The Prime Minister told the Listener he sent his children to private schools for educational reasons, including smaller classes and better resources.
It was not a direct quote, but a picture of Mr Key with the comment alongside was posted on Facebook yesterday and by last night had appeared on numerous blogs and been shared by more than 6000 people.
Power to the people!
PS: Pity about the comic piece beside this article, with a photo of a comedian with a ludicrous speech bubble spewing out of his mouth.
In March 2007, APN NZ announced it was considering a plan to outsource the bulk of the Herald’s copy editing to an Australian-owned company, Pagemasters. APN confirmed the outsourcing decision to affected staff on 19 April 2007.
Although last week there was news about the possible outsourcing of copy editing for Fairfax Aussie papers, to NZ.
Well said Carol. Was furious when I saw this headline. Nearly choked over a cup of tea when I saw the 4.30pm TVNZ news yesterday and saw police lifting people by their necks using armholds and fingers around throats, crushing a person’s head by their neck into the concreted ground and then saw a policeman pull his arm back and really punch a student hard at least a couple of times. I was absolutely stunned and horrified .The students were passive and to their absolute credit did not retaliate.This video was sanitised by the time it reached the six o’ clock news, I could find it nowhere on the TVNZ site. Thus I went to TV3 and found much of what I previously witnessed, however there was only a slight glimpse of the policeman punching some one.I saved them in case they ‘disappeared’ too.
Why were some of the police so dangerous? Have they not had training into how to handle peaceful protests?
It seems, from the Herald story you have just linked to that someone is spinning. Even Bill English’ part in the provocation was watered down. This type of untruthful and ‘spin’ reporting infuriates me.
It could have been my son, who is a student in Auckland, that could have been manhandled like this by the police. My fury would have known no bounds, and misrepresentation of the facts would have poured further fuel on my anger.
Standard authors – do you want to support a campaign to get a debate on the future of our Super?
This is not about specific options for Super at this stage, it’s to build a campaign for dealing with and debating super. Super is one of the most important issues facing us over the next half century. We need to discuss it and deal with it.
David Shearer is pushing for a cross party discussion. And according to Duncan Garner:
– The Greens have said yes,
– ACT would join,
– the Maori Party want in,
– Hone Harawira won’t say no
– and Winston Peters could be tempted.
– Peter Dunne says everyone must join up for this to have credibility.
SO how about cross-blog support for this? Combine the power of the blogs. Post a blog, or comment here in support.
BADASS – Bloggers Advancing Debate About Super Solutions
The deal that accompanied the end of chattel slavery was that us ‘new found’ slaves for rent (forced into the position through violent dispossession and enclosure) would be allowed to work our way to freedom. Ie, we would rent our labour for a number of years and in return it was acknowledged we wouldn’t be forced to rent ourselves out in later years.
Okay, it wasn’t exactly a deal. It was an imposition. And that’s why many people died or had their lives ruined, first in resistence, and then, when that was quashed, attempting to improve various aspects of our end of ‘the deal’.
And now we are being told….well no, this is what we’re not being told…that our wages have been driven so low by those seeking to profit from our labour, that government cannot raise enough money from us in the way of taxes to provide for retirement. What we are being told is that we need to rent ourselves out for a larger proportion of our life span because….because, well shit… just because really. But not because profits, unlike people, have to remain inviolate.
The ‘no’ refers to the fact that any such debate should be off the table. Why should it be off the table? Read my comment. Any government daring to make even the slightest hint of extending the years of rented out labour would, in a society that knew its history, be ‘gone by lunch time’.
And anyway, what is the ‘it’ that something needs done about Pete? I guess in your world it simply couldn’t be the enormous and continuely rising rate of profit that has essentially diverted resources away from workers and by extension governments and so society at large.
You want a sustainable way forward Pete? Well how about you firts of all recognise what it is that is unsustainable? Here’s a hint, it’s capitalism and its demand for growth. So whatever sustainable way it is that we might develop going forwards; this isn’t it Pete.
And even within the parameters of Capitalism…since I doubt you’ll ever get beyond a quizzical DUH? when trying to get your head around why some people might not be enamored by the whole shebang…. selectively picking out little bits of so-called ‘economic unsustainability’ and not looking at how that transpired…refusing to look at the bigger picture,the context… is a sheer fucking dishonest nonsense that any politician, for having brought it into the arena of public debate, should fucking swing for.
I’ve acknowledged the capitalism ponzi problem for quite a while Bill.
I’m far less certain that a complete change in economic system is necessary to attain sustainability. One of the biggest impediments is the entrenched attitude of most of the population who are addicted to consumerism.
Not an error, Nationbal’s current position is to do nothing and change nothing, while Key is still PM. English says the same – see National’s toes dug in Super.
So we have four options:
1. Go the National way and kick the can down the road, until 2014, or 2017, or…
2. Build support and pressure to “encourage” National to change their minds and at least start the discussion necessary to address it.
3. Ignore National’s intransigence and do as much work as possible discussing and investigating and decidedin amongst everyone else so that when the next Non-National led government gets in any changes can be started as soon as possible.
4. Wait and hope for Bill’s revolution (and hope there are no adverse effects or unforeseen consequences and hope that there’s a miracle transformation to go with it).
pg hair should grow some and sort it out with national he could force national to stop wasting time and fobbing the issue.No plan National and by default the hair the MP for Ohairyu
he could force national to stop wasting time and fobbing the issue
I don’t know how you think he could do that. He can’t force National or any other party to do anything.
