John Westgate, the defence lawyer mentioned in the article is a barrister based in Dunedin but who appears to also do cases in Christchurch, Invercargill, Queenstown etc.
Here are a few links to cases he has defended. They include the Queenstown Tindall assault case, the driver who crashed into the Hubbard’s car, and other assault cases.
Thats true, but taking into account the Dunedin hasn’t had a high court for most of the last three to four years, QT is no surprise since many end up there,more and better business.
I have just re-read the Stuff article and note that Westgate is mentioned as the man’s solicitor, while Jonathan Eaton QC is described as the Barrister in the case and was the one to seek the Chch High Court injunction against the SST naming the man or the Cabinet Minister.
That’s a high-powered legal team – not to mention expensive.
Thanks, weka. Didn’t check it, but an interesting read. Eaton’s (and Westgate’s) case histories suggest that this is possibly going to be a big case, and not one that will remain at DC level.
Surely a cabinet minster would only need to stand down if s/he was involved with the crime, the investigation or had ministerial responsibility for children, justice or police?
Yes ianmac, during Question Time. Paula Bennett made a reference to Carmel’s situation at the time of her mother’s guilty verdict. Someone will surely remember what she actually said – I can’t. I do remember the Labour members responding in disgust to Bennett’s vindictive comment.
Surprise, surprise… I don’t think she was called to “withdraw and apologise” but I may be wrong.
Anne .. I remember that too. Have just searched Hansard for Feb 25, but can’t find anything. Are you remembering it was AFTER the actual conviction then ? I can search again …
I can’t remember rawshark-yeshe. I think it must have been after the guilty plea because she would have been treading a fine legal line had she commented beforehand.
I do remember something happened in response to Madam B’s spite because she stood up and claimed she had only been responding to Sepuloni’s provocation. In other words she was suggesting Carmel started it. That was bullshit. All Carmel did was robustly question her about a social issue which was what she is supposed to do as Paula’s opposite number. Bennett was the one who introduced the personal aspect into the debating chamber.
IIRC, it was actually the press that informed Sepuloni that her mother was being brought up on charges and they were informed by the minister before Sepuloni was informed at all. It was a nasty Nat attack on Sepuloni via the MSM who had assumed that Sepuloni had already been informed.
Also note that the author of that piece can’t keep the story straight from one end to the other:
Earlier this year, Labour spokeswoman Carmel Sepuloni stepped aside while her mother was before the courts on benefit fraud charges.
Earlier this year Carmel Sepuloni was stood down from her social development spokeswoman role after her mother was charged with several counts of benefit fraud.
botox even ? maybe he got some from crusher who really does need to stop abusing it. dear crusher’s eyebrows are so very arched she has a look of permanent surprise built in .. must be disconcerting for those close to her.
not attacking but commenting on what is a dangerous habit for some. and the weirdest thing is the other facial muscles take over the work of the botox paralysed ones, and develop quite unexpectedly which leads to a great distortion over time and faces can change quite badly.
Under normal circumstances, assuming his areas of responsibility create a conflict, there are a range of options as listed below (1.3.1.1.1). The interesting aspect of this is that any public action will immediately narrow the field – how many brothers can a cabinet minister have, after all.
National’s initial response – stonewalling – doesn’t bode well for their eventual decision. I expect the correct response would have been – “yes I’m standing down and if you report that you’ll breach a suppression order.”
I expect they’ll do precisely nothing. It’s not that this one appears to be the sharpest tool in the ministerial shed so goodness knows why they think they’ll be missing something. If someone was going to step aside/been asked to step aside it would have been done already
“how many brothers can a cabinet minister have, after all.”
I dunno, one or more of them have quite big families
I think, really, if a PM can go around dodging the law for his own openly admitted and socially condoned misdeeds, then the degree of seperation between siblings of MP’s is irrelevent, not in the public interest, and not even news. If people only get worked-up because of the type of crime, but otherwise believe the law applies only when it’s convenient, then it’s not a matter of law, or principle.
Carmel stepping down was a complete idiocy. Hard to be an effective opposition when your own values are so puritanical you fire yourself for things that your opponent can’t comprehend. Especially so, if most of your electorate think the same way as your opponent, secretly, and do the same everyday. The outraged noise people make has no relation to their actual personal values. The end may not justify the means, but who said a politician had to continue with less-than-pure means past the short term end of actually winning?
I agree she shouldn’t of stood down and neither should the nat mp unless he’s linked somehow. No one should be held back because of the sins of there ralitives.
taking no action;
enquiring as to whether all affected parties will consent to the member’s or official’s involvement;
seeking a formal exemption to allow participation (if such a legal power applies);
imposing additional oversight or review over the official;
withdrawing from discussing or voting on a particular item of business at a meeting;
exclusion from a committee or working group dealing with the issue;
re-assigning certain tasks or duties to another person;
agreement or direction not to do something;
withholding certain confidential information, or placing restrictions on access to information;
transferring the official (temporarily or permanently) to another position or project;
relinquishing the private interest; or
resignation or dismissal from one or other position or entity.
Dealing with COIs is commonplace in industrial and academic circles. Not sure how you justify ignoring them in politics.
“I agree she shouldn’t of stood down and neither should the nat mp unless he’s linked somehow. No one should be held back because of the sins of there ralitives.”
It’s not about being responsible for the sins, it’s about conflict of interest.
If, for example, it were the Minister of Police who’s brother were facing charges, there would be a clear conflict of interest for the minister.
If it were Minister of Replacing Lightbulbs in John Key’s office (or whatever the fuck it is they’ve got Paula doing these days) then there probably wouldn’t be much of a conflict.
Perceived conflict of interest.
Sepuloni standing down for the duration removed any possibility of a conflict, or of an innocent question being mistaken as interference.
Minister of Replacing Lightbulbs. Totally succinct comment. As the Nats are full of 1930’s vintage, single carbon filament, low wattage types, it would be easy to say that describes them all.
Note how Stuff put
“Carmel Sepuloni was stood down” but at the time
“We have agreed she will step aside” was what Andrew Little said after he appears to have been told very promply by Carmel.
So it looks like Carmel had a part in the stand down and accepted it as a responsibilty for her not some thing imposed on her by the boss.
Stuffs comment kinda implies otherwise. It’s a small thing I know but.. Mischief making. Not that any Nact ever seems to vountarily fall on their sword
Sepuloni wasn’t fired. She returned as soon as the conflict of interest was no longer an issue.
It’s a perfectly acceptable way of dealing with such conflicts of interest when they arise. Your cynicism notwithstanding, many people understand that they are toxic because they lead to poor decisions being made.
I agree that the National Party has plumbed new depths of corruption and denial in this regard. Even in their ranks there’s disquiet over it.
IIRC Sepuloni did not cease to be a politician and MP. From one of the links in comment 1.2.1.3:
”Carmel Sepuloni will remain on the front bench and as the party’s junior whip.”
Sepuloni did not know anything till it became public knowledge and quick action on the same day was aimed to deal with possible spill-over and public perception.
As it turned out, it was a temporary measure as Sepuloni’s mother pleaded guilty the next day so it was not going to be a long drawn-out legal affair, etc.
IMO, it was the best action under the circumstances and has left no real ammunition for others to attack Sepuloni, Little, or the Labour Party with. So, at the end of the day (…), ‘the end did justify the means’.
I think Carmel Sepuloni standing down was the best thing overall, because of her responsibility for welfare. A police minister, for example, should be required to stand down if a member of their family is charged with any criminal offence.
NAct people seem to have a real problem keeping things consensual and legal, don’t they? I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll see a British type of scandal down here.
English has at least one brother, Smith has four, Brownlee was hatched from a goose’s egg, Woodhouse is the fifth of nine children.
