Amenities and Infrastructure Maintenance Services (AIMS) is the last council-owned company in a decreasing number of firms which do council work such as cleaning public toilets and mowing public parks.
If the price is right, the council will sell it without needing to consult with the public. The firm is now no longer a big enough player to trigger the “significance” criteria. Except for the significance to its 320 workers and their loved ones.
In short, it is being sold to cut costs. Somewhere. But that is not the language the council uses in the latest step in its “Shaping our future programme”, under the subheading “Optimise our service outcomes”.
The council, in a self-written article in the general news section of its Our Auckland website said: “AIMS is performing well but lacks scale to realise its full potential and a new owner could develop and grow the business while providing career opportunities for AIMS staff.”
A person drives a car on the M-way and listens to the traffic report that warns of a km-long queue of very slow and crawling traffic on the exact some stretch of road going in the exact same direction. The driver exclaims “LOL!” and shakes their head in disbelief at the stupidity and ignorance of the traffic reporters because the road in front of them has been clear all the way and friendly oncoming cars have been flashing their lights warning the driver of hidden speed cameras and cops ahead. The driver thinks that they’ll never be caught for speeding because they’re going extra slow as precaution.
Just so we’re clear, cooling the housing market isn’t an actual solution to the housing crisis. Labour want investment housing to continue just not as fast. We will never catch up via building houses or increasing minimum wages.
The devil will be in the detail….what level of DTI, how and to who it applies, and when, but this has potential to have real impact on affordability (over time)….the fear is palpable.
The Reserve Bank is most concerned about the stability of the financial system and the over-exposure of banks to risky lending. That's the problem they're trying to solve – not housing affordability for everyone. Everyone has pretty much given up on the latter point because it can't be solved with existing tools. Nor will it be solved by an uncontrolled crash in house prices – as investors will 'buy the dip' and cream it even more excessively as prices claw their way back up again.
Time to see housing as an essential service or piece of social infrastructure that has to be taken out of the market altogether (or at least partially so) – like justice, police, education and health. That won't happen though.
thanks. I was talking about Labour more than the RB. Labour have the tools (eg political capital and the hands on government), but as you say, they won't use them.
Stability and affordability are linked….especially with the level of bank credit that is tied up in one asset class.
While it is true the RBNZs primary function is the stability of the financial system they are also required to have consideration of the Govs policy intentions.
Why would anyone think that 2 hours of cyclists revolting over the bridge was worth the political price of the massive nationwide blowback the government got from the decision?
The tenor of Robertson's comments tell me that the 9% poll fall has hurt them, and they are reacting.
Of course they are concerned about the latest poll. We are now suddenly able to let workers in from the islands, it's now looking like the bike bridge will not go ahead. What next? No light rail now that Michael Cullen has said they shouldn't do it?
But cyclists are the best people in the world and what they do is the answer to all the worlds problems? how could the government move away from supporting that position?
Roughly, they already have the cyclist vote in the bag, and they need to get the driver vote back. And there's a lot more of the driver vote than the cyclist vote (though they of course mostly intersect).
If you, or I, publicly stated, 'people are wanting to "bottle" the leader of the opposition, Judith Collins'. How could it possibly be misunderstood what we meant?
National leader Judith Collins says a comment she made about people wanting to "bottle" Police Minister Poto Williams has been taken out of context in a "nasty" way……
…..”I think a lot of people want to bottle her,” Collins said
Clearly, like summer peaches, Collins thinks Williams is so desirable she needs to be bottled so can be enjoyed in the off-season.
Or… Collins shot her mouth off, in front of a non critical crowd and now has to make shit up because a filthy journalist had the gall to report her words. Not the first lapse of judgement from Collins, maybe she will be preying for forgiveness in the near future.
I, at least, would assume you meant it in exactly the way Collins says. I don't see how anyone could misinterpret you.
But then I don't have quite the fervid, (or should it be fetid?) imagination of some commenters on sundry political commentary sites on this "inter-web thingy" as I've heard it referred to.
Poto Williams daughter is not going to get far in this world if she is this fragile……"feels unsafe after hearing the National Party leader say her mother needed to be "bottled"."
[Many people would like snarky little trolls to be kicked back under their bridge. It appears that you haven’t read your own link, which is characteristic of trolls. In your next comment in this thread below, you berate the press of bringing the MP’s family into it, which is exactly what you did in your stupid troll move and most likely because the MP mentioned it. I lose patience fast with dickhead trolls such as you and I can’t wait till kick you back under your bridge – Incognito]
Personally speaking, I find it terribly offensive, for anyone to suggest violence be committed against anyone, even as a joke.
