“National are claiming ballot box tampering”.
If you are going to make such an incredibly serious thing can you please provide a reference. I want to see who is claiming this and exactly what they are saying.
I suspect this is a reference to LInkwater polling station in the Kaikoura electorate where 123 votes were falsely attributed to the Maori Party by clerical error. The locals all knew about the predominance of National voters in the area and questions were raised. All a minor weather event in a drinking vessel, really.
Thanks.
Hardly the story that our “cleangreen” friend was spouting is it?
“so desperate for power they will invent anything”
What utter rubbish, if that is all his(her) wild hyperbole is based on.
And half a dozen exclamation marks after each sentence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Yes they were getting a rather extreme set of reactions weren’t they?
Accidents happen and it is very easy to do something like that in the haste of the count on the night I should say. The critical bit is getting it right before the final results are announced.
I was once Returning Officer in a University Students Association election.
Long, long ago.
Someone accidentally put a set of 100 votes on the wrong pile while doing the count. It was spotted before the results were announced luckily as I would have had to go back and announce a different winner later on.
Those idiots national don’t get It . It’s the people it’s the people it’s the people.
When all our people get a fair share of OUR resources everyone benefits our sports stadiums full up all eCommerce flourishes all our bad stats will be reversed a healthy happy population is a must . No winning Sports team under funds its health programs or keeps all the money in managements pockets if you find a winning team that behaves like national and wins . YEA RIGHT never going to happen .Its the people that make a good economy not just money. One just has to cast the eyes across our World and see these country’s with large populations and a small resource base and they are flourishing because they no that happy healthy people = happy healthy economy the trick for the Coalition is to change thing and keep everyone happy ,
What I don’t get is we run computer models to predict the weather we run computation models to predict lots of things so what’s so why don’t we have computation models to give us in site on what is the best way to run a country’s economy and Government systems is it because some people don’t want this information out in the public hands because the most positive out comes are a total reverse OF THE BULLSHIT POLICY’S THAT THE neo liberals AROUND OUR WORLD ARE RAMMING DOWN OUR THROATS .Well even a uneducated broke ass Maori like me can see this. You all no that im a kiwi to Ka Pai
There’s lots of economic computational modelling being done. It’s just a lot less reliable than weather modelling for a very simple reason.
All computational models need equations to relate how different variable interact with each other.
For weather models, those equations are based on physics, with just a few empirically derived relations from observations and historical data where the physics theory isn’t yet sufficiently complete.
For most economic models, those equations are mostly from assumptions about human behaviour. Since they are assumptions, they are heavily influenced by the political worldview of whoever is making the assumptions.
Most scientific theories have assumptions. Even the physical modelling of the climate has assumptions. We simply don’t know everything and throw in an assumption. That said, scientific assumptions are usually backed by logic. In other words, the scientists have a reason for the assumptions that they use.
The problem with the assumptions used in economics is that they date back to Ricardo and further. Now, Ricardo and other economists of the time knew that they were assumptions and that they could be wrong. They expected that the assumptions that they used would be researched and the missing information filled in.
This hasn’t happened and the economics ‘profession’ is still using those same assumptions despite the fact that many have been proved wrong in other fields of study. It’s why I keep posting this video:
I say we should have modern computation models built as if one was using old info or technology to operate a organization now it would go broke.
Thanks you did confirm my assumption that there is political interference with all of our data
Don’t get all conspiratorial though @ eco Maori.
Some of it is just muppets running things. Some of it is intentional underfunding or down to cronyism.
THe Electoral Commission will be having a debrief apparently.
When they do, no doubt the reason for 123 Natzi votes attributed to their (once was Mary Party – going forward) will emerge.
Then there’ll be a ‘how come?’ married couple people with PR showed up with both sets of parents in tow demanding to vote (the 4 unable to speak a word of English or Te Reo) …. as well as it being acceptable for ballot boxes being taken home (rather than perhaps locking them up in the local Police Cell).
Well ….. maybe we should be getting concerned at muppets running things but I think it’s still down to idiocy rather than intent (going forward). Give them a pay rise maybe – and shift them sideways (preferably off a fucking cliff)
Actually….. it could be a PPP toll cliff – we could tax them on the way down.
A win win! They’d pay their debt to sussoighty, realise that with roights cum responsibilities, but if not …… whooooar
But whether human behaviour is considered at all is dependent on the branch of economics you are following. The neo-liberal economists like to think that economics is a science that can be reduced to formulas, algorithms and derivatives. People, beyond being consumers of mostly crap, have no other economic reason to exist.
The truth about National Party priorities on health and housing – killing young Kiwis before their time:
The biggest home owner in New Zealand, the state-owned Housing New Zealand Corp, has revealed it spent 52 times more last year hunting for the tiniest trace elements of a harmless contaminant than it spent looking for mould and asbestos, which kill dozens of children each year.
Figures released under the Official Information Act by Housing NZ show it spent $51.9 million on testing and remediation of meth on its properties in the last financial year, up from $21 million the previous year. Last year’s spending represented 10 percent of its entire annual maintenance and improvement budget, or the equivalent of an average of $8,000 per property. However, in the 2016 financial year, it spent only $433,623 on the testing and remediation of mould and $639,873 on asbestos.
Those meth testing guys must have the most awesome fucking lobbyists on the planet. Either that, or the current government has an interest in demonising the poor and finding ways to weasel out of its housing responsibilities – but it couldn’t possibly be that, could it? Must be just some awe-inspiring lobbying skills by the meth-testing industry…
Probably agree with you re Cleangreen’s excited lurch there Alwyn but what I’m smelling more particularly from you is utter terror…….the superiority and entitlement of a decade turned into smelly old chocolate pooling at your feet. Trashy bogan Paula would be very unpleasant to be around right now…….
“NZ Drug Foundation president Ross Bell said the science does not back up the need for such an industry and it has played on the fears of New Zealand people in order to make a profit.
“More concerning, he said the Government has fallen for these scare tactics and created new standards and an Act amendment, currently before a select committee, which will unjustifiably perpetuate this culture of fear.
“He called the meth testing and remediation industry ‘the biggest scam this country has ever seen'”
But only the inside lanes, mind. Wonder why that is.
