It irks me that Hooten’s sign off says PR and Excelcium not former National Party staffer etc etc.
He may be miffed that this latest revelation makes him look a little foolish.
To sugest that Clark and Wall not knowing equates to every Nat Health Minister and DHB Chair not knowing since 2010 is disingenous at best.
Of course the hospital is still operating. How could it not? It serves the largest population catchment in Auckland and that catchment contains many over representated in illness stats.
Were they supposed to close and send the patients to Colemans new employers private hospitals? At private rates paid for by the taxpayer?
Does the cost to fix include the cost of relocating the services within the building being repaired?
Speaking of former NActs, the greatest skill of Tony Ryall (Simpson Grierson’s head of pubic policy, Minister of Health 2008-2014) was putting in place health the targets and budget stretching that bedevil the public health services today, and walking away before the sh-ortages hit the fan.
Tony Ryall – I remember a political commentator saying that he had been adept at keeping health on low profile while he was Minister. Managing down, austerity reigns, that will get you a good outcome when you step down as a pollie.
This illustrates the awful moral hazard that faces the citizens with business reigning over us. There is no desire for government to see that anything is done well or goes well for the mass of the citizens, because there is a private company that can profit from undertaking the remedial work. It’s a factory chain of robotic ‘wealth creators’ (euphemism), and we are being passed from one work station to another.
But the work done for and on us does not have to conform to any excellence except what shows on the surface. There are no solid regulations that are practical and have teeth and are monitored and activated.
No, or few regulations on business, but yes for citizens. Every step and breath that citizens take is being regulated by business through their servant entity, government. So sneer at the promise of a brave new world of neoliberalism, freemarketing and freebooting (now add freebotting).
The rights and opportunities we had achieved for us all have been given away and we are left with nothing positive just being exploited! We have swopped our magic beans for a cow! Go climb that beanstalk Jacky and steal back our golden future from the giant, and good luck to you pilgrim.
No, or few regulations on business, but yes for citizens. Every step and breath that citizens take is being regulated by business through their servant entity, government. So sneer at the promise of a brave new world of neoliberalism, freemarketing and freebooting (now add freebotting).
QFT
I’ll add this bit from Why we can’t afford the rich:
Though it never admits it, neoliberalism is a political-economic movement that seeks to legitimise widening economic inequalities and defend rentier interests above all others. Rentiers can live off others regardless of their gender, race, sexuality and so on.
The majority of us are slaves to keeping the rich wealthy. That’s how capitalism is designed.
I love a good rant grey, especially when it’s so much better than I could have done. An excellent point on our regulatory environment and the differences in it for businesses and citizens.
And some people still think politics doesn’t affect them. Only when enough citizens pay attention, will the politicians change that neo-liberal regulatory environment instead of just stitching up the fraying edges.
miravox
There was some point before one of the elections that Key denied the seriousness of some criticism saying that the naysayers were making politics out of it whatever it was. We are so green that we are like spirulina if we don’t understand that everything done and said is political and has effects on all the citizens – Politics’R US!
Wikipedia
political
adjective: political
1.
relating to the government or public affairs of a country.
“a period of political and economic stability”
Way to go – Participatory democracy – Everyone start studying politics as it is taught, so you are knowledgable when the time for making good future decisions comes.
Hooten is probably right. DHB heads might be compelled by the Nat Govt to hide that sort of information from the media but they can’t keep it out of the books. Building depreciation and deferred maintenance is financial information with an absolute requirement it be reported in the annual accounts.
The Audit Office signed off the annual report of CMDHB, if anything was deliberately missed out I’d expect to see the Audit Office descend on that DHB like a plague of locusts. Politicians might get away with bullshitting about financial matters but accountants and senior managers sure can’t (not when they’re discovered anyway).
It still surprises me that so many people can report on an issue like this without any of them even bothering to take the time to read the annual reports of the party in question. It should be the first thing interested people do, the annual accounts of all Govt departments are a free download for anyone to peruse.
No that was what I saw as the initial brouha tracey; that the Nat Govt was (allegedly) pressuring DHB heads to defer maintenance and keep quiet about it in order to make their own books look better.
The claims that have been made about costs should be in the annual report. I scanned through a few of them and saw few surprises there. The possible existence of asbestos in old buildings, for example, has been acknowledged for years in their books. They just state they’ won’t make provision for it as a liability until if/when it’s discovered and needs addressing. That’s fair enough.
The annual reports are worth reading IMO. They can contain a lot of fluff in the intro but the financial statements contained within the reports are a serious business, they make a statutory declaration on the truthfulness of those.
All of these issues result from one aspect of our society: Our desire to do everything on the cheap.
It’s why we have shoddy infrastructure, why our economic development has slowed and why farming is still a major industry.
Things is, it will cost us far more in the long run. More environmental damage by the farms and more for repairs on substandard houses and infrastructure.
But it does allow the RWNJs to cut taxes for the rich.
Audrey Young showed her true blue colours yesterday when she attacked those using the term Dirty Politics to describe the behaviour of right wing scum trolls who have attacked Clarke Gayford.
She is either an incompetent journalist or a dishonest one.
Audrey’s an enabler like the hosk etc. Shes attacking the rhetoric rather then the issue of deliberately placed malicious content for political advantage, who and why ?
That’s not even journalism of any sort that’s pushing an agenda…..removal of the term from the narrative that’s interwoven in many minds with the national party.
They really don’t like the truth or it being played out in public as that’s going to hurt further at the polls.
DP operates at two levels. At the sinister level it aims to drag all politics down to gutter politics with associated gutter ‘journalism’ and similar (and worse) shit in MSM and social media, respectively. You cannot fight it easily without falling in this trap, which is why DP is so insidious and effective! Lefties have particular difficulty with tackling DP and are very prone to becoming victims of it because they like to take and come (down) from the ‘moral high ground’. Of course, this makes the Left the ideal target of DP, in fact the only one; the Left cannot turn the tables despite RWNJs arguing otherwise.
Young suggested that when Ardern used the phrase ‘dirty politics’, Ardern was deliberately sending a dog whistle to conspiracy theorists on the left (like you) to assume it was the Nats who were responsible for the Gayford rumours and to put the boot in.
It worked a treat; just about every man and his dog (after being whistled) on this site yesterday did just that.
You were played Ed. You ended up no better than the original rumour mongers. But you served Jacinda’s purpose.
It has been a meme being pushed. Probably the most notable proponent (and probable originator – it has his style) was Hooten.
But it has been interesting watching the attempts to push the “reverse black ops” meme all over the place. Entirely done in those hushed “I have a little secret” tone that the alt-ridiculous seem to love.
Oh well I guess it makes them feel like they are in the know. And makes the suckers feel bigger than they really are
Riiiiiight grantoc, better she said nothing and just let the rumour die… oh wait is wasnt dying it was spreading, like all the dirty little rumours that swirled during Clark’s leadership.
Past behaviour is a good predictor of future etc etc
Nats and their arms lengthers have form. You are the one spinning.
What do you mean Clarke attackers? Who are you talking about?
Actual ” take the moral high ground” is something of the same strategy of these DP ers… first they swirl the rumour and watch it grow, then when someone responds, they join the chorus of vouces saying “turn the other cheek”, cos they know they win twice cos the rumour keeps swirling into more and more ears.
Scum is something that floats to the top, is mostly unpleasant in nature and if not removed spoils the flavour of the wholesome stuff underneath. As a metaphor I’m not sure it’s so badly chosen. It is somewhat inflammatory though…
Tracy Watkins opines on the dirty politics claim. She notes Clark was subject the relentless rumours while in office and Key to rumours when he left. Ardern subject in office… via her partner. Despite the pattern being
Labour rumours in office
National rumours post resignation
She concludes it isnt a strategy by a political party…
She tried to write a balanced article but that last sentence or so…
We know Nats rarely dish the dirt themselves and have a history of using arms length folk to do it. And yes it is proven james
The defining characteristics about the aging dinosaur media like Soper, Young, and O’Sullivan is chronological decrepitude, intellectual morbidity and a resulting torpid professional lassitude.
The chronological and intellectual decadence of that generation of journalists means they are much more inclined to treat dirty politics as a useful source of reliably controversial copy that relieves their aging brains of the need to think or investigate, and they can rationalise their complicity with a world weary cynicism that masquerades as sophistication for so many of our not half as clever as they think they are aging senior journalists.
