anyway. If they hit you up when they’re stoned you’re wasting your time and when they hit you up when they’re straight they’re probably hanging out for a hit.
It’s a deadly spiral and a wise person would keep a respectable distance IMO, you can buy yourself a lot of trouble walking into a scene like you’ve described.
However, if you want to buy the conditions that create the scene you just described, you can do that at the organisation previously known as Cabinet Club.
A lot of trouble yes, but then when someone comes asking for money or food, I’m not the sort of person to easily turn them away. Running into a burning house to save someone also can bring a lot of trouble. But people do it. I dunno. Maybe an optomistic side of me thinks redemption is possible. The other side is a cynic. Or as weka said it is none of my business, so turn a blind eye, refuse charity and hope the government does it’s job (well weka said give food but I feel that allows her to spend her money elsewhere).
That’s a pretty good illustration of the obscenity of charity: the very people who helped create the conditions for poverty and inequality, debating amongst themselves which of their victims deserve help, and in doing so, justifying poverty.
Of course, anyone who points this out to them is being mean and insulting.
It’s not about turning a blind eye it’s about using a bit of street nous and not inserting yourself into a scene you know nothing about. Meth is a class A drug, it could be your friend there is mixing with some people that you really don’t want to know about,
The drug foundation has some useful info: https://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/info/helping-someone/
You are doing a good thing.
Remember:
Alcoholism or addiction is a disease. It isn’t necessarily about the quantity consumed, but the behaviour. The good news is it’s treatable.
Telling a person dependent on alcohol or drugs to just “stop” won’t work. The abuse is typically a symptom of mental illness.
And as weka suggests above, when they have spent their money on drugs – food is the best help you can give, then an ear, and and finally when they are ready, encouragement to try again. They need to find the trigger that causes the relapse.
Meanwhile, whilst your back was turned. Fighting for scraps from the masters table, or being incremental – Slavery is back. How progressive we all are, how truly wonderful human beings.
I read somewhere that BM molests goats. I find this behavior detestable and as a goat owner am now fearful for my goats. Being a nom de plume, I have no idea who this BM is, but by his general tone and writing I’m gonna assume he’s an older, white male. As there’s a number of those round these parts, I’m rightly concerned for my goats. I think BM should stop his indecent actions, seek help and be more forthright and honest about his awful nature as these habits aren’t natural and the goats (or any of gods creatures) should never be subjected to BM’s sick ways.
I think you started it with that rubbish about a colander, and got a deliberately exaggerated example of what you like to dish out. Fair enough, too.
Work it out for yourself if you aren’t playing the innocent. (Which I suspect you are.)
I look forward to the day when you disappear from this blog.
Yes, James – almost inclined to apologise: it was in fact BM (Bullshit Mountain?) who made the inane comment about the colander, so you are in fact innocent of that bit of trolling. But then again, you are both so alike…
And apologising to somebody silly enough to misspell Vino, then throw childish insults just doesn’t seem right. So I am not sorry, even if I was wrong on that point. You remain what you are.
With people living in cars and what not coupled with the expected upward pressure on rents due to Labour’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Act, do Labour need to commit to building more state homes a year?
BM if it looks like ____ and smells like _____ than it is bulshit .
These people think I just dropped out of the sky yesterday I see they are using someone in Pukekohe to try and use my son in laws origins against me . I say to the these people stop pissing in the wind and find a real crim to waste your time on you no I no that your shit stinks to Ana to kai Pukekohe is nice a lot friendly Maori people this is the true nature of Maori please take care of my daughter and my moko.s We will be back in January when our daughter is due for her 4 child . Ka pai
Here’s a little story from yesterday about how politics is going across the ditch for the federal Liberal party and in particular, Malcom Turnbull, it’s quite amusing, and in stark contrast to politics in NZ with regard to coalition partners.
Film coming in 2018.
I became vegan this year.
It is the biggest thing you can do for your health, the planet and for animals.
Don’t believe me. Research the topic with an open mind.
Duncan “Vyshinsky” Garner’s laughable attempt to intimidate Golriz Ghahraman
FULL TRANSCRIPT
three a.m. show, Thursday 29 November 2017,
Duncan Garner tries to be harsh and cold and aggressive, but he doesn’t really have his heart in it. Someone obviously wrote his questions for him, and told him to “get” Golriz, but it’s clear that he early on recognizes Golriz is far brighter than him, as well as holding the moral high ground over him. This clip finishes a bit early, unfortunately, and doesn’t include the very interesting back and forth between Garner, Mark Richardson and Amanda Gillies, immediately after this travesty. All of them acknowledged that Golriz had done nothing wrong, and Amanda Gillies did not hide her distaste for what Garner had been instructed to do…..
DUNCAN GARNER: Green M.P. Golriz Ghahraman has come under criticism for failing to mention her work defending a war criminal convicting of inciting genocide IN RWANDA. Around eight hundred thousand TUTSI are estimated to have been killed during the nineteen ninety-FOUR ethnic cleansing, uh, by the Hutu EXTREMISTS. Ghahraman was involved in the deFENCE, and she joins me now, Golriz good to have you on the program, really apPRECiate it. Why didn’t you just tell us? Why hasn’t this been OUT there before?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I did. It was out there. There’s been a number of journalists that have come forward, Kirsty Johnston from the Herald, Vice New Zealand’s released a transcript, I did a number of interviews before the election where I talked about this. I went around, um, various law schools, I’ve talked about this in the past. My C.V. was online and completely open. Um, so it’s not a problem for me at all, it’s not a problem for any lawyer, and the U.N. is certainly really proud that we now have these trials where there is a defense and a prosecution. It’s about returning communities to a rule of law model, to a human rights model.
GARNER: Okaaaayyy. Okay.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: So it is actually about stopping the cycle of violence. Having the defense ensures that, so either side can’t say, you know, it was victor’s justice, you just came in and arrested our people. Um, so it’s something that I’m really proud of, and I’ve put it out there, there’s been a number of articles, um, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to hide it—
GARNER:[brusquely] I put it to you that you HAVEN’T, actuallyyyy. I put it to you that the GREEN Party, you see the GREEN Party WEBSITE said, uh, “Golriz worked in Africa, The Hague, and Cambodia, putting on trial world leaders for abusing their power.” It DOESN’T SAY that you DEFENDED these war criminals.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: So in the context of all of these articles that I’ve done and all of these talks that I’ve given, and making my C.V. public well before the election, there’s just this ONE line that people have gotten a hold of and—-
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Well, I would, I mean I would suggest if the Green Party was trying to hide this, someone would have brought me up and said you’ve got to stop doing Herald interviews about this work, it would’ve been a no-brainer, um, for someone from the party to pull me up and say, Stop, stop doing these interviews about it, um, and it di–, it hadn’t occurred to me, I mean the reason it’s come up NOW is because, again, there was a Herald article where they said to me, What’s a defining era in your life? And I said, well actually this was the difficult, you know, this was the thing that was really life-changing for me is when I first went in to the U.N. system, um, it was working for the defense and, what do, you know it really made me think about—
GARNER:[interrupting] Weeeell, I, I READ some of the articles.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: —-and that—
GARNER: And I’ve READ some of these articles, Golriz, and—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: It was me that brought it up, I mean it wouldn’t have occurred to me to hide it.
GARNER: Yyeeah. But it HAS been hidden by the GREEN Party. Why was, so let’s, okay, so the media might have SAID it, but what about your own Green Party, it wasn’t on your website and you’ve since CHANGED that of course which is the right thing to do.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Oh of course I asked them to change it immediately. I had, ha–, I hadn’t even, er, looked at that, I don’t think, but I mean— GARNER: Well hang on, hang on, lemme test that, lemme TEST that. You say you hadn’t looked at it, you DON’T THINK. Did you know that it said it, or it didn’t say it?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I, to be honest, would have skimmed it at some point, but I would’ve gone Yep, it’s got the places I worked, moving on. I mean, those trials are ABOUT the defense being there as well. Otherwise we wouldn’t have trials, we’d take people out the back. You know, it’s, as a law student, I was inspired essentially by the Nuremberg Trials, you know, when we went, okay, you’re not above the law, genocide IS a crime, but we’re not gonna sink to your level, we’re not gonna be tyrants, we’re gonna have these open, transparent, fair trials—
GARNER:[interrupting] So the GUARDIAN—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: It’s so INSPIRING as a lawyer—
GARNER: Hmmm.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: You know, I wouldn’t have, there’s NO WAY I would have hidden something like that, that’s why I was doing the articles about it. GARNER: Did you complain to the Guardian, ‘cos the Guardian, ahh, three weeks ago, doing a tri–, a piece on you, a really good piece on you too, said that you “represented the U.N. in tribunals, prosecuting some of the world’s worst war criminals, including perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide.” They said that you PROSECUTED THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE!
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Yeah I understand our comms team has written to the Guardian. I understand they have written to the Guardian. I mean, yeah, that’s blatantly not what I’ve ever said in interviews. And I mean, the Vice article was all about the defense work, um, Kirsty Johnston’s came forward and said that the latest Herald piece was all about the defense work, and that’s ‘cos I wanted to talk about it. I think it’s an important conversation actually, um, and it IS about the human rights framework—
GARNER:[interrupting] Do you acCEPT—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: It’s not about denying genocide. That’s what I find offensive. Because we’re all there, the United Nations is there because we want to say genocide is a crime, but we will have a process, we’re not going to have cycles of violence, um, continuing. So that’s the part of it that’s really offensive to me.
GARNER: Okay. And some people might be offended at, in your maiden SPEECH, in parliament, in recent weeks, you talk about your WORK, and this is in your own words, you no doubt wrote your own speech, you talk about this criminal justice system internationally on the front li-i-i-ine, where you went out the-e-ere, y’know, you fought hard for what you di-i-id, and you worked in Africa, worked alongside these genocide trials, and you saw it at the Rwanda tribunal, you saw it at the Hague, and when you PROSECUTED the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, you “held politicians and armies to account for breaching their powers, giving voice to women, and minorities.” You don’t ONCE [brandishing his notes accusingly] describe it in your OWN words, in your OWN maiden SPEECH in parliament that you were DEFENDING some of these people!
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: That IS putting people on trial. I mean, everyone in that trial is putting those people on trial. It’s not the prosecutors putting them on trial—
GARNER:[interrupting] But you don’t say you were deFENDing them, Golriz. You’re happy to talk about PROSECUTING.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: My maiden speech is all about being a DEFENCE lawyer. I raised the fact that I defended a child MURDERER at the Auckland High Court. It’s— my maiden speech talks about human rights in terms of defense work. I mean, to isolate a line out of it, is just, it’s just wrong. And I mean you have to—
GARNER:[interrupting] See I think you’re MINIMIZING it.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: You have to take it in the context that for the entire year of the election I was doing these interviews about both the defense and the prosecution work that I’ve done. So to me it’s VERY public, and it SHOULD be very public, we should be really proud of adv—-
GARNER:[interrupting] So why didn’t you sa-a-a-a-yyy…..
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: —of advocating for a justice system that has both.
GARNER: Why didn’t you saaaay, why didn’t you SAY in your maiden SPEECH that you learned a lot—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: But why did I make all these Herald articles about the defense work?
GARNER: Can I just finish the question?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I mean—
GARNER: I, I’ll just finish the question if I CAN, Golriz, because I’ve let you finish, I, if I could just please finish this question.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Go for it.
GARNER: Why didn’t you in your maiden speech say that you defended some of the world’s most evil men? Like the BUTCHER of Bosnia.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: No, I never had anything to do with that trial. That’s patently wrong. That’s the Mladić trial you’re talking about and I’ve never had anything to do with the Mladić trial at all.
GARNER: You didn’t do any pre, pre-TRIAL work?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: That was on the Karadžić trial, so that’s a completely different defendant.
GARNER: But the same sort of THING, though, isn’t it!
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: What happened in the Karadžić trial, I can explain that, is that that defendant was self-represented, and in the pre-trial stage the court needs lawyers to actually make the legal arguments when you’re coming up to, you know, defining the crimes and defining, um, the, essentially the spectrum of the trial. Um, and so there are lawyers that work on that, it’s to assist the trial, because actually the prosecution has lawyers, and a self-represented defendant doesn’t, so you can’t have a fair trial without those legal points being hashed out properly. That’s what I did for about five or six months, before I went to prosecutio—
GARNER:[interrupting> Right so obviously he was an EVIL man, okay, a convicted war criminal. Did you morally STRUGGLE with any of this?
…[Here there are a couple of seconds of silence as she tries to deal civilly with the imbecility and insolence of that question]…
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I don’t want us to resort back to, we take people out back and shoot them. These are, this is what these trials are about, and like I say, from Nuremberg onwards we’ve said, No, we have the moral authority. You ARE criminals, I don’t care if you’re the head of the army, I don’t care if you’re the president of a country, but we’re not gonna resort to what YOU resorted to, we’re gonna put you into a fair process, this community gets to see exactly who’s responsible, we’re not denying that genocide happened, but we wanna know exactly who did what, we want it to be transparent, we want the evidence to be tested and the historical record to be set right. Every lawyer in that system is proud to be involved in that, as was I, and as was I of my prosecution work. Is it difficult work? Totally. It’s REALLY hard to act on the defense in those trials but you’ve got to be really, really committed to that human rights-based process.
GARNER: Mmmkay. Ah, d-, have you EVER deFENDED anyone in New Zealand, say a Rwandan refugee who’s linked to that brutal reGIME?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Ah, I’ve defended a Rwandan refugee that’s been accused of being linked to, not the regime per se, but yeah that’s something I’ve spoken to on radio before as well. It was around the confidentiality measures of the refugee process in New Zealand that we were challenging.
GARNER: Hmmm. And he was—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: So it was about, it was about people who were trying to disprove claims being able to go back in to a repressive regime and get witnesses and for us to protect those witnesses.