Back in the early ’90s, I drove some German friends from Berlin to Dresden. Being not long after re-unification, the Autobahn was still pretty much as Hitler built it. They got me to drive in the fast lane, because the slow lane was incredibly corrugated and potholed. I tried driving in it to see if they were bullshitting me and it was so horrible I got back in the fast lane within a few hundred meters. “40 years of heavily-laden trucks heading east,” said Detlef. “But don’t worry, we’ll be able to drive in the right lane on the way back – the trucks always returned empty.”
Unfortunately for NZ, the trucks are heavily-laden in both directions.
Tariana Turia thinks homelessness hasn’t got worse over the last 9 years. Says homeless people aren’t the Govt's responsibility. @maraetv— Jackal (@Jackalblog) September 30, 2017
100% Pure spin and head in the sand all at the same time.
Of course it all looks fine sitting atop the Whanau Ora trough National provided from the Health Budget for her party.
Her enabling of NACT as leader of the MP makes her, Flavell, Sharples and what followed, such as the the self serving Marama Fox, directly culpable. Only Hone can hold his head high as he called them for what they are and walked away.
I have never forgotten Peter Sharples’ comment some years ago when he was Minister of Maori Affairs. He was (iirc) contemplating the possibility he might lose his seat at the next election (must have been 2011) and he said in an interview he would be in big trouble if he lost because he’d just bought a larger home and he needed his ministerial salary to pay off the mortgage.
I’m all for referenda, I mean hey something binding like an election would have made Syria a bit easier. Even something dumbly non-binding like the Australian gay marriage one has at least some civil purpose, if you squint. And seriously the Spanish federal police acting at the direction of the Spanish government on purely political direction is deeply corrupt.:
But I would not want Europe to split into further pointless factions. We went through that with the rump Yugoslavia in the 1990s and it is a vortex of puirity and ethnic cleanising for which there is no limiting principle and therefore no end, only blood and destruction. Not to mention the impending chaos of Brexit.
The Catalan government is walking into a trap that can be cured by actual region-to-state diplomacy rather than orchestrating its population into foolish separatism achieving nothing except the polished egos of a few.
Where you getting this idea that people merely seeking greater levels of accountability/empowerment are spiteful and hateful little beasties Ad? And where’s this idea that people seeking a greater level of civic identity have to be “orchestrated” coming from?
I’d guess you to be one of these people who watch Hollywood “end of the world” movies who actually and uncritically accepts the “nasty, brutish and short” sub-narrative that casts the working class (variously) as zombies/cannibals/tooled up misanthropes “out to get” the valiant middle class – the worthy survivors and sole suppositories of civilisation’s knowledge and hope. 🙄
Your first para is essentially an adherence dominant narratives.
An aside. There have been elections in Syria (maybe you missed them under all the bullshit “prop on a spoon” that was coming our way?)
You have some criticism of the actions of the Spanish state that you then excuse by appealing to some notion of a “greater good” (that resides in a centralised and rather far reaching nexus of institutional power) protecting us from ….well, some realisation or reification of a rather dim and fearful view of ourselves.
No, not “the Russians are coming”.
No T-90 tanks outside the bull ring.
Simply that a destabilised and fractured Europe is a Russian foreign policy objective, in order to gain piecemeal diplomatic leverage over Western Europe and to exercise direct political/military control over portions of Eastern Europe.
And here was me thinking that vast swathes of Eastern Europe had been pulled into an EU and/or NATO orbit, and that the US had more military bases in Europe than could shake a stick at…and some nuclear shit too…alongside a more or less free pass when it comes to promoting it’s political, cultural and economic norms throughout Europe.
But no. Seems I’m imagining stuff and there’s not nuffin to see there. Not a fing.
Well no. Not as “opposed to Russian tanks”. And we all know societal elites and governments reflect the will of populaces and make decisions accordingly, aye? 😉
Hmmm… Has the West been guilty of fostering unrest in Eastern Europe? Could this be retribution? Or could people be seeing phantoms? I suspect that this is part of the legacy of Franco’s victory and subsequent style of government.
I suspect that it’s both a legacy of Franco’s victory and heartily encouraged by Putin. A less coherent Europe provides a less coordinated response to Russian military expansionism into its bordering nations.
And bill – yeah, definitely “as opposed to Russian tanks”. Russian troops have an interesting habit of crossing Russian borders. Starting in Chechnya in the 1990s.
The peoples of Catalonia, who have been seeking greater autonomy since “whenever”, are just idiotic or witless agents of Morgan ‘Friedbrain’ Freeman’s Putin – just like the peoples of Scotland and Wales and Ireland and any other people who might seek measures of self governance.
Nek minute you’ll be saying that any thoughts around tino rangatiratanga are being melded by Evil Ruskies (capital E, capital R) …kinda like how any socialist was under the hypnotic sway of The Kremlin (capital T capital K) throughout the periods of the Red Scares (capital R, capital S)
If only they’d stop clicking into all that Russian social media stuff that’s egging them on, eh?
You should visit Europe. Seriously. Maybe even talk to ordinary Europeans. Report back on their sense of foreboding or fear with regards Russia. (I know, I know. They know not what they truly think because “Evil Putin and social media”)
There you go again: nowhere have I said that Catalan independence shouldn’t be entertained or considered.
You stated that the fear of decentralisation was due to some fear about whateverthefuckyou’reon.
My response was that a very strong argument for keeping a federalised nation-state system in Europe inside a centralised European organisation was the fact that Russia has upped its expansionist position in the last ten or fifteen years, and a key part of preventing this piecemeal expansion is to have a coordinated european response.
Nato and europe are expanding westwards because the countries bordering Russia fear invasion, see better trade opportunities in Europe, and request membership. Funnily enough, countries and regions seem to request to join Russia only after they’ve had leaders poisoned and Russian-speaking troops set up the polling stations.
As for the Catalans, fair cop to them. But don’t be surprised if a major purchaser of pro-independence social media ads is the russian foreign ministry, because western European discord helps their foreign policy objectives.
The US was previously wanting a weak Europe rubberstamping “NATO” (i.e. US) decisions, but now wants the rep of making it rain but without actually throwing cash around the club – in fact sitting down and splitting the bill strictly according to what everybody ordered. Yeah, THAT guy in the party when everyone orders pizza…
What I committed to in the first place was democratic responsiveness.
