Mark Mitchell has had his meeting with Andrew Coster. According to Mitchell the meeting lasted two hours; was positive and Mitchell will respect the office of the police commissioner( why?). He wants police to get back to core policing.
So fucking disappointing. I think of all the victims that crime will continue to churn out under Mitchell's watch as police minister. I really can't in all honesty continue to bag Poto Williams when her replacement will be little better.
Sure, National may increase police numbers by 300. Open two closed police stations. Have a foot patrol every second day down Auckland's empty CBD. But that's just tinkering.
1- Will they arm the police?
2-Will they ban all gang patches in public areas?
3- Will they build a huge super max prison so criminals who commit minor offences repeatedly with few consequences at present, can be jailed?
Nope.
Hell, I could cut drink driving offences by 20-35% overnight. I could get an 80% success rate in resolving who had killed a Maori baby. The whanau would be more than happy to cough up the offender.
According to Mitchell the meeting lasted two hours; was positive and Mitchell will respect the office of the police commissioner (why?)
Would you prefer politicians with the police portfolio did not resect the office of the police commissioner?
I don't think you would because this means police would be under direct control of the government which is, by definition, a police state.
Mitchell has been told off for telling the police what to do in the media. He appears to have got the message which is good but his behaviour should worry all Kiwis; you can imagine the daily interference in police operations were he ever minister.
''Would you prefer politicians with the police portfolio did not respect the office of the police commissioner?''
Respect is earnt. When the commissioner is not doing a good job, that should be pointed out to him and options explored. Mitchell failed on that account. The Commissioner and his office are basically intertwined.
''Mitchell has been told off for telling the police what to do in the media.''
I know nothing of this. Could you explain further?
In this context respect is not earned, it is formally prescribed. See the two bullet points under definition 2 below:
verb respect
admire (someone or something) deeply, as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements.
"she was respected by everyone she worked with"
have due regard for (someone's feelings, wishes, or rights).
"I respected his views"
avoid harming or interfering with.
"it is incumbent upon all hill users to respect the environment"
agree to recognize and abide by (a legal requirement).
"the crown and its ministers ought to respect the ordinary law"
My reading was that in the meeting Mitchell had been asked by Coster to stop interfering in police operational matters via the media (told off). That's why he has said, "he will respect the office of the police commissioner".
Eh? Mitchell supposedly said "respect the office". That's nothing to do with individuals – it's respecting the constitutional arrangement that makes police operational matters a no go area for politicians. As Muttonbird said – without that, you've taken the first step towards a police state. Most likely, Mitchell said "respect the office" to make it clear that he didn't respect the individual. Mitchell has always appeared to me as a sub-verbal, incipient thug – not surprising he needs something as simple as the importance of this constitutional convention pointed out to him.
According to Mitchell the meeting lasted two hours; was positive and Mitchell will respect the office of the police commissioner
I think you will find this statement was made in reference that he wouldn't talk about what was discussed in the meeting on the open airways and I can't find fault with that.
As soon as Labour has gone so is Coster. History will show him a failure as is Poto Williams. Crime under Labour just like the public Service always goes up.
Simon who? History will show who of those two was the greatest failure.
Coster's decision to rule out "enforcement action" was criticised by the National Party's police spokesman Mark Mitchell, who claimed that Coster had lost credibility as Police Commissioner. On 2 March, Police evicted the remaining anti-mandate protesters following a violent riot.
Seems you’re right P4L, not only would Coster be gone under a National party-led govt, I doubt that he would have been appointed in the first place.
And the public service numbers needed to rise. After National cut it so much as to make it dysfunctional. Very obvious in health, education and other services. Then they lost any savings by employing a whole heap of private contractors.
Who do you think does all that covid tracing, vaccinations, border control and health services, for one.
Those data indeed show that the headcount in the Public Service increased 2000-2007 and 2017-2021 under Labour Governments and was fairly static 2008-2016 under National. However, the same trend was observed for the headcount in the Private Sector. In fact, it is strikingly similar with a very high correlation. So, Labour governments are good for employment overall; don’t you hate the facts, sometimes
Over the last five years, the overall public sector workforce increased by 13.7% (with central government up 13.9% and local government up 12.4%). This compares with an 8.9% growth in the private sector over the same period.
''Eh? Mitchell supposedly said "respect the office". That's nothing to do with individuals – it's respecting the constitutional arrangement that makes police operational matters a no go area for politicians.''
Like I said, the office of the commissioner and the commissioner( individual) are intertwined. The constitutional separation of the office from political interference is a given( but not proven over the years). The man in the street doesn't make such a fine distinction.
''Most likely, Mitchell said "respect the office" to make it clear that he didn't respect the individual.''
That is supposition. If true, it means Mitchell is playing games hoping voters ( wink,wink) can read between the lines. Many won't.
Again, if National had any intentions of introducing hardline policing, Mitchell should have gone after the commissioner… and it shouldn't have taken two hours. Two hours is a mighty long time. Maybe they had gingernuts, a latte and a chat about rugby.
Mitchell has been told off for telling the police what to do in the media. He appears to have got the message which is good but his behaviour should worry all Kiwis; you can imagine the daily interference in police operations were he ever minister.
There is a reason why the police, armed forces, judiciary, and a few other branches are directly responsible to the crown. In other words at exactly the same level as parliament. Parliament allocates funding for them, but has no direct operational control. They are subject to the crown.
Basically because no-one trusts a politicians over the long term. There are always a few idiots with a limited understanding of how our society operates at a structural level and inclined towards short-term stupidity.
Similar could be said for many other Crown entities:
ACC, NZSuperFund, NZTA, Kainga Ora, Crown Infrastructure partners, NZPost/Kiwibank, all Universities, Kiwirail, RBNZ, TVNZ, Transpower, the majority shareholdings in power generators, and a lot more.
Some still respond to Ministerial direction and media grief, but often quite faintly. Some are statutorily protected. Most would have the independence to tell even the Minister of Finance where to stick it. A few have workarounds.
Raises the question of how the new water entities will be treated as kinds of public entity.
3- Will they build a huge super max prison so criminals who commit minor offences repeatedly with few consequences at present, can be jailed?"
Maybe "they" will.
National has a long track record of ignoring evidence and doing the things that increase, not reduce crime. Like sending minor offenders, the mentally ill, literacy challenged, and silly teenagers to "crime University"/Prisons. Dog whistling to those who ignore the evidence and think “tough on crime” actually works.
The Police commissioner is heading towards evidence based approaches, that really do reduce crime. Reducing crime is the goal, is it not?
Your revenge fantasies are the approaches that have been shown not to work. What will you say if your prescription is adopted and there is more crime, recidivism, and crime victims.
