Macsyna King and Ian Wishart have been the target of a lot of protest and anger over the past week. Is this the best way we can can expend the energy of our anger about child abuse and the deaths of babies? How much lower can we take Macsyna King?
Dr Will has a record of working successfully on one of our society’s biggest problem – early childhood abuse. He deserves all the support we can give him.
Pete Georgie – Does the Children’s Comissioner Department of Fools actually help abused children? The fact is mate, it’s just another useless government let down for kiwi kids.Dysfunctional and expensive white elephants like this deserve to be eradicated, as that would be in the child’s best interests.Not to mention struggling kiwi taxpayers.
d4jie, have you watched the interview with Dr Wills on Marae Investigates? If not I suggest you do before jumping to conclusions. If he can carry through some of his methods and aims he has already been doing over the past five years in Hawkes Bay then I he can initiate more real progress.
Pete Geo; I am just saying the Children’s Commisioner Office has a method of leaving a dismal track record. I will wait and see whether this blowhard department is worth anything? So far it’s been a total let down for kiwi kids! Just another pathetic department of over paid worthless nitwits. Poor kiwi children can’t afford to eat lamb anymore Mr Gummint scum.
What’s will the moderation girls? FFS why do I bother with this joke blog.
The NActMUs and you will just love the wee sentence he popped in about New Zealanders paying for their own health treatment so that the children can be looked after. What happened to the much better idea of removing the 14billion dollars of tax cuts which Key awarded to himself and backers and using that to help the health of the poor children? Otherwise, we know the outcome; the poor will then pay or not be able to afford to for their own health AND the health care or not be able to afford to of their poor children. The rich will continue corruptly writing off their wealth, hiding it away, using it to buy knighthoods and p.m.’ships. And New Zealand will then become America. How convenient for everyone but New Zealanders.
Why shouldn’t we pay for our own health care, especially routine care?
Labour tries too much blanket assistance (blanket vote attracting?) rather than targeting those who cause most of the problems. Sure, it would be great if everyone had a decent wage, decent housing and decent standard of living, and everyone paid their fair share of tax, and incomes weren’t so disparate.
But with limited resources it’ best to target the biggest problem areas more, the ongoing benefits will be to everyone’s advantage in the long run.
Pete, you need to look up the stats regarding the availability of services and affordability and also the relationship between poverty and achievement. Unless you actually narrow the gap no matter what you do it will fail. There are too many do-gooder programmes – they don’t work. You need to refocus service delivery, build robust public policy (even though having that will upset a lot of people) and build peoples abilities to be self sufficient.
It takes a human being at least a year to be able to walk properly, and without help from other humans, we never ever learn to talk or even understand language.
People are interdependent, not self sufficient.
I suspect that the average Tory farmer understands this more than you do.
Whilst we allow people to live in KFC, McD’s, BK or Pizza Hut, whilst the educational system fails to produce what we need and whilst we have a society that determines a persons worth by the model of car they drive or the cellphone they own we will continue to go backwards. We are just lemmings to commercialism.
determines a persons worth by the model of car they drive or the cellphone they own we will continue to go backwards. We are just lemmings to commercialism.
I reckon give it a few more years Ian, the Hubbert Curve is going to sort all that out.
The biggest problem areas are the write-offs of tax by people best able to afford to pay it fairly.
Take a quick look at the future of New Zealand and its egalitarian society and weep. This outcome is for skids countries like America where people are expected to be very rich or dirt poor. New Zealand once thought better of itself. Shame on New Zealanders who think that selling off all New Zealanders’ assets for the benefit of the rich beneficiaries is a good result when we end up with pondscum at the top of the food chain and the helpless at the bottom.
Next we’ll be expecting the poor who are poor because of NActMU’s DELIBERATELY bad economic management to be tugging their forelocks when they are given their depleted wage packet, depleted because of the taxes used to prop up the rich who don’t pay them.
As for limited resources; crap, Pete George.
The only reason resources are limited in New Zealand and in so many other countries is that the rich and powerful have closed them off.
Remember the food mountains – disgraceful when millions were starving and nothing would have been lost by just giving the food to the poor.
What I want from Wills is for him to be contacted and brought down to earth about where to draw the line. When I email his office I will make a few proposals, I will only mention one here: that the accommodation supplement is increased to not having to pay no more that 25 % of your income in rent.
While most Kiwi’s think that Gadaffi is an audacious terrorist for defending his country perhaps it would be prudent to hear the other side. Here is a one, two part telephone conversation between Webster Tarpley and Alex Jones.
Webster Tarpley was on the Green square in the centre of Tripoli. (Life view provided)
It seems that at least half a million Libyans wanted to tell NATO, Sarkozy, and president Obama who wants to invade Libya with ground troops sometime October this year something: WE WILL DEFEND OUR COUNTRY!!! (Sorry for the screaming Iprent but it makes me so angry how this does not come through in the MSM)
In the second half something remarkable happens. Tarpley gives his phone to a Libyan fan of Alex Jones who invites him to come to Libya so they can share his Kalasnikov to fight together in their struggle against the Fascist/Corporate criminals trying to steal Libyan oil and resources.
Do you get what this means? Libyans listening to Alex Jones by many here considered a conspiracy nutter, right wing red neck and consider him an ally and want him to be their guest to report on what is really going on in Libya.
ummm… I don’t think Gadaffi is a terrorist. I think he is a brutal dictator who is willing to order the murder and rape of his fellow country men and women in order to maintain power. Feel free to explain how this is incorrect?
On the other hand though I fully appreciate the side of the argument that is presented that the Libyan revolutionaries don’t wish to swap the brutality of Gadaffi for the ideological invasion of the West through NATO.
There really needs to be a term developed to specifically describe the strategy of “Western nations assist/instill revolution in unstable resource rich nations in order to install a powerless benevolent democracy that allows pillage by proxy”. ^_^
It seems we are at least partly in agreement. Here are a few links that might change you view (coloured by incomplete information due to the MSM propaganda) of Gaddafi a bit.
Here is what Amnesty International has to say about the rape allegations.
This is what Libyan women have to say about the rape allegations.
Gaddafi shared out hundreds of thousands of guns and other assorted arms out to the population so they can help defend the country and it seems according to Webster Tarpley in the above video links that an inordinate amount of women have weapons and are prepared to use them.
Here is an video which might explain why Libyans stand behind Gadaffi on the whole.
It seems that a few of John Key’s bankster mates got their hands dirty while defrauding the Sovereign wealth fund of Libya for oh, a billion or so and funny enough just before the Libyans could take the scamsters who collaborated with the international banking scum the war started and those who were on the verge of being taken to court became “rebel leaders”.
And last but not least this is what those wonderful freedom fighters seem to have thought was the right course of action with all those nice new weapons from NATO.
Remember; The first casualty of war/kinetic action/humanitarian intervention is the truth!!!
No, I’m not smarty pants but do yourself a favour and ask yourself why it is so easy for you to believe the things said in the MSM about Gaddafi.
Is it because he is a funny man with clowns costumes and a few well chosen smears easy to believe because he is just some one far away believing in different things to you or would you believe the same things if they said them about someone dressed as Goff or Key and a leader of a Western country?