GARNER:[interrupting> Wasn’t he 2-i-c?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: And I’ve—
GARNER:[interrupting> Wasn’t he 2-i-c in the regime? Okay, so—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: —I’ve openly spoken about that.
GARNER: So who WAS he?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Sorry?
GARNER: Okay, so wha-, wha-, wha-, so who WAS he? Wasn’t he 2-i-c in the regime?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Um, the problem with that case is that actually the courts have suppressed a lot of the information, but I’ve spoken about the legal point that we were taking before on radio, which was about the confidentiality measures. Um, in terms of the details of the case I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna be breaching any of the suppression orders that the court imposed. That’s an ongoing case which I’m not on any more.
GARNER: So WHY did YOU get involved in THAT?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: But you can talk to Deborah Maning about that, you know, refugee lawyers who’ve, um, previously defended people like, you know, Ahmed Zaoui, and it’s a similar case to that—
GARNER:[interrupting> This is a guy that LIED. This is a guy that LIED on his refugee, ahmmm, application to come—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Ooh, I’d be careful there. That’s all been disproven. [laughs derisively] So, yeah.
GARNER: You tell me what ‘e DID.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Sorry?
GARNER: You tell me what ‘e DID.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Ahmed Zaoui?
GARNER: No, not Zaoui. No I’m talking about—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Oh I’m sorry.
GARNER: I’m talking about this RWANDAN, ahhhmm, who was here in New Zealand that you were—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: That’s an ongoing case and there’s suppression orders around it, but he’s being accused by the Rwandan government, um, and sought for extradition. So it’s an extradition case, um, and we were trying to get a fair process around it HERE, so that everyone could present their witness evidence, essentially.
GARNER: Right. Where did you— so you were in AFRICA. You LIVED in Africa, did you?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: In Tanzania, sort of on and off when I worked on cases, yeah.
GARNER: Right. Have you been to RWANDA? Did you go in there and have a look?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Yeah I’ve been into Rwanda, yeah, but the court isn’t in Rwanda, so you go into Rwanda, you speak to witnesses or, y’know, I mean you’re next door, so you go into Rwanda a lot, yeah. But nobody lives in Rwanda and works on the trial.
GARNER: No, sure. Um, and just, just finally, did you ever have a choice, I don’t know how this works, I mean did the U.N. ever give you a choice and say, Golriz you don’t HAVE to work on this if you have any issues with it, y’know morally or ETHICALLY. Did you ever have a choice to say, I don’t WANTA defend this, y’know, this man?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I certainly don’t have any moral, ethical choice, as does NO lawyer that works on criminal trials, in terms of working for either side. You are there to make the process fair. So to say that there’s a moral problem, you know, to suggest that all of these United Nations lawyers, where the U.N. requires that there is a defense and a prosecution, are somehow, um, you know, morally repugnant, um, is just, it is actually offensive, to be honest. I mean, nobody there is denying that a genocide happened—
GARNER:[interrupting] What SOME people—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: We’re there because we KNOW a genocide happened.
GARNER: Course. Yeah. And what some people are also saying that THEY’re offended by the fact that y-you, y-y-you are in PHOTOS, sort of you know, like a SELFIE with, with some of these WAR criminals, here you are standing with one of these RWANDAN guys who was convicted. Y’know, like a, like a HOLIDAY SNAP!
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Yeah, he was convicted, but I, well, we believe in innocent till proven guilty, right? So when you go over and you’re representing someone, you don’t treat them like they’re guilty. That would kind of subvert the whole process.
GARNER: But do you take HOLIDAY SNAPS with a mass MURDERER?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I can absolutely see how it’s jarring to people. But if you actually believe in the system you’re not going there and going, You’re a mass murderer. The minute you start representing them that would be you making the decision for the Court. So it’s not, it doesn’t work that way.
GARNER: Mm.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: But I can totally see how it’s jarring. And, I mean, it’s a process that not many people would wanna be involved in, but to me it’s really important, as my prosecution work was important. It’s really important that we make sure these trials are fair, so that community can actually rely on those verdicts and move forward.
GARNER: Okay, look, um, Golriz, um, we’d better GO-O-O-O. I appreciate you coming on the program. Do you REGRET any of, any of your approach, or the lack of coming FORWARD in terms of the public stuff on the Green Party website and your maiden SPEECH? Do you regret that you could have been fuller?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I mean, I’ve had the Green Party website fixed, but I don’t think, because I’ve been so open and I’ve done all of these interviews, coming out to the election, I think taking all of that in context it was all VERY public. But the thing is, I’m glad we’re having this conversation, because we DO need to have a conversation about what fair trials mean, and what justice means to us. Um so, no, let’s, you know, let’s keep talking about it.
GARNER: That you don’t think you have anything to apologize for?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: No, as I don’t think anyone working in our justice system has anything to apologize for. We’re all there making the process fair.
Duncan Garner tries to be harsh and cold and aggressive, but he doesn’t really have his heart in it. Someone obviously wrote his questions for him, and told him to “get” Golriz, but it’s clear that he early on recognizes Golriz is far brighter than him, as well as holding the moral high ground over him. This clip finishes a bit early, unfortunately, and doesn’t include the very interesting back and forth between Garner, Mark Richardson and Amanda Gillies, immediately after this travesty. All of them acknowledged that Golriz had done nothing wrong, and Amanda Gillies did not hide her distaste for what Garner had been instructed to do…..
DUNCAN GARNER: Green M.P. Golriz Ghahraman has come under criticism for failing to mention her work defending a war criminal convicting of inciting genocide IN RWANDA. Around eight hundred thousand TUTSI are estimated to have been killed during the nineteen ninety-FOUR ethnic cleansing, uh, by the Hutu EXTREMISTS. Ghahraman was involved in the deFENCE, and she joins me now, Golriz good to have you on the program, really apPRECiate it. Why didn’t you just tell us? Why hasn’t this been OUT there before?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I did. It was out there. There’s been a number of journalists that have come forward, Kirsty Johnston from the Herald, Vice New Zealand’s released a transcript, I did a number of interviews before the election where I talked about this. I went around, um, various law schools, I’ve talked about this in the past. My C.V. was online and completely open. Um, so it’s not a problem for me at all, it’s not a problem for any lawyer, and the U.N. is certainly really proud that we now have these trials where there is a defense and a prosecution. It’s about returning communities to a rule of law model, to a human rights model.
GARNER: Okaaaayyy. Okay.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: So it is actually about stopping the cycle of violence. Having the defense ensures that, so either side can’t say, you know, it was victor’s justice, you just came in and arrested our people. Um, so it’s something that I’m really proud of, and I’ve put it out there, there’s been a number of articles, um, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to hide it—
GARNER: [brusquely] I put it to you that you HAVEN’T, actuallyyyy. I put it to you that the GREEN Party, you see the GREEN Party WEBSITE said, uh, “Golriz worked in Africa, The Hague, and Cambodia, putting on trial world leaders for abusing their power.” It DOESN’T SAY that you DEFENDED these war criminals.
I watched the reply from Golriz, what wonderful candidate, if only we had more politicians like her, articulate, intelligent, well spoken and most importantly, a true diplomat, hadn’t seen her before, but with ppl like her in Govt, the countries on a winner.
This whole topic is already dead, just a few stupid, arrogant men, who are struggling to adapt to a change in the style of politics think they can control the narrative by “click baiting” to gain attention, only the stupid are sucked in and we all know who they vote for.
There is nothing inherently unlawful about instructing employees to use disappearing messaging apps, said Timothy Heaphy, a lawyer at Hunton & Williams and a former U.S. Attorney in Virginia.
However, companies have an obligation to preserve records that may be reasonably seen as relevant to litigation or that fall under data retention rules set by industry regulators.
Anybody else see the contradiction in those two sentences?
Finland, Sweden, Novorossiya, and Incorrect AnalysesSince Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin has made much of NATO's supposed expansion to the east. As I wrote on 1 April:Much has been made of Putin's apparent anger that Ukraine was on the verge of joining NATO.However, this has been over-stated by both Western ...
Hoopla And Razzamatazz: Putting the country into debt allows a Minister of Finance to keep the lights on and the ATMs working without raising taxes. That option may become unavoidable at some future time, for some future government, but that is not the present government’s concern – not in the ...
Speaking Truth To Power: Greta Thunberg argues that the fine sounding phrases of well-meaning politicians changes nothing. The promises made, the targets set – and then re-set – are all too familiar to the younger generations she has encouraged to pay attention. They have heard it all before. Accordingly, she ...
The Spiral of Silence Problem As climate communicator John Cook cleverly illustrates below, a big obstacle to raising awareness about climate change is the "spiral of silence," a reluctance to talk about it. There are many reasons for this reluctance we can speculate about. Perhaps people don't want to be ...
The informed discussion on the next steps in tax policy is about improving the income tax base, not about taxing wealth directly.David Parker, the Minister for Inland Revenue, gave a clear indication that his talk on tax was to be ‘pointy-headed’ by choosing a university venue for his presentation. As ...
A couple of weeks ago, Newsroom reported that the government was failing to meet its proactive release obligations, with Ministers releasing less than a quarter of cabinet papers and in many cases failing to keep records. But Chris Hipkins was already on the case, and in a recent cabinet paper ...
Why are the New Zealand media so hostile to the government – not just this government, but any government? The media I have in mind are not NZME-owned outlets like the Herald or Newstalk ZB, whose bias is overtly political and directed at getting rid of the current Labour government. ...
In this week’s “A View from Afar” podcast Selwyn Manning and I speculate on how the Ruso-Ukrainian War will shape future regional security dynamics. We start with NATO and work our way East to the Northern Pacific. It is not comprehensive but we outline some potential ramifications with regard to ...
At base, the political biffo back and forth on the merits of Budget 2022 comes down to only one thing. Who is the better manager of the economy and better steward of social wellbeing – National or Labour? In its own quiet way, the Treasury has buried a fascinating answer ...
by Don Franks Poverty in New Zealand today has new ugly features. Adequate housing is beyond the reach of thousands. More and more people full time workers must beg food parcels from charities. Having no attainable prospects, young people lash out and steal. A response to poverty from The Daily ...
Drought: the past is no longer prologue Drought management in the United States (and elsewhere) is highly informed by events of the past, employing records extending 60 years or longer in order to plan for and cope with newly emerging meterorological water deficits. Water resource managers and agricultural concerns use ...
The government announced its budget today, with Finance Minister Grant Robertson giving the usual long speech about how much money they're spending. The big stuff was climate change and health, with the former being pre-announced, and most of the latter being writing off DHB's entirely fictional "debt" to the the ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has delivered a Budget that will many asking “Is that all there is?” There is a myriad of initiatives and there is increased spending, but strangely it doesn’t really add up to much at all for those hoping for a more traditional Labour-style Budget. The headline ...
Last year, Cook Islands Deputy Prime Minister Robert Tapaitau stood down as a minister after being charged with conspiracy to defraud after an investigation into corruption in Infrastructure Cook Islands and the National Environment Service. He hasn't been tried yet, but this week he has been reinstated: The seven-month ...
A ballot for three member's bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Repeal of Good Friday and Easter Sunday as Restricted Trading Days (Shop Trading and Sale of Alcohol) Amendment Bill (Chris Baillie) Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill (Golriz Ghahraman) Increased Penalties for ...
No Jesus Here.She rises, unrested, and stepsOnto the narrow balconyTo find the day. To greetThe Sunday God she sings to.But this morning His face is clouded.Grey and wet as a corpseWashed by tears.Behind her, in the tangled bedding,the children bicker and whine.Worrying the cheap furnitureLike hungry puppies.They clutch at her ...
After two years of Corona-induced online meetings in 2020 and 2021, this year's General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) will take place as a hybrid conference in both Vienna and online from May 23 to 27. To take hybrid and necessary hygiene restrictions into account, there (unfortunately) will be no ...
“Māori star lore was, and still remains, a blending together of both astronomy and astrology, and while there is undoubtedly robust science within the Māori study of the night sky, the spiritual component has always been of equal importance” writes Professor Rangi Matamua in his book Matariki – Te whetū tapu ...
The foibles of the Aussie electoral system are pretty well-known. The Lucky Country doesn’t have proportional representation. Voting for everyone over 18 is compulsory, but within a preferential system. This means that in the relatively few key seats that decide the final result, it can be the voters’ second, third ...
Julia Steinberger is an ecological economist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. She first posted this piece at Medium.com, and it was reposted on Yale Climate Connections with her permission. Today I went to give a climate talk at my old high school in Geneva – and was given a ...
A/Prof Ben Gray* Gray B. Government funding of interpreters in Primary Care is needed to ensure quality care. Public Health Expert Blog.17 May 2022. The pandemic has highlighted many problems in the NZ health system. This blog will address the question of availability of interpreters for people with limited English ...
I have suggested previously that sometimes Tolkien’s writer-instincts get the better of him. Sometimes he departs from his own cherished metaphysics, in favour of the demands of story – and I dare say, that is a good thing. Laws and Customs of the Eldar might be an interesting insight ...
One of the key planks of yesterday's Emissions Reduction Plan is a $650 million fund to help decarbonise industry by subsidising replacement of dirty technologies with clean ones. But National leader Chris Luxon derides this as "corporate welfare". Which probably sounds great to the business ideologues in the Koru club. ...
Poisonous! From a very early age New Zealanders are warned to give small black spiders with a red blotch on their abdomens a wide berth. The Katipo, we are told, is venomous: and while its bite may not kill you, it can make you very unwell. That said, isn’t the ...
“The truth prevails, but it’s a chore.” – Jan Masaryk: The intensification of ideological pressures is bearable for only so-long before ordinary men and women reassert the virtues of tolerance and common sense.ON 10 MARCH 1948, Jan Masaryk, the Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia, was found dead below his bathroom window. ...