''Your revenge fantasies are the approaches that have been shown not to work. What will you say if your prescription is adopted and there is more crime, recidivism, and crime victims.''
The day you front up with some original ideas of your own, is the day I will take you seriously. That goes for Peter above who's forced to copy my korero.
But, to be fair, you sometimes fluke good points. For example:
What will you say if your prescription is adopted and there is more crime, recidivism, and crime victims.''
Good point. I would say. ''Well, I'm wrong. What I have suggested, hasn't worked. I'm sorry, we need to try something else. At least it's one strategy we can cross off the list.''
See, I care about innocent victims. I want something that helps them. I don't have a ego regarding this issue. I'm not trying to protect an ideological position like so many on this blog. Hence my caning of those liberal sops who call themselves the National Party.
Oh. I've fronted up with plenty of ideas about what works.
Don't need "original ones". I leave that to people who have researched it at length. Who have proof of what works. I'll leave those who think their individual uneducated "opinions" mean jack shit, to Facebook warriors like yourself.
If you cared about "innocent victims" you would, like me be advocating for approaches to crime reduction that works.
I know it is over your head, but less crimes equal less victims.
Your approach has been tried for decades. It doesn’t fucking work!
Tough on crime nitwits, and politicians who pander to them, do not address underlying causes, so we get more victims.
Look, your trouble is you are believing your own bullshit.
”Don't need original ones". I leave that to people who have researched it at length.”
You aren't capable of original ideas. People who have researched things at length don't have a mortgage on good ideas. If they did we wouldn't have as much crime as we have today.
''Your approach has been tried for decades. It doesn’t fucking work!''
No, it hasn't. I have two original ideas to start with that haven't been tried.
1-How to reduce drink driving offences overnight,
2- How to make whanau cough up a suspected baby killer.
Provide a link. I'm calling you out. You are a liar. And you need to be shown as such. Your comments are vacuous and sloppy. You put nothing into your posts…and it shows.
Don't deflect. I'm not letting you get away with lies and trolling when you can't muster an argument, or back yourself up. Here's an example:
''Really lost the plot. Eh. It is OK to ask for help with your violent fantasies, you know!''
Sad bottom of the barrel stuff.
Of course you could apologise and admit you may have got things wrong. I had to do that yesterday.
Blade…
2 June 2022 at 9:54 pm
That was incorrect. My apologies.
What I should have wrote was ”I’m a beneficiary of the trust board,” not a member of the trust board.
You did not have to correct yourself and apologise, you chose this on your own accord. We would have been none the wiser about your ‘error’. In fact, you had an earlier opportunity to correct your ‘error’ (here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-31-05-2022/#comment-1891353), but you failed to do so then!?
Seems to me you’re making up stuff here to suit your narrative and when it does no longer suit your narrative you ‘correct’ it (aka twist & change). If so, that would be disingenuous and not commenting in good faith and it would mean we cannot take your comments at face value.
''You did not have to correct yourself and apologise, you chose this on your own accord. We would have been none the wiser about your ‘error’. In fact, you had an earlier opportunity to correct your ‘error’ (here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-31-05-2022/#comment-1891353), but you failed to do so then!?''
I had to correct myself when you pointed my error out indirectly because what I had written was factually incorrect. I hadn't previously corrected my error because I hadn't noticed it until your post.
''Seems to me you’re making up stuff here to suit your narrative and when it does no longer suit your narrative you ‘correct’ it (aka twist & change). If so, that would be disingenuous and not commenting in good faith and it would mean we cannot take your comments at face value.''
Fair enough, I can't change your perceptions of me. Would your perceptions also apply to the KJT's comments above?
Interesting / scary comment on the video around 2:30' – "30% of enquiries to the dairy and small business Association from dairy / small business owners, was asking how they obtain a gun licence"
They have decided to take security matters in to their own hands. It will only be a matter of time until one does fight back.
It's good to see they've been arrested, however I think Jimmy's point may be that apparently most of the perpetrators are under 15. I'm not sure they'll spend long in custody.
Yep, Jimmy, arming the dairy owners is common sense to me. I have suggested previously on this blog a three months small arms course for those shop owners wanting to protect themselves with a gun.
Of course it will never happen. I don't think this government understands the shit storm that's hanging over their heads. Either a ram raider is going to be killed by a shop owner…or a shop owner is going to be killed by a robber. In this political climate all hell could break loose. That will be on Labours head.
Democracy means different things to different people. This is a short thread on the 2022 Democracy Perception Index Report 2022 – the world’s largest annual study on how people perceive democracy.
It is commissioned by "The Alliance of Democracies Foundation", founded by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former NATO Secretary General and former Prime Minister of Denmark.
Every year, this is by far the most interesting study on democracy because it doesn't rely on the opinion of "experts" but on people's actual perceptions.
As such the results are often surprising and it raises profound questions of what democracy actually is.
What is states – crimes against property has gone down. I suspect people are no longer reporting as they know the crime won't be resolved.
Crime against people has gone up.
I firmly believe that I am correct in my original statement.
We know gun violence has gone through the roof. Auckland has more shooting incidence per week than Mahuta has MFAT meetings. Gang violence is out of control, Labour is soft on crime, it is just a fact that NZ knows
[Nope, you’re still 2 links short and you’re wasting my time because this clearly doesn’t support your assertion.
I don’t care if you go for the easiest one or if you genuinely believe your own assertions to be correct or what you suspect or if “it is just a fact that NZ knows”. I care about you providing evidential support for your claims, which shouldn’t be too hard if they’re correct, as you allege. If somebody else provides them for you in the meantime you’ll still receive a ban – how unfair is that? Put up or shut up.
You did so well with your other link about the Public Service under Labour!
Since you mention Mahuta again, a few days ago you hinted at corruption charges (https://thestandard.org.nz/nationals-policies-dont-add-up/#comment-1891222) but you never followed up on these when I asked you about it. Here’s your chance and use your words carefully. The odds have been raised to a fortnight ban – Incognito]
Kainga Ora is now structured commercially so that it keeps delivering housing construction no matter which party is in parliament. It does this by ensuring that it raises its own capital through property sales, and then spends it on intensive housing on the remaining land. Might not sound particularly leftie in the socialist sense of controlling the means of production, but it's a way of extracting the politics out of it as much as possible.
This has been going on for a while. The results you can see for yourself.
If you went up to the Sky City revolving restaurant you might just see the extent of it from Pt England to Mangere to Oranga to Mt Roskill to Hobsonville to Northcote.
Brand new high quality intensified integrated communities.
Yeah so commercial they (this time last year) issued a 300m$ inflation bond( coupon rate 2.5%) going to be paying 7.5% for a longtime unless they get cost inflation out of their builds.
