More NZ Herald fake, bullshit news. I guess it’s an advance though on the ‘scoop’ of only a few years ago when the advice was – “Have parents who can throw you a couple of hundred grand on your 21st…….”
Good on this highly motivated guy I guess but the real point is that the few who CAN do it become the ones whose rare reality ensures that most CAN’T do it…….no matter what. Two houses already and looking for a third. I’ll bet his rentals are/will be way, way more than say 25% of the average take home pay.
Therein lies the massive flaw in the NZ Herald’s fake, bullshit news. Putting lipstick on a pig. So infuriatingly glib.
And they bought before house prices really started taking off 8-9 years ago & lived at home & rented out.
Typical history masquerading as bullshit news.
And …. when the state (i.e. the people), not the money merchants and rort merchants ruled NZ, under 30’s who did not own their own homes were the exception. Most didn’t need mummy and daddy’s help either.
The third similar themed article in the Herald in one day !
What is going on ?
Do the various reporters responsible really think that this cherry picking alters the hopeless reality for the huge majority when in fact the atypical cherries they glowingly identify only oil the wheels of hopelessness for the great majority.
Probably hoping to start a war against homeowners and renters and hope for a soundbite from Labour or Greens against boomers blaming them so get the Natz up a bit in the polls and get off really scary topics like Fuck me, we now are a nation with a typhoid outbreak and our defence force are not giving humanitarian aid in Afghanistan but killing innocent people. Who knew????
See it’s spreading…. just when people thought it only affected those far away, now it’s in their own country… that’s how violence and state killing spread…
So our most esteemed Minister for Climate Change, and Tourism, doesn’t want tourist to think of Aotearoa as a “Rip Off” and therefore flags a tourist levy to help Regional/Local councils fund much needed infrastructure that is currently being swamped by the influx of visitors.
** Mrs Bennett said she was talking to local government about the need to fund infrastructure.
But she told TVNZ’s Q+A she did not support taxes that would single out tourists.
“I’m personally not a big fan … because we’re really expensive to visit,” she said.
“I mean, I don’t mind us being expensive at all, I think that we are unique, we’ve got just the best package in the world to deliver to them, but I don’t want to be seen as a rip-off.” **
Up North this summer has seen a huge increase in the freedom camping being done at our local beaches, yes it’s something most Kiwi’s have done and maybe still do occasionally, but the difference now is an almost constant tent city/camping site at these public spaces and with that comes more rubbish and more shit.
Some places have it better and some have it much, much worse but no-one can deny the police don’t police it, our council can’t and there is a need for infrastructure cause we’re all getting sick of finding turds n toilet paper just inside the bushline at our fav beach/river/picnic spot.
C’mon Paula, give our local councils a hand at sorting out the infrastructure these tourists need. We local rate payers are getting tired of being “ripped off” by a central government happy to pour tourists into the regions (collect GST) but will not help fund the best experience you want these visitors to our country to have and let’s face it another $20 ain’t gonna make much difference to visitors.
I hate to say it, and may never say it again, but Paula Bennet is right about not charging a Tourist Tax.
The tourist industry is bringing in many BILLIONS of dollars to NZ. Revenue to the government from this is not just a couple of billion dollars GST but is also tax from employees who work in the tourism industry and tax on profits of organisations who make profits from the tourist industry.
To piss off tourists with a $20 tax in the face of this is self-defeating-likely to reduce tourist numbers and leave a bad taste in the mouth of people who visit.
What is needed is a dedicated fund to install toilets and make minor improvements at freedom camping areas across the country. This would probably only need to be $50 million or so which is a drop in the bucket.
There’s plenty of custom-built levies and charges across the world.
How many really go out of their way to avoid the Heathrow tax? Certainly a few, but not enough of a percentage to affect overall tourism numbers into London.
The faster we dump low-end backpackers and attend more to higher-end tourists who don’t care about a little extra to keep this place as attractive as it is, the better.
I’m sure Goff will lose this one, but he’s still right.
Backpackers spend many hundreds of millions of dollars annually in NZ. Then they come back when they are rich and spend even more. Some of the smart ones love it so much that they settle here.
I agree with you
Taxing tourists is dumb – what would you call it? “Freedom to poo” tax comes to mind, because what are the chances the money would be used to provide facilities which, as you have pointed out, they are already essentially paying for.
