And it looks like they will be fielding a candidate in Dunedin South this time around. Whoops that’s 500 less electorate votes for Clare, in a finger click. Only 3,400 left to go.
Talking to an agent who deals with that end of the market recently and they commented that the current political situation in USA and UK, with the Clinton / Trump choice and Brexit, was stunningly good for business….
Just reading this scary article makes you want to demand a banking transaction tax (and why the UK has capital gains taxes, stamp duties, taxes on taxes, but zero financial transaction taxes). This is the world that John Key made his money in. No wonder there is this .01% mentality and inability to change during the GFC from the banks.
“Top graduates missing out on banking jobs for lacking ‘polish”
That’s happening more and more across all industries. Getting a job is now more about socialisation than about being able to do the job. And the preferred socialisation is being exactly the same as the person hiring you.
We’re seeing the rise of conformity and the conformity is to be a psychopath just like your boss.
Social mobility for the lower and middle classes has stalled. Upper class has not changed, nor will it, by the looks of things in this article. Not really what you expect in 21st century of supposedly classless society. We are going backwards to Victorian times.
If the comments on yahoo’s linked Facebok page is anything to go by, it doesn’t look like the Nats are going to get the kind of vote winning reaction they thought they will get…
Azaelia Mackereth There is no low this shitty government will go to, people with mental illness struggle enough just to get out of bed and function with life as it is, forcing them into a dead end job will just make them worse and then that vicious cycle starts all over again! People without mental health problems like this stupid tart never understand
38 · 23 hrs
5 Replies · 9 hrs
Debbie Jane Lomas oh and another point…mental health patients had plenty of support until you idiots wiped out virtually all the mental health agencies around the country…you are a disgrace….
20 · 16 hrs
Brian McFarland $3.2 million to find jobs for 1,000 people. So the government is going to pay a contractor $3,200 per person to find them a job? Sounds like they have budgeted inefficiencies nicely into the program. Better to just give $3,200 grants to those thousand people to improve their standard of living for a little while.
2 · 10 hrs
Arthur C. Charlton HOW. I may ask. Imported trash is draining the country’s overseas funds and ruining manufacturing jobs. Good luck with that. Please note a real job is not part time. 40 hours please.
13 · Yesterday at 13:50
Atra Dash Bunch of cunts. Bad enough people with mental health problems have issues and these fuckers want them to go back to work. This government needs to go and it needs to go quick smart.
3 · 15 hrs
3 Replies · 3 hrs
Carolyne Moran Once again National a going to Strip Kiwis from help and force them into jobs that have no guaranteed hours which is just what someone with mental health issues need.
5 · 22 hrs
1 Reply
Raumahoe Rose Williams aparently this stupid women has never worked with those with mental health..you cannot expect someone with this unwellness who is drugged to the eyeballs to be able to hold a decent job let alone a mundane one..they can only focus for a few minute at a time…so go tell that to yourself ..selfish twit…
7 · 22 hrs
2 Replies · 9 hrs
Deb Hartigan surely there must be some people that can be helped into work……….not saying everyone with the illness, but there would be some that with some help would love to get back into some type of work………..as a person said earlier in this thread it took him 3 years to find a job……..this may help shorten that time……….if one person out of 100 can be helped out then thats great isn’t it………….
2 · 22 hrs · Edited
9 Replies · 11 hrs
Estella Kingi So sick of the government right now. Tired of words being spoken by Aotearoa but never heard by ignorance. Hand enough, roll on elections, can’t come any faster or can it? Wishful thinking or is it?…..
14 hrs · Edited
Robin Aldridge Actually it’s hard to convince employers to take on people if they have been unwell. I know I have been an employment consultant looking for jobs for people with mental health issues. There is so much discrimination out there. And that adds more stress…See more
3 · 21 hrs
Lorraine Sami silly cow anne tolley try getting unemployed into work but noooooooooooo you want to bring in migrants who rort the immigration system, dumb down our society, allow employers to lower wage rates disingenuous cow
3 · 20 hrs
1 Reply
Danielle Pike Yes. Sounds bloody perfect. Instead of reinstating the help these people have lost because of the government over the years, they’re going to force them all to work whether they’re ready or not. Sounds like a plan. A really stupid fucked up plan.
1 · 10 hrs
Greg Giles It took me three years to find work, and I had to move from Hamilton to Auckland, any absence from work after an illness, or accident takes a lot to fit back in. Work is a necessary evil, and even more so with coping with unrealistic expectations. Being self employed should be considered and funded.
4 · Yesterday at 14:04
1 Reply
Charlie Boy Batt What a total load of crap. Have had ongoing vacancys listed with Winz work brokers for the last two years. Be lucky if they have referred two people. Both only lasted a week and were never seen again.
21 hrs
Jeanne Hill The problem is there needs to be jobs for them this is the government being oh so choosy.
17 hrs
Madonna Meikle if those without m-h probs cant find work how will those with m-h probs find work
9 · Yesterday at 14:03
1 Reply
Leonie Jones How the hell can they do that when most normal people themselves cannot find work. Pull the other one please 😛
7 · 23 hrs
Invoker’s Better Half Some are just unemployable and needs to be left alone just like permanent injury via acc need to be left alone !!
7 · Yesterday at 14:27
Rae Adams I got a degree and experience and still cant find a job. Maybe they should help us older workers as well.
2 · 9 hrs
Derek-Kim Hickling In small towns especially, jobs are limited. Makes it hard for everyone…thats why many jump the ditch to OZ.
3 · 23 hrs
Ramari Te Rupe Wiringi Stupid politicians…too much money not enough brain matter.
2 · 19 hrs
Graeme Trask Employers looking for cheap labour no doubt. Another wave of exploitation.
1 · 14 hrs
Joyce Marina OMG WTF what’s this stupid government thinking of.Next they’ll be wanting the elderly to find work
1 · 9 hrs
Jay Belmont Whatever. What about the non-mentally impaired that are unemployed, homeless??? Yeah….right!!!