UF does have an agreement with National to have a discussion paper on super this term, and National have said they will honour that commitment (Bill Enlish reeaffirmed that on Thursday). So that’s a toe in the door opportunity. I’m doing what I can to help make the most of that toe in the door, and trying to involve any other party that is willing to be involved as much as possible.
This BADASS initiative could help in this respect, the wider and larger the public support for doing soemthing the more more that can be done, sooner. Maybe not as soon as some of us would prefer, but it’s far better than doing nothing.
Pete stop trying to gain the cudos for this. Labour and the Greens are the only parties brave enough to raise this as an issue and discuss it. UF just confused the issue by proposing something that actually achieved nothing.
If you want to do something of use persuade the follicled one to withdraw support for the Government. This is the one and only thing UF could do if it is interested in achieving a solution.
That’s one of the sillier things you’ve said. It would make a mockery of a coalition agreement and our MMP if UF withdrew support from the Government.
And it would remove the one guaranteed chance of official Super discussions.That opportunity can be used to the max, or ignored, which would probably result in no progress on Super this term.
I don’t expect you to understand non-partisan practical politics, but I know some in Labour do.
Pete, seeing National has said they are not at all interested in substantive talks, then what can be done?
UFs coalition agreement is a farce that will achieve nothing on this. It’s designed to achieve nothing on this. Signing up to it was an agreement by Dunne that nothing will be actually done.
So he either honours it, and toes national’s ‘do nothing’ line, or he tries to get a majority in parliament to do something without national. But the coalition agreement thing cannot be a part of getting anything done, because it is with National, who are adament that they are not going to do anything.
But now there is a guaranteed opportunity to begin a discussion which can be used to prepare for when we have a government willing to act on it.
There is always an opportunity to talk about it Pete, and it’s always gauranteed. But the coalition agreement ‘talk’ is guaranteed to fail. It’s predetermined to fail. It’s between National and UF, and National have said they are not for changing.
Suggest a better way to do it.
how about the various parties work out what they want to do in terms of policy, advocate for those policies, and then we put it up to a vote from the entire electorate in the form of an election, After that election the parties elected to parliament will negotiate untill some combination can form a government and implement policy.
that sounds a lot better to me than a bunch of undemocratic back room dealiing
Well two predictions Petey. Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures. And the coiffured one will continue to receive his grossly excessive salary and get driven around by limos paid with our coin.
When does he “get driven around by limos”? I think that’s an uninformed criticism based on no facts. As far as I know he drives himself around Wellington in an ordinary sort of car.
And stop diverting. If you are keen to do something about retirement then persuade UF to jump up and down and insist on National at least talking about the subject. Labour and the Greens will happily take part in the discussion.
Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures.
If everyone buys into that then you will be right. If enough people are prepared to stand up and push, then it will at least perpare the way.
Maybe you should talk to David Shearer, it seems to be a major priority of his, he is talking to other parties about it quietly and proposing co-operative action publicly.
Once again it seems I’m more supportive of what your leader is doing than you are. Why don’t you get in behind him on that, help drive it. I think it needs an inside/outside parliament multi party approach. I’m happy to work with you on it.
Yes, I think we can only do what is manageable, given the Key intransigence. Hopefully such cross-party consultation as might be possible will at least be persuasive with the public.Points 2 and 3 look positive possibilities. I agree with your comment on National’s current position.
We only need to look at places like the USA, whese we see retirees having to live on the street or work in low wage jobs because their retirement savings were wiped out in various crashes, or their employer was able to get out of making good on their pension obligations, ie United Airlines, various city and local governments, etc, to be thankful of the existence of NZ Super, which is only becoming expensive because of 20 years of tax cuts, especially in terms of wealth taxes.
I have noticed that those who scream the loudest about this are those who:
1) Work in the financial sector and would make a lot money from managing pension accounts, or advising people where to invest for their retirements.
2) Those who have a secure retirement to look forward to
3) Those looking for cheap labour
4) People who just resent people on low incomes/state assistance.
Don’t forget those in sedentary jobs, who can easily work until 80.
Are happy to make those work on whose more demanding jobs destroy their physical or mental health.
Unfortunately enough to make work difficult, but not enough to get an invalids benefit.
You hit the nail on the head. The only group whose funding is affording the lifestyle of the abysmal greedy with some sort of “guaranty” is the taxpayer. The longer they can milk this group the better for them. Naturally.
Four years ago Comedian and Guardian journalist Charlie Skelton went to Greece to rapport and possibly ridicule the “conspiracy” theorists who tried to attend the Global population to the fact that on average 200 of the richest and most powerful people met in secret to “talk freely”about global affairs. That was four years ago.
But when Charlie was followed and bullied and scared shitless by some of the Bilderberg goons he decided to have a closer look.
Today Charlie after following BIlderberg and visiting each consecutive Bilderberg meeting (Outside with all the other Bilderberg watchers) Charlie talks a very different tune.
So here is Charlie in the Guardian for those of you still firmly entrenched in the artificial Left/Right political paradigm.
Sorry, couldn’t finish it. It was funny, but my eyes started glazing over at the lists of people who I was supposed to know the significance of but didn’t. Does it actually get to explain anything?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I think that is one of the factors. I also agree with the OECD when, in 2010, we were rated as having the second-to-best water quality, by Yale and Columbia.