Blair- Bush started two wars against countries which had nothing to do with 9/11. killing more tan a million Iraqis and God knows how many Afghanis and Pakistanis. Polluting all those countries for the next 4.5 billion years with depleted uranium.
Iran hasn’t started a single war in the last 500 years. Neither has Libya.
Obama has perpetuated these wars and started and additional three wars while preparing for at least two more.
Libya’s students get a living wage while studying for free and medical treatment is also free. Which it was in Iraq by the way too. Here students have to go into debt and our hard earned rights and social care are being taken away by the same rich pricks ruling the rest of this planet and you think that the Libyans are the suppressed here.
Here’s another homily for ya: There are none so enslaved as those who think they are free.
urg… just, for the moment, ignoring the specific issue of Gadaffi and Libya that are the basis of this discussion and focusing on the ideological arguments you are fronting. To my perception, your statements represent a form of hypocrisy and that is something I find detestable. I don’t feel the need to trust the MSM or ANY particular outlet of information – hell, there are a lot of Tom MacMasters out there either purporting to be a primary source of information or, like you, a biased secondary or tertiary source filter for the excessive amounts of information available on the internets. The advantage to you being the second type though is that I can read through your comments and links, keeping in mind your bias, and then come to an appropriately weighted conclusion on the issue at hand.
“Now grow up and do your own research” <– if I did this and came back and disagreed with you, what would it take to change your mind? If you were able to answer this question it might be worthwhile engaging in an issue with you.
EDIT: Also, since when was blaming the MSM portrayal of a person an excuse for their war crimes?
Good, read my links and make up your own mind.
You come back with well documented clear arguments of that which you want to convince me and be surprised.
I agree, let’s take Blair, Obama, Sarkozy, and the rest of the warmongering mass murderers together with Bibi Netanyahu, Mubarak and the other dictators in the service of these criminals to the international court in the Hague for long overdue judgement.
Somewhat surprisingly, geonet isn’t showing any aftershocks in Auckland last night. You need to be on guard for the aftershock that is one magnitude less than the main shock. So, watch out for the 1.9.
Its a distraction when our human rights record in NZ is so wanting given the massive bounty this country provides the world. When we get our social justice agenda centre stage only then should we start worrying about human rights cesspools like Belarus. i.e. show the citizens on the streets in Belarus what to do when they do win, don’t let the ‘any profit at any expense’ party take over the parliament and media.
Going far beyond a zero sum policy this seems to be a very risky and extreme position for the Obama administration to take.
Last week, on June 24, six members of Congress signed a letter to Secretary Clinton requesting that she “do everything in her power to work with the Israeli government to ensure the safety of the U.S. citizens on board.” As of this writing, they have not received a response.
The US citizens aboard “The Audacity of Hope” represent a cross section of mainstream US society. The people who form US opinion.
Ex US military and intelligence officers, commentators and writers, entertainers and professors, sportsmen and women, clergy and politicians.
What on earth can the Obama administration be thinking?
As one commenter remarked:
You know, Alice Walker wrote “The Color Purple”. Where’s Oprah? If anything happens to Alice or any other person on that boat, there will be HELL TO PAY.
As another commentator has said, and going on past experience, this will be seen by the Israelis as a green light, to do just that.
Going far beyond a zero sum policy, this seems to be a very risky and extreme position for the Obama administration to take.
Last week, on June 24, six members of Congress signed a letter to Secretary Clinton requesting that she “do everything in her power to work with the Israeli government to ensure the safety of the U.S. citizens on board.” As of this writing, they have not received a response.
The US citizens aboard “The Audacity of Hope” represent a cross section of mainstream US society. The people who form US opinion.
Ex military and intelligence officers, commentators and writers, entertainers and professors, sportsmen and women, clergy and politicians.
What on earth can the Obama administration be thinking?
As one commenter remarked:
You know, Alice Walker wrote “The Color Purple”. Where’s Oprah? If anything happens to Alice or any other person on that boat, there will be HELL TO PAY.
As another commentator has said, and going on past experience, this will be seen by the Israelis as a green light, to do just that.
Going far beyond a zero sum policy, this seems to be a very risky and extreme position for the Obama administration to take.
Last week, on June 24, six members of Congress signed a letter to Secretary Clinton requesting that she “do everything in her power to work with the Israeli government to ensure the safety of the U.S. citizens on board.” As of this writing, they have not received a response.
The US citizens aboard “The Audacity of Hope” represent a cross section of mainstream US society. The people who form US opinion.
Ex military and intelligence officers, commentators and writers, entertainers and professors, sportsmen and women, clergy and politicians.
What on earth can the Obama administration be thinking?
As one commenter remarked:
You know, Alice Walker wrote “The Color Purple”. Where’s Oprah? If anything happens to Alice or any other person on that boat, there will be HELL TO PAY.
As another commentator has said, and going on past experience, this will be seen by the Israelis as a green light, to do just that.
“A group of rich Germans has launched a petition calling for the government to make wealthy people pay higher taxes.
The group say they have more money than they need, and the extra revenue could fund economic and social programmes to aid Germany’s economic recovery.”
Yep joe. And one way to gloat is to accuse the poor of being envious of the rich. What a worry it would be to be rich! they would be anxious that some would want to tax them or steal from them or be befriended for their money. Poor buggers!
This disparity has far less to do with some inherent difference in character between the Greatest Generation and their grandchildren than it does with a fundamental change that has taken place in the relationship between citizens and the welfare state. Over the past few decades, while many standard social benefits have atrophied in real value, those packaged as “tax expenditures”—the formal name in federal budgeting parlance for subsidies provided through the tax code—have flourished, growing rapidly in value and number. These tax expenditures for individuals and families represented 7.4 percent of GDP in 2008, up from 4.2 percent in 1976. (Tax expenditures for business, such as those for the oil and gas industry, made up another 1 percent.) By way of comparison, Social Security amounted to 4.3 percent of GDP in 2008; Medicare and Medicaid, 4.1 percent.
Invercargill school principal Marlene Campbell has compared the actions of Anne Tolley, the Minster of Education, with the propaganda approach taken by Joseph Goebbels. (see interview Cue TV) Previously she compared Anne Tolley, the Minister of Education, with Hitler for the way she was asserting the adoption National Standards in schools.
“And the MOE attack schools deferring setting targets, that s a constructive response? Excuse me Minister Hitler? Am I in Germany? Is this the end of self managing schools? read Kelvin Smythes latest blog, he is a true hero!” Marlene Campbell face book wall
As I see it Marlene Campbell is not doing her job as required by her employer as well as opposing the implementation of Government policy in schools and speaking out against it. Could someone help me out here:
• As an employee shouldn’t she either comply with the requirements of her employer or face discipline?
• As a public servant how is it that she is getting away with speaking out against Government’s wishes when legions of public servants know that it is not appropriate to speak out against Government policy so they don’t?
• Should Marlene Campbell expect to get away with contesting education policy as a public servant in the education area and not doing her job as her employer directs?
• Isn’t her only choice to do her job (and ideally do it well) or get out?
Have you noticed Lulu, that the only argument in favour of NS is that it is a chance to beat people about obedience and compliance. What a pity there isn’t some way of showing that NS are beneficial. Can you?
Some integrated schools have been threatened with withdrawn funding unless they comply. After all they get taxpayers money.