Suggesting violence be committed against a democratically elected representative, is an attack on our democracy, and therefore an attack on all of us.
Bottled can mean put into a bottle such as when perserving fruit. Collins did not mean that.
Bottle is another word for courage but is not used for this meaning in the past tense 'bottled' so Collins did not mean that.
Bottled can mean being hit with a bottle. In the context especially of discussing gangs this meaning is definitely available for interpretation as such.
I have never heard of someone needing to be bottled like a 'genie' in this or any context except that of folk lore. Genies are taken out of bottles, not put into them in colloquial speech, meaning to allow actions with unalterable consequences.
Collins may have intended to create a new usage of 'bottled'. I doubt it. She would have enlarged on her new usage to be clear.
She is trained as a lawyer, and should know how to use language clearly.
This, to my mind, is a fudging of an attack upon the Minister of Police to say it referred to a genie. That is her attempt to weasel out of a most inappropriate use of language.
At best, it has a double meaning should we allow the genie bottling explanation. The meaning it doubles with is to assault someone with a deadly weapon.
A double meaning word play with this degree of violent interpretation is plain wrong in any context.
Collins has crushed herself with this one in a vice of her own making.
This, to my mind, is a fudging of an attack upon the Minister of Police to say it referred to a genie. That is her attempt to weasel out of a most inappropriate use of language.
You're on to it I reckon – the 'genie defense' sounds like something Woodhouse might have dreamed up; have they found his homeless mystery man yet?
And what would Collins wish for, I wonder, if a genie was to grant her three wishes? An little outbreak of Covid-19 (preferably the Delta variant), or maybe some personal strife in the PM's life, à la Lees-Galloway.
Yes, they're busy little (and big) bees, those opposition National party MPs – fomenting trouble and strife for the benefit of all NZers.
Btw, wasn't that an excellent apology speech by PM Ardern on Sunday – showed some bottle I reckon.
I haven't read the speech. Drowsy M Kram, but her use of the offended culture's processes of apology to make amends is outstanding. Not 'cultural appropriation' but appropriate deference to another cultural symbolism. To respect and defer to another cultural tradition is truly meaningful and even game-changing behaviour.
On a different not, I think I discovered the nerdiest way to watch sports. The Olympic weightlifting scorebord had live updates just to the numbers (declared, and then the outcome).
Absolutely fascinating: getting three tries to achieved declared weights obviously introduces a massive headgame into things – e.g.Li Wenwen declared 175kg, then when the closest competitor finished at 161 the declaration immediately popped down to 162kg. She finished with an Olympic record 180, but how much of the original 175 was a realistic start-out as opposed to making everyone else go "oh, shiiiiit…".
So, yeah, deducing tactics and tension by watching the scoreboard get updated and swapped. lol
I saw that and thought much the same thing, there's some serious mind-games going on there. I wonder if a subtle rule change would make it more interesting – whatever your stated lift weight is, that's where you start. No going down in weight if you've psyched the others out – you said you could lift that weight – please proceed!
Realistically, how many lifts, even at weights below their maximum, can a lifter make without affecting their performance at the top of the range/end of the contest weights?
Part of the fun of it, I guess. She did finish higher than that weight, and the reduction to 162 might have been automatic (just to confirm she could beat it).
Hubbard failing 120 and then going up to 125 looked like a tactical decision, too.
I feel a bit sorry for the smaller lifters in that class, though. The gold medallist was lifting twice their bodyweight (I think a couple of them were only 90-odd kg). How often does someone beat an opponent 30-50kg bigger?
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
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The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
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Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
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The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
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Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
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Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
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Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
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The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
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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 in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
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The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
Essay: If the Crown harms children, how do you hold it accountable? Analysis by Aaron Smale in light of the Waitangi Tribunal court decision. The post The Crown versus Māori Children appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 3 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A warning – suicide is discussed in this podcast New Zealand’s own long-running soap Shortland Street doesn’t hesitate to kill off its much-loved characters. But would TVNZ dare to kill off our favourite soap? That’s the fear as times get tough in television – even though it’s been pointed out ...
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan resistance leader has condemned the United Nations role in allowing Indonesia to “integrate” the Melanesian Pacific region in what is claimed to be an “egregious act of inhumanity” on 1 May 1963. In an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Organisasi Papua Merdeka-OPM ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A key part of the Albanese government’s political strategy is to fill the news cycle with its presence and messaging. Ministers are deployed to the maximum, even when they’ve little to say. This week ...