Dr Russel Norman: Is the Prime Minister aware that the Yale report that he just quoted from has now been updated and our ranking has moved from second to 43rd, and does his Government take credit for the movement in our ranking in the Yale report from second to 43rd?
On Red Alert May 30, David Cunliffe spoke about a similar thing happening to him under a post entitled “Spin, damned spin, and Steven Joyce http://blog.labour.org.nz/
“In response to parliamentary oral question 7 today, economic development Minister Steven Joyce tried to deflect today’s announced cut to New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) 2012 growth forecast to a “stagnant” 1.5%, by saying this was all due to the supposed increase in the domestic savings rate.
Perhaps he was hoping that, as the NZIER publication is subscription-only, it was not going to be available to the Opposition, or to the public, and we would be unaware of his spin.
The problem for him, though, is I had the report in my hand and then I sought to table it.
National withheld leave for me to do so, to prevent you from judging for yourself.”
So David C posted the overview of the report to undermine Joyce’s spin and counteract this national MO of preventing tabling of information that national wants to ignore or deny. In other words, “what Mr Joyce thinks he can get away with in Question Time if no one is checking.”
It’s the intent of Standing Orders 368 and 374 to allow members of the House to be informed on matters not readily available to it by the tabling of documents. It’s meant to be a way for an assertion to be backed up with evidence.
You need to seek leave to table documents that are outside the scope of parliament or normal avenues of information gathering. There are meant to be good grounds to object to somebody seeking leave, however National MP’s have taken to abusing the process because there is so much information available that they would prefer was not officially registered.
While the Hansard is not required to log who is objecting to the tabling of documents and the Speaker continues to allow objections without good reason, such abuses of the system will continue.
I’ve just upgraded firefox, and now find ‘The Standard’ format slighly different, and irritatingly, lots of boxes popping up offering different kinds of ‘help’. Anyone else experiencing this?
A month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
Re the help popups, have you looked in the Preference settings?
Thanks Weka.
Yes it is mainly in the reply box. I can’t get in because it wants to spell check or offers me other tools before I’ve even got my cursor into the box, let alone written anything, and often blocks me getting into the box with the “help”.
I’ll try the preference settings.
btw I should have said that I don’t bother much with spelling and grammar rather than that I don’t often need it 😀
Weka, this has been a bug in Firefox for ages. It’s mildly annoying, particularly on posts with lots of comments, but I’ve learned to live with it! The other oddity is the comments RSS feed seems to be very short (ie. only a few comments) compared to other browsers.
Check you have the latest version of Firefox (v12)
Disable add-ons (for example, NoScript) that could interfere with the comment box
Or try Google Chrome…
Thanks Jackal and everyone else who offered advice.
I’ve done everything suggested (except change to chrome) and the problem appears to be gone (touch wood).
Result!
A month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!
A month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!
I tried to post this and got ‘internal server error’… whatever that means!
When trying to post this comment I got an ‘internal server error’, and the advice that I ought to contact you, and detail what I might have done to cause the problem – to which the answer is “blowed if I know’!
” month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!”
Last I heard POAL were waiting for the POAL industrial relations ACT to be enacted so they did not have to negotiate. Good faith or otherwise.
POAL’s lawyer died and the court cases were adjourned, so at present they are talking, but MUNZ has no illusions that POAL will not have another go at casualisation when the law is changed.
–Hey who are the Arab League anyway (not using the name Arab League anymore I notice…Oh thats right, Bahrain, Qatar and other assorted murderers, liers and dictators…But they are monarchist states, so part of the imperial love fest!
–Good old NZH still playing its part in the global narrative relay system for the imperialists!
Still no mention of the death squads, or the sects all now killing eachother…Nah its as simple as the Syrian Govt Forces against the “rebel” civillians! Nice and simply packaged for very stupid people!
At a Labour regional conference. Biggest turnout in years! Great speech from David Shearer, very confident and looking more and more like the next PM. DC up now, talking about our future clean tech economy. Grant Robertson next.
Its been an interesting approach from the leadership, asking questions of the participants, rather than lecturing from on high. The discussion paper on the ongoing organisational review has been received really well and has stimulated a lot of talk among the delegates. Presumably that will flow on into the remits session tomorrow, where there is going to be some robust debate on how we re-engage the voters, particularly the lower paid enrolled non voters.
Sounds like a repeat performance of last week-end’s Auck./Northland conference TRP. I liked the way Shearer brought in his senior colleagues to answer questions specific to their portfolios. It wasn’t that he couldn’t answer them himself, but he presumably wants them to share the platform with him. I found it very refreshing and suggests Labour is going to do the opposite to National and promote themselves as a well-oiled team rather than a one man band.
Was that the reason certain sections of the media – mainstream and elsewhere – were recently trying to create a perception of Labour caucus division with talk of warring factions and caucus rows?
No sign of division at all, there are 8 MP’s, all singing from the same song sheet. The day has just finished with an excellent presentation from Young Labour. We are so lucky having these young activists coming through, they are just so positive, so ready to be part of the political future of NZ!
Interested to hear thoughts on what you believe, yet another change in government is really going to achieve for NZ, seriously its an honest question..Dont come back with we wont sell assets etc!
Until you hear them talking about RBNZ audits, or printing project funds, as is our sovereign right to do, then you can forget about it…
Young activists coming through, so lucky…Voice come on bro, these peoople have got nothing, nothing to offer NZ long term survivial, and as long as people such as yourself continue to believe that, then all I can do is say, thanks very much for being part of the problem, would you have a think about some self evaluation!