I’ve thought recently that one of the more interesting pieces of meta data of a “youth-adjacent” Jacinda’s elevation to power is the sudden revelation of the creeping atmosphere of defeatism and nihilism that comes with a population that is losing it’s virility as it ages. I remember a particular conversation in the media when the previous government was asked if we could take the Manus Island refugees. The boomer minister responded with a bewildering list of reasons for why it was all just so hard and complex. Next up on the radio was Golriz Ghahraman, who immediately launched into a back of the envelope planning session on how you could squeeze the refugees into the various centres around the country. For her, the question wasn’t if we could take them, it was how we could manage them when they got here.
The difference between age and youth has seldom been so starkly illustrated. Much the same issue infests our establishment media. Far, far to many journalists are out of place and out of another time yet cling to senior jobs like shipwrecked sailors to a mast in a storm tossed sea whose movements they no longer understand or anticipate.
The real trick to getting old gracefully is knowing when to hand the reins over to the youngsters, and be relaxed and confident that the future is in safe hands when you do so.
Clearly none of our ancient brigade of senior journalists possess this skill.
Great piece Sanctuary… add in Armstrong and Roughan, the increased use of former politicians and former party hacks to write pieces. I see Hooten described a trained journalist at the herald as his colleague. Not really Sir.
The Nats are enacting their 2005 template. DP has started. Leader is saying he doesnt approve. We are on a John Key loop
By thunder Sanctuary – you really spell it out well when you get going – as here.
The defining characteristics about the aging dinosaur media like Soper, Young, and O’Sullivan is chronological decrepitude, intellectual morbidity and a resulting torpid professional lassitude.
The real crime (to me) was installing a President by fraudulent means. The fix should at least start with all involved going to court.
Shutting down the company seems necessary but impotent. There are people involved in every bit of corporate shenanigans, somehow the ‘company’ gets told off, scapegoats are fired, but no one responsible really seems culpable? The social damage (wealth shift now to the corporate/wealthy via a fraudulently elected leader = massive theft) will be enormous, let alone the psychological damage of undermining the safety and rights of women and minorities, and encouragement of various dictatorial styled leaders…
Zuckerberg’s still a billionaire with obscene power. Three steps removed mate. Corporate trickery again.
Cambridge Analytica is shutting down. Shine a light into a dark place and the rats gathered there scatter. I hope people are tracking where they’re scuttling off to.
“According to current police data analysed by the Herald, as of 2016 up to 80 per cent of reported aggravated sexual assaults go unresolved. For the crime “male rapes female 16 and over”, that number is even higher, at 85 per cent. Rape cases are four times less likely to go to court in comparison with other types of physical assault, where only 24 per cent of offences are unresolved.”
This is a feature article and deserves more than a passing acknowledgement of the headlines.
“According to current police data analysed by the Herald, as of 2016 up to 80 per cent of reported aggravated sexual assaults go unresolved. For the crime “male rapes female 16 and over”, that number is even higher, at 85 per cent. Rape cases are four times less likely to go to court in comparison with other types of physical assault, where only 24 per cent of offences are unresolved.”
This is a feature article and deserves more than a passing acknowledgement of the headline.
The know-all Hosking is now pontificating on how Jacinta and Clarke wrongly handled the distressing rumour mill situation yesterday. It is astounding that he thinks he is so fabulously smart and right on every aspect of life and every other mere mortal simply has no idea. What are his qualifications to have these opinions, apart from giant sized ego and arrogance. Ugh.
The police made it clear they issued their statement without the knowledge of Ardern or Clarke. Typical of the Hosking twat… blame them even when it had nothing to do with them.
He might as well add that it’s all their fault for existing.
Fair point – no – you are correct I have nothing to back it up or any proof.
It would be strange if they did it off their own backs and never mention it to anybody or sought any approval – but you are correct they very well may have done just that.
“The police made it clear they issued their statement without the knowledge of Ardern or Clarke”.
Do you, or anyone else have a link to the Police Commissioner’s statement?
I can’t seem to find the actual statement anywhere.
I’d like to see exactly what he did say.
@ Alwyn,
I can’t find it anywhere now but it was definitely on one of the online news sites late yesterday. I don’t recollect it being in the actual statement, but from memory Commissioner Bush was responding to a journalist’s question and he said something to the effect:
No, I did not seek permission from the PM or her partner, Clarke Gayford about issuing the statement.
I took that to mean the police made the decision to issue the statement independently of anyone outside of the Force.
Thank you.
That is what I thought I had heard on the radio yesterday or the day before. I would be surprised if the PMs office wasn’t given a heads-up at the minimum, even if they hadn’t asked for the statement.
I think they would have a no surprises policy in place.
media are milking it flat out for clicks/views/listeners, dirty old whale blubber is about to be on radiolive, spinning his own brand of shite on said subject.
Dirty politics enabling media revenue what a freaking surprise.
James, Hosking is a radio ranter and former tv tugger of cuffs. That is all., which does not qualify him as a respected and wise person to look up to, or on a par with the the role of Prime Minister.
What are everyone’s thoughts about the pamphlets given to high school seniors containing info about drugs etc?
Personally, I think it’s brilliant.
I often reflect if part of the drinking culture is due to a lack of information being given to teens, my generation was never schooled on responsible drinking, my parents didn’t talk about it, so as a teen when I tried alcohol I had no idea and ended up in some awful situations as a result.
Not informing and educating people especially youth on drugs and alcohol hasn’t been working, this approach is fantastic, well done to Massey High and any other high schools involved.
I am mostly in favour with a little bit of niggling reservation (but still trying to figure out why specifically).
Did you hear the interview this morning on Morning Report with the Executive Director of the Drug Foundation Ross Bell? Well worth the five minutes imo. Here is the article with the link to the recording.
There’s probably going to be a fair bit of pearl clutching going on, but so far I’m in agreement with Mr Bell.
I’m also pretty bloody sure most people don’t actually understand the extent of the problem.
“…my generation was never schooled on responsible drinking, my parents didn’t talk about it, so as a teen when I tried alcohol I had no idea and ended up in some awful situations as a result.”
Hard to discuss when its not clear which generation you’re from.
I’m edging fast towards 60 and my oldest child is in their 30s.
I learned about the potentially devastating effects of drug and alcohol use first hand from parents who blighted their children’s lives with their substance abuse.
Although we almost never talked about it.
Without the drug and alcohol abuse, at least one of my parents would have made a better fist of keeping us safe.
Even today, discussions around child protection issues fail to put the substance abuse of the parents at the top of the list of risk factors leading to child abuse, neglect and parental failure.
And it seems to me that ‘information’ such as the one in question fails as it seems to imply that there is a ‘safe’ and ‘responsible’ way of using meth.
From the people I have met whose lives,and more importantly those of their children, have been devastated by this singularly hideous drug there is no ‘safe’ way of using. Odds are it will get you (and your loved ones) sooner or later.
And it seems to me that ‘information’ such as the one in question fails as it seems to imply that there is a ‘safe’ and ‘responsible’ way of using meth.
The article isn’t reporting the full context that the material is used in which is a health course about how to take care of yourself which includes all the negative effects of drug use.
Exactly. Read some comments of students doing the clurse. They also learn how destructive drug use is. To the user their friends and families. The pamphlet has a context. By taking it out of context the “no sex ed in schools brigade” can shut this discourse too and leave our kids to the woolves
I’m in my mid forties Rosemary 🙂 sorry should have added that,
Generation X.
Adults always drunk at bbq’s and family gatherings, never any violence or abuse (that I saw), a few ‘pearler’ moments when the adults were extra silly.
So alcohol to me equated to fun and good times was never told or shown the contrary.
If there’s article on the news about drunk teens, with footage of drunk chicks in skimpy clothing vomiting, falling over etc; I now make a point of showing the girls, so they begin to understand what ‘drunk’ looks like.
Oh God! Some of my best friends (etc etc) dreaded that ‘cops on the beat’ reality tv program in case it was their offspring featured sprawled vomiting in the gutter.
Fortunately the kids made it to their mid twenties relatively un famous. 😉 🙂
I think it is the product of getting access to resources to use in this situation without putting it into context.
The pamphlet is very appropriate for working with heavy users trying to manage the damage their drug use is causing in their lives, with a intent to reduce or eliminate drug use.
As an information source for non-users it is both inefficient and ineffective at providing the information they need in order to make good choices when the situations they will face offers them the opportunity to indulge.
