Radionz right now doing something pertinent to discussions on work. Listen in. audio link up later when I or someone gets time.
11:05 Robert McChesney – A Citizenless Democracy
Robert McChesney
With new technologies replacing jobs at an ever increasing rate and big money playing a bigger and bigger part in our politics are we facing a future of mass unemployment and an all but disenfranchised populace?
Authors Robert McChesney and John Nichols believe we are and in their new book People Get Ready: The Fight Against a Jobless Economy and a Citizenless Democracy they provide evidence for that dystopian vision and a set of proposals for how it can be avoided. Robert McChesney is Research Professor in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
11:40 Jeremy Hansen, Nicola and Lance Herbst – NZ Home of the Year
Architects Nicola and Lance Herbst join HOME magazine’s Jeremy Hansen to talk about their award winning house that’s just won the House of the Year award.
edited
Yep, NZ keeps doing things the cheap way rather than investing in modern technology. With the right technology investment we could easily compete producing high tech products.
Instead we’ve got our businesses cutting costs resulting in low productivity and even lower returns. This what you truly get when you leave it to the private sector who’s only real incentive is to become a rentier capitalist.
The only entity in NZ that could actually make the necessary investment is the government. This would be a full development from extraction of raw resources, processing them and then using those resources to produce products. What we don’t do, and should never do, is sell the raw resources offshore. Everybody’s got raw resources. Of course, give them time and everyone will have a high tech manufacturing sector as well.
Oh, and we need to claiming territory, not just an EEZ, out to the continental shelf.
Yep, NZ keeps doing things the cheap way rather than investing in modern technology. With the right technology investment we could easily compete producing high tech products.
Not a good strategy for a resilient future. We need to be able to design and manufacture appropriate tech, products which are easily maintainable using every day tools and equipment that we can produce and source 100% locally.
Gearing our economy up for exports to compete in global market economies to obtain units of digital currency will be increasingly a distraction and a waste of time.
Everybody’s got raw resources. Of course, give them time and everyone will have a high tech manufacturing sector as well.
None of these statements are true. Japan has much raw resources? South Korea has much raw resources? The UK has much raw resources? (Especially raw energy and mineral resources?)
Japan has fish, if mildly irradiated, and some promising rare earth deposits.
The UK sits on a fecking carbon seam that isn’t mined because of thatcher wanting to kill the unions.
About the only exception is South Korea, which has a natural resource of sitting in a contact zone of the Chinese, Japanese, and Russians. Buffer states can get rich before they get burned.
It’s a brilliant strategy for a resilient future. Invest in:
1. Renewable energy
2. Extraction and processing of those resources by renewable energy
3. Produce the tools and equipment that we need to maintain a high tech manufacturing base right here in NZ from NZ resources
Gearing our economy up for exports to compete in global market economies to obtain units of digital currency will be increasingly a distraction and a waste of time.
True. That would be why I keep saying that trade will come to and end.
None of these statements are true.
Actually, they’re all true but trade is off the table if they want to be sustainable.
Japan has much raw resources? South Korea has much raw resources?
Dude, the worlds crust is much of a muchness everywhere. Sure, there’s better deposits of things here and there but if you go out and dig up a shovel of dirt from your back yard it will have gold, iron, rare earth metals, and semi-conductors in it.
The UK has much raw resources? (Especially raw energy and mineral resources?)
The UK is presently building huge offshore wind farms. This means that they really won’t be short on raw energy. And they’ve never been short on minerals either. Of course, they don’t have as much now as they used to but they do have them. There’s a very good reason why Britain built the first all iron ship – it’s because they have a huge amount of iron. Their production may have decreased but they do have it.
And RT’s Keiser Report details the international scene further:
Japanese government pension payments are so low, that elderly Japanese are committing a wave of shoplifting crimes in order to get prison sentences, and the shelter and food they provide.
Private Japanese prisons then make massive profits from Japanese governments for each inmate.
Also: how PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) in the UK are deliberately structured by government insiders to cost tax payers more, and leave the assets built by tax payers money totally in the hands of private corporations.
HSBC – the transnational banking criminals – now own and profit off a number of UK “public” NHS hospitals.
+100…well worth watching …especially how the corporates are stripping the democratic nation states of their assets built up by generations of taxpayers
…also the plight of the elderly in Japan and the squeezing out of the middle class in USA
hard to believe they are now being so blatant…..and even harder to believe we keep voting for the likes of them……mad scramble for as much as they can steal before it all goes tits up
Another bunch of experts for our government to ignore.
Better to listen to Katherine Rich and other paid shills for transnational corporations…….
‘Medical experts push for sugar tax
An open letter signed by more than 70 medical specialists – including frontline care workers and professors – has called on the Government to introduce a sugar tax.
The letter was delivered to the Cabinet yesterday, citing serious concerns about New Zealand’s “appallingly high rate of childhood obesity” while pushing the Government to follow Mexico and Britain in taxing high-sugar-content soft drinks.
Medical experts who signed the letter include epidemiologists Alistair Woodward and Rod Jackson, paediatrician Diana Lennon, researcher Peter Davis – husband of former PM Helen Clark – cardiologist Harvey White, nutritionist Jim Mann and public health specialist Sally Casswell.’
A public health expert is calling for stronger government leadership to combat obesity, with a new study revealing NZ has one of the highest rates of overweight people in the world.
The study, published in The Lancet, compared body mass index among almost 20 million adult men and women people, from 1975 to 2014.
One of the report’s authors, Robert Beaglehole, an Emeritus Professor at Auckland University said New Zealand had lost the battle with adult obesity, but there was much more that could be done to prevent children from becoming overweight.’
Blah, blah, blah. Really all that effort on sugar tax.
Bugger hungry kids, we have got moralise about fat people.
So lets get the state to tell me what to eat as well, I mean they spy on me, they have silly little signs to tell me it’s unsafe, the tell me not to smoke, and most of the politicians are smug wankers.
But no, lets get a head of steam over sugar, bugger the homeless, the really shitty wages, rape culture and everything else. Lets get fat people sorted.
This is about control Paul, and quite frankly I’ve had enough of control from this and any other government.
So the doctors can piss off as well – not seeing them talking about the rising costs for patients, nor the declining services in the public health system. Or the fact we getting privatisation by stealth. No, they have got up on a higher horse of self bloody indulgence.
Piss off with your sugar tax, it’s just more regressive taxation, so bugger off.
The issue around the faux concern for fatties is that the concern is dressed up as a public health issue when it is in fact a massive stick to beat fatties with. “Anti fat campaigner” Robyn Tootmath was a prime example of a public service fatphobic but luckily she has buggered off in a huff because after 10 years hard work she couldn’t get the fatties to morph into her idea of a socially acceptable person – meaning a thin person. (One commenter on TS had a particularly upsetting experience as a patient of Robyn Toomath).
The concept of a sugar tax, as well as being regressive is also patronising. It says fat people can’t think for themselves when they do the shopping so we must bully them into making the purchases we want them to make, for their own good!
It has never occurred to any of the health professionals to lobby for the removal of GST on food so that healthier food becomes more accessible and more choice become available to the shopper. As poverty has increased, so has obesity. Processed foods, containing excess sugars, fats, additives and little nutritive value will always be chosen over fruit, vege, lean proteins and wholefoods.
It has never occurred to the government to regulate the soft drink industry so their products aren’t so prominent and cheap – control the corporates, don’t control the people.
Children need adults to support their health and well being and prevent future illness such as type 2 diabetes. For that to happen the food market needs to be regulated and good healthy foods need to accessible. Taxing “bad” food just tells us we are “bad” for making those choices.
Consider that if processed sugar was invented tomorrow, it would probably be considered so metabolically toxic that it would be banned. Taxing it wouldn’t even enter the discussion.
In the meantime I guess the rest of us will just have to depend on your ability to ‘think for yourself’ and stop consuming the stuff.
Yes, that’s a theme you, I and quite a few others here are very much in agreement about. Indeed the relationship between civilisation and drugs in general is deep, complex and absolutely fascinating.
Hell you only have to consider the historic role of the Oracle at Delphi to see just one tiny aspect of it.
Banning drugs, without offering a positive alternative path to relieving the pyscho-social pain they are in never works. The pain wins every time.
However it’s usually best to solve the pragmatic problems that are right in front of you; and given the historic place sugar has in Western diet, banning it is no longer an option. Taxing unwanted behaviour remains the next best choice.
Lots of people don’t seem to know how to cope when something doesn’t work or goes to plan.
I wonder if that’s to do with the “cotton wooling” that tends to happen in society these days.
