The Herald has been doing some investigative digging, & they came up with this “The text to McCaw had previously been revealed by the Herald but the Prime Minister’s reaching out to both McCaw and Carter shows his incredible range of contacts.” Fawn & yawn. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11615542
Sadly the Herald is Nationals alter ego, the print version of Kiwiblog.
Nats wanted to change the flag, the Herald wanted it on the Harbour Bridge and campaigned for change. Nats want to soften drug laws despite their so-called toughness against any such outrage as recently as 2014, the Herald campaign on it, etc, etc.
They even quote the Taxpayer Union like its some kind of genuine objective organisation, rather than the reality of it being another of Nationals front companies.
Anyway the good it did Key and what does it say about those who went into bat for him. And how many “sports greats” told him to fuck off?
The herald is nothing more than a national party newsletter masked as a news service acting as a conduit for dirty politics and the spin and bs that spews from govt ministers mouths.
Glaxo Marvelously Upends TPP And TTIP With Change In IP Policies For Poor Countries
Glaxo has just announced that it is to take the only and sole economically sensible approach to its intellectual property rights. The joy of this is that it runs entirely counter to the way that international trade agreements are set and settled these days. The policy change entirely blows a great, gaping, hole in the intellectual provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Indeed, it undermines the very TRIPs process (The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) which is the biggest thing wrong with current trade negotiations and treaties. If only more companies had the courage to do this.
Essentially, they’ve realised that poor people and poor countries don’t have any money. So, why try to charge poor people and poor countries money they don’t have for the drugs they won’t buy because they can’t afford them?
The news itself:
Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline has said it wants to make it easier for manufacturers in the world’s poorest countries to copy its medicines.
The British company said it would not file patents in these countries.
Chief executive Sir Andrew Witty said he wanted to take a “graduated” approach to the company’s “intellectual property” based on the wealth of nations around the globe.
And in more detail:
GlaxoSmithKline PLC said it would stop seeking patents for its drugs in low-income countries, a move the drugmaker said could help the world’s poorest people access copycat versions of its medicines at affordable prices.
The U.K.-based company said it would take this approach in low-income and least-developed countries, a group totaling around 85 nations. In so-called lower-middle-income countries, a group of 51 nations that includes Vietnam, Cameroon and Sri Lanka, it said it would file patents but aim to grant licenses to generic manufacturers to supply low-cost versions of its drugs in those markets in return for a small royalty.
It would be great if the forward-thinking action of GlaxoSmithKline to provide a principled and effective proposal to alleviate the huge problems of inequality and health access could spread to more corporations. Win-win solutions are possible if the public good is allowed to be part of the equation.
Ratifying the TPP which entrenches the flawed IP system makes even less sense when the GlaxoSmithKline proposal is considered.
“Obama’s ‘lame duck’ period best chance for US to ratify trade deal – John Key”
“If it’s going to happen the consensus view is it will happen in the ‘lame duck period’, that period where the US president-elect is in place, so from November through the Christmas period,” he said after talks including with Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, and US Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew.
“House Conservatives Are Trying To Kill The Lame-Duck Session”
Conservative members say they are trying to stop Congress from doing anything after the November election because Congress does some of its most slapdash lawmaking once the public has voted. The group of lawmakers, anchored by the House Freedom Caucus, doesn’t want to take any chances that the Senate confirms a Supreme Court nominee or that Congress rams through the expansive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal or a big budget agreement that raises spending.
Unbelievable, this is a quote from President Nixon’s domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichmann:
The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. … We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.
It’s possible Ehrlichman wasn’t being honest, given that he reportedly felt bitter and betrayed by Nixon after he spent time in prison over the Watergate scandal
Ok, I probably don’t know the key players in this well enough, Baum, the writer who released this new quote or the ins and outs of Nixon’s government.
It is expected though that the children of Ehrlichmann would deny this horrible quote. If the quote is real and he really was bitter about Nixon, it seems strange to me that he would implicate himself so much by using the word “we”.
Thanks for that maui. Fascinating to hear opinions uncluttered by spindoctors. David Cunliffe was fluent and informed. Dita sharp and concise and Chris indepth as usual. Rachel Stewart for my first time and down to earth is she. Glad I watched it.
Once again maui , thanks for the link. I think Andrew Little is a good man, someone we need in Government, But David Cunliffe would make a great Prime Minister in this current type of Politics.