If tourists have the money to fly all the way here, because let’s face it most of them come from the other side of the world, then they will have the money for a small surcharge to enter NZ. Any with a NZ passport do not pay the surcharge. Least that’s what I’d like to see.
I live in a Freedom Camping and Tourism hotspot, and at times it really sucks. More toilets and rubbish bins would be a great start. I haven’t been into the park for ages, makes me wonder if it is coping with the high volumes of visitors.
Big lesson from neoliberalism and user pays. Don’t put up charges for people that have choice. Instead ramp up compulsory charges that people are unable to avoid.
Therefore if you want extra money for tourists, don’t charge tourists or tourist businesses, charge locals on their rates instead or cut their library services, who worries about those jobs, sarc!
If you are a parking agency, charge parking at hospitals, they have no choice but to pay it.
etc etc.
We are a rip off country but mostly to our own people.
I don’t know about NZ but in the UK it was found that supermarket food were more expensive in poorer areas for the same goods as richer areas, because they could get away with it.
If you do not want to live in s+++ you need to do something about it yourself. Waiting for Government or banning tourists is very short sighted.
The problem NZ faces is that with the best of intentions it has created very worthy but very expensive regulations and whereas other countries provide long drops or similar in NZ we insist on ‘flash’ toilets with running water, music and auto doors.
But of course we are civilised and live in s+++ as previous posts have illustrated .
Come to Motueka and the surrounds, there are public long drops abound. It’s not the locals shitting in bus shelters or on the side of the road.
Crikey the locals in Golden Bay even got together to provide portaloos due to shit happening, funded it themselves, putting themselves out of pocket to protect their environment from visitors shit. Hardly seems fair. But they are being proactive about it with because of lack of assistance from the tourism promoting outgoing government.
Had to have a giggle the other day, a couple were enjoying breakfast on their deck chairs at the local supermarket carpark. I stopped to let them know there was a beach about 1km away, personally I’d rather have breakfast at the beach than in a carpark. Crack up, hope they found the beach, nice couple, language barrier was a bit tricky.
No mention of the “why” that Christchurch aquifers are drying up. No mention of dairying/irrigation. No way. But Christchurch users will have to pay for the water and/or the dams which will be needed to cope.
“A new dam scheme could help protect Christchurch’s dwindling water supply – but charging residents for the water they use is still being considered.
One of the strongest memories I have of my childhood in Christchurch is biking home from Hagley Park after Saturday sport and having a drink from a drinking fountain, constantly flowing and fed by artesian water, by a bridge crossing the stream. Cold, refreshing, free.
Or drinking from the hose in the back garden with the smell of mint under the tap.
Clean, fresh, free.
Or the family swims at Coe’s Ford.
Or looking at cockabullies in the stream by the Idris Road/Bligh’s Road corner.
Or the mad cap frivolity of the Avon Boat Race during Capping Week.
Then, long ago, looking back from our “brighter past” into the blighted future of water shortage, contamination, sedimentation and wadeability as the ‘acceptable ‘ standard.
Not far from Blighs Road at the back of a house was a ram. This used the upward pressure from artesian water to turn a rotor. 2/3 of the water was released into a creek but the other third was pumped by the ram up into a holding tank. Free water and free pump/ram.
And Lake Bryndwr near Blighs Road. An ex shingle pit full of water from the water table and big enough for small boats, swimming and picnics. Long gone as the water table and the artesian water subsided.
But folks. Think of how many more cows we have!
Laura speaks with Michael Hudson about the manipulation of economic terminology and how this process serves economic elites. Countering the narrative that privatization is better, Hudson asks: “Better for whom?”
The problem with the Greens is they do not know what ruthlessness is. Looking at their election candidate line up two things stood out for me immediately:
1) Why were Chloe and Golriz not in the top ten?
Got to be honest that I cannot name a single thing Kennedy Graham or Barry Coates have done.
2) The list – for all the Greens harping about diversity, and so on, their list seems rather white…
But on with ruthlessness. All parties develop “dead wood” at some point and the Greens are not an exception to this rule. If they were, the quiet members of their caucus would have been told to be more visible.
The Greens, like Labour also need to be bold. What about announcing judicial reform, since the numbers in prison do not seem to be holding back the crime rates.
This is a back to front situation. Little’s defamation case has begun.