Protecting people from failure robs them of the ability to cope with problems or know how to solve problems when issues arise so people end up being overwhelmed.
I agree that in some ways we “cottonwool” people in destructive and weakening ways.
However, when we are throwing citizens to the wolves, that is equally destructive and weakening.
I’m reminded of that scene in the film 300 when someone throws in a single knife into a locked room of young Spartan boys to see which one is worthy of surviving.
That’s not really the society that we should be striving for.
Not knowing how it cope with problems is the real issue.
I agree. Not knowing , or feeling powerless to change anything, is the most corrosive thing.
I do get the idea that it’s impossible and unreasonable to demand we eliminate all stress and risk from life. In fact quite the opposite, as a keen tramper I’ve actively sought out risk and challenge in my life.
But I go out there with both skills, experience AND the knowledge that I am entirely responsible for the choices I make. I avoid situations where the risks are outside of my control.
For instance I avoid avalanche gullies or debris paths when there’s lots of soft snow about. If I’ve no choice but to cross one, you race across with your heart in your mouth and you don’t feel good about it afterwards. It’s a ‘loss of control’ situation.
Same with society, it’s the sense of isolation, powerlessness and loss of control, when surrounded by a society that sends hostile messages all the time … which breaks people down.
“In the meantime I guess the rest of us will just have to depend on your ability to ‘think for yourself’ and stop consuming the stuff.”
This sounds quite sarcastic to me. What do you mean by the “rest of us”? The fat hating tax payer? And what about “your ability to think for yourself”? Are you talking about me?
Geez. I worked in the organic sector for a good dozen years. I stay away from the processed shitty foods. The only sugar I consume is alcohol. I don’t see anyone, apart from maybe Prof Doug Sellman, attempting to control the sale of alcohol which has far more devastating effects on individuals and society, (alcohol related cancer, early death, road toll, family violence etc) than sugar alone.
That’s a public health issue so why does nobody wring their hands about that one?
What about suicide? That’s a public health issue. What about all the unwell people keeping our hospitals full after their failed attempts and their death rate that is higher than the the road toll. Shouldn’t we be hating on them too?
See, very convenient to dress one issue up as a public health issue when it has it’s basis in social intolerance.
Well yes there are many, many symptoms our stressed and sick society throws up. As much as I’d much as like to think we could address this root cause, I doubt I will see much change in my lifetime. But in the meanwhile health professionals tell us that diabetes is rapidly becoming their number one concern.
Well if making sugar laden foods more expensive, and non-processed foods cheaper by comparison helps reduce the incidence of this awful disease then I’ll support it. If like the Australians we removed GST on ‘fresh food’ I’d support that as well. I’d cheerfully advocate for both.
This sounds quite sarcastic to me. What do you mean by the “rest of us”? The fat hating tax payer? And what about “your ability to think for yourself”? Are you talking about me?
Well you were the one who was cheerfully explaining how people were perfectly capable of choosing not to consume sugar of their own volition, so I was assuming you don’t consume the stuff … which is a genuinely good thing. So frankly if you don’t consume it, why object to a tax on it?
And diabetes is an illness, while connected with obesity, can strike anyone, any shape, pretty much any age. So it’s not a ‘fat’ issue.
Alcohol is something CV and I touched on above.
Suicide is another symptom of a sick society. In the immediate years after Roger Pigfucking Douglas’s sick reforms in the 1980’s the youth male suicide rate quadrupled. And has stayed high ever since. Personally I’d like to hold Douglas accountable with a criminal charge reflecting the consequences of his actions. But that’s not going to happen sadly.
“So frankly if you don’t consume it, why object to a tax on it?”
Because there are better, fairer ways of controlling the sale of high sugar food and drink, as mentioned. (Remove GST on ALL food and regulate the industry at source).
Other reasons. Psychology. Taxing a food source is in punishment orientation. This sends a message to the shopper that they are “bad” if they choose that item that has a public health tax on it. Could potentially lead to a feeling of shame. Nobody needs to feel ashamed about a grocery purchasing decision.
Reward orientation would be a far more healthy approach. Reward people by granting them access to lower cost healthier choices by removing GST on all foods- OR leave GST on alcohol, cigarettes and fizzy drinks.
And taking a sideways diversion. We have been spending time with visitors from the UK. They are horrified at the cost of a grocery shop here. Double that of their shop for similar items in the uk. And that’s with 20% VAT on some items. Do we really need even more cost added to our unaffordable food?
Re Diabetes. Type 1 is the one unrelated to weight. That can affect all ages and sizes. The condition can be triggered by pregnancy. My tiny mother in law has type 1 diabetes as a result of the pregnancy with her second child.
PS. Re Suicide. In 2014/2015 569 people suicided. The highest rate ever. To me this is a real public health crisis and deserves the full attention of mental health professionals, the Government, and and a public caring about such a crisis rather than hating on fatties, which they do on a daily basis in our msm.
Have a look at the figures from 2007 onwards. If Roger Douglas should be held accountable, so should our current government for these;
Because there are better, fairer ways of controlling the sale of high sugar food and drink, as mentioned. (Remove GST on ALL food and regulate the industry at source).
Removing GST on ALL food merely makes the sugar stuff cheaper too. No change in behaviour.
Strong and repeated studies show that foods laden with sugar, salt and trans-fats are seriously addictive and that most people cannot control their appetite for them.
And given these foods also come with nice big packets for lots of colourful advertising, have very long shelf-life and low wastage … they will always enjoy a price advantage.
Logic suggests that a tax to remove that advantage is the correct path. Otherwise all you are doing is rewarding people for eating toxic shit.
My other suggestion, you would have seen, was to retain GST on those unhealthy food and drink choices. That would be a way to level prices between untaxed healthy food and GST added unhealthy food.
To tax those unhealthy foods further tells an addicted person “we know better than you”. It’s an authoritarian approach. It’s always better to stand along side someone and support and educate than speak down and enforce behaviour change WE want to see. Again patronising and dis empowering. Such personal change, as what a persons eats needs to come from the person themselves not finger waver types who can’t tolerate them. – All part of those hostile messages you were talking about above.
Government has three fundamental tools at it’s disposal:
1. Ban it
2. Tax it
3. Educate it
In this case Option 1 of banning it isn’t going to be possible. Any amount of hysterical ‘nanny state’ rantings would stop any useful change. Hell we couldn’t even legislate against obsolete incandescent light bulbs.
And much the same with Option 3. While I agree with you that it’s always the most positive and rewarding approach, when it comes to food choices people are notoriously prickly and defensive; more yelling on about nanny state social engineering. Still if you can get it over the line, I’ll be cheering you on.
That kind of leaves Option 2 of taxing it, the idea of the ‘market signal’ which is pretty much where our political system is at.
In general a mix of ‘carrot and stick’ is the most effective way of changing behaviour. For instance we changed attitudes around drink driving with a major education campaign, but neither did we remove the penalties for it either.
So yes taxing sugar is a penalty, but equally it doesn’t leave people powerless to respond and simply stop consuming it.
Don’t forget that option. Yes, education has been effective around drink driving in NZ but the market is largely unregulated. In fact we put these products up on pedestals via advertising and sponsorship. EG the Jim Beam Homegrown festival
We could start a teeth insurance policy for families, that will ensure that they get free dental treatment every six months for their children. And encourage the mothers to pay into that instead of buying sugary things, give them examples of how they could show their affection and give a treat, with some examples of the sort they would be used to, and add some different ones, or tell them they always knew better, ie chew on some coconut bits, apple bits, especially out of the frig if they can.
And each insurance payer gets into a sweep and winners be a few families who have a completely free weekend away at a holiday site where all can relax, and enjoy. That would get a lot of word of mouth publicity. Carrots, for the teeth, and stick, from the pain and ugliness of having rotting teeth or no teeth left at all.
Well yes, ban it or regulate it more or less fall into the same category at least to my mind. And all the ideas you suggest are absolutely worth implementing. No quibble.
Except given the known addictive power of sugary foods, will it be enough on it’s own? And why leave the food companies with a price and profit advantage in the market?
I guess I’m thinking of the same debate we had 15 years ago about a carbon tax. Yes it would have put prices up, yes it was punitive, and here in Australia for the few years we had one, it was proven effective in reducing carbon consumption. The moment that arse Abbott removed it, the numbers started creeping upwards again.
And given the abject failure of various ETS schemes that let the fossil fuel companies play games and scams, everyone now looks back and realises that a plain old fashioned carbon tax was the right idea all along.