Don’t know of any other male Cabinet Ministers from the South Island except John Key and he is so obviously an only child it’s not even worth looking up.
One of the above would have a very serious conflict of interest due to the nature of their portfolio.
In their infinite wisdom the WordPress designers decided to change the defaults. They have apparently missed some out. It is possible to revert. Can’t be bothered…
According to the article, the actual case is scheduled for a District Court hearing (location not specified) – but the interim injunction on naming was issued by a Christchurch High Court judge, presumably pending the DC hearing considering a submission for name suppression.
Key is not an only child. He has two older sisters here in NZ. He also has two much older half-brothers in the UK. IIRC English has at least two brothers.
“The problem here is that they have to step down, as per Carmel Sepuloni, and stepping down will breach name suppression.
Convenient, eh.”
Two ways to look at that. One is that if there were a conflict of interest the Minister would have stepped down by now for personal or family reasons, but since there isn’t, they haven’t. The other is that it’s National, and why would they do the right thing unless they were forced to?
or all the four cabinet ministers that fit the criteria could stand down, Key could reshuffle the lot and we would be none the wiser on the specifics. Well no further ahead than now
Likely. As I have no idea who it is, So to conform to the reported suppression, I will just limit people saying explicitly which minister it is.
I also note that there has been nothing reported about the alleged victims seeking suppression.
Mind you, after the questions on how Carmel’s mothers name got into media, I am only inclined to follow the letter of suppression orders when it comes to the politically associated.
If it is good enough for Paula Bennett to play games with the courts and relatives, then I can’t be bothered fighting dirty politics with my hands tied….
He refers repeatedly to the “advice” he’s received, but (as he made plain on HardTalk) he views the purpose of “advice” as being to endorse the decision he wants, rather than a genuinely impartial and expert opinion of what should be done; and
if “there is no conflict of interest”, then surely there is no “issue” than “can be managed”.
ha ha excellent idea Philip. I would like “The Craven-Spineless Wharf”
I’d like to know why 5 councilors failed to turn up to that crucial wharf vote?
And wasn’t a judicial review of the non-notified wharf resource consent contemplated by opponents? Sounds like a role for “givealittle” here to fund this.
Sounds good medicine in the present housing climate. And then reduce the number of immigrants. We need to sop behaving like Mr Cresote taking more on all the time. Is there a medical doctor in the House that can administer it plus laxative to those sitting with minds and ends bound up and stultified?
I am not happy about the many ordinary people who might have their lives ruined when the bubble bursts. I have seen the disruption it causes in good people’s lives as they try and adjust to financial difficulties and their drop in the pecking order when they have been working hard, bettering themselves and doing all the right things.
I have a close friend with a daughter who has FASD, and the disability is heartbreaking and permanent.
After years of reading and researching this condition in an effort to provide support, I despair when I read reassurances by experts in newspaper articles that moderate or light drinking is fine. (An obvious problem with this is that people’s ideas of moderate or light vary greatly).
That is also the recommendation I was receiving while I was pregnant.
Knowing now the damage that can be caused, only abstinence is the reassurance most mothers would need to avoid this syndrome.
Pity governments do not listen to the public and experts on the matter.
NZLC R114 Alcohol In Our Lives: Curbing the Harm
‘Key policy recommendations include:
_ the introduction of a new Alcohol Harm Reduction Act;
_ raising the price of alcohol by an average of 10% through excise tax increases;
_ regulating irresponsible promotions that encourage the excessive consumption, or purchase, of alcohol;
_ returning the minimum purchase age for alcohol to 20;
_ strengthening the rights and responsibilities of parents for the supply of alcohol to minors;
_ introducing national maximum closing hours for both on and off-licences; ( 4am and 10pm respectively )
_ increasing the ability of local people to influence how and where alcohol is sold in their communities;
_ increasing personal responsibility for unacceptable or harmful behaviours induced by alcohol, including a civil cost recovery regime for those picked up by the police when grossly intoxicated;
_ moving over time to regulate alcohol advertising and sponsorship.
For those concerned Aucklanders who want to ‘stand up and be counted’ against Mayor Len Brown’s , (in my view) treacherous sellout – supporting the Ports of Auckland ‘compromise’ in extending one wharf?
PROTEST!
WHEN: Today – Sunday : May 2015
TIME: 11am
WHERE: Quay Street
What is happening here, in my view, is a disgrace.
Where’s the fire? What’s the rush?
The legality of the (non-notified) resource consents upon which these wharf extensions are based, as I understand it,, are still before the Court.
The idea that the wharf extension work can go ahead – then be ‘deconstructed’ at a later date, if found in Court to be illegal, is simply madness, in my view.
It is not just multi-national shipping companies or overseas cruise ship companies that have an interest in the Ports of Auckland and how that land is developed, or harbour ‘reclaimed’.
Why on earth would you charge ahead with wharf extension work, before full, proper, comprehensive, consultation and consideration of the issues involved?
Whose interests are being served in this unseemly and ill-considered rush?
Follow the dollar?
What do concerned citizens need to do to STOP extension work on the wharves?
Physically occupy them?
What a disaster this corporate-controlled Auckland ‘Supercity’ (for the 1%) has been for the majority of citizens and ratepayers!
Somebody should maybe apply for a “stop-work” directive now while the court decides whether the wharf consents should have been publicly notified.
Given the completely bleedin’ obvious public interest in this matter I would have thought that the court action to have the wharf consent publicly notified has a high chance of success. In fact by backing down on one wharf POAL have already considerably weakened their case.
I don’t think POAL can argue that this work is in any way urgent.
What a delightful idea of Jonathan Milne (Editorial in Stuff) to name John Key “Father of the Year”. I’m sure every child would be thrilled to have a father who has sexually harassed a young woman and, thereby, made himself an international laughing stock!
That’s a bit hard, perhaps – as adults we make our own decisions for our own reasons and we don’t always do things the way our parents would like us to. Interesting that she feels the need to explore that subject, though, as she has perhaps received some negative or disempowering messages about women in her upbringing.
ah …. now I see what you mean! (at first I was confused as to the kind of skid marks you were meaning). my judgment was obviously clouded when I first read your comment @PU – Mediawatch in the background where the name Hosking was getting a run
Sums things up fairly well really.
What’s really sad is that such a huge proportion of the population has become so disengaged, so utterly disinterested and completely dumbed down they’re unable to see the bleeding obvious when it jumps up and bites them in the bum.
My biggest hope that any new government will recognise just how huge the media’s role in all of this has been and they commit to a PSB system.
I saw that dick Jamie White on the panel afterwards praising prat English and how debt really was not a problem. Funny that I thought, wasn’t the vast amount of debt left by Muldoon, that fucking Douglas, you know Douglas who founded the Act party, used as an excuse to pillage the country’s infrastructure to sell off to every known spiv to mankind.
Jamie Whyte’s thinking about the end game. Running up debt is not serious for us, our descendants will take care of it. Selling off the education system will make billions and save billions … and hospitals … and anything else.
Congratulations, it’s a royal! So what’s the new sprog going to be called?
I’m told Prince Philip is keen on naming the newbie Nigella Faragia, but according to the betting sites I’ve consulted the most popular options are Borisina at 6/2, Cameronella 8/2, and the favourite, Dame Margaret Hilda Thatcher Windsor, at 7/4.
I have second hand anecdotal word that serco prisons are far more violent than state ones ,contraband is more freely available ,prisoners spend more time locked down due to lower staff numbers. But the menus better.
I’ve just been reading John Cleese’s bio. He has been Labour, SDP and ha views on the Liberal Democrats, and was for proportional representation.