Thin skinned Larry Hagman/Earl Hagaman wants a piece of Little because Little quite rightly suggested the Auditor General should investigate the the link between Hagaman’s 100K donation to the National Party and the subsequent funding of Pacific Island “aid” money that was poured into Hagaman’s resort in Niue.
Remember that? You’d be forgiven for instantly forgetting as it was a pathetic show of faux outrage from this Hagaman character. But he is, however a useful puppet for the National Party who learnt nothing from the publication of Dirty Politics.
The wrong person is on trial. Hoping this all backfires horribly on Hagaman and the National Party.
pass me a tissue, dang, lawyers milking the sympathy card.
I heard the Hagamans have already spent $200k on the case, am guessing they will want to win at all costs.
Surely a sick elderly man would not want to go through the ‘trauma’ of a court case? But still the Hagamans have ensured it goes to court, exploiting the old mans health in hopes of win.
I found some interesting stuff about Hagaman last night. It paints a picture of the real person, a man who wants to win at all costs with a loop hole exploiting legal team. It’s about his divorce settlement from his previous marriage, I found it fascinating. Tax haven anyone?
Hopefully the M.O of Hagaman can be unraveled in court this week. Agree, the statement paints a picture of a person who wants to win at all costs, driven by power mania I wonder.
He might still he think she’s in America where this is the norm, but he’s in lil ol nu zuland now and hopefully the judge can see through it.
Little should stick to his guns and mention again and again about how scenic hotels in now getting NZ public money for corporate welfare instead of aid to the people who need it!!! It’s appalling!!
Love the way the Natz lovin fucker doesn’t even bother turning up, getting his legal team to spin a story, oh to be rich and well connected to the Natz, really it’s a two class system in the legal system in this county these days!!
Pretty boring reporting by RNZ too.
Hey if Hagaman wins, we know that the justice system is dead in this country.
If he loses, even better publicity! Some old rich fucker stealing (sorry I mean being given) public money handed by Natz and then Little calls him out on it, and the rich fucker wins.
I say win win for Little either way.
We can tell it’s not good for the Natz, because not much mention of it from Granny or Spinoff.
“We only have one reputation and once that’s lost, it’s very hard to recover,” Mr Fowler says.
Hagaman’s reputation went out the window when he married for the fifth time a woman, lets face it, a generation younger than himself.
He’s American too!
In related news:
Hotel magnate Earl Hagaman is facing fresh claims from his US-based ex-wife in a landmark case spanning courts in Christchurch, Wellington and Los Angeles.
Barbara Fairbank, understood to be the third of Mr Hagaman’s former wives, has applied to a state court in Los Angeles to re-open a long-standing matrimonial property dispute.
In preparation for the trial, set down for November 10, Ms Fairbank’s US lawyers have applied to question eight New Zealand-based witnesses, including Mr Hagaman’s fifth and current wife, and two of his lawyers.
general strikes are illegal these days, and besides nobody has the vibe any more.
Nope, if you’re waiting for systemic collapse to inspire nationwide grassroots mass resistance, sadly it’ll be straight to riots and tear gas vs road flares. And we’re well away from that happening here, especially nationwide.
And with union membership below 20% combined with the fact that a general strike is illegal it would never happen.
The things we hope for and fatasise about that come about through a sense of frustration are often at odds with the real chances of them happening, in this country in particular.
The PM has made the issue political now so maybe this will have and electoral effect. He could have called for some sort of enquiry as a non-involved person but now????
“Mr Hagaman was now very ill and had been given only weeks to live and Mrs Hagaman said she decided to go ahead with the defamation suit to clear his name before he died.”
How does his having weeks to live impact on his political activities? I wouldn’t be surprised if there is another massive donation to the National Party by the Hagamans at the conclusion of this case.
God these Natz lovers can even influence politics with one food in the grave. That’s how much they feel entitled to public money!!
There used to be something called freedom of speech, and the public used to be able to complain how their tax payers dollars were being used but now rich fucker can take the money and then sue people if they complain about it!
Don’t forget the Natz used 1.775 billion of public money to bail out failed moneylender South Canterbury Finance’s assets, run by another rich fucker.
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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 ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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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 ...
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 ...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/personal-finance/news/article.cfm?c_id=12&objectid=11826272
More NZ Herald fake, bullshit news. I guess it’s an advance though on the ‘scoop’ of only a few years ago when the advice was – “Have parents who can throw you a couple of hundred grand on your 21st…….”