Sure, excise taxes decrease demand, but they also pay for the additional health costs caused by too much sugar and too much fat. A sugar tax could absolutely be used to subsidise vegetables etc.
Food producers (I use that word advisedly) advertise chemical and sugar laden foo as food. One of the many ways they keep costs down is the sugar component. Tax it? Nah.
Maybe ban all brand food advertising – kind of in line with how almost all countries (NZ and the US being the exceptions) ban brand drug advertising.
It looks to me like an aspect of the neoliberal “consensus” whereby the economy must be left to the experts, but it is OK to push for cultural change. After all, rather than infantilising fat people (and continually lowering the threshold for obesity), you could simply limit the amount of sugar permitted in soft drinks and processed products. But that would count as meddling with the economy. So you end up with a situation analogous to that of 19th century Britain, where you couldn’t alleviate poverty, but you could wring your middle class hands about people drinking too much gin and keeping their coal in the bath.
Our working-class ancestors knew a thing or two about anthropogenic climate change! 🙂
They also knew about not getting over-weight. Poverty can do that when food and rents were high, sugary foods too expensive and food far less processed, unlike today where soft drinks are cheaper than milk- rather like 18-19th century gin.
Bugger hungry kids, we have got moralise about fat people.
No one’s moralising about fat people. They’re moralising about poor diet brought about by corporations using too much sugar in the processing of food which then makes people sick.
Here is how you fix obesity: the government gets into the super market business and sets up state supermarkets to sell a reduced range of healthy foods at subsidised rates.
It would cause a massive drop in food prices from the supermarket cartel (trust me, NZ has more expensive food than Germany, let alone Spain – and quality is often poor in NZ, especially for meat, fruit, vegetables and especially bread. Kiwis like to bullshit themselves to the point of self delusion on food prices for some reason). The only losers will be Australian owned food cartels.
Don’t forget that the a word industry has long been generous donors to both main political parties, and probably provided plenty of high class, low cost bevy for sophisticated fund raising dos.
Perhaps the Government should look at the causes of obesity, evidently corn syrup in the USA has caused Americans to blow up like balloons?
This current Government is currently in bed with the multi national food producers or are they frightened of being sued under the TPPA Agreement already.
The current Public Health situation and food policing is a joke.
This is a video in English of a heavy metal band with a message for the world from a German point of view. Germany has learnt its lesson from history. Do we also learn or do we get to make the same mistakes?
Our great Prime Minister jonkey who has just wasted $26 million of New Zealand taxpayers’ hard earned money trying ever-so-hard and with every PR trick in the book …and failing miserably to change New Zealand’s historic flag into his own brand takeover ….is now is giving free advise to Britain :
‘Who asked New Zealand? Brexit scaremongering continues apace’
“Mass immigration, financial woes and an intervention by New Zealand’s PM – all in a day’s work for Project Fear. RT searches for a Brexit reality check as referendum day creeps ever closer….
The High Court list for tomorrow is now online and the very last page is worth a visit. There was some speculation that this case had been moved elsewhere but it would seem not ….
Correct. Arthur Fairley is a Barrister specializing in criminal law, with Thomson Wilson Law in Whangarei. Another partner in the firm, Peter Magee, was involved in the earlier stages.
He has done some interesting cases in the past of a similar nature and/or related to the background of the person we must not name. An easy way to see these in brief is to go to the link below for the Northern Advocate and enter ‘Arthur Fairley’ in the search box.
I was wondering whether the person we cannot name would continue to have name suppression during the trial. The court decision on April 30 2015 was to extend this until the trial but did not make it clear whether suppression would continue during the trial or whether a further application would need to be made at the start of the trial.
This Herald article on Friday seems to think that suppression will continue until the end of the trial.
[Moderating Note: While legally it is safe enough to repeat what is in the Herald and similar media, any in-depth discussion or hashing over this matter is strongly discouraged.
Apart from political and legal aspects of name suppression, there is very little that can be usefully said until the trial is over.
I urge everyone to consider carefully before commenting as to whether what they are about to say is legal, constructive and respects the purpose of the Court order for name suppression.]
I apologise Redlogix, all I wondered was who was this Fairley person. I knew it wasn’t the accused. I do realise everything is under wraps, so I shall not comment again about this. I see, though there are more comments after me who are chatting about stuff about this case which seem as innocent as mine. Sorry if I did wrong.
As an aside, and I hope I am within the boundaries of discussing this case appropriately, this news came up on the Herald yesterday and was posted here on TS by Paul (?) I think.
I had a look at stuff and RNZ websites but couldn’t find a thing. Nothing on tv news at 6.
I wonder if this case will be on the low down for it’s duration, with as little media attention as possible.
Yes. Suppression order stands for duration of trial at the least. That’s my understanding anyway. If its correct then that is so wrong. I cannot recall any other case where a total suppression of all aspects of a trial have occurred. Suppression of the name of the accused and/or the victims yes, but never the entire case.
Sick isn’t it when people have to pay 70-80% of their wages on rent to support investors and speculators in the Auckland property market, many of them are offshore Asian owners, NACT’s Brighter Future Policy?
Many are also offshore USians, English, Australians and other nationalities.
It’s not where they come from that’s the problem but the simple fact that they are offshore. Even ex-pat kiwis should not be able to own land/houses/businesses in NZ.
Next month St Ives will vote in a referendum to approve a neighbourhood plan. While the plan’s 108 pages cover a range of local matters, the eye-catching measure is to be found in section 3, point H2, under the heading “Full-Time Principal Residence Housing”.
If the plan is approved, there will be a legal requirement to ensure that all new housing in the area is for principal residence., with the owners’ status checked against the electoral roll and doctors’ registers. While out-of-towners will still be able to buy second-hand houses as second homes or holiday lets, all newly built property will be reserved exclusively for the locals.
“It’s groundbreaking,” says Taylor, who is about to begin her third term as mayor of the town. “We’re really lucky that we live in such a beautiful area, it’s recognised by a lot of people and a lot of people want to buy a slice of the lifestyle. You can’t overestimate the contribution of second-home owners to the economy, but you have to look at the bigger picture. Where you don’t have a sustainable economy, over time the town will wither away. We don’t want that. We want to maintain a thriving community, we’re trying to keep the fabric of the community together.”
I’m actually more concerned about the cashed up, National-voting, middle class, ‘Mum-and-dad’ property investors that own way more properties around the country. They are the ones benefiting from the poverty that has rusted onto this country over the past 30 years or so.
Gordon Gekko said that “Greed is Good” and Deng Xiaoping said that “To get rich is glorious”. Who really cares about the colour of the landlord.
Given that Super by itself is a pretty modest safety net, and that for most people low risk and security for their retirement funding is a very high priority … investing in rental housing became the ONLY realistic option left open to most middle class people.
Retirement can be an extremely unpredictable thing. Some people pass on within months of stopping work, others can live on for more years than their ‘working’ life. Our wild-west stock market, infested with shark-suited insiders lost all credibility with people my generation. It will never get it back. Same with all the finance houses. Think SCF.
And most businesses are run for capital gain not cash flow. A few years back I looked seriously at several horticultural businesses. Two I really liked and wanted to do; but no matter how I cut the numbers the return on capital made no sense. The existing owners could live off their cash flow, but the real returns would come when they sold it.
And this is pretty typical everywhere you look, it’s either over-priced for tax-free capital gain, has no actual value when the owner-operator leaves, or it’s in a dying industry. So in the end even I had no choice but to stick with property. It’s not ideal but you tell me, and heaps of other middle class kiwis, what other options were open to us that we could trust.
@ RedLogix
That’s a great comment from you. With your knowledge of the way things are for investment in NZ it has real gravitas. Actually I am going to copy and keep it and advise others also to do so. It is good to have something to refer to when trying to find base after reading confusing financial figures, and trying to get an understanding of why we are going downwards in an apparently modern, wealthy country.
This and a recent piece from Greek Minister Yanis Varoufakis ( spelling?) about the inevitable downward slide of world economies form a cornerstone to keep near when discussion of the future occurs. If you want the link ask and I’ll find it.
We should perhaps signal our concerns with Auckland housing by using the A-word, with a-word being for alcohol. That would refer to the housing statistics showing there has been a large rise from India and China. Which referred to makes people uncomfortable because it raises the spectre of past nasty to murderous days where the impassioned prejudices of some people against Chinese particularly, came to the fore from negative memes in society.
Last time we had a big discussion on Auckland buy ups from overseas I got to, checked out, and put up a comment with the statistics displaying the reality of people’s concerns about which foreign buyers predominated.