But wait. Private schools get heaps of taxpayers money too. What’s good for integrated schools should be good for private schools. Yes?
And anyway if NS were so important and so useful, the private schools would be rushing to join up. But they thank their lucky stars that they don’t have to comply with anything.
We should be thankful that people risk their careers to speak out on behalf of our children. Shame on Tolley/Key that neither of them listened to the real experts – the teachers. Even their own resident expert, who was trotted out to put their case, eventually spoke out against it as being flawed. Everyone wanted a trial period with some schools from different areas to show any deficiencies, but neither Tolley nor Key was willing to listen.
We have only to read the personal accounts of this system in America to understand how demeaning and impersonal this factory-fed analysis is.
People did not speak out against Hitler; if anyone had bothered to read his Mein Kampf they would never have allowed him to gain any power. Key is a populist politician (so was Hitler) who knows how uninformed and politically lazy the Kiwi masses are; his popularity even after his lying to us, is evidence of that. His pretence at giving people choices was immediately negated by the way he signed off on Hide to demolish any sense of democratic right to select committee consultation – there was none with the first Auckland bill which removed all our assets to a property CCO which in July 2012 can sell off our assets like Ports of Auckland if people vote this asset-stripping government back in.
National standards pays more attention to educating to pass tests (which under National will be frozen for the masses at factory farming level) than it does to educating people to have a better, rounded future. Science and literature which engages the imagination and stargazing has been shut out by this government. Learning is not compartmental. You teach the basics by involving the senses and the imagination.
Masses or individual plans – you choose. So much for the NActMU government that talks about individual freedom of choice yet practises elitist treatment of moneyed schools and factory farming of other students.
Reach for the stars with Labour/Progressive/Greens or mine the pits with National/Act/Maori/United Future – your choice, Lulu?
As a parent of school age children I am uncomfortable with an individual principal breaking their rules of employment and the protocols of being in the public service. My children are taught to work hard, strive for excellence (within capability), comply with authority, achieve within the framework or industry they choose and reach a point where they can legitimately influence if that is what they want to do with their careers. That is how both of us parents behave and we are both successful in our chosen fields.
There are bodies that are free to legitimately question national standards. In my post I did not question national standards. I questioned the ill disciplined poor example set by Marlene Campbell. Your agreement with her view doesn’t justify her behaviour. If she feels so strongly she should go and join whatever organisation is set up to question government policy. If my child was in her school I would withdraw him/her in response to the poor example MC sets the children in her school.
Both of you ignored my point and both of you failed to address my questions. You are both guilty of the approach Marlene Campbell described as propaganda and associated with Goebbels. Shame on you both. (Unless of course you don’t have school age children in which case you are simply ignorant.)
I answered your post in my first sentence, Key-flunky. “We should be thankful that people risk their careers to speak out on behalf of our children.” Shame on you Lulu for not addressing your own Hitler comment “getting away with speaking out against Government’s wishes when legions of public servants know that it is not appropriate to speak out against Government policy so they don’t?” New Zealand is a free country Lulu, or it was until 9 November 2008. Not speaking out gets you Nazi Germany or another NAct government.
First paragraph ‘My children…fields – ditto, except we differ in that I tell mine to question everything and only comply with authority when it is sensible policy. When you don’t question you end up with Key and Co.
‘Comply with authority’? Complying with authority to me is not driving the wrong way down a one-way street because I know the government is considering my safety and the efficiency of the traffic. That is a good compliance. Having a 21st century public transport system would be even better but I daresay as a Key-flunky you want everyone to drive a car and give Key’s government a lot of money through that system.
The only question I need to ask Lulu is which group do I trust? The teachers that want only the best teaching system for my children or Key and Co that have lied on so many levels and then intend to steal SOE assets that belong to my children’s children, by lying about the fact that partially privatised assets are controlled by private interests; they’re certainly not in all New Zealanders’ interests… I think you know my reply.
I’d back the teachers every time because I know they have principles, AND PRINCIPALS WITH PRINCIPLES. Key has none; he is a liar and intends to sign off on the theft of and sell off of my family’s SOE assets.
We have too many bottom-lickers in this country Lulu but I’ll leave that role with you; you appear to be so well suited to it.
PS I shall send a congratulatory message to Marlene Campbell for ‘doing her job’. With educators like her I believe New Zealand actually still has a chance to be an egalitarian country once again, if we can just get rid of the Kerrs and the Deanes and the Keys and the Fay Richwhites and other bottom feeders. The best support I can be is to support the Marlenes of this country and destroy the more shameful aspects of this bottom-feeding cycle of National/Act. Goodbye Lulu.
“My children are taught to work hard, strive for excellence (within capability), comply with authority, achieve within the framework or industry they choose and reach a point where they can legitimately influence if that is what they want to do with their careers.”
and
“There are bodies that are free to legitimately question national standards.”
Lulu,
The difference between you and me, I think, is that I am bringing my daughter up to live by principles rather than confine her protests to when some social structure or authority tells her that she now has a ‘legitimate‘ right to ‘influence‘ outcomes. I believe and fervently hope, for example, that my daughter will grow up to be the kind of person who is both capable and willing to engage in civil disobedience when an important principle is being over-ridden by some ‘legitimate authority’ (e.g., the British Raj in Gandhi’s time).
Instilling in children the importance of only opening their mouths once they have a right to do so bestowed upon them by a higher authority is not a developmental path I would wish to choose for my child.
BTW, I also encourage my daughter not to be trivial in her ‘rebellions’.
Edit: I see Ianupnorth has made a similar point below.
Fair and interesting point Puddleglum. Do we want our children to be known as effective leaders or known for civil disobedience? I think leaders in their field can achieve more for them and their nation. (absent fundamental causes like the civil rights movement in America.) Having said that I seemd to have stirred up such a hornetss nest I might just have to withdraw gracefully. I haven’t stated a view on NS. I just don’t think Marlene Campbell is noble. I think she is out of control and ineffective comparing Ministers of any ilk with famlous nazis. That is just vacuous smartarse nonsense. Old Jum there would be quick to point that out if it was a “Key-flunky” acting like her. But I suppose the view is pretty clear through one eye.
“ Do we want our children to be known as effective leaders or known for civil disobedience?”
There’s not necessarily a conflict there. It is possible to be an effective leader via (or while using, or after having used) civil disobedience. It’s obviously a matter of judgment as to when it is necessary to disobey and I admit that their are many possible inappropriate motives for such disobedience and even many inappropriate causes (often the two are intertwined). But, in my view, in an imperfect world it is infinitely better that people err on the side of ‘civil disobedience’ than obedience when it is morally questionable. My understanding is that when the contest is between complex social structures (e.g., the education system, the economic system) and leaders who attempt to reform those systems then the system will win, hands down – though it might offer a minor, and reversible, ‘win’ for the leader in the interim.
This is a major dilemma, especially in our modern world. How many of us have found ourselves compromising our principles with the only consolation for our guilty consciences being the thought (or rationalisation) that the consequences of standing on our principles might be worse than the ill we wish to cure?
Personally, I don’t think that what is wrong with the world is principally the result of too many people standing on their principles (rather than being pragmatic and trying to change things – ‘lead’ – from inside the system).