Of the present. Talking to Der Spiegel in 2015, Cleese took a critical position on how the things were in the world. He told he had reached a point when he “saw that our existence here is absolutely hopeless. I see the rich people have got a stranglehold on us. If somebody had said that to me when I was 20, I would have regarded him as a left-wing loony.”[51] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cleese
“Three deadly road accidents in one week, involving expensive cars driven by super-rich young Iranians, have dominated the past week’s news in Iran – especially after the country’s supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, used a meeting with police chiefs to criticise fast-driving, wealthy youngsters. Khamenei said: “I hear that young people from the generation of wealth, a generation intoxicated by their money, are driving luxury cars and parading in the streets, making the streets insecure. . . This is an example of psychological insecurity.”1
“The cars involved in these accidents were Porsches, Ferraris and Maseratis driven by sons and daughters of ayatollahs or their cronies. . .”
I’m sick of Trophy Hunters trying to excuse their grim sport by saying they provide a service. They exploit the needs of the poor. They pay lots of money to go and shoot a magnificent animal because the authorities need the cash, and then claim they are doing a good deed.
If they really wanted to do a good deed they would donate the money, and NOT shoot the animal. They would be heroes then. As opposed to murdering scum.
This unnecessary killing is one of horrible effects of the ‘market’ where everything is for sale.
Ornish goes to argue that protein and saturated fat increase the risk of mortality and chronic disease. As evidence for these causal claims, he cites a handful of observational studies. He should know better. These types of studies—which might report that people who eat a lot of animal protein tend to develop higher rates of disease—“only look at association, not causation,” explains Christopher Gardner, a nutrition scientist at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. They should not be used to make claims about cause and effect; doing so is considered by nutrition scientists to be “inappropriate” and “misleading.” The reason: People who eat a lot of animal protein often make other lifestyle choices that increase their disease risk, and although researchers try to make statistical adjustments to control for these “confounding variables,” as they’re called, it’s a very imperfect science. Other large observational studies have found that diets high in fat and protein are not associated with disease and may even protect against it. The point is, it’s possible to cherry-pick observational studies to support almost any nutritional argument.
We have to eat and a good, healthy diet with a variety of fresh foods (including meat) seems to be the best option. And that makes animals killed for food a necessary killing.
I won’t bother replying to you after this as, quite frankly, the argument’s just not worth the time.
I see little is now polling lower than cunliff and shearer, peters has taken over as opposition, greens and labour relationship dysfunctional, national on 49pc, all trending well for 2017
Why Key 49%? It has just occurred to me, late, that we are no longer looking at politicians as servants of the country and the people, we are looking at them from a point of view of them appearing in a reality show. Key is the most amusing, fluent and attention-grabbing on offer. He could be replaced by, is it, Paul Henry if he can keep his ratings up. Understanding the reality of reality shows for life is the answer I think.
Collins will roll key next year then she will become the next Shipley kicked out at the next election to spend the rest of her life putting her snout in one trough after the other.
And it’s a win for Mayweather, unanimous on points.
All 3 judges in favour of Mayweather.
116-112×2 & 118-110 all judges for FM
Floyd “We did what we had to do tonight… I’m a calculated fighter and he’s a tough fighter.”
Pacquiao says “I thought I won the fight, he didn’t do nothing.”
Snippets from news items. [I am sure you WANT to know this!]
As Mayweather put it: “Tickets are going for between $8,000 and $400,000 to $500,000. You know, we call this the billionaire boys’ club.”
Plenty have stumped up big bucks to be there, with Tony Buzbee, an attorney who paid $74,000 for a pair of 12th-row seats, telling CNN: “It’s going to be a once in a lifetime type of fight, and I’m going to be there just for the event of it all.
Pacquiao fan Mark Sarmiento, paid $7,500 to be there,
Here’s a look at the numbers behind the boxers:
60:40 — revenue split in favor of Mayweather.
$300-400m — the estimated total revenue for the May 2 bout.
38 — Mayweather’s age; two years older than his opponent.
5 — The number of years it took to strike a deal between the two boxers.
$1.5m — How much Pacquiao’s shorts alone will be worth after six companies bid for sponsorship space.
$25,000 — The value of the mouth guard adorned with diamonds and gold Mayweather will wear on fight night.
$1,500 — starting price for tickets in U.S. dollars.
8 — Pacquiao is the first and only eight-division world champion with 10 world titles to his name.
1 — Mayweather’s ranking on last year’s Forbes highest-paid athletes list.
$105m — The amount “Money” earned last year.
$180,000 — The price ringside tickets had skyrocketed to by April 27 (5 days before the fight.)
16,800 — Capacity at the MGM Grand Garden arena where the fight will take place.
5 — The number of boxers Pacquiao and Mayweather have both fought. The “famous five”: Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto.
$100 — The fee pay-per-view subscribers will shell out to watch the fight, which will be aired jointly on Showtime and HBO.
$300m — Expected pay-per-view buys with the most sales coming from U.S., Puerto Rican and Canadian markets, according to Repucom.
$5.6m — The winning bid for official fight sponsorship by Tecate beer.
57 — The number of wins throughout Pacquiao’s career. Mayweather has less at 47 wins, but…
0 — Mayweather remains undefeated in his fight career (Pacquiao, on the other hand, has suffered 5 losses.)
.@FloydMayweather got hanged a check for $100 million tonight. "There's nothing you can buy anymore." #MayPac— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 3, 2015
I miss my boxing but refuse to pay sky for 50 channels of shit so I can get pay per view. Look forward to the day I can buy only what I want to view.
For all I know mayweather is the right full winner It just brings me down when the guy with the white hat loses.
Cheers for the stats.
Just when you start thinking things couldn’t get weirder .
If Collins isn’t gunning for key I’ll eat my hat, imagine if that photo was taken in keys house!!!
Collins is on an upwards march and she won’t stop till she sits at the top of the pile. Curious to know who is the spin merchant she has hired to do her PR. Hooton would know which one of his ilk has a clean enough record to do the job?
On the bright side between the stuff and tv3 articles I’ve seen in the last day I’ve only seen one pro Collins comment from the I reckon crowd and that was from a rwnj .
“”The advice I’ve received is that there is no conflict of interest and the issue can be managed. People appreciate that Cabinet ministers, like anyone else, have family but I’m quite confident the position can be managed.”
The server had an error with its mail system yesterday. One of its virtual drives dropped out due to windows server munting its structure.
Last night while restarting the system after fixing that, it uncovered a InnoDB database index error. Maybe from the power plug problem earlier in the week.
It’d work most of the time, but the database that The Standard runs on would abruptly crash while reading comments (or just counting them for posts). The safety system would restart the database, and then it’d do the same thing a few minutes later. Damn irritating getting slow pages and the odd message about the database not being available.
After a bit of pain trying several ways of fixing that, I extracted the database using a kludge to bypass the errors and rebuilt the database from scratch.
No comments appear to have been lost, just some sleep and probably some words of wisdom from offshore.
I now suspect that the database error has been there a while. All of a sudden the database backups got faster and quieter, the way they were last month when I made them nice.
“One of its virtual drives dropped out due to windows server munting its structure.
Yep. I understand that sentence, I think. As for the rest – I’m pleased you’re there to sort it. Thanks so very much. Sorry about your destroyed sleep,
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
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 ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
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, ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The 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. ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
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 ...
A new report on protecting journalism and democracy in New Zealand recommends a levy be charged on global platforms like Facebook and Google to fund media firms undertaking public interest reporting. It also calls for the reinstatement of a powerful Broadcasting Commission to distribute public funding for journalism and other ...
On International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi and the wider union movement are celebrating the proud history of the labour movement during a tough time for working people. ...
From bills to beards, a walk through the former Green co-leader’s time in politics. After close to a decade in politics, James Shaw is preparing to bid farewell to parliament. Tonight will see the former minister deliver his valedictory address, certain to be a speech filled with Shaw’s trademark wit ...