I did it. You can hunt for it if you want to refresh your memories.
must give a belated well done to bunnings management.
belated as it is probably a week ago that they installed defibrillators in five stores, including stores where defibs had been removed.
a union leader maxine gay, thanked the public for it’s vocal support in getting behind the workers.
it felt good, this result, after sending two e-mails to the company.
Yes, noticed that. At least they finally got something right. On the other hand Talleys are up to their old tricks again and are taking the Meat Workers Union to court, can’t remember over what. I read it yesterday on RNZ but their site is down at the moment so can’t link to it.
Who agrees that it’s not a ‘conflict of interest’ for Auckland Council to remain a member of the NZ Property Council, because the latter has ‘broad public interest goals’ ?
Really?
This private sector lobby group for commercial property developers has ‘broad public interest goals’?
How about Auckland Council getting ‘legal advice’ from Meredith Connell on the matter of whether Auckland Council’s membership of the NZ Property Council was a ‘conflict of interest’ – but failing to disclose that Meredith Connell was a corporate member of the NZ Property Council?
File under ‘you couldn’t make this sh*t up’?
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
(Who believes that it is a significant and disturbing ‘conflict of interest’ for Auckland Council or CCOs to be members of private sector lobby groups such as the NZ Property Council and the Committee for Auckland.)
On some level, they have to engage with them anyway, and council and CCOs are normally among the country’s largest property investors – joining them makes some sense.
CASH ….use it or lose it ?
im continually amazed by the trusting willingness of people to become ever more dependent on the banks and on technology in general ,
picture a small coastal resort town at christmas time and the queues of shoppers at the local 4square stretch right to the back of the shop and beyond someone at the front finaly remembers their pin or finds a card from their selection that works and we all shuffle forward a foot …reminds me somewhat of sheep in a sheep yard being forced up a race .After what seems like an hour i have only one shopper in front of me , characteristically this dude whos using his card to purchase a moro bar has turned his back to me and lifts his elbows protectively to shield his pin number obliging me to look about the shop or anywhere apart from him i play the game and think about what i would like to do with his card ..tap tap tap waiting………waiting…..would you like your receit sir?yes !! ?/ he does?? gotta keep track of that dollar fifty i presume or maybe hes gonna get it out when he gets home to see if the indians have diddled him ? who knows ? we shuffle forwards a foot i buy my stuff slap the cash down and get the fuck out of there .
yes i have heard the convienience argument but it comes with the paranoia attachment not to mention when the power goes off or the computers break down but of course that could never happen….
Yep. Cash all the way with me. I love the stuff. Fast and trustworthy. We are tagged in so many ways these days that paying in cash is almost a fingers up to the watchers. Don’t start me with those that have complete faith in their smart phone banking and payments…………..
It’s also fun confusing people with cash payments.
The thought of electronic voting worries me. I understand the argument is “we live in a digital age so we need to encourage the young to vote in a medium they are familiar with”.
But just how easy is it to rig it/hack it? How can confidentiality be maintained? How hard is it to trust it? I don’t think I could be easily persuaded. You?
I’ve some times thought to myself I’m a bit paranoid about technology and how insecure our data is. But last Sunday I watched “Digital Dissidents” on Al Jazeera and realised my apprehensions were completely justified. Just your smart phone alone functions as a geographical tracking device and tracks your purchases of course, if you’re using a phone to pay for items. Your life can easily become a diary for any authority. Privacy is the issue. Now I’m glad I’ve got an old dumb phone and use cash everywhere.
Part two of Digital Dissidents is on tonight. It’s a story about whistleblowers, so by default looks at ways the public are spied upon.
“Facebook is evil in my view, I’ve been saying this for years. […] We offer up our information and it’s just there on a plate for the spies to access. And we know they do through back doors and things. Yet that sort of information used to take them weeks or months to gather on an individual.”
Annie Machon, former British secret service agentdissidents-160323141254755.html
personally i see nothing i trust with electronic voting.
the powers that be constantly show they can not be trusted.
this past week we have the gcsb showing they have over stepped a generous mark, and not a drop of accountability.
not on facebook myself, the best summary of fb is that you are not the client you are the product.
i shall have a look at the digital dissidents.
now to stir the 3 chilli bbq sauce that is simmering on the stove (donated chillis!)
Once apon a time someone decided that they would use bits of worthless paper to trade with instead of gold dust, dead chickens or turnips and I bet they had people react in the same way as you cash is king peoples,!
cash is king especially when eftpos is down, or you have no electricity.
all your digitial 0 and 1s mean nothing when you don’t have juice.
And as a shopkeeper i can guarantee you, on one of these days, if you are not known to the shop owner, you get nothing without cash when eftpos is down or there is no juice.
The problem with cash is that it allows criminal behaviour to continue. Go to a cashless society and you could pretty much eliminate all financial crime over night.
And as a shopkeeper i can guarantee you, on one of these days, if you are not known to the shop owner, you get nothing without cash when eftpos is down or there is no juice.
Oh noes, I won’t be able to buy anything for a few hours, oh woe is…
The jihadi brides saga clearly showed that we were being ‘manipulated’ by withholding information. Funny, how some (?) people seem to think that they can only be affected by things they can see and ‘know’ to exist; this is also one of the reasons why distraction is so effective in politics.
Interesting how the Jihadi Bride Thing made major headlines here in NZ as if their were scores of NZ women heading to the Middle East, when in fact one had left from Australia.
This is a classic example of US paranoia “fear politics”, brings back memories of National’s “reds under the beds in the 1950’s and 1960’s under Holyoake and Muldoon?
Please don’t go down the “nz inc” line James Shaw. Its a country not a fucking company.
Good on Little talking tough on banks , its a vote grabber for sure.
That’s true about NZ being a country (rather self-evidently!), but bear in mind that legally, the name NZ Inc would be an incorporated society, not a company (that would be NZ Ltd), so clearly it’s a not-for-profit entity which operates to attain its objects as set by its members, while not operating for the pecuniary gain of said members.
If we NZers are the members, that would explain a lot…
C’mon Aud’…….don’t hold back. Hoorah Henry Cameron positively cowered in a corner of The Lincoln Room as Key licked his arse. After 20 minutes of good nosh of Obama……Key that is.
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
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 Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
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 ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Bernard Hickey explains our particular style of parasitical, renter capitalism.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11615870
Wondered why people have to work harder and longer without much gain. Especially those on minimum wage.
Employers don’t want to pay anymore than minimum wages, there are plenty of Asiand students here in NZ who will work for minimum wages or less.
Radionz right now doing something pertinent to discussions on work. Listen in. audio link up later when I or someone gets time.
11:05 Robert McChesney – A Citizenless Democracy
Robert McChesney
With new technologies replacing jobs at an ever increasing rate and big money playing a bigger and bigger part in our politics are we facing a future of mass unemployment and an all but disenfranchised populace?
Authors Robert McChesney and John Nichols believe we are and in their new book People Get Ready: The Fight Against a Jobless Economy and a Citizenless Democracy they provide evidence for that dystopian vision and a set of proposals for how it can be avoided. Robert McChesney is Research Professor in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
11:40 Jeremy Hansen, Nicola and Lance Herbst – NZ Home of the Year
Architects Nicola and Lance Herbst join HOME magazine’s Jeremy Hansen to talk about their award winning house that’s just won the House of the Year award.
edited
Except this ends in revolution.
Yep, NZ keeps doing things the cheap way rather than investing in modern technology. With the right technology investment we could easily compete producing high tech products.
Instead we’ve got our businesses cutting costs resulting in low productivity and even lower returns. This what you truly get when you leave it to the private sector who’s only real incentive is to become a rentier capitalist.
The only entity in NZ that could actually make the necessary investment is the government. This would be a full development from extraction of raw resources, processing them and then using those resources to produce products. What we don’t do, and should never do, is sell the raw resources offshore. Everybody’s got raw resources. Of course, give them time and everyone will have a high tech manufacturing sector as well.
Oh, and we need to claiming territory, not just an EEZ, out to the continental shelf.
Not a good strategy for a resilient future. We need to be able to design and manufacture appropriate tech, products which are easily maintainable using every day tools and equipment that we can produce and source 100% locally.
Gearing our economy up for exports to compete in global market economies to obtain units of digital currency will be increasingly a distraction and a waste of time.
None of these statements are true. Japan has much raw resources? South Korea has much raw resources? The UK has much raw resources? (Especially raw energy and mineral resources?)
Japan has fish, if mildly irradiated, and some promising rare earth deposits.