Because the pamphlet was intended for drug users, the reasonable assumption was that those reading are already users – and gives information on how to accommodate that use into their lives. The damage of using, by those we would expect would participate in rehabilitation programmes would already have been experienced by those participants, and would in all their varied forms and effects would not have to be described. Their lived experience and involvement in rehab means the “conversation” about drugs, is picked up way down the line – at the management stage.
For high-school students not familiar with drugs, or users – this pamphlet drops them into the drugs conversation without context or preamble, and seemingly gives legitimacy to experimentation and drug use. Not every student will have the maturity to discuss this academically, and not every student will have the environment around them to understand the difference.
Having had a brief look at the website, I think the pamphlet was inappropriate for use for information sessions about drugs, a result of not aligning information with audience.
In terms of working with heavy drug users and addiction problems, the information and advice provided is required to reduce and minimise further harm, and is appropriate for that use.
Would be good if students had a variety of speakers who are recovering substance abusers to talk to the kids as well as handing out reading material, to add more weight and context to it all.
They used to be an alcohol-free 3 day dance party, annually I would go to in my 20’s, along with your ticket there was a plethora of safe drug taking information etc etc included.
Personally, I thought it was brilliant because it included much info about what could go wrong,
I suspect it could have put some off about taking substances.
It also allowed others to know what to do if something went wrong for themselves or another person.
Loved going to that event, attended it for 5 yrs running, no sexual abuse or getting hit on by drunk guys, no booze, no worries, it was magic.
Discussion about drugs at this time is important, and as you mention, the involvement of former addicts would add personal impact to the message they share.
However, if the discussion is around the use of the pamphlet, I think it was a resource fail in terms of not providing the right information for the right audience. Not a big deal, but a failure that should be recognised and acknowledged so that it is not replicated.
My first job while at school was in the hospitality industry, and the dry academic language used at the time regarding drug use, had absolutely no relevance to me when I was in an environment where drugs (including alcohol) was readily available. There has been much improvement since then at secondary school level.
Mike Hosking was busy explaining on that funny ZB station how he had rumours spread about him. Because he was a great celebrity. And how a marriage went pear shaped – yuk.
Unusual for him he only made two mistakes. He appears to think he has the status of the PM and her Partner.
Secondly he thinks the Police Stink. Because they had no negative information whatever on Clarke Gayford.
What a pretty little citizen he is. If I were Mike, I would walk carefully because the thinking public have had enough of political maleficence. And ZB might find itself in a dispute with ordinary people who do not have the status of one named Michael Hosking. The same people who do not think the Police stink.
@ Mike H darling. I don’t think it was because of rumours spread that a marriage went pear shaped – do you?
Maybe it was that perm? No? Darling, I do understand though your need to clutch at anything that will portray you as the perfect specimen. Maybe darling, just be thankful you now have such a loyal and dedicated family support mechanism
Mike H. Is a voice in the wilderness. He’s old. He’s old hat. He doesn’t need to write his little missives anymore. Any of us could do that for him. He is THE most predictable hack there is. Oh. I forgot to say boring. So he’s out in the wilderness. If he utters a word in the wilderness does he make a sound?
the digital info gave it away – 750k users, 3millon hours a month. Looks impressive.
So a few thousand regular users nationally and a pile of barely-actives, otherwise every “listener” is dialing up for only a few hours every month. Maybe once a week if that, lol. And how many of them really want to hear hosking as opposed to background noise? 3 million listers hanging on his every word, my arse.
I recall years ago an advertiser telling me that the half page ads in a student magazine were more expensive than a full page ad in a nationally-distributed publication. And worth it, because an outlet where you can be something to a few thousand is better than an outlet where you can be irrelevent to ten or twenty times that number.
“..with listeners now hitting 3.39 million,..”
Doesn’t make sense to me especially since National Radio has the biggest audience around 500,000 I seem to remember. But the Herald has to boost their ratings with a disregard for reality in a Donald Trump sort of way.
That’s across all their radio stations. And if it’s picked by a survey going “which stations have you listened to in the past month?”, someone who owns half a dozen stations in the list is going to do well out of name rec alone lol.
Northland’s sand dune lakes and peaty wetlands are a rare and special habitat. But valuable wetlands are being destroyed by swamp kauri mining, leading to polluted waterways and habitats laid to waste.
Timber millers are currently exploiting a loophole by claiming wet slabs of wood are finished table tops. Miners are plundering native wetland ecosystems to make quick and dirty money.
Northland Environmental Protection Society is going to the Supreme Court over the level of protection provided to swamp kauri. They are standing up for nature. It’s amazing what they are doing to fight for nature in Northland.
90% of our wetlands have already been destroyed in New Zealand. Our nature has been up for grabs for too long. Northland Environmental Protection Society is working to protect their wetlands.
(P.S. wasn’t swamp Kauri mining what caused one of the big outages of power leading up to the election… when a digger cut through the cable, not really talked about of course, because people like Judith Collins are all for profiting from this loophole of Kauri mining.)
But….but….iwi interests, AND Shane Jones….who also happens to be from that iwi…. AND Minister for Getting the Nephews in the Regions off their arses and into work…
There are two, maybe three distinct things going on here….
Firstly, the extraction of swamp kauri logs which Fiona and team have been battling not only the damage done in the digging and extracting to the environment and the waterways, but also the illegal selling of unprocessed timber overseas.
And thirdly, the rather alarming expansion of the avocado industry in the Far Far North. I was privileged to sit in on the consent hearing in Kaiatia weeks ago…some extraordinarily knowledgeable and dedicated locals committed to finding out the truth, the facts and educating those with poor understanding of the issues.
Linking all three of these things is the Kaimaumau Wetland….the second most significant remaining wetland in the country. DOC put up good arguments against the water extraction based on their studies and concerns about the Kaimaumau Wetland…but appeared to be backing away after a break in proceedings.
Strongest impression of the hearings was how awfully less than honest, open and transparent were the applicants. Thought the locals were all thick hillbillies and wouldn’t see through their BS. Much less investigate, gather their local experts and shout it from the rooftops…(or the street corner, as the case may be.)
Years ago my father was involved with a hapu business in Northland digging clay. They wanted to utilise it, and used the profits for personal objectives like having an overseas trip, not a bad thing, but did not service their trucks and keep things in working order, thus running down the business. In the end I think they leased the business to someone else.
It is easy for an iwi leader to say that they want business and to create jobs because that is what all developers say. How many jobs, for how long, what skills will be learned and is the business entity going to be a Maori trust with everyone taught business and development principles so the people understand the short and long term plans and can make informed opinions?
Mike has been used to snugging up against the behind of John Key – a truly magic man – sent down on earth to please and appease ZB inhabitants. Hosking, Soper et al.
Yes, John Key – The magic man – also a fetish man – and a money man – and cafe maid bully man – and a Golf man – and an Obama man – with a fondness for very young blonde pigtails – is difficult to keep up with John Key. Poor Hosking.
Especially with the mighty Farrar out the back of Kiwi Blog raving on about “Dykes” with a capital “D”.
Our National Brethren are so fortunate to have many twisted – I almost said “bent” – personnel guiding the greedy of Aotearoa – and at the same time young Simon. Simon has to achieve only but one thing. Namely: Line his pockets. Like his beloved Colleagues.
Even if he does have to take humiliating lessons from ChinaDoll Collins.
It will be a Century before National ever appoints a straight “non pocket lining” MP.
Hosking. The king of ZB blue radio. Where closed minded old farts love to moan and closed minded listeners believe everything they hear, because they struggle to think for themselves.
I’ve met Hosking on many occasions through bussiness. He’s the most arrogant, self absorbed rude prick I’ve ever met.
James must be of similar character, otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered linking to the story. James loves to shit stir, just because he can. He probably has nothing more constuctive to do with his time.
If he gets really good he’ll get closer to RNZ’s listening audience!
He’s king of talkback? How many in an average morning are on his show in a ‘talkback’ situation? I don’t listen to him but he used to be on air from 6-8.30 am. There was a spell of about 10-11 minutes around the hour with ads and news there used to be quite a few other ads. Somewhere along the line he does some sort of monologue. Just wondering.
Middlemore problems highlighted in 2010 report
Radio New Zealand Thursday, 3 May 2018, 3:47 pm
Article: RNZ
The Counties Manukau DHB has said it was first alerted to leaking buildings in 2012 but, in fact, it was warned in early 2010.