1 · 12 hrs
Taruke Mafi Oh come on WTH THIS GOVERNMENT sux our Mental Health now but that doesnt surprise me the government will try anything
1 · 18 hrs
Deborah Smitheram I am so surprized no ones shot one of these fukwits already if anyone deserves a bullet they do
3 · 22 hrs
Jill Riggs This is already happening sad to see all the negative comments lots of people with mental health issues hold down jobs
1 · 15 hrs
1 Reply
Roberta Tau Get them into work, bossess will take advantage of them, they’ll be fired then can’t get back in assistance 🙁
15 hrs
David Simmonds Looks like that face above has been attacked by a pit bull,ug ug ug bloody ugly to say the least.Looks like it had just kissed G Brownlee
10 hrs
Glenys Epiha Toa Of all the dumbest things you’ve done..this takes it.
14 hrs
Cat Lamb And I hope they are serious about “helping ” and not just BULLYING
16 hrs
Horomona Kingi and what does she think they can do? most jobs now are taken up by immigrants
10 hrs
Debbie Jane Lomas just a way to kick the disabled off their benefits..
7 · 23 hrs
Lui Ikenasio What bloody jobs??
6 · Yesterday at 14:11
Garry Craig She should watch out. More competition for her job.
5 · Yesterday at 13:42
Brian Stowe more money wasted .
4 · Yesterday at 14:04
Nell Smith-Hughes More sheltered workshops!
Why were so many closed??
1 · 17 hrs
1 Reply
Karenza Mcleod Able bodied people need to get a job
2 · 19 hrs
Sharon Solomon What work? and where is it?
2 · 16 hrs
Christine Williams Arent that the truth Atra Dash.
3 hrs
Christine Williams You are right Azaelia Mackereth. When i saw this article i suddenly felt anxious and thought what the hell are they playing at now. You are right, people who don’t suffer from mental illness will never understand and us that suffer from the illness have to suffer more because of their stupidity .
3 hrs
Ray Harrison I have a feeling not many will be “opting in”
19 hrs
Damos Reddington Fkn idiot. It seems reality has leftthe building
2 hrs
Kath Garrity Another stupid intiative..
12 hrs
Louise Gordon You lot are a joke
17 hrs
Carl Zijlstra That’s an old old line
13 hrs
Jill Riggs What do they think we’re doing now…
15 hrs
Lee Anne Wikaira there definition of help is forced
11 hrs
Strangely enough, on the current (Open Mike) page, I’m seeing your usual gravatar / identicon, as well as CV’s, Draco’s, and ianmac’s, but everyone else (including my good self) are rendered as anonymous white figures against a grey background. What makes you 4 so special ??? – Bloody Teacher’s Pets !!!
The gravatars and identicons are effectively generated remotely at gravatar, stored locally on my system after generation because gravatar were slowing down the page load too much, and then cached on a CDN (content distribution system) in Sydney.
Because I just shifted this site to https and especially http2, if something doesn’t arrive in time you get the default.
In this case it looks like you are seeing a bug. I’ll remove a layer and see what happens.
Edit: Ok, setting it to “monster”, clearing the cache, then reverting to identicons, and clearing the cache appear to have fixed it. I’ll have a look to see if I get widespread reversion to default icons.
CV, Draco, ian and myself have all configured non-default gravatars.
If you are using the default one, then it generates an icon based on your email address (and also username?). It was the default geometric thing that wasn’t working properly.
The Http/2 is really dealing with the gravatars well without the local cache. I had to shift to that a few years ago as they were slowing the page loads so much after getting a few hundred people on a comments page.
I’ve just been looking at pages with 300 comments from way back and getting no page load lag. I also see a massive amount of parallelism off to gravatar.
I really like HTTP2. It beats the hell out of SPDY and I don’t have to compromise the site setup.
Maybe Trump will nuke em, if they don’t pay for the wall.
Of course more “civilised” US policy does this behind closed doors, and uses torture and rendition by friendly intermediaries towards people they don’t like and wars to countries they don’t like.
In this context maybe a wall to try to keep the outside world out, is better than trying to infiltrate and control the outside world under current US foreign policy.
Our planet is not looking in good shape and nor is equality or democracy under US control.
The Donald is probably like most people contributing on this site.
Not being able to speak Spanish he might have tried to interpret it as if what the words sounded like in English was the translation.
The last sentence therefore came out as “Mexico jamas (hm. jumps at?) pagaria(paying) for a wall.
Not that speaking Spanish seems to make much difference of course. Both George W and brother Jeb were fluent in the language.
Yes, they were. It was a pity about their inability to express themselves clearly in English.
Mind you the Donald seems to spend his time repeatably saying “I am a pretentious loudmouth narcissistic dickhead” in whatever language he is trying to grunt at the time. Has anyone ever seen him talk about anything apart directly or indirectly referring to himself and what he is gonna do?
It’s extraordinary isn’t it…….I know what Alwyn would say if Trump dropped his trou’ and defecated on the stage at a huge rally…….
While almost drowned out by the cheers of a very ugly thousands – Alwyn (maybe CV too) – “Ummh…….Err Err Err……you know……you must consider that The Donald was never potty trained……..you know…….to be fair.”
Love Friday nights. Such fun. Good feed. Coro’ Street. Loving family of 6. Warm. In the people-mover in the park. Alwyn.
We really do live in the 8th happiest country in the world aye Alwyn ? …….respectful nod to the National Party Cabinet (Club). 10th without you and me though aye Alwyn…….?
Last I heard it was 2.3 billion a year.The cut is expected to be a small part – $5 million – of the U.S.’s roughly $2.3 billion aid package to Mexico to combat the drug cartels, according to the Washington Post. The money covers such things as helicopters, border sensors and training programs, the Post said.” Plus ifyou use mexican labour it wont cost as much. :-0
Congress has appropriated $2.3 billion since 2008 for equipment such as helicopters and border sensors as well as training programs for thousands of Mexican officials.
This site is being inundated by less than savoury attacks on various commenters by one commenter in particular. His (can’t imagine a ‘she’ stooping to such puerile language) level of debate is often personal and comes across as deliberate stalking of selected individuals. Likely to be putting off readers from coming here.
His latest example:
Ooh! Another Labour-can-do-no-wronger! Thought you might’ve been, you little piece of poo… It’s fuckwits like you who’re responsible for fucking this country. No analysis, no critical faculty. Just blind support for a neo-liberal opposition that fucks our democracy. I suggest it’s you who should fuck off to the sewer where you belong. Hey, you might even meet Leftie there. You two could snuggle up, keep warm, hope you’re not eaten.
