It’s a conspiracy by socialist elements in the press to sabotage the leadership prospects of the person best equipped to become National’s next leader after Key …
A toss pot blue nose national party member getting drunk and rude at Hamner Springs – how surprising. It is in fact the only thing these arseholes do well…… be an arsehole
The statement came after allegations emerged that Gilmore called a waiter at the Heritage Hanmer Springs who refused to serve him more wine a “dickhead”, handed over his business card and made a comment along the lines of, “Don’t you know who I am? I’m an important politician”.
Considering National’s fixation of who people are I’d say that that was perfectly accurate summation of what actually happened and what was said.
Hope this wont damage his plans to be PM, he’s got what it takes to lead National clearly, but like all their other losers, running a country would be a another disaster for the future.
Andrew Riches revealed that Gilmore, a National Party backbencher, not only made the comments reported to date, but also threatened to have Prime Minister John Key get the man fired.
Riches said he had been happy to let the matter lie, but had been incensed by Gilmore trying to “shift responsibility” for his poor conduct with a “half-hearted apology”.
Riches confirmed Gilmore make the comment to the Heritage Hanmer Springs hotel waiter along the lines of, “Do you know who I am. I’m an important politician”.
Riches revealed Gilmore also threatened to have the prime minister’s office intervene and end the waiter’s employment.
“By the time this incident occurred, the remainder of our party had left the restaurant and were not connected to these events in any way. I consider attributing blame to any other person to be completely unjustified,” he said.
John Key has received an apology from Gilmore and he says that’s the end of the matter.
Of course it is. Gilmore in his drunken state let a large cat out of the bag. That is, if someone crosses Key, he’s not beyond destroying the person’s career or getting them sacked! It certainly doesn’t surprise me!
Hey . . . c’mon, what’s the fuss? Its not like Gilmore is the National Ltd™ Associate Spokeshole for Health noisily getting pissed while enjoying the hospitality of the tobacco industry by blowing cigar smoke into the face of strangers at a rock concert before getting into a punch up. This guy’s an amateur . . . eh, Jonathan?
The sense of entitlement that some Nats have..
Sources close to the Heritage Hanmer Springs hotel said Gilmore called a waiter a “dickhead”, handed over his business card and made a comment along the lines of “Don’t you know who I am? I’m an important politician.”
“Important politician.” Now thats an Oxymoron. And judging from the reports then the Oxy should be dropped, and what do we have? Just some lowly back bench sprat politician, who is overinflated with his own sense of self importance, IE being a Moron.
I am sure there used to be a retreat for rehabilitation out there somewhere – was closed in 2003, though it would appear it should be considered for reopening…
Shameful behaviour from Radio New Zealand this a.m.
During the live interview discussing youth rates and collective bargaining involving the Supermarket duopoly in New Zealand, RNZ showed just how pathetic they have become.
All because facts were being broadcast to the people, the interview got shut down mid-syllable.
If RNZ are questioned on the behaviour, I predict they would say it was for the time share consideration of the next vital interview. What was the next vital interview? Horse trials at Badminton! An exceptionally crucial and relevant topic that undoubtedly affects the future of New Zealand and obviousy deserves more attention than the oppression of youth and non-unionised workers.
RNZ, fast becoming the Fox News of the South Pacific
It was a bit abrupt. Sounds like he was told to pull the plug when she started on a tangent about the benefits of unionism in general, rather than sticking to this particular example.
The really disturbing thing though is that it appears this employer, while not planning to use the youth rate, is looking to cut all existing wages down to the adult minimum.
and that is the precise moment when the host abruptly and unprofessionally cut the interview off.
All that had been mentioned was the two to three dollar difference between the wage levels in the collective contract and the isolated and increasingly vulnerable employees who work for the other hand on the pantry door.
really not a good look from our Public Broadcaster
Yeah I would have enjoyed hearing a much longer in depth discussion about the benefits of union membership and how it relates to this issue too. There are many, many discussions that could have been had on many topics related to this event.
However this is soundbite media.
You stray from the immediate topic at hand and it’s over because you can’t be easily slotted into the preordained narrative. Especially after 4 minutes of primtime.
Yes it’s dumb, yes it’s unhelpful, but it’s also very well understood. The union representative, as a professional, should have known better.
No, I’d prefer longer discussions in the media because it takes time to explore complex issues. In a soundbite format people are only really able to discuss things that are already widely understood.
That not only puts a great limitation on the range of subjects that can be discussed and linked together, but over time it also has a sort of negative exponential effect. How do you learn anything if you only get to hear people talk about things you already know?
That’s how people end up like you and burt and big bruv.
“In a soundbite format people are only really able to discuss things that are already widely understood.”
reminds me of the new improved google search, image search in particular
[we will show you a wide selection of results harvested from a diverse field of data which once we have done our bit will basically tell you what you have already looked at! Oh did you want to discover something you did not already know? Sorry, we don’t do that any more]
imagine your old fashioned card catalogue of your public library,
now imagine the percentage of total cards you may have once looked at,
now imagine that is all you are ever allowed to access ever again and you get the picture,
or not as the case may be
The government has already flouted two of the UN’s Human Rights.
.#12 the right to privacy
#20 the right to assemble.
What ‘s one more?
I wonder if we’ll hear the corporate media talk about ‘big brother state’after all that nonsense we had to listen about nanny state.
Well if they (unions) were banned then it’s “Herr Fuhrer” ShonKey Python. New Zealand would not stand for it. The result is obvious. A vast majority of New Zealanders would physically stand up in defiance of “Herr Fuhrer” and the security forces called in to put them down. It would be a constitutional assault justifying sharp fightback.
There is a class war going on. Fundamentally the warring parties are (1) an entitled, born to rule but not on account of breeding, and (2) the rest of us.
Pus eventually explodes outwards and dribbles away, giving relief. This will happen. There are all the signs. ShonKey Python Rules !
Llanthanide.
Then he shouldn’t have asked her a question so close to the end of her time. I thought he was thoroughly unprofessional. I would like to see her interviewed on Campbell Live.
Yes Lanthanide I am sure we are all aware of that which is obvious and well understood, but interviews are rarely cut off so abruptly, never mid syllable and never without an apology or such like from the host. What we heard this morning was kill switch journalism and it was wrong, unprofessional and a little worrying when we project to 2014.
I’ve heard them do it before on Morning Report, and also on Checkpoint in the afternoons. Not too often, but it does happen occasionally. In this case Geoff did say “thanks for speaking to us” (or similar) and she carried on anyway; most people are polite enough to stop talking at that point.
Seems it’s only a big deal when it’s a topic you care about, so clearly RNZ must be biased, when actually the most obvious answer is simply time constraints.
I really believe I am not being unjustly selective in my interpretation of what I heard.
It was kill switch journalism, it was rude and it was damned unncessary considering the snail like pace of the Badmintion event interview that followed it.
I didn’t hear that particular Radionz interview. But if they have booked someone to give a report on the Horse Trials where wer may be winners also, then they are bound to be fair to the respondent speaking about it. They won’t get co-operation or be able to present the range of topics planned if they go too long over time on one.
I don’t think that comparisons with Fox are justified.
“I don’t think that comparisons with Fox are justified.”
For dramatic effect I was applying an obvious exaggeration by comparison to illustrate the everdiminishing quality of news content that is being excreted from our Public Broadcaster.
Imagine another two to five years of government intervention and control of the Christchurch CBD….. Already the move back is sagging and build costs skyrocketing. People and businesses are saying right now “no thanks, we’ll stay put”. The only people and buildings in the CBD will be Council and government offices – not overly exciting.
On top of that of course the blueprint sought to “shore up” land values byt heavily restricting land use, so speculative land prices are through the roof.
Upshot of this interference equals slowing the rebuild to such an extent that it may not even happen. The donut ghost town.
the risk is as real as this morning’s dawn. don’t count on the sparkly new city folks
It’s been obvious that this was a slow motion train crash from the start.
The moment you let so much time elapse and let the insurance companies gait the tempo of activity, and allow businesses, jobs and families to wither on the vine and go away, you’re fucked. Declining population base, declining rates base, declining morale.
The people adding to Christchurch now don’t see Christchurch as a new home.
Yep. I wonder whether the earthquakes and subsequent demolition of pretty much the entire CBD has been too much. The whole act is too massive for a population to take. The job of rebuild too big. The timeframes too long. It may be that we have lost forever one of our cities (as the CBD and Chch were).
VTO – My contention has always been, and will remain, that there was NO intention to rebuild Christchurch, to any standard which would create a desireable *second city*.
I expect that agenda was set from the get go, and I don’t see Christchurch being allowed to have any remnants of the elected council, anytime soon either!
There have been many agendas. One notable one, which suspiciouns were raised about and confirmed recently with a talk with a senior banking person in the city…… the blueprint acted to shore up land values in the city so that owners and lenders on that property wouldn’t dip out financially. One clear agenda enacted. Fact.
And as long as the derivatives markets continue unabated, there is no end in sight to the schemes which will be dreamed up, to *shore up* markets, of all kinds. The potential losses, from all forms of speculative gambling, have to be propped up, by more conventional lines of business, until the time is right to collapse of course!
What this translates into, is suffering, misery and so on, for the overwhelming majority of people, regardless of where in the world they reside!