I’m finding it increasingly hard to understand their attitude, but without trying too cop more flack, their are a number still there that should stand aside or do what the other wreckers did and start their own party. eg: act, disunited etc.
Those people aren’t going to stand aside because outside of Parliament they have no other career or job to go back to.
And without the Labour brand name that they have hijacked for their own purposes, few voters would be in the least bit interested in their pale neoliberal politics.
While I’ve slipped out too do some work alwyn, you have fill a vacuum, have you citations, links or are you prepared to confess to a lie and face the consequences.
I am lead to believe you are retired, that brain of yours lets you down. 👿
David Cunliffe is the best thing Labour has to lead the party and the country towards a progressive future. The lite blue ABC neo libs still infecting the party, are still pulling the strings. They know a much wiser and forceful Cunliffe would have a big cull of the deadwood pulling Labour down, this time if he got the leadership back and the thought scares the bejeezus out of them!
Ugh. I can hear it already…”Nobody forced them to take that loan….”
Won’t be long before it happens here.
Senior citizens who failed to pay off their student loans are having their Social Security seized. One of these is an 80 year old who due to dementia can no longer read. She took out her loan in the 1980s.
The length of time between school finishing and retirement means that older people are really dealing with life with the equivalent of an intermediate school level compared to today’s knowledge. We are supposed to be perfectly informed in an individualistic neo liberal-run society. Every over 50year old should be given free tertiary education to ensure understanding. But that wouldn’t suit gummint, they don’t want understanding from the citizens.
And the chirpy PR spreaders in the 1980s and 1990s saying that in this modern fast changing world we might have four careers in our lifetime, and those who were able to adapt would be all right. Oh yeah? The jobs have diminished, extra training has to be paid for, and gummint help is thin and when you grasp it, it breaks and you fall between the cracks. Don’t believe any of them who talk positively about the future, they are either liars, or self-deceivers, neither of whom are authentic people fit to advise anybody.
That’s because anarco-capitalists are essentially stupid weka.
They have given up critical thinking, and have rejected even their god father, Adam Smith. I think it has dawned on some of them, Adam Smith was very critical of parasitic capitalism, the only type they seem to understand.
Actually in discussions with most of them you get the impression they have never read any of the classical economic theorists, or at the very least, never finished any of the works.
They rely on bullying, diversion and a unnerving belief they are right – to push an agenda of stupid.
As you don’t espouse economic purity, I never assumed you had.
That said, I also thought you had a reasonable grasp of economics, and when you don’t know something you ask. Which is always, always a sign of an open mind.
Oh dear. You really are starting at a very low level aren’t you?
Why don’t you tell me what, if anything, about Economics you do think you understand and I’ll give you a short reading list.
I knew you were struggling but I didn’t realise that you were quite so deficient in your understanding of the field.
Well adam we will just have to try and bring our skills doing the best with what we have and know, and be like these clever musicians chugging along and try to have a laugh and keep our spirits up while we work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ThSi1wbqU
Thanx ianmac. Yes very good isn’t it and they are enjoying themselves too. I think it is essential when times are grim to take a moment for pure enjoyment or humour.
On Germany’s establishment left: They sold themselves to Mephisto, and then at some point even he didn’t care for them.
On current politics more generally: Politics attracts the least well-meaning and least talented people because the political sphere has been devalued.
On the need for basic incomes: But we, the Left, must not be fearful. I gave a talk some time ago in the United States and said: yes, surfers in California must be fed by the rest of us. We may not like that, we may feel they are bums, but they deserve a basic income too.
That’s not the wider world – that’s the financialised world. Where central banks are a tool of the financial elite used to bail out big banks, inflate the asset portfolio value of capitalists, and give free money to billionaire speculators.
As for everyone else suffering from austerity imposed from above – they can eat cake.
Capitalism is always parasitic. That’s the big lesson that we should be learning from 5000 years of recorded history. It should be no surprise that the two main religions that came out of the birth place of Western Civilisation have bans on usury.
Inequality in New Zealand will get worse if the government follows United States policies, film maker Michael Moore says.
In his latest documentary Where to Invade Next, Moore compares social welfare and justice policies in Europe with the United States.
He told Saturday Morning that New Zealand should learn from mistakes in the US.
“Your government over the past decade or two has often tried to emulate the American way with neo-liberal policies that are not in the best interests of the people of New Zealand and you need to take a look at what those policies have done in the US.