Good on this highly motivated guy I guess but the real point is that the few who CAN do it become the ones whose rare reality ensures that most CAN’T do it…….no matter what. Two houses already and looking for a third. I’ll bet his rentals are/will be way, way more than say 25% of the average take home pay.
Therein lies the massive flaw in the NZ Herald’s fake, bullshit news. Putting lipstick on a pig. So infuriatingly glib.
And they bought before house prices really started taking off 8-9 years ago & lived at home & rented out.
Typical history masquerading as bullshit news.
Yep, I can just see the banks lining up to lend a 20 year old 300$k, without surety from some one who has money.
These half stories piss me off.
And …. when the state (i.e. the people), not the money merchants and rort merchants ruled NZ, under 30’s who did not own their own homes were the exception. Most didn’t need mummy and daddy’s help either.
The divide between those who are taking the rent and those who pay it is the more worthy story.
What is it with the Herald……second such “get off your arse……” headline/article in one day.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11830730
Oh well……they’ve said it…….must be true…….”you’re poor you’re an indolent prick !”
Fuck off and line up in competition with Sean Spicer you squawking liar, NZ Herald.
The third similar themed article in the Herald in one day !
What is going on ?
Do the various reporters responsible really think that this cherry picking alters the hopeless reality for the huge majority when in fact the atypical cherries they glowingly identify only oil the wheels of hopelessness for the great majority.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11830874.
This is disgraceful journalism. It’s a weird, twisted, sick joke of a “Kia Kaha”.
Probably hoping to start a war against homeowners and renters and hope for a soundbite from Labour or Greens against boomers blaming them so get the Natz up a bit in the polls and get off really scary topics like Fuck me, we now are a nation with a typhoid outbreak and our defence force are not giving humanitarian aid in Afghanistan but killing innocent people. Who knew????
Scary stuff
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-01/connecticut-set-become-first-state-allow-deadly-police-drones
See it’s spreading…. just when people thought it only affected those far away, now it’s in their own country… that’s how violence and state killing spread…
Paula, Paula, Paula…………sigh!
So our most esteemed Minister for Climate Change, and Tourism, doesn’t want tourist to think of Aotearoa as a “Rip Off” and therefore flags a tourist levy to help Regional/Local councils fund much needed infrastructure that is currently being swamped by the influx of visitors.
** Mrs Bennett said she was talking to local government about the need to fund infrastructure.
But she told TVNZ’s Q+A she did not support taxes that would single out tourists.
“I’m personally not a big fan … because we’re really expensive to visit,” she said.
“I mean, I don’t mind us being expensive at all, I think that we are unique, we’ve got just the best package in the world to deliver to them, but I don’t want to be seen as a rip-off.” **
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/327974/nz-already-too-costly-for-tourist-tax-bennett
Dunedin’s Baldwin streets toilet for the stream of tourists $90k
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/320937/not-all-relieved-by-new-steepest-street-loo
Freedom camping in Queenstown
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11828359s
Golden Bay locals supplying toilet and collecting rubbish.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2016/01/golden-bay-locals-angry-about-freedom-campers.html
Nelson Councils answer angers locals
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/321661/freedom-campers-make-the-most-of-%27fabulous%27-nelson-sites
Up North this summer has seen a huge increase in the freedom camping being done at our local beaches, yes it’s something most Kiwi’s have done and maybe still do occasionally, but the difference now is an almost constant tent city/camping site at these public spaces and with that comes more rubbish and more shit.
Some places have it better and some have it much, much worse but no-one can deny the police don’t police it, our council can’t and there is a need for infrastructure cause we’re all getting sick of finding turds n toilet paper just inside the bushline at our fav beach/river/picnic spot.
C’mon Paula, give our local councils a hand at sorting out the infrastructure these tourists need. We local rate payers are getting tired of being “ripped off” by a central government happy to pour tourists into the regions (collect GST) but will not help fund the best experience you want these visitors to our country to have and let’s face it another $20 ain’t gonna make much difference to visitors.
I hate to say it, and may never say it again, but Paula Bennet is right about not charging a Tourist Tax.
The tourist industry is bringing in many BILLIONS of dollars to NZ. Revenue to the government from this is not just a couple of billion dollars GST but is also tax from employees who work in the tourism industry and tax on profits of organisations who make profits from the tourist industry.
To piss off tourists with a $20 tax in the face of this is self-defeating-likely to reduce tourist numbers and leave a bad taste in the mouth of people who visit.