It isn’t just a case of ‘suspicions’ over the Frame and Anchor projects being designed to shore up land prices in the designated ‘retail precinct’ – it was admitted from the origins of the Blueprint.
Don Miskell, somewhat naively, seemed overjoyed that CERA’s economists not only approved of a ‘Frame’ but then proceeded to expand its proposed width markedly – and all in order to increase land values in the remainder of the city. Miskell saw it as ‘win-win’ (economic benefit in terms of land values and ‘environmental benefit’ in terms of the so-called ‘green frame’).
The argument was that only by reducing land supply artificially could the ‘critical mass’ of investment drive recovery. As you pointed out in another comment, reports now are that it’s had exactly the opposite effect – of course this was predictable, but, presumably deliberately, had been denied until now.
It was a remarkably bold, duplicitous, agenda-driven process from the get go. I’ve blogged several times about the process and am (over)due to do another.
On the broader question, I tend to the view that the government did indeed also see this as an opportunity to castrate Christchurch politically and disempower its population in order to ensure the ‘economic goldrush’ for the province’s resources (including but not restricted to water) would proceed and accelerate, only meeting ineffectual, unorganised opposition from stressed people being pulled in a hundred different directions and having few formal avenues to engage in the political decision making process.
Dismantling communities, destabilising locales, encouraging ‘sprawl’, importing transient labour and all of the other socially fragmenting features of this planned ‘recovery’ serve the political right – and, frankly, crony capitalism – extremely well.
The fewer natural opportunities and structures there are for people to form common interests the better, for the right. This is known instinctively by most right-wing politicians and, by many of them, it’s known quite explicitly (e.g., wedge politics, divide and conquer, etc.).
I presume you’re responding to vto but I think this link to the Central City Blueprint reveals that vto’s contention about the aim of increasing land values is no conspiracy theory. On page 35 it reads:
“The Frame in tandem with zoning provisions, reduces the extent of the central city commercial area so that the oversupply of land is addressed. It will help to increase the value of properties generally across the central city in a way that regulations to contain the central core, or new zoning decisions, could not. The Frame helps to deliver a more compact core while diversifying opportunities for investment and development. The Frame allows the Core to expand in the future if there is demand for housing or commercial development.
Is the central city blueprint a ‘quality link’? If not – and I understand why you might be wary of it given its glossy nature – here’s an article in which Don Miskell is interviewed about how the frame came to be.
“We looked at the map and thought, well, Latimer Square is 80m wide. Let’s lengthen that all the way up to the river.‘
Hesitantly they put their suggestion to the CCDU and were astounded by the response. “They said great idea. But no. Not nearly wide enough. And that was their investment guys!”
Miskell says this is where the advantage of having all the experts in the one place really showed. Cera’s economics team could see angles that Blueprint’s architects and urban planners could not imagine.]
The economists said a much fatter park strip – one a whole 220m, or an entire city block wide – would have the double benefit of creating green amenity in that part of town while also mopping up the excess land.”
Couple good posts there mr puddleglum. The “investment guys and the economists”, who effectively delivered that scenario to Christchurch (and how many of them maybe 3 or 4 or more?), have of course caused the current malaise.
It is the old story of outsiders thinking they know better. And Wellingtonians no doubt of course too. And the old story of having people who don’t pay the bills make the decisions – or rather having absolutely no input from the people who do pay the bills and live in the place. Example “having all the experts in the one place really showed. Cera’s economics team could see angles that Blueprint’s architects and urban planners could not imagine”
For fucks sake, the economics team, the architects, the urban planners…..
And now it continues – apparently tomorrow the Press has the 50 Power People in Chch and it is dominated by people from outside Christchurch (government through cera eqc and of course the ecan fuck).
The power should be resting with the people who live there, not elsewhere.
This is fundamental.
It was described immediately post-earthquake throughout the media as one of the most important components of a recovery.
It’s amazing how easily it can happen. The pattern seems to be that a core group (relatively small) have a very clear goal/agenda. They then package it in a way that they can entice and recruit to their project a penumbra of professional ‘gnomes’ who, for all sorts of reasons, commit to the process.
These ‘gnomes’ – ‘good’, professional people, technocrats, experts, etc. pursuing their own careers and limelight – can conjur in their minds all sorts of worthy reasons why what they are doing will, ultimately, benefit the masses, even if what they are doing so thoroughly excludes the masses.
I imagine they genuinely don’t think there is an agenda from the ‘core’ group that is at odds with the interests of the ‘masses’ – largely because it serves the ‘gnomic’ class’ interests to be in denial about any such agenda. To acknowledge such an agenda would cause unbearable cognitive dissonance and, potentially, exclude them from such an exciting – often career-enhancing – ‘Big Project’.
It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of these people. It must be quite intoxicating so far as the social status it offers to them and the sense of making an ‘impact’ on the world.
It all highlights what an amazing city central Christchurch was. Which should highlight to all other communities that what they have in the scape, the buildings, the people, the routes and byways, the lanes and streets, the bridges, intersections, schools, theatres, restrooms, garages, trees, old trees, shops and hotels, the acknowledgements and hellos and nods and handshakes all in a space borne from the natural growth of a population, is something to treasure. It is a life, a culture, a tradition and heritage, a haven, home, workplace, meeting place, it is all of these things done to a a state that only long time does…………….
Your comment makes no sense, TC. Perhaps you were trying (and failing) to be humorous?
Mosquitos are a delivery mechanism, not the cause. Malaria, and the others listed, are diseases of poverty, as I’m sure you actually know. Very few cases of TB in Remeura, as far as I can tell. So, in a time of austerity, it’s hardly a surprise that impoverished neighborhoods, cities and countries see a lift in cases of diseases related to pisspoor living conditions.
Rather than take the default right wing view of the poor, why don’t you try being contrarian?
Well, I’ve got my money on the changing environment causing malaria borne mosquitos to expand their territory and growing antibiotic resistance to be causing the spread of Malaria as opposed to austerity measures.
You’ll note I only mentioned malaria and didn’t mention TB or the other listed diseases as well as the fact I haven’t taken any view of the poor, left or right, so I’d say your comment is a bit of a strawman.
Well, austerity could plausibly (meaning clearly pulling this out of my arse) result in decreased public health funding for projects such as education campaigns about standing water, delayed treatment and neglected prophylactic treatment, and localised pest eradication schemes.
So there is actually a reasonable theoretical link between austerity and malaria, regardless of the actual vector of the organism.
“The harms we have found include HIV and malaria outbreaks, shortages of essential medicines, lost healthcare access, and an avoidable epidemic of alcohol abuse, depression and suicide,” he said in a statement. “Austerity is having a devastating effect.”
It apparently data mines an array of historical case studies from a range of countries to come to the conclusion that, from a public health perspective, people’s circumstances, wellbeing and health can improve even in economic downturns so long as austerity is not used as a policy tool. When it is, public health takes a big hit.
The British commenter this morning I think Matthew Parish, said that Ed Milliband came poorly out of a recent interview. He said that Labour would alter VAT I think he said that they would drop it for a year. When asked where he would get the Billions of pounds that would be foregone he dodged the question, and couldn’t come up with a definite plan to manage the Budget. It doesn’t look good for British Labour.
Labour all around the world are timid about making a simple statement that the allocation of wealth in society needs to change from the top end to the middle.
The trouble was that his timidity seemed to stem from a lack of any plan to meet the gap between receiving present income from VAT and the sudden loss of it.
There’s a hole in the bucket dear Liza dear Liza – Henry has to fix it with a straw. Is that the strawman that gets mentioned on this site quite often? I’m trying to keep amused with anything that comes to mind as the ship appears to be steadily sinking and most people are reacting by being sadder or madder or both. Let the musicians play diverting songs!
Its madness…there is a massive thieving under taxed financial centre in London…that and reversing the Tories income tax cuts…plus UNCUT UK have quite a few ideas too…I mean this stuff is not rocket science.
City of London, can only be considered *under taxed*, if it is part of the jurisdiction which HMRC lords over!
Should City of London, or more accurately the corporations/institutions which a registered there, be outside the jurisdiction of HMRC, then whatever taxation is paid, can only be deemed, appropriate!
That will be the same Matthew Parish who recently told Kathryn Ryan that Margaret Thatcher was the most important post-war British Prime Minister and he would know since the highlight of his career as a Tory MP was being her loyal letter opener.
Gawd, coming back to civilisation every now and then leaves moi dumbfounded at manwomankind and its perverted ways. For something to take you back to the raw beauty of nature and its brutal honesty check this http://www.surf.co.nz/tv/977 I posted it here some time ago but it has reared its head as a repeat on this other site. Go wide screen and lose yourself lest you get lost in the wrong world…..
And to think when the World becomes absent of people, the ocean will still be surging and tumbling and foaming away according to its own agenda. Magnificent joe.
Press Release: Sue Henry Spokesperson for the Housing Lobby
“Say NO to democracy for salivating property developers.”
“There will never be positive advancements for the public majority of the Auckland region as long as we have political party ticket monopolies sitting in the Council Chamber,” says Sue Henry Spokesperson, for the Housing Lobby
“The faces may change ever three years while both party tickets play ‘pass the parcel’ and bulldoze through the failed ideology of housing intensification from the 2004 ‘Central Sector Agreement’ and former ARC ‘Regional Policy Statement’ .