Clearly, the attempt to take the politics out of climate change has itself been a political decision, and one meant to remove much of the heat from the global warming issue before next year’s election. What we got from yesterday’s $2.9 billion Emissions Reduction Plan was a largely aspirational multi-party ...
Michelle Uriarau (Mana Wāhine Kōrero) talks to Dane Giraud of the Free Speech Union LISTEN HERE Michelle Uriarau is a founding member of Mana Wāhine Kōrero – an advocacy group of and for Māori women who took strong positions against the ‘Self ID’ and ‘Conversion Practises Bills’. One of the ...
If we needed any confirmation, we have it in spades in today’s edition of the Herald; our supposedly leading daily newspaper is determined to do what it can to decide the outcome of the next election – to act, that is, not as a newspaper but as the mouthpiece for ...
Sean Plunkett, founding editor of the new media outlet, The Platform, was interviewed on RNZ's highly regarded flagship programme "Mediawatch".Mr Plunkett has made much about "cancel culture" and "de-platforming". On his website promoting The Platform, he outlines his mission statement thusly:The Platform is for everyone; we’re not into cancelling or ...
“That’s a C- for History, Kelvin!”While it is certainly understandable that Māori-Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis was not anxious to castigate every Pakeha member of the House of Representatives for the crimes committed against his people by their ancestors; crimes from which his Labour colleagues continue to draw enormous benefits; the ...
The Government promised a major reform of New Zealand’s immigration system, but when it was announced this week, many asked “is that it?” Over the last two years Covid has turned the immigration tap off, and the Government argued this produced the perfect opportunity to reassess decades of “unbalanced immigration”. ...
While the new fiscal rules may not be contentious, what they mean for macroeconomic management is not explained.In a pre-budget speech on 3 May 2022, the Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, made some policy announcements which will frame both this budget and future ones. (The Treasury advice underpinning them is ...
Under MMP, Parliament was meant to look like New Zealand. And, in a lot of ways, it does now, with better representation for Māori, tangata moana, women, and the rainbow community replacing the old dictatorship of dead white males. But there's one area where "our" parliament remains completely unrepresentative: housing: ...
Justice Denied: At the heart of the “Pro-Life” cause was something much darker than conservative religious dogma, or even the oppressive designs of “The Patriarchy”. The enduring motivation – which dares not declare itself openly – is the paranoid conviction of male white supremacists that if “their” women are given ...
In case of emergency break glass— but glass can cut Fire extinguishers, safety belts, first aid kits, insurance policies, geoengineering: we never enjoy using them. But given our demonstrated, deep empirical record of proclivity for creating hazards and risk we'd obviously be foolish not to include emergency responses in our inventory. ...
After a brief hiatus, the “A View from Afar” podcast is back on air with Selwyn Manning leading the Q&A with me. This week is a grab bag of topics: Russian V-Day celebrations, Asian and European elections, and the impact of the PRC-Solomon Islands on the regional strategic balance. Plus ...
Last year, Vanuatu passed a "cyber-libel" law. And predictably, its first targets are those trying to hold the government to account: A police crackdown in Vanuatu that has seen people arrested for allegedly posting comments on social media speculating politicians were responsible for the country’s current Covid outbreak has ...
Could it be a case of not appreciating what you’ve got until it’s gone? The National Party lost Simon Bridges last week, which has reinforced the notion that the party still has some serious deficits of talent and diversity. The major factor in Bridges’ decision to leave was his failed ...
Who’s Missing From This Picture? The re-birth of the co-governance concept cannot be attributed to the institutions of Pakeha rule, at least, not in the sense that the massive constitutional revisions it entails have been presented to and endorsed by the House of Representatives, and then ratified by the citizens of New ...
Fiji signed onto China’s Belt and Road initiative in 2018, along with a separate agreement on economic co-operation and aid. Yet it took the recent security deal between China and the Solomon Islands to get the belated attention of the US and its helpmates in Canberra and Wellington, and the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Lexi Smith and Bud Ward “CRA” It’s one of those acronyms even many-a-veteran environmental policy geek may not recognize. Amidst the scores and scores of acronyms in the field – CERCLA, IPCC, SARA, LUST, NPDES, NDCs, FIFRA, NEPA and scores more – ...
In a nice bit of news in a World Gone Mad, I can report that Of Tin and Tintagel, my 5,800-word story about tin (and political scheming), is now out as part of the Spring 2022 edition of New Maps Magazine (https://www.new-maps.com/). As noted previously, this one owes a ...
Dr Jennifer Summers, Professor Michael Baker, Professor Nick Wilson* Summers J, Baker M, Wilson N. Covid-19 Case-Fatality Risk & Infection-Fatality Risk: important measures to help guide the pandemic response. Public Health Expert Blog. 11 May 2022. In this blog we explore two useful mortality indicators: Case-Fatality Risk (CFR) and Infection-Fatality ...
In the depths of winter, most people from southern New Zealand head to warmer climes for a much-needed dose of Vitamin D. Yet during the height of the last Ice Age, one species of moa did just the opposite. I’m reminded of Bill Bailey’s En Route to Normal tour that visited ...
In the lead-up to the Budget, the Government has been on an offensive to promote the efficiency and quality of its $74 billion Covid Response and Recovery Fund -especially the Wage Subsidy Scheme component. This comes after criticisms and concerns from across the political spectrum over poor-quality spending, and suggestions ...
Elizabeth Elliot Noe, Lincoln University, New Zealand; Andrew D. Barnes, University of Waikato; Bruce Clarkson, University of Waikato, and John Innes, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchUrbanisation, and the destruction of habitat it entails, is a major threat to native bird populations. But as our new research shows, restored ...
Unfinished: Always, gnawing away at this government’s confidence and empathy, is the dictum that seriously challenging the economic and social status-quo is the surest route to electoral death. Labour’s colouring-in book, and National’s, have to look the same. All that matters is which party is better at staying inside the lines.DOES ...
Radical As: Māori healers recall a time when “words had power”. The words that give substance to ideas, no matter how radical, still do. If our representatives rediscover the courage to speak them out loud.THERE ARE RULES for radicalism. Or, at least, there are rules for the presentation of radical ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters A brutal, record-intensity heat wave that has engulfed much of India and Pakistan since March eased somewhat this week, but is poised to roar back in the coming week with inferno-like temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius (122°F). The ...
The good people at the Reading Tolkien podcast have put out a new piece, which spends some time comparing the underlying moral positions of George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien: (The relevant discussion starts about twenty-seven minutes in. It’s a long podcast). In the interests of fairness, ...
Crime is becoming a key debate between Labour and National. This week they are both keen to show that they are tough on law and order. It’s an issue that National has a traditional advantage on, and is one that they’re currently getting good traction from. In response, Labour is ...
So far, the excited media response to the spike in “ram-raid” incidents is being countered by evidence that in reality, youth crime is steeply in decline, and has been so for much of the past decade. Who knew? Perhaps that’s the real issue here. Why on earth wasn’t the latest ...
In the past 10 years or so – and that’s how quickly it has happened – all our comfortable convictions about the unassailability of free speech have been turned on their heads. Suddenly we find ourselves fighting again for rights we assumed were settled. Click here to watch the video ...
Enforced Fertility: The imminent overturning of Roe versus Wade by the US Supreme Court is certain to raise echoes here that are no less evocative of the dystopia envisioned by Margaret Atwood in The Handmaid’s Tale. Gilead can happen here.WITH THE UNITED STATES seemingly on the brink of becoming “Gilead”, ...
Not Wanted On Grounds Of Political Rejuvenation: Winston Peters did nothing more than visit the protest encampment erected by anti-vaxxers on the parliamentary lawn. A great many New Zealanders applauded him for meeting with the protesters and wondered why the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition could not do ...
May The Force Be With Us: With New Zealanders under 40, nostalgia for a time when politics worked gains little purchase. Politics hasn’t swerved to any noticeable degree since the 1980s, becoming in the Twenty-First Century a battle between marketing strategies, not ideologies. Young New Zealanders critique political advertisements in ...
Dane Giraud reflects on his working class upbringing and how campaigning for free speech radicalised him Evidence to support censorship as a tool for social cohesion is paltry. I Read the NZ Human Rights Commission website, and 99% of their ‘evidence’ is anecdotal. When asked why we need hate speech ...
As you may have noticed, I have been slowly working my way through the works of Agatha Christie. At the time of writing, I have read some thirty-eight of her books – less than half her total output, but arguably enough to get a reasonable handle on it. It ...
Population growth has some effect on economic growth, but it is complicated especially where infrastructure is involved. We need to think more about it. In an opinion piece in the New Zealand Herald, John Gascoigne claimed that New Zealand was a ‘tragic tale of economic decline’. He gave no evidence ...
The Greens have been almost invisible since the 2020 election. Despite massive crises impacting on people’s lives, such as climate change, housing, inequality, and the cost of living, they’ve had very little to say. On this week’s highly contentious issue of politicians being banned from Parliament by Trevor Mallard, the ...
The government has announced it will be replacing all coal boilers in schools by 2025: All remaining coal boilers in New Zealand schools will be replaced with cleaner wood burners or electric heating by 2025, at a cost of $10 million, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced. The coal ...
Israeli news media and politicians often complain about the activity of neo-Nazis in Ukraine. “Activists and supporters of Ukrainian nationalist parties hold torches as they take part in a rally to mark the 112th birth anniversary of Stepan Bandera, in Kyiv, Ukraine, January 1, 2021. Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters The recent ...
Another gnawing warming worry Accidental outcomes of our engineering prowess are warming Arctic regions at a rapid pace. Another species of accomplished engineers is rapidly occupying and exploiting new territory we've thereby made more easily available, namely beavers (Castor canadensis). Beaver populations in affected Arctic regions have increased from "none" to "quite a ...
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Mr Speaker, It has taken four-and-a-half years to even start to turn the legacy of inaction and neglect from the last time they were in Government together. And we have a long journey in front of us! ...
Today Greens Te Mātāwaka Chair and Health Spokesperson, Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, said “The Greens have long campaigned for an independent Māori Health Authority and pathways for Takatāpui and Rainbow healthcare. “We welcome the substantial funding going into the new health system, Pae Ora, particularly for the Māori Health Authority, Iwi-Partnership ...
Budget 2022 shows progress on conservation commitments in the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Green Party achievements in the last Government continue to drive investment in nature protection Urgent action needed on nature-based solutions to climate change Future budget decisions must reflect the role nature plays in helping reduce emissions ...
Landmark week for climate action concludes with climate budget Largest ever investment in climate action one of many Green Party wins throughout Budget 2022 Budget 2022 delivers progress on every part of the cooperation agreement with Labour Budget 2022 is a climate budget that caps a landmark week ...
Green Party welcomes extension to half price fares Permanent half price fares for Community Services Card holders includes many students, which helps implement a Green Party policy Work to reduce public transport fares for Community Services Card holders started by Greens in the last Government Budget 2022 should be ...
New cost of living payment closely aligned to Green Party policy to expand the Winter Energy Payment Extension and improvement of Warmer Kiwi Homes builds on Green Party progress in Government Community energy fund welcomed The Green Party welcomes the investment in Budget 2022 to expand Warmer Kiwi ...
Budget 2022 support to reduce homelessness delivers on the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Bespoke support for rangatahi with higher, more complex needs The Green Party welcomes the additional investment in Budget 2022 for kaupapa Māori support services, homelessness outreach services, the expansion of transitional housing, and a new ...
Green Party reaffirms call for liveable incomes and wealth tax Calls on Government to cancel debt owed to MSD for hardship assistance such as benefit advances, and for over-payments The Green Party welcomes the support for people on low incomes Budget 2022 but says more must be done ...
Our Government has just released this year’s Budget, which sets out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. It’s full of initiatives that speed up our economic recovery and ease cost pressures for ...
A stronger democracy is on the horizon, as Golriz Ghahraman’s Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill was pulled from the biscuit tin today. ...
Tomorrow, the Government will release this year’s Budget, setting out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. While the full details will be kept under wraps until Thursday afternoon, we’ve announced a few ...
As a Government, we made it clear to New Zealanders that we’d take meaningful action on climate change, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Earlier today, we released our next steps with our Emissions Reduction Plan – which will meet the Climate Commission’s independent science-based emissions reduction targets, and new ...
Emissions Reduction Plan prepares New Zealand for the future, ensuring country is on track to meet first emissions budget, securing jobs, and unlocking new investment ...
The Greens are calling for the Government to reconsider the immigration reset so that it better reflects our relationship with our Pacific neighbours. ...
Hamilton City Council and Whanganui District Council have both joined a growing list of Local Authorities to pass a motion in support of Green Party Drug Reform Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick’s Members’ bill to minimise alcohol harm. ...
Today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a major package of reforms to address the immediate skill shortages in New Zealand and speed up our economic growth. These include an early reopening to the world, a major milestone for international education, and a simplification of immigration settings to ensure New Zealand ...
Proposed immigration changes by the Government fail to guarantee pathways to residency to workers in the types of jobs deemed essential throughout the pandemic, by prioritising high income earners - instead of focusing on the wellbeing of workers and enabling migrants to put down roots. ...
Ehara taku toa i te toa takatahi, engari taku toa he toa takimano – my strength is not mine alone but the strength of many (working together to ensure safe, caring respectful responses). We are striving for change. We want all people in Aotearoa New Zealand thriving; their wellbeing enhanced ...
The Green Party is throwing its support behind the 10,000 allied health workers taking work-to-rule industrial action today because of unfair pay and working conditions. ...
Since the day we came into Government, we’ve worked hard to lift wages and reduce cost pressures facing New Zealanders. But we know the rising cost of living, driven by worldwide inflation and the war in Ukraine, is making things particularly tough right now. That’s why we’ve stepped up our ...
An independent review of New Zealand’s detention regime for asylum seekers has found arbitrary and abusive practices in Aotearoa’s immigration law, policy, and practice. ...