Blah blah blah, waste of time because the serious issues are out of our parliaments hands!
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Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist China and the Cook Islands’ relationship “should not be disrupted or restrained by any third party”, says Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, as opposition leaders in Rarotonga express a loss of confidence in Prime Minister Mark Brown. In response to questions from the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Ogden, Associate Professor in Global Studies, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Donald Trump is moving rapidly to change the contours of contemporary international affairs, with the old US-dominated world order breaking down into a multipolar one with many centres of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ronnie Das, Associate Professor in Data Analytics, The University of Western Australia In the recent Border-Gavaskar series against India, Steve Smith agonisingly missed out reaching 10,000 Test runs in front of his home crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground, falling short by ...
In a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff, comedians and best friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester embark on a cross-country quest to find love. Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and ...
🚐 Bryn and Ku pack their bags and swap the bleak dating scene of Tāmaki Makaurau for some meet and mingle events in Ōtautahi that will take them out of their comfort zone. ❣️ Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club follows comedians Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they head out ...
"The relationship between China and the Cook Islands does not target any third party," the Chinese Foreign Ministry says, as opposition leaders in Rarotonga plan protest. ...
From tradwives to ‘petite blonde’ preferences, this season feels like a throwback for all the wrong reasons, writes Alex Casey. First of all: I know. Complaining about bad stuff on Married at First Sight Australia is like complaining that water is wet. But I’ve been bobbing around in these waters ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a public servant who’s ‘trying to get better’ explains her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 24. Ethnicity: Pākehā and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zena Assaad, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, Australian National University Ziv Lavi/Shutterstock Last week, Google quietly abandoned a long-standing commitment to not use artificial intelligence (AI) technology in weapons or surveillance. In an update to its AI principles, which were first ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brenainn Simpson, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Florian Nimsdorf / Shutterstock About 400 kilometres northwest of Sydney, just south of Dubbo, lies a large and interesting body of rock formed around 215 million years ago by erupting volcanoes. Known as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mareike Riedel, Senior lecturer in law, Macquarie University The dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents has dominated headlines in Australia in recent months, with calls for urgent action to address what many are calling a crisis. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney For a long time, it seemed refugee law had little relevance to people fleeing the impacts of climate change and disasters. Nearly 30 years ago, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maggie Kirkman, Senior Research Fellow, Global and Women’s Health, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock You’ve heard of the gender pay gap. What about the gap in medical care? Cardiovascular diseases – which can lead to heart ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Iain White, Professor of Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Getty Images Urban planning has a long history of promoting visionary ideas that advocate for particular futures. The most recent is the concept of the 15-minute city, which has gained traction globally. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew King, Associate Professor in Climate Science, ARC Centre of Excellence for 21st Century Weather, The University of Melbourne Earth is crossing the threshold of 1.5°C of global warming, according to two major global studies which together suggest the planet’s climate has ...
As support for the coalition dips, the PM and his soon-to-be-deputy have engaged in a public war of words. Stewart Sowman-Lund has the details in today’s edition of The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Support slips If there was ever a political honeymoon, or ...
Failure by successive governments has left the South Island’s freshwater in a near disastrous state, the High Court has been told, in a case that could force the Crown to jointly manage water bodies with Ngāi Tahu.Individual Ngāi Tahu leaders, and the collective group Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, are ...
Nearing the end of his career, the world’s greatest unicycle racer chases the sport’s most elusive record. There’s something different about world-class athletes. Even if you know nothing about their sport, you can see it. It’s the way they move – precise, powerful. It’s how they carry themselves – focused, ...
Migrants with money are the focus of new visa settings that the government hopes will boost the economy. Alice Neville explains.What’s all this then? On Sunday, as part of the government’s big plan to kickstart economic growth, changes were announced to the Active Investor Plus visa category, with the ...
Comment: Saturday February 1 was the grim fourth anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar. The date seems to have gone unnoticed back here in New Zealand. Even before war in Ukraine and then Gaza, Myanmar got little attention. Yet it is the most destructive conflict in our region. The ...
We’re on the brink of a ‘tidal wave’ of misinformation.No one knows the size of it, but there’s a warning that leaving it to the government to sort out won’t work.In the year of local government elections, expect computer-generated content where the sources and authenticity are murky; more complaints about ...
Comment: The next four years are going to bring a terrible information environment, with absurd claims bubbling up from fever swamps overseas The post Paranoia and politics appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Swirly World Sails South, by Andrew Fagan (2012)I feel Andrew is totally under-rated as an author. Alongside his latest book, Swirly World: Lost at Sea, his earlier sailing book is among my favourites. It tells of his trip around New Zealand – via the Auckland Islands. When he set out, ...
A lineup of prominent figures have joined the call to halt the deportation of a mother convicted of inflicting injuries on her baby, as fears grow she could be another victim of a ...
Yasser Abdulaal, who has lived in Ōtautahi Christchurch for five years, said his two sisters had lost their homes in the 15-month-long war. “Toxic wasteland” . . . Palestinians take shelter in tents set up amid heavily damaged buildings in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. Image: Al Jazeera screenshot ...
RNZ PacificMarshall Islands Journal editor Giff Johnson says US President Donald Trump’s decision on aid “is an opening for anybody else who wants to fill the gap” in the Pacific. Trump froze all USAID for 90 days on his first day in office and is now looking to significantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Mazza, Director, SPHERE NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health in Primary Care and Professor and Head of the Department of General Practice, Monash University PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock Ahead of the government’s response this week ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle It generally ends badly. An old tyrant embarks on an ill-considered project that involves redrawing maps. They are heedless to wise counsel and indifferent to indigenous interests or experience. Before they fail, are killed, deposed or otherwise disposed of, these vicious old men can cause immense ...