“I would not try to emulate us in this way because you will have more income inequality – you already do, but it can be worse and you want to stop that.
“You want to preserve the good things you’ve had over the years, the belief system that you have, the values what you have and not allow conservative politicians to manipulate people into believing it we would be so much better if we did things the way the Americans did it.”
Moore visited Finland, Italy, France, and Portugal to look at those countries’ ways of dealing with social and economic problems experienced in the United States.
He said Americans were oblivious to what life was like elsewhere.
“They don’t know what it would be like if we paid just a little bit more in taxes, how many more services we would have, how much easier it would be to go to university, how there would be day care, how if they got pregnant you actually get to take a few weeks off – how about a few months – Americans don’t know you get these things in these other countries and so it’s been a very big eye opener for people in this country.”
His first film in six years, Where To Invade Next, will screen at the New Zealand Film Festival Autumn Events programme in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, during April and May.
Interesting discussion over on Public Address where Rob Salmond takes Hooton to task over his NBR column on UBR, and Hooton responds point by point.
Hooton points out the little know fact that Lockwood Smith spent 7 years working on a policy vaguely like UBI, but didn’t publish because it was feared that it would be thought to be National Policy, and it wasn’t. Irony?
“Lockwood, “Not many would know that I put 7 years’ work into a project to redevelop New Zealand’s income tax, benefit, and tax credit systems. The work started on trying to find a way round the massive churning involved in employers deducting PAYE, only for the Government to pay it all back to some employees in family tax credits. My research unravelling that interface soon got into the challenging area of effective marginal tax rates. At the time, a single parent with three dependent children seeking to work their way off the domestic purposes benefit and trying to get from $10,000 of earned income a year to $25,000 would have had to work an extra 20 hours a week at, say, $15 an hour. The problem was the effective tax on that extra $15,000 of earned income was about $13,300, meaning that even though the parent was paid $15 an hour, their take-home pay would have been little over $1.50 an hour….”
Salmond nailed it. I saw a bit of Hooton’s spin, but basically they need to get over themselves. They’re naysaying because it’s an opportunity to bash Labour and because a UBI would help poor people and they can’t tolerate the idea. Fuck em, we should just carry on with the discussion and name the lies and the liars as they appear.
Prominent New Zealander charged with indecent assault keeps name suppression
A prominent New Zealander facing indecent assault charges will keep the name suppression protecting his identity until the end of his trial.
The trial is due to begin on Monday. The man has denied the charges against him.
There are heavy suppression orders over the case, meaning the man cannot be identified, nor can his alleged victims or their ages.
The man is facing 12 charges of indecent assault against two people including two representative charges.
The charges, which include allegations of touching the complainants on the breast, buttocks, groin and thigh, are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.’
As a moderator I’m going to ask everyone to consider very carefully whether their contribution on this topic is useful, or even necessary.
I do not want The Standard to hash over this for the prurient joy of it.
There is reason to consider discussion around wider concerns of name suppression, but for the time being I would advise all regular commenters to have a long hard think before adding more to this.
Prime Minister John Key denies he misled the public, he told The Nation last week that there was nothing in his past statements on the matter to correct. He claims the point is not where the women leave from its whether they are from New Zealand.
Where they left from is the most important point. While nothing can be claimed for certain – because all the facts have not been made available – the balance of probability is they were radicalised in Australia. If that was the case then it is an Aussie problem. We don’t even know if they were ‘radicalised’ but left for a different purpose.
The above comment did not post at first for some reason so I did it again as a reply a bit farther up. Please delete if this is annoying (it is a bit, to me).
Yanis Varoufakis follows suggesting that all of Greece’s debt is to German banks not to the state of Germany. It is the banks that have taken the risk, they need to accept the full effect of business practice and lose some money.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjrjO0d7fvI
Might be of interest to those who want to see a grassroots campaign here in NZ.
The volunteers spent an average of 10hrs a week, with just under 50% spent 1-5 hrs, 25% spent 5-10 and the remainder working between 11 and 100hrs a week. They performed a very broad range of tasks but were united in undertaking a core set of similar activities where in particular they discussed Independence. 99.5% of volunteers had conversations with family/friends and 98.3% had them with strangers, indeed in the virtual world where the corresponding figures are 85.1% and 81.87%. They showed their allegiances and normalized Yes with badges worn and window posters displayed. Very high percentages of volunteers demonstrated their support visually for the campaign. 96.7% said they displayed posters (90.1% doing this frequently or very frequently) and 95% wore Yes branded merchandise with 77.3% doing so frequently or very frequently. A quarter of them built things, designed things and put their creative energy into the campaign. It was these sorts of activities that suggest that the referendum campaigning was different to more traditional election campaigning, though they still canvassed (42.7%) and delivered leaflets (63.2%), frequently or very frequently. 27.8% felt confident enough to have spoken at a public meeting.