Your aside is pointless. Fresh elections are required in Syria.
The “greater good” argument is the same sad slippery slope I have seen multiple times, with no limiting principle. It goes like this:
1. Area A is richer than the rest of the place it belongs to.
2. Area A therefore pays more tax. (According to 2014 figures, Catalonia paid E9.89 more into Spain’s tax authorities than it received in spending – the equivalent of 5% of its GDP.)
3. Area A feels unfairly treated, and a little political movement is formed to achieve this, which brings in all sorts of mythic shit about their essential essentialness.
4. Everyone in the rest of the area knows it’s pure code for fuck the poor everywhere else so the rich area stays rich.
5. Civil war ensues, and no one but the arms suppliers gets any richer.
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Syrians can determine their own internal political processes without our ‘wise council’.
But anyway. You want to turn the tables around on what was being referenced as “the greater good”?
Okay.
How long has it been that Catalonia has sought greater autonomy? What’s the history and reasoning?
And then, what about the Basque region? (It a richer area of France and Spain than other areas of those countries, is it?)
Scotland and/or Wales are imbued with all sorts of mythic shit about their essential essentialness are they?
Your “Area A” argument is entirely contrived and hardly representative. How could it be ffs, unless reality is that only wealthier regions seek political/cultural autonomy, and that all desire for political/cultural autonomy is driven solely by economic considerations.
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Syrians can determine their own internal political processes without our ‘wise council’.
They did have a go at it, but discovered that totalitarian dictatorships have their own means of determining political processes, means that are highly unpleasant but also very effective. True enough that no amount of ‘wise counsel’ on our part can assist them though.
The Baathist government ceded every demand made of it (multi-party elections, freeing of prisoners etc).
Can you name a demand they didn’t attempt to satisfy?
Oh. That’s right. You simply don’t get that the bullshit in Syria has its roots in the somewhat historical conflict between the secularism of Arab “state socialism” (‘orrible oxymoron) and the religious extremism that some Shia Muslims indulge in.
It’s all “bad Assad regime” and “noble, freedom loving rebels”…just as the BBC, NBC, CNN, ABC and all the rest of the alphabet soup media keep saying.
I seem to recall Assad responding to protests with snipers and to the Arab Spring in general with the comment “Reform is not a seasonal issue,” but no doubt his party’s official version of events does indeed describe it acceding to every demand made by the protesters.
It’s certainly true that I “don’t get” how you can pretend a guy who inherited the country from his dad and maintains his rule via a massive police state and extensively skilled and experienced torturers is some kind of democratically-elected leader. But don’t fret, I also have no desire to “get” whatever it is that results in that mindset.
I recall that propaganda too PM. Seems the difference between us is that I questioned it and wondered at the numbers of dead police officers who had been shot off the back of supposedly peaceful protests. I admit, I had the whole Venezuelan coup scenario sitting at the back of my mind. Remember that? Remember who the snipers killing protesters were in that instance?
Anyway. You have no example of a demand not responded to in a positive fashion.
Assad didn’t inherit. He had to have the nod from the Baathist party apparatus. Not hugely democratic at all, but not ‘inheritance’ like Queeny following Georgie aye?
And now all elections are contested and the general populace has a vote – just like here.
Shia radicalism, that’s implacably opposed to anything that might be considered as a western notion of secularism (and by extension anything Baathist or socialist or state driven) – that I thought you were against (don’t you keep referring to Islamofascists?) – is the reason the Syrian state developed a huge and fucked up security apparatus.
You are out on a very, very, long and thin limb if you think Syria doesn’t need elections and won’t need help with ensuring they are free and fair.
As to your questions, it goes roughly like this:
It started way back, but they started getting really itchy about the same time Portugal had a war for proper independence from Spain in the 1730s under King Philip III. All about tax and preserving the existence of an independent nobility.
The independence impulse was repressed under Franco.
They got pretty substantial autonomy under the 1978 constitution.
They got even more in a 2006 statute, but Spain’s constitutional court reversed that.
Most of Spain’s economy has been shit since the GFC, but the north-east less so due to massive tourism.
Cultural considerations in Catalonia are a code – as they usually are – for protecting wealth, class, and tax.
You are out on a very, very, long and thin limb if you think Syria doesn’t need elections and won’t need help with ensuring they are free and fair.
I’m not on that limb. There have been free and fair elections in Syria and further ones are scheduled when current terms expire….just like as in other countries that hold multi-party parliamentary elections and/or contested presidential elections.
If you thought that was free and fair as an election I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.
This is supremely the wrong time to start splitting further parts of Europe up further. Works great on tv getting sympathy. But that’s not where the work needs to be.
They need an argument about tax redistribution across Spain.
Not really but it appears to have been the West supported rebels that caused the problems.
Not to mention that Syrian embassies were shut down by numerous countries, meaning that Syrians within those countries couldn’t vote.
edit – and that’s “western supported Jihadists” – not “rebels”. (“Funny” how every fighter willingly picking up arms and fighting against the Syrian Arab Army is Shia, no?)
I saw this morning Teuila Blakely on the AM Show voted for Winstone Peters and prefers a National/NZ First coalition.
Considering she never has her eyes on the road and she distracts driver’s from having their eyes on the road – does this woman really know where she’s going?
Don’t do it—you’re only encouraging them. Online polls have about as much credibility as John Key’s assertion that he couldn’t remember his stance on the 1981 Springbok Tour.
I’ve heard of e-mail but what is this letter, as in “write a letter of objection” you mention?
Were they those things my grandparents used to talk about?
You can write a letter and deliver it by e-mail as an attachment. You can even write a letter, sign it, scan it in and deliver it by e-mail. The e-mail bit is new; the letter bit is not.
This is the plan eh, MMP isn’t delivering for New Zealanders.