“It is scandalous the way both tickets have extended this housing intensification proposal deep into the heart of well-established residential areas, ignoring vigorous community opposition,” she continues.
“We need a fresh approach away from slums and leaky chilly-bin houses.
Whose interests are being served?
The public majority or salivating property developers?”
Well, if we go the way that National wants – the land bankers, the banks and the oil companies and a few others that will benefit from the inflated costs that come with sprawl but not the people of Auckland.
If we go the other way, which we really don’t have a choice about, the people of Auckland and not the land bankers, the banks and the oil companies. Actually, the banks will win no matter what happens because they get to print money.
By 9 May 2013 – I should get my Privacy Act reply as to whether or not I am one of the 88 New Zealanders who has been unlawfully spied upon by the GCSB.
For those who are interested in our country being clever and getting business and enterprise going and getting jobs and lots of working people getting wages to a reassonable standard instead of seeing NZs being represented cows’ sweet faces (the Jersey ones I mean with long eyelashes) in large advertisements all around the place, well…
There was an interesting interview on Radio NZ this morning with a woman who has spent about ten years in New York and come back here to live and she has looked at how the ORs (Overseas Residents) are treated back here. 24,000 come back each year, recently anyway. And are their ideas, their expertise etc being welcomed, embraced and utilised?
For more exciting details try Radionz 9 to Noon this Thursday the 2nd, if you can get on to the Radionz site, and once there on to the details of the interview. I couldn’t and I don’t have all day to get the full information.
But this woman has good stuff that needs to be beard.
Maori TV have posted the film on their site and have the rights to show it 5 more times — we will at some point, release the film on DVD as it has strong educational potential. However, if I can eke out the time! we intend to edit a feature version for the NZ International Film Festival (about 70 mins). As always making documentary, one always has heaps of footage left on the cutting room floor and it would be good to incorporate more aspects of the story, and let it breathe a little more. TV tends to clip along at the faster pace while cinema can take its time.
Thanks for all the support.
John Lancashire (see last para) giving comments about our dire biosecurity lack-of-system in Radio NZ Rural News today Thursday 2/5. Midday Rural News for 2 May 2013 News from the rural and farming sectors. (7′40″) http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ruralnews
He was excoriating about it (good word – we should be using it a lot with political degenerates as we have now). He also seems to be talking factually and his judgment seems sound. Apparently the latest money-saving conflation of government work and responsibility is to bring together Biosecurity and Biodiversity. Both of which he thinks are vitally important and need separate monitoring and understandings.
We are so full of shit in this country. It seems to become more obvious daily from what we hear coming from people who have wormed their way into positions of power and supposed interest in serving the country and the citizens. I don’t know if the rough measure so often used of 80/20% applies but it seems to me that the reliable and thoughtful people are down to the smallest minority. We need to change so much – get responsible people in power – how?
Serious weaknesses identified in NZ’s biosecurity system
from Nine To Noon on Friday 1 March 2013
John Lancashire, immediate past president of New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science; and Rob Thode, a Te Puke kiwifruit grower whose orchard was infected with PSA.
Duration: 21′30″ Play (Windows) Play (Other) Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3
It’s getting vomit inducing having to listen to these self-interest groups explaining how unfair it is that their income stream plans are being disrupted. It’s as if God has told them it’s their right to fleece electricity users ffs.
There’s plenty of other ‘shares’ to gamble on, and there are even casinos around too.
Vomit inducing is right. It’s more than a little disheartening that basically nobody in the MSM is calling them on their BS. The whole thing has really underscored how economically-far-right NZ has become. On a positive note, I suspect that it won’t matter what National etc say, most people get this issue and realise that National is only concerned for shareholders and no-one else.
Delivery days probably should be cut as more and more mail becomes electronic but, in saying, there are still people (elderly for example) who might require a full service.
And burt, being the idiot and economic ignoramus that he is, fails to understand the problem. The problem being that the decline in physical mail has brought about the fact that the volume can no longer support the legal requirements of 6 delivery days per week.
He also failed to read the article – it seems that the bank is doing fine but it would do better with the government investing more in it. It seems that burt is so stupid that he doesn’t realise that a successful business requires ongoing investment.
Hey Draco, did you know it is possible to point out misunderstandings or incorrect statements without saying things like “burt is so stupid” and “eing the idiot and economic ignoramus that he is”.
TheContrarian, in fact you may not be seeing the whole picture. Conservatives often lack the cognitive ability to understand logical challenges to their opinions. In such cases, emotional approaches may yield better results.
Take the mass of resources available to schools for combating that archetypal wingnut philosophy, racism, for example:
…videos and films that are realistic and present authentic characters can be effective tools. Students are drawn to characters who experience real feelings about the impact of intolerance. “Heroic” characters represent role models whose positive attitudes or behavioral changes can be emulated by students. These tools should be used with the intent to have students identify and empathize with such characters and facilitated discussions and debriefings can reinforce the negative effects of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination. In many instances the most effective media tools are those that were not explicitly designed to “teach about prejudice and discrimination”.
The study then presented participants with a real-world choice: With a fixed amount of money in their wallet, respondents had to “buy” either an old-school lightbulb or an efficient compact florescent bulb (CFL), the same kind Bachmann railed against. Both bulbs were labeled with basic hard data on their energy use, but without a translation of that into climate pros and cons. When the bulbs cost the same, and even when the CFL cost more, conservatives and liberals were equally likely to buy the efficient bulb. But slap a message on the CFL’s packaging that says “Protect the Environment,” and “we saw a significant drop-off in more politically moderates and conservatives choosing that option,” said study author Dena Gromet, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
This is basically where burt is at. As far as he’s concerned anything state owned is bad and so he will treat as such even if doing so hurts him.
He also failed to read the article – it seems that the bank is doing fine but it would do better with the government investing more in it.
Yes… lets extract some more tax payers funds to prop up a business that’s having trouble in a competitive market… Better still – lets kill off all competition and mandate state control over the sector… Seems to be the right approach for electricity – why not banking ?
Question: Has there ever been a year when KiwiBank didn’t require capital to stay operational and fund all that TV advertising?
Advertising that it’s NZ owned and looking after the best interests of NZ by sucking up tax payer dollars in some grand charade that it’s competitive and making a difference to the behaviour of the “big banks” that just keep recording massive profits while “our bank” needs capital from tax payers ?
Those apologies came after one of his dining companions, Christchurch lawyer Andrew Riches confirmed he’d left a note at the hotel the following morning apologising for Mr Gilmore’s behaviour.
Mr Gilmore allegedly called the waiter a “dickhead” when he refused him more wine and gave him his business card saying something like “Don’t you know who I am? I’m an important politician”, The Press reported today.
It has also been suggested this morning that Mr Gilmore told the waiter he would tell the Prime Minister’s office about the waiter’s behaviour and have him sacked.
Mr Riches this afternoon confirmed to the Herald he’d heard Mr Gilmore use words to that effect to the waiter.
Mr Riches also said he was disappointed that Mr Gilmore had apologised for his group’s behaviour when it was “absolutely” his own behaviour that was in question.
“It’s a shame because I thought this could just lie, he could apologise and that would be the end of it, but to sort of blame everyone else!”
He told the Herald that two of the four in Mr Gilmore’s group had left by the time of the incident.
“It was because most of the group had already left, he was cut off service, he did the old, “do you know who I am, I’m an MP”.
If you read the article carefully. he’s not really taking responsibility…
“As a group of diners our behaviour was at times boisterous, and I sincerely apologise for any offence this may have caused to staff and/or patrons”.
No individual apology for his own specific actions, which have been outlined in some detail.
Just a general apology on the part of the group.
If he does not apologise fully, this story will keep running.
He hasn’t even apologised for them either. “I apologise for any offence caused” is a Clayton’s apology. If he means it he’ll apologise for his own behaviour not what he imagines to be someone else’s state of mind.
PS: The same apology, in fact, that Little and Mallard offered Collins; a gesture of contempt 🙂
Yup. A letter has been sent to Duncan Garner from Andrew Riches, one of the Hanmer group.
And Garner makes a suggestion to John Key to get rid of him.
It’s not a good look.
While “some inappropriate comments might seem to have been made”, they had been apologised for, he said. – Herald
Yes but not by him. Must have caught that infection from his Leader?
The Chartered Financial Analyst Institute yesterday told the Herald Mr Gilmore was not a member, although he listed membership as part of his list of educational and professional qualifications on his parliamentary web page.
And yeah, that’s a Clayton’s apology. Two strikes, I’m sure there’s a third in there somewhere.
Do you notice how Matthew Hooton always uses the term the Green/Labour axis?
He is clearly trying to control language and introduce new slogans for the right?
1. The use of axis, which has negative connotations because this was the term given to the German alliance in World War 2.
2. By using Green before Labour, he is trying to wind up Labour supporters.
Forget Hooton, – he is nothing more than tool in the box of the estabishment, as soon as there is no more use for him, he will be on the scapheap.
Does that make me feel good, no , not really, Hooton is a human being too, but has chosen sides, and now has to see it through to the inevitable conclusion.
Use of the word axis, is as you point out, Paul, and Draco, also!
looks like the MP’s aren’t the only drunks
This has to be the worst edited articles ever in the Herald, or was it simply unproofed.
It is just a long string of variants of the same handful of sentences.