…I would withdraw him/her in response to the poor example MC sets the children in her school…both of you failed to address my questions. You are both guilty of the approach Marlene Campbell described as propaganda and associated with Goebbels. Shame on you both.
Yes lets scold adults like they are children and infantalize them, very good.
I am uncomfortable with an individual principal breaking their rules of employment and the protocols of being in the public service.
This Government is determined to treat the public sector worker as easily expendable like any private sector employee.
So why are you surprised when they no longer follow the rules you think that they should?
Teaching people to comply with authority is the worst thing you can do. Teach people to do what is needed because it is right not because some authority figure says to. Keep following your line and we’ll end up as a dictatorship again.
Jeez Draco T. What would we get if no one complied with authority? Isn’t our whole civilisation based on forming and reforming order?
Hey Draco, answer me a question, have you got a job?
What would we get if no one complied with authority?
Well, if they still did as needed because it was the right thing to do then we’d probably end up being pretty well off. As has been noted before – the most ordered of societies are anarchist.
Isn’t our whole civilisation based on forming and reforming order?
Read what you just wrote.
The reforming of order usually requires that the previous formation of order is superceeded, replaced, or otherwise usurped.
Not complying with the previous formation of authority is necessary in this.
Do we want our children to be known as effective leaders or known for civil disobedience?
You better study the lives of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. You’re revealing significant gaps in your conceptualisation of what being a “leader” is all about.
Hey Draco, answer me a question, have you got a job?
Very revealing.
I’m sure you think that Gandhi and Martin Luther King both should have been doing some productive 9 to 5 job instead of being trouble makers involved in civil disobedience
Aww thank you Colonial Viper,
I though Draco was one of us. If I had realised he was the next Gandhi and Martin Luther King I wouldn’t have asked the question.
I am beginning to wish I hadn’t raised this.
Last thought, A couple of comments have been thoughtful and interesting but I on balance noone has really change my position i.e. that Marlene Campbell is not doing the job I expect of my kids’ principal and she is letting down all of the public servants who do theirs. I think she is an embarrassment to the public service and the teaching profession. I think she will be ineffective and I am not comfortable with her drawing a salary made up from our taxes.
Marlene Campbell is not doing the job I expect of my kids’ principal and she is letting down all of the public servants who do theirs. I think she is an embarrassment to the public service and the teaching profession. I think she will be ineffective and I am not comfortable with her drawing a salary made up from our taxes.
Wow how much personal attack spin can you put in 3 sentences, I’m bloody impressed mate.
It’s fairly clear now that your idea of “leaders” are apparatchiks for the machine.
I am not comfortable with her drawing a salary made up from our taxes.
Lolzwut.
I’m not comfortable with Bill English drawing a ~$300K p.a. in salary (very gd – you avoided the use of the word “earning” a salary, clever professional PR languaging) made up from our taxes to sell off this country to foreigners and in doing so deprive all of our children of years of valuable revenue streams which will end up in foreign hands, but what the hey. Life’s not perfect.
As an employee shouldn’t she either comply with the requirements of her employer or face discipline?
If the evidence clearly informs a practitioner that a specific process is potentially harmful to those receiving should they whistle blow or comply with governments instructions?
I would say they have a right to protect those in question; you would expect a doctor or surgeon to follow best practice, similarly an airline pilot, same for a fireman, officer of the law, etc – why not teachers who know more about education that Anne Tolley
As a public servant how is it that she is getting away with speaking out against Government’s wishes when legions of public servants know that it is not appropriate to speak out against Government policy so they don’t?
I regularly speak out against government policy here, but I do not reveal my name or employer, as I am technically not permitted to do so; maybe she is braver than me!
Should Marlene Campbell expect to get away with contesting education policy as a public servant in the education area and not doing her job as her employer directs?
In my opinion, yes; however, I hope she has a strong union and lots of parental support
Isn’t her only choice to do her job (and ideally do it well) or get out?
I commend her actions, but then again I actually work within that sector and am a parent, so I have read widely on this; my kids also went through this in the UK and I said never again!
Thank you Iamupnorth. You have shown up ianmac and jum and demonstrated my point well. Go well and good luck. As far as Marlene is concerned, she is not braver than you, she is just plain stupid. Those other two are merely the propagandists Marlene complains about – or would do if they weren’t sympathetic to her view. Marlene is such a hypocrite. I hope she gets her butt kicked.
I think I spent my time wisely tonight. Instead of staying involved with the Lulu I watched Sunday Theatre about the National Gallery paintings and a township of people who probably did everything but ‘comply’ – and they were magnificent.
Your reply came through about the same time as I was typing mine; your line
My children are taught to work hard, strive for excellence (within capability), comply with authority, achieve within the framework or industry they choose and reach a point where they can legitimately influence if that is what they want to do with their careers.
Your thoughts/views are probably very, very similar to the majority of parents who want the best for their children. I would challenge you on one specific line
comply with authority
I want my children to have the ability to challenge the status quo, to respect that there is law, but also that sometimes law needs to change because it isn’t fair. Employees should have the right to make a similar stand should they perceive that it will disadvantage specific groups. National standards have been shown to do many things – improving educational outcomes is not one of them.
oh dear…. maybe Dick Quax is one man who does need a taxpayer-funded trip to see some of the compact cities in Europe. I cannot believe that anyone still believes sprawling cities are an ideal form.
It will be no surprise to you that I support a more dispersed urban form than being promoted. The focus on a compact city is flawed and housing unaffordability is just one of the unintended consequences of that flawed model.
It also leads to more congestion and more pollution. It places more pressure on aging infrastructure.
It’s also a socially flawed concept associated with transience, increased crime and a loss of sense of community. It reduces green space and is unfriendly to children.
I wouldn’t mind seeing where he got his ‘facts’ from.
The only problem with each open mike is that we all want to display our current gripes and perfectly good threads get passed by with new threads. Now and again I recopy them under my title but showing copyright. Is there any way to separate out the different subjects because some/many/most posters read only the final post, or simply post theirs?
The fight for Europe’s future is being waged in Athens and other Greek cities to resist financial demands that are the 21st century’s version of an outright military attack. The threat of bank overlordship is not the kind of economy-killing policy that affords opportunities for heroism in armed battle, to be sure. Destructive financial policies are more like an exercise in the banality of evil – in this case, the pro-creditor assumptions of the European Central Bank (ECB), EU and IMF (egged on by the U.S. Treasury).
Further on he points out that the privatisation that is being forced upon Greece is nothing less than the wars for territory of previous centuries. He is, of course, correct. The same applies to the privatisation of our assets here in NZ.
From our Facebook friend ‘Vote for change’ (NB I joined so i could express my comments – so don’t flame me!!)
Vote for Change Press Release
Alex Fogerty
July 3 2011
Vote for Change is investigating allegations made about a member of its organisation. The allegations of Mr Fogerty’s previous membership of a white supremacist group appear to be true and he will be asked to resign his membership immediately, or have his membership revoked if he chooses not to resign.
Many political organisations some members have pasts that are not entirely to their credit, or the credit of the organisation they belong to. In the 2008 election Labour lost high ranking list candidate Stephen Ching and National lost New Plymouth candidate Clem Coxhead, who was replaced by Jonathan Young ten weeks from the election. Both men left their roles with the respective parties because of issues with their past that their parties did not know about.