The Cook Islands PM is in Beijing to sign an agreement with China - but the government says he failed to consult with NZ on the matter, as is required. ...
The reported statement in 2005 about the reasons for the Shonkey one sending his children to private schools has gone viral:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10810207
Power to the people!
PS: Pity about the comic piece beside this article, with a photo of a comedian with a ludicrous speech bubble spewing out of his mouth.
Out-sourcing copy editors off-shore leads to some real stuff-ups in the headlines – like this one for the NZ Herald.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10810205
Surely the headline should read:
Marauding police surround students
and not vice versa as seen this morning on the NZH online?
Carol .. do they really out-source copy editng offshore ? Where to ??
Indeed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Zealand_Herald#Outsourcing
Although last week there was news about the possible outsourcing of copy editing for Fairfax Aussie papers, to NZ.
thx carol …
Well said Carol. Was furious when I saw this headline. Nearly choked over a cup of tea when I saw the 4.30pm TVNZ news yesterday and saw police lifting people by their necks using armholds and fingers around throats, crushing a person’s head by their neck into the concreted ground and then saw a policeman pull his arm back and really punch a student hard at least a couple of times. I was absolutely stunned and horrified .The students were passive and to their absolute credit did not retaliate.This video was sanitised by the time it reached the six o’ clock news, I could find it nowhere on the TVNZ site. Thus I went to TV3 and found much of what I previously witnessed, however there was only a slight glimpse of the policeman punching some one.I saved them in case they ‘disappeared’ too.
Student protests Auckland Queen Street, Friday, June1st 2012 TV3:
Violent strangling punching from police 10.36pm
http://www.3news.co.nz/More-protests-to-come—students/tabid/309/articleID/256436/Default.aspx
“Three police to one woman” 3.07pm
http://www.3news.co.nz/Arrests-at-student-anti-Budget-protest/tabid/423/articleID/256395/Default.aspx
6.01 news Jane Liscome,, some violence from police shown
http://www.3news.co.nz/Dozens-of-arrests-as-students-protest/tabid/309/articleID/256414/Default.aspx
Why were some of the police so dangerous? Have they not had training into how to handle peaceful protests?
It seems, from the Herald story you have just linked to that someone is spinning. Even Bill English’ part in the provocation was watered down. This type of untruthful and ‘spin’ reporting infuriates me.
It could have been my son, who is a student in Auckland, that could have been manhandled like this by the police. My fury would have known no bounds, and misrepresentation of the facts would have poured further fuel on my anger.
Peaceful protest has become no longer a democratic right in this country. Violent police learned their stuff elsewhere – you can guess where.
The headline is a disgrace alright…
I’m just windering how long it takes til people start to understand, what “outsourcing” is really all about.
Much more to it than face value!
This country is heading into very dark places, which people seem to think won’t happen here.
If it happens abroad, it WILL come to NZ!
I posted this in the other thread. Marauding is the wrong word. It means pillaging, looting, pirating etc. Someone should complain.
Well bugger me!
Rail commuters to gain from $900m boost
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7033183/Rail-commuters-to-gain-from-900m-boost
Standard authors – do you want to support a campaign to get a debate on the future of our Super?
This is not about specific options for Super at this stage, it’s to build a campaign for dealing with and debating super. Super is one of the most important issues facing us over the next half century. We need to discuss it and deal with it.
David Shearer is pushing for a cross party discussion. And according to Duncan Garner:
– The Greens have said yes,
– ACT would join,
– the Maori Party want in,
– Hone Harawira won’t say no
– and Winston Peters could be tempted.
– Peter Dunne says everyone must join up for this to have credibility.
SO how about cross-blog support for this? Combine the power of the blogs. Post a blog, or comment here in support.
BADASS – Bloggers Advancing Debate About Super Solutions
No.
The deal that accompanied the end of chattel slavery was that us ‘new found’ slaves for rent (forced into the position through violent dispossession and enclosure) would be allowed to work our way to freedom. Ie, we would rent our labour for a number of years and in return it was acknowledged we wouldn’t be forced to rent ourselves out in later years.
Okay, it wasn’t exactly a deal. It was an imposition. And that’s why many people died or had their lives ruined, first in resistence, and then, when that was quashed, attempting to improve various aspects of our end of ‘the deal’.
And now we are being told….well no, this is what we’re not being told…that our wages have been driven so low by those seeking to profit from our labour, that government cannot raise enough money from us in the way of taxes to provide for retirement. What we are being told is that we need to rent ourselves out for a larger proportion of our life span because….because, well shit… just because really. But not because profits, unlike people, have to remain inviolate.
No what? No to doing anything about it?
Or do you have another viable solution to talking about all the options are working out a sustainable way forward?
The ‘no’ refers to the fact that any such debate should be off the table. Why should it be off the table? Read my comment. Any government daring to make even the slightest hint of extending the years of rented out labour would, in a society that knew its history, be ‘gone by lunch time’.
And anyway, what is the ‘it’ that something needs done about Pete? I guess in your world it simply couldn’t be the enormous and continuely rising rate of profit that has essentially diverted resources away from workers and by extension governments and so society at large.