Tiwhatiwha te pō, tiwhatiwha te ao. Tiwhatiwha te pō, tiwhatiwha te ao. Matariki Tapuapua, He roimata ua, he roimata tangata. He roimata e wairurutu nei, e wairurutu nei. Te Māreikura mārohirohi o Ihoa o ngā Mano, takoto Te ringa mākohakoha o Rongo, takoto. Te mātauranga o Tūāhuriri o Ngai Tahu ...
Three core networks within the tourism sector are receiving new investment to gear up for the return of international tourists and business travellers, as the country fully reconnects to the world. “Our wider tourism sector is on the way to recovery. As visitor numbers scale up, our established tourism networks ...
The Government is contributing $100,000 to a Mayoral Relief Fund to help the Levin community following this morning’s tornado, Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan says. “My thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by severe weather events in Levin and across the country. “I know the tornado has ...
The Quintet of Attorneys General have issued the following statement of support for the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and investigations and prosecutions for crimes committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine: “The Attorneys General of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand join in ...
Morena tatou katoa. Kua tae mai i runga i te kaupapa o te rā. Thank you all for being here today. Yesterday my colleague, the Minister of Finance Grant Robertson, delivered the Wellbeing Budget 2022 – for a secure future for New Zealand. I’m the Minister of Health, and this was ...
Urgent Budget night legislation to stop major supermarkets blocking competitors from accessing land for new stores has been introduced today, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Dr David Clark said. The Commerce (Grocery Sector Covenants) Amendment Bill amends the Commerce Act 1986, banning restrictive covenants on land, and exclusive covenants ...
It is a pleasure to speak to this Budget. The 5th we have had the privilege of delivering, and in no less extraordinary circumstances. Mr Speaker, the business and cycle of Government is, in some ways, no different to life itself. Navigating difficult times, while also making necessary progress. Dealing ...
Budget 2022 provides funding to implement the new resource management system, building on progress made since the reform was announced just over a year ago. The inadequate funding for the implementation of the Resource Management Act in 1992 almost guaranteed its failure. There was a lack of national direction about ...
The Government is substantially increasing the amount of funding for public media to ensure New Zealanders can continue to access quality local content and trusted news. “Our decision to create a new independent and future-focused public media entity is about achieving this objective, and we will support it with a ...
$662.5 million to maintain existing defence capabilities NZDF lower-paid staff will receive a salary increase to help meet cost-of living pressures. Budget 2022 sees significant resources made available for the Defence Force to maintain existing defence capabilities as it looks to the future delivery of these new investments. “Since ...
More than $185 million to help build a resilient cultural sector as it continues to adapt to the challenges coming out of COVID-19. Support cultural sector agencies to continue to offer their important services to New Zealanders. Strengthen support for Māori arts, culture and heritage. The Government is investing in a ...
It is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...
It is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...
Four new permanent Coroners to be appointed Seven Coronial Registrar roles and four Clinical Advisor roles are planned to ease workload pressures Budget 2022 delivers a package of investment to improve the coronial system and reduce delays for grieving families and whānau. “Operating funding of $28.5 million over four ...
Establishment of Ministry for Disabled People Progressing the rollout of the Enabling Good Lives approach to Disability Support Services to provide self-determination for disabled people Extra funding for disability support services “Budget 2022 demonstrates the Government’s commitment to deliver change for the disability community with the establishment of a ...
Fairer Equity Funding system to replace school deciles The largest step yet towards Pay Parity in early learning Local support for schools to improve teaching and learning A unified funding system to underpin the Reform of Vocational Education Boost for schools and early learning centres to help with cost ...
$118.4 million for advisory services to support farmers, foresters, growers and whenua Māori owners to accelerate sustainable land use changes and lift productivity $40 million to help transformation in the forestry, wood processing, food and beverage and fisheries sectors $31.6 million to help maintain and lift animal welfare practices across Aotearoa New Zealand A total food and ...
House price caps for First Home Grants increased in many parts of the country House price caps for First Home Loans removed entirely Kāinga Whenua Loan cap will also be increased from $200,000 to $500,000 The Affordable Housing Fund to initially provide support for not-for-profit rental providers Significant additional ...
Child Support rules to be reformed lifting an estimated 6,000 to 14,000 children out of poverty Support for immediate and essential dental care lifted from $300 to $1,000 per year Increased income levels for hardship assistance to extend eligibility Budget 2022 takes further action to reduce child poverty and ...
More support for RNA research through to pilot manufacturing RNA technology platform to be created to facilitate engagement between research and industry partners Researchers and businesses working in the rapidly developing field of RNA technology will benefit from a new research and development platform, funded in Budget 2022. “RNA ...
A new Business Growth Fund to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow Fully funding the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund to unleash regional economic development opportunities Tourism Innovation Programme to promote sustainable recovery Eight Industry Transformation Plans progressed to work with industries, workers and iwi to transition ...
Budget 2022 further strengthens the economic foundations and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa, as the recovery from COVID-19 continues. “The priorities we set for Budget 2022 will support the continued delivery of our commitments for Pacific peoples through the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy, a 2020 manifesto commitment for Pacific ...
Boost for Māori economic and employment initiatives. More funding for Māori health and wellbeing initiatives Further support towards growing language, culture and identity initiatives to deliver on our commitment to Te Reo Māori in Education Funding for natural environment and climate change initiatives to help farmers, growers and whenua ...
New hospital funding for Whangārei, Nelson and Hillmorton 280 more classrooms over 40 schools, and money for new kura $349 million for more rolling stock and rail network investment The completion of feasibility studies for a Northland dry dock and a new port in the Manukau Harbour Increased infrastructure ...
$168 million to the Māori Health Authority for direct commissioning of services $20.1 million to support Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards $30 million to support Māori primary and community care providers $39 million for Māori health workforce development Budget 2022 invests in resetting our health system and gives economic security in ...
Biggest-ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget Provision for 61 new emergency vehicles including 48 ambulances, along with 248 more paramedics and other frontline staff New emergency helicopter and crew, and replacement of some older choppers $100 million investment in specialist mental health and addiction services 195,000 primary and intermediate aged ...
Landmark reform: new multi-year budgets for better planning and more consistent health services Record ongoing annual funding boost for Health NZ to meet cost pressures and start with a clean slate as it replaces fragmented DHB system ($1.8 billion year one, as well as additional $1.3 billion in year ...
Fuel Excise Duty and Road User Charges cut to be extended for two months Half price public transport extended for a further two months New temporary cost of living payment for people earning up to $70,000 who are not eligible to receive the Winter Energy Payment Estimated 2.1 million New ...
A return to surplus in 2024/2025 Unemployment rate projected to remain at record lows Net debt forecast to peak at 19.9 percent of GDP in 2024, lower than Australia, US, UK and Canada Economic growth to hit 4.2 percent in 2023 and average 2.1 percent over the forecast period A ...
Cost of living payment to cushion impact of inflation for 2.1 million Kiwis Record health investment including biggest ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget First allocations from Climate Emergency Response Fund contribute to achieving the goals in the first Emissions Reduction Plan Government actions deliver one of the strongest ...
Budget 2022 will help build a high wage, low emissions economy that provides greater economic security, while providing support to households affected by cost of living pressures. Our economy has come through the COVID-19 shock better than almost anywhere else in the world, but other challenges, both long-term and more ...
Health Minister Andrew Little will represent New Zealand at the first in-person World Health Assembly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from Sunday 22 – Wednesday 25 May (New Zealand time). “COVID-19 has affected people all around the world, and health continues to ...
New Zealand is committing to trade only in legally harvested timber with the Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament today. Under the Bill, timber harvested in New Zealand and overseas, and used in products made here or imported, will have to be verified as being legally harvested. ...
The Government has welcomed the release today of StatsNZ data showing the rate at which New Zealanders died from all causes during the COVID-19 pandemic has been lower than expected. The new StatsNZ figures provide a measure of the overall rate of deaths in New Zealand during the pandemic compared ...
Legislation that will help prevent serious criminal offending at sea, including trafficking of humans, drugs, wildlife and arms, has passed its third reading in Parliament today, Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta announced. “Today is a milestone in allowing us to respond to the increasingly dynamic and complex maritime security environment facing ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor is set to travel to Thailand this week to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting in Bangkok. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting my trade counterparts at APEC 2022 and building on the achievements we ...
Settlement of the first pay-equity agreement in the health sector is hugely significant, delivering pay rises of thousands of dollars for many hospital administration and clerical workers, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “There is no place in 21st century Aotearoa New Zealand for 1950s attitudes to work predominantly carried out ...
Health Minister Andrew Little opened a new intensive care space for up to 12 ICU-capable beds at Christchurch Hospital today, funded from the Government’s Rapid Hospital Improvement Programme. “I’m pleased to help mark this milestone. This new space will provide additional critical care support for the people of Canterbury and ...
Budget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better services and support for mental wellbeing. The upcoming Budget will include a $100-million investment over four years for a specialist mental health and addiction package, including: $27m for community-based crisis services that will deliver a variety of intensive supports ...
Budget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better mental wellbeing services and support, with 195,000 primary and intermediate aged children set to benefit from the continuation and expansion of Mana Ake services. “In Budget 2022 Labour will deliver on its manifesto commitment to expand Mana Ake, with ...
Policy failure over the last eight years — including a massive cut to the ABC’s international funding — has weakened Australia’s voice in the Pacific to its lowest ebb since the Menzies government established the first radio shortwave service across the region more than 80 years ago. Now, with China’s ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern early in March insisted there was no cost-of-living “crisis” in New Zealand. Now her right-hand man, Grant Robertson, has presented a budget which he proudly claims deals with that very same “crisis”, giving away $1 billion in an emergency cost-of-living package. About 2.1 million New Zealanders ...
Podcast - This Budget needed to tackle health and climate while delivering cost-of-living relief. Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch assesses the implications. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne AAP/Lukas Coch The federal election is on Saturday. Polls close at 6pm local time; that means 6pm AEST in the eastern states, 6:30pm in SA and the ...
Analysis - It was the government's biggest week of the year with the Budget and the Emissions Reduction Plan coming out, and neither was given much of a welcome, Peter Wilson writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ataus Samad, Lecturer, Western Sydney University Mick Tsikas/AAP With the election almost upon us, thoughts are more than ever turned to political survival. While getting pre-selected and winning elections are the initial, difficult challenges of a political career, a major ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Chart by Keith Rankin. We know that New Zealand has one of the world’s lowest mortality outcomes, so far, in the Covid19 pandemic. (So has North Korea.) It’s still far too early to access the costs incurred – loss of utility enjoyed by actual and ‘would-have-been’ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney Lillie Eiger/ Sony You’ve probably heard the name Harry Styles. He is the current “real big thing” in popular music. But how did a former boy band star become ...
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty managing director Mark Harris is advocating for a stamp duty on foreign buyers of residential property. Following yesterday’s Budget 2022 announcement, Harris believes that a stamp duty would help increase the ...
And how did the people react to the boost in spending announced in this year’s Budget to promote our wellbeing? In some cases by pleading for more; in other cases, by grouching they got nothing. But Budget spending is never enough. Two lots of bleating came from the Human Rights ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and Emma La Rouche, from the University of Canberra’s Media and Communications team, look at the last week of the campaign as Australians head to the polls. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Hurlimann, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock It will be impossible to tackle climate change unless we transform the way we build and plan cities, which are responsible for a staggering 70% of global emissions. ...
Military spending allocated in the 2022 Wellbeing Budget is $6,077,484,000 - an average of more than $116.8 million every week, and a 10.4% increase on actual spending in 2021. [1] This year’s increase illustrates yet again that the government remains ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Tingay, John Curtin Distinguished Professor (Radio Astronomy), Curtin University JIM LO SCALZO/EPA The United States Congress recently held a hearing into US government information pertaining to “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAPs). The last investigation of this kind happened ...
Bank shareholders, speculators, investors, and ticket clippers will be partying for days over the enormous profits they’ll be expecting following Labour’s budget reveal yesterday. After a 48 percent increase in profits in 2021, banks in particular ...
Budget 2022 has a relatively small amount of new cash allocated to science, research and innovation. This budget comes ahead of what could become a major overhaul of the research, science, and innovation sector in the coming years, with MBIE now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Curtin, Professor of Politics and Policy, University of Auckland Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to parliament via video link from COVID isolation during budget day.Getty Images All budgets are about economics and politics, and 2022’s was no different. The Labour ...
Early this Sunday evening there will be a phone alert you can’t ignore – but don’t worry, it’s just a test. This year’s nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system will take place on Sunday 22 May between 6-7pm It is expected ...
It was announced today that the inaugural Chinese Medicine Council of New Zealand (CMCNZ) has been appointed by the Minister of Health, Hon. Andrew Little. This brings the Chinese medicine profession in under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peggy Kern, Associate professor, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock It’s been a big week and you feel exhausted, and suddenly you find yourself crying at a nice nappy commercial. Or maybe you are struck with a cold or the coronavirus ...
No, we haven’t fully analysed Budget 2022, but we did listen to Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s speech. He took great pride in announcing his fifth Budget invests $5.9 billion a year in net new operating spending, while introducing multi-year funding packages that also draw from Budget 2023 and Budget 2024 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Victor Grabarczyk/unsplash Dogs have an exceptional sense of smell. We take advantage of this ability in many ways, including by training them to find illicit drugs, dangerous goods and even people. In ...
The Government is using dirty tactics as it pushes through enabling legislation to increase PAYE revenue by 10% under the cover of yesterday’s Budget, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in response to the Income Insurance Scheme (Enabling ...
RNZ Pacific A total of NZ$196 million has been set aside for Pacific services in Aotearoa New Zealand in this year’s Budget. A big chunk of that — $76 million will go on Pacific health services. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the cash injection would be used to support Pacific ...