Two months ago, MPs unanimously voted to give themselves a week off in Efeso Collins’ honour. On Tuesday, most were too busy to give even an hour of their time. The day Fa’anānā Efeso Collins died, parliament felt different. In a building that operates at a breakneck pace, everyone stopped ...
India’s election involves hundreds of millions of people and is a months-long affair. Here’s how voting works and what’s at stake.The biggest-ever election in world history started on April 19, with more than 10% of the world’s population eligible to vote. Elections in India, the world’s most populous country ...
After the Christchurch earthquake, the then-national civil defence boss compared his experience to “putting a team on the rugby field who have never ever played together before”. Now, eight years later – and following a damning inquiry into the emergency response of cyclones Gabrielle, Hale and the Auckland anniversary weekend floods – ...
“I had just come off the end of a major robbery case which I had been working on for six months when I got a call on the afternoon of September 1, 1992, that some remains had been found at a building site in Devonport, so I drove over with ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 1 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Comment: Journalists are very good at telling other people’s stories, but they fall well short when writing about their own profession. Perhaps that is why it is so undervalued. Every successive poll on the public’s attitude toward journalism is more alarming than the last. In the last month we have ...
Opinion: A young Māori woman and her Pacific partner arrive at their local hospital by ambulance. She has gone into labour at just under 24 weeks, but the couple haven’t recognised the symptoms – and don’t know the risks of premature birth for their baby. By the time they arrive, ...
Behind closed doors, NZ First will be arguing fiercely against any watering down of the ministerial decision-making powers in the Bill The post Bishop backtracks after fast-track backlash appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Emotional scenes played out in the Invercargill courthouse on the first two days of the coronial inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones, in which the boy’s mother was accused of disposing of her son’s body. The second season of Newsroom’s award-nominated podcast The Boy in the Water ...
Opinion: The impression from the carpark is very inviting. The area is well fenced but barred so there is easy visibility of loved ones. Inside, the spaces are welcoming and clean and staff are friendly and clearly comfortable. I am greeted by ‘Kim’. She has worked here for three years, ...
Asia Pacific Report A Pacific civil society alliance has condemned French neocolonial policies in Kanaky New Caledonia, saying Paris is set on “maintaining the status quo” and denying the indigenous Kanak people their inalienable right to self-determination. The Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs) Alliance, representing some 15 groups, said in ...
Koi Tū New Zealand cannot sit back and see the collapse of its Fourth Estate, the director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, Sir Peter Gluckman, says in the foreword of a paper published today. The paper, “If not journalists, then who?” paints a picture of an industry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Foreign investment proposals with implications for Australia’s strategic or economic security will face tougher scrutiny, under a policy overhaul to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday. At the same time, the government ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...
A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
Protesting the removal of bins by leaving piles of your dog’s shit for others to deal with doesn’t make you a hero – it’s precious and entitled behaviour. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve stood on the shoreline of Auckland’s Cheltenham beach, desperately trying to scoop increasingly liquid dog shit ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
Writer, teacher and academic Vincent O’Sullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kākā. Miraculously, through the ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a burnt-out corporate escapee explains how she gets by ‘working as little as possible’. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 31 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Contractor in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Schmidt, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Albert Russ / Shutterstock The icebreaker of many a barbeque conversation is something like “what do you do for a crust?” “I teach chemistry at university,” is what we usually reply. Then silence. Our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Flynn, Associate Professor of Criminology, Monash University Shutterstock Sexual harassment is often considered to be a person-to-person act, but new research shows Australians are also experiencing and perpetrating workplace harassment in large numbers through technology. Our latest study shows one ...
A petition signed by more than 16,500 people, demanding the government take stronger action to halt the genocide of Palestinians by the State of Israel, is being presented to the House of Representatives today by Hon Phil Twyford. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University jenmartin/Shutterstock April has been a bad month for the Australian environment. The Great Barrier Reef was hit, yet again, by intense coral bleaching. And Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek delayed ...
Winston Peters might not give a ‘rat’s derriere’ about last night’s poll, but it revealed the unusual absence of a honeymoon period and little payoff for the government’s action plan approach, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco de Jong, Lecturer, Law School, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Details released by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Official Information Act reveal New Zealand officials have been considering involvement in AUKUS from the outset. ...
The government's treatment of Māori raised eyebrows, with countries saying New Zealand needed to do more to reduce health, education and justice inequities. ...
The age of criminal responsibility was one of numerous human rights issues raised during Aotearoa New Zealand’s UPR. Other key themes were racism and discrimination, the disproportionate representation of Māori in prison, and to uphold the UN Declaration ...
In a sitdown interview ahead of his final day at Parliament this week, the former Green Party co-leader tells RNZ about his lowest point during 2017's rough election campaign. ...
Is the fringe radio station really in a financial crisis, or is it just running a hyped-up donation drive? Fringe internet radio station Reality Check Radio was launched by the anti-vaccine mandates group Voices for Freedom in March 2023. For the next year, it undertook probably the most aggressive promotional ...
Above the Fold: On Monday, the biggest Māori screen production company faced down the biggest funder of Māori content at the High Court. It was an incredibly tense moment – then, just as quickly, it resolved. Duncan Greive breaks down a strange day in the screen sector.Yesterday morning, Māori ...
When it comes to talking about the Government’s controversial fast-track consenting process, political scientist Richard Shaw refers to the famous Chinese sci-fi novel Three-Body Problem, while RNZ’s In Depth journalist Farah Hancock talks about zombie projects. Shaw is referring to the three-party coalition Government and how the proposed legislation is ...
Opinion: The debate over single gender versus co-educational schooling has long been controversial. I went to a co-ed school and was inspired by a remarkable woman who was my maths teacher, and because of her deep knowledge and passion for the subject, I knew that maths was definitely an option ...
He won everything and he earned a knighthood and he was a senior literary figure to the point that he was a living monument to himself until his death in the weekend at 86, but there was something about Vincent O’Sullivan that flew under the radar, that was independent and ...
How many cabinet ministers have brothers?
The problem here is that they have to step down, as per Carmel Sepuloni, and stepping down will breach name suppression.
Convenient, eh.
There is a lot of detail in that article.
Stuff weren’t very discreet.
there’s a lot of rumours here in dunedin.
According to the article, the High Court was Christchurch
yeah but not the mp
Lawyer Dn based.
John Westgate, the defence lawyer mentioned in the article is a barrister based in Dunedin but who appears to also do cases in Christchurch, Invercargill, Queenstown etc.
Here are a few links to cases he has defended. They include the Queenstown Tindall assault case, the driver who crashed into the Hubbard’s car, and other assault cases.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=11289574
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=11140534
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=11133195
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=11126359
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=10896693
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=10888317
Thats true, but taking into account the Dunedin hasn’t had a high court for most of the last three to four years, QT is no surprise since many end up there,more and better business.
Aah??? Dunedin still has a High Court, with resident, not circuit, judges.
https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/courts/dunedin
I have just re-read the Stuff article and note that Westgate is mentioned as the man’s solicitor, while Jonathan Eaton QC is described as the Barrister in the case and was the one to seek the Chch High Court injunction against the SST naming the man or the Cabinet Minister.
That’s a high-powered legal team – not to mention expensive.
Here is some info on Eaton (who is Chch based) and the cases he has defended.
http://www.bridgesidechambers.co.nz/jonathan-eaton/
The link to his CV (PDF) makes interesting reading.
This article is also very interesting (including the pictures). Eaton defended Graham Capill in more ways than one ….
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/…/Unlucky-suit-no-bar-to-becoming-QC
strange, that link didn’t work. Here is is again,
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8715562/Unlucky-suit-no-bar-to-becoming-QC
Thanks, weka. Didn’t check it, but an interesting read. Eaton’s (and Westgate’s) case histories suggest that this is possibly going to be a big case, and not one that will remain at DC level.