Looks like it mickysavage. It suggests the swinging voters are swinging more wildly than ever. Not a good sign. They’re ripe for NAct manipulation and we’re seeing this happen with increasing frequency. Eg.. the far left wolf-whistle.
To my knowledge no senior Labour politician has seriously addressed this load of crap. They ignore it at their peril.
What polling needs to be written off? The polling where a 4 point bump for labour still takes them only half way down to their previous election result?
But that’s part of it – Will labour be in government next year, with shearer as pm?
I think the chances are pretty good. And really, unless shearer’s campaign is akin to Brash or Banks, I’m not sure Cunliffe (assuming that was your ABC reference) would make the slightest difference
There’s always secret challenges brewing. It’s politics after all.
“Will labour be in government next year, with shearer as pm?”
Nope.
“unless shearer’s campaign is akin to Brash or Banks”
And you think he’s better, how? Don’t bother, I’ll just photoshop an extra plank into his head shots and we’ll all agree he’s bad, but not in a good way.
“I’m not sure Cunliffe (assuming that was your ABC reference) would make the slightest difference”
Them who made the decision must take the blame, and abc will know this, hopefully sooner rather than later. Fuck judgement day, that’s so last week. I’m waiting for consequence day.
You remind me of fundies expecting armageddon to happen on date XXXX.
Every time things go badly, it’s a portent of imminent doom.
Every time things improve, it’s a blip and armageddon has been rescheduled for the morrow.
I’m not “lowering expectations”. My expectation is a labour/green government.
There is nothing in RM, colmar brunton, or Reid Research (TV3) trends to indicate that this is not a likely outcome in 2014.
No matter how desperate you are for labour to fail or the world to end.
Well I can imagine that on a billboard – “Not as bad as Brash or Banks”. The irony will surely capture that vital hipster demographic. Maybe Shearer and Robertson should start growing handlebar moustaches, wear enormous spectacle frames, skinny trousers and and drink Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.
Actually, this could go really well: “I’m David Shearer, you’ve probably never heard of me.”
the Nats PR clobbering machine is just warming up over NZ Power, and Labour counter punches have been light weight. I’m with Al1en, this ride is going to be rough. Go Greens, go Mana.
Well it does suggest the tv3 poll was a better reflection of the sentiment than tv1. Guess well have to wait for the next round from them. Of course if labor was doing well post power policy, maybe they could tell us their numbers. Who polls for them these days anyway now umr is gone (assuming they are?).
Actually it doesn’t suggest anything of the sort. TV3 claimed that National would be able to govern alone on their last poll results. Gary Morgan makes the point that even with this bounce in the Roy Morgan, Labour and its coalition partners would be more likely to form government than National.
Colin Craig’s Clint moment? Bomber just asked him on Citizen A, about Auckland’s Transport funding issues, “What would Jesus do?” Craig collapses with a snorty giggle – no idea.
You seem to be asking questions based on the premise that these boards and their directors wish to build strong ongoing businesses. And yes, some do.
But with many others, it helps to view their activities from the standpoint of conducting a bank heist in progress. Then you’ll find that their activities make far more sense.
I think it’s a good thing that John Minto is standing as an Auckland Mayoral candidate – he will be able to promote Mana policies which will help focus on the most vulnerable of the 99%.
That will also help to raise the profile of Mana, and their policies before the 2014 General Election.
As I did in 2010 as an Auckland Mayoral candidate – I will be focusing on how the $upercity has been a corrupt corporate coup – and how to take back the Auckland region from the control of the 1%.
I tried to warn you folks as an Auckland Mayoral candidate in 2010 – that the Auckland $upercity would be a SUPER RIPOFF – a super public trough, for fewer but bigger private snouts.
Where was I wrong?
Have YOUR rates gone UP or DOWN?
______________________________________________________________________________
Why I stood as an Auckland Mayoral candidate in 2010:
Proven track record, as a successful Occupy Auckland Appellant (in my own name) in fighting the corporate 1% who run the Auckland region, ‘like a business – for business’:
EVIDENCE in the following High Court document – exposing the role of the unelected Committee for Auckland, of which the CEO for Auckland Council, Doug McKay is a member.
(So – whose interests is he serving?
The majority of citizens and ratepayers – or his corporate mates?)
PS: My defended hearing in the above-mentioned Court case on the charge of ‘willful trespass’ for occupying John Banks electoral office on 18 June 2013 – has been adjourned until 27 September 2013 🙂
A panel, chaired by Key’s scientific adviser Sir Peter Gluckman, advises of the impact climate change could have on the Antarctic, and thus on NZ and it’s economy.
The panel recognised that of all the various potential risks New Zealand faced, a dramatic change in Southern Ocean currents driven by changes in the Antarctic ice sheet, “would have far more dramatic influence on our economy, through changes in the climate and rainfall patterns, than any of us had realised”.
“Therefore, given that we are uniquely committed and associated with Antarctic research, and given our leadership in that area, it was self-evident that to protect our future as a country, we need to understand what’s going to happen in the Southern Ocean far better than we do now,” Sir Peter said.
Despite concerns about the issue, it attracted relatively little funding in the current financial year.
A cabinet paper by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce calculated that only $4.1 million was spent on research areas connected with the deep south challenge in 2012/13, out of the $523 million provided through contestable funding and crown research institutes. Those figures did not include research funded through the tertiary education sector and other government agencies.
“A young unskilled person is disadvantaged in competing against more experienced and trained people in the labour market. Starting wages help young people gain experience and better equip them to be able to compete on stronger terms.”
So where does the more experienced and trained person go ? And wait a few months/year and see these organisations that are currently commenting that they will still continue to pay min wage will be?
‘Young’ is a superfluous word. E.g. an any, particularly and older, unskilled, inexperienced pak’n’save stacker is easily as disadvantaged as young unskilled, inexperienced pak’n’save stacker when competing against more experienced and trained people. That’s why there are pay grades.
Why do we let these people making excuses that lead to lower wages based on age get away with this?
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
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Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
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Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
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The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
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The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
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Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
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Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
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Nooooooo …
It’s a conspiracy by socialist elements in the press to sabotage the leadership prospects of the person best equipped to become National’s next leader after Key …
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8621657/Apology-over-MPs-flare-up-in-restaurant
Sure it wasn’t Reece Witherspoon in disguise?
Or a GCSB agent gone rogue?
The last I heard, they were all “rogue”
A toss pot blue nose national party member getting drunk and rude at Hamner Springs – how surprising. It is in fact the only thing these arseholes do well…… be an arsehole
I like how Aaron had a bottle and a half which leaves about half a bottle each for everyone else.
Still, he’s pretty sure it was one of the others being a drunk fool and not him. Sort of anyway, can’t really remember.
Yes, did the wine maths too and wondered. I imagine Aaron’s spent hours thinking how to come up with that pack of cover up lies. Pathetic.
He apparently feels some connection with Christchurch East. Drunk in a restaurant in Hanmer is about as close as he gets to there.
Imperator fish seems to have inside knowledge …
http://www.imperatorfish.com/2013/05/a-day-in-life-of-aaron-gilmore-mp.html
Considering National’s fixation of who people are I’d say that that was perfectly accurate summation of what actually happened and what was said.
Hope this wont damage his plans to be PM, he’s got what it takes to lead National clearly, but like all their other losers, running a country would be a another disaster for the future.
And it gets worse.
What a dick. Typical born to rule tory.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8621657/Lawyer-unfairly-tarnished-by-Gilmore
John Key has received an apology from Gilmore and he says that’s the end of the matter.
Of course it is. Gilmore in his drunken state let a large cat out of the bag. That is, if someone crosses Key, he’s not beyond destroying the person’s career or getting them sacked! It certainly doesn’t surprise me!
‘
Hey . . . c’mon, what’s the fuss? Its not like Gilmore is the National Ltd™ Associate Spokeshole for Health noisily getting pissed while enjoying the hospitality of the tobacco industry by blowing cigar smoke into the face of strangers at a rock concert before getting into a punch up. This guy’s an amateur . . . eh, Jonathan?
The sense of entitlement that some Nats have..
Sources close to the Heritage Hanmer Springs hotel said Gilmore called a waiter a “dickhead”, handed over his business card and made a comment along the lines of “Don’t you know who I am? I’m an important politician.”
A politician sure. Important? Best laugh of the morning.
Yes, the oxymoron is moronic. More importantly it demonstrates the out of touch Wellington beltway self centred mindset and ego of some MPs.
Of the people, for the people? Gotta be dreaming.
Gilmore ranks 54 within the National party… He will be gone at the next election.
He might not be ranked so low on the 2014 list.
Flattery through imitation, I think
Perhaps. On the other hand, it looks like it might be time to check who is next on the current list.
Ten percent ox, ninety percent moron
Nah Allen……..you missed out the 20% rhymes with ox starts with p.
“Important politician.” Now thats an Oxymoron. And judging from the reports then the Oxy should be dropped, and what do we have? Just some lowly back bench sprat politician, who is overinflated with his own sense of self importance, IE being a Moron.
Hanmer Springs
I am sure there used to be a retreat for rehabilitation out there somewhere – was closed in 2003, though it would appear it should be considered for reopening…
(Should be) fatally clanging ! That it should be at Hanmer Springs of all places ?
Was last in that spot 49 years ago. Hot pools etc. Great for kids.
You know what ? In the whole five days I took the waters there I never met a single drunken , entitled, prat.