By George Heagney of Stuff A group of students from West Papua, the Melanesian Pacific region in Indonesia, are fearful about their futures in New Zealand after their scholarships were cut off. A group of about 40 students have been studying at different tertiary institutions in New Zealand, but in ...
By Craig McCulloch, RNZ News deputy political editor More than two million New Zealanders will get a one-off $350 sweetener as part of the Budget’s centrepiece $1 billion cost-of-living relief package. The temporary short-term support is counterbalanced by a record $11.1 billion for the health system as the government scraps ...
Asia Pacific Report newsdesk A movement dedicated to peaceful self-determination among indigenous groups in the Pacific is the latest group in Aotearoa to add support for struggling Papuan students caught in Aotearoa New Zealand after an abrupt cancellation of their scholarships. About 70 Papuan students are currently in New Zealand ...
RNZ Pacific The pro-independence coalition parties of Kanaky New Caledonia have selected their candidates for the French Legislative elections next month. Wali Wahetra from the Palika Party is standing in one electoral district, and Gerard Reignier from Union Caledonienne is standing in the other. Speaking with La Premiere, Wahetra explained ...
COMMENTARY:By Nina Santos in AucklandOn May 9, the Philippines went to the polls in what has been called “by far the most divisive and consequential electoral contest” in the Philippines.The electoral race had boiled down to two frontrunners: one was the current Vice-President Leni Robredo, running on ...
PNG Post-Courier Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae has described Papua New Guinea’s late Deputy Prime Minister Sam Basil as a vibrant and visionary leader who was passionate about his people and the electorate. He said Basil loved and dedicated his life to the people of Bulolo until his unexpected ...
Are you receiving NZ Superannuation? If you are, then no, you are not one of the 2.1 million Kiwi’s getting the $350 cost of living supplement announced in the 2022 Budget. If you hold a Gold card the extension of the half priced public ...
On May 19th, the Government released its 2022 Budget which included a number of initiatives to help vulnerable whānau in our communities. Many of these initiatives focus on a proactive strategy to recover from the effects of COVID. Within the community ...
Budget 2022 has been a disappointment for New Zealand’s leading advocate for older people. Although the Grey Power Federation is pleased to note that the Government is investing $3.103 million over four years to continue implementing the Better Later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Ukraine’s sea port of Mariupol, blockaded and now fallen to Russian forces.Getty Images Trying to gauge the worst aspect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is difficult. For some, it will be the ...
The Government has committed $37.485m to continue the work of achieving a thriving, fair and sustainable construction sector. The funding will support the Construction Sector Accord to deliver its Construction Sector Transformation Plan 2022-2025. “This ...
The Commission commends the Government’s Budget 2022 investment in specialist mental health and addiction, particularly the investment in community-based crisis services, specialist child and adolescent mental health and addiction services, and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University You first have to lose an election on principle if you want to win one on principle. This was how Labor rationalised the miscalculations that led to its “Don’s Party” disappointment in 1969, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camilla Hoyos, Research Fellow, University of Sydney Shutterstock There is increasing recognition of the important role sleep plays in our brain health. Growing evidence suggests disturbed sleep may increase the risk of developing dementia. I and University of Sydney ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Wilson, Associate Professor of Leadership, Swinburne University of Technology Shutterstock Whatever the result of the 2022 election, one thing is clear: many Australians are losing faith that their social institutions serve their interests. Our annual survey of 4,000 Australians ...
National Party leader Christopher Luxon has labelled the Budget a "backwards Budget" and with "bandaid" solutions. Watch his post-Budget speech here ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The text arrived on Thursday morning, from a woman who helps me with my horses. “And now I have to do that voting thing. Recommendations please? Who is best?” Well Margaret, after an unedifying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Hellard, Deputy Director (Programs), Burnet Institute Australia’s COVID death toll is rising, yet public health measures to reduce transmission such as mask mandates are largely a thing of the past. It’s time for governments and the community to consider what ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society and NATSEM, University of Canberra Shutterstock Early in the election campaign, on April 14, we learned that Australia’s unemployment rate had slipped below 4% in March, to 3.95% – ...
The sum includes about $1.8 billion to wipe out DHB deficits, while Pharmac will receive $191m over two years to fund new drugs - with a particular focus on cancer care. ...
E tū welcomes Budget 2022, which includes a range of measures that will help E tū members and their communities during a time of increased hardship coming out of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. E tū Assistant National Secretary Annie Newman ...
The 2022 Budget was delivered against a gloomier backdrop. The latest forecasts suggest more subdued growth, more persistent inflation, and further tightening in the labour market. The headline numbers provided little surprise. The Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Bonython, Associate Professor of Law, Bond University Shutterstock This Saturday, most Australians over 18 will vote in the federal election. The right to participate in elections is enshrined in international and domestic human rights law. Under Australia’s Commonwealth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics, Massey University Getty Images One way to make sense of Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s fifth budget speech was to see it as a political performance working on different levels. First, Labour needs this budget ...
Greater Wellington welcomed news today that the Government will permanently fund cheaper public transport fares for community services card hold holders. Chair of Greater Wellington Daran Ponter said there had been strong support for this type ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Preston, Professor of Economics, The University of Western Australia Shutterstock In 2020 the Morrison government allowed Australians to raid their superannuation to get through during the pandemic. This week Scott Morrison proposed letting people raid their super for a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Eltham, Lecturer, School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University Shutterstock The past term of government has been tough for arts and culture in Australia. Culture was among the worst affected by the pandemic of any aspect of society: ...
It's a 'cost of living crisis' not a 'spending on living crisis'. Throwing more and more money at a black-hole for kiwis to spend is akin to the famous saying: "...it's like standing in a bucket and trying to pull yourself up by the handle." ...
Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union and the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations are disappointed to see the tertiary education sector largely ignored once again in the Labour government’s fifth Budget since taking office in 2017. ...
The biggest Budget spend up in New Zealand’s history has delivered some, but not a lot, of initiatives that will support businesses in the Canterbury region. "Some of the initiatives announced in Budget 2022 will go some way towards helping business, ...
Community Housing Aotearoa, a peak body for the community housing sector, welcomes the announcement in today’s Budget to create a $350M Affordable Housing Fund. This investment is a good use of the unallocated Residential Response Fund and a sign ...
The Government’s fourth wellbeing budget fittingly delivered a raft of initiatives to support people, communities and the environment, but when it came to business support it was much as expected. The good news is $100m has been allocated for a ...
Budget 2022 has pluses and minuses for the disabled community, says Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero. On the plus side there was considerable investment in the new Ministry for Disabled People and other funding which has the potential ...
New Zealand’s national association for civil contractors has welcomed the $230 million investment in trades training programmes, increased funding for rail and rural broadband infrastructure, and support for Construction Sector Accord Transformation ...
In the context of Robertson’s speech to business yesterday, a very nice line from Fran O’Sullivan this morning that encapsulates this challenge of this government:
“Ensuring the country buys the argument that the Government is simply out to introduce fairness will not be easy, after New Zealand has enjoyed being part of the global market for nigh on three decades.”
Translated means.
Rich New Zealanders,banks and large corporations have made billions as NZ’s assets were sold under their citizens’ feet.
What Fran means is “redefine ‘fairness’ to mean the status quo or I will foment trouble just like I did in 2000”
+111
Robertson doesn’t need to redefine “fairness”.
When a government’s committed to “opportunity” (as this NZ Labour led one is), it’s ”fair enough” that you wind up fucked up – because bad choices and all of that jazz.
This government is the bride, the groom and the church of “status quo”.
You will never unsee this. Talking Heads will never be the same again.
Ha ha ha ha ….my favourite TH song destroyed….thanks Andre
Absolute hoot! Thanks.
just a shame it included the bit where Trump was insulting that disabled journo, the man has no sense of decency.
Here we are entering the silly season and the weather is great at last, but there is still the gloom and doom of impending nuclear war and accelerating, unmitigated climate change. However there are positives out there for the Left at the end of 2017…..
1. NZ. The new govt is off to a good start. The opposition, for all the biased media support, just looks to be negative, tired, yesterdays men.
2. Aus. Turnbull is on his last legs.
3. Brit. May is on her last legs.
4. USA. Trump is doing as predicted (pre election) and destroying America. I find it interesting watching the USA unfolding on a daily basis.
5. The AngloZionist Empire ( USA, Israel, NATO Countries) plan for world ownership is being successfully challenged by the likes of Russia and China.
6. The Middle East. The Iran/ Syria/Hezbollah/ Russia bloc are successfully holding up the Saudi/ ISIS/ Israeli/ USA bloc.
7. Nth Korea. Maybe all they want is recognition as a World Power and a bit of respect.
Have a great summer everyone and be careful out there. The New Year promises many challenges.
Here here Garabaldi and the best to you too, we enjoy your input.
By their own ownership plan.
Oh! oh! Oh! Rush to your radio comrades! Kim Hill is interviewing Don Brash on the use of te reo….
Highlight of the morning.
Very funny though Brash giving as much as Kim is giving him.
Yes, he is proving he is a tired, negative, yesterdays man ( and a silly git to boot).
Don says we shouldn’t have Te Reo (Guyon) on National Radio because no one understands it.
Kim says therefore we shouldn’t have business report on National Radio because no one understands it.
Ha!
Bloody brilliant! But I felt even Kim had given up on Brash as a total lost cause at the end…
I think she realised he was never going to give up his position using logical arguments because it’s a political position that has nothing to do with logic.
The only way he would change his mind is if his position no longer had political utility.
But the good thing is that after his performance he may find his position no longer has political utility.
~~~~~~~~~~
As an aside, it shows the power of the baby boomers – their weight of numbers means that airtime could be given over to a cultural perspective that belongs to the distant past.
ianmac (4.2.1) … she’s good, bloody good that Kim Hill.
True that ianmac –
‘Bussiness report; doesn’t belong on our “public service radio’ bussiness belongs on commercial media not the radio NZ non commercial media.
Though we want Goyon Espiner gone as heis a national biased supporter and unfit to show balanced reporting.
I strongly disagree that business does not belong on non-commercial radio.
It is at the basis of a modern advanced society and everyone should realise it.
It was thinking that business could be constantly pressed for more money that brought the severe hatred of the business class to do away with unions. If the WEA had spent more time teaching workers about business, turnover, not-for-profit, co-operatives, profitsharing and the role of worker involvement in them we would not have been so easily sidelined by Labour 1984.
Business is everyone’s business. We need intelligent approaches to it, to how much efficiency, how much time off, how to manage markets and not allow ourselves into a race to the bottom for wages and conditions and export prices. Too much complacency. No one is promising us a rose garden, a nice lounger for all. A holiday is not even offered to those that business won’t employ, just ceaseless striving for a job.
But business, work, that we want and want to do. Circulating money with many inputs, and many payments – at present business is poorly and needs a boost from the bottom-up.
greywarshark,
I say this because RNZ s now so cash trapped that the CEO has sent us a letter after we asked them why we in HB/Gisborne has no reporter here now for two years to cover our regional community RNZ media issues of deep public concern to our communities.
For instance, like loosing our rail services in 2012 as many bussiness owners are requesting we push government now again for rail to return, and RNZ said they have no staff now to cover our rail issues.
The RNZ CEO said we have no reporter in our HB/Gisborne region and offered no assistence.
So you are happy that we miss out on our regional “public affairs” media coverage while Bussiness gets to cover all their own issues everywhere else now?
That is the logic that drove our community’s wild to reject private bussiness interests taking our last RNZ media coverage dollars for their interests and denying us the funding for a regional reporter for HB/Gisborne?
We need business news on RNZ – just in a totally different format, where the present high priests of the economic ideology of neo-liberalism are challenged, not simply given an amplifier. I don’t want or need to hear the unquestioned views of the CEO of one of the 4 Australian banks. Instead I expect them to be interrogated and their arguments and actions put under the blowtorch. In its present format, all we get is neoliberal propaganda.
We should be presented with alternative economic voices and philosophies.
agreed Ed, Thanks for that. 100%
The current ‘RNZ Bussiness news’ is just a copy of CNBC, and smells of Steven Joyce all over again.
We need the labour model of “corporate environmental & social responsibility” but of course the corporates dont want that as it hurts their shareholder bottom line eh?
We object giving the corporates a free ride on ur public service money while our provinces loose their voice as a result of corporate greed using RNZ for their ibenefit and stopping our community public vioces.
Maybe this was their intent to make the mioney dry up so regional environmental and social issues can’t get RNZ media coverage on our only voice on public radio?
Yes and unbiased reports of how the economy is going and the reason and hopes for whatever policies are being pursued with concrete examples of where the good will land instead of just saying it will be good for NZ.
“Though we want Goyon Espiner gone as heis a national biased supporter and unfit to show balanced reporting.”
I heard the same sentiments, but from exactly the opposite side of the political spectrum in 2014 when Guyon Espiner took Key to bits over DP. Had an ex Nat Minister in the gallery (he’s a regular who admires one of our artists) the morning after the interview saying some very uncharitable things about Mr Espiner and his political preferences.
Graeme, Thanks for that flashback, as I remembered it so very well.
I recall that day when John Key looked at Guyon Espiner as if he was about to put out a contract to kill him; – as Keys ‘rivetting’ glaring stare’ he sent to Espiner even sent a chill down my spine too.!!!!!!!!
After that day we saw Guyon never try to tackle Key again and since then, Espiner has flipped to being the ‘verbial trumpet-chorus boy’ for English, Joyce, Bridges, Bennett, Maggie, Collins, Brownlee and co.
So we suspect Espiner just lost his will to fight any further against the Key Government that day.
It was expressed to me that Mr Espiner had to understand his place in the scheme of things and show due respect to the office of Prime Minister….
lol…Mr Espiner’s problem is not a political bias (imo) rather it is his inability to think on his feet and consequently he misses so many opportunities to explore issues in greater depth…superficial would best describe him.