“The cladding system to the lower levels of the building appears to be failing,” the February 2010 report by surveyors Dalton said, after it took off cladding at five spots on the south wall of the Scott building, which also houses cardiac care.
It photographed advanced brown rot and light rot in wood frames it rated as “un-sound” and described “widespread incipient decay” caused by leaking.
“The use of untreated timber and established decay at corners and sheet edges demonstrates that the [three] lower level storeys are at risk of real future failure.”
Counties Manukau DHB acting chief executive Dr Gloria Johnson said that when she told the public in March this year that they were first alerted to the leaks in 2012, she was not aware of the 2010 report.
The Dalton report includes a photo of a fece-stained first-floor sewage pipe, where leaking caused “serious damage” to framing. Board’s chair Rabin Rabindran, a board member Mark Darrow and the DHB itself have all said media reports of sewage leaks were overplayed. It’s now known there were at least four such leaks of raw sewage.
(Labour introduced dodgy spray on protection for interior timbers and continued after leaky homes.) http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0507/S00239.htm
Labour fails homeowners in timber treatment scam
Monday, 11 July 2005, 5:13 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10328966
Battle over blame in leaky homes
4 Jun, 2005 12:56pm
…National MPs Nick Smith and Richard Worth are barking at the Government’s indifference in the absence of incoming Building Minister Chris Carter. It’s the first meeting of the Leaky Homes Action Group and a chance to score pre-election points – but everyone knows the rot started under National’s watch.
Is this one of those cases when it’s a low-regulation neo-liberal government cock-up and Labour has fallen for it on this occasion though it could have happened to National if they had been in power at this period? And is Middlemore the putrid off-colour meat in the sandwich?
Look I hate to tell James and sad sack Hosking – and tongue tied Simon – that Capitalism has failed.
The tag along Audreys and money chasers – Capitalism has failed.
You lot have dredged the money from the ordinary honest people, and stuffed it into your own piles – often in hidden accounts. You have condoned every dirty thing Key and English did.
The ordinary citizen has no hope of owning a house . Nor much hope of paying your exorbitant Rents. You are theives. That’s what you Capitalists are.
Your jacked up Panels; Your Corins; Your so called “Professionals”; Your Hootons are just shallow shaggers. Your Fletchers. Your Fonterras.
Capitalism is Crime in action. The Banks you support are based in Australia. Criminals in Action. Yet you attack the ordinary struggling man and his family.
It was a late milking drying cows off so I missed my morning Am show post it a beautiful day in Putaruru bit of a frost I will put up more post later today Ka kite ano P.S. its taken 7 years to get bee killing pesticides banned from use in Europe thanks to the Avaazers movement
Good evening Newshub I’m a bit late tonight we were watching the Mokopunas playing netball. That’s a shame that the people of Vanuatu have to leave their Island ECO MAORI gives all the best wishes for there move to another Island.
Many thanks to our Labour lead coalition Government for helping all the homeless people. This is a problem cause by the previous Government.
Many thanks to France and all there good people for there monument that houners the young men who fought for OUR freedom. Ka pai I have seen some of the French cultures and the way they run there society ECO MAORI is quite impressed Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild good evening Makere weres WAI.?
The Chief playing the Jaguar in Rotorua I’m on the farm at the minute is that were WAI is a watching the game it will be a good game I wish I was there ECO MAORI mite steal all the lime light lol yea right.
Josh the wave breaks in Raglan are world renowned to a lot of surfers there is a awesome wave breaks At WAI piro Bay Te tairawhiti.
Ka kite ano
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 ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Well, well. Ignored 2010 DHB report includes photo of shit leaking inside hospital building: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/356501/middlemore-problems-highlighted-in-2010-report
Which is odd when the recently dismissed board member said the feces was one incident in 2014…
Someone tell Matthew Hooton. He thinks it is all a big political beat up
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12031349
It irks me that Hooten’s sign off says PR and Excelcium not former National Party staffer etc etc.
He may be miffed that this latest revelation makes him look a little foolish.
To sugest that Clark and Wall not knowing equates to every Nat Health Minister and DHB Chair not knowing since 2010 is disingenous at best.
Of course the hospital is still operating. How could it not? It serves the largest population catchment in Auckland and that catchment contains many over representated in illness stats.
Were they supposed to close and send the patients to Colemans new employers private hospitals? At private rates paid for by the taxpayer?
Does the cost to fix include the cost of relocating the services within the building being repaired?
“Were they supposed to close and send the patients to Colemans new employers private hospitals? At private rates paid for by the taxpayer?”
Of course.
(Although they might be a tad on the busy side with the potential of thousands of Ngati Whatua privately funded patients joining the queue…https://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/article/undoctored/ngati-whatua-orakei-announces-free-private-health-insurance-hapu-members )
Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?
GREAT initiative indeed
Speaking of former NActs, the greatest skill of Tony Ryall (Simpson Grierson’s head of pubic policy, Minister of Health 2008-2014) was putting in place health the targets and budget stretching that bedevil the public health services today, and walking away before the sh-ortages hit the fan.
Tony Ryall – I remember a political commentator saying that he had been adept at keeping health on low profile while he was Minister. Managing down, austerity reigns, that will get you a good outcome when you step down as a pollie.
This illustrates the awful moral hazard that faces the citizens with business reigning over us. There is no desire for government to see that anything is done well or goes well for the mass of the citizens, because there is a private company that can profit from undertaking the remedial work. It’s a factory chain of robotic ‘wealth creators’ (euphemism), and we are being passed from one work station to another.
But the work done for and on us does not have to conform to any excellence except what shows on the surface. There are no solid regulations that are practical and have teeth and are monitored and activated.
Every breath you take I’ll be watching you.
Every move you make ” ” ” ”
Oh can’t you see
You belong to me…………
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs
No, or few regulations on business, but yes for citizens. Every step and breath that citizens take is being regulated by business through their servant entity, government. So sneer at the promise of a brave new world of neoliberalism, freemarketing and freebooting (now add freebotting).
The rights and opportunities we had achieved for us all have been given away and we are left with nothing positive just being exploited! We have swopped our magic beans for a cow! Go climb that beanstalk Jacky and steal back our golden future from the giant, and good luck to you pilgrim.
QFT
I’ll add this bit from Why we can’t afford the rich:
The majority of us are slaves to keeping the rich wealthy. That’s how capitalism is designed.
No wonder Bridges skipped ANZAC Day… they have eroded so many things those folks died for
I love a good rant grey, especially when it’s so much better than I could have done. An excellent point on our regulatory environment and the differences in it for businesses and citizens.
And some people still think politics doesn’t affect them. Only when enough citizens pay attention, will the politicians change that neo-liberal regulatory environment instead of just stitching up the fraying edges.
miravox
There was some point before one of the elections that Key denied the seriousness of some criticism saying that the naysayers were making politics out of it whatever it was. We are so green that we are like spirulina if we don’t understand that everything done and said is political and has effects on all the citizens – Politics’R US!
Wikipedia
political
adjective: political
1.
relating to the government or public affairs of a country.
“a period of political and economic stability”
Way to go – Participatory democracy – Everyone start studying politics as it is taught, so you are knowledgable when the time for making good future decisions comes.
Hooten is probably right. DHB heads might be compelled by the Nat Govt to hide that sort of information from the media but they can’t keep it out of the books. Building depreciation and deferred maintenance is financial information with an absolute requirement it be reported in the annual accounts.
The Audit Office signed off the annual report of CMDHB, if anything was deliberately missed out I’d expect to see the Audit Office descend on that DHB like a plague of locusts. Politicians might get away with bullshitting about financial matters but accountants and senior managers sure can’t (not when they’re discovered anyway).
It still surprises me that so many people can report on an issue like this without any of them even bothering to take the time to read the annual reports of the party in question. It should be the first thing interested people do, the annual accounts of all Govt departments are a free download for anyone to peruse.
Did Hooten say the Nats forced the DHB Heads to hide stuff?
No that was what I saw as the initial brouha tracey; that the Nat Govt was (allegedly) pressuring DHB heads to defer maintenance and keep quiet about it in order to make their own books look better.
The claims that have been made about costs should be in the annual report. I scanned through a few of them and saw few surprises there. The possible existence of asbestos in old buildings, for example, has been acknowledged for years in their books. They just state they’ won’t make provision for it as a liability until if/when it’s discovered and needs addressing. That’s fair enough.