[lprent: I have been noticing his (feels like a dickhead) comments. To date, he seems to have been reacting to others blowing their volcanoes. I tend to not moderate against reactions unless they get too consistently inflammatory and look like someone trying to ignite a flamewar.
I’m always ready to give people time to learn to hang themselves – it is better for the training of all observers. 😈 ]
@Anne You know Chris and Alwyn have lost the argument when they attack you. Simply ignore the attacks and answer with facts and logic. That confuses them!
“@Anne You know Chris and Alwyn have lost the argument when they attack you. Simply ignore the attacks and answer with facts and logic. That confuses them!”
Agree with you there Bearded Git, and I know it’s wrong to feed the trolls, but they make themselves very hard to ignore. Hitting back with logic and facts seem to fuel them into a tizz and then they get even more abusive.
“@Anne You know Chris and Alwyn have lost the argument when they attack you. Simply ignore the attacks and answer with facts and logic. That confuses them!”
Agree with you there Bearded Git, and I know it’s wrong to feed the trolls, but they make themselves very hard to ignore. Hitting back with logic and facts seem to fuel them into a tizz and then they get even more abusive.
I do not however, believe that Anne’s post was sexist in any way. We all know who she is talking about after all.
For sure Anne, there is no doubt about it, he stalks/trolls to abuse. Some comments don’t even necessitate such abuse either, which can and do come out of the blue as well.
It was difficult to tell given the early/late comments, to whom that comment was directed. It did seem to be in lock with mine responding to a “deluded Helen” comment catatonically issued by someone else. It just occurred to me that unlike Key Helen never got on global television and giggled about a murderer/child rapist being on the run from justice…….
Chris ain’t no prob’. I love his/her waste of energy.
If you regard my tongue in cheek comment as ‘sexist’ then you are being overly sensitive. It’s normal in my world for the genders to joust with one another. No sexism involved.
“When I refuse to eat animals, I refuse to indulge in a system that profits off objectification. When I associate with my diet only ethical standards, and not guidelines on how to be the most ‘feminine’ according to patriarchal benchmarks on the slenderness of a woman’s physique; I reclaim my body. I nourish it for reasons beyond weight loss and dieting. I cater not for the gaze of toxic masculinity, but for the well-being of women and animals alike. Rather than eating for the eyes of my oppressor – he who too oppresses animals – a vegan lifestyle provides me revenge in solidarity. In my nourishment, I quietly protest.
Whilst the system’s prime concern is in ensuring masculinity is content and pleased, neither gender equality or animal equality will ever exist.”
disclaimer : I am vegetarian for 36 years, never been vegan.
Personally I have always thought the relationship and correlation between meat eating and violence in society was a bit of a no brainer. The objectification argument makes sense to me.
It is true that you don’t like vegans who push their philosophy though isn’t it? My reading of your comments on vegans is that you don’t really think much of them, their choices, or philosophy. Perhaps I’m wrong though.
Objectification of animals and womens bodies seems on a continuum to me and profiting off either is not something I’d endorse.
“My reading of your comments on vegans is that you don’t really think much of them, their choices, or philosophy.”
I like people that make thoughtful ethical choices about what they eat (vegans, vegetarians, locavores, slow foodies etc). I don’t like fundamentalists. Much of my arguments about veganism on ts centre around arguing with fundamentalists.
I also don’t like people misuing facts in one area to push underlying agendas eg Cowspiracy trying to say that it’s saving the planet while the underlying message is that everyone should be vegan. Animal rights ethics and environmental ethics are not a neat overlap and it does piss me off when they get conflated.
That’s me and vegans in general. I don’t know anything about the woman who wrote the article.
Perhaps I could have framed my response differently. Something like, there are similarities between objectificaiton of women, animals, the land and ecosystems, she appears to be focussing on two of them, and because some fundamentalist vegans pick and choose their ethics around objectification I wonder if she does too.
In terms of the article overall, I didn’t like the stuff about women’s tactics to not be seen as ‘appetising’ or prey. I don’t think most women frame themselves as meat, so her argument seemed off there to me. There are really obvious parallels in terms of oppression of women and animals, and how the dominant culture enforces and sanctions that, but she seemed to be falling into the thing she was objecting to by the way she framed her argument.
If you don’t want to eat for whatever reason that’s fine but to say “I don’t eat meat because I’m a feminist” is drawing one helluva line in the sand don’t you think (does that mean if you do eat meat then you’re not what she considers a “real” feminist?)
How about the gross generalisations contained within, for example I work in a male dominated, very macho industry yet I haven’t had any conversations at all long the lines of being a leg or breast man or anything remotely similar
“Men (particularly white men) have historically felt entitled to the land and bodies of “others”;
Really, particularly white men? So the mongol hordes were white, how about the (but not limited to) tribes of Zulu, how about the Barbary slave trade, Japan invading China, China invading Korea etc etc etc
This and her other ideas are what has led me to think shes trolling, no one could possibly take her seriously and if they do then well done to her
her argument on objectification (whether you agree or not) are an argument that supports that particular headline (quite possibly chosen by subeditor for its provocative nature).
your ignorance and ununderstanding show when you try to be high brow and discuss historical entitlements to land and bodies – do you know what the word ‘particularly ‘ means because I’m not sure it interpreted correctly by you there – hint – it doesn’t exclude.
I was using the that as an example of her trolling, she could have just left it at men but nope she threw in white men because she knew it would provoke a reaction
Anyone can eat what they like but when you start throwing massive generalisations around like she has it just shows shes trolling
Good on ya, marty. I’ve been a vegetarian since my late teens. I didn’t get into it for ethical reasons, but that’s been the driver for quite a few years now. I wrote a post here a few years back suggesting you couldn’t be socialist and a meat eater. Annoyed a few people, as I recall, but it was worth challenging some ingrained beliefs.
I enjoyed reading that too. I liked your post and I thought Rocky’s and Philip Ure’s responses were very good. In fact, the following quote from Philip Ure was excellent!!