Overheard at Mt hot pools last evening – “gotta get rid of this MMP, its all bullshit. We got the most votes, the , we got the, the majority and now winstons holding us to ransom…”
Catalan Independence Referendum results are through and very strongly pro; despite (or perhaps because of) Spanish state intimidation tactics:
[00:01] Jordi Turull, a Catalan regional government spokesman, said early on Monday that 90% of the 2.26 million Catalans who voted on Sunday voted in favour of independence. The region has 5.3 million voters…
[00:31] The turnout was 42%, say Catalan officials. On Sunday afternoon, the Spanish interior ministry said police had closed 79 of the 2,315 polling stations set up for the referendum. Earlier,, the Catalan government had reported that, despite the police’s efforts, voting was taking place in 96% of polling stations…
[00:36] Turull, the Catalan government spokesman, says authorities have calculated that a total of 770,000 votes were lost because of the disruption. “Four hundred schools [used as polling stations] have been sealed and many votes have been directly stolen,” he said.
“Your call is important to me and I will return your call as soon as I feel like it possible. Please leave your name & number and a short message after the national anthem beep. The answer still is No”.
Environmental ‘supergroup’ puts future government on notice
“Environmental issues were at the centre of the 2017 election campaign. No matter who ends up in Government, they will have a clear mandate and a responsibility to take action on fresh water, climate change, and conservation. And they should know that we will be right there to make sure they do.”
A winner in this year’s election was the New Zealand environment. It featured as a bigger concern amongst the electorate than ever before. All of you through your party manifestos made commitments to improve the state of our environment. We congratulate you for those promises.
As environmental leaders, we wish to offer our congratulations to all parties and to both sitting and new MPs for their election success. We also wish to acknowledge those parties and MPs who are departing Parliament and thank them for their work.
There is now a strong public expectation that whichever parties form the next Government, there must be clear gains for fresh water, the climate and conservation in the next three years.
We offer our help in achieving these gains:
FRESHWATER
It is clear that ecologically healthy freshwaters, and the ability of New Zealanders to safely swim in their rivers and lakes, will be a key measure of environmental success for the new Government. This can only be achieved if government facilitates and supports a transformation of the primary sector toward new, environmentally-friendly land uses and practices, coupled with tougher regulation and market signals which reflect the true costs of resource use.
CLIMATE
There must be a more structured and transparent approach to tackling the greatest challenge of our time – climate change. New Zealand’s emissions have continued to climb and we need an ambitious plan on how to reduce them. Transformative change is required through a new law to establish a statutory carbon budgeting process overseen by an independent Climate Commission to plan, monitor and report on the transition to net zero by 2050. Anything less betrays this and future generations.
CONSERVATION
The jewels in the crown of our national identity are the unique species which inhabit our lands, waters and wild places. We need the new Government to institute real measures to protect and enhance the viability of our precious species. This includes the health of the diverse and invaluable terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems that sustain both them and valued introduced species. An increase in funding of DOC’s core budget must be a key component in that strategy.
These issues, and the many others that fall under the umbrella of “environment”, are at the heart of the richness of our quality of life in New Zealand, and underpin our international reputation. They are also at the core of a genuinely sustainable future and are therefore true legacy issues. The natural world is our home and there are few greater gifts we can bestow our children than a vibrant, vital and healthy natural world.
We promise to continue our strong advocacy for the environment and look forward to working with all political parties, both in the next government and in the opposition, to achieve positive gains for our environment.
Ad Wondered about the
“Rt. Hon. Bill English Leader, National Party”
after Lisa McLaren’s name?
Is that to mean English helped write it or is it a copy for his information?
Sue Moroney’s recent commitment to whistleblowing is to be commended. The Panel, RNZ National, Monday 2 October 2017
Jim Mora, Julia Hartley-Moore, Mike Rehu, Megan Whelan
First topic for the light and breezy once-over this afternoon was the Joanne Harrison fraud case. The Member of Parliament who pushed this case was Labour’s Sue Moroney, who dutifully answered a few questions from the Panelists about it. Sue Moroney did a very good job here, but she has not always defended whistleblowers as robustly as she did in the Harrison case.
In fact, an infamous performance by her on the Backbenchers television show in 2013 showed her to be anything BUT a defender of Edward Snowden…
WALLACE CHAPMAN: Here’s a simple question for you Sue Moroney. If the U.S. whistleblower sought asylum in New Zealand, would you support him? SUE MORONEY:[face frozen in rictus grin] Ahhhhhhhhhhh. [extended pause] No. I don’t think so. Ask me something that matters.
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Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
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Today National are claiming ballot box tampering is occurring now !!!!!!
They are so desperate for power they will invent anything at all now!!!!!
So the Labour, Green. NZ First coalition is the best option now to save our country.
We need to sack the corrupt Government now.
National are now watching their “career dissapation light” deminish inside their eye now, as the reality of MMP sets in.
“old father time” has caught up with them finally.
They couldn’t have got away with their wanton stealing of all our public assets, and the selloff’s forever could they?
“National are claiming ballot box tampering”.
If you are going to make such an incredibly serious thing can you please provide a reference. I want to see who is claiming this and exactly what they are saying.
I suspect this is a reference to LInkwater polling station in the Kaikoura electorate where 123 votes were falsely attributed to the Maori Party by clerical error. The locals all knew about the predominance of National voters in the area and questions were raised. All a minor weather event in a drinking vessel, really.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/97402483/the-small-rural-township-that-stood-up-and-was-counted–wrongly?cid=edm:stuff:marlboroughexpress&bid=371546290
Thanks.
Hardly the story that our “cleangreen” friend was spouting is it?
“so desperate for power they will invent anything”
What utter rubbish, if that is all his(her) wild hyperbole is based on.
And half a dozen exclamation marks after each sentence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Some of the more rabid and unhinged of your ilk Alwyn….https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2017/10/data_entry_error_is_not_good_enough.html#comments
Yes they were getting a rather extreme set of reactions weren’t they?
Accidents happen and it is very easy to do something like that in the haste of the count on the night I should say. The critical bit is getting it right before the final results are announced.
I was once Returning Officer in a University Students Association election.
Long, long ago.
Someone accidentally put a set of 100 votes on the wrong pile while doing the count. It was spotted before the results were announced luckily as I would have had to go back and announce a different winner later on.
Those idiots national don’t get It . It’s the people it’s the people it’s the people.