What is needed is a dedicated fund to install toilets and make minor improvements at freedom camping areas across the country. This would probably only need to be $50 million or so which is a drop in the bucket.
There’s plenty of custom-built levies and charges across the world.
How many really go out of their way to avoid the Heathrow tax? Certainly a few, but not enough of a percentage to affect overall tourism numbers into London.
The faster we dump low-end backpackers and attend more to higher-end tourists who don’t care about a little extra to keep this place as attractive as it is, the better.
I’m sure Goff will lose this one, but he’s still right.
Backpackers spend many hundreds of millions of dollars annually in NZ. Then they come back when they are rich and spend even more. Some of the smart ones love it so much that they settle here.
Why on earth would you dump them?
NZ needs to cater for all markets.
I agree with you
Taxing tourists is dumb – what would you call it? “Freedom to poo” tax comes to mind, because what are the chances the money would be used to provide facilities which, as you have pointed out, they are already essentially paying for.
If tourists have the money to fly all the way here, because let’s face it most of them come from the other side of the world, then they will have the money for a small surcharge to enter NZ. Any with a NZ passport do not pay the surcharge. Least that’s what I’d like to see.
I live in a Freedom Camping and Tourism hotspot, and at times it really sucks. More toilets and rubbish bins would be a great start. I haven’t been into the park for ages, makes me wonder if it is coping with the high volumes of visitors.
Big lesson from neoliberalism and user pays. Don’t put up charges for people that have choice. Instead ramp up compulsory charges that people are unable to avoid.
Therefore if you want extra money for tourists, don’t charge tourists or tourist businesses, charge locals on their rates instead or cut their library services, who worries about those jobs, sarc!
If you are a parking agency, charge parking at hospitals, they have no choice but to pay it.
etc etc.
We are a rip off country but mostly to our own people.
“We are a rip off country but mostly to our own people.”
Ain’t that the truth. Many of our people can’t even afford to live here, let alone holiday.
I don’t know about NZ but in the UK it was found that supermarket food were more expensive in poorer areas for the same goods as richer areas, because they could get away with it.
Again, exploit the captive market, approach.
If you do not want to live in s+++ you need to do something about it yourself. Waiting for Government or banning tourists is very short sighted.
The problem NZ faces is that with the best of intentions it has created very worthy but very expensive regulations and whereas other countries provide long drops or similar in NZ we insist on ‘flash’ toilets with running water, music and auto doors.
But of course we are civilised and live in s+++ as previous posts have illustrated .
I think most tourists are coming here to buy up property and land and gamble. We have record tourists, the plane journey doesn’t seem to phase them.
Come to Motueka and the surrounds, there are public long drops abound. It’s not the locals shitting in bus shelters or on the side of the road.
Crikey the locals in Golden Bay even got together to provide portaloos due to shit happening, funded it themselves, putting themselves out of pocket to protect their environment from visitors shit. Hardly seems fair. But they are being proactive about it with because of lack of assistance from the tourism promoting outgoing government.
Had to have a giggle the other day, a couple were enjoying breakfast on their deck chairs at the local supermarket carpark. I stopped to let them know there was a beach about 1km away, personally I’d rather have breakfast at the beach than in a carpark. Crack up, hope they found the beach, nice couple, language barrier was a bit tricky.
No mention of the “why” that Christchurch aquifers are drying up. No mention of dairying/irrigation. No way. But Christchurch users will have to pay for the water and/or the dams which will be needed to cope.
“A new dam scheme could help protect Christchurch’s dwindling water supply – but charging residents for the water they use is still being considered.
Under the scheme, dams would be built on streams off the Waimakariri River, designed to store floodwater in winter and release it into the aquifers over summer.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11830681
One of the strongest memories I have of my childhood in Christchurch is biking home from Hagley Park after Saturday sport and having a drink from a drinking fountain, constantly flowing and fed by artesian water, by a bridge crossing the stream. Cold, refreshing, free.
Or drinking from the hose in the back garden with the smell of mint under the tap.
Clean, fresh, free.
Or the family swims at Coe’s Ford.
Or looking at cockabullies in the stream by the Idris Road/Bligh’s Road corner.
Or the mad cap frivolity of the Avon Boat Race during Capping Week.
Then, long ago, looking back from our “brighter past” into the blighted future of water shortage, contamination, sedimentation and wadeability as the ‘acceptable ‘ standard.