So why did they take part and do all this work? We asked this in two ways, in the first, they were asked to rate a series of potential motives and we found that they were motivated to take part for a number of positive, hopeful and negative reasons. The most common categories were A belief in independence for Scotland (mean = 4.79 out of 5 on a scale ranging from 1, Not at all important to 5, Very important) and a belief in Independence being a route to a more equal, socially just society (mean = 4.67) were very important reasons for them taking part. A belief in a greener country (3.94) still important but less so. Disillusionment with Westminster politics (4.59%) also acted as a powerful motivator.
In the second way this question was asked, respondents were free to write what they wanted. When categorized (each respondent could be motivated by more than one reason) 34.5% mentioned the importance of seizing the opportunity or avoiding the regret of not having got involved, 24.5% said they were took part because long term supporters suggesting many new converts got involved. The themes, oft repeated by the Yes campaign and in their marketing materials resonated with the volunteer, where 28% said they were motivated by being against the Westminster system and the UK, 19.6% by democracy, 12.4% by socially justice and 10% because of fairness (10%). The type of campaigning also had an effect with 11.8% being motivated to take part because of No campaigns negativity and media bias with 4.3% specifically mentioned BBC bias acted as their recruiting sergeant. A very similar 11.4% joined because of the inclusivity and exciting nature of the campaign. Whereas there are differences between when people joined a political party, between different ages and between those with and without a British identity, the variations whilst statistically significant in no instances are they dramatic, for example the mean score for women when asked to rate how important To be part of the democratic process was in becoming involved, the average score for women was 4.37% and 4.17% for men. Instances where any one group might score high and the other low, were not found- hence the earlier conclusion about the remarkable homogeneity or similarly of the Yes volunteers.
So in many ways we provide additional evidence to the understanding that many commentators and activists hold. Those who took part The Yes campaign was something that the organisers and the volunteers can (and were) be proud of. New people were brought to politics and democratic campaigning, it was exciting, it was social and it was positive and it will continue.
If you will allow us to finish by highlighting what we think are some of the most important findings: It was enjoyable, liberating and social experience and people tend to want to repeat such things or join in next time, if they missed out first time round. Also the bonds formed during such periods are likely to survive arguments about speed or change or priorities as long as the inclusivity, openness and respect remain. This remains an obligation on the Yes supporting political parties, whose loyalty must be independence, not power, as this is where the volunteers loyalties lie.
The volunteers see themselves as closest to the Greens in their left-right political leanings but were also close to the SNP and the SSP and that significant numbers of ex labour members took part. It strikes us that you don’t need a particularly large political umbrella to cover these groups and cover the majority of political beliefs feeling in Scotland. We see strong evidence in these results that the uniformity of beliefs about what Scotland can be, the shared experiences that brought people together and the passion of the cause built before and during the first referendum will provide an extremely strong foundation for indy ref 2. Was it the biggest campaign in Scotland’s history- we don’t know but the results of this survey strongly suggest that when the starting gun is sounded, the next grassroots campaign will contain a formidable range of experienced, knowledgeable passionate campaigners who know how to run local groups, know how to run local campaigns and know how to persuade friends, families and strangers alike. We were unable to discover if this is the case for No.
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Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 7, 2024 thru Sat, April 13, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week is about adults in the room setting terms and conditions of ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground PictureMany Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...
Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...
Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study on populism reveals a pervasive sense of societal and economic decline among New Zealanders. MORE DETAILS AND FULL REPORT HERE Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Harcourt, Industry Professor and Chief Economist, University of Technology Sydney Steve Smith, one of this generation’s finest batters, has conquered much of the cricketing world during his career, and he now has set his sights on a new frontier: the United ...
Madeleine Ballard reviews the debut novel from romesh dissanayake.when I open the shop, the debut novel by Naarm-based Aotearoa writer romesh dissanayake (Sri Lankan, Koryo Saram), is a narrative of grief. Devendra loses his mother, opens a noodle shop on The Terrace, grieves, and emerges changed. But just as ...