When all our people get a fair share of OUR resources everyone benefits our sports stadiums full up all eCommerce flourishes all our bad stats will be reversed a healthy happy population is a must . No winning Sports team under funds its health programs or keeps all the money in managements pockets if you find a winning team that behaves like national and wins . YEA RIGHT never going to happen .Its the people that make a good economy not just money. One just has to cast the eyes across our World and see these country’s with large populations and a small resource base and they are flourishing because they no that happy healthy people = happy healthy economy the trick for the Coalition is to change thing and keep everyone happy ,
What I don’t get is we run computer models to predict the weather we run computation models to predict lots of things so what’s so why don’t we have computation models to give us in site on what is the best way to run a country’s economy and Government systems is it because some people don’t want this information out in the public hands because the most positive out comes are a total reverse OF THE BULLSHIT POLICY’S THAT THE neo liberals AROUND OUR WORLD ARE RAMMING DOWN OUR THROATS .Well even a uneducated broke ass Maori like me can see this. You all no that im a kiwi to Ka Pai
There’s lots of economic computational modelling being done. It’s just a lot less reliable than weather modelling for a very simple reason.
All computational models need equations to relate how different variable interact with each other.
For weather models, those equations are based on physics, with just a few empirically derived relations from observations and historical data where the physics theory isn’t yet sufficiently complete.
For most economic models, those equations are mostly from assumptions about human behaviour. Since they are assumptions, they are heavily influenced by the political worldview of whoever is making the assumptions.
Most scientific theories have assumptions. Even the physical modelling of the climate has assumptions. We simply don’t know everything and throw in an assumption. That said, scientific assumptions are usually backed by logic. In other words, the scientists have a reason for the assumptions that they use.
The problem with the assumptions used in economics is that they date back to Ricardo and further. Now, Ricardo and other economists of the time knew that they were assumptions and that they could be wrong. They expected that the assumptions that they used would be researched and the missing information filled in.
This hasn’t happened and the economics ‘profession’ is still using those same assumptions despite the fact that many have been proved wrong in other fields of study. It’s why I keep posting this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
I say we should have modern computation models built as if one was using old info or technology to operate a organization now it would go broke.
Thanks you did confirm my assumption that there is political interference with all of our data
Don’t get all conspiratorial though @ eco Maori.
Some of it is just muppets running things. Some of it is intentional underfunding or down to cronyism.
THe Electoral Commission will be having a debrief apparently.
When they do, no doubt the reason for 123 Natzi votes attributed to their (once was Mary Party – going forward) will emerge.
Then there’ll be a ‘how come?’ married couple people with PR showed up with both sets of parents in tow demanding to vote (the 4 unable to speak a word of English or Te Reo) …. as well as it being acceptable for ballot boxes being taken home (rather than perhaps locking them up in the local Police Cell).
Well ….. maybe we should be getting concerned at muppets running things but I think it’s still down to idiocy rather than intent (going forward). Give them a pay rise maybe – and shift them sideways (preferably off a fucking cliff)
Actually….. it could be a PPP toll cliff – we could tax them on the way down.
A win win! They’d pay their debt to sussoighty, realise that with roights cum responsibilities, but if not …… whooooar
But whether human behaviour is considered at all is dependent on the branch of economics you are following. The neo-liberal economists like to think that economics is a science that can be reduced to formulas, algorithms and derivatives. People, beyond being consumers of mostly crap, have no other economic reason to exist.
From Newsroom – updated 2 hours ago:
The truth about National Party priorities on health and housing – killing young Kiwis before their time:
Those meth testing guys must have the most awesome fucking lobbyists on the planet. Either that, or the current government has an interest in demonising the poor and finding ways to weasel out of its housing responsibilities – but it couldn’t possibly be that, could it? Must be just some awe-inspiring lobbying skills by the meth-testing industry…
Another sham by national and this one is the tip of the iceberg
Probably agree with you re Cleangreen’s excited lurch there Alwyn but what I’m smelling more particularly from you is utter terror…….the superiority and entitlement of a decade turned into smelly old chocolate pooling at your feet. Trashy bogan Paula would be very unpleasant to be around right now…….
Thanks for highlighting this, Carolyn.
From your link
“NZ Drug Foundation president Ross Bell said the science does not back up the need for such an industry and it has played on the fears of New Zealand people in order to make a profit.
“More concerning, he said the Government has fallen for these scare tactics and created new standards and an Act amendment, currently before a select committee, which will unjustifiably perpetuate this culture of fear.
“He called the meth testing and remediation industry ‘the biggest scam this country has ever seen'”
The question now is, will Labour overturn this if they attain power?
Could have built 500+ houses and given them away for that $52m. Would have produced better social and economic outcomes.
From Stuff: new Kapiti Expressway “Road of National Significance” already needs resealing.
But only the inside lanes, mind. Wonder why that is.
Back in the early ’90s, I drove some German friends from Berlin to Dresden. Being not long after re-unification, the Autobahn was still pretty much as Hitler built it. They got me to drive in the fast lane, because the slow lane was incredibly corrugated and potholed. I tried driving in it to see if they were bullshitting me and it was so horrible I got back in the fast lane within a few hundred meters. “40 years of heavily-laden trucks heading east,” said Detlef. “But don’t worry, we’ll be able to drive in the right lane on the way back – the trucks always returned empty.”
Unfortunately for NZ, the trucks are heavily-laden in both directions.
From leaky homes to leaky roads.
Declining standards and cheap builds up against increased use.
The result is predictable shortened lifespan of the infrastructure.
If you want to keep your job you should do a mediocre job 😉
WTF is this?
Showing her true colours.
Yeah……Toryana Torya. Sad fraud.
Pre-senile dementia?
100% Pure spin and head in the sand all at the same time.
Of course it all looks fine sitting atop the Whanau Ora trough National provided from the Health Budget for her party.
Her enabling of NACT as leader of the MP makes her, Flavell, Sharples and what followed, such as the the self serving Marama Fox, directly culpable. Only Hone can hold his head high as he called them for what they are and walked away.
I have never forgotten Peter Sharples’ comment some years ago when he was Minister of Maori Affairs. He was (iirc) contemplating the possibility he might lose his seat at the next election (must have been 2011) and he said in an interview he would be in big trouble if he lost because he’d just bought a larger home and he needed his ministerial salary to pay off the mortgage.
That said it all for me.