Vote for Change has found itself in a similar position as both Labour and National did in 2008.
Vote for Change will not be commenting on this unfortunate matter further.
Jordan Williams 021762542
They do have some interesting people supporting their cause!
Rod Oram says we need Corporate Reform more than we need Welfare Reform, and that John Key does not get it
If anything, things have got worse. “I first started talking to John Key when he was chosen to be opposition finance spokesperson, and I always found he knew surprisingly little about the economy, and it was very superficial…he just doesn’t get it. He thinks that if you just increase the irrigated land in Canterbury by 40% then that this is economic growth. Even though the Cabinet papers have shown an internal rate of return [from irrigation] of 6.4% . That’s a lousy investment. They just don’t get it. The government is solely focussed on the incremental growth of existing business.”
Jum, as soon as you start being positive, you will shine.
Somehow framing me, it just isn’t going to work, and by the time you break the case, you and I are going to be in harmony.
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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 ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
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. ...
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. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
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The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
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Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
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Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...
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Macsyna King and Ian Wishart have been the target of a lot of protest and anger over the past week. Is this the best way we can can expend the energy of our anger about child abuse and the deaths of babies? How much lower can we take Macsyna King?
What to do Macsyna King?
I think it’s time to: Back the new Children’s Commissioner.
Dr Will has a record of working successfully on one of our society’s biggest problem – early childhood abuse. He deserves all the support we can give him.
I am heartened by what I hear from the new Children’s Commissioner on his proposals to ensure the safety and improved out comes for children.
Pete Georgie – Does the Children’s Comissioner Department of Fools actually help abused children? The fact is mate, it’s just another useless government let down for kiwi kids.Dysfunctional and expensive white elephants like this deserve to be eradicated, as that would be in the child’s best interests.Not to mention struggling kiwi taxpayers.
d4jie, have you watched the interview with Dr Wills on Marae Investigates? If not I suggest you do before jumping to conclusions. If he can carry through some of his methods and aims he has already been doing over the past five years in Hawkes Bay then I he can initiate more real progress.
Pete Geo; I am just saying the Children’s Commisioner Office has a method of leaving a dismal track record. I will wait and see whether this blowhard department is worth anything? So far it’s been a total let down for kiwi kids! Just another pathetic department of over paid worthless nitwits. Poor kiwi children can’t afford to eat lamb anymore Mr Gummint scum.
What’s will the moderation girls? FFS why do I bother with this joke blog.
Pete George,
The NActMUs and you will just love the wee sentence he popped in about New Zealanders paying for their own health treatment so that the children can be looked after. What happened to the much better idea of removing the 14billion dollars of tax cuts which Key awarded to himself and backers and using that to help the health of the poor children? Otherwise, we know the outcome; the poor will then pay or not be able to afford to for their own health AND the health care or not be able to afford to of their poor children. The rich will continue corruptly writing off their wealth, hiding it away, using it to buy knighthoods and p.m.’ships. And New Zealand will then become America. How convenient for everyone but New Zealanders.
Why shouldn’t we pay for our own health care, especially routine care?
Labour tries too much blanket assistance (blanket vote attracting?) rather than targeting those who cause most of the problems. Sure, it would be great if everyone had a decent wage, decent housing and decent standard of living, and everyone paid their fair share of tax, and incomes weren’t so disparate.
But with limited resources it’ best to target the biggest problem areas more, the ongoing benefits will be to everyone’s advantage in the long run.
Pete, you need to look up the stats regarding the availability of services and affordability and also the relationship between poverty and achievement. Unless you actually narrow the gap no matter what you do it will fail. There are too many do-gooder programmes – they don’t work. You need to refocus service delivery, build robust public policy (even though having that will upset a lot of people) and build peoples abilities to be self sufficient.
I generally agree Ian. People aren’t encouraged to become self sufficient if the government promise to give them everything they need.
People aren’t self sufficient.
It takes a human being at least a year to be able to walk properly, and without help from other humans, we never ever learn to talk or even understand language.
People are interdependent, not self sufficient.
I suspect that the average Tory farmer understands this more than you do.
Hence my line
Whilst we allow people to live in KFC, McD’s, BK or Pizza Hut, whilst the educational system fails to produce what we need and whilst we have a society that determines a persons worth by the model of car they drive or the cellphone they own we will continue to go backwards. We are just lemmings to commercialism.
I reckon give it a few more years Ian, the Hubbert Curve is going to sort all that out.
Pete George
The biggest problem areas are the write-offs of tax by people best able to afford to pay it fairly.
Take a quick look at the future of New Zealand and its egalitarian society and weep. This outcome is for skids countries like America where people are expected to be very rich or dirt poor. New Zealand once thought better of itself. Shame on New Zealanders who think that selling off all New Zealanders’ assets for the benefit of the rich beneficiaries is a good result when we end up with pondscum at the top of the food chain and the helpless at the bottom.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1107/S00032/hungry-and-homeless-families-set-to-benefit.htm
Next we’ll be expecting the poor who are poor because of NActMU’s DELIBERATELY bad economic management to be tugging their forelocks when they are given their depleted wage packet, depleted because of the taxes used to prop up the rich who don’t pay them.
As for limited resources; crap, Pete George.
The only reason resources are limited in New Zealand and in so many other countries is that the rich and powerful have closed them off.
Remember the food mountains – disgraceful when millions were starving and nothing would have been lost by just giving the food to the poor.
Because a quick google shows that in the US the for profit health system costs an average family $13,375 (2009) p/a in insurance premiums.
Yep, some things are much better done as a large community, not as individuals. Funding health services is one of them.
What I want from Wills is for him to be contacted and brought down to earth about where to draw the line. When I email his office I will make a few proposals, I will only mention one here: that the accommodation supplement is increased to not having to pay no more that 25 % of your income in rent.
While most Kiwi’s think that Gadaffi is an audacious terrorist for defending his country perhaps it would be prudent to hear the other side. Here is a one, two part telephone conversation between Webster Tarpley and Alex Jones.
Webster Tarpley was on the Green square in the centre of Tripoli. (Life view provided)
It seems that at least half a million Libyans wanted to tell NATO, Sarkozy, and president Obama who wants to invade Libya with ground troops sometime October this year something: WE WILL DEFEND OUR COUNTRY!!! (Sorry for the screaming Iprent but it makes me so angry how this does not come through in the MSM)
In the second half something remarkable happens. Tarpley gives his phone to a Libyan fan of Alex Jones who invites him to come to Libya so they can share his Kalasnikov to fight together in their struggle against the Fascist/Corporate criminals trying to steal Libyan oil and resources.
Do you get what this means? Libyans listening to Alex Jones by many here considered a conspiracy nutter, right wing red neck and consider him an ally and want him to be their guest to report on what is really going on in Libya.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
ummm… I don’t think Gadaffi is a terrorist. I think he is a brutal dictator who is willing to order the murder and rape of his fellow country men and women in order to maintain power. Feel free to explain how this is incorrect?
On the other hand though I fully appreciate the side of the argument that is presented that the Libyan revolutionaries don’t wish to swap the brutality of Gadaffi for the ideological invasion of the West through NATO.