The UK sits on a fecking carbon seam that isn’t mined because of thatcher wanting to kill the unions.
About the only exception is South Korea, which has a natural resource of sitting in a contact zone of the Chinese, Japanese, and Russians. Buffer states can get rich before they get burned.
It’s a brilliant strategy for a resilient future. Invest in:
1. Renewable energy
2. Extraction and processing of those resources by renewable energy
3. Produce the tools and equipment that we need to maintain a high tech manufacturing base right here in NZ from NZ resources
True. That would be why I keep saying that trade will come to and end.
Actually, they’re all true but trade is off the table if they want to be sustainable.
Dude, the worlds crust is much of a muchness everywhere. Sure, there’s better deposits of things here and there but if you go out and dig up a shovel of dirt from your back yard it will have gold, iron, rare earth metals, and semi-conductors in it.
The UK is presently building huge offshore wind farms. This means that they really won’t be short on raw energy. And they’ve never been short on minerals either. Of course, they don’t have as much now as they used to but they do have them. There’s a very good reason why Britain built the first all iron ship – it’s because they have a huge amount of iron. Their production may have decreased but they do have it.
And RT’s Keiser Report details the international scene further:
Japanese government pension payments are so low, that elderly Japanese are committing a wave of shoplifting crimes in order to get prison sentences, and the shelter and food they provide.
Private Japanese prisons then make massive profits from Japanese governments for each inmate.
Also: how PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) in the UK are deliberately structured by government insiders to cost tax payers more, and leave the assets built by tax payers money totally in the hands of private corporations.
HSBC – the transnational banking criminals – now own and profit off a number of UK “public” NHS hospitals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGlwlwzzXcc
+100…well worth watching …especially how the corporates are stripping the democratic nation states of their assets built up by generations of taxpayers
…also the plight of the elderly in Japan and the squeezing out of the middle class in USA
hard to believe they are now being so blatant…..and even harder to believe we keep voting for the likes of them……mad scramble for as much as they can steal before it all goes tits up
Another bunch of experts for our government to ignore.
Better to listen to Katherine Rich and other paid shills for transnational corporations…….
‘Medical experts push for sugar tax
An open letter signed by more than 70 medical specialists – including frontline care workers and professors – has called on the Government to introduce a sugar tax.
The letter was delivered to the Cabinet yesterday, citing serious concerns about New Zealand’s “appallingly high rate of childhood obesity” while pushing the Government to follow Mexico and Britain in taxing high-sugar-content soft drinks.
Medical experts who signed the letter include epidemiologists Alistair Woodward and Rod Jackson, paediatrician Diana Lennon, researcher Peter Davis – husband of former PM Helen Clark – cardiologist Harvey White, nutritionist Jim Mann and public health specialist Sally Casswell.’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11615519
‘Calls for stronger action to fight obesity
A public health expert is calling for stronger government leadership to combat obesity, with a new study revealing NZ has one of the highest rates of overweight people in the world.
The study, published in The Lancet, compared body mass index among almost 20 million adult men and women people, from 1975 to 2014.
One of the report’s authors, Robert Beaglehole, an Emeritus Professor at Auckland University said New Zealand had lost the battle with adult obesity, but there was much more that could be done to prevent children from becoming overweight.’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/300510/calls-for-stronger-action-to-fight-obesity
Blah, blah, blah. Really all that effort on sugar tax.
Bugger hungry kids, we have got moralise about fat people.
So lets get the state to tell me what to eat as well, I mean they spy on me, they have silly little signs to tell me it’s unsafe, the tell me not to smoke, and most of the politicians are smug wankers.
But no, lets get a head of steam over sugar, bugger the homeless, the really shitty wages, rape culture and everything else. Lets get fat people sorted.
This is about control Paul, and quite frankly I’ve had enough of control from this and any other government.
So the doctors can piss off as well – not seeing them talking about the rising costs for patients, nor the declining services in the public health system. Or the fact we getting privatisation by stealth. No, they have got up on a higher horse of self bloody indulgence.
Piss off with your sugar tax, it’s just more regressive taxation, so bugger off.
Yes and while your at it take off the tobacco tax. The fat, toothless, homeless poor need some solace.
The issue around the faux concern for fatties is that the concern is dressed up as a public health issue when it is in fact a massive stick to beat fatties with. “Anti fat campaigner” Robyn Tootmath was a prime example of a public service fatphobic but luckily she has buggered off in a huff because after 10 years hard work she couldn’t get the fatties to morph into her idea of a socially acceptable person – meaning a thin person. (One commenter on TS had a particularly upsetting experience as a patient of Robyn Toomath).
The concept of a sugar tax, as well as being regressive is also patronising. It says fat people can’t think for themselves when they do the shopping so we must bully them into making the purchases we want them to make, for their own good!
It has never occurred to any of the health professionals to lobby for the removal of GST on food so that healthier food becomes more accessible and more choice become available to the shopper. As poverty has increased, so has obesity. Processed foods, containing excess sugars, fats, additives and little nutritive value will always be chosen over fruit, vege, lean proteins and wholefoods.
It has never occurred to the government to regulate the soft drink industry so their products aren’t so prominent and cheap – control the corporates, don’t control the people.
Children need adults to support their health and well being and prevent future illness such as type 2 diabetes. For that to happen the food market needs to be regulated and good healthy foods need to accessible. Taxing “bad” food just tells us we are “bad” for making those choices.
Consider that if processed sugar was invented tomorrow, it would probably be considered so metabolically toxic that it would be banned. Taxing it wouldn’t even enter the discussion.
In the meantime I guess the rest of us will just have to depend on your ability to ‘think for yourself’ and stop consuming the stuff.
More so for alcohol.
Thing is though, both have been around for centuries/millenia.
Like hashish, marijuana, etc.
Exactly. And I note without the slightest hint of patronising how people think for themselves and demonstrate such self controlled with alcohol too.
BTW we have created such a stressful society that people are going to keep turning to substances to try and get some relief.
You only need to look up the massive pain killer addiction that Americans are now suffering from.
Yes, that’s a theme you, I and quite a few others here are very much in agreement about. Indeed the relationship between civilisation and drugs in general is deep, complex and absolutely fascinating.
Hell you only have to consider the historic role of the Oracle at Delphi to see just one tiny aspect of it.
Banning drugs, without offering a positive alternative path to relieving the pyscho-social pain they are in never works. The pain wins every time.
However it’s usually best to solve the pragmatic problems that are right in front of you; and given the historic place sugar has in Western diet, banning it is no longer an option. Taxing unwanted behaviour remains the next best choice.
Like alcohol and tobacco, it’ll just end up as a tax on the people who consume the most. The poorer classes.
Society has always being stressful.
Not knowing how it cope with problems is the real issue.
Create strong community ties. Family support structures. Resilient and independent ways of obtaining accomodation, food and the necessities of life.
Societal leaders who understand and direct resources to help those in need.
Is that what you were thinking of?
I was more thinking at a individual level.
Lots of people don’t seem to know how to cope when something doesn’t work or goes to plan.
I wonder if that’s to do with the “cotton wooling” that tends to happen in society these days.
Protecting people from failure robs them of the ability to cope with problems or know how to solve problems when issues arise so people end up being overwhelmed.
I agree that in some ways we “cottonwool” people in destructive and weakening ways.
However, when we are throwing citizens to the wolves, that is equally destructive and weakening.
I’m reminded of that scene in the film 300 when someone throws in a single knife into a locked room of young Spartan boys to see which one is worthy of surviving.
That’s not really the society that we should be striving for.
Not knowing how it cope with problems is the real issue.
I agree. Not knowing , or feeling powerless to change anything, is the most corrosive thing.
I do get the idea that it’s impossible and unreasonable to demand we eliminate all stress and risk from life. In fact quite the opposite, as a keen tramper I’ve actively sought out risk and challenge in my life.
But I go out there with both skills, experience AND the knowledge that I am entirely responsible for the choices I make. I avoid situations where the risks are outside of my control.
For instance I avoid avalanche gullies or debris paths when there’s lots of soft snow about. If I’ve no choice but to cross one, you race across with your heart in your mouth and you don’t feel good about it afterwards. It’s a ‘loss of control’ situation.
Same with society, it’s the sense of isolation, powerlessness and loss of control, when surrounded by a society that sends hostile messages all the time … which breaks people down.
“In the meantime I guess the rest of us will just have to depend on your ability to ‘think for yourself’ and stop consuming the stuff.”