OWG Why do we have extended lives these days? Too long of Don Brash – white – and Robert Mugabe – black.
So what – you wish them to die. That’s is pathetic and disgusting.
the barstards are to miserable to die
bwaghorn
So true. They have a contract with God that they wrote out themselves that says they are entitled to whatever they want throughout life and in their declining years to the end.
As for us at The Standard, I think we are on a Mission from God like the Blues Brothers.
OMG. He is a carbunkled caricature of the most grostesque sort of 1970s white settler racism. The idea he was giving as good as he got is nonsense to my mind. Kim Hill was giving him the rope to hang himself, which he ultimately did by claiming the Moriori were the first settlers of NZ.
At which point Kim Hill terminated the interview, having removed all doubt in any intelligent pesons mind that the guy is a superannuated crank and a crackpot fringe merchant.
Still, Don Brash would probably still win a seat in Queensland. Or Alabama.
Indeed!
The whole theme being that although he proclaims constantlt that he doesn’t believe in separatism, that is exactly what he advocates.
And even worse he proclaims to speak for 99% of white people.
Maybe 99% of the white people he meets i.e. the stale, pale, males …
… and he only thinks they agree with him because they don’t argue with him
…. and they don’t argue with him because their wives give them the “no, please not here” look.
Maybe that’s because 99% of the voices on the corporate media are pale, male and stale.
He can never take that Orewa speech back. Amazing that he would have been PM because of it but for walking the plank and the racing car pic.
Wasn’t able to listen to it all but agree. Kim Hill did a masterly job providing him with the rope etc. He talked about encouraging people to speak their own languages among themselves. Indians need to talk Indian. Chinese need to talk Chinese. Laplanders need to talk Laplandese and so on. And of course he encourages Maori to learn to speak Maori. Yes folks, he thinks that’s a good thing. He supports that.
Okay my paraphrasing is a bit naughty but that was the essence of what he was saying.
How patronising can one be…
“How patronising can one be…” ?
For Don Brash – very easily!
He comes from the “I’m not racist BUT……”, and “How can I be racist – I married an Ayeshun myself” and emotion, culcha, ambition and opportunity all measured in terms of cost, and “it’s not fair because they’re getting more than me for my hard-earned tax payer dollar” mindset. “No such thing as sussoighty” all expressed in his most practiced WASP eggsent thinking he has the tone of authority, whereas “the truth is” (as they say in best neo-liberalese), he’s a worn out, pompous, holier-than-thou, bitter old queen who probably spends most of his time worrying about how he’s going to take his [supposedly hard-earned] luxuries in life across to the other side. And the most insulting thing to my limited level of intelligence is that he’ll have an expectation that I should feel sympathy for the prick when that happens. I hope I last long enough to be able to piss on his grave (which is likely to me some kitsch monument to his ego).
There’s a lot of it about. There might be a gene or two missing. And of course there’ll be a rw troll along shortly to remind me of how unkind and uncaring I am – no doubt. Not unlike that Whaleoil Mr Creosote that called someone from the West Coast ‘ferral’. Pots and Kettles
Or epsom.
Or Epsom
Heroes
No. 2: GIDEON LEVY
Gideon Levy is a Haaretz columnist and a member of the newspaper’s editorial board. Levy joined Haaretz in 1982, and spent four years as the newspaper’s deputy editor. He is the author of the weekly Twilight Zone feature, which covers the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza over the last 25 years, as well as the writer of political editorials for the newspaper.
Levy was the recipient of the Euro-Med Journalist Prize for 2008; the Leipzig Freedom Prize in 2001; the Israeli Journalists’ Union Prize in 1997; and The Association of Human Rights in Israel Award for 1996.
His new book, The Punishment of Gaza, has just been published by Verso Publishing House in London and New York.
https://www.haaretz.com/misc/writers/gideon-levy-1.402
“Heroes” is a series devoted to those courageous and brilliant people who show us that, in a world seemingly run by crooks, abusers, scoundrels, mass murderers and liars, there are still reasons for optimism.
No. 1 Edward Snowden
+100
Here’s your chance to meet a real hero
Gideon Levy will deliver a public lecture tomorrow (Sunday) at the Mt Eden War Memorial Hall, 487 Dominion Rd, Balmoral, Auckland
Sunday 3 December 2017 3:00pm – 5:00pm
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2017/gideon-levy-public-lecture/auckland/balmoral
This video popped up in my feed yesterday and with the recent brouhaha over Golriz Ghahraman I can recognise the same techniques at play in New Zealand.
Don’t forget that the left won the election. The right is desperate. Don’t let them make us play defence.
Winston Peters won the election and has rather demonstrated a glaring weakness in the MMP system.
It doesn’t work particularly well unless you’ve got at least three independent parties of a similar size, the current mix of two large parties(I consider lab-green one party) hands a disproportionate amount of power to whoever can get the bigger party across the line, which in this case is Winston Peters.
Also, Golriz Ghahraman backstory has more holes than a rusty colander.
Straight out of Ovid’s video!
BM: “Also, Golriz Ghahraman backstory has more holes than a rusty colander.”
Now we are supposed to leap into explanations and defend of her.
BM treats us like a cheap sport. Drop a short punt into the pot and watch the boil.
When that dies down BM will drop in another prompt.
Don’t fall for it people.
Now we are supposed to leap into explanations and defend her.
You don’t have to do anything.
My personal view from what I’ve read is that she’s rather embellished her backstory to make herself more marketable for the Greens.
Having said that I don’t really care what she did or didn’t do, I’m sure she’s got some skills that might be useful in parliament.
Bullshit BM. You pull the legs off spider to see if they can still walk and giggle at your cleverness.
You put up short little claims that are usually false. Then giggle over the fallout as good people try and explain/defend.
Hard luck BM. Try somewhere else.
Yes ianmac, bm is a waste of space, never got anything worth reading, you summed bm up exactly.
Try reading these, BM.
New Zealand Bar Association statement on the criticism of Golriz Ghahraman https://www.nzbar.org.nz/news/nzba-responds-criticism-lawyers-defending-war-criminals …
Press statement from the NZ Criminal Bar Association on Golriz Ghahraman http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1711/S00347/nz-criminal-bar-association-defends-golriz-ghahraman.htm …
and from Philip Matthews today:
DRAIN THE SWAMP
Remember Dirty Politics, the Nicky Hager book that exploded like a noisy but confusing bomb during the 2014 election? The premise was that Right-wing bloggers were doing the former government’s para-journalistic dirty work. It went underground after that but with a new centre-Left coalition in place, it was bound to rear its ugly head again. Which it certainly did this week when new Green MP and former refugee Golriz Ghahraman was targeted by the usual cabal of critics and stirrers over claims that she had deliberately misrepresented her legal career. Her calm response to every hostile interview and accusation, even a petty one from blogger David Farrar that she had not really seen anything traumatic during the Iran-Iraq war, was a masterclass in seeing off a minor political crisis while her critics looked small and obsessive. The final score: Golriz 1, dirt peddlers nil.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/99428911/week-in-review-the-filth-and-the-fury
Both those articles completely miss the mark. Outside of an outraged fringe, the problem isn’t that she defended an accused in a court of law. That is an unreasonable standard to hold a lawyer to. To say that’s the problem is creating a strawman argument easy to knock down. From my reading of most commentators, the problem is the way Golriz [allegedly] marketed herself. Personally I don’t think it was deliberate. Plenty of people have said she talked about it before the election. I think she was just very loose in the way she sometimes phrased things, a bad habit for a politician and a lawyer.
Perhaps both the Bar association and the Criminal Bar Association have had second thoughts.
I get 404, page not found for both the first two links.
I think they may have realised that the defence they were providing had absolutely nothing to do with what people were complaining about.
Her sin was to not come out at the beginning and say that she had been doing defence as well as prosecution work and also to enormously exaggerate the level she was operating at.
Would she really have been ranked so highly on the party list if the members had seen a truthful CV?
Poor old Mojo.
Strange that you got 404, page not found because I just checked them using the links below which I put up yesterday on Open Mike – and they worked perfectly, as did the additional link for the NZ Law Society.
NZ Criminal Bar Association – http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1711/S00347/nz-criminal-bar-association-defends-golriz-ghahraman.htm
New Zealand Bar Association – https://www.nzbar.org.nz/news/nzba-responds-criticism-lawyers-defending-war-criminals
NZ Law Society – http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1711/S00326/implied-criticism-of-defence-lawyers-unacceptable.htm
Your links work just fine.
However the ones TMM put in certainly don’t.
Looking at them more closely I see he(she) seems to have added “…” at the end of each of them and that is presumably what is doing it.
If people are going to put in links it would be helpful if they check them. Why waste other people’s time.
They still don’t seem to have anything to do with what people were complaining about though. It wasn’t doing the defence work that was the problem. It was the Walter Mitty attitude shown in her CV that is the problem, and a very sad problem it is as the story shows.
Poor old Mojo.
Like I said, desperate.
Also, Golriz Ghahraman backstory has more holes than a rusty colander.
Also, BM molests goats. It’s a fun game anyone can play!
Winston Peters won the election and has rather demonstrated a glaring weakness in the MMP system.
The government reflecting the voters’ choices isn’t “a glaring weakness,” it’s “democracy.”
No, it’s not Peters got far more concessions then what his 7% party vote was worth
Labour basically gave him whatever he asked for, Christ the old prick might end up as PM, that not democracy!
Here we go again. BM is baiting – again. Ignore him. He will not concede a scrap. He will just try a new dig.
The truth is in that 36-page document “the most transparent government ever” refuses to release.
33 page, in 10 font now, if it’s reduced to an 8 font probably around 25 pages, so how many pages should it be?
We are not allowed to move on the offensive or we get banned.
I’m seeing people going on the offensive all the time and they don’t get banned. There are limits to that, but there’s no reason why you can’t attack BM’s arguments.
BM mostly traffics in bullshit. The few arguments he presents don’t belong to him.
@BM Labour and the Greens were more than happy to go along with things like the $1 billion regional investment fund-fitted fine with their policies.
To date there have been no meaningful ructions between the 3 coalition parties-these are all in the minds of the Nats.
Please stop talking this bollocks that Winston might be PM-that was always a fantasy of the Right to try to drive NZF under 5%….epic fail.
National offered up far more concessions than Labour, but Winnie was just “Taking the Piss”, good on him, Billshit Bill deserves all the crap that lands on him, if you live by the gun, you die by the gun.
“National offered up far more concessions than Labour”
You have some evidence for this claim do you?
Something other than the deep recesses of your imagination?
Come on. Out with it or we can just assume you are under the influence of some powerful hallucinogen.
So what were the concessions that national offer Winston in negotiations?
You make a statement of fact to form a naritive – but you are all bullshit.
How about posting some evidence to back up your claim – or are you just a bullshiting liar ?
See how simple it is to make stuff up, and spread half truths james. You should remember those feeling you are having now james, as you make people feel the same way when you make stuff and peddle half truths.
Which by the way, you do quite often. So you really don’t get the moral higher ground.
And the extra ministerial seat National was offering Peters over what the coalition was offering? funny how ppl forget the details of these negotiations though, no harm rubbing it in.
I watch these guys spew their BS and then 20 retaliatory comments follow to defend the position of the left, hit and run, peddling BS, the Goritz argument was a classic example, arguing semantics. Goritz’s response exemplifies the real politician that she is, all the BS hadn’t fazed her and the diplomacy was inspiring.
That’s not a 1/2 truth – I think it a total fabrication- and it’s not unreasonable for them to be called up on it.
The concessions Peters got were what the market determined were necessary. The free market at work I’ve heard about a zillion times, is a thing of beauty.
Hey – that is funny.
Nick ‘swimmable rivers’ Smith, Steven ‘pretty legal, fiscal hole’ Joyce, Judith ‘Oravida’ Collins, Bill ‘discovered poverty last week’ English, Paula ‘put ’em in motels’ Bennett, John ‘no legacy’ Key…
Natz MPs, and cheerleaders for the National ‘no mates’ party are coming across as embittered victims of a NZ1st hit job. I think Winston chose what was, on the face of it, a less straightforward coalition because of nine years of neglect, corruption, lies, and growing inequality in NZ. “Time for a change.”
Cheer up BM, you’re just experiencing a small measure of the hopelessness the NZ left felt over the last 9 years.
‘Good, I can feel your anger… Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!’
Nah, Labour rolled over and gave him all the power.
http://act.org.nz/labour-nz-first-the-missing-five-pages-free-press-monday-27-november-2017/
NEW ZEALAND FIRST GOVERNMENT
LABOUR/GREEN GOVERNMENT
ffs BM. This is one of those instances where the source has to be named, or the info becomes rendered useless.
Any bullshit artist could have scribbled up that wee shopping list of conjecture and (probably) nonsense.
I guess we’ll find out sooner or later if its bullshit or not.
So you’re not sure?
That’s wise.
The Act Party is no more a reliable source than Don Brash a New Zealand historian.
or not, and in the meantime you get to rumourmonger. As others have said, getting desperate.
Is that even the right font size?
T
R
O
L
L
BM …. Yes definitely bloody minded.
Also, Golriz Ghahraman backstory has more holes than a rusty colander.
If that’s a reference to her work in and around the UN where, some would insinuate, she refused to fight on the side of “the good guys” and for “the forces of good”, then you might want to consider that the UN has more holes in its integrity than would take to fill the Albert Hall.
Not something many liberals are comfortable to contemplate mind.
If you want a nasty back story…. JOHN KEY
Nada BM = that just bullshit.
BM says
MMP doesn’t work; – quote – “It doesn’t work particularly well unless you’ve got at least three independent parties of a similar size,”
In your dreams as you right winers always rejected MMP right from it’s inception, as you still suffer from the “born to rule syndrome” poor you.
Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmVkJvieaOA
clever that is. lol Ed.