Surely a cabinet minster would only need to stand down if s/he was involved with the crime, the investigation or had ministerial responsibility for children, justice or police?
Trying to remember if National made any nasty remarks at Carmel at that time?
i don’t recall any..
I guess the Nats were silent about Sepuloni in anticipation of their own imminent court case, not for the decency or the goodness of their heart.
I seem to remember it was the Nats who ‘exposed’ Carmel Sepuloni ?? I recall being very angry at them … maybe it’s just my natural state these days. 🙁
This story from TV3News has Andrew Little stating clearly that Carmel had no knowledge “of the ordeal’
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/carmel-sepulonis-mother-due-in-court-2015022605#axzz3Z1E0H7Ij
It always had the stench of dirty politics to me.
And here .. TVOne News claiming to be first to discover the story … ( “Hello Corin — Jason here” and all that). It still stinks.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/labour-welfare-spokesperson-stood-down-mother-faces-benefit-fraud-charges-6242031
Yes ianmac, during Question Time. Paula Bennett made a reference to Carmel’s situation at the time of her mother’s guilty verdict. Someone will surely remember what she actually said – I can’t. I do remember the Labour members responding in disgust to Bennett’s vindictive comment.
Surprise, surprise… I don’t think she was called to “withdraw and apologise” but I may be wrong.
Anne .. I remember that too. Have just searched Hansard for Feb 25, but can’t find anything. Are you remembering it was AFTER the actual conviction then ? I can search again …
I can’t remember rawshark-yeshe. I think it must have been after the guilty plea because she would have been treading a fine legal line had she commented beforehand.
I do remember something happened in response to Madam B’s spite because she stood up and claimed she had only been responding to Sepuloni’s provocation. In other words she was suggesting Carmel started it. That was bullshit. All Carmel did was robustly question her about a social issue which was what she is supposed to do as Paula’s opposite number. Bennett was the one who introduced the personal aspect into the debating chamber.
Must have been after Carmel was returned to her spot.
which seems to be March 5 2015 but the house did not sit again til March 10 .. can’t find it, but I know it’s there !
IIRC, it was actually the press that informed Sepuloni that her mother was being brought up on charges and they were informed by the minister before Sepuloni was informed at all. It was a nasty Nat attack on Sepuloni via the MSM who had assumed that Sepuloni had already been informed.
Also note that the author of that piece can’t keep the story straight from one end to the other:
Same fucken article, two different meanings.
indeed. but we are trying to find Bennett’s attack on her in the house …
I could be remembering it wrong and the attack was what started the whole rigmarole in the first place.
The article makes clear it’s a ‘he’.
He can’t stand down because doing so would breach name suppression. He has to stand down under the circumstances you’ve outlayed.
Is the National Party capable of negotiating this ethical minefield? Of course not. What will their self-interest dictate?
Where does it refer to the gender of the minister?
This sentence in the Stuff article:
The minister did not respond yesterday to questions about whether he would stand down while the case was before the court.
Ah thanks. Well that narrows it down considerably.
might also explain why one Hon from down there has had a perpetual misery face for the last few months.
I think he looks like he was frozen while emotionally transitioning between abject misery and outrageous smugness.
Must be Lumberwhare then, mind you his frozen rictus never changes much.
lol felix.
botox even ? maybe he got some from crusher who really does need to stop abusing it. dear crusher’s eyebrows are so very arched she has a look of permanent surprise built in .. must be disconcerting for those close to her.
not attacking but commenting on what is a dangerous habit for some. and the weirdest thing is the other facial muscles take over the work of the botox paralysed ones, and develop quite unexpectedly which leads to a great distortion over time and faces can change quite badly.
Under normal circumstances, assuming his areas of responsibility create a conflict, there are a range of options as listed below (1.3.1.1.1). The interesting aspect of this is that any public action will immediately narrow the field – how many brothers can a cabinet minister have, after all.
National’s initial response – stonewalling – doesn’t bode well for their eventual decision. I expect the correct response would have been – “yes I’m standing down and if you report that you’ll breach a suppression order.”
That isn’t what happened though.
I expect they’ll do precisely nothing. It’s not that this one appears to be the sharpest tool in the ministerial shed so goodness knows why they think they’ll be missing something. If someone was going to step aside/been asked to step aside it would have been done already
“how many brothers can a cabinet minister have, after all.”
I dunno, one or more of them have quite big families
Bill English has 10 siblings, Woodhouse has 8 (according to the internets).
Woodhouse has 5 brothers.
http://michaelwoodhouse.co.nz/index.php?/archives/1-Maiden-Speech-to-the-House.html
I don’t think FJK even requires that, going by past events.
I think, really, if a PM can go around dodging the law for his own openly admitted and socially condoned misdeeds, then the degree of seperation between siblings of MP’s is irrelevent, not in the public interest, and not even news. If people only get worked-up because of the type of crime, but otherwise believe the law applies only when it’s convenient, then it’s not a matter of law, or principle.
Carmel stepping down was a complete idiocy. Hard to be an effective opposition when your own values are so puritanical you fire yourself for things that your opponent can’t comprehend. Especially so, if most of your electorate think the same way as your opponent, secretly, and do the same everyday. The outraged noise people make has no relation to their actual personal values. The end may not justify the means, but who said a politician had to continue with less-than-pure means past the short term end of actually winning?
i think with carmel her spokesperson- role was factored into her?/the decision to stand down..
tho’ i thought it was an over-reaction/wasn’t needed..
I agree she shouldn’t of stood down and neither should the nat mp unless he’s linked somehow. No one should be held back because of the sins of there ralitives.
There are a range of options:
Dealing with COIs is commonplace in industrial and academic circles. Not sure how you justify ignoring them in politics.
“I agree she shouldn’t of stood down and neither should the nat mp unless he’s linked somehow. No one should be held back because of the sins of there ralitives.”
It’s not about being responsible for the sins, it’s about conflict of interest.
If, for example, it were the Minister of Police who’s brother were facing charges, there would be a clear conflict of interest for the minister.
If it were Minister of Replacing Lightbulbs in John Key’s office (or whatever the fuck it is they’ve got Paula doing these days) then there probably wouldn’t be much of a conflict.
I would have thought minister of police or some such would have stepped aside when he knew his brother was facing charges.
That’s taking responsibility for the conflict of interest. Responsibility – something the NActs are big on, they say.
well yes, of course ! But these are the Nacts. Nothing decent to be expected in any direction.
Imagine the conflict for such a minister !
It’s not about being responsible for the sins, it’s about conflict of interest
Including blackmail
Such ‘preferences’ are unlikely to be those of ‘recent first timers’ and so direct family relationship becomes very relevant to the discussion
No doubt the lodges will be a hive of activity
Perceived conflict of interest.
Sepuloni standing down for the duration removed any possibility of a conflict, or of an innocent question being mistaken as interference.
Yes sorry, perceived conflicts and potential conflicts.
Seriously funny comment Felix. Minister of Replacing Lightbulbs. They’re all 1930’s vintage single filament incandescents!
Minister of Replacing Lightbulbs. Totally succinct comment. As the Nats are full of 1930’s vintage, single carbon filament, low wattage types, it would be easy to say that describes them all.
Sorry, I’m a double-posting dipstick from Dipton, sarc.
😀
Note how Stuff put
“Carmel Sepuloni was stood down” but at the time
“We have agreed she will step aside” was what Andrew Little said after he appears to have been told very promply by Carmel.
So it looks like Carmel had a part in the stand down and accepted it as a responsibilty for her not some thing imposed on her by the boss.
Stuffs comment kinda implies otherwise. It’s a small thing I know but.. Mischief making. Not that any Nact ever seems to vountarily fall on their sword
She did. She discussed it with Andrew and agreed that she should voluntarily stand down until the matter was resolved.