This sounds quite sarcastic to me. What do you mean by the “rest of us”? The fat hating tax payer? And what about “your ability to think for yourself”? Are you talking about me?
Geez. I worked in the organic sector for a good dozen years. I stay away from the processed shitty foods. The only sugar I consume is alcohol. I don’t see anyone, apart from maybe Prof Doug Sellman, attempting to control the sale of alcohol which has far more devastating effects on individuals and society, (alcohol related cancer, early death, road toll, family violence etc) than sugar alone.
That’s a public health issue so why does nobody wring their hands about that one?
What about suicide? That’s a public health issue. What about all the unwell people keeping our hospitals full after their failed attempts and their death rate that is higher than the the road toll. Shouldn’t we be hating on them too?
See, very convenient to dress one issue up as a public health issue when it has it’s basis in social intolerance.
Well yes there are many, many symptoms our stressed and sick society throws up. As much as I’d much as like to think we could address this root cause, I doubt I will see much change in my lifetime. But in the meanwhile health professionals tell us that diabetes is rapidly becoming their number one concern.
Well if making sugar laden foods more expensive, and non-processed foods cheaper by comparison helps reduce the incidence of this awful disease then I’ll support it. If like the Australians we removed GST on ‘fresh food’ I’d support that as well. I’d cheerfully advocate for both.
This sounds quite sarcastic to me. What do you mean by the “rest of us”? The fat hating tax payer? And what about “your ability to think for yourself”? Are you talking about me?
Well you were the one who was cheerfully explaining how people were perfectly capable of choosing not to consume sugar of their own volition, so I was assuming you don’t consume the stuff … which is a genuinely good thing. So frankly if you don’t consume it, why object to a tax on it?
And diabetes is an illness, while connected with obesity, can strike anyone, any shape, pretty much any age. So it’s not a ‘fat’ issue.
Alcohol is something CV and I touched on above.
Suicide is another symptom of a sick society. In the immediate years after Roger Pigfucking Douglas’s sick reforms in the 1980’s the youth male suicide rate quadrupled. And has stayed high ever since. Personally I’d like to hold Douglas accountable with a criminal charge reflecting the consequences of his actions. But that’s not going to happen sadly.
“So frankly if you don’t consume it, why object to a tax on it?”
Because there are better, fairer ways of controlling the sale of high sugar food and drink, as mentioned. (Remove GST on ALL food and regulate the industry at source).
Other reasons. Psychology. Taxing a food source is in punishment orientation. This sends a message to the shopper that they are “bad” if they choose that item that has a public health tax on it. Could potentially lead to a feeling of shame. Nobody needs to feel ashamed about a grocery purchasing decision.
Reward orientation would be a far more healthy approach. Reward people by granting them access to lower cost healthier choices by removing GST on all foods- OR leave GST on alcohol, cigarettes and fizzy drinks.
And taking a sideways diversion. We have been spending time with visitors from the UK. They are horrified at the cost of a grocery shop here. Double that of their shop for similar items in the uk. And that’s with 20% VAT on some items. Do we really need even more cost added to our unaffordable food?
Re Diabetes. Type 1 is the one unrelated to weight. That can affect all ages and sizes. The condition can be triggered by pregnancy. My tiny mother in law has type 1 diabetes as a result of the pregnancy with her second child.
PS. Re Suicide. In 2014/2015 569 people suicided. The highest rate ever. To me this is a real public health crisis and deserves the full attention of mental health professionals, the Government, and and a public caring about such a crisis rather than hating on fatties, which they do on a daily basis in our msm.
Have a look at the figures from 2007 onwards. If Roger Douglas should be held accountable, so should our current government for these;
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/69920289/Suicide-toll-reaches-highest-rate-since-records-kept
Because there are better, fairer ways of controlling the sale of high sugar food and drink, as mentioned. (Remove GST on ALL food and regulate the industry at source).
Removing GST on ALL food merely makes the sugar stuff cheaper too. No change in behaviour.
Strong and repeated studies show that foods laden with sugar, salt and trans-fats are seriously addictive and that most people cannot control their appetite for them.
And given these foods also come with nice big packets for lots of colourful advertising, have very long shelf-life and low wastage … they will always enjoy a price advantage.
Logic suggests that a tax to remove that advantage is the correct path. Otherwise all you are doing is rewarding people for eating toxic shit.
My other suggestion, you would have seen, was to retain GST on those unhealthy food and drink choices. That would be a way to level prices between untaxed healthy food and GST added unhealthy food.
To tax those unhealthy foods further tells an addicted person “we know better than you”. It’s an authoritarian approach. It’s always better to stand along side someone and support and educate than speak down and enforce behaviour change WE want to see. Again patronising and dis empowering. Such personal change, as what a persons eats needs to come from the person themselves not finger waver types who can’t tolerate them. – All part of those hostile messages you were talking about above.
Government has three fundamental tools at it’s disposal:
1. Ban it
2. Tax it
3. Educate it
In this case Option 1 of banning it isn’t going to be possible. Any amount of hysterical ‘nanny state’ rantings would stop any useful change. Hell we couldn’t even legislate against obsolete incandescent light bulbs.
And much the same with Option 3. While I agree with you that it’s always the most positive and rewarding approach, when it comes to food choices people are notoriously prickly and defensive; more yelling on about nanny state social engineering. Still if you can get it over the line, I’ll be cheering you on.
That kind of leaves Option 2 of taxing it, the idea of the ‘market signal’ which is pretty much where our political system is at.
In general a mix of ‘carrot and stick’ is the most effective way of changing behaviour. For instance we changed attitudes around drink driving with a major education campaign, but neither did we remove the penalties for it either.
So yes taxing sugar is a penalty, but equally it doesn’t leave people powerless to respond and simply stop consuming it.
4. Regulate it 😀
Don’t forget that option. Yes, education has been effective around drink driving in NZ but the market is largely unregulated. In fact we put these products up on pedestals via advertising and sponsorship. EG the Jim Beam Homegrown festival
http://www.homegrown.net.nz/#home-2016-1-1
Stop the advertising. Stop the price cutting. Stop the sponsorship. Diminish the presence of the product and diminish it’s influence.
We could start a teeth insurance policy for families, that will ensure that they get free dental treatment every six months for their children. And encourage the mothers to pay into that instead of buying sugary things, give them examples of how they could show their affection and give a treat, with some examples of the sort they would be used to, and add some different ones, or tell them they always knew better, ie chew on some coconut bits, apple bits, especially out of the frig if they can.
And each insurance payer gets into a sweep and winners be a few families who have a completely free weekend away at a holiday site where all can relax, and enjoy. That would get a lot of word of mouth publicity. Carrots, for the teeth, and stick, from the pain and ugliness of having rotting teeth or no teeth left at all.
@Rosie @grey
Well yes, ban it or regulate it more or less fall into the same category at least to my mind. And all the ideas you suggest are absolutely worth implementing. No quibble.
Except given the known addictive power of sugary foods, will it be enough on it’s own? And why leave the food companies with a price and profit advantage in the market?
I guess I’m thinking of the same debate we had 15 years ago about a carbon tax. Yes it would have put prices up, yes it was punitive, and here in Australia for the few years we had one, it was proven effective in reducing carbon consumption. The moment that arse Abbott removed it, the numbers started creeping upwards again.
And given the abject failure of various ETS schemes that let the fossil fuel companies play games and scams, everyone now looks back and realises that a plain old fashioned carbon tax was the right idea all along.
It wouldn’t be too hard to cap sugar content in drinks. No tax required, but conform or leave the market.
Sure, excise taxes decrease demand, but they also pay for the additional health costs caused by too much sugar and too much fat. A sugar tax could absolutely be used to subsidise vegetables etc.
Food producers (I use that word advisedly) advertise chemical and sugar laden foo as food. One of the many ways they keep costs down is the sugar component. Tax it? Nah.
Maybe ban all brand food advertising – kind of in line with how almost all countries (NZ and the US being the exceptions) ban brand drug advertising.
It looks to me like an aspect of the neoliberal “consensus” whereby the economy must be left to the experts, but it is OK to push for cultural change. After all, rather than infantilising fat people (and continually lowering the threshold for obesity), you could simply limit the amount of sugar permitted in soft drinks and processed products. But that would count as meddling with the economy. So you end up with a situation analogous to that of 19th century Britain, where you couldn’t alleviate poverty, but you could wring your middle class hands about people drinking too much gin and keeping their coal in the bath.
“and keeping their coal in the bath.”
Clean burning coal?