You want a sustainable way forward Pete? Well how about you firts of all recognise what it is that is unsustainable? Here’s a hint, it’s capitalism and its demand for growth. So whatever sustainable way it is that we might develop going forwards; this isn’t it Pete.
And even within the parameters of Capitalism…since I doubt you’ll ever get beyond a quizzical DUH? when trying to get your head around why some people might not be enamored by the whole shebang…. selectively picking out little bits of so-called ‘economic unsustainability’ and not looking at how that transpired…refusing to look at the bigger picture,the context… is a sheer fucking dishonest nonsense that any politician, for having brought it into the arena of public debate, should fucking swing for.
I’ve acknowledged the capitalism ponzi problem for quite a while Bill.
I’m far less certain that a complete change in economic system is necessary to attain sustainability. One of the biggest impediments is the entrenched attitude of most of the population who are addicted to consumerism.
I fail to see National mentioned in your cross-party list, is this an error? I think my sight is alright. Are all the others truly likely to get far?
Not an error, Nationbal’s current position is to do nothing and change nothing, while Key is still PM. English says the same – see National’s toes dug in Super.
So we have four options:
1. Go the National way and kick the can down the road, until 2014, or 2017, or…
2. Build support and pressure to “encourage” National to change their minds and at least start the discussion necessary to address it.
3. Ignore National’s intransigence and do as much work as possible discussing and investigating and decidedin amongst everyone else so that when the next Non-National led government gets in any changes can be started as soon as possible.
4. Wait and hope for Bill’s revolution (and hope there are no adverse effects or unforeseen consequences and hope that there’s a miracle transformation to go with it).
pg hair should grow some and sort it out with national he could force national to stop wasting time and fobbing the issue.No plan National and by default the hair the MP for Ohairyu
he could force national to stop wasting time and fobbing the issue
I don’t know how you think he could do that. He can’t force National or any other party to do anything.
UF does have an agreement with National to have a discussion paper on super this term, and National have said they will honour that commitment (Bill Enlish reeaffirmed that on Thursday). So that’s a toe in the door opportunity. I’m doing what I can to help make the most of that toe in the door, and trying to involve any other party that is willing to be involved as much as possible.
This BADASS initiative could help in this respect, the wider and larger the public support for doing soemthing the more more that can be done, sooner. Maybe not as soon as some of us would prefer, but it’s far better than doing nothing.
Pete stop trying to gain the cudos for this. Labour and the Greens are the only parties brave enough to raise this as an issue and discuss it. UF just confused the issue by proposing something that actually achieved nothing.
If you want to do something of use persuade the follicled one to withdraw support for the Government. This is the one and only thing UF could do if it is interested in achieving a solution.
That’s one of the sillier things you’ve said. It would make a mockery of a coalition agreement and our MMP if UF withdrew support from the Government.
And it would remove the one guaranteed chance of official Super discussions.That opportunity can be used to the max, or ignored, which would probably result in no progress on Super this term.
I don’t expect you to understand non-partisan practical politics, but I know some in Labour do.
Pete, seeing National has said they are not at all interested in substantive talks, then what can be done?
UFs coalition agreement is a farce that will achieve nothing on this. It’s designed to achieve nothing on this. Signing up to it was an agreement by Dunne that nothing will be actually done.
So he either honours it, and toes national’s ‘do nothing’ line, or he tries to get a majority in parliament to do something without national. But the coalition agreement thing cannot be a part of getting anything done, because it is with National, who are adament that they are not going to do anything.
seeing National has said they are not at all interested in substantive talks, then what can be done?
Simple. All other parties can work together to ensure there are substantive talks.
Even if Labour was leading government now nothing would actually be changing this term, they were only proposing signalling change starting in 2020.
But now there is a guaranteed opportunity to begin a discussion which can be used to prepare for when we have a government willing to act on it.
Suggest a better way to do it.
But now there is a guaranteed opportunity to begin a discussion which can be used to prepare for when we have a government willing to act on it.
There is always an opportunity to talk about it Pete, and it’s always gauranteed. But the coalition agreement ‘talk’ is guaranteed to fail. It’s predetermined to fail. It’s between National and UF, and National have said they are not for changing.
Suggest a better way to do it.
how about the various parties work out what they want to do in terms of policy, advocate for those policies, and then we put it up to a vote from the entire electorate in the form of an election, After that election the parties elected to parliament will negotiate untill some combination can form a government and implement policy.
that sounds a lot better to me than a bunch of undemocratic back room dealiing
Well two predictions Petey. Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures. And the coiffured one will continue to receive his grossly excessive salary and get driven around by limos paid with our coin.
When does he “get driven around by limos”? I think that’s an uninformed criticism based on no facts. As far as I know he drives himself around Wellington in an ordinary sort of car.
Baubles of office, Pete, baubles of office.
And stop diverting. If you are keen to do something about retirement then persuade UF to jump up and down and insist on National at least talking about the subject. Labour and the Greens will happily take part in the discussion.
You’re the one who baubled on with diversions, remember?
persuade UF to jump up and down and insist on National at least talking about the subject
Keep up. UF have already got a (C&S) commitment from National to talk about it. No other party has managed that yet.
Well talk about it all you want Petey but I repeat prediction one:
Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures.
“Well talk about it all you want Petey”
AaaaRRRGGGGGGG.
Absolutely nothing will be done this term to address the issue of future retirement pressures.
If everyone buys into that then you will be right. If enough people are prepared to stand up and push, then it will at least perpare the way.