The annual reports are worth reading IMO. They can contain a lot of fluff in the intro but the financial statements contained within the reports are a serious business, they make a statutory declaration on the truthfulness of those.
All of these issues result from one aspect of our society: Our desire to do everything on the cheap.
It’s why we have shoddy infrastructure, why our economic development has slowed and why farming is still a major industry.
Things is, it will cost us far more in the long run. More environmental damage by the farms and more for repairs on substandard houses and infrastructure.
But it does allow the RWNJs to cut taxes for the rich.
Audrey Young showed her true blue colours yesterday when she attacked those using the term Dirty Politics to describe the behaviour of right wing scum trolls who have attacked Clarke Gayford.
She is either an incompetent journalist or a dishonest one.
Audrey’s an enabler like the hosk etc. Shes attacking the rhetoric rather then the issue of deliberately placed malicious content for political advantage, who and why ?
That’s not even journalism of any sort that’s pushing an agenda…..removal of the term from the narrative that’s interwoven in many minds with the national party.
They really don’t like the truth or it being played out in public as that’s going to hurt further at the polls.
Didn’t take you long to fall off the wagon.
Ed doesn’t need your snarkiness, thanks very much.
Really, I thought he was running a bit low ?
Thanks Maui.
Is dirty politics Dirty Politics or not?
Stunned
I did not read the Herald.
I heard about Young’s comments on this site.
You will notice I have not linked .
By the way, as a right wing troll, were you part of the rumour mill about Clarke?
I thought you were ignoring my comments Ed – that’s a double fall off the wagon. What are the rumors about Gayford ?
At Ed.Yep! Incompetent and dishonest.
She reminds me of the MSM’s stern old Ward Matron of yesteryear who is always right and has her pet patient.
DP operates at two levels. At the sinister level it aims to drag all politics down to gutter politics with associated gutter ‘journalism’ and similar (and worse) shit in MSM and social media, respectively. You cannot fight it easily without falling in this trap, which is why DP is so insidious and effective! Lefties have particular difficulty with tackling DP and are very prone to becoming victims of it because they like to take and come (down) from the ‘moral high ground’. Of course, this makes the Left the ideal target of DP, in fact the only one; the Left cannot turn the tables despite RWNJs arguing otherwise.
… and money. Arms length Nat elves seem to have more money to help keep sources protected
You’re spinning it Ed.
Young suggested that when Ardern used the phrase ‘dirty politics’, Ardern was deliberately sending a dog whistle to conspiracy theorists on the left (like you) to assume it was the Nats who were responsible for the Gayford rumours and to put the boot in.
It worked a treat; just about every man and his dog (after being whistled) on this site yesterday did just that.
You were played Ed. You ended up no better than the original rumour mongers. But you served Jacinda’s purpose.
“no better than the original rumour mongers”
Nice false equivalence you have there. Where did you read it?
It has been a meme being pushed. Probably the most notable proponent (and probable originator – it has his style) was Hooten.
But it has been interesting watching the attempts to push the “reverse black ops” meme all over the place. Entirely done in those hushed “I have a little secret” tone that the alt-ridiculous seem to love.
Oh well I guess it makes them feel like they are in the know. And makes the suckers feel bigger than they really are
And allows them to excuse their part in sharing the rumour with friends and family
Riiiiiight grantoc, better she said nothing and just let the rumour die… oh wait is wasnt dying it was spreading, like all the dirty little rumours that swirled during Clark’s leadership.
Past behaviour is a good predictor of future etc etc
Nats and their arms lengthers have form. You are the one spinning.
Paracetamol for grantoc please.
Scum is dehumanising word that adds nothing to a discussion or arguenrnt left or right, using it simply lowers you to level of Clarke attackers
What do you mean Clarke attackers? Who are you talking about?
Actual ” take the moral high ground” is something of the same strategy of these DP ers… first they swirl the rumour and watch it grow, then when someone responds, they join the chorus of vouces saying “turn the other cheek”, cos they know they win twice cos the rumour keeps swirling into more and more ears.
Accurately describing people helps understanding.
Failing to do so doesn’t.
Scum is something that floats to the top, is mostly unpleasant in nature and if not removed spoils the flavour of the wholesome stuff underneath. As a metaphor I’m not sure it’s so badly chosen. It is somewhat inflammatory though…
Is ‘lying sacks of shit’ more or less dehumanising than ‘scum’ beewee?
Tracy Watkins opines on the dirty politics claim. She notes Clark was subject the relentless rumours while in office and Key to rumours when he left. Ardern subject in office… via her partner. Despite the pattern being
Labour rumours in office
National rumours post resignation
She concludes it isnt a strategy by a political party…
She tried to write a balanced article but that last sentence or so…
We know Nats rarely dish the dirt themselves and have a history of using arms length folk to do it. And yes it is proven james
She knows the pattern.
But it’s her job to speak do the bidding of international finance.’
Must be hard to sleep at night.
The defining characteristics about the aging dinosaur media like Soper, Young, and O’Sullivan is chronological decrepitude, intellectual morbidity and a resulting torpid professional lassitude.
The chronological and intellectual decadence of that generation of journalists means they are much more inclined to treat dirty politics as a useful source of reliably controversial copy that relieves their aging brains of the need to think or investigate, and they can rationalise their complicity with a world weary cynicism that masquerades as sophistication for so many of our not half as clever as they think they are aging senior journalists.
I’ve thought recently that one of the more interesting pieces of meta data of a “youth-adjacent” Jacinda’s elevation to power is the sudden revelation of the creeping atmosphere of defeatism and nihilism that comes with a population that is losing it’s virility as it ages. I remember a particular conversation in the media when the previous government was asked if we could take the Manus Island refugees. The boomer minister responded with a bewildering list of reasons for why it was all just so hard and complex. Next up on the radio was Golriz Ghahraman, who immediately launched into a back of the envelope planning session on how you could squeeze the refugees into the various centres around the country. For her, the question wasn’t if we could take them, it was how we could manage them when they got here.
The difference between age and youth has seldom been so starkly illustrated. Much the same issue infests our establishment media. Far, far to many journalists are out of place and out of another time yet cling to senior jobs like shipwrecked sailors to a mast in a storm tossed sea whose movements they no longer understand or anticipate.
The real trick to getting old gracefully is knowing when to hand the reins over to the youngsters, and be relaxed and confident that the future is in safe hands when you do so.
Clearly none of our ancient brigade of senior journalists possess this skill.
Great piece Sanctuary… add in Armstrong and Roughan, the increased use of former politicians and former party hacks to write pieces. I see Hooten described a trained journalist at the herald as his colleague. Not really Sir.
The Nats are enacting their 2005 template. DP has started. Leader is saying he doesnt approve. We are on a John Key loop
By thunder Sanctuary – you really spell it out well when you get going – as here.
The defeatism is just a mask for antipathy sanky. It wouldn’t do to come out and say we don’t want them here.
Wonderful piece, and so true – thank you, Sanctuary.
Exactery! Some of the old hacks would be funny if they weren’t so bloody dull
OnceWasTim, “Would be funny if they weren’t so dull….. no no .. dangerous.!!”
They confirm memes and attitudes. Soper and Duplicity Allan particularly.
Audrey is nasty and her body language when she “interviewed’ Jacinda ahead of the election was “disbelief she could be PM.”
When anyone on the Left queries their writings, they are accused of “over reacting,”
I have said several times that “memes were being repeated and the writing was unbalanced”. Micky proved that!!
I also felt the appearance of key phrases showed collusion of some type, or an echo chamber follow the leader team tag.
They are dangerous because they poison discussions and create traps.
Cambridge Analytica to shut down.
Not sure if I’ve got this?
The real crime (to me) was installing a President by fraudulent means. The fix should at least start with all involved going to court.
Shutting down the company seems necessary but impotent. There are people involved in every bit of corporate shenanigans, somehow the ‘company’ gets told off, scapegoats are fired, but no one responsible really seems culpable? The social damage (wealth shift now to the corporate/wealthy via a fraudulently elected leader = massive theft) will be enormous, let alone the psychological damage of undermining the safety and rights of women and minorities, and encouragement of various dictatorial styled leaders…
Zuckerberg’s still a billionaire with obscene power. Three steps removed mate. Corporate trickery again.
And… Facebook is a dating agency now:
Obscenity, meet shame.