I saw Key’s grey chariot land at Rongo Tai yesterday – nice wheels – but where was our flag on its tail ?
When will it be possible to have a full accounting of due process and public moneys spent on the Dish Rag project ?
The Herald has been doing some investigative digging, & they came up with this “The text to McCaw had previously been revealed by the Herald but the Prime Minister’s reaching out to both McCaw and Carter shows his incredible range of contacts.” Fawn & yawn.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11615542
Sadly the Herald is Nationals alter ego, the print version of Kiwiblog.
Nats wanted to change the flag, the Herald wanted it on the Harbour Bridge and campaigned for change. Nats want to soften drug laws despite their so-called toughness against any such outrage as recently as 2014, the Herald campaign on it, etc, etc.
They even quote the Taxpayer Union like its some kind of genuine objective organisation, rather than the reality of it being another of Nationals front companies.
Anyway the good it did Key and what does it say about those who went into bat for him. And how many “sports greats” told him to fuck off?
+1
The herald is nothing more than a national party newsletter masked as a news service acting as a conduit for dirty politics and the spin and bs that spews from govt ministers mouths.
As John Campbell would say “Bloody Marvellous!”
Glaxo Marvelously Upends TPP And TTIP With Change In IP Policies For Poor Countries
http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/04/01/glaxo-marvelously-upends-tpp-and-ttip-with-change-in-ip-policies-for-poor-countries/#739c41c91a71
Also on BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35933692
It would be great if the forward-thinking action of GlaxoSmithKline to provide a principled and effective proposal to alleviate the huge problems of inequality and health access could spread to more corporations. Win-win solutions are possible if the public good is allowed to be part of the equation.
Ratifying the TPP which entrenches the flawed IP system makes even less sense when the GlaxoSmithKline proposal is considered.
Well done GSK.
How many of you know that this giant pharmaceutical company was started in Bunnythorpe in the Manawatu back in the 1850s (?) making animal remedies.
“Obama’s ‘lame duck’ period best chance for US to ratify trade deal – John Key”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/78447392/obamas-lame-duck-period-best-chance-for-us-to-ratify-trade-deal–john-key
But, but, what if this happens, John?
“House Conservatives Are Trying To Kill The Lame-Duck Session”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/house-conservatives-lame-duck_us_56fad472e4b0143a9b49802f
Yep, used to drive by that old Bunnythorpe site.
amongst other things fibreglass panels for kit-cars were made there, too.
Unbelievable, this is a quote from President Nixon’s domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichmann:
maui – interesting quote, but it is posthumous – and is denied by Ehrlichmann’s family and others
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-richard-nixon-drug-war-blacks-hippie/
http://www.vox.com/2016/3/22/11278760/war-on-drugs-racism-nixon
Ok, I probably don’t know the key players in this well enough, Baum, the writer who released this new quote or the ins and outs of Nixon’s government.
It is expected though that the children of Ehrlichmann would deny this horrible quote. If the quote is real and he really was bitter about Nixon, it seems strange to me that he would implicate himself so much by using the word “we”.
A very sensible approach to recreational drugs in sports from across the ditch.
Wonderful response from AFL boss when asked about zero tolerance.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/apr/01/afl-boss-gillon-mclachlan-dismisses-insane-zero-tolerance-drug-zealots
David Cunliffe, Dita de Boni, Chris Trotter and Rachel Stewart wrap the political week in 30 mins on Waatea 5th Estate.
https://youtu.be/G0YV-4F1Gdk
Thanks for that maui. Fascinating to hear opinions uncluttered by spindoctors. David Cunliffe was fluent and informed. Dita sharp and concise and Chris indepth as usual. Rachel Stewart for my first time and down to earth is she. Glad I watched it.
Have a lot of respect for Rachel Stewart.
If you missed this ianmac
http://thestandard.org.nz/rachel-stewart-eviscerates-john-key/
http://thestandard.org.nz/the-image-of-farming/
Thanks Adam. Will watch out for more.
Big tick from me too. Thoroughly enjoyed watching this.
Once again maui , thanks for the link. I think Andrew Little is a good man, someone we need in Government, But David Cunliffe would make a great Prime Minister in this current type of Politics.
Shame the majority of the Labour caucus thought they knew better than the membership and decided to screw him over in 2014.
I’m finding it increasingly hard to understand their attitude, but without trying too cop more flack, their are a number still there that should stand aside or do what the other wreckers did and start their own party. eg: act, disunited etc.