Plenty of former drinkers taking therapy at the rehab that used to be there.
But not one entitled prat !
Shameful behaviour from Radio New Zealand this a.m.
During the live interview discussing youth rates and collective bargaining involving the Supermarket duopoly in New Zealand, RNZ showed just how pathetic they have become.
All because facts were being broadcast to the people, the interview got shut down mid-syllable.
If RNZ are questioned on the behaviour, I predict they would say it was for the time share consideration of the next vital interview. What was the next vital interview? Horse trials at Badminton! An exceptionally crucial and relevant topic that undoubtedly affects the future of New Zealand and obviousy deserves more attention than the oppression of youth and non-unionised workers.
RNZ, fast becoming the Fox News of the South Pacific
+1
It was a bit abrupt. Sounds like he was told to pull the plug when she started on a tangent about the benefits of unionism in general, rather than sticking to this particular example.
The really disturbing thing though is that it appears this employer, while not planning to use the youth rate, is looking to cut all existing wages down to the adult minimum.
and that is the precise moment when the host abruptly and unprofessionally cut the interview off.
All that had been mentioned was the two to three dollar difference between the wage levels in the collective contract and the isolated and increasingly vulnerable employees who work for the other hand on the pantry door.
really not a good look from our Public Broadcaster
Yeah I would have enjoyed hearing a much longer in depth discussion about the benefits of union membership and how it relates to this issue too. There are many, many discussions that could have been had on many topics related to this event.
However this is soundbite media.
You stray from the immediate topic at hand and it’s over because you can’t be easily slotted into the preordained narrative. Especially after 4 minutes of primtime.
Yes it’s dumb, yes it’s unhelpful, but it’s also very well understood. The union representative, as a professional, should have known better.
Is the reason you wanted to hear more about the benefits of union membership because you are currently unsure that it has any value?
No, I’d prefer longer discussions in the media because it takes time to explore complex issues. In a soundbite format people are only really able to discuss things that are already widely understood.
That not only puts a great limitation on the range of subjects that can be discussed and linked together, but over time it also has a sort of negative exponential effect. How do you learn anything if you only get to hear people talk about things you already know?
That’s how people end up like you and burt and big bruv.
So you were disappointed that Nat radio couldn’t be used as a machine of propaganda…got it.
Beautifully illustrated, thanks.
“In a soundbite format people are only really able to discuss things that are already widely understood.”
reminds me of the new improved google search, image search in particular
[we will show you a wide selection of results harvested from a diverse field of data which once we have done our bit will basically tell you what you have already looked at! Oh did you want to discover something you did not already know? Sorry, we don’t do that any more]
imagine your old fashioned card catalogue of your public library,
now imagine the percentage of total cards you may have once looked at,
now imagine that is all you are ever allowed to access ever again and you get the picture,
or not as the case may be
I hate people like you who want to outlaw trade unions and collective bargaining.
Its just around the corner folks, soon unions will be banned. I have been saying this since 2004.
Not sure unions can be banned.
Bill of Rights guarantees the freedom of association so you’d have to get around that first.
that one would want to is what is called a tell
The government has already flouted two of the UN’s Human Rights.
.#12 the right to privacy
#20 the right to assemble.
What ‘s one more?
I wonder if we’ll hear the corporate media talk about ‘big brother state’after all that nonsense we had to listen about nanny state.
Well if they (unions) were banned then it’s “Herr Fuhrer” ShonKey Python. New Zealand would not stand for it. The result is obvious. A vast majority of New Zealanders would physically stand up in defiance of “Herr Fuhrer” and the security forces called in to put them down. It would be a constitutional assault justifying sharp fightback.
There is a class war going on. Fundamentally the warring parties are (1) an entitled, born to rule but not on account of breeding, and (2) the rest of us.
Pus eventually explodes outwards and dribbles away, giving relief. This will happen. There are all the signs. ShonKey Python Rules !
Ignore that ConKing Response.
That woman Maxine Gay pretty much got her point across and was also attractively ardent in doing that.
Actually the radio does run on a schedule with allotted times for each story. She used her time up.
Llanthanide.
Then he shouldn’t have asked her a question so close to the end of her time. I thought he was thoroughly unprofessional. I would like to see her interviewed on Campbell Live.
Yes and no.
She was cut because the time was up, but she was cut mid syllable because she was about to embark on a tangential voyage.
Yes Lanthanide I am sure we are all aware of that which is obvious and well understood, but interviews are rarely cut off so abruptly, never mid syllable and never without an apology or such like from the host. What we heard this morning was kill switch journalism and it was wrong, unprofessional and a little worrying when we project to 2014.
I’ve heard them do it before on Morning Report, and also on Checkpoint in the afternoons. Not too often, but it does happen occasionally. In this case Geoff did say “thanks for speaking to us” (or similar) and she carried on anyway; most people are polite enough to stop talking at that point.
Seems it’s only a big deal when it’s a topic you care about, so clearly RNZ must be biased, when actually the most obvious answer is simply time constraints.
I really believe I am not being unjustly selective in my interpretation of what I heard.
It was kill switch journalism, it was rude and it was damned unncessary considering the snail like pace of the Badmintion event interview that followed it.
I didn’t hear that particular Radionz interview. But if they have booked someone to give a report on the Horse Trials where wer may be winners also, then they are bound to be fair to the respondent speaking about it. They won’t get co-operation or be able to present the range of topics planned if they go too long over time on one.
I don’t think that comparisons with Fox are justified.
“I don’t think that comparisons with Fox are justified.”
For dramatic effect I was applying an obvious exaggeration by comparison to illustrate the everdiminishing quality of news content that is being excreted from our Public Broadcaster.
-there is no smiley for that 🙂
Imagine another two to five years of government intervention and control of the Christchurch CBD….. Already the move back is sagging and build costs skyrocketing. People and businesses are saying right now “no thanks, we’ll stay put”. The only people and buildings in the CBD will be Council and government offices – not overly exciting.
On top of that of course the blueprint sought to “shore up” land values byt heavily restricting land use, so speculative land prices are through the roof.
Upshot of this interference equals slowing the rebuild to such an extent that it may not even happen. The donut ghost town.
the risk is as real as this morning’s dawn. don’t count on the sparkly new city folks
It’s been obvious that this was a slow motion train crash from the start.
The moment you let so much time elapse and let the insurance companies gait the tempo of activity, and allow businesses, jobs and families to wither on the vine and go away, you’re fucked. Declining population base, declining rates base, declining morale.
The people adding to Christchurch now don’t see Christchurch as a new home.
It’s just the next gold rush.
Yep. I wonder whether the earthquakes and subsequent demolition of pretty much the entire CBD has been too much. The whole act is too massive for a population to take. The job of rebuild too big. The timeframes too long. It may be that we have lost forever one of our cities (as the CBD and Chch were).
It has been too much.
Naomi Klein “Disaster Capitalism.” New Orleans
http://www.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine/resources/part7/chapter20
VTO – My contention has always been, and will remain, that there was NO intention to rebuild Christchurch, to any standard which would create a desireable *second city*.
I expect that agenda was set from the get go, and I don’t see Christchurch being allowed to have any remnants of the elected council, anytime soon either!
There have been many agendas. One notable one, which suspiciouns were raised about and confirmed recently with a talk with a senior banking person in the city…… the blueprint acted to shore up land values in the city so that owners and lenders on that property wouldn’t dip out financially. One clear agenda enacted. Fact.
And as long as the derivatives markets continue unabated, there is no end in sight to the schemes which will be dreamed up, to *shore up* markets, of all kinds. The potential losses, from all forms of speculative gambling, have to be propped up, by more conventional lines of business, until the time is right to collapse of course!
What this translates into, is suffering, misery and so on, for the overwhelming majority of people, regardless of where in the world they reside!
It isn’t just a case of ‘suspicions’ over the Frame and Anchor projects being designed to shore up land prices in the designated ‘retail precinct’ – it was admitted from the origins of the Blueprint.
Don Miskell, somewhat naively, seemed overjoyed that CERA’s economists not only approved of a ‘Frame’ but then proceeded to expand its proposed width markedly – and all in order to increase land values in the remainder of the city. Miskell saw it as ‘win-win’ (economic benefit in terms of land values and ‘environmental benefit’ in terms of the so-called ‘green frame’).
The argument was that only by reducing land supply artificially could the ‘critical mass’ of investment drive recovery. As you pointed out in another comment, reports now are that it’s had exactly the opposite effect – of course this was predictable, but, presumably deliberately, had been denied until now.
It was a remarkably bold, duplicitous, agenda-driven process from the get go. I’ve blogged several times about the process and am (over)due to do another.
On the broader question, I tend to the view that the government did indeed also see this as an opportunity to castrate Christchurch politically and disempower its population in order to ensure the ‘economic goldrush’ for the province’s resources (including but not restricted to water) would proceed and accelerate, only meeting ineffectual, unorganised opposition from stressed people being pulled in a hundred different directions and having few formal avenues to engage in the political decision making process.
Dismantling communities, destabilising locales, encouraging ‘sprawl’, importing transient labour and all of the other socially fragmenting features of this planned ‘recovery’ serve the political right – and, frankly, crony capitalism – extremely well.