” i’ve been vegan for ten years..vegetarian for twenty before that..
i know people who have been vegan for 40+ years..
and lots of other vegans..
one thing they have in common..
is glowing good health..
i also have three vegan dogs..
one 10 yrs old..her six yr old daughter..
and another 2 yr old..
the mother was vegan during the pregnancy..
these dogs could do centrefolds for ‘dog monthly’..
their coats are so shiny..you need to wear shades.. ”
Well, it was interesting in the sense that it’s rare to see such a level of pompous, smug self-indulgence compressed into such a small piece of text, but apart from that – not really.
A powerful climate change doco shown on Al Jazeera (47 mins):
Refusing to fall victim to the weather, Kisilu, a Kenyan smallholder farmer, uses a camera to capture the human impact of climate change.
Filmed over four years, he documents floods, droughts and storms that menace his and his community’s farms, forcing some to stop tending the fields and seek work in towns and cities.
500 cows – how many trucks to move them? How long would that take?
“Police investigating the disappearance of 500 dairy cows from an Ashburton farm will be following a milk trail worth $900,000 as they keep an open mind on a popular theory that the in-calf cattle went to the meat blackmarket.
All-up, the cows represent a loss of around $2 million to their owners.
The missing friesian-cross mixed-age cows – which number more than the average New Zealand dairy herd – went from a winter grazing property adjacent to their owners’ Norvo Farm in mid-Canterbury.”
“…the cows were winter-grazing on the adjacent farm with the staff who milked them.”
I knew farm employees are generally not well treated but this is ridiculous.
More likely china , although i think they only send heifers. 13 truck loads of cattle would be hard to shift with out the workers noticing something , that’s a lot of heavy tyre marks and mess in the yards.
Ain’t it beautiful how $43 million can fix any ‘little’ (huh!) irregularity in one’s status and tenure in New Zealand. These Indian students are palpably victims on an horrific scale. The ruination of them and very probably their families back in India as well.
“Oh so what ?” Having no capacity to make anonymous ‘donations’ to some anonymous ‘party’ (I use the word pointedly) is an insufferable culpability, the penalty for which must be sheeted home at once !
Remember folks……”On Planet Putea we must, simply must, protect the vaunted but illusory integrity of our systems……oh, in the absence of substantial expressions of ‘goodwill’ the way of those who ‘matter’ that is.”
It would be karmic were this to come back in a big way on that excuse for a man Key (represented on Checkpoint tonight by the dark creature Joyce).
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
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Natz have a slimy lying, 2 faced creep for a leader…. Morning
Cheers Nick have a nice day and may Jk be with you….morning
lols. Sorry Nck. I agree with you but you did ask for that one.
And yet he is preferred to anything the left can offer election after election after election … and probably for at least for one more.
Enjoy your day. Its easier when you dont wake up bitter.
“And yet he is preferred to anything the left can offer election after election after election … and probably for at least for one more.”
Well… that’s what the spin says, James.
Actually that’s what the results show. He’s PM and the labour leaders keep falling away.
“Actually that’s what the results show. He’s PM…”
Being PM is a temporary position James and Key had to use dirty politics to cling to it.
“the labour leaders keep falling away.”
As did the Nat leaders when National were in opposition for 9 years.
Morning Nck, that’s very true, lets kick him out next year. It’s what he deserves.
That will teach you to listen to Leighton Smith.
The New Zealand First annual conference is in Dunedin this weekend.
Should be some good speeches about the decline of rural life and the loss of land to foreigners.
And it looks like they will be fielding a candidate in Dunedin South this time around. Whoops that’s 500 less electorate votes for Clare, in a finger click. Only 3,400 left to go.
Will that candidate be…you?
Oh gawd no 😛
Nah……CV’s gonna be a doofer at the Trump White House.
Almost the entire shoreline of Lake Hawea has been sold or is in the process of being sold to overseas interests in the last few months.
And here is another part of Lake Wanaka gone today:
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/wanaka/land-purchase-approved-oio
“angry emoticon”
Talking to an agent who deals with that end of the market recently and they commented that the current political situation in USA and UK, with the Clinton / Trump choice and Brexit, was stunningly good for business….
Just reading this scary article makes you want to demand a banking transaction tax (and why the UK has capital gains taxes, stamp duties, taxes on taxes, but zero financial transaction taxes). This is the world that John Key made his money in. No wonder there is this .01% mentality and inability to change during the GFC from the banks.
“Top graduates missing out on banking jobs for lacking ‘polish”
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/01/top-graduates-missing-out-on-banking-jobs-for-lacking-polish
That’s happening more and more across all industries. Getting a job is now more about socialisation than about being able to do the job. And the preferred socialisation is being exactly the same as the person hiring you.
We’re seeing the rise of conformity and the conformity is to be a psychopath just like your boss.
Massive groupthink on the bridge of the Titanic…and on all the lower decks too…
Social mobility for the lower and middle classes has stalled. Upper class has not changed, nor will it, by the looks of things in this article. Not really what you expect in 21st century of supposedly classless society. We are going backwards to Victorian times.
Neo-feudal
Just listening to Key live on Leighten Smith. A first!
Key plays with figures to explain “not defensively” the housing not being a crisis.
A shifty tricky chap. Can you stomach him?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11702996
“A shifty tricky chap. Can you stomach him?:
NO
+100…i don’think jonkey nact is going to win the next election ( from my surveys)
Ohh do publish your surveys – will be interesting to see the analysis…
Ever think of opening your eyes and taking a look outside of that bubble you live in James?
I do.
Judging by your comments, it doesn’t look like it.
Totally agree with you there Chooky!!
National have announced it’s usual pre election bene bashing policy….
Beneficiaries will be helped to find work
A new service will be trialled next year to help beneficiaries with diagnosed mental health conditions become independent and find work.
The two year trial is expected to cost $3.2 million and will be available in the Auckland, Waikato, Central, Canterbury and Southern regions.
Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says Work to Wellness will be a contracted service and will help around 1000 people a year.
She says it will provide coaching and mentoring, job search services and assistance to help people into work.
Beneficiaries will be able to opt-in through Work and Income, a referral from their GP or self-referring direct to the provider.