Debt has blown out to 7.1 billion,with new debt being around 4.2% .NZ building costs have increased by 20% last 12 months,Australia 9%.
Australia also has seen building consents for new houses decrease by 33% over the last 12 months,and mortgage pain has not even started there.
In the US where markets are better informed,construction costs responded in real time (as did unsold new housing stock) with lumber falling 55% in 2 months.( 58 cents a board foot)
Absolutely. There are sites that are more suitable for the kind of medium density housing that Kainga Ora is delivering now, and there are sites that are not suitable for it. It makes sense to sell the latter, particularly if they are small, and fragmented from previous sell offs by National governments. Also some sites on major arterials are less suitable for the kind of community based developments and also need extensive noise attenuation and particulate control from 30 to 40 thousand vehicle movements per day. In many cases the private sector can develop these better.
I saw a meme earlier in those colours saying if 10% of people want a fair pay agreement 100% of people get it. Thought their comms team needed to sit and have a bit of a think about that.
According to the committee, they will "present previously unseen material documenting January 6th, receive witness testimony, preview additional hearings, and provide the American people a summary of its findings about the coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power."
This Labour government has gone from being a band of merry socialists, to a band of perpetual losers. Do you have any advice for them Puck? Advice the can be printed that is.
Pick people based on talent, not on diversity and realise that the people most affected by the rise in crime are most likely Labour voters so they risk a massive backlash if they don't do something and quickly
As an example how long is this guy actually going to spend in prison:
From your link "The data, given to the NZ Herald through the Official Information Act, showed annual assaults on staff increased in seven of the last 10 years"
"He cited what he considered a long-standing problem"
"In a statement, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis referenced the "prison crisis" inherited by the Government in 2017 when the prison population had increased beyond 10,000. Since then, it had reduced 27 per cent. However, he said more serious offenders – including gang members – had been locked up during this time which posed a risk to staff. "This brings its own challenges, particularly to staff who have to manage a heightened environment where mental health issues and methamphetamine addiction are also increasingly more prevalent," he said. Davis said staff deserved to feel safe and the Violence and Aggression plan was one way to reduce assaults. He referenced the $23 million from Budget 2022 given to hire an extra 64 staff across the three prisons facing the most challenges in this area – Auckland Prison, Christchurch Men's and Mt Eden. That was part of the extra 518 staff who would be hired during the next four years"
Since then, it had reduced 27 per cent ( prison population)
Question: where are the people who would have formally been in prison for more minor offences?
''However, he said more serious offenders – including gang members – had been locked up during this time which posed a risk to staff. ''
Correct. However, the gang population is exploding. 10 years ago a major hole in gang numbers would have occurred with the number of gangsters now locked up. Nowadays the gangs always have the numbers to fill in shortfalls in their ranks.
"the gang population is exploding" because of growing demand for meth. Fucked if I now why is it a coping mechanism like booze or to stay awake longer or some kind of sexual performance thing or the stress of modern life maybe. The gangs have a crucial supply role anyway and good on them. Not much else while prostitutes are legal and I'm guessing because of our low wages not so much demand for trafficked slave labour – no idea if they are into bribing small businesses with threats of violence – after all who would let the cat out of the bag on that one ?
On home detention as work was done to find suitable lodging for them. I can't remember where I read it so can't give a source, but the main reason people are declined home detention is lack of a suitable address to serve the sentence. Sounds like work has been done to remove that barrier.
Yes, but my point is they haven't been in the wheel house for the past 6 years – Labour has. The blood is on Labours hands. Just like Labours responsibility for crime will be passed on to National next year, regardless of what Labour has or hasn't done regarding crime.
''Do you have a link to cover your last paragraph?''
No, I don't. There is no need. It is general knowledge and has been in the news time and again. In fact, on another blog, I pointed to a huge increase in gang numbers close to a year before the issue started being reported in MSM. How did I know?From extended family in the mob who told me about new recruiting methods being employed. It's all about numbers.
You acknowledge that National were in power during that time, but then claim its all Labour's fault, despite efforts to address long standing issues. No one said it could be sorted over night. Consequences from the National government didn't suddenly disappear when National got kicked out in late 2017. It hasn't been 6 years.
Well if you think Labour has blood on its hands, then so does National.
"Just like Labours responsibility for crime will be passed on to National next year"
Like Labour inherited the shambles National left and there is no guarantee that National will win the election next year.
You obviously can't understand what I'm writing, or you are being wilfully ignorant.
I'm noticing when you Lefties run out of an argument you become surly and nasty very fast.
I'll try one more time.
National is not in power. Labour is. National cannot do a fucking thing about crime because they are not in power. Labour can do something about crime because they are in power. It matters not what National did before. It matters not what supposed mess National left Labour. It doesn't matter. But it matters big time for Labour because they are the government.
BTW.., have you read that link you posted? Talk about a gift for people like me. It's also a record for future generations to understand the dynamics of failure when ideology trumps common sense and real world needs.
Quote from your link. Talk about bs of the first water. Tell that crap to crime victims, frightened citizens and dairy owners.
”Government goal:
This Government has made a commitment to create a more effective criminal justice system and safer New Zealand. Achieving these long-term objectives will require systemic reform consistent with New Zealand values and aspirations, across the whole of the criminal justice system and the social sector. This will involve public engagement, partnerships with iwi/Māori and other community groups, legislative reform, investment in new services and operational change – amongst other things.”
"I'm noticing when you Lefties run out of an argument you become surly and nasty very fast"
That's what you are doing and you are being deliberately obtuse.
"showed annual assaults on staff increased in seven of the last 10 years"
National had been in power during some of those years. Labour has only been in power since late 2017, not 6 years like you falsely claimed and they are trying to do something about it. You cannot discount National's time in govt because it doesn't suit your narrative. National left an appalling legacy.
Re link, I don't think you understood it.
“This Government has made a commitment to create a more effective criminal justice system and safer New Zealand. Achieving these long-term objectives will require systemic reform consistent with New Zealand values and aspirations, across the whole of the criminal justice system and the social sector. This will involve public engagement, partnerships with iwi/Māori and other community groups, legislative reform, investment in new services and operational change”
So what’s wrong in that exactly?
Tell me, when National were in govt, did you blame them for the “crime victims, frightened citizens and dairy owners” or have you conveniently forgotten the ram raids, the attacks on the dairies, liquor stores?
You’ve been told before that you can argue your opinions but not your facts.
Yes, but my point is they haven't been in the wheel house for the past 6 years – Labour has.
You are wrong! Megan Woods said in a debate in Parliament 2 days ago that they have been in government for four and a half years.
It's all about numbers.