The fewer natural opportunities and structures there are for people to form common interests the better, for the right. This is known instinctively by most right-wing politicians and, by many of them, it’s known quite explicitly (e.g., wedge politics, divide and conquer, etc.).
Fact eh! Lets see the citation and or quality links then.
Hi dumrse,
I presume you’re responding to vto but I think this link to the Central City Blueprint reveals that vto’s contention about the aim of increasing land values is no conspiracy theory. On page 35 it reads:
“The Frame in tandem with zoning provisions, reduces the extent of the central city commercial area so that the oversupply of land is addressed. It will help to increase the value of properties generally across the central city in a way that regulations to contain the central core, or new zoning decisions, could not. The Frame helps to deliver a more compact core while diversifying opportunities for investment and development. The Frame allows the Core to expand in the future if there is demand for housing or commercial development.
Is the central city blueprint a ‘quality link’? If not – and I understand why you might be wary of it given its glossy nature – here’s an article in which Don Miskell is interviewed about how the frame came to be.
“We looked at the map and thought, well, Latimer Square is 80m wide. Let’s lengthen that all the way up to the river.‘
Hesitantly they put their suggestion to the CCDU and were astounded by the response. “They said great idea. But no. Not nearly wide enough. And that was their investment guys!”
Miskell says this is where the advantage of having all the experts in the one place really showed. Cera’s economics team could see angles that Blueprint’s architects and urban planners could not imagine.]
The economists said a much fatter park strip – one a whole 220m, or an entire city block wide – would have the double benefit of creating green amenity in that part of town while also mopping up the excess land.”
Couple good posts there mr puddleglum. The “investment guys and the economists”, who effectively delivered that scenario to Christchurch (and how many of them maybe 3 or 4 or more?), have of course caused the current malaise.
It is the old story of outsiders thinking they know better. And Wellingtonians no doubt of course too. And the old story of having people who don’t pay the bills make the decisions – or rather having absolutely no input from the people who do pay the bills and live in the place. Example “having all the experts in the one place really showed. Cera’s economics team could see angles that Blueprint’s architects and urban planners could not imagine”
For fucks sake, the economics team, the architects, the urban planners…..
And now it continues – apparently tomorrow the Press has the 50 Power People in Chch and it is dominated by people from outside Christchurch (government through cera eqc and of course the ecan fuck).
The power should be resting with the people who live there, not elsewhere.
This is fundamental.
It was described immediately post-earthquake throughout the media as one of the most important components of a recovery.
The opposite has happened, as these things show.
It is very bad.
sad.
Yes it is sad.
It’s amazing how easily it can happen. The pattern seems to be that a core group (relatively small) have a very clear goal/agenda. They then package it in a way that they can entice and recruit to their project a penumbra of professional ‘gnomes’ who, for all sorts of reasons, commit to the process.
These ‘gnomes’ – ‘good’, professional people, technocrats, experts, etc. pursuing their own careers and limelight – can conjur in their minds all sorts of worthy reasons why what they are doing will, ultimately, benefit the masses, even if what they are doing so thoroughly excludes the masses.
I imagine they genuinely don’t think there is an agenda from the ‘core’ group that is at odds with the interests of the ‘masses’ – largely because it serves the ‘gnomic’ class’ interests to be in denial about any such agenda. To acknowledge such an agenda would cause unbearable cognitive dissonance and, potentially, exclude them from such an exciting – often career-enhancing – ‘Big Project’.
It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of these people. It must be quite intoxicating so far as the social status it offers to them and the sense of making an ‘impact’ on the world.
It all highlights what an amazing city central Christchurch was. Which should highlight to all other communities that what they have in the scape, the buildings, the people, the routes and byways, the lanes and streets, the bridges, intersections, schools, theatres, restrooms, garages, trees, old trees, shops and hotels, the acknowledgements and hellos and nods and handshakes all in a space borne from the natural growth of a population, is something to treasure. It is a life, a culture, a tradition and heritage, a haven, home, workplace, meeting place, it is all of these things done to a a state that only long time does…………….
Austerity economics causes suicides, depression, disease
HIV, malaria, TB returning.
Thanks right wing prick politicians, central and investment banksters.
Whilst continuing to engage in idiotic left wing spending like there is no problem always turns out well.
Commonly known as the “smoke yourself free of lung cancer method”.
Hi King Kong
You do talk utter rubbish, you know? Of course you wouldn’t would you…..?
More sensible than the “cut money and spending from communities business recovery method”
Austerity causes Malaria? I could have sworn it was mosquito borne
Your comment makes no sense, TC. Perhaps you were trying (and failing) to be humorous?
Mosquitos are a delivery mechanism, not the cause. Malaria, and the others listed, are diseases of poverty, as I’m sure you actually know. Very few cases of TB in Remeura, as far as I can tell. So, in a time of austerity, it’s hardly a surprise that impoverished neighborhoods, cities and countries see a lift in cases of diseases related to pisspoor living conditions.
Rather than take the default right wing view of the poor, why don’t you try being contrarian?
Well, I’ve got my money on the changing environment causing malaria borne mosquitos to expand their territory and growing antibiotic resistance to be causing the spread of Malaria as opposed to austerity measures.
You’ll note I only mentioned malaria and didn’t mention TB or the other listed diseases as well as the fact I haven’t taken any view of the poor, left or right, so I’d say your comment is a bit of a strawman.
Well, austerity could plausibly (meaning clearly pulling this out of my arse) result in decreased public health funding for projects such as education campaigns about standing water, delayed treatment and neglected prophylactic treatment, and localised pest eradication schemes.
So there is actually a reasonable theoretical link between austerity and malaria, regardless of the actual vector of the organism.
I’d still put my money climate change and antobiotic resistance.
Nobody’s said that those aren’t factors.
Just that the resources that a government uses in response to a public health threat also has an effect.
Hi TheContrarian,
This link shows the point about the effect on malaria – Greece had its first outbreak in some time because of, you guessed it, reductions in malarial spraying programmes.
Further,
“The harms we have found include HIV and malaria outbreaks, shortages of essential medicines, lost healthcare access, and an avoidable epidemic of alcohol abuse, depression and suicide,” he said in a statement. “Austerity is having a devastating effect.”
This is the book – yet to come out.
It apparently data mines an array of historical case studies from a range of countries to come to the conclusion that, from a public health perspective, people’s circumstances, wellbeing and health can improve even in economic downturns so long as austerity is not used as a policy tool. When it is, public health takes a big hit.
The British commenter this morning I think Matthew Parish, said that Ed Milliband came poorly out of a recent interview. He said that Labour would alter VAT I think he said that they would drop it for a year. When asked where he would get the Billions of pounds that would be foregone he dodged the question, and couldn’t come up with a definite plan to manage the Budget. It doesn’t look good for British Labour.
Labour all around the world are timid about making a simple statement that the allocation of wealth in society needs to change from the top end to the middle.
The trouble was that his timidity seemed to stem from a lack of any plan to meet the gap between receiving present income from VAT and the sudden loss of it.
There’s a hole in the bucket dear Liza dear Liza – Henry has to fix it with a straw. Is that the strawman that gets mentioned on this site quite often? I’m trying to keep amused with anything that comes to mind as the ship appears to be steadily sinking and most people are reacting by being sadder or madder or both. Let the musicians play diverting songs!
Its madness…there is a massive thieving under taxed financial centre in London…that and reversing the Tories income tax cuts…plus UNCUT UK have quite a few ideas too…I mean this stuff is not rocket science.
City of London, can only be considered *under taxed*, if it is part of the jurisdiction which HMRC lords over!
Should City of London, or more accurately the corporations/institutions which a registered there, be outside the jurisdiction of HMRC, then whatever taxation is paid, can only be deemed, appropriate!
Same can be said of the FSA et al!
That will be the same Matthew Parish who recently told Kathryn Ryan that Margaret Thatcher was the most important post-war British Prime Minister and he would know since the highlight of his career as a Tory MP was being her loyal letter opener.
Gawd, coming back to civilisation every now and then leaves moi dumbfounded at manwomankind and its perverted ways. For something to take you back to the raw beauty of nature and its brutal honesty check this http://www.surf.co.nz/tv/977 I posted it here some time ago but it has reared its head as a repeat on this other site. Go wide screen and lose yourself lest you get lost in the wrong world…..
Spectacular.
I have never used “awesome” but today, that was awesome vto!
And to think when the World becomes absent of people, the ocean will still be surging and tumbling and foaming away according to its own agenda. Magnificent joe.
Seen this?
__________________________________________________________________________
2 May 2013
Press Release: Sue Henry Spokesperson for the Housing Lobby
“Say NO to democracy for salivating property developers.”
“There will never be positive advancements for the public majority of the Auckland region as long as we have political party ticket monopolies sitting in the Council Chamber,” says Sue Henry Spokesperson, for the Housing Lobby
“The faces may change ever three years while both party tickets play ‘pass the parcel’ and bulldoze through the failed ideology of housing intensification from the 2004 ‘Central Sector Agreement’ and former ARC ‘Regional Policy Statement’ .
“It is scandalous the way both tickets have extended this housing intensification proposal deep into the heart of well-established residential areas, ignoring vigorous community opposition,” she continues.
“We need a fresh approach away from slums and leaky chilly-bin houses.
Whose interests are being served?
The public majority or salivating property developers?”