Our working-class ancestors knew a thing or two about anthropogenic climate change! 🙂
They also knew about not getting over-weight. Poverty can do that when food and rents were high, sugary foods too expensive and food far less processed, unlike today where soft drinks are cheaper than milk- rather like 18-19th century gin.
No one’s moralising about fat people. They’re moralising about poor diet brought about by corporations using too much sugar in the processing of food which then makes people sick.
Here is how you fix obesity: the government gets into the super market business and sets up state supermarkets to sell a reduced range of healthy foods at subsidised rates.
It would cause a massive drop in food prices from the supermarket cartel (trust me, NZ has more expensive food than Germany, let alone Spain – and quality is often poor in NZ, especially for meat, fruit, vegetables and especially bread. Kiwis like to bullshit themselves to the point of self delusion on food prices for some reason). The only losers will be Australian owned food cartels.
Amazing that the ‘a’ word is not mentioned in either article,
New Zealand’s most dangerous drug is responsible for a lot.
Second councillor joins Auckland safety calls
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/300528/'people-don't-feel-that-they-are-safe‘
Auckland unsafe, councillor tells police
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/300475/auckland-unsafe,-councillor-tells-police
Thats because the a word industry has politicians in its pocket, especially when they own shares in wineries.
Don’t forget that the a word industry has long been generous donors to both main political parties, and probably provided plenty of high class, low cost bevy for sophisticated fund raising dos.
Perhaps the Government should look at the causes of obesity, evidently corn syrup in the USA has caused Americans to blow up like balloons?
This current Government is currently in bed with the multi national food producers or are they frightened of being sued under the TPPA Agreement already.
The current Public Health situation and food policing is a joke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMQkV5cTuoY
This is a video in English of a heavy metal band with a message for the world from a German point of view. Germany has learnt its lesson from history. Do we also learn or do we get to make the same mistakes?
Be Deutsch!
Rammstein, Birkenstocks and potty-mouthed kids, in case anyone is wondering. Pretty cool.
read Kant, c**t. lol……..
zhat waz awesoame . zhanks.
Our great Prime Minister jonkey who has just wasted $26 million of New Zealand taxpayers’ hard earned money trying ever-so-hard and with every PR trick in the book …and failing miserably to change New Zealand’s historic flag into his own brand takeover ….is now is giving free advise to Britain :
‘Who asked New Zealand? Brexit scaremongering continues apace’
https://www.rt.com/uk/338058-brexit-scaremongering-new-zealand/
“Mass immigration, financial woes and an intervention by New Zealand’s PM – all in a day’s work for Project Fear. RT searches for a Brexit reality check as referendum day creeps ever closer….
Bad luck Ritchie and Dan you didn’t get your new flag for Uncle John.
John Key, like all authoritarians, always plays to what the rich and powerful want – and ignores what the people want.
Tomorrow is Monday, 4 April 2016.
The High Court list for tomorrow is now online and the very last page is worth a visit. There was some speculation that this case had been moved elsewhere but it would seem not ….
https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/business/calendar/daily-lists/1-National%20Court%20List%20-%20Monday%20-%2004.04.2016.pdf
[RL: Deleted]
[RL: Deleted]
Correct. Arthur Fairley is a Barrister specializing in criminal law, with Thomson Wilson Law in Whangarei. Another partner in the firm, Peter Magee, was involved in the earlier stages.
https://thomsonwilson.co.nz/Arthur-Fairley-Partner
He has done some interesting cases in the past of a similar nature and/or related to the background of the person we must not name. An easy way to see these in brief is to go to the link below for the Northern Advocate and enter ‘Arthur Fairley’ in the search box.
http://northernadvocate.co.nz/
It seems that, in the past (eg around 2012) he was the highest paid lawyer in Northland from legal aid funds – over $430,000 in 2012.
Update.
I was wondering whether the person we cannot name would continue to have name suppression during the trial. The court decision on April 30 2015 was to extend this until the trial but did not make it clear whether suppression would continue during the trial or whether a further application would need to be made at the start of the trial.
This Herald article on Friday seems to think that suppression will continue until the end of the trial.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/crime/news/article.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=11615353
[Moderating Note: While legally it is safe enough to repeat what is in the Herald and similar media, any in-depth discussion or hashing over this matter is strongly discouraged.
Apart from political and legal aspects of name suppression, there is very little that can be usefully said until the trial is over.
I urge everyone to consider carefully before commenting as to whether what they are about to say is legal, constructive and respects the purpose of the Court order for name suppression.]
His barrister.
I apologise Redlogix, all I wondered was who was this Fairley person. I knew it wasn’t the accused. I do realise everything is under wraps, so I shall not comment again about this. I see, though there are more comments after me who are chatting about stuff about this case which seem as innocent as mine. Sorry if I did wrong.
Hey thanks for this info veutoviper (6). Much appreciated.
I take it the numbers following the age details of the complainants, is the number of times the alleged assaults took place.
Unfolding court events originating from Monday 4 April could turn out to be one dear leader’s worst nightmare.
Now we wait for a closed case, with a closed public gallery and a possible media blackout?
Derryn Hinch is always good value for reporting news information.
Now who is AB Fairley? A pseudonym perhaps?
Counsel for the defendant.
Some of the other cases on the various dockets look quite interesting to me as well.
hi veto,
thanx for the list.
i see arthur taylor is also in court with a big wig from corrections.
also in wellys, a pre trial hearing, which i think relates to a missing person in wanganui from a few years back.
As an aside, and I hope I am within the boundaries of discussing this case appropriately, this news came up on the Herald yesterday and was posted here on TS by Paul (?) I think.
I had a look at stuff and RNZ websites but couldn’t find a thing. Nothing on tv news at 6.
I wonder if this case will be on the low down for it’s duration, with as little media attention as possible.
Yes. Suppression order stands for duration of trial at the least. That’s my understanding anyway. If its correct then that is so wrong. I cannot recall any other case where a total suppression of all aspects of a trial have occurred. Suppression of the name of the accused and/or the victims yes, but never the entire case.
Sick isn’t it when people have to pay 70-80% of their wages on rent to support investors and speculators in the Auckland property market, many of them are offshore Asian owners, NACT’s Brighter Future Policy?
Many are also offshore USians, English, Australians and other nationalities.
It’s not where they come from that’s the problem but the simple fact that they are offshore. Even ex-pat kiwis should not be able to own land/houses/businesses in NZ.
Don’t agree about ex-pats – many intend to return – only way you can afford housing these days is to work abroad.
Like eligibility for NZ Super, there should be some time limits.
“It’s not where they come from that’s the problem but the simple fact that they are offshore.”
+100
Where they come from will influence how much money they have and any advantage of exchange rates.
In a Guardian article – St Ives in Cornwall will be voting to restrict the number of homes being sold to part-time residents:
I’m actually more concerned about the cashed up, National-voting, middle class, ‘Mum-and-dad’ property investors that own way more properties around the country. They are the ones benefiting from the poverty that has rusted onto this country over the past 30 years or so.
Gordon Gekko said that “Greed is Good” and Deng Xiaoping said that “To get rich is glorious”. Who really cares about the colour of the landlord.
You don’t think that many current and former Labour and Green MPs also own plenty of investment properties all around the country?
Edit – to make my point more clear – this is a financial class problem first. Only then is it a political problem.
Given that Super by itself is a pretty modest safety net, and that for most people low risk and security for their retirement funding is a very high priority … investing in rental housing became the ONLY realistic option left open to most middle class people.
Retirement can be an extremely unpredictable thing. Some people pass on within months of stopping work, others can live on for more years than their ‘working’ life. Our wild-west stock market, infested with shark-suited insiders lost all credibility with people my generation. It will never get it back. Same with all the finance houses. Think SCF.
And most businesses are run for capital gain not cash flow. A few years back I looked seriously at several horticultural businesses. Two I really liked and wanted to do; but no matter how I cut the numbers the return on capital made no sense. The existing owners could live off their cash flow, but the real returns would come when they sold it.
And this is pretty typical everywhere you look, it’s either over-priced for tax-free capital gain, has no actual value when the owner-operator leaves, or it’s in a dying industry. So in the end even I had no choice but to stick with property. It’s not ideal but you tell me, and heaps of other middle class kiwis, what other options were open to us that we could trust.
Nail on the head. And I would ad that property is very easy to understand and reasonable easy to control the risks and it can’t disappear in a crash.
@ RedLogix
That’s a great comment from you. With your knowledge of the way things are for investment in NZ it has real gravitas. Actually I am going to copy and keep it and advise others also to do so. It is good to have something to refer to when trying to find base after reading confusing financial figures, and trying to get an understanding of why we are going downwards in an apparently modern, wealthy country.