MMP works fine. You RWNJs are just pissed that you didn’t win and you’re blaming MMP rather than the fact that you’re unelectable.
You cannot say that of all right leaning people.
I’ve always agreed that the government we have is the government that won and that’s mmp.
National has only one strategy: TATTY.
That stands for Trivializing And Tantrum Throwing Yobbery.
“Bloody yobbery, morning, noon, and night!”—Victor Meldrew
“I’ll get me coat…”
Love it 1000% 7.3 Morrissey.
Thank you patricia! And this is for YOU….
http://www.adagio.com/images2/custom_blends/103645.jpg
Bluddy good video Ovid! Very fitting of what happens on The Standard. Must watch.
John Key was expert at putting critics in boxes. Therefore he could just dismiss Nicky Hagar.
English/Joyce accuse Labour. Robertson spends long time with long explanations. Joyce is wrong but wins the popular vote. Almost won an election.
The Right Wing Trolls here do it all the time. Short pithy accusation. We spend many replies to refute. Troll shifts ground to a new point without ever conceding the original one. We spend many replies in hopeless refution. Troll wins.
Now National and Media henchmen are pouring on the accusations so that the Left must explain. No smoke without fire?
Except Jacinda knows. Her best response when a critic was quoted to her? “He’s wrong.” End of story.
Heh. I say “Don’t let them make us play defence” and BM immediately goads us into playing defence. Hats off to you, man. You’re certainly skilled in this.
Excellent link Ovid. I’ve already watched this and one other. Very helpful.
Worth a thread….
The pr and the reality
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/345242/we-re-not-seeing-funny-running-cops
So not a link of our cultural shift from treating authority with healthy irreverence (eg Keystone Cops) to one of (arguably) unhealthy reverence (eg – all those cop shows of cops saving us from our despicable selves). Ah well…
Contrary to my reputation as a rwnj, I do sometimes try and be a good human being. I’d like some advice. Growing up white, upper middle class in tidy neighborhoods with white picket fences and any problems kept strictly behind closed curtains, I’ve never really been exposed much to drug use. Recently, a young mother who fate made us meet, has been begging for help. She’s a drug user. She goes for periods of being clean, then for a week or two spends all her money on substance abuse. Now I’m a comparative stranger, but she keeps asking for money and rides to pick up drugs. Obviously that’s a no, though I have driven her home twice near midnight when she threatened to walk herself home and I couldn’t in good conscience let her do that. I’ve encouraged her to see a drug counselor, which she claims to have done. But she still now asks for money for food/or just food.
Anyway, long question medium, how can one assist such a person (or anyone; so hopefully the replies may help others, such as family members), without enabling them. If kids are involved, it makes it even harder. Can’t let them starve, but can’t enable them with food and gifts when they spend all their money. NB not so much interested in what government can do, I want practical advice for individuals and whanau.
Some people want to take drugs. Some don’t. Some can be helped out. Some can’t.
And everything’s subjective and personal. There is no “rule book” or “Ten Point Plan”.
When you spend your entire income on meth and can’t look after or feed your kids, we’re a bit beyond the “some people take drugs” defense.
If you don’t want to get involved then it’s probably none of your business. Give her some food at least though. That’s not enabling, that’s called helping another human being eat and not starve.
Try and get her to try a rehab programme,and whatever you do,don’t have sex with her.
Agreed. Limit to what I can do as I don’t actually want to get too close to the situation. Won’t go into her house, won’t talk to her any longer than necessary. Don’t really “want” to help, but then this is a human with kids involved.
Have you spoken to Social Welfare? Or better still, any grandparents.
practical advice for individuals and whanau
Stop supporting governments that increase inequality and defund mental health services. If you know anyone who voted for a government that increased inequality and defunded mental health services, make it clear that they are social lepers.
Good grief come on – asking an honest practical question here on what we as individuals do. We can have opinions about government till the cows come home, but sometimes we as individuals are called (or put in a position) to do something. Telling them to vote Labour in three years (assuming their enrolled) isn’t going to a) help the addiction now, or b) put food on the table. So up front – what would you do for them, besides refer them to rehab (which as far as I can tell is voluntary)?
Nah, you made your bed, and now you want everyone else to lie in it for you. What if your stain doesn’t wash out?
Given that you vote for human rights abuse, I think the best thing you can do for those kids is leave them alone and let the government get on with cleaning up after you.
Otherwise I’d suggest you adopt them.
“Anyway, long question medium, how can one assist such a person ”
Short answer is you can’t, well probably not anyway. If they hit you up when they’re stoned you’re wasting your time and when they hit you up when they’re straight they’re probably hanging out for a hit.
It’s a deadly spiral and a wise person would keep a respectable distance IMO, you can buy yourself a lot of trouble walking into a scene like you’ve described.
However, if you want to buy the conditions that create the scene you just described, you can do that at the organisation previously known as Cabinet Club.
A lot of trouble yes, but then when someone comes asking for money or food, I’m not the sort of person to easily turn them away. Running into a burning house to save someone also can bring a lot of trouble. But people do it. I dunno. Maybe an optomistic side of me thinks redemption is possible. The other side is a cynic. Or as weka said it is none of my business, so turn a blind eye, refuse charity and hope the government does it’s job (well weka said give food but I feel that allows her to spend her money elsewhere).
That’s a pretty good illustration of the obscenity of charity: the very people who helped create the conditions for poverty and inequality, debating amongst themselves which of their victims deserve help, and in doing so, justifying poverty.
Of course, anyone who points this out to them is being mean and insulting.
It’s not about turning a blind eye it’s about using a bit of street nous and not inserting yourself into a scene you know nothing about. Meth is a class A drug, it could be your friend there is mixing with some people that you really don’t want to know about,
This is an American site about Meth,but maybe someone knows a NZ equivalent.
http://somechicksblog.com
The drug foundation has some useful info:
https://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/info/helping-someone/
You are doing a good thing.
Remember:
Alcoholism or addiction is a disease. It isn’t necessarily about the quantity consumed, but the behaviour. The good news is it’s treatable.
Telling a person dependent on alcohol or drugs to just “stop” won’t work. The abuse is typically a symptom of mental illness.
And as weka suggests above, when they have spent their money on drugs – food is the best help you can give, then an ear, and and finally when they are ready, encouragement to try again. They need to find the trigger that causes the relapse.
Meanwhile, whilst your back was turned. Fighting for scraps from the masters table, or being incremental – Slavery is back. How progressive we all are, how truly wonderful human beings.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/outrageous-reality-libya-171201085605212.html
http://fortune.com/2017/11/29/libya-slave-trade/
I read somewhere that BM molests goats. I find this behavior detestable and as a goat owner am now fearful for my goats. Being a nom de plume, I have no idea who this BM is, but by his general tone and writing I’m gonna assume he’s an older, white male. As there’s a number of those round these parts, I’m rightly concerned for my goats. I think BM should stop his indecent actions, seek help and be more forthright and honest about his awful nature as these habits aren’t natural and the goats (or any of gods creatures) should never be subjected to BM’s sick ways.
Shame on you BM.
The goats are bm mentors
Wasn’t it mentioned a few weeks ago about how TROLLs live under bridges and eat goats, relates very closely to him.
Are you insulting homeless people who live under bridges?
Not unless BM just happens to be a homeless person.
BM is metaphorically homeless: the National Party will lock their doors to him the moment their owners tell them to.
So is this the standard of comment that is acceptable on this blog these days ?
Can we accuse anyone we like of being a goat fucker?
I think you started it with that rubbish about a colander, and got a deliberately exaggerated example of what you like to dish out. Fair enough, too.
Work it out for yourself if you aren’t playing the innocent. (Which I suspect you are.)
I look forward to the day when you disappear from this blog.
In Vito.
I think you are obviously a moron. I haven’t said anything about a colander at all. Far from playing innocent- the fact is you are just wrong.
In vino is just getting their tory trolls confused. Easily done.
Yes, James – almost inclined to apologise: it was in fact BM (Bullshit Mountain?) who made the inane comment about the colander, so you are in fact innocent of that bit of trolling. But then again, you are both so alike…
And apologising to somebody silly enough to misspell Vino, then throw childish insults just doesn’t seem right. So I am not sorry, even if I was wrong on that point. You remain what you are.
Has Labour got their priorities right when it comes to building more homes?
Mr Twyford says trade-offs may have to be made (state homes vs KiwiBuild homes) with a priority on KiwiBuild.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/top/345178/government-pledges-to-build-more-state-houses
With people living in cars and what not coupled with the expected upward pressure on rents due to Labour’s Healthy Homes Guarantee Act, do Labour need to commit to building more state homes a year?
Yes.
I can see the political reasoning though. Voters will be dazzled by the numbers, and KiwiBuild will be cheaper.
Alternatively, voters will be appalled Labour are going to prioritise housing those that are already housed rather than housing those in dire straits.
BM if it looks like ____ and smells like _____ than it is bulshit .
These people think I just dropped out of the sky yesterday I see they are using someone in Pukekohe to try and use my son in laws origins against me . I say to the these people stop pissing in the wind and find a real crim to waste your time on you no I no that your shit stinks to Ana to kai Pukekohe is nice a lot friendly Maori people this is the true nature of Maori please take care of my daughter and my moko.s We will be back in January when our daughter is due for her 4 child . Ka pai
Here’s a little story from yesterday about how politics is going across the ditch for the federal Liberal party and in particular, Malcom Turnbull, it’s quite amusing, and in stark contrast to politics in NZ with regard to coalition partners.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/video/watch/38112814/deputy-premier-john-barilaro-urges-malcolm-turnbull-to-resign-before-christmas/
Film coming in 2018.
I became vegan this year.
It is the biggest thing you can do for your health, the planet and for animals.
Don’t believe me. Research the topic with an open mind.
Duncan “Vyshinsky” Garner’s laughable attempt to intimidate Golriz Ghahraman
FULL TRANSCRIPT
three a.m. show, Thursday 29 November 2017,
Duncan Garner tries to be harsh and cold and aggressive, but he doesn’t really have his heart in it. Someone obviously wrote his questions for him, and told him to “get” Golriz, but it’s clear that he early on recognizes Golriz is far brighter than him, as well as holding the moral high ground over him. This clip finishes a bit early, unfortunately, and doesn’t include the very interesting back and forth between Garner, Mark Richardson and Amanda Gillies, immediately after this travesty. All of them acknowledged that Golriz had done nothing wrong, and Amanda Gillies did not hide her distaste for what Garner had been instructed to do…..
DUNCAN GARNER: Green M.P. Golriz Ghahraman has come under criticism for failing to mention her work defending a war criminal convicting of inciting genocide IN RWANDA. Around eight hundred thousand TUTSI are estimated to have been killed during the nineteen ninety-FOUR ethnic cleansing, uh, by the Hutu EXTREMISTS. Ghahraman was involved in the deFENCE, and she joins me now, Golriz good to have you on the program, really apPRECiate it. Why didn’t you just tell us? Why hasn’t this been OUT there before?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I did. It was out there. There’s been a number of journalists that have come forward, Kirsty Johnston from the Herald, Vice New Zealand’s released a transcript, I did a number of interviews before the election where I talked about this. I went around, um, various law schools, I’ve talked about this in the past. My C.V. was online and completely open. Um, so it’s not a problem for me at all, it’s not a problem for any lawyer, and the U.N. is certainly really proud that we now have these trials where there is a defense and a prosecution. It’s about returning communities to a rule of law model, to a human rights model.
GARNER: Okaaaayyy. Okay.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: So it is actually about stopping the cycle of violence. Having the defense ensures that, so either side can’t say, you know, it was victor’s justice, you just came in and arrested our people. Um, so it’s something that I’m really proud of, and I’ve put it out there, there’s been a number of articles, um, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to hide it—
GARNER: [brusquely] I put it to you that you HAVEN’T, actuallyyyy. I put it to you that the GREEN Party, you see the GREEN Party WEBSITE said, uh, “Golriz worked in Africa, The Hague, and Cambodia, putting on trial world leaders for abusing their power.” It DOESN’T SAY that you DEFENDED these war criminals.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: So in the context of all of these articles that I’ve done and all of these talks that I’ve given, and making my C.V. public well before the election, there’s just this ONE line that people have gotten a hold of and—-
GARNER: [interrupting] Quite CRUCIAL, it’s quite CRUCIAL, Golriz.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Well, I would, I mean I would suggest if the Green Party was trying to hide this, someone would have brought me up and said you’ve got to stop doing Herald interviews about this work, it would’ve been a no-brainer, um, for someone from the party to pull me up and say, Stop, stop doing these interviews about it, um, and it di–, it hadn’t occurred to me, I mean the reason it’s come up NOW is because, again, there was a Herald article where they said to me, What’s a defining era in your life? And I said, well actually this was the difficult, you know, this was the thing that was really life-changing for me is when I first went in to the U.N. system, um, it was working for the defense and, what do, you know it really made me think about—
GARNER: [interrupting] Weeeell, I, I READ some of the articles.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: —-and that—
GARNER: And I’ve READ some of these articles, Golriz, and—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: It was me that brought it up, I mean it wouldn’t have occurred to me to hide it.
GARNER: Yyeeah. But it HAS been hidden by the GREEN Party. Why was, so let’s, okay, so the media might have SAID it, but what about your own Green Party, it wasn’t on your website and you’ve since CHANGED that of course which is the right thing to do.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Oh of course I asked them to change it immediately. I had, ha–, I hadn’t even, er, looked at that, I don’t think, but I mean—
GARNER: Well hang on, hang on, lemme test that, lemme TEST that. You say you hadn’t looked at it, you DON’T THINK. Did you know that it said it, or it didn’t say it?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I, to be honest, would have skimmed it at some point, but I would’ve gone Yep, it’s got the places I worked, moving on. I mean, those trials are ABOUT the defense being there as well. Otherwise we wouldn’t have trials, we’d take people out the back. You know, it’s, as a law student, I was inspired essentially by the Nuremberg Trials, you know, when we went, okay, you’re not above the law, genocide IS a crime, but we’re not gonna sink to your level, we’re not gonna be tyrants, we’re gonna have these open, transparent, fair trials—
GARNER: [interrupting] So the GUARDIAN—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: It’s so INSPIRING as a lawyer—
GARNER: Hmmm.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: You know, I wouldn’t have, there’s NO WAY I would have hidden something like that, that’s why I was doing the articles about it.