Except that as we all know, with the bias of the MSM the left have to be more cautious than ‘the right to rulers’
Except that as we all know, with the bias of the MSM the left have to be more cautious than ‘the right to rulers’
Sepuloni wasn’t fired. She returned as soon as the conflict of interest was no longer an issue.
It’s a perfectly acceptable way of dealing with such conflicts of interest when they arise. Your cynicism notwithstanding, many people understand that they are toxic because they lead to poor decisions being made.
I agree that the National Party has plumbed new depths of corruption and denial in this regard. Even in their ranks there’s disquiet over it.
IIRC Sepuloni did not cease to be a politician and MP. From one of the links in comment 1.2.1.3:
”Carmel Sepuloni will remain on the front bench and as the party’s junior whip.”
Sepuloni did not know anything till it became public knowledge and quick action on the same day was aimed to deal with possible spill-over and public perception.
As it turned out, it was a temporary measure as Sepuloni’s mother pleaded guilty the next day so it was not going to be a long drawn-out legal affair, etc.
IMO, it was the best action under the circumstances and has left no real ammunition for others to attack Sepuloni, Little, or the Labour Party with. So, at the end of the day (…), ‘the end did justify the means’.
Yeah, which is why the National Party now has an opportunity* to look corrupt and incompetent by comparison.
*which I’m sure they’ll seize with both feet.
I think Carmel Sepuloni standing down was the best thing overall, because of her responsibility for welfare. A police minister, for example, should be required to stand down if a member of their family is charged with any criminal offence.
NAct people seem to have a real problem keeping things consensual and legal, don’t they? I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll see a British type of scandal down here.
kinda think that would also apply to the chair of a law and order committee,
right ? Yeah? Nah.
At the end of the day FJK can actually find people who don’t think it should. Many of them are NAct MPs. That worries me.
English has at least one brother, Smith has four, Brownlee was hatched from a goose’s egg, Woodhouse is the fifth of nine children.
Don’t know of any other male Cabinet Ministers from the South Island except John Key and he is so obviously an only child it’s not even worth looking up.
One of the above would have a very serious conflict of interest due to the nature of their portfolio.
Indeed. and all the more reason to try and keep it very, very secret and suppressed.
old habit for Key by now .. he must have almost mastered it ?
Why the South Island Ministers?
The case is being heard in the Christchurch High Court, and the lawyer is from Dunedin?
which applies to the brother, not necessarily the Minister presumably, or am I missing something?
Not necessarily the Minister, but it does seem more likely, no?
Just seen the comments upthread about Dunedin 😉
I know you’re winking but it looks like you have something stuck in your eye 😀
Good morning felix,
Whats happened to the old smilies.?
👿
WordPress redesigned them and we got them in a recent upgrade.
In their infinite wisdom the WordPress designers decided to change the defaults. They have apparently missed some out. It is possible to revert. Can’t be bothered…
lprent .. I have a nice bottle of wine or some beersies for you if it helps with the bothering ? 🙂
+1 for rawshark. The new smilies suck.
Look what they’ve done to the roll-eyes one: 🙄 pathetic!
You look like you’ve got a very large wedge of grapefruit in your mouth.
I hate these fucking Smilies. Bloody wordpress designers, what were they thinking? Not about communication obviously.
Ta.. :green:
(Mr Green). who is eating grapefruit too.
According to the article, the actual case is scheduled for a District Court hearing (location not specified) – but the interim injunction on naming was issued by a Christchurch High Court judge, presumably pending the DC hearing considering a submission for name suppression.
Key is not an only child. He has two older sisters here in NZ. He also has two much older half-brothers in the UK. IIRC English has at least two brothers.
I assume he’s had them all hunted down and imprisoned.
LOL – no. They are all alive and free. Brownlee is the oldest of five children. From here – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=3535532
Key has two sisters – but is an only son
“The problem here is that they have to step down, as per Carmel Sepuloni, and stepping down will breach name suppression.
Convenient, eh.”
Two ways to look at that. One is that if there were a conflict of interest the Minister would have stepped down by now for personal or family reasons, but since there isn’t, they haven’t. The other is that it’s National, and why would they do the right thing unless they were forced to?
Would this fall into the ‘no surprises’ category?
I assume the Police Minister would have been informed. That’s Michael Woodhouse, a list MP from Dunedin.
From the sound of things, it looks like he would have been the first one to be informed.
He might have known for ages.
or all the four cabinet ministers that fit the criteria could stand down, Key could reshuffle the lot and we would be none the wiser on the specifics. Well no further ahead than now
The courts granted an injunction to prevent publication by the SST of the Minister’s name. Does that injunction apply to the public?
Likely. As I have no idea who it is, So to conform to the reported suppression, I will just limit people saying explicitly which minister it is.
I also note that there has been nothing reported about the alleged victims seeking suppression.
Mind you, after the questions on how Carmel’s mothers name got into media, I am only inclined to follow the letter of suppression orders when it comes to the politically associated.
If it is good enough for Paula Bennett to play games with the courts and relatives, then I can’t be bothered fighting dirty politics with my hands tied….
They’ve finally got their story straight. They’ve known about this all along and steps have already been taken to do nothing.
Two things spring to mind:
He refers repeatedly to the “advice” he’s received, but (as he made plain on HardTalk) he views the purpose of “advice” as being to endorse the decision he wants, rather than a genuinely impartial and expert opinion of what should be done; and
if “there is no conflict of interest”, then surely there is no “issue” than “can be managed”.
Fucking slimy liar.
Another one for BLip’s list
i heard the idea the wharf-extensions be named after our mayor..
(as an act of gratitude on the part of his bosses @ the wharf-company..?
..esp. seeing as he cast the casting vote for it – in a split council..eh..?..
..he made it happen..all his own work – lest we forget..)
…so..’browns’ dump’..?…’browns’ car-park’..?…’browns’-folly’..?..’browns’-brown-nose’..?
..suggestions welcomed
11 a.m.
Stand up.
Be counted.
http://www.livesaildie.com/stop-stealing-our-harbour-protest-11am-3rd-may/
ha ha excellent idea Philip. I would like “The Craven-Spineless Wharf”
I’d like to know why 5 councilors failed to turn up to that crucial wharf vote?
And wasn’t a judicial review of the non-notified wharf resource consent contemplated by opponents? Sounds like a role for “givealittle” here to fund this.
Brown shit
Quisling Quay would do.
Another mental health victim failed by indifferent DHB staff. How many more will die before anyone is held accountable?
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/05/01/guest-blog-tony-stevens-why-did-my-brother-die/
the idea – now law in victoria – that foreigners be only allowed to buy new houses..
..is a good one..
..and one we should adopt..
..it will add to the housing stock – and will stimulate ‘the market’ to build the houses needed..
..what’s not to love about all that..?
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/02/extra-tax-on-foreign-property-investors-in-victoria-to-balance-infrastructure-cost
oh..!..and of course an extra sales tax and land tax…
..and of course foreign investors will have to register..
..with serious penalties for scamming the scheme..
..that all looks quite tidy to me..
Sounds good medicine in the present housing climate. And then reduce the number of immigrants. We need to sop behaving like Mr Cresote taking more on all the time. Is there a medical doctor in the House that can administer it plus laxative to those sitting with minds and ends bound up and stultified?
I am not happy about the many ordinary people who might have their lives ruined when the bubble bursts. I have seen the disruption it causes in good people’s lives as they try and adjust to financial difficulties and their drop in the pecking order when they have been working hard, bettering themselves and doing all the right things.
Important investigation into Foetal Alcohol Syndrome on RNZ at the moment.
When will we tackle the multinational liquor companies ?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight/audio/201752639/insight-for-3-may-2015-nz's-neglected-foetal-alcohol-problem
I have a close friend with a daughter who has FASD, and the disability is heartbreaking and permanent.