Recent extreme weather events showed the importance of a well-functioning insurance system, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Andrew Bayly. ...
By Jo Moir, RNZ News political editor, and Craig McCulloch, deputy political editor New Zealand’s Labour Party is demanding Winston Peters be stood down as Foreign Minister for opening up the government to legal action over his “totally unacceptable” attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. In an interview on RNZ’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Brakenridge, Postdoctoral research fellow at Swinburne University, Centre for Urban Transitions, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute The Conversation, Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall ...
The Wellington-based Reserve Force soldier is now almost three years into his New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. ...
"The Government needs to release the review immediately as this reckless approach to change risks disjointed decision making and creates more distress and uncertainty for staff," Fitzsimons said. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor Jeremiah Manele has been elected Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, polling 31 votes to 18 over rival candidate and former opposition leader Mathew Wale with one abstention. The final result of the election by secret ballot was announced by the Governor-General, Sir David Vunagi, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Priestley Habru, PhD candidate, public diplomacy, University of Adelaide Former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele has been elected the next prime minister of Solomon Islands, defeating the opposition leader, Matthew Wale, in a vote in parliament. The result is a mixed bag for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shaun Eaves, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Jamey Stutz, CC BY-SA How often do mountains collapse, volcanoes erupt or ice sheets melt? For Earth scientists, these are important questions as we try ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Flood, Professor of Sociology, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Most young adult men in Australia reject traditional ideas of masculinity that endorse aggression, stoicism and homophobia. Nonetheless, the ongoing influence of those ideas continues to harm men and the people ...
The NZQA proposal released to staff today would involve a net loss of 35 roles. There are 66 roles being disestablished with 13 of those currently vacant, and 31 new roles proposed, said Fleur Fitzsimons Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga ...
Alex Casey talks to Loren Taylor, the writer, director and star of new film The Moon is Upside Down, about assembling her dream ensemble cast, toilet paper pads and turning literal dreams into reality. There’s a moment in The Moon is Upside Down where frazzled anaesthetist Briar (Loren Taylor) gets ...
Renters and realtors are upset with a government decision to scrap a bill meant to regulate property managers over concerns about unethical and unlawful behaviours. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassy Dittman, Senior Lecturer/Head of Course (Undergraduate Psychology), Research Fellow, Manna Institute, CQUniversity Australia With winter sports swinging into action, adults around the country have volunteered or been volunteered by others (humorously known as being “volun-told”) to coach junior sports teams. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University richardernestyap/Shutterstock Parents are often advised to burp their babies after feeding them. Some people think burping after feeding is important to reduce or prevent discomfort crying, or to ...
Auckland Council sells its park workers' jobs. Good discussion by Todd Niall. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/125927769/for-sale-320-auckland-council-workers-jobs–but-why
I don't get it, We're already using Australian and 1 Christchurch owned firm.
They are in business to make profit and said profits represent money sucked out of our communities.
I guess the mayor always was a Rogernome so no real suprise.
Dang that is crazy. This cult thinking that only private enterprise can deliver quality services is so wrong.
Quality has nothing to do with it, removing public pressures however….
the Auckland Council is a cult?
Are you an illiterate or just acting like one?
You did fall spectacularly for that spin too.
SSDD
i must be all of that, hence why i asked.
Good morning Incognito, i truly hope that you have a blessed day.
…a blessed day. Under His Eye
+1
women and daughters need'nt apply 🙂
All they need to do is to pass a CAPTCHA. It is that simple, but some fail in a spectacular and mindboggling fashion
A person drives a car on the M-way and listens to the traffic report that warns of a km-long queue of very slow and crawling traffic on the exact some stretch of road going in the exact same direction. The driver exclaims “LOL!” and shakes their head in disbelief at the stupidity and ignorance of the traffic reporters because the road in front of them has been clear all the way and friendly oncoming cars have been flashing their lights warning the driver of hidden speed cameras and cops ahead. The driver thinks that they’ll never be caught for speeding because they’re going extra slow as precaution.
Maybe in the fatherland, the cults are all ISO-accredited?
The QC at hinterland cults is exceptional.
Every cult needs a good lawyer.
Quality Control
Just so we’re clear, cooling the housing market isn’t an actual solution to the housing crisis. Labour want investment housing to continue just not as fast. We will never catch up via building houses or increasing minimum wages.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/448328/govt-and-reserve-bank-agree-on-new-moves-to-tighten-mortgage-lending
The devil will be in the detail….what level of DTI, how and to who it applies, and when, but this has potential to have real impact on affordability (over time)….the fear is palpable.