Those people aren’t going to stand aside because outside of Parliament they have no other career or job to go back to.
And without the Labour brand name that they have hijacked for their own purposes, few voters would be in the least bit interested in their pale neoliberal politics.
TRUE. That is the achilles heal of an awful lot of humans. consciously or not.
Maybe if we give them a decent UBI they’ll finally go.
Just what do you think Cunliffe could do if he got the push?
He has basically been awarded a DCM in every job he has had.
I’m talking about the useless careerists in the caucus mate. Cunliffe, he’ll just go back to corporate consulting or something.
While I’ve slipped out too do some work alwyn, you have fill a vacuum, have you citations, links or are you prepared to confess to a lie and face the consequences.
I am lead to believe you are retired, that brain of yours lets you down. 👿
Plus 70pc of the electorate
+1
@ left for dead (5.3) Absolutely correct.
David Cunliffe is the best thing Labour has to lead the party and the country towards a progressive future. The lite blue ABC neo libs still infecting the party, are still pulling the strings. They know a much wiser and forceful Cunliffe would have a big cull of the deadwood pulling Labour down, this time if he got the leadership back and the thought scares the bejeezus out of them!
Wake up Labour and look what’s there in Cunliffe!
Totally agree about David Cunliffe! It was a good show on The Daily Blog on Friday!
Hardly balanced, basically a bunch of champaign socialist having a collective…….
Did you mean “champion socialist’s Red, how thoughful. 😉
Edit: as an after thought, is that what you mean by Reddelusion.
RED
Labour are still a lightweight version of National with no direction.
Oh don’t give us faux angst Reddelusion, fair and balanced is a Fox news line…
Hope it’s ok I post here as I thought it might be of interest. Is held tomorrow at Victoria University @1pm and I would assume it’s free.
http://www.rentersunited.org.nz/agenda/
First speaker is Andrew Campbell (Greens) discussing political lobbying.
Ugh. I can hear it already…”Nobody forced them to take that loan….”
Won’t be long before it happens here.
Senior citizens who failed to pay off their student loans are having their Social Security seized. One of these is an 80 year old who due to dementia can no longer read. She took out her loan in the 1980s.
http://www.thestreet.com/story/13326222/1/your-social-security-will-be-seized-if-you-owe-student-loans.html
Pretty ghastly for those in their 70s – 80s.
The length of time between school finishing and retirement means that older people are really dealing with life with the equivalent of an intermediate school level compared to today’s knowledge. We are supposed to be perfectly informed in an individualistic neo liberal-run society. Every over 50year old should be given free tertiary education to ensure understanding. But that wouldn’t suit gummint, they don’t want understanding from the citizens.
And the chirpy PR spreaders in the 1980s and 1990s saying that in this modern fast changing world we might have four careers in our lifetime, and those who were able to adapt would be all right. Oh yeah? The jobs have diminished, extra training has to be paid for, and gummint help is thin and when you grasp it, it breaks and you fall between the cracks. Don’t believe any of them who talk positively about the future, they are either liars, or self-deceivers, neither of whom are authentic people fit to advise anybody.
Some libertarian was trying to argue here the other day that benefits in NZ aren’t entitlements.
That’s because anarco-capitalists are essentially stupid weka.
They have given up critical thinking, and have rejected even their god father, Adam Smith. I think it has dawned on some of them, Adam Smith was very critical of parasitic capitalism, the only type they seem to understand.
Actually in discussions with most of them you get the impression they have never read any of the classical economic theorists, or at the very least, never finished any of the works.
They rely on bullying, diversion and a unnerving belief they are right – to push an agenda of stupid.
They are religious zealots.
I’d be inclined to say cultists – their metaphysics is mighty primitive.
Ok but you realise I’ve not read any classical economics either 🙂
As you don’t espouse economic purity, I never assumed you had.
That said, I also thought you had a reasonable grasp of economics, and when you don’t know something you ask. Which is always, always a sign of an open mind.
Cheers adam. Tbh I don’t know what that guy the other day was. Libertarian seemed the best easy label.
Ok but you realise I’ve not read any classical economics either 🙂
Neither has Adam.
So alwyn what is a market?
Oh dear. You really are starting at a very low level aren’t you?
Why don’t you tell me what, if anything, about Economics you do think you understand and I’ll give you a short reading list.
I knew you were struggling but I didn’t realise that you were quite so deficient in your understanding of the field.