<a href="https://nz.news.yahoo.com/top-stories/a/32498892/beneficiaries-will-be-helped-to-find-work/#page1
If the comments on yahoo’s linked Facebok page is anything to go by, it doesn’t look like the Nats are going to get the kind of vote winning reaction they thought they will get…
Azaelia Mackereth There is no low this shitty government will go to, people with mental illness struggle enough just to get out of bed and function with life as it is, forcing them into a dead end job will just make them worse and then that vicious cycle starts all over again! People without mental health problems like this stupid tart never understand
38 · 23 hrs
5 Replies · 9 hrs
Debbie Jane Lomas oh and another point…mental health patients had plenty of support until you idiots wiped out virtually all the mental health agencies around the country…you are a disgrace….
20 · 16 hrs
Brian McFarland $3.2 million to find jobs for 1,000 people. So the government is going to pay a contractor $3,200 per person to find them a job? Sounds like they have budgeted inefficiencies nicely into the program. Better to just give $3,200 grants to those thousand people to improve their standard of living for a little while.
2 · 10 hrs
Arthur C. Charlton HOW. I may ask. Imported trash is draining the country’s overseas funds and ruining manufacturing jobs. Good luck with that. Please note a real job is not part time. 40 hours please.
13 · Yesterday at 13:50
Atra Dash Bunch of cunts. Bad enough people with mental health problems have issues and these fuckers want them to go back to work. This government needs to go and it needs to go quick smart.
3 · 15 hrs
3 Replies · 3 hrs
Carolyne Moran Once again National a going to Strip Kiwis from help and force them into jobs that have no guaranteed hours which is just what someone with mental health issues need.
5 · 22 hrs
1 Reply
Raumahoe Rose Williams aparently this stupid women has never worked with those with mental health..you cannot expect someone with this unwellness who is drugged to the eyeballs to be able to hold a decent job let alone a mundane one..they can only focus for a few minute at a time…so go tell that to yourself ..selfish twit…
7 · 22 hrs
2 Replies · 9 hrs
Deb Hartigan surely there must be some people that can be helped into work……….not saying everyone with the illness, but there would be some that with some help would love to get back into some type of work………..as a person said earlier in this thread it took him 3 years to find a job……..this may help shorten that time……….if one person out of 100 can be helped out then thats great isn’t it………….
2 · 22 hrs · Edited
9 Replies · 11 hrs
Estella Kingi So sick of the government right now. Tired of words being spoken by Aotearoa but never heard by ignorance. Hand enough, roll on elections, can’t come any faster or can it? Wishful thinking or is it?…..
14 hrs · Edited
Robin Aldridge Actually it’s hard to convince employers to take on people if they have been unwell. I know I have been an employment consultant looking for jobs for people with mental health issues. There is so much discrimination out there. And that adds more stress…See more
3 · 21 hrs
Lorraine Sami silly cow anne tolley try getting unemployed into work but noooooooooooo you want to bring in migrants who rort the immigration system, dumb down our society, allow employers to lower wage rates disingenuous cow
3 · 20 hrs
1 Reply
Danielle Pike Yes. Sounds bloody perfect. Instead of reinstating the help these people have lost because of the government over the years, they’re going to force them all to work whether they’re ready or not. Sounds like a plan. A really stupid fucked up plan.
1 · 10 hrs
Greg Giles It took me three years to find work, and I had to move from Hamilton to Auckland, any absence from work after an illness, or accident takes a lot to fit back in. Work is a necessary evil, and even more so with coping with unrealistic expectations. Being self employed should be considered and funded.
4 · Yesterday at 14:04
1 Reply
Charlie Boy Batt What a total load of crap. Have had ongoing vacancys listed with Winz work brokers for the last two years. Be lucky if they have referred two people. Both only lasted a week and were never seen again.
21 hrs
Jeanne Hill The problem is there needs to be jobs for them this is the government being oh so choosy.
17 hrs
Madonna Meikle if those without m-h probs cant find work how will those with m-h probs find work
9 · Yesterday at 14:03
1 Reply
Leonie Jones How the hell can they do that when most normal people themselves cannot find work. Pull the other one please 😛
7 · 23 hrs
Invoker’s Better Half Some are just unemployable and needs to be left alone just like permanent injury via acc need to be left alone !!
7 · Yesterday at 14:27
Rae Adams I got a degree and experience and still cant find a job. Maybe they should help us older workers as well.
2 · 9 hrs
Derek-Kim Hickling In small towns especially, jobs are limited. Makes it hard for everyone…thats why many jump the ditch to OZ.
3 · 23 hrs
Ramari Te Rupe Wiringi Stupid politicians…too much money not enough brain matter.
2 · 19 hrs
Graeme Trask Employers looking for cheap labour no doubt. Another wave of exploitation.
1 · 14 hrs
Joyce Marina OMG WTF what’s this stupid government thinking of.Next they’ll be wanting the elderly to find work
1 · 9 hrs
Jay Belmont Whatever. What about the non-mentally impaired that are unemployed, homeless??? Yeah….right!!!
1 · 12 hrs
Taruke Mafi Oh come on WTH THIS GOVERNMENT sux our Mental Health now but that doesnt surprise me the government will try anything
1 · 18 hrs
Deborah Smitheram I am so surprized no ones shot one of these fukwits already if anyone deserves a bullet they do
3 · 22 hrs
Jill Riggs This is already happening sad to see all the negative comments lots of people with mental health issues hold down jobs
1 · 15 hrs
1 Reply
Roberta Tau Get them into work, bossess will take advantage of them, they’ll be fired then can’t get back in assistance 🙁
15 hrs
David Simmonds Looks like that face above has been attacked by a pit bull,ug ug ug bloody ugly to say the least.Looks like it had just kissed G Brownlee
10 hrs
Glenys Epiha Toa Of all the dumbest things you’ve done..this takes it.
14 hrs
Cat Lamb And I hope they are serious about “helping ” and not just BULLYING
16 hrs
Horomona Kingi and what does she think they can do? most jobs now are taken up by immigrants
10 hrs
Debbie Jane Lomas just a way to kick the disabled off their benefits..
7 · 23 hrs
Lui Ikenasio What bloody jobs??
6 · Yesterday at 14:11
Garry Craig She should watch out. More competition for her job.
5 · Yesterday at 13:42
Brian Stowe more money wasted .
4 · Yesterday at 14:04
Nell Smith-Hughes More sheltered workshops!
Why were so many closed??