That is how capitalism is designed. It protects the guilty from the consequences of their immoral actions – if they’re rich.
DTB
You could add that capitalism finds ways to make profit from all popular movements of whatever kind. Politics, religion and so it goes.
Cambridge Analytica is shutting down. Shine a light into a dark place and the rats gathered there scatter. I hope people are tracking where they’re scuttling off to.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/02/politics/cambridge-analytica-closure/index.html
I think you mean closing the company, rebranding, renaming and starting a new company 😉
Yes. And possibly also a way to avoid the cost of legal action.
That too
True AB, after all, builders in Auckland and elsewhere have been doing that for years.
+1
They’ll be at it again in a couple of months at most just with a different brand.
Exactly that
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12044361
As noted above by prickles, you called it exactly right. Your award is…
https://uncexchanges.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/chocolate-fish.jpg
Israel is ramping up its involvement in the Syrian conflict
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f52uTFkWDwU&feature=share
Netanyahu is given the power start conflicts without the okay from the Israeli parliamement
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/netanyahu-granted-greater-war-powers-israeli-parliament-1557931233
Another worthy effort from Kirsty Johnston and Chris Knox in the Herald this morning. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12042963
“According to current police data analysed by the Herald, as of 2016 up to 80 per cent of reported aggravated sexual assaults go unresolved. For the crime “male rapes female 16 and over”, that number is even higher, at 85 per cent. Rape cases are four times less likely to go to court in comparison with other types of physical assault, where only 24 per cent of offences are unresolved.”
This is a feature article and deserves more than a passing acknowledgement of the headlines.
Another worthy effort from Kirsty Johnston and Chris Knox in the Herald this morning. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12042963
“According to current police data analysed by the Herald, as of 2016 up to 80 per cent of reported aggravated sexual assaults go unresolved. For the crime “male rapes female 16 and over”, that number is even higher, at 85 per cent. Rape cases are four times less likely to go to court in comparison with other types of physical assault, where only 24 per cent of offences are unresolved.”
This is a feature article and deserves more than a passing acknowledgement of the headline.
Sigh
This is an article that tells it how it is. The system must change.
Cambridge analytical word for word used exactly the same rebuttal as Trump.
Link?
The know-all Hosking is now pontificating on how Jacinta and Clarke wrongly handled the distressing rumour mill situation yesterday. It is astounding that he thinks he is so fabulously smart and right on every aspect of life and every other mere mortal simply has no idea. What are his qualifications to have these opinions, apart from giant sized ego and arrogance. Ugh.
When God handed those tablets down to Moses did anyone ask “Who the hell are you? What’re your bloody qualifications?”
Hosking just Is.
What the Prime Minister’s name is, her partner’s, and good underwater image.
JACINDA ARDERN AND CLARKE GAYFORD
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/102115903/jacinda-arderns-partner-clarke-gayford-pinned-against-boat-by-shark
The police made it clear they issued their statement without the knowledge of Ardern or Clarke. Typical of the Hosking twat… blame them even when it had nothing to do with them.
He might as well add that it’s all their fault for existing.
Someone, somewhere must have given an ok – else the police would. E breaking all sorts of rules – privacy for one.
Hold on there james! Got proof to back that statement? Didnt think so.
Did you miss the last 9 years? Privacy is so overrated and passe.
Fair point – no – you are correct I have nothing to back it up or any proof.
It would be strange if they did it off their own backs and never mention it to anybody or sought any approval – but you are correct they very well may have done just that.
Such a backlog of privacy complaints about police actions. Maybe intentional?
Wasn’t it authorised by the commissioner?
that gets around most of the rules. I’m sure the people involved can complain about the privacy breach is he wants, lol
Can’t see there is any privacy breach in saying that they are not nor have they investigated the guy.
Well, if he was a rapper they might have ruined his street cred when they said he hadn’t been charged with anything, ever lol
edit: his handle was MC Newspaper… because he’s a fish rapper 👿
“The police made it clear they issued their statement without the knowledge of Ardern or Clarke”.
Do you, or anyone else have a link to the Police Commissioner’s statement?
I can’t seem to find the actual statement anywhere.
I’d like to see exactly what he did say.
@ Alwyn,
I can’t find it anywhere now but it was definitely on one of the online news sites late yesterday. I don’t recollect it being in the actual statement, but from memory Commissioner Bush was responding to a journalist’s question and he said something to the effect:
No, I did not seek permission from the PM or her partner, Clarke Gayford about issuing the statement.
I took that to mean the police made the decision to issue the statement independently of anyone outside of the Force.
I’ve found this Alwyn but it only mentions Gayford not Ardern. Don’t know if its the same one I saw yesterday.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/police-did-not-ask-clarke-gayford-s-permission-to-quash-rumour.html
Thank you.
That is what I thought I had heard on the radio yesterday or the day before. I would be surprised if the PMs office wasn’t given a heads-up at the minimum, even if they hadn’t asked for the statement.
I think they would have a no surprises policy in place.
Agreed.
media are milking it flat out for clicks/views/listeners, dirty old whale blubber is about to be on radiolive, spinning his own brand of shite on said subject.
Dirty politics enabling media revenue what a freaking surprise.
If CS is being asked for comment, nothing has changed since DP was published
For sures.
“ What are his qualifications to have these opinions, apart from giant sized ego and arrogance.“
If you listened to the comment you would know. He was very clear about it and his personal experience being on the receiving end.
You need a tshirt
“Still loving Mike
Since Forever”
and you need one that says
“Ideologically blinded by hatred of mike”
Why are you so determined to protect Dirty Politics?
James, Hosking is a radio ranter and former tv tugger of cuffs. That is all., which does not qualify him as a respected and wise person to look up to, or on a par with the the role of Prime Minister.
never said he was wise or on a par with the job – but the point he made is completely valid.
What are everyone’s thoughts about the pamphlets given to high school seniors containing info about drugs etc?
Personally, I think it’s brilliant.
I often reflect if part of the drinking culture is due to a lack of information being given to teens, my generation was never schooled on responsible drinking, my parents didn’t talk about it, so as a teen when I tried alcohol I had no idea and ended up in some awful situations as a result.
Not informing and educating people especially youth on drugs and alcohol hasn’t been working, this approach is fantastic, well done to Massey High and any other high schools involved.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/103554805/parent-outraged-after-methuse-guide-distributed-to-school-students?rm=m
I am mostly in favour with a little bit of niggling reservation (but still trying to figure out why specifically).
Did you hear the interview this morning on Morning Report with the Executive Director of the Drug Foundation Ross Bell? Well worth the five minutes imo. Here is the article with the link to the recording.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018643262/meth-use-advice-at-massey-school-drug-foundation-responds
PS – thanks for your support re the loss of my little troublemaker with a big T. He’s left a big hole but lots of wonderful memories.
There’s probably going to be a fair bit of pearl clutching going on, but so far I’m in agreement with Mr Bell.
I’m also pretty bloody sure most people don’t actually understand the extent of the problem.
Me too…
“…my generation was never schooled on responsible drinking, my parents didn’t talk about it, so as a teen when I tried alcohol I had no idea and ended up in some awful situations as a result.”
Hard to discuss when its not clear which generation you’re from.
I’m edging fast towards 60 and my oldest child is in their 30s.
I learned about the potentially devastating effects of drug and alcohol use first hand from parents who blighted their children’s lives with their substance abuse.
Although we almost never talked about it.
Without the drug and alcohol abuse, at least one of my parents would have made a better fist of keeping us safe.
Even today, discussions around child protection issues fail to put the substance abuse of the parents at the top of the list of risk factors leading to child abuse, neglect and parental failure.
And it seems to me that ‘information’ such as the one in question fails as it seems to imply that there is a ‘safe’ and ‘responsible’ way of using meth.
From the people I have met whose lives,and more importantly those of their children, have been devastated by this singularly hideous drug there is no ‘safe’ way of using. Odds are it will get you (and your loved ones) sooner or later.
So, no. The pamphlet, as it stands, is a fail.
The article isn’t reporting the full context that the material is used in which is a health course about how to take care of yourself which includes all the negative effects of drug use.
Exactly. Read some comments of students doing the clurse. They also learn how destructive drug use is. To the user their friends and families. The pamphlet has a context. By taking it out of context the “no sex ed in schools brigade” can shut this discourse too and leave our kids to the woolves
I’m in my mid forties Rosemary 🙂 sorry should have added that,
Generation X.