Sue Henry
Spokesperson for the Housing Lobby
Well, if we go the way that National wants – the land bankers, the banks and the oil companies and a few others that will benefit from the inflated costs that come with sprawl but not the people of Auckland.
If we go the other way, which we really don’t have a choice about, the people of Auckland and not the land bankers, the banks and the oil companies. Actually, the banks will win no matter what happens because they get to print money.
Did you ever find out if you were one of the people being spied on?
Last time I was here I saw a comment that you were going to find out soon.
By 9 May 2013 – I should get my Privacy Act reply as to whether or not I am one of the 88 New Zealanders who has been unlawfully spied upon by the GCSB.
Penny Bright
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
For those who are interested in our country being clever and getting business and enterprise going and getting jobs and lots of working people getting wages to a reassonable standard instead of seeing NZs being represented cows’ sweet faces (the Jersey ones I mean with long eyelashes) in large advertisements all around the place, well…
There was an interesting interview on Radio NZ this morning with a woman who has spent about ten years in New York and come back here to live and she has looked at how the ORs (Overseas Residents) are treated back here. 24,000 come back each year, recently anyway. And are their ideas, their expertise etc being welcomed, embraced and utilised?
For more exciting details try Radionz 9 to Noon this Thursday the 2nd, if you can get on to the Radionz site, and once there on to the details of the interview. I couldn’t and I don’t have all day to get the full information.
But this woman has good stuff that needs to be beard.
The documentary He Toki Huna: New Zealand seems to be longer available on Maori TVs website. Does anyone know where it can be bought?
http://www.maoritelevision.com/tv/shows/anzac-2013/episode/he-toki-huna-new-zealand-afghanistan
There’s a longer version coming out soon for the doco circuit I think. Probably available after that I guess.
This was posted under my post on the doco. Posted by Annie:
John Lancashire (see last para) giving comments about our dire biosecurity lack-of-system in Radio NZ Rural News today Thursday 2/5. Midday Rural News for 2 May 2013 News from the rural and farming sectors. (7′40″) http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ruralnews
He was excoriating about it (good word – we should be using it a lot with political degenerates as we have now). He also seems to be talking factually and his judgment seems sound. Apparently the latest money-saving conflation of government work and responsibility is to bring together Biosecurity and Biodiversity. Both of which he thinks are vitally important and need separate monitoring and understandings.
We are so full of shit in this country. It seems to become more obvious daily from what we hear coming from people who have wormed their way into positions of power and supposed interest in serving the country and the citizens. I don’t know if the rough measure so often used of 80/20% applies but it seems to me that the reliable and thoughtful people are down to the smallest minority. We need to change so much – get responsible people in power – how?
Serious weaknesses identified in NZ’s biosecurity system
from Nine To Noon on Friday 1 March 2013
John Lancashire, immediate past president of New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science; and Rob Thode, a Te Puke kiwifruit grower whose orchard was infected with PSA.
Duration: 21′30″ Play (Windows) Play (Other) Download: Ogg Vorbis MP3
here’s the latest from the right re: NZ Power
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/134117/labour-and-greens-urged-to-abandon-electricity-policy
It’s getting vomit inducing having to listen to these self-interest groups explaining how unfair it is that their income stream plans are being disrupted. It’s as if God has told them it’s their right to fleece electricity users ffs.
There’s plenty of other ‘shares’ to gamble on, and there are even casinos around too.
Vomit inducing is right. It’s more than a little disheartening that basically nobody in the MSM is calling them on their BS. The whole thing has really underscored how economically-far-right NZ has become. On a positive note, I suspect that it won’t matter what National etc say, most people get this issue and realise that National is only concerned for shareholders and no-one else.
Is anyone else getting an odd display on the Feeds?
Just wondering if it is my browser cache or more general.
Ah – whatever it was cleared after shutting chrome and restarting
Surprise surprise….
NZ Post feeling squeeze
Wow… That bank … can’t stand on it’s own two feet !!!! How surprising ….
Delivery days probably should be cut as more and more mail becomes electronic but, in saying, there are still people (elderly for example) who might require a full service.
Perhaps you can elect to have three day service?
And burt, being the idiot and economic ignoramus that he is, fails to understand the problem. The problem being that the decline in physical mail has brought about the fact that the volume can no longer support the legal requirements of 6 delivery days per week.
He also failed to read the article – it seems that the bank is doing fine but it would do better with the government investing more in it. It seems that burt is so stupid that he doesn’t realise that a successful business requires ongoing investment.
Hey Draco, did you know it is possible to point out misunderstandings or incorrect statements without saying things like “burt is so stupid” and “eing the idiot and economic ignoramus that he is”.
You knew that, right?
Not sure it is possible in burt’s case…
+1
😈
TheContrarian, in fact you may not be seeing the whole picture. Conservatives often lack the cognitive ability to understand logical challenges to their opinions. In such cases, emotional approaches may yield better results.
Sure they will.
Take the mass of resources available to schools for combating that archetypal wingnut philosophy, racism, for example:
Note the emphasis on feelings.
Uh-huh.
Conservatives less likely to buy same lightbulbs if you tell them it will help the environment
This is basically where burt is at. As far as he’s concerned anything state owned is bad and so he will treat as such even if doing so hurts him.
And knowing this result, what are intellectually and academically capable lefties going to do differently in their political campaigns and messaging?
I suspect nothing.
Yes… lets extract some more tax payers funds to prop up a business that’s having trouble in a competitive market… Better still – lets kill off all competition and mandate state control over the sector… Seems to be the right approach for electricity – why not banking ?
Question: Has there ever been a year when KiwiBank didn’t require capital to stay operational and fund all that TV advertising?
Advertising that it’s NZ owned and looking after the best interests of NZ by sucking up tax payer dollars in some grand charade that it’s competitive and making a difference to the behaviour of the “big banks” that just keep recording massive profits while “our bank” needs capital from tax payers ?
It doesn’t require capital to continue operating – it requires it to grow faster.
oh man. Reckon he should of HeyClinted on this one:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10881044
Those apologies came after one of his dining companions, Christchurch lawyer Andrew Riches confirmed he’d left a note at the hotel the following morning apologising for Mr Gilmore’s behaviour.
Mr Gilmore allegedly called the waiter a “dickhead” when he refused him more wine and gave him his business card saying something like “Don’t you know who I am? I’m an important politician”, The Press reported today.
It has also been suggested this morning that Mr Gilmore told the waiter he would tell the Prime Minister’s office about the waiter’s behaviour and have him sacked.
Mr Riches this afternoon confirmed to the Herald he’d heard Mr Gilmore use words to that effect to the waiter.
Mr Riches also said he was disappointed that Mr Gilmore had apologised for his group’s behaviour when it was “absolutely” his own behaviour that was in question.
“It’s a shame because I thought this could just lie, he could apologise and that would be the end of it, but to sort of blame everyone else!”
He told the Herald that two of the four in Mr Gilmore’s group had left by the time of the incident.
“It was because most of the group had already left, he was cut off service, he did the old, “do you know who I am, I’m an MP”.
“I thought it was just disgusting.”
If you read the article carefully. he’s not really taking responsibility…
“As a group of diners our behaviour was at times boisterous, and I sincerely apologise for any offence this may have caused to staff and/or patrons”.
No individual apology for his own specific actions, which have been outlined in some detail.
Just a general apology on the part of the group.
If he does not apologise fully, this story will keep running.
He hasn’t even apologised for them either. “I apologise for any offence caused” is a Clayton’s apology. If he means it he’ll apologise for his own behaviour not what he imagines to be someone else’s state of mind.
PS: The same apology, in fact, that Little and Mallard offered Collins; a gesture of contempt 🙂
Yup. A letter has been sent to Duncan Garner from Andrew Riches, one of the Hanmer group.
And Garner makes a suggestion to John Key to get rid of him.
It’s not a good look.
While “some inappropriate comments might seem to have been made”, they had been apologised for, he said. – Herald
Yes but not by him. Must have caught that infection from his Leader?
This is the same Aaron Gilmore that claimed high level finance industry qualifications on his CV, right?
And yeah, that’s a Clayton’s apology. Two strikes, I’m sure there’s a third in there somewhere.
Do you notice how Matthew Hooton always uses the term the Green/Labour axis?
He is clearly trying to control language and introduce new slogans for the right?
1. The use of axis, which has negative connotations because this was the term given to the German alliance in World War 2.
2. By using Green before Labour, he is trying to wind up Labour supporters.
And don’t forget the Axis of Evil.
Forget Hooton, – he is nothing more than tool in the box of the estabishment, as soon as there is no more use for him, he will be on the scapheap.
Does that make me feel good, no , not really, Hooton is a human being too, but has chosen sides, and now has to see it through to the inevitable conclusion.
Use of the word axis, is as you point out, Paul, and Draco, also!
“By using Green before Labour, he is trying to wind up Labour supporters.”
He must have got that from me.
Opps – posted comment went in wrong OpenMike.
Annoying. A Jetpack upgrade (for wordpress) just broke the site http://wordpress.org/support/topic/updating-jetpack-breaks-wordpress
Cleared the plugin out and we’re back again.
Interesting, the whole site is noticeably faster without Jetpack. I’ll have to look and find out what they’re screwing up on.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10881044
looks like the MP’s aren’t the only drunks
This has to be the worst edited articles ever in the Herald, or was it simply unproofed.