You raised it, you should put up the numbers, and it is that simple. You cannot hide behind “It is general knowledge and has been in the news time and again” and some vague stuff you may have heard from your “extended family in the mob”. The media megaphone is rarely a good source of facts but a very good source for hype & emotion.
You are an unreliable commenter with regards to facts and supporting claims of facts. You must lift your game or your comments will be moderated.
Seems to me I may have misjudged the general knowledge of some on this blog.
What I thought was apparent general knowledge, apparently is not, even though it's on the screens and in the papers nearly every week. I could have added many more links, but stopped in the name of brevity.
''You are wrong! Megan Woods said in a debate in Parliament 2 days ago that they have been in government for four and a half years.''
Quite true. I took a liberty knowing nothing would improve under Labour. Even my 6 years will fall a few months short depending on the election. Peripheral issues count.
''Some vague stuff you may have heard from your “extended family in the mob”.
It's not vague stuff. I have stated on this blog that in a change of tack, many chapters of the mob allow a patch to be bought. Of course there is still a probation period. That story will eventually come to light in MSM. Just like I was talking about gang numbers increasing roughly a year before MSM pick up the story.
That’s a lovely selection of links some of which even contain actual useful numbers that allow us to distinguish hype & spin from fact, thank you.
From a couple of your links it seems the steepest increase year-on-year in gang members was under National. Oops.
You must not take no liberty with facts. You made up shit about how long Labour has been (not: will have been) in Government. We cannot mind-read and we should not have to second-guess either what twisted facts you construct to suit your narrative.
It is vague and anecdotal stuff when you say “it’s all about numbers” and cannot produce anything other than what you may have heard at your family gatherings. You talk a lot of shit and your vague reckons are worth shit unless you can back them up. What will eventually be reported in and by the media is anybody’s guess and your predilections may come true or quite possibly not ever and at all.
In any case, it is not about the general knowledge of some (but not all?) readers of this blog, it is about what you claim here and do or do not support when asked.
I’m done with this convo, as I made myself crystal clear and don’t see any point in spending more time & effort on this.
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Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
Human rights advocates must uphold human dignity, rights and justice, while rejecting the discriminatory tactics we oppose, writes Taimor Hazou.Two weeks ago the Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) launched a campaign inviting New Zealanders to call a hotline if they suspected an Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldier that had ...
Immigration New Zealand figures shows more people have been looking at the ETA and visitor visa pages on the website, however fewer people have applied to come or to extend their stay. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsten Banks, Lecturer, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology Debris on the surface of Mars from the Perseverance mission, captured on April 19 2022. NASA/JPL-Caltech In his inauguration speech in January, United States President Donald Trump ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alix Woolard, Senior Research Fellow, The Kids Research Institute Australia Stock Unit/Shutterstock Have you ever asked someone how their day was, or been chatting casually with a friend, only to have them tell you a horrific story that has left you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Quentin Grafton, Australian Laureate Professor of Economics, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Roper RiverChris Ison/Shutterstock Water is now a contested resource around the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in the fight playing out over the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Graeme Turner, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies, The University of Queensland Matej Kastellic/ Shutterstock As we head towards the federal election, both sides of politics are making a point of criticising universities and questioning their role in the community. ...
Alex Casey examines the perils of having your period at a music festival. It was right after Clairo’s swooning set that Sarah* knew it was time. She was on the second day of her period at Auckland’s Laneway festival, and braved the portaloos to empty her menstrual cup and change ...
A battle between health officials and local councils is heating up, as one government party seeks to change the rules. The Bulletin’s Stewart Sowman-Lund explains. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
A global consultancy will lead the government's review of electricity markets, with a local firm offering advice and two groups of experts providing quality assurance. ...
New Public Service Minister Judith Collins is calling for a culture of saying 'yes', but being honest enough with ministers to "reconcile the vision with reality". ...
The future of nearly a third of all huts and tracks managed by the Department of Conservation is in limbo, as the agency faces a 30 percent shortfall in funding to maintain them. ...
Today I’ve had a bit on. I’m living in a 23.4 metre tug off the coast of Samoa and have been for a few weeks now. I’m on a top-secret mission to help save the planet from another potential environmental disaster.I’m currently tasked with looking out the window and making ...
The ‘loneliness epidemic’ is apparently spreading around the world, but what does it look like here in New Zealand? Rachel Judkins reports. It’s a beautiful summer evening in Cornwall Park, with families scattered on the grass and a live band playing a backing track to their laughter. Sprawled on a ...
The Act leader gets a telling-off from the principal and prime minister Christopher Luxon loses his cool in a heated question time. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. ...
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Opinion: It was the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science this week, the theme being ‘Unpacking STEM Careers: Her Voice in Science’. It is 2025, but we still need a lot more of her voices in science.In New Zealand, a 2021 survey found that ...
NewsroomBy Dr Jennifer Kruger and Dr Kelly Burrowes
A Government proposal to axe the only two jobs in New Zealand’s health sector of people who were working on a national strategy for palliative care has angered those in the sector, which is already under immense strain.It’s put another wedge between those who want terminally ill patients to live ...
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Sounds like the police had a good night last night in Pakuranga arresting 12 people. Good result as long as its not a catch and release policy.
Pakuranga arrests: Residents 'frightened' after gang incident in east Auckland overnight | Stuff.co.nz
And Andrew Coster apologises!!!!!! He's obviously getting some pretty harsh feedback from the front line officers.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster apologises after backlash from officers over pursuit comments | Newshub
Coster is a good cop. But he's not a man for our times. Someone with an attitude like this chap is:
https://www.laworderreferendum.org.nz/Tait.htm
Yep agreed. Thanks ….very interesting article.
Mark Mitchell has had his meeting with Andrew Coster. According to Mitchell the meeting lasted two hours; was positive and Mitchell will respect the office of the police commissioner( why?). He wants police to get back to core policing.
So fucking disappointing. I think of all the victims that crime will continue to churn out under Mitchell's watch as police minister. I really can't in all honesty continue to bag Poto Williams when her replacement will be little better.
Sure, National may increase police numbers by 300. Open two closed police stations. Have a foot patrol every second day down Auckland's empty CBD. But that's just tinkering.
1- Will they arm the police?
2-Will they ban all gang patches in public areas?
3- Will they build a huge super max prison so criminals who commit minor offences repeatedly with few consequences at present, can be jailed?
Nope.
Hell, I could cut drink driving offences by 20-35% overnight. I could get an 80% success rate in resolving who had killed a Maori baby. The whanau would be more than happy to cough up the offender.
Then there's this paywalled BOPT headline:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/gang-member-prison-rates-at-seven-year-low-but-proportion-of-incarcerated-gangsters-increases/SFTUUA23F2VQKYDYDOQEGXFIQY/
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/mike-hosking-breakfast/audio/pollies-mps-mark-mitchell-and-megan-woods-on-mitchells-meeting-with-andrew-coster-the-pacific-and-mahuta-and-the-latest-polls/
Aotearoa…a gangsters paradise.