Adults always drunk at bbq’s and family gatherings, never any violence or abuse (that I saw), a few ‘pearler’ moments when the adults were extra silly.
So alcohol to me equated to fun and good times was never told or shown the contrary.
If there’s article on the news about drunk teens, with footage of drunk chicks in skimpy clothing vomiting, falling over etc; I now make a point of showing the girls, so they begin to understand what ‘drunk’ looks like.
Oh God! Some of my best friends (etc etc) dreaded that ‘cops on the beat’ reality tv program in case it was their offspring featured sprawled vomiting in the gutter.
Fortunately the kids made it to their mid twenties relatively un famous. 😉 🙂
Lmao !!! 🙂 I say to them…. “no one wants to be ‘that’ girl”
I think it is the product of getting access to resources to use in this situation without putting it into context.
The pamphlet is very appropriate for working with heavy users trying to manage the damage their drug use is causing in their lives, with a intent to reduce or eliminate drug use.
As an information source for non-users it is both inefficient and ineffective at providing the information they need in order to make good choices when the situations they will face offers them the opportunity to indulge.
Because the pamphlet was intended for drug users, the reasonable assumption was that those reading are already users – and gives information on how to accommodate that use into their lives. The damage of using, by those we would expect would participate in rehabilitation programmes would already have been experienced by those participants, and would in all their varied forms and effects would not have to be described. Their lived experience and involvement in rehab means the “conversation” about drugs, is picked up way down the line – at the management stage.
For high-school students not familiar with drugs, or users – this pamphlet drops them into the drugs conversation without context or preamble, and seemingly gives legitimacy to experimentation and drug use. Not every student will have the maturity to discuss this academically, and not every student will have the environment around them to understand the difference.
Having had a brief look at the website, I think the pamphlet was inappropriate for use for information sessions about drugs, a result of not aligning information with audience.
In terms of working with heavy drug users and addiction problems, the information and advice provided is required to reduce and minimise further harm, and is appropriate for that use.
Would be good if students had a variety of speakers who are recovering substance abusers to talk to the kids as well as handing out reading material, to add more weight and context to it all.
They used to be an alcohol-free 3 day dance party, annually I would go to in my 20’s, along with your ticket there was a plethora of safe drug taking information etc etc included.
Personally, I thought it was brilliant because it included much info about what could go wrong,
I suspect it could have put some off about taking substances.
It also allowed others to know what to do if something went wrong for themselves or another person.
Loved going to that event, attended it for 5 yrs running, no sexual abuse or getting hit on by drunk guys, no booze, no worries, it was magic.
Discussion about drugs at this time is important, and as you mention, the involvement of former addicts would add personal impact to the message they share.
However, if the discussion is around the use of the pamphlet, I think it was a resource fail in terms of not providing the right information for the right audience. Not a big deal, but a failure that should be recognised and acknowledged so that it is not replicated.
My first job while at school was in the hospitality industry, and the dry academic language used at the time regarding drug use, had absolutely no relevance to me when I was in an environment where drugs (including alcohol) was readily available. There has been much improvement since then at secondary school level.
NZ’s forgotten boy
Mike Hosking was busy explaining on that funny ZB station how he had rumours spread about him. Because he was a great celebrity. And how a marriage went pear shaped – yuk.
Unusual for him he only made two mistakes. He appears to think he has the status of the PM and her Partner.
Secondly he thinks the Police Stink. Because they had no negative information whatever on Clarke Gayford.
What a pretty little citizen he is. If I were Mike, I would walk carefully because the thinking public have had enough of political maleficence. And ZB might find itself in a dispute with ordinary people who do not have the status of one named Michael Hosking. The same people who do not think the Police stink.
@ Mike H darling. I don’t think it was because of rumours spread that a marriage went pear shaped – do you?
Maybe it was that perm? No? Darling, I do understand though your need to clutch at anything that will portray you as the perfect specimen. Maybe darling, just be thankful you now have such a loyal and dedicated family support mechanism
I dont recall his vitriol at the police over their illegal handling of the Hager raid
^^^ THIS ^^^
@ tracey (13.2) … or the Dotcom raid either.
And I bet the small minded Hosking would have certainly supported police intervention over the ridiculous tea pot tapes BS!
Hosking is a first class no nothing, full of pissing importance twit of the highest order.
Mike H. Is a voice in the wilderness. He’s old. He’s old hat. He doesn’t need to write his little missives anymore. Any of us could do that for him. He is THE most predictable hack there is. Oh. I forgot to say boring. So he’s out in the wilderness. If he utters a word in the wilderness does he make a sound?
LOL
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12044263
Facts would prove you wrong.
lol
the digital info gave it away – 750k users, 3millon hours a month. Looks impressive.
So a few thousand regular users nationally and a pile of barely-actives, otherwise every “listener” is dialing up for only a few hours every month. Maybe once a week if that, lol. And how many of them really want to hear hosking as opposed to background noise? 3 million listers hanging on his every word, my arse.
I recall years ago an advertiser telling me that the half page ads in a student magazine were more expensive than a full page ad in a nationally-distributed publication. And worth it, because an outlet where you can be something to a few thousand is better than an outlet where you can be irrelevent to ten or twenty times that number.
“..with listeners now hitting 3.39 million,..”
Doesn’t make sense to me especially since National Radio has the biggest audience around 500,000 I seem to remember. But the Herald has to boost their ratings with a disregard for reality in a Donald Trump sort of way.
That’s across all their radio stations. And if it’s picked by a survey going “which stations have you listened to in the past month?”, someone who owns half a dozen stations in the list is going to do well out of name rec alone lol.
Facts in the hiddle jimbo? Novel.
Lmao… James, that should never ever happen, but it just did. Crack up.
From Forest and Bird
Northland’s sand dune lakes and peaty wetlands are a rare and special habitat. But valuable wetlands are being destroyed by swamp kauri mining, leading to polluted waterways and habitats laid to waste.
Timber millers are currently exploiting a loophole by claiming wet slabs of wood are finished table tops. Miners are plundering native wetland ecosystems to make quick and dirty money.
Northland Environmental Protection Society is going to the Supreme Court over the level of protection provided to swamp kauri. They are standing up for nature. It’s amazing what they are doing to fight for nature in Northland.
90% of our wetlands have already been destroyed in New Zealand. Our nature has been up for grabs for too long. Northland Environmental Protection Society is working to protect their wetlands.
https://www.facebook.com/NorthlandEPS/?fref=mentions
(P.S. wasn’t swamp Kauri mining what caused one of the big outages of power leading up to the election… when a digger cut through the cable, not really talked about of course, because people like Judith Collins are all for profiting from this loophole of Kauri mining.)
But… but… but MONEY
But….but….iwi interests, AND Shane Jones….who also happens to be from that iwi…. AND Minister for Getting the Nephews in the Regions off their arses and into work…
Activists will be pushing it uphill on this.
There are two, maybe three distinct things going on here….
Firstly, the extraction of swamp kauri logs which Fiona and team have been battling not only the damage done in the digging and extracting to the environment and the waterways, but also the illegal selling of unprocessed timber overseas.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/325665/bid-to-stop-swamp-kauri-exports-fails
Secondly, they are reviving the kauri gum mining industry….which according to locals left the land unusable for years…..
http://www2.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12038405
And thirdly, the rather alarming expansion of the avocado industry in the Far Far North. I was privileged to sit in on the consent hearing in Kaiatia weeks ago…some extraordinarily knowledgeable and dedicated locals committed to finding out the truth, the facts and educating those with poor understanding of the issues.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/353022/avocado-growers-water-take-divides-northland-communities
Linking all three of these things is the Kaimaumau Wetland….the second most significant remaining wetland in the country. DOC put up good arguments against the water extraction based on their studies and concerns about the Kaimaumau Wetland…but appeared to be backing away after a break in proceedings.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/355644/iwi-in-peat-mining-venture-says-wetland-is-a-wasteland
Strongest impression of the hearings was how awfully less than honest, open and transparent were the applicants. Thought the locals were all thick hillbillies and wouldn’t see through their BS. Much less investigate, gather their local experts and shout it from the rooftops…(or the street corner, as the case may be.)