1 · 17 hrs
1 Reply
Karenza Mcleod Able bodied people need to get a job
2 · 19 hrs
Sharon Solomon What work? and where is it?
2 · 16 hrs
Christine Williams Arent that the truth Atra Dash.
3 hrs
Christine Williams You are right Azaelia Mackereth. When i saw this article i suddenly felt anxious and thought what the hell are they playing at now. You are right, people who don’t suffer from mental illness will never understand and us that suffer from the illness have to suffer more because of their stupidity .
3 hrs
Ray Harrison I have a feeling not many will be “opting in”
19 hrs
Damos Reddington Fkn idiot. It seems reality has leftthe building
2 hrs
Kath Garrity Another stupid intiative..
12 hrs
Louise Gordon You lot are a joke
17 hrs
Carl Zijlstra That’s an old old line
13 hrs
Jill Riggs What do they think we’re doing now…
15 hrs
Lee Anne Wikaira there definition of help is forced
11 hrs
Stanley G Foster What a joke
17 hrs
Dave Moke Fck bullshyt policies
5 hrs
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/YahooNewZealand/
+1 Leftie – some great comments there.
Thanks Save NZ, yep great comments there, it gives a glimpse of how people are really feeling, particularly about National.
Israel and Facebook lose a satellite:
‘Facebook satellite lost in SpaceX explosion at Cape Canaveral (VIDEO)’
https://www.rt.com/usa/357893-spacex-explosion-platform-launch/
“A Falcon 9 booster rocket exploded on the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as tropical storm Hermine bore down on the area.
An Israeli satellite that was to provide Facebook broadband to Africa was lost in the explosion, SpaceX confirmed…
@Lynn, when you’re on the main landing page, all the default geometric gravatars show up, but when you visit an article page, they don’t.
I expect it’s some caching thing.
Strangely enough, on the current (Open Mike) page, I’m seeing your usual gravatar / identicon, as well as CV’s, Draco’s, and ianmac’s, but everyone else (including my good self) are rendered as anonymous white figures against a grey background. What makes you 4 so special ??? – Bloody Teacher’s Pets !!!
The gravatars and identicons are effectively generated remotely at gravatar, stored locally on my system after generation because gravatar were slowing down the page load too much, and then cached on a CDN (content distribution system) in Sydney.
Because I just shifted this site to https and especially http2, if something doesn’t arrive in time you get the default.
In this case it looks like you are seeing a bug. I’ll remove a layer and see what happens.
Edit: Ok, setting it to “monster”, clearing the cache, then reverting to identicons, and clearing the cache appear to have fixed it. I’ll have a look to see if I get widespread reversion to default icons.
Cheers, 1prent.
Nope. Ummm removed the local cache.
CV, Draco, ian and myself have all configured non-default gravatars.
If you are using the default one, then it generates an icon based on your email address (and also username?). It was the default geometric thing that wasn’t working properly.
“CV, Draco, ian and myself have all configured non-default gravatars”
Ahhh, of course !
When you think about it, that was ridiculously stupid of me.
I politely didn’t mention that 😛
Wow!
The Http/2 is really dealing with the gravatars well without the local cache. I had to shift to that a few years ago as they were slowing the page loads so much after getting a few hundred people on a comments page.
I’ve just been looking at pages with 300 comments from way back and getting no page load lag. I also see a massive amount of parallelism off to gravatar.
I really like HTTP2. It beats the hell out of SPDY and I don’t have to compromise the site setup.
He’s not one to miss an opportunity to tell a lie.
/
Translation: “I repeat what I said personally, Mr. Trump: Mexico would never pay for a wall.”
Maybe Trump will nuke em, if they don’t pay for the wall.
Of course more “civilised” US policy does this behind closed doors, and uses torture and rendition by friendly intermediaries towards people they don’t like and wars to countries they don’t like.
In this context maybe a wall to try to keep the outside world out, is better than trying to infiltrate and control the outside world under current US foreign policy.
Our planet is not looking in good shape and nor is equality or democracy under US control.
If only Klein or Sanders had a chance.
The Donald is probably like most people contributing on this site.
Not being able to speak Spanish he might have tried to interpret it as if what the words sounded like in English was the translation.
The last sentence therefore came out as “Mexico jamas (hm. jumps at?) pagaria(paying) for a wall.
Not that speaking Spanish seems to make much difference of course. Both George W and brother Jeb were fluent in the language.
Yes, they were. It was a pity about their inability to express themselves clearly in English.
Mind you the Donald seems to spend his time repeatably saying “I am a pretentious loudmouth narcissistic dickhead” in whatever language he is trying to grunt at the time. Has anyone ever seen him talk about anything apart directly or indirectly referring to himself and what he is gonna do?
FFS: even Yankees don’t deserve this cretin.
It’s extraordinary isn’t it…….I know what Alwyn would say if Trump dropped his trou’ and defecated on the stage at a huge rally…….
While almost drowned out by the cheers of a very ugly thousands – Alwyn (maybe CV too) – “Ummh…….Err Err Err……you know……you must consider that The Donald was never potty trained……..you know…….to be fair.”
Love Friday nights. Such fun. Good feed. Coro’ Street. Loving family of 6. Warm. In the people-mover in the park. Alwyn.
We really do live in the 8th happiest country in the world aye Alwyn ? …….respectful nod to the National Party Cabinet (Club). 10th without you and me though aye Alwyn…….?
You really are a sick little prick aren’t you?
Trumper has an idea…..
Oh God there’s another fuck promising a ‘Brighter Future’ !
Maybe he will pay for it with aid that used to go to Mexico US dollars 209,432,920, build a nice wall for that!
With US aid to Mexico around $420 million a year – It’ll take some time.
He could use neoliberalism to get China to build the wall or some sort of PPP which takes 25 years to build and costs 5 times as much.
Last I heard it was 2.3 billion a year.The cut is expected to be a small part – $5 million – of the U.S.’s roughly $2.3 billion aid package to Mexico to combat the drug cartels, according to the Washington Post. The money covers such things as helicopters, border sensors and training programs, the Post said.” Plus ifyou use mexican labour it wont cost as much. :-0
I see you’ve taken faux new’s word.