Affordability for the investor classes. How will it help homeless people, those on social housing waiting lists, low income renters?
Do you think it will drop house prices?
Affordability in general…potentially. as stated the devil is in the detail.
The DTIs are likely to come in at a still unaffordable rate but I expect over time they will decrease….whether that forestalls a crash is unknown.
State/social housing will still need to be expanded.
The Reserve Bank is most concerned about the stability of the financial system and the over-exposure of banks to risky lending. That's the problem they're trying to solve – not housing affordability for everyone. Everyone has pretty much given up on the latter point because it can't be solved with existing tools. Nor will it be solved by an uncontrolled crash in house prices – as investors will 'buy the dip' and cream it even more excessively as prices claw their way back up again.
Time to see housing as an essential service or piece of social infrastructure that has to be taken out of the market altogether (or at least partially so) – like justice, police, education and health. That won't happen though.
thanks. I was talking about Labour more than the RB. Labour have the tools (eg political capital and the hands on government), but as you say, they won't use them.
Stability and affordability are linked….especially with the level of bank credit that is tied up in one asset class.
While it is true the RBNZs primary function is the stability of the financial system they are also required to have consideration of the Govs policy intentions.
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson just cast serious shade over the Auckland cycle bridge, and wants the full harbour crossing tunnel accelerated.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-traffic-grant-robertson-wants-to-speed-up-second-harbour-crossing-considers-scrapping-cycle-bridge/ANVSK25QIRMQGXOOEHZSW3BDZM/
Why would anyone think that 2 hours of cyclists revolting over the bridge was worth the political price of the massive nationwide blowback the government got from the decision?
The tenor of Robertson's comments tell me that the 9% poll fall has hurt them, and they are reacting.
Of course they are concerned about the latest poll. We are now suddenly able to let workers in from the islands, it's now looking like the bike bridge will not go ahead. What next? No light rail now that Michael Cullen has said they shouldn't do it?
The government needs to reposition itself: now that it has lost tens of thousands of centre voters, it has to figure how to get some of them back.
They will be fully aware that they have a brace of massive policy proposals, and will have to dump some of them.
Remember too that in the next year they will be opening the fully Hamilton bypass, and Transmission Gully.
But cyclists are the best people in the world and what they do is the answer to all the worlds problems? how could the government move away from supporting that position?
Roughly, they already have the cyclist vote in the bag, and they need to get the driver vote back. And there's a lot more of the driver vote than the cyclist vote (though they of course mostly intersect).
If you, or I, publicly stated, 'people are wanting to "bottle" the leader of the opposition, Judith Collins'. How could it possibly be misunderstood what we meant?
Clearly, like summer peaches, Collins thinks Williams is so desirable she needs to be bottled so can be enjoyed in the off-season.
Or… Collins shot her mouth off, in front of a non critical crowd and now has to make shit up because a filthy journalist had the gall to report her words. Not the first lapse of judgement from Collins, maybe she will be preying for forgiveness in the near future.
I, at least, would assume you meant it in exactly the way Collins says. I don't see how anyone could misinterpret you.
But then I don't have quite the fervid, (or should it be fetid?) imagination of some commenters on sundry political commentary sites on this "inter-web thingy" as I've heard it referred to.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bottled
Isn't language (or at least slang) an odd beast. I've always thought 'bottle' meant courage.
A 'courageous' interpretation of Collins' intent; there's much fortune in your future.
Plenty of people want to bottle the Gypsy – a ‘top’ vintage, by some accounts.
I haven't tried that little drop. At that price, I probably never will!
Yes I have heard it used as meaning courage before.
Poto Williams daughter is not going to get far in this world if she is this fragile……"feels unsafe after hearing the National Party leader say her mother needed to be "bottled"."
Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/police-minister-poto-williams-family-distressed-over-judith-collins-bottled-comment/AO6MV3KRHPWQXSGHA4EIUYM5IY/
[Many people would like snarky little trolls to be kicked back under their bridge. It appears that you haven’t read your own link, which is characteristic of trolls. In your next comment in this thread below, you berate the press of bringing the MP’s family into it, which is exactly what you did in your stupid troll move and most likely because the MP mentioned it. I lose patience fast with dickhead trolls such as you and I can’t wait till kick you back under your bridge – Incognito]
You really are a pathetic little apologist for the least fit for leader that national have had, .
It's so obviously twisted and blown out of proportion it's not funny. Press should not even bring MP's family in to things like this.
Lucky I'm not as fragile as them and can take your insults on the chin and move on. I'm sure you feel better now!