GARNER: Did you complain to the Guardian, ‘cos the Guardian, ahh, three weeks ago, doing a tri–, a piece on you, a really good piece on you too, said that you “represented the U.N. in tribunals, prosecuting some of the world’s worst war criminals, including perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide.” They said that you PROSECUTED THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE!
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Yeah I understand our comms team has written to the Guardian. I understand they have written to the Guardian. I mean, yeah, that’s blatantly not what I’ve ever said in interviews. And I mean, the Vice article was all about the defense work, um, Kirsty Johnston’s came forward and said that the latest Herald piece was all about the defense work, and that’s ‘cos I wanted to talk about it. I think it’s an important conversation actually, um, and it IS about the human rights framework—
GARNER: [interrupting] Do you acCEPT—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: It’s not about denying genocide. That’s what I find offensive. Because we’re all there, the United Nations is there because we want to say genocide is a crime, but we will have a process, we’re not going to have cycles of violence, um, continuing. So that’s the part of it that’s really offensive to me.
GARNER: Okay. And some people might be offended at, in your maiden SPEECH, in parliament, in recent weeks, you talk about your WORK, and this is in your own words, you no doubt wrote your own speech, you talk about this criminal justice system internationally on the front li-i-i-ine, where you went out the-e-ere, y’know, you fought hard for what you di-i-id, and you worked in Africa, worked alongside these genocide trials, and you saw it at the Rwanda tribunal, you saw it at the Hague, and when you PROSECUTED the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, you “held politicians and armies to account for breaching their powers, giving voice to women, and minorities.” You don’t ONCE [brandishing his notes accusingly] describe it in your OWN words, in your OWN maiden SPEECH in parliament that you were DEFENDING some of these people!
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: That IS putting people on trial. I mean, everyone in that trial is putting those people on trial. It’s not the prosecutors putting them on trial—
GARNER: [interrupting] But you don’t say you were deFENDing them, Golriz. You’re happy to talk about PROSECUTING.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: My maiden speech is all about being a DEFENCE lawyer. I raised the fact that I defended a child MURDERER at the Auckland High Court. It’s— my maiden speech talks about human rights in terms of defense work. I mean, to isolate a line out of it, is just, it’s just wrong. And I mean you have to—
GARNER: [interrupting] See I think you’re MINIMIZING it.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: You have to take it in the context that for the entire year of the election I was doing these interviews about both the defense and the prosecution work that I’ve done. So to me it’s VERY public, and it SHOULD be very public, we should be really proud of adv—-
GARNER: [interrupting] So why didn’t you sa-a-a-a-yyy…..
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: —of advocating for a justice system that has both.
GARNER: Why didn’t you saaaay, why didn’t you SAY in your maiden SPEECH that you learned a lot—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: But why did I make all these Herald articles about the defense work?
GARNER: Can I just finish the question?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I mean—
GARNER: I, I’ll just finish the question if I CAN, Golriz, because I’ve let you finish, I, if I could just please finish this question.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Go for it.
GARNER: Why didn’t you in your maiden speech say that you defended some of the world’s most evil men? Like the BUTCHER of Bosnia.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: No, I never had anything to do with that trial. That’s patently wrong. That’s the Mladić trial you’re talking about and I’ve never had anything to do with the Mladić trial at all.
GARNER: You didn’t do any pre, pre-TRIAL work?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: That was on the Karadžić trial, so that’s a completely different defendant.
GARNER: But the same sort of THING, though, isn’t it!
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: What happened in the Karadžić trial, I can explain that, is that that defendant was self-represented, and in the pre-trial stage the court needs lawyers to actually make the legal arguments when you’re coming up to, you know, defining the crimes and defining, um, the, essentially the spectrum of the trial. Um, and so there are lawyers that work on that, it’s to assist the trial, because actually the prosecution has lawyers, and a self-represented defendant doesn’t, so you can’t have a fair trial without those legal points being hashed out properly. That’s what I did for about five or six months, before I went to prosecutio—
GARNER: [interrupting> Right so obviously he was an EVIL man, okay, a convicted war criminal. Did you morally STRUGGLE with any of this?
…[Here there are a couple of seconds of silence as she tries to deal civilly with the imbecility and insolence of that question]…
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I don’t want us to resort back to, we take people out back and shoot them. These are, this is what these trials are about, and like I say, from Nuremberg onwards we’ve said, No, we have the moral authority. You ARE criminals, I don’t care if you’re the head of the army, I don’t care if you’re the president of a country, but we’re not gonna resort to what YOU resorted to, we’re gonna put you into a fair process, this community gets to see exactly who’s responsible, we’re not denying that genocide happened, but we wanna know exactly who did what, we want it to be transparent, we want the evidence to be tested and the historical record to be set right. Every lawyer in that system is proud to be involved in that, as was I, and as was I of my prosecution work. Is it difficult work? Totally. It’s REALLY hard to act on the defense in those trials but you’ve got to be really, really committed to that human rights-based process.
GARNER: Mmmkay. Ah, d-, have you EVER deFENDED anyone in New Zealand, say a Rwandan refugee who’s linked to that brutal reGIME?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Ah, I’ve defended a Rwandan refugee that’s been accused of being linked to, not the regime per se, but yeah that’s something I’ve spoken to on radio before as well. It was around the confidentiality measures of the refugee process in New Zealand that we were challenging.
GARNER: Hmmm. And he was—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: So it was about, it was about people who were trying to disprove claims being able to go back in to a repressive regime and get witnesses and for us to protect those witnesses.
GARNER: [interrupting> Wasn’t he 2-i-c?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: And I’ve—
GARNER: [interrupting> Wasn’t he 2-i-c in the regime? Okay, so—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: —I’ve openly spoken about that.
GARNER: So who WAS he?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Sorry?
GARNER: Okay, so wha-, wha-, wha-, so who WAS he? Wasn’t he 2-i-c in the regime?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Um, the problem with that case is that actually the courts have suppressed a lot of the information, but I’ve spoken about the legal point that we were taking before on radio, which was about the confidentiality measures. Um, in terms of the details of the case I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna be breaching any of the suppression orders that the court imposed. That’s an ongoing case which I’m not on any more.
GARNER: So WHY did YOU get involved in THAT?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: But you can talk to Deborah Maning about that, you know, refugee lawyers who’ve, um, previously defended people like, you know, Ahmed Zaoui, and it’s a similar case to that—
GARNER: [interrupting> This is a guy that LIED. This is a guy that LIED on his refugee, ahmmm, application to come—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Ooh, I’d be careful there. That’s all been disproven. [laughs derisively] So, yeah.
GARNER: You tell me what ‘e DID.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Sorry?
GARNER: You tell me what ‘e DID.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Ahmed Zaoui?
GARNER: No, not Zaoui. No I’m talking about—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Oh I’m sorry.
GARNER: I’m talking about this RWANDAN, ahhhmm, who was here in New Zealand that you were—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: That’s an ongoing case and there’s suppression orders around it, but he’s being accused by the Rwandan government, um, and sought for extradition. So it’s an extradition case, um, and we were trying to get a fair process around it HERE, so that everyone could present their witness evidence, essentially.
GARNER: Right. Where did you— so you were in AFRICA. You LIVED in Africa, did you?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: In Tanzania, sort of on and off when I worked on cases, yeah.
GARNER: Right. Have you been to RWANDA? Did you go in there and have a look?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Yeah I’ve been into Rwanda, yeah, but the court isn’t in Rwanda, so you go into Rwanda, you speak to witnesses or, y’know, I mean you’re next door, so you go into Rwanda a lot, yeah. But nobody lives in Rwanda and works on the trial.
GARNER: No, sure. Um, and just, just finally, did you ever have a choice, I don’t know how this works, I mean did the U.N. ever give you a choice and say, Golriz you don’t HAVE to work on this if you have any issues with it, y’know morally or ETHICALLY. Did you ever have a choice to say, I don’t WANTA defend this, y’know, this man?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I certainly don’t have any moral, ethical choice, as does NO lawyer that works on criminal trials, in terms of working for either side. You are there to make the process fair. So to say that there’s a moral problem, you know, to suggest that all of these United Nations lawyers, where the U.N. requires that there is a defense and a prosecution, are somehow, um, you know, morally repugnant, um, is just, it is actually offensive, to be honest. I mean, nobody there is denying that a genocide happened—
GARNER: [interrupting] What SOME people—
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: We’re there because we KNOW a genocide happened.
GARNER: Course. Yeah. And what some people are also saying that THEY’re offended by the fact that y-you, y-y-you are in PHOTOS, sort of you know, like a SELFIE with, with some of these WAR criminals, here you are standing with one of these RWANDAN guys who was convicted. Y’know, like a, like a HOLIDAY SNAP!
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: Yeah, he was convicted, but I, well, we believe in innocent till proven guilty, right? So when you go over and you’re representing someone, you don’t treat them like they’re guilty. That would kind of subvert the whole process.
GARNER: But do you take HOLIDAY SNAPS with a mass MURDERER?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I can absolutely see how it’s jarring to people. But if you actually believe in the system you’re not going there and going, You’re a mass murderer. The minute you start representing them that would be you making the decision for the Court. So it’s not, it doesn’t work that way.
GARNER: Mm.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: But I can totally see how it’s jarring. And, I mean, it’s a process that not many people would wanna be involved in, but to me it’s really important, as my prosecution work was important. It’s really important that we make sure these trials are fair, so that community can actually rely on those verdicts and move forward.
GARNER: Okay, look, um, Golriz, um, we’d better GO-O-O-O. I appreciate you coming on the program. Do you REGRET any of, any of your approach, or the lack of coming FORWARD in terms of the public stuff on the Green Party website and your maiden SPEECH? Do you regret that you could have been fuller?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I mean, I’ve had the Green Party website fixed, but I don’t think, because I’ve been so open and I’ve done all of these interviews, coming out to the election, I think taking all of that in context it was all VERY public. But the thing is, I’m glad we’re having this conversation, because we DO need to have a conversation about what fair trials mean, and what justice means to us. Um so, no, let’s, you know, let’s keep talking about it.
GARNER: That you don’t think you have anything to apologize for?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: No, as I don’t think anyone working in our justice system has anything to apologize for. We’re all there making the process fair.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/11/i-ve-been-so-open-golriz-ghahraman.html
Duncan “Vyshinsky” Garner’s laughable attempt to
intimidate Golriz Ghahraman: FULL TRANSCRIPT
three a.m. show, Thursday 29 November 2017
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com
Duncan Garner tries to be harsh and cold and aggressive, but he doesn’t really have his heart in it. Someone obviously wrote his questions for him, and told him to “get” Golriz, but it’s clear that he early on recognizes Golriz is far brighter than him, as well as holding the moral high ground over him. This clip finishes a bit early, unfortunately, and doesn’t include the very interesting back and forth between Garner, Mark Richardson and Amanda Gillies, immediately after this travesty. All of them acknowledged that Golriz had done nothing wrong, and Amanda Gillies did not hide her distaste for what Garner had been instructed to do…..
DUNCAN GARNER: Green M.P. Golriz Ghahraman has come under criticism for failing to mention her work defending a war criminal convicting of inciting genocide IN RWANDA. Around eight hundred thousand TUTSI are estimated to have been killed during the nineteen ninety-FOUR ethnic cleansing, uh, by the Hutu EXTREMISTS. Ghahraman was involved in the deFENCE, and she joins me now, Golriz good to have you on the program, really apPRECiate it. Why didn’t you just tell us? Why hasn’t this been OUT there before?
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: I did. It was out there. There’s been a number of journalists that have come forward, Kirsty Johnston from the Herald, Vice New Zealand’s released a transcript, I did a number of interviews before the election where I talked about this. I went around, um, various law schools, I’ve talked about this in the past. My C.V. was online and completely open. Um, so it’s not a problem for me at all, it’s not a problem for any lawyer, and the U.N. is certainly really proud that we now have these trials where there is a defense and a prosecution. It’s about returning communities to a rule of law model, to a human rights model.
GARNER: Okaaaayyy. Okay.
GOLRIZ GHAHRAMAN: So it is actually about stopping the cycle of violence. Having the defense ensures that, so either side can’t say, you know, it was victor’s justice, you just came in and arrested our people. Um, so it’s something that I’m really proud of, and I’ve put it out there, there’s been a number of articles, um, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to hide it—
GARNER: [brusquely] I put it to you that you HAVEN’T, actuallyyyy. I put it to you that the GREEN Party, you see the GREEN Party WEBSITE said, uh, “Golriz worked in Africa, The Hague, and Cambodia, putting on trial world leaders for abusing their power.” It DOESN’T SAY that you DEFENDED these war criminals.
…..Read more, if you can bear it…
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2017/12/general_debate_2_december_2017.html/comment-page-1#comment-2090955
Morrissey
I watched the reply from Golriz, what wonderful candidate, if only we had more politicians like her, articulate, intelligent, well spoken and most importantly, a true diplomat, hadn’t seen her before, but with ppl like her in Govt, the countries on a winner.
This whole topic is already dead, just a few stupid, arrogant men, who are struggling to adapt to a change in the style of politics think they can control the narrative by “click baiting” to gain attention, only the stupid are sucked in and we all know who they vote for.
Fair comment, NewsFlash.
Uber’s use of encrypted messaging may set legal precedents
Anybody else see the contradiction in those two sentences?