Maybe you should talk to David Shearer, it seems to be a major priority of his, he is talking to other parties about it quietly and proposing co-operative action publicly.
Once again it seems I’m more supportive of what your leader is doing than you are. Why don’t you get in behind him on that, help drive it. I think it needs an inside/outside parliament multi party approach. I’m happy to work with you on it.
Just print the money to cover the super needs. Whats the problem again?
Sorry Weka, my bad …
Yes, I think we can only do what is manageable, given the Key intransigence. Hopefully such cross-party consultation as might be possible will at least be persuasive with the public.Points 2 and 3 look positive possibilities. I agree with your comment on National’s current position.
We only need to look at places like the USA, whese we see retirees having to live on the street or work in low wage jobs because their retirement savings were wiped out in various crashes, or their employer was able to get out of making good on their pension obligations, ie United Airlines, various city and local governments, etc, to be thankful of the existence of NZ Super, which is only becoming expensive because of 20 years of tax cuts, especially in terms of wealth taxes.
I have noticed that those who scream the loudest about this are those who:
1) Work in the financial sector and would make a lot money from managing pension accounts, or advising people where to invest for their retirements.
2) Those who have a secure retirement to look forward to
3) Those looking for cheap labour
4) People who just resent people on low incomes/state assistance.
Don’t forget those in sedentary jobs, who can easily work until 80.
Are happy to make those work on whose more demanding jobs destroy their physical or mental health.
Unfortunately enough to make work difficult, but not enough to get an invalids benefit.
You hit the nail on the head. The only group whose funding is affording the lifestyle of the abysmal greedy with some sort of “guaranty” is the taxpayer. The longer they can milk this group the better for them. Naturally.
Four years ago Comedian and Guardian journalist Charlie Skelton went to Greece to rapport and possibly ridicule the “conspiracy” theorists who tried to attend the Global population to the fact that on average 200 of the richest and most powerful people met in secret to “talk freely”about global affairs. That was four years ago.
But when Charlie was followed and bullied and scared shitless by some of the Bilderberg goons he decided to have a closer look.
Today Charlie after following BIlderberg and visiting each consecutive Bilderberg meeting (Outside with all the other Bilderberg watchers) Charlie talks a very different tune.
So here is Charlie in the Guardian for those of you still firmly entrenched in the artificial Left/Right political paradigm.
If the meetings are in secret, how could anyone follow them? I will go read the article though.
Sorry, couldn’t finish it. It was funny, but my eyes started glazing over at the lists of people who I was supposed to know the significance of but didn’t. Does it actually get to explain anything?
Here is a vid called Endgame which explains the agenda of the Bilderberg group and in it is Jim Tucker who has been on the Bilderberg since ’75.
I had to laugh at Hansard the other day. (http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Debates/Debates/d/c/9/50HansD_20120530_00000012-Questions-for-Oral-Answer-Questions-to-Ministers.htm)
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I think that is one of the factors. I also agree with the OECD when, in 2010, we were rated as having the second-to-best water quality, by Yale and Columbia.
Dr Russel Norman: Is the Prime Minister aware that the Yale report that he just quoted from has now been updated and our ranking has moved from second to 43rd, and does his Government take credit for the movement in our ranking in the Yale report from second to 43rd?
Lol. What a bunch of clowns we have running the place.
So true weka.
They are not clowns, they are actors filling their role in a script!
Believing they are simply inept is to be missing a much more serious problem!
What was very interesting is Norman was NOT allowed to table the latest Yale report.
If we ignore it it does not exist!,
On Red Alert May 30, David Cunliffe spoke about a similar thing happening to him under a post entitled “Spin, damned spin, and Steven Joyce
http://blog.labour.org.nz/
“In response to parliamentary oral question 7 today, economic development Minister Steven Joyce tried to deflect today’s announced cut to New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) 2012 growth forecast to a “stagnant” 1.5%, by saying this was all due to the supposed increase in the domestic savings rate.
Perhaps he was hoping that, as the NZIER publication is subscription-only, it was not going to be available to the Opposition, or to the public, and we would be unaware of his spin.
The problem for him, though, is I had the report in my hand and then I sought to table it.
National withheld leave for me to do so, to prevent you from judging for yourself.”
So David C posted the overview of the report to undermine Joyce’s spin and counteract this national MO of preventing tabling of information that national wants to ignore or deny. In other words, “what Mr Joyce thinks he can get away with in Question Time if no one is checking.”
Yeah, I’ve noticed recently that NACT are objecting to tabling any material that shows just how bad they are.
What are the rules and the purpose for objecting to things being tabled?
It’s the intent of Standing Orders 368 and 374 to allow members of the House to be informed on matters not readily available to it by the tabling of documents. It’s meant to be a way for an assertion to be backed up with evidence.
You need to seek leave to table documents that are outside the scope of parliament or normal avenues of information gathering. There are meant to be good grounds to object to somebody seeking leave, however National MP’s have taken to abusing the process because there is so much information available that they would prefer was not officially registered.
While the Hansard is not required to log who is objecting to the tabling of documents and the Speaker continues to allow objections without good reason, such abuses of the system will continue.
Delightful! Thanks for spotting this. Good too for Russell Norman. How we need him now and, I hope, well into the future.
I’ve just upgraded firefox, and now find ‘The Standard’ format slighly different, and irritatingly, lots of boxes popping up offering different kinds of ‘help’. Anyone else experiencing this?
Using Firefox 12, which is apparently all up to date. And no problems.