This and a recent piece from Greek Minister Yanis Varoufakis ( spelling?) about the inevitable downward slide of world economies form a cornerstone to keep near when discussion of the future occurs. If you want the link ask and I’ll find it.
“You don’t think that many current and former Labour and Green MPs also own plenty of investment properties all around the country?”
How do you know? I just had a look at the Pecuniary interests register and it’s hard to tell what are investment properties and what aren’t.
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/mpp/mps/fin-interests
We should perhaps signal our concerns with Auckland housing by using the A-word, with a-word being for alcohol. That would refer to the housing statistics showing there has been a large rise from India and China. Which referred to makes people uncomfortable because it raises the spectre of past nasty to murderous days where the impassioned prejudices of some people against Chinese particularly, came to the fore from negative memes in society.
Last time we had a big discussion on Auckland buy ups from overseas I got to, checked out, and put up a comment with the statistics displaying the reality of people’s concerns about which foreign buyers predominated.
I did it. You can hunt for it if you want to refresh your memories.
must give a belated well done to bunnings management.
belated as it is probably a week ago that they installed defibrillators in five stores, including stores where defibs had been removed.
a union leader maxine gay, thanked the public for it’s vocal support in getting behind the workers.
it felt good, this result, after sending two e-mails to the company.
Yes, noticed that. At least they finally got something right. On the other hand Talleys are up to their old tricks again and are taking the Meat Workers Union to court, can’t remember over what. I read it yesterday on RNZ but their site is down at the moment so can’t link to it.
for “misleading and deceptive statements in the media”.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/300439/affco-taking-union-to-employment-authority
🙄
These guys must be the biggest time wasters of the Employment Relations Authority’s services. Ever.
Who agrees that it’s not a ‘conflict of interest’ for Auckland Council to remain a member of the NZ Property Council, because the latter has ‘broad public interest goals’ ?
Really?
This private sector lobby group for commercial property developers has ‘broad public interest goals’?
How about Auckland Council getting ‘legal advice’ from Meredith Connell on the matter of whether Auckland Council’s membership of the NZ Property Council was a ‘conflict of interest’ – but failing to disclose that Meredith Connell was a corporate member of the NZ Property Council?
File under ‘you couldn’t make this sh*t up’?
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
(Who believes that it is a significant and disturbing ‘conflict of interest’ for Auckland Council or CCOs to be members of private sector lobby groups such as the NZ Property Council and the Committee for Auckland.)
On some level, they have to engage with them anyway, and council and CCOs are normally among the country’s largest property investors – joining them makes some sense.
CASH ….use it or lose it ?
im continually amazed by the trusting willingness of people to become ever more dependent on the banks and on technology in general ,
picture a small coastal resort town at christmas time and the queues of shoppers at the local 4square stretch right to the back of the shop and beyond someone at the front finaly remembers their pin or finds a card from their selection that works and we all shuffle forward a foot …reminds me somewhat of sheep in a sheep yard being forced up a race .After what seems like an hour i have only one shopper in front of me , characteristically this dude whos using his card to purchase a moro bar has turned his back to me and lifts his elbows protectively to shield his pin number obliging me to look about the shop or anywhere apart from him i play the game and think about what i would like to do with his card ..tap tap tap waiting………waiting…..would you like your receit sir?yes !! ?/ he does?? gotta keep track of that dollar fifty i presume or maybe hes gonna get it out when he gets home to see if the indians have diddled him ? who knows ? we shuffle forwards a foot i buy my stuff slap the cash down and get the fuck out of there .
yes i have heard the convienience argument but it comes with the paranoia attachment not to mention when the power goes off or the computers break down but of course that could never happen….
Yep. Cash all the way with me. I love the stuff. Fast and trustworthy. We are tagged in so many ways these days that paying in cash is almost a fingers up to the watchers. Don’t start me with those that have complete faith in their smart phone banking and payments…………..
It’s also fun confusing people with cash payments.
snap.
“Cash all the way with me. I love the stuff. Fast and trustworthy. ”
how do you feel about voting electrinically?
The thought of electronic voting worries me. I understand the argument is “we live in a digital age so we need to encourage the young to vote in a medium they are familiar with”.
But just how easy is it to rig it/hack it? How can confidentiality be maintained? How hard is it to trust it? I don’t think I could be easily persuaded. You?
I’ve some times thought to myself I’m a bit paranoid about technology and how insecure our data is. But last Sunday I watched “Digital Dissidents” on Al Jazeera and realised my apprehensions were completely justified. Just your smart phone alone functions as a geographical tracking device and tracks your purchases of course, if you’re using a phone to pay for items. Your life can easily become a diary for any authority. Privacy is the issue. Now I’m glad I’ve got an old dumb phone and use cash everywhere.
Part two of Digital Dissidents is on tonight. It’s a story about whistleblowers, so by default looks at ways the public are spied upon.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2016/03/digital-
“Facebook is evil in my view, I’ve been saying this for years. […] We offer up our information and it’s just there on a plate for the spies to access. And we know they do through back doors and things. Yet that sort of information used to take them weeks or months to gather on an individual.”
Annie Machon, former British secret service agentdissidents-160323141254755.html
personally i see nothing i trust with electronic voting.
the powers that be constantly show they can not be trusted.
this past week we have the gcsb showing they have over stepped a generous mark, and not a drop of accountability.
not on facebook myself, the best summary of fb is that you are not the client you are the product.
i shall have a look at the digital dissidents.
now to stir the 3 chilli bbq sauce that is simmering on the stove (donated chillis!)
Once apon a time someone decided that they would use bits of worthless paper to trade with instead of gold dust, dead chickens or turnips and I bet they had people react in the same way as you cash is king peoples,!
+1
cash is king especially when eftpos is down, or you have no electricity.
all your digitial 0 and 1s mean nothing when you don’t have juice.
And as a shopkeeper i can guarantee you, on one of these days, if you are not known to the shop owner, you get nothing without cash when eftpos is down or there is no juice.
The problem with cash is that it allows criminal behaviour to continue. Go to a cashless society and you could pretty much eliminate all financial crime over night.
Oh noes, I won’t be able to buy anything for a few hours, oh woe is…
Oh, look flower 😀
If its that important wouldn’t you have a mobile one as back up, as long as there is cell coverage of course.
perfectly happy to trade for your gold dust an chicken bob you can keep the turnips tho
Marvelous.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/78466989/Poet-songwriter-and-politician-Colin-Craig-sues-Slater-for-publishing-his-poem
I am wondering if James Shaw understand how banks work.
https://www.greens.org.nz/policy/smarter-economy/kiwibank-can-get-low-rates-all-us
“To achieve better bank interest rates, the Green Party will:
Inject a further $100 million of capital in Kiwibank to speed its expansion into commercial banking”
Inject?!! Banks create credit dammit!!
“
Stacey Kirk seems to think that we’re only ‘manipulated’ by information that is released by the Government. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/78457614/stacey-kirk-terrorism-in-nz–what-we-know-and-why-we-cant-trust-the-government-to-tell-us-the-rest
The jihadi brides saga clearly showed that we were being ‘manipulated’ by withholding information. Funny, how some (?) people seem to think that they can only be affected by things they can see and ‘know’ to exist; this is also one of the reasons why distraction is so effective in politics.
Interesting how the Jihadi Bride Thing made major headlines here in NZ as if their were scores of NZ women heading to the Middle East, when in fact one had left from Australia.
This is a classic example of US paranoia “fear politics”, brings back memories of National’s “reds under the beds in the 1950’s and 1960’s under Holyoake and Muldoon?
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11616090
Please don’t go down the “nz inc” line James Shaw. Its a country not a fucking company.
Good on Little talking tough on banks , its a vote grabber for sure.
That’s true about NZ being a country (rather self-evidently!), but bear in mind that legally, the name NZ Inc would be an incorporated society, not a company (that would be NZ Ltd), so clearly it’s a not-for-profit entity which operates to attain its objects as set by its members, while not operating for the pecuniary gain of said members.
If we NZers are the members, that would explain a lot…
If not the World, at least the Herald Thanks God for Little Churchill !
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11615796
I guess like the ’81 Tour Little Churchill doesn’t recall where he stood on Mururoa Atoll or nuclear vessels. Being such a ballsy joker and all that.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11615484
C’mon Aud’…….don’t hold back. Hoorah Henry Cameron positively cowered in a corner of The Lincoln Room as Key licked his arse. After 20 minutes of good nosh of Obama……Key that is.