Bah!
Not far from Blighs Road at the back of a house was a ram. This used the upward pressure from artesian water to turn a rotor. 2/3 of the water was released into a creek but the other third was pumped by the ram up into a holding tank. Free water and free pump/ram.
And Lake Bryndwr near Blighs Road. An ex shingle pit full of water from the water table and big enough for small boats, swimming and picnics. Long gone as the water table and the artesian water subsided.
But folks. Think of how many more cows we have!
Think of how many more cows we have!
Think of how fewer rams we have.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11690113
You have me intrigued, ianmac. Where was Lake Bryndwr? Down Wairakei road way?
Video of Geoff Lawton’s permaculture farm. Designed to handle the 440mm of rain they got in 24 hours from Cyclone Debbie in Australia
https://twitter.com/geofflawton_/status/848403773789581312
We need to know even when it is hard to hear.
https://intercontinentalcry.org/fish-forests-conflicts-coffee-humans-affected-species-move/
England going to war with Spain over Gribraltar cause Brexit?
sure why not.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-04-02/post-brexit-tremors-theresa-may-would-go-war-protect-gibraltar
Reckon Morocco would join in over Ceuta and Melilla and make it a threesome?
naughty 🙂
ha ha nice one…I was in Ceuta last year. Very strange passing from Morocco to what looks exactly like Spain yet still in Africa.
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=18800
The Laura Flanders Show: Cheat, Lie, and Steal
Laura speaks with Michael Hudson about the manipulation of economic terminology and how this process serves economic elites. Countering the narrative that privatization is better, Hudson asks: “Better for whom?”
Author of J is for Junk Economics
The problem with the Greens is they do not know what ruthlessness is. Looking at their election candidate line up two things stood out for me immediately:
1) Why were Chloe and Golriz not in the top ten?
Got to be honest that I cannot name a single thing Kennedy Graham or Barry Coates have done.
2) The list – for all the Greens harping about diversity, and so on, their list seems rather white…
But on with ruthlessness. All parties develop “dead wood” at some point and the Greens are not an exception to this rule. If they were, the quiet members of their caucus would have been told to be more visible.
The Greens, like Labour also need to be bold. What about announcing judicial reform, since the numbers in prison do not seem to be holding back the crime rates.
Kennedy Graham organized a cross party group on how NZ can meet it’s climate change commitments. They commissioned a useful report that can be found at
http://www.vivideconomics.com/publications/net-zero-in-new-zealand
Barry Coates works hard on trade issues
This is a back to front situation. Little’s defamation case has begun.
Thin skinned Larry Hagman/Earl Hagaman wants a piece of Little because Little quite rightly suggested the Auditor General should investigate the the link between Hagaman’s 100K donation to the National Party and the subsequent funding of Pacific Island “aid” money that was poured into Hagaman’s resort in Niue.
Remember that? You’d be forgiven for instantly forgetting as it was a pathetic show of faux outrage from this Hagaman character. But he is, however a useful puppet for the National Party who learnt nothing from the publication of Dirty Politics.
The wrong person is on trial. Hoping this all backfires horribly on Hagaman and the National Party.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/328051/andrew-little's-defamation-trial-starts
And why is Little offering to pay 100 K towards the Hagamans if he is in the right ?
To offer Mr Hagaman a little succour.
The court also heard that Earl Hagaman was now 91, and that because of his poor health he was unable to attend the trial or give evidence.
Mrs Hagaman says her husband has a prelechemic blood disorder and is critically anemic.
He suffers from heart failure and recently broke his left pelvis and “has a few weeks left” to live.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/couple-suing-andrew-little-defamation-want-nearly-2-3m-in-damages
pass me a tissue, dang, lawyers milking the sympathy card.
I heard the Hagamans have already spent $200k on the case, am guessing they will want to win at all costs.
Surely a sick elderly man would not want to go through the ‘trauma’ of a court case? But still the Hagamans have ensured it goes to court, exploiting the old mans health in hopes of win.
They are really ramping up the pity party. They are totally cranking it.
I found some interesting stuff about Hagaman last night. It paints a picture of the real person, a man who wants to win at all costs with a loop hole exploiting legal team. It’s about his divorce settlement from his previous marriage, I found it fascinating. Tax haven anyone?