Nope.
Maybe a dictionary, or a spell check, or a quick, find will come in handy. Eventually.
A month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
Re the help popups, have you looked in the Preference settings?
Thanks Weka.
Yes it is mainly in the reply box. I can’t get in because it wants to spell check or offers me other tools before I’ve even got my cursor into the box, let alone written anything, and often blocks me getting into the box with the “help”.
I’ll try the preference settings.
btw I should have said that I don’t bother much with spelling and grammar rather than that I don’t often need it 😀
To be honest, it sounds more like some sort of malware.
Wouldn’t Norton stop that kind of thing? (Here’s hoping).
It’ll catch most of it but a new virus could get through.
Weka, this has been a bug in Firefox for ages. It’s mildly annoying, particularly on posts with lots of comments, but I’ve learned to live with it! The other oddity is the comments RSS feed seems to be very short (ie. only a few comments) compared to other browsers.
Check you have the latest version of Firefox (v12)
Disable add-ons (for example, NoScript) that could interfere with the comment box
Or try Google Chrome…
Doesn’t do that for me.
I believe that Lynn shortened the RSS feeds to save on bandwidth.
Not comments. Just the posts which got clipped to the excerpt from the front page.Worked a treat – our expensive overseas traffic dropped quite a lot.
You might want to remove super cookies as well weka, as they can cause all sorts of problems. Here’s a helpful post outlining the process.
Have you guys heard of the Flame virus? Now that’s some scary stuff.
Thanks Jackal and everyone else who offered advice.
I’ve done everything suggested (except change to chrome) and the problem appears to be gone (touch wood).
Result!
Obama ordered “Code Stux
They blamed Israel for this weaponisation of cyberspace for a while, but it looks like the US might have been behind it all along.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/obama-ordered-code-stux
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!
I thought I was the only one this incredibly irritating bug happened too.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!
I tried to post this and got ‘internal server error’… whatever that means!
When trying to post this comment I got an ‘internal server error’, and the advice that I ought to contact you, and detail what I might have done to cause the problem – to which the answer is “blowed if I know’!
” month or so ago something changed in Firefox so that whenever I click on the reply link it opens the box but then jumps me to the bottom of the page so I have to scroll back up.
I have the same experience, and have to faff about finding it, as well, which is a pain on dial up, I tell you!”
No problem with Firefox on my Mac, except for the way Apple manufacture them.
Has anyone heard any more news about the PoA dispute?
PoA and MUNZ went back to negotiations but after that, everything went quiet..
Is there going to be a new CEA? What about the contracting out plans?
Last I heard POAL were waiting for the POAL industrial relations ACT to be enacted so they did not have to negotiate. Good faith or otherwise.
POAL’s lawyer died and the court cases were adjourned, so at present they are talking, but MUNZ has no illusions that POAL will not have another go at casualisation when the law is changed.
A majority of countries in the 47-nation rights council supported a US and Arab-led resolution condemning the “outrageous use of force against the civilian population” in Houla.
–Hey who are the Arab League anyway (not using the name Arab League anymore I notice…Oh thats right, Bahrain, Qatar and other assorted murderers, liers and dictators…But they are monarchist states, so part of the imperial love fest!
–Good old NZH still playing its part in the global narrative relay system for the imperialists!
Still no mention of the death squads, or the sects all now killing eachother…Nah its as simple as the Syrian Govt Forces against the “rebel” civillians! Nice and simply packaged for very stupid people!
Joseph Stiglitz follows up last years Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% with The 1 Percent’s Problem.
Thanks for that link. Stiglitz is spot on.
Great article, I especially liked the bit about rent seeking being destructive.
At a Labour regional conference. Biggest turnout in years! Great speech from David Shearer, very confident and looking more and more like the next PM. DC up now, talking about our future clean tech economy. Grant Robertson next.
Its been an interesting approach from the leadership, asking questions of the participants, rather than lecturing from on high. The discussion paper on the ongoing organisational review has been received really well and has stimulated a lot of talk among the delegates. Presumably that will flow on into the remits session tomorrow, where there is going to be some robust debate on how we re-engage the voters, particularly the lower paid enrolled non voters.
Sounds like a repeat performance of last week-end’s Auck./Northland conference TRP. I liked the way Shearer brought in his senior colleagues to answer questions specific to their portfolios. It wasn’t that he couldn’t answer them himself, but he presumably wants them to share the platform with him. I found it very refreshing and suggests Labour is going to do the opposite to National and promote themselves as a well-oiled team rather than a one man band.
Was that the reason certain sections of the media – mainstream and elsewhere – were recently trying to create a perception of Labour caucus division with talk of warring factions and caucus rows?
No sign of division at all, there are 8 MP’s, all singing from the same song sheet. The day has just finished with an excellent presentation from Young Labour. We are so lucky having these young activists coming through, they are just so positive, so ready to be part of the political future of NZ!
Interested to hear thoughts on what you believe, yet another change in government is really going to achieve for NZ, seriously its an honest question..Dont come back with we wont sell assets etc!
Until you hear them talking about RBNZ audits, or printing project funds, as is our sovereign right to do, then you can forget about it…
Young activists coming through, so lucky…Voice come on bro, these peoople have got nothing, nothing to offer NZ long term survivial, and as long as people such as yourself continue to believe that, then all I can do is say, thanks very much for being part of the problem, would you have a think about some self evaluation!
Blah blah blah, waste of time because the serious issues are out of our parliaments hands!