There really needs to be a term developed to specifically describe the strategy of “Western nations assist/instill revolution in unstable resource rich nations in order to install a powerless benevolent democracy that allows pillage by proxy”. ^_^
It seems we are at least partly in agreement. Here are a few links that might change you view (coloured by incomplete information due to the MSM propaganda) of Gaddafi a bit.
Here is what Amnesty International has to say about the rape allegations.
This is what Libyan women have to say about the rape allegations.
Gaddafi shared out hundreds of thousands of guns and other assorted arms out to the population so they can help defend the country and it seems according to Webster Tarpley in the above video links that an inordinate amount of women have weapons and are prepared to use them.
Here is an video which might explain why Libyans stand behind Gadaffi on the whole.
It seems that a few of John Key’s bankster mates got their hands dirty while defrauding the Sovereign wealth fund of Libya for oh, a billion or so and funny enough just before the Libyans could take the scamsters who collaborated with the international banking scum the war started and those who were on the verge of being taken to court became “rebel leaders”.
And last but not least this is what those wonderful freedom fighters seem to have thought was the right course of action with all those nice new weapons from NATO.
Remember; The first casualty of war/kinetic action/humanitarian intervention is the truth!!!
And you are the source of the truth? Sounds like the job to have…
No, I’m not smarty pants but do yourself a favour and ask yourself why it is so easy for you to believe the things said in the MSM about Gaddafi.
Is it because he is a funny man with clowns costumes and a few well chosen smears easy to believe because he is just some one far away believing in different things to you or would you believe the same things if they said them about someone dressed as Goff or Key and a leader of a Western country?
Blair- Bush started two wars against countries which had nothing to do with 9/11. killing more tan a million Iraqis and God knows how many Afghanis and Pakistanis. Polluting all those countries for the next 4.5 billion years with depleted uranium.
Iran hasn’t started a single war in the last 500 years. Neither has Libya.
Obama has perpetuated these wars and started and additional three wars while preparing for at least two more.
Libya’s students get a living wage while studying for free and medical treatment is also free. Which it was in Iraq by the way too. Here students have to go into debt and our hard earned rights and social care are being taken away by the same rich pricks ruling the rest of this planet and you think that the Libyans are the suppressed here.
Here’s another homily for ya: There are none so enslaved as those who think they are free.
Now grow up and do your own research.
urg… just, for the moment, ignoring the specific issue of Gadaffi and Libya that are the basis of this discussion and focusing on the ideological arguments you are fronting. To my perception, your statements represent a form of hypocrisy and that is something I find detestable. I don’t feel the need to trust the MSM or ANY particular outlet of information – hell, there are a lot of Tom MacMasters out there either purporting to be a primary source of information or, like you, a biased secondary or tertiary source filter for the excessive amounts of information available on the internets. The advantage to you being the second type though is that I can read through your comments and links, keeping in mind your bias, and then come to an appropriately weighted conclusion on the issue at hand.
“Now grow up and do your own research” <– if I did this and came back and disagreed with you, what would it take to change your mind? If you were able to answer this question it might be worthwhile engaging in an issue with you.
EDIT: Also, since when was blaming the MSM portrayal of a person an excuse for their war crimes?
Good, read my links and make up your own mind.
You come back with well documented clear arguments of that which you want to convince me and be surprised.
I agree, let’s take Blair, Obama, Sarkozy, and the rest of the warmongering mass murderers together with Bibi Netanyahu, Mubarak and the other dictators in the service of these criminals to the international court in the Hague for long overdue judgement.
Somewhat surprisingly, geonet isn’t showing any aftershocks in Auckland last night. You need to be on guard for the aftershock that is one magnitude less than the main shock. So, watch out for the 1.9.
Geonet generally doesn’t show quakes of 2.5 or lower, and often doesn’t show anything under 3.0.
It wouldn’t even be noticeable! 😀
The European summer of discontent continues with protests in Belarus against an authoritarian regime with a poor human rights record .
#Belarus Protest and images.
Its a distraction when our human rights record in NZ is so wanting given the massive bounty this country provides the world. When we get our social justice agenda centre stage only then should we start worrying about human rights cesspools like Belarus. i.e. show the citizens on the streets in Belarus what to do when they do win, don’t let the ‘any profit at any expense’ party take over the parliament and media.
Gaddafi and Lukashenko, BFF.
.
Washington OKs Attack on Unarmed US Ship
Going far beyond a zero sum policy this seems to be a very risky and extreme position for the Obama administration to take.
The US citizens aboard “The Audacity of Hope” represent a cross section of mainstream US society. The people who form US opinion.
Ex US military and intelligence officers, commentators and writers, entertainers and professors, sportsmen and women, clergy and politicians.
What on earth can the Obama administration be thinking?
As one commenter remarked:
As another commentator has said, and going on past experience, this will be seen by the Israelis as a green light, to do just that.
.
Washington OKs Attack on Unarmed US Ship
Going far beyond a zero sum policy, this seems to be a very risky and extreme position for the Obama administration to take.
The US citizens aboard “The Audacity of Hope” represent a cross section of mainstream US society. The people who form US opinion.
Ex military and intelligence officers, commentators and writers, entertainers and professors, sportsmen and women, clergy and politicians.
What on earth can the Obama administration be thinking?
As one commenter remarked:
As another commentator has said, and going on past experience, this will be seen by the Israelis as a green light, to do just that.
‘
Washington OKs Attack on Unarmed US Ship
Going far beyond a zero sum policy, this seems to be a very risky and extreme position for the Obama administration to take.
The US citizens aboard “The Audacity of Hope” represent a cross section of mainstream US society. The people who form US opinion.
Ex military and intelligence officers, commentators and writers, entertainers and professors, sportsmen and women, clergy and politicians.
What on earth can the Obama administration be thinking?
As one commenter remarked:
As another commentator has said, and going on past experience, this will be seen by the Israelis as a green light, to do just that.
“A group of rich Germans has launched a petition calling for the government to make wealthy people pay higher taxes.
The group say they have more money than they need, and the extra revenue could fund economic and social programmes to aid Germany’s economic recovery.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8321967.stm
Sort of what the younger Morgan was getting at but certainly not supported by the rich J Key.
Gary Trudeau’s Doonesbury has been following the rich.
Yep joe. And one way to gloat is to accuse the poor of being envious of the rich. What a worry it would be to be rich! they would be anxious that some would want to tax them or steal from them or be befriended for their money. Poor buggers!
20,000 Leagues Under the State.
This disparity has far less to do with some inherent difference in character between the Greatest Generation and their grandchildren than it does with a fundamental change that has taken place in the relationship between citizens and the welfare state. Over the past few decades, while many standard social benefits have atrophied in real value, those packaged as “tax expenditures”—the formal name in federal budgeting parlance for subsidies provided through the tax code—have flourished, growing rapidly in value and number. These tax expenditures for individuals and families represented 7.4 percent of GDP in 2008, up from 4.2 percent in 1976. (Tax expenditures for business, such as those for the oil and gas industry, made up another 1 percent.) By way of comparison, Social Security amounted to 4.3 percent of GDP in 2008; Medicare and Medicaid, 4.1 percent.