/
Congress has appropriated $2.3 billion since 2008 for equipment such as helicopters and border sensors as well as training programs for thousands of Mexican officials.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/us-blocks-some-anti-drug-funds-for-mexico-over-human-rights-concerns/2015/10/18/8fa3925e-710b-11e5-ba14-318f8e87a2fc_story.html
Meanwhile…..
http://us-foreign-aid.insidegov.com/q/112/1590/How-much-money-does-the-U-S-give-to-Mexico
http://beta.foreignassistance.gov/explore#
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_foreign_aid
This site is being inundated by less than savoury attacks on various commenters by one commenter in particular. His (can’t imagine a ‘she’ stooping to such puerile language) level of debate is often personal and comes across as deliberate stalking of selected individuals. Likely to be putting off readers from coming here.
His latest example:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01092016/#comment-1226860
[lprent: I have been noticing his (feels like a dickhead) comments. To date, he seems to have been reacting to others blowing their volcanoes. I tend to not moderate against reactions unless they get too consistently inflammatory and look like someone trying to ignite a flamewar.
I’m always ready to give people time to learn to hang themselves – it is better for the training of all observers. 😈 ]
@Anne You know Chris and Alwyn have lost the argument when they attack you. Simply ignore the attacks and answer with facts and logic. That confuses them!
Incidentally I regard your post as sexist.
“@Anne You know Chris and Alwyn have lost the argument when they attack you. Simply ignore the attacks and answer with facts and logic. That confuses them!”
Agree with you there Bearded Git, and I know it’s wrong to feed the trolls, but they make themselves very hard to ignore. Hitting back with logic and facts seem to fuel them into a tizz and then they get even more abusive.
“@Anne You know Chris and Alwyn have lost the argument when they attack you. Simply ignore the attacks and answer with facts and logic. That confuses them!”
Agree with you there Bearded Git, and I know it’s wrong to feed the trolls, but they make themselves very hard to ignore. Hitting back with logic and facts seem to fuel them into a tizz and then they get even more abusive.
I do not however, believe that Anne’s post was sexist in any way. We all know who she is talking about after all.
@lprent
To date, he seems to have been reacting to others blowing their volcanoes.
In this and some other instances yes, but not always…
For sure Anne, there is no doubt about it, he stalks/trolls to abuse. Some comments don’t even necessitate such abuse either, which can and do come out of the blue as well.
+1 Anne, very pleased you have raised this issue.
It was difficult to tell given the early/late comments, to whom that comment was directed. It did seem to be in lock with mine responding to a “deluded Helen” comment catatonically issued by someone else. It just occurred to me that unlike Key Helen never got on global television and giggled about a murderer/child rapist being on the run from justice…….
Chris ain’t no prob’. I love his/her waste of energy.
It was an attack on someone else BG.
If you regard my tongue in cheek comment as ‘sexist’ then you are being overly sensitive. It’s normal in my world for the genders to joust with one another. No sexism involved.
But don’t let the twats divide and rule, the one thing they are masters at
That’s true Whateva Next.
@Anne. Agreed.
From recent (mid-late August) YouGov Polling:
Favourable to Clinton, unfavourable to Trump: 37%
Favourable to Trump, unfavourable to Clinton: 35%
Unfavourable to Both: 21%
Favourable to Both: 4%
Unsure: 2%
>
>
Presidential vote intention among registered voters who have an Unfavourable opinion of BOTH Clinton and Trump:
Will Vote
Trump 20%
Johnson 19%
Clinton 17%
Stein 12%
Other / Unsure 26%
This is how you handle banksters:
https://redice.tv/news/first-they-jailed-the-bankers-now-every-icelander-to-get-paid-in-bank-sale
YES!!!! Iceland is showing us the way!!
+1
Interesting perspective
“When I refuse to eat animals, I refuse to indulge in a system that profits off objectification. When I associate with my diet only ethical standards, and not guidelines on how to be the most ‘feminine’ according to patriarchal benchmarks on the slenderness of a woman’s physique; I reclaim my body. I nourish it for reasons beyond weight loss and dieting. I cater not for the gaze of toxic masculinity, but for the well-being of women and animals alike. Rather than eating for the eyes of my oppressor – he who too oppresses animals – a vegan lifestyle provides me revenge in solidarity. In my nourishment, I quietly protest.
Whilst the system’s prime concern is in ensuring masculinity is content and pleased, neither gender equality or animal equality will ever exist.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/life/83820068/i-dont-eat-meat-because-im-a-feminist
disclaimer : I am vegetarian for 36 years, never been vegan.
Personally I have always thought the relationship and correlation between meat eating and violence in society was a bit of a no brainer. The objectification argument makes sense to me.
“When I refuse to eat animals, I refuse to indulge in a system that profits off objectification.”
Sorry, but she obviously is ignorant about the realities of industrial grain and soy growing. Monsantoed monocrops are objectification too.
Can she be correct about what she says and not bring the other argument (you bought in) in?
Not if instead of eating meat she is eating industrial grain, soy etc (which she almost certainly is).
Edit, tbh I didn’t find her general argument about oppression of women and animals that compelling (the way she did it).
It is true that you don’t like vegans who push their philosophy though isn’t it? My reading of your comments on vegans is that you don’t really think much of them, their choices, or philosophy. Perhaps I’m wrong though.
Objectification of animals and womens bodies seems on a continuum to me and profiting off either is not something I’d endorse.
“My reading of your comments on vegans is that you don’t really think much of them, their choices, or philosophy.”
I like people that make thoughtful ethical choices about what they eat (vegans, vegetarians, locavores, slow foodies etc). I don’t like fundamentalists. Much of my arguments about veganism on ts centre around arguing with fundamentalists.
I also don’t like people misuing facts in one area to push underlying agendas eg Cowspiracy trying to say that it’s saving the planet while the underlying message is that everyone should be vegan. Animal rights ethics and environmental ethics are not a neat overlap and it does piss me off when they get conflated.
That’s me and vegans in general. I don’t know anything about the woman who wrote the article.
Perhaps I could have framed my response differently. Something like, there are similarities between objectificaiton of women, animals, the land and ecosystems, she appears to be focussing on two of them, and because some fundamentalist vegans pick and choose their ethics around objectification I wonder if she does too.