I have. Smith, Ricardo and a few others would be disgusted by how capitalism has turned out. All of them would recognise the feudalism that it is.
The nutbars still don’t understand that Theory of Moral Sentiments was (and is) much more important to a prosperous society than Wealth of Nations.
Interesting that the US geological society now recognise Fracking as a basis of man made earthquakes.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/225753-united-states-geological-survey-confirms-it-fracking-causes-earthquake
A link to the research if you need it, it is a lot. Also a complex web site, be warned.
http://www.usgs.gov/
This end us leaving me with more questions than answers.
Was/is there not Fracking happening up and down this country?
What does that mean for our future, if Fracking earthquakes are going to keep happening?
What does it mean when we already prone to earthquakes?
And what would it mean for insurance claims and the EQC?
Would the companies who do/did this practice be liable?
What about ministers and local governments who still let this to happen?
Is anyone responsible for deaths and injuries when a man made earthquake occurs?
Well adam we will just have to try and bring our skills doing the best with what we have and know, and be like these clever musicians chugging along and try to have a laugh and keep our spirits up while we work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ThSi1wbqU
Loved the music and that clever tractor keeping in time with the guitars.
Thanx ianmac. Yes very good isn’t it and they are enjoying themselves too. I think it is essential when times are grim to take a moment for pure enjoyment or humour.
Gas drilling can also cause earthquakes just like fracking. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/10/shell-exxon-gas-drilling-sets-off-earthquakes-wrecks-homes
A rather lengthy but interesting transcript of an interview with Yanis Varoufakis, by Jeremy Cliffe, for The Economist: http://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2016/04/01/interview-with-the-economist-full-transcript/
A few gems from it:
On Germany’s establishment left: They sold themselves to Mephisto, and then at some point even he didn’t care for them.
On current politics more generally: Politics attracts the least well-meaning and least talented people because the political sphere has been devalued.
On the need for basic incomes: But we, the Left, must not be fearful. I gave a talk some time ago in the United States and said: yes, surfers in California must be fed by the rest of us. We may not like that, we may feel they are bums, but they deserve a basic income too.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/apr/01/central-banks-unconventional-monetary-policy
meanwhile out in the wider world…..
That’s not the wider world – that’s the financialised world. Where central banks are a tool of the financial elite used to bail out big banks, inflate the asset portfolio value of capitalists, and give free money to billionaire speculators.
As for everyone else suffering from austerity imposed from above – they can eat cake.
Yep, still trying to make the present failed system work rather than accept the simple fact that it doesn’t and put in place another system.
You mean parasitic capitalism is a abject failure, and no one wants to talk about the fact capitalism has eaten itself.
Where are the factories, fields and workers? Where is the great capitalist investments in anything real?
Capitalism is always parasitic. That’s the big lesson that we should be learning from 5000 years of recorded history. It should be no surprise that the two main religions that came out of the birth place of Western Civilisation have bans on usury.
Capitalism is inherently usurious.
Inequality in New Zealand will get worse if the government follows United States policies, film maker Michael Moore says.
In his latest documentary Where to Invade Next, Moore compares social welfare and justice policies in Europe with the United States.
He told Saturday Morning that New Zealand should learn from mistakes in the US.
“Your government over the past decade or two has often tried to emulate the American way with neo-liberal policies that are not in the best interests of the people of New Zealand and you need to take a look at what those policies have done in the US.
“I would not try to emulate us in this way because you will have more income inequality – you already do, but it can be worse and you want to stop that.
“You want to preserve the good things you’ve had over the years, the belief system that you have, the values what you have and not allow conservative politicians to manipulate people into believing it we would be so much better if we did things the way the Americans did it.”
Moore visited Finland, Italy, France, and Portugal to look at those countries’ ways of dealing with social and economic problems experienced in the United States.
He said Americans were oblivious to what life was like elsewhere.
“They don’t know what it would be like if we paid just a little bit more in taxes, how many more services we would have, how much easier it would be to go to university, how there would be day care, how if they got pregnant you actually get to take a few weeks off – how about a few months – Americans don’t know you get these things in these other countries and so it’s been a very big eye opener for people in this country.”
His first film in six years, Where To Invade Next, will screen at the New Zealand Film Festival Autumn Events programme in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, during April and May.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201795481
Thanks for the warning, will make sure to avoid
You’re good at avoid any meaningful debate reddelusion, so no real need to comment on your part.