I’m all for referenda, I mean hey something binding like an election would have made Syria a bit easier. Even something dumbly non-binding like the Australian gay marriage one has at least some civil purpose, if you squint. And seriously the Spanish federal police acting at the direction of the Spanish government on purely political direction is deeply corrupt.:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/01/dozens-injured-as-riot-police-storm-catalan-ref-polling-stations
But I would not want Europe to split into further pointless factions. We went through that with the rump Yugoslavia in the 1990s and it is a vortex of puirity and ethnic cleanising for which there is no limiting principle and therefore no end, only blood and destruction. Not to mention the impending chaos of Brexit.
The Catalan government is walking into a trap that can be cured by actual region-to-state diplomacy rather than orchestrating its population into foolish separatism achieving nothing except the polished egos of a few.
Where you getting this idea that people merely seeking greater levels of accountability/empowerment are spiteful and hateful little beasties Ad? And where’s this idea that people seeking a greater level of civic identity have to be “orchestrated” coming from?
I’d guess you to be one of these people who watch Hollywood “end of the world” movies who actually and uncritically accepts the “nasty, brutish and short” sub-narrative that casts the working class (variously) as zombies/cannibals/tooled up misanthropes “out to get” the valiant middle class – the worthy survivors and sole suppositories of civilisation’s knowledge and hope. 🙄
Might want to re-read the first paragraph of the comment. It’s better than guessing.
Your first para is essentially an adherence dominant narratives.
An aside. There have been elections in Syria (maybe you missed them under all the bullshit “prop on a spoon” that was coming our way?)
You have some criticism of the actions of the Spanish state that you then excuse by appealing to some notion of a “greater good” (that resides in a centralised and rather far reaching nexus of institutional power) protecting us from ….well, some realisation or reification of a rather dim and fearful view of ourselves.
I suspect the fear isn’t so much “ourselves” as “Russia”.
edit:… which seems to be expanding and improving on British foreign policy objectives
Aw ffs McFlock. You really want to peddle the “it’s the Russians! the Russians is coming!!” bullshit!!!?
Hmm – you heard the one about the Hollywood director, the actor and the embittered politician?
I guess you’ll be telling me to stop laughing and take it seriously 🙄
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz9PNoecNxU
No, not “the Russians are coming”.
No T-90 tanks outside the bull ring.
Simply that a destabilised and fractured Europe is a Russian foreign policy objective, in order to gain piecemeal diplomatic leverage over Western Europe and to exercise direct political/military control over portions of Eastern Europe.
Really?
And here was me thinking that vast swathes of Eastern Europe had been pulled into an EU and/or NATO orbit, and that the US had more military bases in Europe than could shake a stick at…and some nuclear shit too…alongside a more or less free pass when it comes to promoting it’s political, cultural and economic norms throughout Europe.
But no. Seems I’m imagining stuff and there’s not nuffin to see there. Not a fing.
“Applied for membership” apparently equals “pulled into an EU and/or NATO orbit”.
As opposed to Russian tanks.
Well no. Not as “opposed to Russian tanks”. And we all know societal elites and governments reflect the will of populaces and make decisions accordingly, aye? 😉
Hmmm… Has the West been guilty of fostering unrest in Eastern Europe? Could this be retribution? Or could people be seeing phantoms? I suspect that this is part of the legacy of Franco’s victory and subsequent style of government.
I suspect that it’s both a legacy of Franco’s victory and heartily encouraged by Putin. A less coherent Europe provides a less coordinated response to Russian military expansionism into its bordering nations.
And bill – yeah, definitely “as opposed to Russian tanks”. Russian troops have an interesting habit of crossing Russian borders. Starting in Chechnya in the 1990s.
Sure thing McFlock.
The peoples of Catalonia, who have been seeking greater autonomy since “whenever”, are just idiotic or witless agents of Morgan ‘Friedbrain’ Freeman’s Putin – just like the peoples of Scotland and Wales and Ireland and any other people who might seek measures of self governance.
Nek minute you’ll be saying that any thoughts around tino rangatiratanga are being melded by Evil Ruskies (capital E, capital R) …kinda like how any socialist was under the hypnotic sway of The Kremlin (capital T capital K) throughout the periods of the Red Scares (capital R, capital S)
If only they’d stop clicking into all that Russian social media stuff that’s egging them on, eh?
You should visit Europe. Seriously. Maybe even talk to ordinary Europeans. Report back on their sense of foreboding or fear with regards Russia. (I know, I know. They know not what they truly think because “Evil Putin and social media”)
f.f.s.
oh, ffs.
There you go again: nowhere have I said that Catalan independence shouldn’t be entertained or considered.
You stated that the fear of decentralisation was due to some fear about whateverthefuckyou’reon.
My response was that a very strong argument for keeping a federalised nation-state system in Europe inside a centralised European organisation was the fact that Russia has upped its expansionist position in the last ten or fifteen years, and a key part of preventing this piecemeal expansion is to have a coordinated european response.
Nato and europe are expanding westwards because the countries bordering Russia fear invasion, see better trade opportunities in Europe, and request membership. Funnily enough, countries and regions seem to request to join Russia only after they’ve had leaders poisoned and Russian-speaking troops set up the polling stations.
As for the Catalans, fair cop to them. But don’t be surprised if a major purchaser of pro-independence social media ads is the russian foreign ministry, because western European discord helps their foreign policy objectives.
U.S.A tanks bring freedom ….. and are the recommended tool for dealing with Palestinian children throwing stones https://s14-eu5.ixquick.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F49%2F61%2F7b%2F49617b2af30f70729dd5f65026d69d94–david-and-goliath-palestine.jpg&sp=e7a43796171b9708ee367bd0363ce1d8
Russians fight terrorists …. the sort Cameron, May etc support ….. Isis/Al-nusrade Al Qaeda flavored demonocracy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQZZtgu3pGg
that’s nice, reason.
Question: Israel’s in Europe now?
Another q: that looks like a cool video – is it a trailer for the next Assassin’s Creed game?
Actually, I suspect that the USA doesn’t want an over-powerful Europe either. I trust nobody!!
The US was previously wanting a weak Europe rubberstamping “NATO” (i.e. US) decisions, but now wants the rep of making it rain but without actually throwing cash around the club – in fact sitting down and splitting the bill strictly according to what everybody ordered. Yeah, THAT guy in the party when everyone orders pizza…
US foreign policy in the age of trump.