Long history of kauri in the far Far North…best told here…https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/swamp-kauri/
Years ago my father was involved with a hapu business in Northland digging clay. They wanted to utilise it, and used the profits for personal objectives like having an overseas trip, not a bad thing, but did not service their trucks and keep things in working order, thus running down the business. In the end I think they leased the business to someone else.
It is easy for an iwi leader to say that they want business and to create jobs because that is what all developers say. How many jobs, for how long, what skills will be learned and is the business entity going to be a Maori trust with everyone taught business and development principles so the people understand the short and long term plans and can make informed opinions?
Marriage problems at Kellogs Time
Mike has been used to snugging up against the behind of John Key – a truly magic man – sent down on earth to please and appease ZB inhabitants. Hosking, Soper et al.
Yes, John Key – The magic man – also a fetish man – and a money man – and cafe maid bully man – and a Golf man – and an Obama man – with a fondness for very young blonde pigtails – is difficult to keep up with John Key. Poor Hosking.
Especially with the mighty Farrar out the back of Kiwi Blog raving on about “Dykes” with a capital “D”.
Our National Brethren are so fortunate to have many twisted – I almost said “bent” – personnel guiding the greedy of Aotearoa – and at the same time young Simon. Simon has to achieve only but one thing. Namely: Line his pockets. Like his beloved Colleagues.
Even if he does have to take humiliating lessons from ChinaDoll Collins.
It will be a Century before National ever appoints a straight “non pocket lining” MP.
What is the elderly Soper waffling on about now? Labour has orchestrated the last 24 hours he says. Want to know but can’t bring myself to click on.
Don’t do it. You’ll likely suffer a rage induced aneurysm and hurl your laptop out of the window.
Been there almost done that.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12044263
Despite what some on here might think of him – Hoskings retains talkback crown for ninth straight year.
and why would that change what we think of him?
Just tells me there are other people worthy of derision. Mike is the king though of course.
And he’s rich, drives fancy cars and hates poor people – I am sure you are a fan James.
Hosking. The king of ZB blue radio. Where closed minded old farts love to moan and closed minded listeners believe everything they hear, because they struggle to think for themselves.
I’ve met Hosking on many occasions through bussiness. He’s the most arrogant, self absorbed rude prick I’ve ever met.
James must be of similar character, otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered linking to the story. James loves to shit stir, just because he can. He probably has nothing more constuctive to do with his time.
If he gets really good he’ll get closer to RNZ’s listening audience!
He’s king of talkback? How many in an average morning are on his show in a ‘talkback’ situation? I don’t listen to him but he used to be on air from 6-8.30 am. There was a spell of about 10-11 minutes around the hour with ads and news there used to be quite a few other ads. Somewhere along the line he does some sort of monologue. Just wondering.
Arhh talkback that doyenne of critical thought and intellectual pursuit.
Alternatively mike and talk back listeners….like attracting like. Being the king of talk back hardly anything to crow about
When does Simonmania begin ? I can’t wait.
It’s classified more as a Bridgephilia
Slimeon has yet to climb that mountain.
Middlemore problems highlighted in 2010 report
Radio New Zealand Thursday, 3 May 2018, 3:47 pm
Article: RNZ
The Counties Manukau DHB has said it was first alerted to leaking buildings in 2012 but, in fact, it was warned in early 2010.
“The cladding system to the lower levels of the building appears to be failing,” the February 2010 report by surveyors Dalton said, after it took off cladding at five spots on the south wall of the Scott building, which also houses cardiac care.
It photographed advanced brown rot and light rot in wood frames it rated as “un-sound” and described “widespread incipient decay” caused by leaking.
“The use of untreated timber and established decay at corners and sheet edges demonstrates that the [three] lower level storeys are at risk of real future failure.”
Counties Manukau DHB acting chief executive Dr Gloria Johnson said that when she told the public in March this year that they were first alerted to the leaks in 2012, she was not aware of the 2010 report.
The Dalton report includes a photo of a fece-stained first-floor sewage pipe, where leaking caused “serious damage” to framing. Board’s chair Rabin Rabindran, a board member Mark Darrow and the DHB itself have all said media reports of sewage leaks were overplayed. It’s now known there were at least four such leaks of raw sewage.
(Labour introduced dodgy spray on protection for interior timbers and continued after leaky homes.)
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0507/S00239.htm
Labour fails homeowners in timber treatment scam
Monday, 11 July 2005, 5:13 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10328966
Battle over blame in leaky homes
4 Jun, 2005 12:56pm
…National MPs Nick Smith and Richard Worth are barking at the Government’s indifference in the absence of incoming Building Minister Chris Carter. It’s the first meeting of the Leaky Homes Action Group and a chance to score pre-election points – but everyone knows the rot started under National’s watch.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/hansard-debates/rhr/document/48HansS_20060905_00001352/smith-nick-standards-and-conformance-bill-second-reading
5 September 2006 –
(Nick Smith lays out his argument and concern about the dangerously light treatment of framing timber, amounting to shoddy and dishonest.
Is this one of those cases when it’s a low-regulation neo-liberal government cock-up and Labour has fallen for it on this occasion though it could have happened to National if they had been in power at this period? And is Middlemore the putrid off-colour meat in the sandwich?
OnceWasTim, Somehow this has not attached as an answer… sorry.
“Would be funny if they weren’t so dull….. no no .. dangerous.!!”
They confirm memes and attitudes. Soper and Duplicity Allan particularly.
Audrey is nasty and her body language when she “interviewed’ Jacinda ahead of the election was “disbelief she could be PM.”
When anyone on the Left queries their writings, they are accused of “over reacting,”
I have said several times that “memes were being repeated and the writing was unbalanced”. Micky proved that!!
I also felt the appearance of key phrases showed collusion of some type, or an echo chamber follow the leader team tag.
They are dangerous because they poison discussions and create traps.
‘
A public talk by acclaimed US/Palestinian author Ramzy Baroud
Dr Ramzy Baroud’s NZ speaking tour itinerary – 18 to 24 May 2018. Hosted by the NZ Palestine Solidarity Network
https://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/ramzy-barouds-new-zealand-speaking-tour/
Out they Go
Look I hate to tell James and sad sack Hosking – and tongue tied Simon – that Capitalism has failed.
The tag along Audreys and money chasers – Capitalism has failed.
You lot have dredged the money from the ordinary honest people, and stuffed it into your own piles – often in hidden accounts. You have condoned every dirty thing Key and English did.
The ordinary citizen has no hope of owning a house . Nor much hope of paying your exorbitant Rents. You are theives. That’s what you Capitalists are.
Your jacked up Panels; Your Corins; Your so called “Professionals”; Your Hootons are just shallow shaggers. Your Fletchers. Your Fonterras.
Capitalism is Crime in action. The Banks you support are based in Australia. Criminals in Action. Yet you attack the ordinary struggling man and his family.
You Capitalist Bastards.
It was a late milking drying cows off so I missed my morning Am show post it a beautiful day in Putaruru bit of a frost I will put up more post later today Ka kite ano P.S. its taken 7 years to get bee killing pesticides banned from use in Europe thanks to the Avaazers movement
This is how men abuse the power they have bestowed on them using it to abuse people here’s the link.
Four brave women
OPINION: Allegations a trusted GP initiated sexual relationships with vulnerable patients bear all the hallmarks of a #metoo case.
Ka kite ano P.S image how much stuff is hidden at the sandflys lair
Here is another.
‘His DNA on toilet cam’
51 min ago
DNA found on an SD card links one of NZ’s former top naval officers to a camera in a bathroom, prosecution says.
This is the future of cargo ships Ka pai Ka kite ano
What will ships look like in 30 years? Yea
Good evening Newshub I’m a bit late tonight we were watching the Mokopunas playing netball. That’s a shame that the people of Vanuatu have to leave their Island ECO MAORI gives all the best wishes for there move to another Island.
Many thanks to our Labour lead coalition Government for helping all the homeless people. This is a problem cause by the previous Government.
Many thanks to France and all there good people for there monument that houners the young men who fought for OUR freedom. Ka pai I have seen some of the French cultures and the way they run there society ECO MAORI is quite impressed Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild good evening Makere weres WAI.?
The Chief playing the Jaguar in Rotorua I’m on the farm at the minute is that were WAI is a watching the game it will be a good game I wish I was there ECO MAORI mite steal all the lime light lol yea right.
Josh the wave breaks in Raglan are world renowned to a lot of surfers there is a awesome wave breaks At WAI piro Bay Te tairawhiti.
Ka kite ano