It is just a long string of variants of the same handful of sentences.
sorry for double posting the article, missed pb’s above
Latest Roy Morgan is out …
http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2013/4890/
All I can say is that there is no way that National support should have swung back like this and the polls are far too messy to be taken seriously.
makes more sense when you meet the author
Looks like it mickysavage. It suggests the swinging voters are swinging more wildly than ever. Not a good sign. They’re ripe for NAct manipulation and we’re seeing this happen with increasing frequency. Eg.. the far left wolf-whistle.
To my knowledge no senior Labour politician has seriously addressed this load of crap. They ignore it at their peril.
What’s the bet this one gets reported by The Herald?
lol
For goodness sake!! Morgan is all over he place, getting pretty silly!
It’s always been bouncy. National got abig bounce, and it’s a fifty/fifty call. Next bounce will be t’other way.
What, a rogue poll you say?
So what happens when we run out of months to write this polling off?
Abc, you rock :fucksticks:
What polling needs to be written off? The polling where a 4 point bump for labour still takes them only half way down to their previous election result?
Sure, you can concentrate on that 31.5 and try to spin it however you wish, even positively, but modesty and embarrassment would stop me.
How many months out will it be before you accept the inevitable and that I’m right, as usual? 😉
Abc :tardwanks:
about 18 months, if you make the same pledge 🙂
Do you really expect DS to be leader in 18 months?
I always put my money where my gob is… Like you didn’t know already 🙂
Unless you know of a secret challenge brewing.
But that’s part of it – Will labour be in government next year, with shearer as pm?
I think the chances are pretty good. And really, unless shearer’s campaign is akin to Brash or Banks, I’m not sure Cunliffe (assuming that was your ABC reference) would make the slightest difference
“Unless you know of a secret challenge brewing.”
There’s always secret challenges brewing. It’s politics after all.
“Will labour be in government next year, with shearer as pm?”
Nope.
“unless shearer’s campaign is akin to Brash or Banks”
And you think he’s better, how? Don’t bother, I’ll just photoshop an extra plank into his head shots and we’ll all agree he’s bad, but not in a good way.
“I’m not sure Cunliffe (assuming that was your ABC reference) would make the slightest difference”
Them who made the decision must take the blame, and abc will know this, hopefully sooner rather than later. Fuck judgement day, that’s so last week. I’m waiting for consequence day.
Enjoy your 31.5%
Actually, it’s much a much better day than the 27.95% day about 18 months back. That sucked.
And i really don’t think shearer is even remotely close to being as bad as banks or brash. Eye of the beholder, I guess. We’ll see.
“Actually, it’s much a much better day than the 27.95% day about 18 months back. That sucked.”
After the previous three years and shocking election campaign, marginally so.
“And i really don’t think shearer is even remotely close to being as bad as banks or brash. Eye of the beholder, I guess. We’ll see.”
It’s going to a rough ride. Strap in, mate.
Keep lowering expectations mate, it’s the only way to win this one.
you two always make me laugh
You remind me of fundies expecting armageddon to happen on date XXXX.
Every time things go badly, it’s a portent of imminent doom.
Every time things improve, it’s a blip and armageddon has been rescheduled for the morrow.
I’m not “lowering expectations”. My expectation is a labour/green government.
There is nothing in RM, colmar brunton, or Reid Research (TV3) trends to indicate that this is not a likely outcome in 2014.
No matter how desperate you are for labour to fail or the world to end.
“you two always make me laugh”
Then you need to up or lower your meds, depending 😆
“No matter how desperate you are for labour to fail”
That particular space ship has long since sailed, my friend.
McFlock, yes there’s every possibility that Labour will be able to form a government even with a 33% or 34% e-day result.
No need to set expectations higher than that mate, as that delivers the win you want.
Well I can imagine that on a billboard – “Not as bad as Brash or Banks”. The irony will surely capture that vital hipster demographic. Maybe Shearer and Robertson should start growing handlebar moustaches, wear enormous spectacle frames, skinny trousers and and drink Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.
Actually, this could go really well: “I’m David Shearer, you’ve probably never heard of me.”
“Vote Labour: It could be a lot worse you know.”
NZFirst is down 10%.
Maori Party down 25%, CCCP up by the same.
ACT and UnitedPeterDunne holding steady.
The big winner though is Mana on the far left, up 100%!
Must be up by the margin of error then…
Fuck no, nowhere near that much.
the Nats PR clobbering machine is just warming up over NZ Power, and Labour counter punches have been light weight. I’m with Al1en, this ride is going to be rough. Go Greens, go Mana.
“I’m with Al1en”
That’s puts me ahead of uf and act in recent polling. 🙂
And with Brewster’s Millions, I’d out poll Craig and the loony c’s in a couple of months.
Well it does suggest the tv3 poll was a better reflection of the sentiment than tv1. Guess well have to wait for the next round from them. Of course if labor was doing well post power policy, maybe they could tell us their numbers. Who polls for them these days anyway now umr is gone (assuming they are?).
Actually it doesn’t suggest anything of the sort. TV3 claimed that National would be able to govern alone on their last poll results. Gary Morgan makes the point that even with this bounce in the Roy Morgan, Labour and its coalition partners would be more likely to form government than National.
Except hasn’t Winston made it clear he won’t go into any kind of coalition with the Greens?
Winston’s firm positions on the Greens, like all his firm positions, are (ahem) biodegradable.
And that was two (maybe 3?) elections ago. Before National cost him his Parliamentary gig. I’d say 60/40 he won’t go with the Nats.
I tend to agree with you but the Nats and their corporate mates are really really good with the trinkets.
Colin Craig’s Clint moment? Bomber just asked him on Citizen A, about Auckland’s Transport funding issues, “What would Jesus do?” Craig collapses with a snorty giggle – no idea.
How easy it is becoming for a board to improve their share market price and still maintain their earning power, if we downscale our workforce or outsource who will have the money to buy these coys products or services?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10881039
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10874446
Perhaps those here could make a wee (immoral) profit with air nz???
You seem to be asking questions based on the premise that these boards and their directors wish to build strong ongoing businesses. And yes, some do.
But with many others, it helps to view their activities from the standpoint of conducting a bank heist in progress. Then you’ll find that their activities make far more sense.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Protestors-Minto-Bright-to-run-for-mayoralty/tabid/1607/articleID/296315/Default.aspx
I think it’s a good thing that John Minto is standing as an Auckland Mayoral candidate – he will be able to promote Mana policies which will help focus on the most vulnerable of the 99%.
That will also help to raise the profile of Mana, and their policies before the 2014 General Election.
As I did in 2010 as an Auckland Mayoral candidate – I will be focusing on how the $upercity has been a corrupt corporate coup – and how to take back the Auckland region from the control of the 1%.
I tried to warn you folks as an Auckland Mayoral candidate in 2010 – that the Auckland $upercity would be a SUPER RIPOFF – a super public trough, for fewer but bigger private snouts.
Where was I wrong?
Have YOUR rates gone UP or DOWN?
______________________________________________________________________________
Why I stood as an Auckland Mayoral candidate in 2010:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10673942
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10673942&gallery_id=113947
______________________________________________________________________________
AUCKLAND MAYORAL CAMPAIGN 2013:
ACTION PLAN against ‘white collar’ crime, corruption and ‘corporate welfare’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com/action-plan-to-prevent-corruption/
Proven track record, as a successful Occupy Auckland Appellant (in my own name) in fighting the corporate 1% who run the Auckland region, ‘like a business – for business’:
EVIDENCE in the following High Court document – exposing the role of the unelected Committee for Auckland, of which the CEO for Auckland Council, Doug McKay is a member.
(So – whose interests is he serving?
The majority of citizens and ratepayers – or his corporate mates?)
http://www.occupyaucklandvsaucklandcouncilappeal.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/OCCUPY-AUCKLAND-APPEAL-APPLICATION-BY-APPELLANT-BRIGHT-TO-ADDUCE-NEW-EVIDENCE-pdf.pdf
There is more …………… LOTS more to come …………….
Cheers!
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner
2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
PS: My defended hearing in the above-mentioned Court case on the charge of ‘willful trespass’ for occupying John Banks electoral office on 18 June 2013 – has been adjourned until 27 September 2013 🙂
A panel, chaired by Key’s scientific adviser Sir Peter Gluckman, advises of the impact climate change could have on the Antarctic, and thus on NZ and it’s economy.
Youth rates
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/133949/pm-defends-lower-youth-pay-rate
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/8617998/Protest-as-youth-rates-come-into-force
“A young unskilled person is disadvantaged in competing against more experienced and trained people in the labour market. Starting wages help young people gain experience and better equip them to be able to compete on stronger terms.”
So where does the more experienced and trained person go ? And wait a few months/year and see these organisations that are currently commenting that they will still continue to pay min wage will be?
‘Young’ is a superfluous word. E.g. an any, particularly and older, unskilled, inexperienced pak’n’save stacker is easily as disadvantaged as young unskilled, inexperienced pak’n’save stacker when competing against more experienced and trained people. That’s why there are pay grades.
Why do we let these people making excuses that lead to lower wages based on age get away with this?
Look at these filthy disgusting black-gloved thugs physically shoving law abiding citizens around in Queen St yesterday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtjM_kFOp_s
Disgraceful. They should all be before the courts charged with aggravated assault.
Disgraceful. No one pushed back.