What I committed to in the first place was democratic responsiveness.
Your aside is pointless. Fresh elections are required in Syria.
The “greater good” argument is the same sad slippery slope I have seen multiple times, with no limiting principle. It goes like this:
1. Area A is richer than the rest of the place it belongs to.
2. Area A therefore pays more tax. (According to 2014 figures, Catalonia paid E9.89 more into Spain’s tax authorities than it received in spending – the equivalent of 5% of its GDP.)
3. Area A feels unfairly treated, and a little political movement is formed to achieve this, which brings in all sorts of mythic shit about their essential essentialness.
4. Everyone in the rest of the area knows it’s pure code for fuck the poor everywhere else so the rich area stays rich.
5. Civil war ensues, and no one but the arms suppliers gets any richer.
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Syrians can determine their own internal political processes without our ‘wise council’.
But anyway. You want to turn the tables around on what was being referenced as “the greater good”?
Okay.
How long has it been that Catalonia has sought greater autonomy? What’s the history and reasoning?
And then, what about the Basque region? (It a richer area of France and Spain than other areas of those countries, is it?)
Scotland and/or Wales are imbued with all sorts of mythic shit about their essential essentialness are they?
Your “Area A” argument is entirely contrived and hardly representative. How could it be ffs, unless reality is that only wealthier regions seek political/cultural autonomy, and that all desire for political/cultural autonomy is driven solely by economic considerations.
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that Syrians can determine their own internal political processes without our ‘wise council’.
They did have a go at it, but discovered that totalitarian dictatorships have their own means of determining political processes, means that are highly unpleasant but also very effective. True enough that no amount of ‘wise counsel’ on our part can assist them though.
The Baathist government ceded every demand made of it (multi-party elections, freeing of prisoners etc).
Can you name a demand they didn’t attempt to satisfy?
Oh. That’s right. You simply don’t get that the bullshit in Syria has its roots in the somewhat historical conflict between the secularism of Arab “state socialism” (‘orrible oxymoron) and the religious extremism that some Shia Muslims indulge in.
It’s all “bad Assad regime” and “noble, freedom loving rebels”…just as the BBC, NBC, CNN, ABC and all the rest of the alphabet soup media keep saying.
I seem to recall Assad responding to protests with snipers and to the Arab Spring in general with the comment “Reform is not a seasonal issue,” but no doubt his party’s official version of events does indeed describe it acceding to every demand made by the protesters.
It’s certainly true that I “don’t get” how you can pretend a guy who inherited the country from his dad and maintains his rule via a massive police state and extensively skilled and experienced torturers is some kind of democratically-elected leader. But don’t fret, I also have no desire to “get” whatever it is that results in that mindset.
I recall that propaganda too PM. Seems the difference between us is that I questioned it and wondered at the numbers of dead police officers who had been shot off the back of supposedly peaceful protests. I admit, I had the whole Venezuelan coup scenario sitting at the back of my mind. Remember that? Remember who the snipers killing protesters were in that instance?
Anyway. You have no example of a demand not responded to in a positive fashion.
Assad didn’t inherit. He had to have the nod from the Baathist party apparatus. Not hugely democratic at all, but not ‘inheritance’ like Queeny following Georgie aye?
And now all elections are contested and the general populace has a vote – just like here.
Shia radicalism, that’s implacably opposed to anything that might be considered as a western notion of secularism (and by extension anything Baathist or socialist or state driven) – that I thought you were against (don’t you keep referring to Islamofascists?) – is the reason the Syrian state developed a huge and fucked up security apparatus.
You think it was developed “just ’cause”?
As usual, the rabbit hole goes way further down than I’m willing to follow.
You are out on a very, very, long and thin limb if you think Syria doesn’t need elections and won’t need help with ensuring they are free and fair.
As to your questions, it goes roughly like this:
It started way back, but they started getting really itchy about the same time Portugal had a war for proper independence from Spain in the 1730s under King Philip III. All about tax and preserving the existence of an independent nobility.
The independence impulse was repressed under Franco.
They got pretty substantial autonomy under the 1978 constitution.
They got even more in a 2006 statute, but Spain’s constitutional court reversed that.
Most of Spain’s economy has been shit since the GFC, but the north-east less so due to massive tourism.
Cultural considerations in Catalonia are a code – as they usually are – for protecting wealth, class, and tax.
I guess Syria needs elections like Iraq and Afghanistan needed the western “democratic” invasions in 2001 and 2003 eh?
You are out on a very, very, long and thin limb if you think Syria doesn’t need elections and won’t need help with ensuring they are free and fair.
I’m not on that limb. There have been free and fair elections in Syria and further ones are scheduled when current terms expire….just like as in other countries that hold multi-party parliamentary elections and/or contested presidential elections.
Further free and fair elections have been scheduled, and the ballot forms have already filled in /sarc
You mean like the one that was held and the rebels tried to prevent by killing people?
If Catalan want to be their own separate nation then we should be supporting them in that – not condemning them for it.
If you thought that was free and fair as an election I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.
This is supremely the wrong time to start splitting further parts of Europe up further. Works great on tv getting sympathy. But that’s not where the work needs to be.
They need an argument about tax redistribution across Spain.
Not really but it appears to have been the West supported rebels that caused the problems.
Not really but it appears to have been the West supported rebels that caused the problems.
Not to mention that Syrian embassies were shut down by numerous countries, meaning that Syrians within those countries couldn’t vote.
edit – and that’s “western supported Jihadists” – not “rebels”. (“Funny” how every fighter willingly picking up arms and fighting against the Syrian Arab Army is Shia, no?)
Your position is in support the police violence and shooting in Catalonia, because it’s about a united Europe? Is that it Ad?
Some Utopian Beige world you live in mate, if you think violence is the answer to anything.
Edit:
Take 5 minutes to have a look on line at all the police brutality. And God Bless the Catalonia Fire Brigade.
I saw this morning Teuila Blakely on the AM Show voted for Winstone Peters and prefers a National/NZ First coalition.
Considering she never has her eyes on the road and she distracts driver’s from having their eyes on the road – does this woman really know where she’s going?
The blind leading the blind methinks.
yes,I found her nauseating to say the least .