In terms of the article overall, I didn’t like the stuff about women’s tactics to not be seen as ‘appetising’ or prey. I don’t think most women frame themselves as meat, so her argument seemed off there to me. There are really obvious parallels in terms of oppression of women and animals, and how the dominant culture enforces and sanctions that, but she seemed to be falling into the thing she was objecting to by the way she framed her argument.
Thanks for clarifying – you make some interesting points as usual 🙂
I thought it was one of the best trolling efforts I’d ever read
in what way was it trolling?
It’s not trolling.
Its trolling and its very well done
No, it’s not trolling.
If you don’t want to eat for whatever reason that’s fine but to say “I don’t eat meat because I’m a feminist” is drawing one helluva line in the sand don’t you think (does that mean if you do eat meat then you’re not what she considers a “real” feminist?)
How about the gross generalisations contained within, for example I work in a male dominated, very macho industry yet I haven’t had any conversations at all long the lines of being a leg or breast man or anything remotely similar
“Men (particularly white men) have historically felt entitled to the land and bodies of “others”;
Really, particularly white men? So the mongol hordes were white, how about the (but not limited to) tribes of Zulu, how about the Barbary slave trade, Japan invading China, China invading Korea etc etc etc
This and her other ideas are what has led me to think shes trolling, no one could possibly take her seriously and if they do then well done to her
being provocative isn’t trolling
her argument on objectification (whether you agree or not) are an argument that supports that particular headline (quite possibly chosen by subeditor for its provocative nature).
your ignorance and ununderstanding show when you try to be high brow and discuss historical entitlements to land and bodies – do you know what the word ‘particularly ‘ means because I’m not sure it interpreted correctly by you there – hint – it doesn’t exclude.
I was using the that as an example of her trolling, she could have just left it at men but nope she threw in white men because she knew it would provoke a reaction
Anyone can eat what they like but when you start throwing massive generalisations around like she has it just shows shes trolling
“Anyone can eat what they like” – nah – can you eat babies?
veal – the iron deprived white calf meat?
Kiwi?
Baby seals?
A cat?
Lots of no noes there
Now you’re just being silly
go back to sleep and pretend to work then
Oh Mars Bars…….that did make me chortle…….”pretend to work then.”
+1 Marty Mars.
Good on ya, marty. I’ve been a vegetarian since my late teens. I didn’t get into it for ethical reasons, but that’s been the driver for quite a few years now. I wrote a post here a few years back suggesting you couldn’t be socialist and a meat eater. Annoyed a few people, as I recall, but it was worth challenging some ingrained beliefs.
thanks to you both – I might look that one up for a laugh trp
Here ya go: https://thestandard.org.nz/world-vegetarian-day-october-1st/
It was one of one of my first efforts. Looking back at it, I was a bit pompous and overbearing. Glad I’m not like that now 😉
Good fun reading that. I havent changed much either and i miss some of those commenters.
I enjoyed reading that too. I liked your post and I thought Rocky’s and Philip Ure’s responses were very good. In fact, the following quote from Philip Ure was excellent!!
” i’ve been vegan for ten years..vegetarian for twenty before that..
i know people who have been vegan for 40+ years..
and lots of other vegans..
one thing they have in common..
is glowing good health..
i also have three vegan dogs..
one 10 yrs old..her six yr old daughter..
and another 2 yr old..
the mother was vegan during the pregnancy..
these dogs could do centrefolds for ‘dog monthly’..
their coats are so shiny..you need to wear shades.. ”
Lol I thought that was hilarious!!!
Thanks for the link Te Reo Putake, enjoyed that.
Been a vegetarian since my teens too, and I wouldn’t want to live any other way.
That’s fantastic, Leftie. Well done.
Good one leftie
Interesting perspective
Well, it was interesting in the sense that it’s rare to see such a level of pompous, smug self-indulgence compressed into such a small piece of text, but apart from that – not really.
Lucky we all have different thresholds of interesting isn’t it.
A powerful climate change doco shown on Al Jazeera (47 mins):
Refusing to fall victim to the weather, Kisilu, a Kenyan smallholder farmer, uses a camera to capture the human impact of climate change.
Filmed over four years, he documents floods, droughts and storms that menace his and his community’s farms, forcing some to stop tending the fields and seek work in towns and cities.
https://youtu.be/Ccgsh-YafRk
+1 Mauī!!!
Hey waggy – this is a bit funny doncha reckon
500 cows – how many trucks to move them? How long would that take?
“Police investigating the disappearance of 500 dairy cows from an Ashburton farm will be following a milk trail worth $900,000 as they keep an open mind on a popular theory that the in-calf cattle went to the meat blackmarket.
All-up, the cows represent a loss of around $2 million to their owners.
The missing friesian-cross mixed-age cows – which number more than the average New Zealand dairy herd – went from a winter grazing property adjacent to their owners’ Norvo Farm in mid-Canterbury.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/83805047/police-follow-milk-or-meat-theories-in-2m-cow-theft
“…the cows were winter-grazing on the adjacent farm with the staff who milked them.”
I knew farm employees are generally not well treated but this is ridiculous.
I was drinking a cup of coffee when I reached your statement.
Then I had to wipe down the keyboard. Lovely comment.
🙂
They’re on a farm in Saudi now.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/dairy/83404772/shipping-dairy-cows-to-china-is-ecomomic-treason-winston-peters-says
More likely china , although i think they only send heifers. 13 truck loads of cattle would be hard to shift with out the workers noticing something , that’s a lot of heavy tyre marks and mess in the yards.
Ain’t it beautiful how $43 million can fix any ‘little’ (huh!) irregularity in one’s status and tenure in New Zealand. These Indian students are palpably victims on an horrific scale. The ruination of them and very probably their families back in India as well.
“Oh so what ?” Having no capacity to make anonymous ‘donations’ to some anonymous ‘party’ (I use the word pointedly) is an insufferable culpability, the penalty for which must be sheeted home at once !
Remember folks……”On Planet Putea we must, simply must, protect the vaunted but illusory integrity of our systems……oh, in the absence of substantial expressions of ‘goodwill’ the way of those who ‘matter’ that is.”
It would be karmic were this to come back in a big way on that excuse for a man Key (represented on Checkpoint tonight by the dark creature Joyce).