Invercargill school principal Marlene Campbell has compared the actions of Anne Tolley, the Minster of Education, with the propaganda approach taken by Joseph Goebbels. (see interview Cue TV) Previously she compared Anne Tolley, the Minister of Education, with Hitler for the way she was asserting the adoption National Standards in schools.
“And the MOE attack schools deferring setting targets, that s a constructive response? Excuse me Minister Hitler? Am I in Germany? Is this the end of self managing schools? read Kelvin Smythes latest blog, he is a true hero!” Marlene Campbell face book wall
As I see it Marlene Campbell is not doing her job as required by her employer as well as opposing the implementation of Government policy in schools and speaking out against it. Could someone help me out here:
• As an employee shouldn’t she either comply with the requirements of her employer or face discipline?
• As a public servant how is it that she is getting away with speaking out against Government’s wishes when legions of public servants know that it is not appropriate to speak out against Government policy so they don’t?
• Should Marlene Campbell expect to get away with contesting education policy as a public servant in the education area and not doing her job as her employer directs?
• Isn’t her only choice to do her job (and ideally do it well) or get out?
Have you noticed Lulu, that the only argument in favour of NS is that it is a chance to beat people about obedience and compliance. What a pity there isn’t some way of showing that NS are beneficial. Can you?
Some integrated schools have been threatened with withdrawn funding unless they comply. After all they get taxpayers money.
But wait. Private schools get heaps of taxpayers money too. What’s good for integrated schools should be good for private schools. Yes?
And anyway if NS were so important and so useful, the private schools would be rushing to join up. But they thank their lucky stars that they don’t have to comply with anything.
Lulu,
We should be thankful that people risk their careers to speak out on behalf of our children. Shame on Tolley/Key that neither of them listened to the real experts – the teachers. Even their own resident expert, who was trotted out to put their case, eventually spoke out against it as being flawed. Everyone wanted a trial period with some schools from different areas to show any deficiencies, but neither Tolley nor Key was willing to listen.
We have only to read the personal accounts of this system in America to understand how demeaning and impersonal this factory-fed analysis is.
People did not speak out against Hitler; if anyone had bothered to read his Mein Kampf they would never have allowed him to gain any power. Key is a populist politician (so was Hitler) who knows how uninformed and politically lazy the Kiwi masses are; his popularity even after his lying to us, is evidence of that. His pretence at giving people choices was immediately negated by the way he signed off on Hide to demolish any sense of democratic right to select committee consultation – there was none with the first Auckland bill which removed all our assets to a property CCO which in July 2012 can sell off our assets like Ports of Auckland if people vote this asset-stripping government back in.
National standards pays more attention to educating to pass tests (which under National will be frozen for the masses at factory farming level) than it does to educating people to have a better, rounded future. Science and literature which engages the imagination and stargazing has been shut out by this government. Learning is not compartmental. You teach the basics by involving the senses and the imagination.
Masses or individual plans – you choose. So much for the NActMU government that talks about individual freedom of choice yet practises elitist treatment of moneyed schools and factory farming of other students.
Reach for the stars with Labour/Progressive/Greens or mine the pits with National/Act/Maori/United Future – your choice, Lulu?
As a parent of school age children I am uncomfortable with an individual principal breaking their rules of employment and the protocols of being in the public service. My children are taught to work hard, strive for excellence (within capability), comply with authority, achieve within the framework or industry they choose and reach a point where they can legitimately influence if that is what they want to do with their careers. That is how both of us parents behave and we are both successful in our chosen fields.
There are bodies that are free to legitimately question national standards. In my post I did not question national standards. I questioned the ill disciplined poor example set by Marlene Campbell. Your agreement with her view doesn’t justify her behaviour. If she feels so strongly she should go and join whatever organisation is set up to question government policy. If my child was in her school I would withdraw him/her in response to the poor example MC sets the children in her school.
Both of you ignored my point and both of you failed to address my questions. You are both guilty of the approach Marlene Campbell described as propaganda and associated with Goebbels. Shame on you both. (Unless of course you don’t have school age children in which case you are simply ignorant.)
I answered your post in my first sentence, Key-flunky. “We should be thankful that people risk their careers to speak out on behalf of our children.” Shame on you Lulu for not addressing your own Hitler comment “getting away with speaking out against Government’s wishes when legions of public servants know that it is not appropriate to speak out against Government policy so they don’t?” New Zealand is a free country Lulu, or it was until 9 November 2008. Not speaking out gets you Nazi Germany or another NAct government.
First paragraph ‘My children…fields – ditto, except we differ in that I tell mine to question everything and only comply with authority when it is sensible policy. When you don’t question you end up with Key and Co.
‘Comply with authority’? Complying with authority to me is not driving the wrong way down a one-way street because I know the government is considering my safety and the efficiency of the traffic. That is a good compliance. Having a 21st century public transport system would be even better but I daresay as a Key-flunky you want everyone to drive a car and give Key’s government a lot of money through that system.
The only question I need to ask Lulu is which group do I trust? The teachers that want only the best teaching system for my children or Key and Co that have lied on so many levels and then intend to steal SOE assets that belong to my children’s children, by lying about the fact that partially privatised assets are controlled by private interests; they’re certainly not in all New Zealanders’ interests… I think you know my reply.
I’d back the teachers every time because I know they have principles, AND PRINCIPALS WITH PRINCIPLES. Key has none; he is a liar and intends to sign off on the theft of and sell off of my family’s SOE assets.
We have too many bottom-lickers in this country Lulu but I’ll leave that role with you; you appear to be so well suited to it.
PS I shall send a congratulatory message to Marlene Campbell for ‘doing her job’. With educators like her I believe New Zealand actually still has a chance to be an egalitarian country once again, if we can just get rid of the Kerrs and the Deanes and the Keys and the Fay Richwhites and other bottom feeders. The best support I can be is to support the Marlenes of this country and destroy the more shameful aspects of this bottom-feeding cycle of National/Act. Goodbye Lulu.
Hi Jum,
I didn’t mention Key. Or Clark. Or any other PM or any ideology. And I didn’t use capital letters. I think you need to have a little lie down.
“My children are taught to work hard, strive for excellence (within capability), comply with authority, achieve within the framework or industry they choose and reach a point where they can legitimately influence if that is what they want to do with their careers.”
and
“There are bodies that are free to legitimately question national standards.”
Lulu,
The difference between you and me, I think, is that I am bringing my daughter up to live by principles rather than confine her protests to when some social structure or authority tells her that she now has a ‘legitimate‘ right to ‘influence‘ outcomes. I believe and fervently hope, for example, that my daughter will grow up to be the kind of person who is both capable and willing to engage in civil disobedience when an important principle is being over-ridden by some ‘legitimate authority’ (e.g., the British Raj in Gandhi’s time).
Instilling in children the importance of only opening their mouths once they have a right to do so bestowed upon them by a higher authority is not a developmental path I would wish to choose for my child.
BTW, I also encourage my daughter not to be trivial in her ‘rebellions’.
Edit: I see Ianupnorth has made a similar point below.