After years of reading and researching this condition in an effort to provide support, I despair when I read reassurances by experts in newspaper articles that moderate or light drinking is fine. (An obvious problem with this is that people’s ideas of moderate or light vary greatly).
That is also the recommendation I was receiving while I was pregnant.
Knowing now the damage that can be caused, only abstinence is the reassurance most mothers would need to avoid this syndrome.
Pity governments do not listen to the public and experts on the matter.
NZLC R114 Alcohol In Our Lives: Curbing the Harm
‘Key policy recommendations include:
_ the introduction of a new Alcohol Harm Reduction Act;
_ raising the price of alcohol by an average of 10% through excise tax increases;
_ regulating irresponsible promotions that encourage the excessive consumption, or purchase, of alcohol;
_ returning the minimum purchase age for alcohol to 20;
_ strengthening the rights and responsibilities of parents for the supply of alcohol to minors;
_ introducing national maximum closing hours for both on and off-licences; ( 4am and 10pm respectively )
_ increasing the ability of local people to influence how and where alcohol is sold in their communities;
_ increasing personal responsibility for unacceptable or harmful behaviours induced by alcohol, including a civil cost recovery regime for those picked up by the police when grossly intoxicated;
_ moving over time to regulate alcohol advertising and sponsorship.
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/project/review-regulatory-framework-sale-and-supply-liquor/publication/report/2010/alcohol-our-lives
http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/2010/04/Publication_154_464_Part_2_Intro.pdf
Paul they certainly listen to the alcohol lobby.
Maybe its because they are aloud fund political parties especially the National Party.
i wd actually give dunne the ‘bleary-eyed-award’ – for his services to big-alcohol..
..national are close behind –
– but runners-up to dunne – in the sell-out stakes..
“i wd actually give dunne the ‘bleary-eyed-award’”
Nah, I would give him The Biggest Traitorous Self Seeking Turd Ever Award.
that too – his trophy cabinet is loaded..
..he’s got arsewipe-of-the-year-award every year for the past decade..
For those concerned Aucklanders who want to ‘stand up and be counted’ against Mayor Len Brown’s , (in my view) treacherous sellout – supporting the Ports of Auckland ‘compromise’ in extending one wharf?
PROTEST!
WHEN: Today – Sunday : May 2015
TIME: 11am
WHERE: Quay Street
What is happening here, in my view, is a disgrace.
Where’s the fire? What’s the rush?
The legality of the (non-notified) resource consents upon which these wharf extensions are based, as I understand it,, are still before the Court.
The idea that the wharf extension work can go ahead – then be ‘deconstructed’ at a later date, if found in Court to be illegal, is simply madness, in my view.
It is not just multi-national shipping companies or overseas cruise ship companies that have an interest in the Ports of Auckland and how that land is developed, or harbour ‘reclaimed’.
Why on earth would you charge ahead with wharf extension work, before full, proper, comprehensive, consultation and consideration of the issues involved?
Whose interests are being served in this unseemly and ill-considered rush?
Follow the dollar?
What do concerned citizens need to do to STOP extension work on the wharves?
Physically occupy them?
What a disaster this corporate-controlled Auckland ‘Supercity’ (for the 1%) has been for the majority of citizens and ratepayers!
Penny Bright
http://www.pennybright4mayor.org.nz
Somebody should maybe apply for a “stop-work” directive now while the court decides whether the wharf consents should have been publicly notified.
Given the completely bleedin’ obvious public interest in this matter I would have thought that the court action to have the wharf consent publicly notified has a high chance of success. In fact by backing down on one wharf POAL have already considerably weakened their case.
I don’t think POAL can argue that this work is in any way urgent.
What a delightful idea of Jonathan Milne (Editorial in Stuff) to name John Key “Father of the Year”. I’m sure every child would be thrilled to have a father who has sexually harassed a young woman and, thereby, made himself an international laughing stock!
The NZ media really is a propaganda arm of the multinational corporates who are benefiting from Key’s looting of the country.
I’d conslder myself a failure of a father if [r0b: Leave Key’s family out of it please]
Yeah did try to delete it but was to late sorry
OK, thanks.
That’s a bit hard, perhaps – as adults we make our own decisions for our own reasons and we don’t always do things the way our parents would like us to. Interesting that she feels the need to explore that subject, though, as she has perhaps received some negative or disempowering messages about women in her upbringing.
The story seems to have disappeared before my eyes.
andrew little back from hanging with miliband and piketty..
..but has come back with no new ideas..(he says he was focused on ‘organisational’-stuff..(!)..)
..he almost left skid-marks on the screen – he reversed so severely away from any pikkety-stylings solutions for here..
..(oh dear..!..)
ah …. now I see what you mean! (at first I was confused as to the kind of skid marks you were meaning). my judgment was obviously clouded when I first read your comment @PU – Mediawatch in the background where the name Hosking was getting a run
Another Macskasy gem ( http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/05/03/the-nation-reveals-gobsmacking-incompetence-by-ministers-english-and-lotu-iiga/ )
Sums things up fairly well really.
What’s really sad is that such a huge proportion of the population has become so disengaged, so utterly disinterested and completely dumbed down they’re unable to see the bleeding obvious when it jumps up and bites them in the bum.
My biggest hope that any new government will recognise just how huge the media’s role in all of this has been and they commit to a PSB system.
If The Nation carry on like this, they will be up for ‘review’ in no time.
oh my, what an ominous thought.
I saw that dick Jamie White on the panel afterwards praising prat English and how debt really was not a problem. Funny that I thought, wasn’t the vast amount of debt left by Muldoon, that fucking Douglas, you know Douglas who founded the Act party, used as an excuse to pillage the country’s infrastructure to sell off to every known spiv to mankind.
Jamie Whyte’s thinking about the end game. Running up debt is not serious for us, our descendants will take care of it. Selling off the education system will make billions and save billions … and hospitals … and anything else.
Hey thanks for that repateet, I noticed I spelt Whyte incorrect.
Can’t win them all I suppose.
Well, I suppose debt isn’t a problem when you’re planning on using it as an excuse to loot the nation as both Act and National have done.
Congratulations, it’s a royal! So what’s the new sprog going to be called?
I’m told Prince Philip is keen on naming the newbie Nigella Faragia, but according to the betting sites I’ve consulted the most popular options are Borisina at 6/2, Cameronella 8/2, and the favourite, Dame Margaret Hilda Thatcher Windsor, at 7/4.
‘spare’..?
This Herald article quotes a supposed tweet from Prince William reading “Heir DONE. Spare DONE.”
Ooops – link.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11436705
Also now this. “Spares to the heirs”. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11442488
Just another mouth for the UK taxpayers to feed.
Was born just over a week ago but it takes a while to surgically remove the scales.
Very good Felix, almost lost my coffee over that one!
How about Elizabeth Saxe Coberg -Gotha Windsor ?
Credit for Andrew Little for being prepared to listen and respond to policy ideas from a rank and file Kiwi voter concerned about the housing bubble:
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/andrew-little-my-father-in-law-and-new.html
i just realised why the nation was markedly better than usual..
..there was no gower gurning/glomming/sneering at us..
..no gower doing the interviews..
..to the nation – gower is like a thermometer on a clock..sitting on a mantlepiece..
..it just makes you ask..’why would you?’..
Lisa Owen gave Sam Lotu-Iiga and Serco a thorough pasting on the Nation.
I have second hand anecdotal word that serco prisons are far more violent than state ones ,contraband is more freely available ,prisoners spend more time locked down due to lower staff numbers. But the menus better.
I’ve just been reading John Cleese’s bio. He has been Labour, SDP and ha views on the Liberal Democrats, and was for proportional representation.