Collins should be taken out the back and shot shouldn't she Jimmy. Pregnant pause. In close up of course, to capture her radiant smile.
Personally speaking, I find it terribly offensive, for anyone to suggest violence be committed against anyone, even as a joke.
Suggesting violence be committed against a democratically elected representative, is an attack on our democracy, and therefore an attack on all of us.
Urban Dictionary "bottled" top definition
Hand on heart( if you've got one) do you think collins is fit to lead a country, she comes across as slightly deranged when ever I see her on the tv .
Bottled can mean put into a bottle such as when perserving fruit. Collins did not mean that.
Bottle is another word for courage but is not used for this meaning in the past tense 'bottled' so Collins did not mean that.
Bottled can mean being hit with a bottle. In the context especially of discussing gangs this meaning is definitely available for interpretation as such.
I have never heard of someone needing to be bottled like a 'genie' in this or any context except that of folk lore. Genies are taken out of bottles, not put into them in colloquial speech, meaning to allow actions with unalterable consequences.
Collins may have intended to create a new usage of 'bottled'. I doubt it. She would have enlarged on her new usage to be clear.
She is trained as a lawyer, and should know how to use language clearly.
This, to my mind, is a fudging of an attack upon the Minister of Police to say it referred to a genie. That is her attempt to weasel out of a most inappropriate use of language.
At best, it has a double meaning should we allow the genie bottling explanation. The meaning it doubles with is to assault someone with a deadly weapon.
A double meaning word play with this degree of violent interpretation is plain wrong in any context.
Collins has crushed herself with this one in a vice of her own making.
You're on to it I reckon – the 'genie defense' sounds like something Woodhouse might have dreamed up; have they found his homeless mystery man yet?
And what would Collins wish for, I wonder, if a genie was to grant her three wishes? An little outbreak of Covid-19 (preferably the Delta variant), or maybe some personal strife in the PM's life, à la Lees-Galloway.
Yes, they're busy little (and big) bees, those opposition National party MPs – fomenting trouble and strife for the benefit of all NZers.
Btw, wasn't that an excellent apology speech by PM Ardern on Sunday – showed some bottle I reckon.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/02/jacinda-ardern-apologises-for-new-zealand-dawn-raids-on-pasifika-people-in-1970s
I haven't read the speech. Drowsy M Kram, but her use of the offended culture's processes of apology to make amends is outstanding. Not 'cultural appropriation' but appropriate deference to another cultural symbolism. To respect and defer to another cultural tradition is truly meaningful and even game-changing behaviour.
See my kind Moderation note @ 4:17 pm.
Vintage Collins really.
In unrelated news, Sky TV have canned their 'Vintage' movies channel – about time?
'Canned' and not 'bottled"?
Movies/films used to go in the can when they were finished – not sure where vintage Collins would go, but she does have Dame Shipley as an exemplar.
We need better politicians
On a different not, I think I discovered the nerdiest way to watch sports. The Olympic weightlifting scorebord had live updates just to the numbers (declared, and then the outcome).
Absolutely fascinating: getting three tries to achieved declared weights obviously introduces a massive headgame into things – e.g.Li Wenwen declared 175kg, then when the closest competitor finished at 161 the declaration immediately popped down to 162kg. She finished with an Olympic record 180, but how much of the original 175 was a realistic start-out as opposed to making everyone else go "oh, shiiiiit…".
So, yeah, deducing tactics and tension by watching the scoreboard get updated and swapped. lol
I saw that and thought much the same thing, there's some serious mind-games going on there. I wonder if a subtle rule change would make it more interesting – whatever your stated lift weight is, that's where you start. No going down in weight if you've psyched the others out – you said you could lift that weight – please proceed!
Realistically, how many lifts, even at weights below their maximum, can a lifter make without affecting their performance at the top of the range/end of the contest weights?
Part of the fun of it, I guess. She did finish higher than that weight, and the reduction to 162 might have been automatic (just to confirm she could beat it).
Hubbard failing 120 and then going up to 125 looked like a tactical decision, too.
I feel a bit sorry for the smaller lifters in that class, though. The gold medallist was lifting twice their bodyweight (I think a couple of them were only 90-odd kg). How often does someone beat an opponent 30-50kg bigger?
Lisa Carrington and the women's paddlers are awesome.
Yes they are amazing.
The grim yet hilarious sight of a fertile mind fertilising at full capacity
Yes, "Sir" Robert Jones is at it again.
Funniest quote from this masterpiece:
https://nopunchespulled.com/2021/07/20/colonialism-nonsense/
More hilarity involving Sir Robert Jones:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18072013/#comment-664471