Would you prefer politicians with the police portfolio did not resect the office of the police commissioner?
I don't think you would because this means police would be under direct control of the government which is, by definition, a police state.
Mitchell has been told off for telling the police what to do in the media. He appears to have got the message which is good but his behaviour should worry all Kiwis; you can imagine the daily interference in police operations were he ever minister.
''Would you prefer politicians with the police portfolio did not respect the office of the police commissioner?''
Respect is earnt. When the commissioner is not doing a good job, that should be pointed out to him and options explored. Mitchell failed on that account. The Commissioner and his office are basically intertwined.
''Mitchell has been told off for telling the police what to do in the media.''
I know nothing of this. Could you explain further?
In this context respect is not earned, it is formally prescribed. See the two bullet points under definition 2 below:
My reading was that in the meeting Mitchell had been asked by Coster to stop interfering in police operational matters via the media (told off). That's why he has said, "he will respect the office of the police commissioner".
Eh? Mitchell supposedly said "respect the office". That's nothing to do with individuals – it's respecting the constitutional arrangement that makes police operational matters a no go area for politicians. As Muttonbird said – without that, you've taken the first step towards a police state. Most likely, Mitchell said "respect the office" to make it clear that he didn't respect the individual. Mitchell has always appeared to me as a sub-verbal, incipient thug – not surprising he needs something as simple as the importance of this constitutional convention pointed out to him.
A reply to all.
According to Mitchell the meeting lasted two hours; was positive and Mitchell will respect the office of the police commissioner
I think you will find this statement was made in reference that he wouldn't talk about what was discussed in the meeting on the open airways and I can't find fault with that.
As soon as Labour has gone so is Coster. History will show him a failure as is Poto Williams. Crime under Labour just like the public Service always goes up.
That would be a first time for Mitchell.
I wonder what was said off the record?
Maybe off the record Mitchell told him that when the national/Act Government comes in they'll:
1 – Arm the police
2 – Ban all gang patches in public areas
3 – Build a huge super max prison so criminals who commit minor offences can be jailed
4 – Increase police numbers by 300.
5 – Open two closed police stations.
6 – Have a foot patrol every second day down Auckland's empty CBD
7 – Cut drink driving offences by 20-35% overnight.
Oh, and go along with ACT and liberalise gun laws.
Simon who? History will show who of those two was the greatest failure.
Seems you’re right P4L, not only would Coster be gone under a National party-led govt, I doubt that he would have been appointed in the first place.
https://www.transparency.org.nz/blog/transparency-and-intelligence
[links required]
But. He wants more police. Are they not "Public service".
Joined up thinking not his strong point?
The way to lower
measuredcrime rates is to electa party which games the stats,National.They are not part of the Public Service as defined by the Public Service Act 2020. They are obviously part of the public or state sector, however.
https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/our-work/workforce-data/public-sector-composition/workforce-size
Despite claims NZ's policing is too 'woke', crime rates are largely static — and even declining (theconversation.com)
And the public service numbers needed to rise. After National cut it so much as to make it dysfunctional. Very obvious in health, education and other services. Then they lost any savings by employing a whole heap of private contractors.
Who do you think does all that covid tracing, vaccinations, border control and health services, for one.
Thank you.
Those data indeed show that the headcount in the Public Service increased 2000-2007 and 2017-2021 under Labour Governments and was fairly static 2008-2016 under National. However, the same trend was observed for the headcount in the Private Sector. In fact, it is strikingly similar with a very high correlation. So, Labour governments are good for employment overall; don’t you hate the facts, sometimes
Looking forward to your other link 😊
''Eh? Mitchell supposedly said "respect the office". That's nothing to do with individuals – it's respecting the constitutional arrangement that makes police operational matters a no go area for politicians.''
Like I said, the office of the commissioner and the commissioner( individual) are intertwined. The constitutional separation of the office from political interference is a given( but not proven over the years). The man in the street doesn't make such a fine distinction.
''Most likely, Mitchell said "respect the office" to make it clear that he didn't respect the individual.''
That is supposition. If true, it means Mitchell is playing games hoping voters ( wink,wink) can read between the lines. Many won't.
Again, if National had any intentions of introducing hardline policing, Mitchell should have gone after the commissioner… and it shouldn't have taken two hours. Two hours is a mighty long time. Maybe they had gingernuts, a latte and a chat about rugby.
How do you know? Where you present at the 2-hour meeting? Did you read a full first-hand account in the media? No? Then you’re making up stuff again.
Nope
There is a reason why the police, armed forces, judiciary, and a few other branches are directly responsible to the crown. In other words at exactly the same level as parliament. Parliament allocates funding for them, but has no direct operational control. They are subject to the crown.
Basically because no-one trusts a politicians over the long term. There are always a few idiots with a limited understanding of how our society operates at a structural level and inclined towards short-term stupidity.
Similar could be said for many other Crown entities:
ACC, NZSuperFund, NZTA, Kainga Ora, Crown Infrastructure partners, NZPost/Kiwibank, all Universities, Kiwirail, RBNZ, TVNZ, Transpower, the majority shareholdings in power generators, and a lot more.
Some still respond to Ministerial direction and media grief, but often quite faintly. Some are statutorily protected. Most would have the independence to tell even the Minister of Finance where to stick it. A few have workarounds.
Raises the question of how the new water entities will be treated as kinds of public entity.
"1- Will they arm the police?
2-Will they ban all gang patches in public areas?
3- Will they build a huge super max prison so criminals who commit minor offences repeatedly with few consequences at present, can be jailed?"
Maybe "they" will.
National has a long track record of ignoring evidence and doing the things that increase, not reduce crime. Like sending minor offenders, the mentally ill, literacy challenged, and silly teenagers to "crime University"/Prisons. Dog whistling to those who ignore the evidence and think “tough on crime” actually works.
The Police commissioner is heading towards evidence based approaches, that really do reduce crime. Reducing crime is the goal, is it not?
Your revenge fantasies are the approaches that have been shown not to work. What will you say if your prescription is adopted and there is more crime, recidivism, and crime victims.
''Your revenge fantasies are the approaches that have been shown not to work. What will you say if your prescription is adopted and there is more crime, recidivism, and crime victims.''
The day you front up with some original ideas of your own, is the day I will take you seriously. That goes for Peter above who's forced to copy my korero.
But, to be fair, you sometimes fluke good points. For example:
What will you say if your prescription is adopted and there is more crime, recidivism, and crime victims.''
Good point. I would say. ''Well, I'm wrong. What I have suggested, hasn't worked. I'm sorry, we need to try something else. At least it's one strategy we can cross off the list.''