“[Earl’s] own declaration [and the declarations of his barristers] all testify to the fact that [Earl] has assets tied up in a complicated scheme of trusts. Rather than disclosing those assets and trusts as [Earl] is required to do by the disclosure statutes and his fiduciary obligations, [Earl] prefers to maintain his charade and pretend that any trust asset is not `his’ and therefore he is not compelled to account for it. . . ..”
Hopefully the M.O of Hagaman can be unraveled in court this week. Agree, the statement paints a picture of a person who wants to win at all costs, driven by power mania I wonder.
He might still he think she’s in America where this is the norm, but he’s in lil ol nu zuland now and hopefully the judge can see through it.
Little should stick to his guns and mention again and again about how scenic hotels in now getting NZ public money for corporate welfare instead of aid to the people who need it!!! It’s appalling!!
Love the way the Natz lovin fucker doesn’t even bother turning up, getting his legal team to spin a story, oh to be rich and well connected to the Natz, really it’s a two class system in the legal system in this county these days!!
Pretty boring reporting by RNZ too.
Hey if Hagaman wins, we know that the justice system is dead in this country.
can’t see any mention of it in Granny on their headlines and don’t have the energy to look past
Doris Day discovers she’s 95, not 93
What it’s really like to sleep with an AB
It will be interesting to see Little’s defense. I’m guessing it’s going to be solid. And if he wins, the Hagamans hand Little some good publicity.
Wouldn’t bother with the Herald. it’s a roll of loo paer. Haven’t read it for 11 years.
If he loses, even better publicity! Some old rich fucker stealing (sorry I mean being given) public money handed by Natz and then Little calls him out on it, and the rich fucker wins.
I say win win for Little either way.
We can tell it’s not good for the Natz, because not much mention of it from Granny or Spinoff.
So why is Little apologising then ?
A Clayton’s apology (such as the one Little offered) adds insult to injury.
Fascinating interview of biographer of Paul Robeson just on Radio NZ-now there is an amazing guy. Well worth a listen.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/201838973/in-search-of-paul-robeson
“We only have one reputation and once that’s lost, it’s very hard to recover,” Mr Fowler says.
Hagaman’s reputation went out the window when he married for the fifth time a woman, lets face it, a generation younger than himself.
He’s American too!
In related news:
And that’s of relevance because…?
Because he attracts controversy wherever he goes.
You should read about this guy, it’s all over the internet.
So has enough shitty things happened yet, to get people talking about a general strike, and then organizing for one?
Are you talking about here in NZ adam?
Lots of people don’t know what that is adam
general strikes are illegal these days, and besides nobody has the vibe any more.
Nope, if you’re waiting for systemic collapse to inspire nationwide grassroots mass resistance, sadly it’ll be straight to riots and tear gas vs road flares. And we’re well away from that happening here, especially nationwide.
That’s what I was going to say…………….:-)
And with union membership below 20% combined with the fact that a general strike is illegal it would never happen.
The things we hope for and fatasise about that come about through a sense of frustration are often at odds with the real chances of them happening, in this country in particular.
There will not be an inquiry into allegations an SAS raid in Afghanistan led to civilian deaths.
Prime Minister Bill English revealed that decision at his regular post-Cabinet press conference this afternoon, saying there was no basis for an inquiry.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11830976
The PM has made the issue political now so maybe this will have and electoral effect. He could have called for some sort of enquiry as a non-involved person but now????
I found this interesting.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11831045
How on earth is it not political when Hagaman is a major donor to the National Party and the National party alone?
And what has Kim Dotcom got to do with it?
“Mr Hagaman was now very ill and had been given only weeks to live and Mrs Hagaman said she decided to go ahead with the defamation suit to clear his name before he died.”
How does his having weeks to live impact on his political activities? I wouldn’t be surprised if there is another massive donation to the National Party by the Hagamans at the conclusion of this case.
I wouldn’t be surprised either. All financed by Labour.
The Hagamans are not only donors to the National Party. They have also donated to ACT.
http://www.elections.org.nz/parties-candidates/registered-political-parties/party-donations/donations-exceeding-30000/returns
God these Natz lovers can even influence politics with one food in the grave. That’s how much they feel entitled to public money!!
There used to be something called freedom of speech, and the public used to be able to complain how their tax payers dollars were being used but now rich fucker can take the money and then sue people if they complain about it!
Don’t forget the Natz used 1.775 billion of public money to bail out failed moneylender South Canterbury Finance’s assets, run by another rich fucker.