Of the present. Talking to Der Spiegel in 2015, Cleese took a critical position on how the things were in the world. He told he had reached a point when he “saw that our existence here is absolutely hopeless. I see the rich people have got a stranglehold on us. If somebody had said that to me when I was 20, I would have regarded him as a left-wing loony.”[51]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cleese
Children of the ayatollahs flaunt their wealth:
“Three deadly road accidents in one week, involving expensive cars driven by super-rich young Iranians, have dominated the past week’s news in Iran – especially after the country’s supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, used a meeting with police chiefs to criticise fast-driving, wealthy youngsters. Khamenei said: “I hear that young people from the generation of wealth, a generation intoxicated by their money, are driving luxury cars and parading in the streets, making the streets insecure. . . This is an example of psychological insecurity.”1
“The cars involved in these accidents were Porsches, Ferraris and Maseratis driven by sons and daughters of ayatollahs or their cronies. . .”
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/iran-children-of-ayatollahs-flaunt-their-wealth-but-new-wave-of-workers-protests-begin/
Ricky Gervais
This unnecessary killing is one of horrible effects of the ‘market’ where everything is for sale.
‘magnificent’/beautiful animals – those cows…
..and of course their offspring..
..what do people call them..?…’veal’..that’s right..!
Why Almost Everything Dean Ornish Says about Nutrition Is Wrong
We have to eat and a good, healthy diet with a variety of fresh foods (including meat) seems to be the best option. And that makes animals killed for food a necessary killing.
I won’t bother replying to you after this as, quite frankly, the argument’s just not worth the time.
I see little is now polling lower than cunliff and shearer, peters has taken over as opposition, greens and labour relationship dysfunctional, national on 49pc, all trending well for 2017
[lprent: so where is the link to the poll. ]
Ah, but The Parnell Pony-Tail Puller is still doing well. That should keep you and all other RW pricks happy!
Why Key 49%? It has just occurred to me, late, that we are no longer looking at politicians as servants of the country and the people, we are looking at them from a point of view of them appearing in a reality show. Key is the most amusing, fluent and attention-grabbing on offer. He could be replaced by, is it, Paul Henry if he can keep his ratings up. Understanding the reality of reality shows for life is the answer I think.
So can we still vote him off the island?
@ felix
LOL. But seriously, good question! Waghorn below may have an inkling of future events. His crystal ball is showing portents.
Collins will roll key next year then she will become the next Shipley kicked out at the next election to spend the rest of her life putting her snout in one trough after the other.
Nate Silver’s UK election result prediction, updated for 2 May:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/interactives/uk-general-election-predictions/
And it’s a win for Mayweather, unanimous on points.
All 3 judges in favour of Mayweather.
116-112×2 & 118-110 all judges for FM
Floyd “We did what we had to do tonight… I’m a calculated fighter and he’s a tough fighter.”
Pacquiao says “I thought I won the fight, he didn’t do nothing.”
Always going to be tough for Manny to win on points.
Snippets from news items. [I am sure you WANT to know this!]
As Mayweather put it: “Tickets are going for between $8,000 and $400,000 to $500,000. You know, we call this the billionaire boys’ club.”
Plenty have stumped up big bucks to be there, with Tony Buzbee, an attorney who paid $74,000 for a pair of 12th-row seats, telling CNN: “It’s going to be a once in a lifetime type of fight, and I’m going to be there just for the event of it all.
Pacquiao fan Mark Sarmiento, paid $7,500 to be there,
Here’s a look at the numbers behind the boxers:
60:40 — revenue split in favor of Mayweather.
$300-400m — the estimated total revenue for the May 2 bout.
38 — Mayweather’s age; two years older than his opponent.
5 — The number of years it took to strike a deal between the two boxers.
$1.5m — How much Pacquiao’s shorts alone will be worth after six companies bid for sponsorship space.
$25,000 — The value of the mouth guard adorned with diamonds and gold Mayweather will wear on fight night.
$1,500 — starting price for tickets in U.S. dollars.
8 — Pacquiao is the first and only eight-division world champion with 10 world titles to his name.
1 — Mayweather’s ranking on last year’s Forbes highest-paid athletes list.
$105m — The amount “Money” earned last year.
$180,000 — The price ringside tickets had skyrocketed to by April 27 (5 days before the fight.)
16,800 — Capacity at the MGM Grand Garden arena where the fight will take place.
5 — The number of boxers Pacquiao and Mayweather have both fought. The “famous five”: Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto.
$100 — The fee pay-per-view subscribers will shell out to watch the fight, which will be aired jointly on Showtime and HBO.
$300m — Expected pay-per-view buys with the most sales coming from U.S., Puerto Rican and Canadian markets, according to Repucom.
$5.6m — The winning bid for official fight sponsorship by Tecate beer.
57 — The number of wins throughout Pacquiao’s career. Mayweather has less at 47 wins, but…
0 — Mayweather remains undefeated in his fight career (Pacquiao, on the other hand, has suffered 5 losses.)
Conspicuous consumption.
https://twitter.com/nickwoodhouse/status/594627145130840064
https://twitter.com/EmilioEstefanJr/status/594622083574964224
I miss my boxing but refuse to pay sky for 50 channels of shit so I can get pay per view. Look forward to the day I can buy only what I want to view.
For all I know mayweather is the right full winner It just brings me down when the guy with the white hat loses.
Cheers for the stats.
Ouch.
http://i.imgur.com/1bEoni8.jpg
lolz
ouch ouch ouch the buuurn. TPP The Parnell Puller.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=puller
More subtle way of calling someone a jerkoff/jackoff
So it seems there’s these weird calendars with pictures of Young Nats girls with long hair wearing not much except “I’m a Key Person” t-shirts.
Oh yeah, and Collins is giving them to journalists.
https://twitter.com/TovaOBrien/status/594720165830402048
Wonder if Key was cropped out of the photos?
Just when you start thinking things couldn’t get weirder .
If Collins isn’t gunning for key I’ll eat my hat, imagine if that photo was taken in keys house!!!
seems certain your hat is safe !!!
Collins is on an upwards march and she won’t stop till she sits at the top of the pile. Curious to know who is the spin merchant she has hired to do her PR. Hooton would know which one of his ilk has a clean enough record to do the job?
On the bright side between the stuff and tv3 articles I’ve seen in the last day I’ve only seen one pro Collins comment from the I reckon crowd and that was from a rwnj .
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/68234530/key-says-minister-willing-to-step-down-over-brother-facing-indecency-charges
“”The advice I’ve received is that there is no conflict of interest and the issue can be managed. People appreciate that Cabinet ministers, like anyone else, have family but I’m quite confident the position can be managed.”
Thus spake Our Leader.
The server had an error with its mail system yesterday. One of its virtual drives dropped out due to windows server munting its structure.
Last night while restarting the system after fixing that, it uncovered a InnoDB database index error. Maybe from the power plug problem earlier in the week.
It’d work most of the time, but the database that The Standard runs on would abruptly crash while reading comments (or just counting them for posts). The safety system would restart the database, and then it’d do the same thing a few minutes later. Damn irritating getting slow pages and the odd message about the database not being available.
After a bit of pain trying several ways of fixing that, I extracted the database using a kludge to bypass the errors and rebuilt the database from scratch.
No comments appear to have been lost, just some sleep and probably some words of wisdom from offshore.
I now suspect that the database error has been there a while. All of a sudden the database backups got faster and quieter, the way they were last month when I made them nice.
“One of its virtual drives dropped out due to windows server munting its structure.
Yep. I understand that sentence, I think. As for the rest – I’m pleased you’re there to sort it. Thanks so very much. Sorry about your destroyed sleep,
Was there a post on this? I think there probably should be.
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/corrections-minister-defends-serco-run-prison-2015050217#axzz3ZEpLFqlM