Newshub online Poll: Should we get rid of MMP:
It was 51% “No”, when I did it. It’s now dropped down to 49%
Don’t do it—you’re only encouraging them. Online polls have about as much credibility as John Key’s assertion that he couldn’t remember his stance on the 1981 Springbok Tour.
+1
back at 51% No. I voted twice. Once on Chrome. Once on Firefox. (Just to show that it is possible.)
If you voted twice, I wonder how many times each of the National Party slaves pushed that “Yes” button.
These “polls” are an insult. Instead of participating in them, why not write a letter of objection to Newshub instead?
I’ve heard of e-mail but what is this letter, as in “write a letter of objection” you mention?
Were they those things my grandparents used to talk about?
You can write a letter and deliver it by e-mail as an attachment. You can even write a letter, sign it, scan it in and deliver it by e-mail. The e-mail bit is new; the letter bit is not.
I really will have to learn that I must put, probably above and below the comment when it is really only meant as a joke.
Probably? a good plan? probably.
It was a joke on a joke. I got your joke, but did you get mine?
This is the plan eh, MMP isn’t delivering for New Zealanders.
Overheard at Mt hot pools last evening – “gotta get rid of this MMP, its all bullshit. We got the most votes, the , we got the, the majority and now winstons holding us to ransom…”
Catalan Independence Referendum results are through and very strongly pro; despite (or perhaps because of) Spanish state intimidation tactics:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2017/oct/01/catalan-independence-referendum-spain-catalonia-vote-live
See Scoop today, both NZ Labour and National have left voicemail /or phoned and had a response from NZ First.
“Your call is important to me and I will return your call as soon as
I feel like itpossible. Please leave your name & number and a short message after thenational anthembeep. The answer still is No”.Tinder would have made the whole thing a bit faster.
Environmental ‘supergroup’ puts future government on notice
“Environmental issues were at the centre of the 2017 election campaign. No matter who ends up in Government, they will have a clear mandate and a responsibility to take action on fresh water, climate change, and conservation. And they should know that we will be right there to make sure they do.”
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1710/S00002/environmental-supergroup-puts-future-government-on-notice.htm
Anyone remember the joyous pro-union days of The Pajama Game?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0szHqIXQ2R8
Well, get ready for goodbye clothing machinists, and hello to machines that make clothes right down to the buttons:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2017-10-02/u-s-talking-to-north-korea-on-nukes-video
Good organising post-election.
Sure hoping this lot stay toe-to-toe against NZDairy and Fonterra inthe years to come:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1710/S00002/environmental-supergroup-puts-future-government-on-notice.htm
Dear Party leaders,
A winner in this year’s election was the New Zealand environment. It featured as a bigger concern amongst the electorate than ever before. All of you through your party manifestos made commitments to improve the state of our environment. We congratulate you for those promises.
As environmental leaders, we wish to offer our congratulations to all parties and to both sitting and new MPs for their election success. We also wish to acknowledge those parties and MPs who are departing Parliament and thank them for their work.
There is now a strong public expectation that whichever parties form the next Government, there must be clear gains for fresh water, the climate and conservation in the next three years.
We offer our help in achieving these gains:
FRESHWATER
It is clear that ecologically healthy freshwaters, and the ability of New Zealanders to safely swim in their rivers and lakes, will be a key measure of environmental success for the new Government. This can only be achieved if government facilitates and supports a transformation of the primary sector toward new, environmentally-friendly land uses and practices, coupled with tougher regulation and market signals which reflect the true costs of resource use.
CLIMATE
There must be a more structured and transparent approach to tackling the greatest challenge of our time – climate change. New Zealand’s emissions have continued to climb and we need an ambitious plan on how to reduce them. Transformative change is required through a new law to establish a statutory carbon budgeting process overseen by an independent Climate Commission to plan, monitor and report on the transition to net zero by 2050. Anything less betrays this and future generations.
CONSERVATION
The jewels in the crown of our national identity are the unique species which inhabit our lands, waters and wild places. We need the new Government to institute real measures to protect and enhance the viability of our precious species. This includes the health of the diverse and invaluable terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems that sustain both them and valued introduced species. An increase in funding of DOC’s core budget must be a key component in that strategy.
These issues, and the many others that fall under the umbrella of “environment”, are at the heart of the richness of our quality of life in New Zealand, and underpin our international reputation. They are also at the core of a genuinely sustainable future and are therefore true legacy issues. The natural world is our home and there are few greater gifts we can bestow our children than a vibrant, vital and healthy natural world.
We promise to continue our strong advocacy for the environment and look forward to working with all political parties, both in the next government and in the opposition, to achieve positive gains for our environment.
Yours sincerely
Kevin Hague
Forest and Bird
Russel Norman
Greenpeace New Zealand
Livia Esterhazy
WWF New Zealand
Bryce Johnson
Fish & Game New Zealand
Gary Taylor
Environmental Defence Society
Guy Salmon
Ecologic
Lisa McLaren
Generation Zero
Ad Wondered about the
“Rt. Hon. Bill English Leader, National Party”
after Lisa McLaren’s name?
Is that to mean English helped write it or is it a copy for his information?
Sue Moroney’s recent commitment to whistleblowing is to be commended.
The Panel, RNZ National, Monday 2 October 2017
Jim Mora, Julia Hartley-Moore, Mike Rehu, Megan Whelan
First topic for the light and breezy once-over this afternoon was the Joanne Harrison fraud case. The Member of Parliament who pushed this case was Labour’s Sue Moroney, who dutifully answered a few questions from the Panelists about it. Sue Moroney did a very good job here, but she has not always defended whistleblowers as robustly as she did in the Harrison case.
In fact, an infamous performance by her on the Backbenchers television show in 2013 showed her to be anything BUT a defender of Edward Snowden…
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-16062013/#comment-649149
So the trump administration is doing another surge,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/08/30/afghan-troop-surge-likely-to-include-thousands-of-paratroopers-marines-and-heavy-bombers/?utm_term=.c3bf73b90105
It seems that the pomes’ are joining in
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4332517/sas-afganistan-taliban-surge-trump/
We are supporting this madness in our own small way
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/337984/nz-to-send-more-defence-personnel-to-afghanistan