Yes, you can’t let facts get in else you might have to change your beliefs.
Saint Helen, keeps fighting the good fight.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/helen-kelly-why-take-illegal-dose-marijuana-every-night
Interesting discussion over on Public Address where Rob Salmond takes Hooton to task over his NBR column on UBR, and Hooton responds point by point.
Hooton points out the little know fact that Lockwood Smith spent 7 years working on a policy vaguely like UBI, but didn’t publish because it was feared that it would be thought to be National Policy, and it wasn’t. Irony?
“Lockwood, “Not many would know that I put 7 years’ work into a project to redevelop New Zealand’s income tax, benefit, and tax credit systems. The work started on trying to find a way round the massive churning involved in employers deducting PAYE, only for the Government to pay it all back to some employees in family tax credits. My research unravelling that interface soon got into the challenging area of effective marginal tax rates. At the time, a single parent with three dependent children seeking to work their way off the domestic purposes benefit and trying to get from $10,000 of earned income a year to $25,000 would have had to work an extra 20 hours a week at, say, $15 an hour. The problem was the effective tax on that extra $15,000 of earned income was about $13,300, meaning that even though the parent was paid $15 an hour, their take-home pay would have been little over $1.50 an hour….”
“….to prepare a paper for it to publish. At the last minute it was pulled, for fear it might be seen as official National Party policy, and it was not. ”
About 3/4 way down:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/50HansD_20130213_00000032/valedictory-statements
And Public Address:
http://publicaddress.net/polity/eleventy-billion-dollars/
Salmond nailed it. I saw a bit of Hooton’s spin, but basically they need to get over themselves. They’re naysaying because it’s an opportunity to bash Labour and because a UBI would help poor people and they can’t tolerate the idea. Fuck em, we should just carry on with the discussion and name the lies and the liars as they appear.
Prominent New Zealander charged with indecent assault keeps name suppression
A prominent New Zealander facing indecent assault charges will keep the name suppression protecting his identity until the end of his trial.
The trial is due to begin on Monday. The man has denied the charges against him.
There are heavy suppression orders over the case, meaning the man cannot be identified, nor can his alleged victims or their ages.
The man is facing 12 charges of indecent assault against two people including two representative charges.
The charges, which include allegations of touching the complainants on the breast, buttocks, groin and thigh, are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11615353
What’s a Representative charge?
When several instances of the same type of offence are alleged they can be replaced with a representative charge.
thanks.
Does anyone know how long the trial is expected to last?
does anyone know WHERE the trial is being held ?
Any bets the trial of the prominent NZer, and/or its appeals, will be dragged out until after the next election?
As a moderator I’m going to ask everyone to consider very carefully whether their contribution on this topic is useful, or even necessary.
I do not want The Standard to hash over this for the prurient joy of it.
There is reason to consider discussion around wider concerns of name suppression, but for the time being I would advise all regular commenters to have a long hard think before adding more to this.
Someone may have already supplied this link from today’s The Nation, but it’s one of the best local interviews I have seen in recent years:
http://www.newshub.co.nz/tvshows/thenation/turei-key-misled-public-over-jihadi-brides-2016040210#axzz44YMlTnJx
Meteria Turei plainly calls Key a liar.
Here’s a better link without the ad plus a good write up:
http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/greens-slam-pm-for-lying-about-jihadi-brides-2016040211#axzz44YMlTnJx
Where they left from is the most important point. While nothing can be claimed for certain – because all the facts have not been made available – the balance of probability is they were radicalised in Australia. If that was the case then it is an Aussie problem. We don’t even know if they were ‘radicalised’ but left for a different purpose.
Good on her. He is.
Any bets that the trial of the prominent NZer, or at least its appeals, will drag on, under suppression, until after the next election?
The above comment did not post at first for some reason so I did it again as a reply a bit farther up. Please delete if this is annoying (it is a bit, to me).
Brian Eno’s suggestion – Start cooking, recipe to follow.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXVoMMaa14I
Yanis Varoufakis follows suggesting that all of Greece’s debt is to German banks not to the state of Germany. It is the banks that have taken the risk, they need to accept the full effect of business practice and lose some money.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjrjO0d7fvI
water. who really needs it?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/77868433/Christchurchs-streams-are-dying-city-wide
Bella Caledonia has an article up about the Yes campaign that took place in 2014.
(Full Report here
Might be of interest to those who want to see a grassroots campaign here in NZ.