See, I care about innocent victims. I want something that helps them. I don't have a ego regarding this issue. I'm not trying to protect an ideological position like so many on this blog. Hence my caning of those liberal sops who call themselves the National Party.
Oh. I've fronted up with plenty of ideas about what works.
Don't need "original ones". I leave that to people who have researched it at length. Who have proof of what works. I'll leave those who think their individual uneducated "opinions" mean jack shit, to Facebook warriors like yourself.
If you cared about "innocent victims" you would, like me be advocating for approaches to crime reduction that works.
I know it is over your head, but less crimes equal less victims.
Your approach has been tried for decades. It doesn’t fucking work!
Tough on crime nitwits, and politicians who pander to them, do not address underlying causes, so we get more victims.
Look, your trouble is you are believing your own bullshit.
”Don't need original ones". I leave that to people who have researched it at length.”
You aren't capable of original ideas. People who have researched things at length don't have a mortgage on good ideas. If they did we wouldn't have as much crime as we have today.
''Your approach has been tried for decades. It doesn’t fucking work!''
No, it hasn't. I have two original ideas to start with that haven't been tried.
1-How to reduce drink driving offences overnight,
2- How to make whanau cough up a suspected baby killer.
Two that are not original and that have been tried and failed elsewhere.
Eco-ing the "Sensible sentencing trust is hardly "original thought".
That's a lie. Don't flounder around, provide a link.
To your "original thoughts"?
Don't think I want to rummage around in that mess.
Provide a link. I'm calling you out. You are a liar. And you need to be shown as such. Your comments are vacuous and sloppy. You put nothing into your posts…and it shows.
Really lost the plot. Eh.
It is OK to ask for help with your violent fantasies, you know!
Don't deflect. I'm not letting you get away with lies and trolling when you can't muster an argument, or back yourself up. Here's an example:
''Really lost the plot. Eh. It is OK to ask for help with your violent fantasies, you know!''
Sad bottom of the barrel stuff.
Of course you could apologise and admit you may have got things wrong. I had to do that yesterday.
Blade…
2 June 2022 at 9:54 pm
That was incorrect. My apologies.
What I should have wrote was ”I’m a beneficiary of the trust board,” not a member of the trust board.
You did not have to correct yourself and apologise, you chose this on your own accord. We would have been none the wiser about your ‘error’. In fact, you had an earlier opportunity to correct your ‘error’ (here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-31-05-2022/#comment-1891353), but you failed to do so then!?
Seems to me you’re making up stuff here to suit your narrative and when it does no longer suit your narrative you ‘correct’ it (aka twist & change). If so, that would be disingenuous and not commenting in good faith and it would mean we cannot take your comments at face value.
You may have got the wrong end of the stick.
''You did not have to correct yourself and apologise, you chose this on your own accord. We would have been none the wiser about your ‘error’. In fact, you had an earlier opportunity to correct your ‘error’ (here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-31-05-2022/#comment-1891353), but you failed to do so then!?''
I had to correct myself when you pointed my error out indirectly because what I had written was factually incorrect. I hadn't previously corrected my error because I hadn't noticed it until your post.
''Seems to me you’re making up stuff here to suit your narrative and when it does no longer suit your narrative you ‘correct’ it (aka twist & change). If so, that would be disingenuous and not commenting in good faith and it would mean we cannot take your comments at face value.''
Fair enough, I can't change your perceptions of me. Would your perceptions also apply to the KJT's comments above?
My perceptions depend on context and (can) change over time. My perceptions of your comments don’t apply equally to comments by others.
I got it.
I sincerely doubt it but time will tell.
Maybe try living in the States.
The cops are armed, got a death penalty, super-max prisons, Hell they even have a incarceration industry they've gotta have crime under control…
Totally.
National plan's been hatched watching 'Mayor of Kingstown' as a way to regenerate provincial NZ via incarceration.
Their justice system is shot. They have regional police forces. They have poorly trained police who rely more on toys and gizmos to get the job done.
But they send people away for life. They never taste freedom again. You can't commit crime if you are in jail.
Check out my clip I posted the other day – China v USA.
Interesting / scary comment on the video around 2:30' – "30% of enquiries to the dairy and small business Association from dairy / small business owners, was asking how they obtain a gun licence"
They have decided to take security matters in to their own hands. It will only be a matter of time until one does fight back.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/06/calls-for-pm-jacinda-ardern-to-declare-crime-crisis-as-dairy-owners-arm-themselves-amid-spike-in-violent-robberies.html
Why bother. Most of the ram raiders will be in jail soon.
More than 80 people arrested for ram raids since February 1 | Stuff.co.nz
Arrested by those "soft on crime" cops.
I hope you are right. But many are back out there the following evening.
[Link required – Incognito]
And. You know that, how?
It's good to see they've been arrested, however I think Jimmy's point may be that apparently most of the perpetrators are under 15. I'm not sure they'll spend long in custody.
Mod note
Yep, Jimmy, arming the dairy owners is common sense to me. I have suggested previously on this blog a three months small arms course for those shop owners wanting to protect themselves with a gun.
Of course it will never happen. I don't think this government understands the shit storm that's hanging over their heads. Either a ram raider is going to be killed by a shop owner…or a shop owner is going to be killed by a robber. In this political climate all hell could break loose. That will be on Labours head.
Democracy means different things to different people. This is a short thread on the 2022 Democracy Perception Index Report 2022 – the world’s largest annual study on how people perceive democracy.
It is commissioned by "The Alliance of Democracies Foundation", founded by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former NATO Secretary General and former Prime Minister of Denmark.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1532236805143027713.html
Yes I know it behind a paywall. You can get a summery of facts over at the Daily Blog
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/sale-of-the-century-55-60-of-aucklands-large-scale-state-land-to-be-sold-for-private-ownership/F6WLWIURSPW2UMRKGUD5Z6PUTY/
Good ole Labour, such a party of the left.
[You’re now 2 links short of a Happy Meal. Put up the links or take a week off. In Pre-Mod until you oblige – Incognito]
Mod note
Only one Link short and here it is:
https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/crime-at-a-glance-dec2020.pdf
Bit old but the easiest one I could find.
What is states – crimes against property has gone down. I suspect people are no longer reporting as they know the crime won't be resolved.
Crime against people has gone up.
I firmly believe that I am correct in my original statement.
We know gun violence has gone through the roof. Auckland has more shooting incidence per week than Mahuta has MFAT meetings. Gang violence is out of control, Labour is soft on crime, it is just a fact that NZ knows
[Nope, you’re still 2 links short and you’re wasting my time because this clearly doesn’t support your assertion.
I don’t care if you go for the easiest one or if you genuinely believe your own assertions to be correct or what you suspect or if “it is just a fact that NZ knows”. I care about you providing evidential support for your claims, which shouldn’t be too hard if they’re correct, as you allege. If somebody else provides them for you in the meantime you’ll still receive a ban – how unfair is that? Put up or shut up.
You did so well with your other link about the Public Service under Labour!
Since you mention Mahuta again, a few days ago you hinted at corruption charges (https://thestandard.org.nz/nationals-policies-dont-add-up/#comment-1891222) but you never followed up on these when I asked you about it. Here’s your chance and use your words carefully. The odds have been raised to a fortnight ban – Incognito]
Mod note
Kainga Ora is now structured commercially so that it keeps delivering housing construction no matter which party is in parliament. It does this by ensuring that it raises its own capital through property sales, and then spends it on intensive housing on the remaining land. Might not sound particularly leftie in the socialist sense of controlling the means of production, but it's a way of extracting the politics out of it as much as possible.
This has been going on for a while. The results you can see for yourself.
If you went up to the Sky City revolving restaurant you might just see the extent of it from Pt England to Mangere to Oranga to Mt Roskill to Hobsonville to Northcote.
Brand new high quality intensified integrated communities.
Yeah so commercial they (this time last year) issued a 300m$ inflation bond( coupon rate 2.5%) going to be paying 7.5% for a longtime unless they get cost inflation out of their builds.
I can't speak to their commerciality …
… but best of luck to them if they can generate fixed price contracts that all the main banks seem to require for lending now.
Debt has blown out to 7.1 billion,with new debt being around 4.2% .NZ building costs have increased by 20% last 12 months,Australia 9%.
Australia also has seen building consents for new houses decrease by 33% over the last 12 months,and mortgage pain has not even started there.
In the US where markets are better informed,construction costs responded in real time (as did unsold new housing stock) with lumber falling 55% in 2 months.( 58 cents a board foot)
https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/commodities/lbs
Absolutely. There are sites that are more suitable for the kind of medium density housing that Kainga Ora is delivering now, and there are sites that are not suitable for it. It makes sense to sell the latter, particularly if they are small, and fragmented from previous sell offs by National governments. Also some sites on major arterials are less suitable for the kind of community based developments and also need extensive noise attenuation and particulate control from 30 to 40 thousand vehicle movements per day. In many cases the private sector can develop these better.
Dairy owners would have a far easier and safer life if they stopped pushing drugs like cigarettes and vape shit.
So many of them are marginal that about half of them need to shut anyway.
Not a fun prospect but it's more likely you will buy milk and bread from the petrol station anyway. It's just that kind of society.
depends on what part of the country you live in.
Avoid Papakura at the moment, there has been a daytime shooting.
Police operation underway in Papakura, Auckland – NZ Herald
I'm going to talk smack about the propaganda coming out of businessnz.
So if you don't like that sort of thing please scroll past – thank you.
It's just another think tank from the school of hard right shitfuckery trying to manipulate the agenda with fake experts.
With their half baked adds all over YouTube, full of fear and half truths.
I'm surprised, they have not cried "think of the Children"
https://www.yourworkyourway.co.nz/
Greedy wankers are going to be greedy wanker I suppose. And screw working people actually getting a decent wage from you greedy scum.
Working people will never get a fair go, when so many have let cupidity taint their souls.
I saw a meme earlier in those colours saying if 10% of people want a fair pay agreement 100% of people get it. Thought their comms team needed to sit and have a bit of a think about that.
June 9th is when the US January 6th Commission finally goes straight into prime time tv.
(75) Pat Attention – YouTube
According to the committee, they will "present previously unseen material documenting January 6th, receive witness testimony, preview additional hearings, and provide the American people a summary of its findings about the coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power."
That's our calendar next Friday.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-january-6-committee-hearing-june-9-primetime/
This is when some of the darker group texts, QAnon influence, and attack orders get truly exposed as the insurrection plan they actually were.
Here's more scary stuff. Time Kelvin Davis was shown the door.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/assaults-on-corrections-staff-up-156-per-cent-6000-workdays-lost/CVRFXXRWAI6B4Y6ARKRNABU774/
Way past time he was shown the door.
This Labour government has gone from being a band of merry socialists, to a band of perpetual losers. Do you have any advice for them Puck? Advice the can be printed that is.
Pick people based on talent, not on diversity and realise that the people most affected by the rise in crime are most likely Labour voters so they risk a massive backlash if they don't do something and quickly
As an example how long is this guy actually going to spend in prison:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/128138095/man-jailed-after-breaking-eye-sockets-of-fourmonthold-baby
Great reply. Sage advice that unfortunately won't be followed.
”As an example how long is this guy actually going to spend in prison”
About 4-5 years. Nothing too strenuous.
Meanwhile this happened in Hastings.
Warning: disturbing video.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/three-year-old-toddler-covered-in-blood-after-hastings-park-brawl-involving-gang-member/HIS3GMEOYHPN3SCVRRN4S53ROE/
When National were in power, did you blame them for every criminal act that was committed?
How is that Labour's fault? and that's a court's decision.
"the people most affected by the rise in crime are most likely Labour voters"
Do you have a link to back up that claim?
Why?
From your link "The data, given to the NZ Herald through the Official Information Act, showed annual assaults on staff increased in seven of the last 10 years"
"He cited what he considered a long-standing problem"
"In a statement, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis referenced the "prison crisis" inherited by the Government in 2017 when the prison population had increased beyond 10,000. Since then, it had reduced 27 per cent. However, he said more serious offenders – including gang members – had been locked up during this time which posed a risk to staff. "This brings its own challenges, particularly to staff who have to manage a heightened environment where mental health issues and methamphetamine addiction are also increasingly more prevalent," he said. Davis said staff deserved to feel safe and the Violence and Aggression plan was one way to reduce assaults. He referenced the $23 million from Budget 2022 given to hire an extra 64 staff across the three prisons facing the most challenges in this area – Auckland Prison, Christchurch Men's and Mt Eden. That was part of the extra 518 staff who would be hired during the next four years"
First off, National aren't on duty. Labour is.
Since then, it had reduced 27 per cent ( prison population)
Question: where are the people who would have formally been in prison for more minor offences?
''However, he said more serious offenders – including gang members – had been locked up during this time which posed a risk to staff. ''
Correct. However, the gang population is exploding. 10 years ago a major hole in gang numbers would have occurred with the number of gangsters now locked up. Nowadays the gangs always have the numbers to fill in shortfalls in their ranks.
"the gang population is exploding" because of growing demand for meth. Fucked if I now why is it a coping mechanism like booze or to stay awake longer or some kind of sexual performance thing or the stress of modern life maybe. The gangs have a crucial supply role anyway and good on them. Not much else while prostitutes are legal and I'm guessing because of our low wages not so much demand for trafficked slave labour – no idea if they are into bribing small businesses with threats of violence – after all who would let the cat out of the bag on that one ?
https://www.1news.co.nz/2019/10/06/drugs-a-main-factor-in-rise-of-gangs-in-new-zealand-police-say/
"showed annual assaults on staff increased in seven of the last 10 years"
National was on duty during that time.
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/strategic_reports/statements-of-intent/statement_of_intent_2018-2022/our_strategic_direction
Do you have a link to cover your last paragraph?
On home detention as work was done to find suitable lodging for them. I can't remember where I read it so can't give a source, but the main reason people are declined home detention is lack of a suitable address to serve the sentence. Sounds like work has been done to remove that barrier.
''National was on duty during that time.''
Yes, but my point is they haven't been in the wheel house for the past 6 years – Labour has. The blood is on Labours hands. Just like Labours responsibility for crime will be passed on to National next year, regardless of what Labour has or hasn't done regarding crime.
''Do you have a link to cover your last paragraph?''
No, I don't. There is no need. It is general knowledge and has been in the news time and again. In fact, on another blog, I pointed to a huge increase in gang numbers close to a year before the issue started being reported in MSM. How did I know? From extended family in the mob who told me about new recruiting methods being employed. It's all about numbers.
You acknowledge that National were in power during that time, but then claim its all Labour's fault, despite efforts to address long standing issues. No one said it could be sorted over night. Consequences from the National government didn't suddenly disappear when National got kicked out in late 2017. It hasn't been 6 years.
Well if you think Labour has blood on its hands, then so does National.
"Just like Labours responsibility for crime will be passed on to National next year"
Like Labour inherited the shambles National left and there is no guarantee that National will win the election next year.
So you cant back yourself up. I am not surprised.
You obviously can't understand what I'm writing, or you are being wilfully ignorant.
I'm noticing when you Lefties run out of an argument you become surly and nasty very fast.
I'll try one more time.
National is not in power. Labour is. National cannot do a fucking thing about crime because they are not in power. Labour can do something about crime because they are in power. It matters not what National did before. It matters not what supposed mess National left Labour. It doesn't matter. But it matters big time for Labour because they are the government.
BTW.., have you read that link you posted? Talk about a gift for people like me. It's also a record for future generations to understand the dynamics of failure when ideology trumps common sense and real world needs.
Quote from your link. Talk about bs of the first water. Tell that crap to crime victims, frightened citizens and dairy owners.
”Government goal:
This Government has made a commitment to create a more effective criminal justice system and safer New Zealand. Achieving these long-term objectives will require systemic reform consistent with New Zealand values and aspirations, across the whole of the criminal justice system and the social sector. This will involve public engagement, partnerships with iwi/Māori and other community groups, legislative reform, investment in new services and operational change – amongst other things.”
"I'm noticing when you Lefties run out of an argument you become surly and nasty very fast"
That's what you are doing and you are being deliberately obtuse.
"showed annual assaults on staff increased in seven of the last 10 years"
National had been in power during some of those years. Labour has only been in power since late 2017, not 6 years like you falsely claimed and they are trying to do something about it. You cannot discount National's time in govt because it doesn't suit your narrative. National left an appalling legacy.
Re link, I don't think you understood it.
“This Government has made a commitment to create a more effective criminal justice system and safer New Zealand. Achieving these long-term objectives will require systemic reform consistent with New Zealand values and aspirations, across the whole of the criminal justice system and the social sector. This will involve public engagement, partnerships with iwi/Māori and other community groups, legislative reform, investment in new services and operational change”
So what’s wrong in that exactly?
Tell me, when National were in govt, did you blame them for the “crime victims, frightened citizens and dairy owners” or have you conveniently forgotten the ram raids, the attacks on the dairies, liquor stores?
You’ve been told before that you can argue your opinions but not your facts.
You are wrong! Megan Woods said in a debate in Parliament 2 days ago that they have been in government for four and a half years.
You raised it, you should put up the numbers, and it is that simple. You cannot hide behind “It is general knowledge and has been in the news time and again” and some vague stuff you may have heard from your “extended family in the mob”. The media megaphone is rarely a good source of facts but a very good source for hype & emotion.
You are an unreliable commenter with regards to facts and supporting claims of facts. You must lift your game or your comments will be moderated.
Seems to me I may have misjudged the general knowledge of some on this blog.
What I thought was apparent general knowledge, apparently is not, even though it's on the screens and in the papers nearly every week. I could have added many more links, but stopped in the name of brevity.
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2018/02/14/why-new-zealand-has-so-many-gang-members
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/gang-member-numbers-almost-double-around-the-country-in-five-years/MDXZ4BWDVO3P4I7CWWW6Y6UAPA/
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2105/S00150/more-than-8000-gang-members-in-new-zealand.htm
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300464553/gang-numbers-have-nearly-doubled-in-five-years-police-say
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/10/number-of-gang-members-on-national-list-rises-but-government-says-it-s-not-complete-picture.html
https://www.national.org.nz/gang-numbers-surge-53-per-cent-under-labour
https://www.act.org.nz/government_s_spin_on_gang_numbers_exposed
''You are wrong! Megan Woods said in a debate in Parliament 2 days ago that they have been in government for four and a half years.''
Quite true. I took a liberty knowing nothing would improve under Labour. Even my 6 years will fall a few months short depending on the election. Peripheral issues count.
''Some vague stuff you may have heard from your “extended family in the mob”.
It's not vague stuff. I have stated on this blog that in a change of tack, many chapters of the mob allow a patch to be bought. Of course there is still a probation period. That story will eventually come to light in MSM. Just like I was talking about gang numbers increasing roughly a year before MSM pick up the story.
That’s a lovely selection of links some of which even contain actual useful numbers that allow us to distinguish hype & spin from fact, thank you.
From a couple of your links it seems the steepest increase year-on-year in gang members was under National. Oops.
You must not take no liberty with facts. You made up shit about how long Labour has been (not: will have been) in Government. We cannot mind-read and we should not have to second-guess either what twisted facts you construct to suit your narrative.
It is vague and anecdotal stuff when you say “it’s all about numbers” and cannot produce anything other than what you may have heard at your family gatherings. You talk a lot of shit and your vague reckons are worth shit unless you can back them up. What will eventually be reported in and by the media is anybody’s guess and your predilections may come true or quite possibly not ever and at all.
In any case, it is not about the general knowledge of some (but not all?) readers of this blog, it is about what you claim here and do or do not support when asked.
I’m done with this convo, as I made myself crystal clear and don’t see any point in spending more time & effort on this.