Fair and interesting point Puddleglum. Do we want our children to be known as effective leaders or known for civil disobedience? I think leaders in their field can achieve more for them and their nation. (absent fundamental causes like the civil rights movement in America.) Having said that I seemd to have stirred up such a hornetss nest I might just have to withdraw gracefully. I haven’t stated a view on NS. I just don’t think Marlene Campbell is noble. I think she is out of control and ineffective comparing Ministers of any ilk with famlous nazis. That is just vacuous smartarse nonsense. Old Jum there would be quick to point that out if it was a “Key-flunky” acting like her. But I suppose the view is pretty clear through one eye.
“ Do we want our children to be known as effective leaders or known for civil disobedience?”
There’s not necessarily a conflict there. It is possible to be an effective leader via (or while using, or after having used) civil disobedience. It’s obviously a matter of judgment as to when it is necessary to disobey and I admit that their are many possible inappropriate motives for such disobedience and even many inappropriate causes (often the two are intertwined). But, in my view, in an imperfect world it is infinitely better that people err on the side of ‘civil disobedience’ than obedience when it is morally questionable. My understanding is that when the contest is between complex social structures (e.g., the education system, the economic system) and leaders who attempt to reform those systems then the system will win, hands down – though it might offer a minor, and reversible, ‘win’ for the leader in the interim.
This is a major dilemma, especially in our modern world. How many of us have found ourselves compromising our principles with the only consolation for our guilty consciences being the thought (or rationalisation) that the consequences of standing on our principles might be worse than the ill we wish to cure?
Personally, I don’t think that what is wrong with the world is principally the result of too many people standing on their principles (rather than being pragmatic and trying to change things – ‘lead’ – from inside the system).
Yes lets scold adults like they are children and infantalize them, very good.
This Government is determined to treat the public sector worker as easily expendable like any private sector employee.
So why are you surprised when they no longer follow the rules you think that they should?
Teaching people to comply with authority is the worst thing you can do. Teach people to do what is needed because it is right not because some authority figure says to. Keep following your line and we’ll end up as a dictatorship again.
Jeez Draco T. What would we get if no one complied with authority? Isn’t our whole civilisation based on forming and reforming order?
Hey Draco, answer me a question, have you got a job?
Well, if they still did as needed because it was the right thing to do then we’d probably end up being pretty well off. As has been noted before – the most ordered of societies are anarchist.
An important distinction Draco – well said.
Read what you just wrote.
The reforming of order usually requires that the previous formation of order is superceeded, replaced, or otherwise usurped.
Not complying with the previous formation of authority is necessary in this.
You better study the lives of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. You’re revealing significant gaps in your conceptualisation of what being a “leader” is all about.
Very revealing.
I’m sure you think that Gandhi and Martin Luther King both should have been doing some productive 9 to 5 job instead of being trouble makers involved in civil disobedience
Aww thank you Colonial Viper,
I though Draco was one of us. If I had realised he was the next Gandhi and Martin Luther King I wouldn’t have asked the question.
I am beginning to wish I hadn’t raised this.
Last thought, A couple of comments have been thoughtful and interesting but I on balance noone has really change my position i.e. that Marlene Campbell is not doing the job I expect of my kids’ principal and she is letting down all of the public servants who do theirs. I think she is an embarrassment to the public service and the teaching profession. I think she will be ineffective and I am not comfortable with her drawing a salary made up from our taxes.
Wow how much personal attack spin can you put in 3 sentences, I’m bloody impressed mate.
It’s fairly clear now that your idea of “leaders” are apparatchiks for the machine.
Lolzwut.
I’m not comfortable with Bill English drawing a ~$300K p.a. in salary (very gd – you avoided the use of the word “earning” a salary, clever professional PR languaging) made up from our taxes to sell off this country to foreigners and in doing so deprive all of our children of years of valuable revenue streams which will end up in foreign hands, but what the hey. Life’s not perfect.
You’re part of the Tory Right Wing spin machine.
Please continue.
If the evidence clearly informs a practitioner that a specific process is potentially harmful to those receiving should they whistle blow or comply with governments instructions?
I would say they have a right to protect those in question; you would expect a doctor or surgeon to follow best practice, similarly an airline pilot, same for a fireman, officer of the law, etc – why not teachers who know more about education that Anne Tolley
I regularly speak out against government policy here, but I do not reveal my name or employer, as I am technically not permitted to do so; maybe she is braver than me!
In my opinion, yes; however, I hope she has a strong union and lots of parental support
I commend her actions, but then again I actually work within that sector and am a parent, so I have read widely on this; my kids also went through this in the UK and I said never again!
Thank you Iamupnorth. You have shown up ianmac and jum and demonstrated my point well. Go well and good luck. As far as Marlene is concerned, she is not braver than you, she is just plain stupid. Those other two are merely the propagandists Marlene complains about – or would do if they weren’t sympathetic to her view. Marlene is such a hypocrite. I hope she gets her butt kicked.
I think I spent my time wisely tonight. Instead of staying involved with the Lulu I watched Sunday Theatre about the National Gallery paintings and a township of people who probably did everything but ‘comply’ – and they were magnificent.
Best laughs and tears I’ve had in ages.
Your reply came through about the same time as I was typing mine; your line
Your thoughts/views are probably very, very similar to the majority of parents who want the best for their children. I would challenge you on one specific line
I want my children to have the ability to challenge the status quo, to respect that there is law, but also that sometimes law needs to change because it isn’t fair. Employees should have the right to make a similar stand should they perceive that it will disadvantage specific groups. National standards have been shown to do many things – improving educational outcomes is not one of them.
Stop being stubborn- you are re-birthing as we speak and guess who is your new Mother?
And your name is- ARES!
Dick Quax – yet another flawed model of greed for the developers and reducing our environmental life and sanity saving greenspace.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1107/S00042/dick-quax-maiden-speech-to-auckland-council.htm
Run for your life, people.
oh dear…. maybe Dick Quax is one man who does need a taxpayer-funded trip to see some of the compact cities in Europe. I cannot believe that anyone still believes sprawling cities are an ideal form.
I wouldn’t mind seeing where he got his ‘facts’ from.
Well rosy he used to be an ACT supporter and as far as I know he still is…
LPrent,
The only problem with each open mike is that we all want to display our current gripes and perfectly good threads get passed by with new threads. Now and again I recopy them under my title but showing copyright. Is there any way to separate out the different subjects because some/many/most posters read only the final post, or simply post theirs?
Greece: No Deal without a National Referendum
Further on he points out that the privatisation that is being forced upon Greece is nothing less than the wars for territory of previous centuries. He is, of course, correct. The same applies to the privatisation of our assets here in NZ.
Ian what I do know is- you are not going to die in an earthquake, either will I!
You will solve the case, and you and I are safe.
This information I HAVE RIGHT!
I am not ignorant, the above information IS CORRECT!
From our Facebook friend ‘Vote for change’
(NB I joined so i could express my comments – so don’t flame me!!)
They do have some interesting people supporting their cause!
His greatest hits here and here.
Apparently, he’s now been asked to resign.
Rod Oram says we need Corporate Reform more than we need Welfare Reform, and that John Key does not get it
HI CV, is there a link for this?
http://werewolf.co.nz/2011/06/the-case-for-corporate-reform/
Thanks mate, I meant to put it up – absent minded on a Sunday evening 🙂
Thanks for that! An interesting read. (No problems CV)
The week that was 26 June – 3 July
Jum, as soon as you start being positive, you will shine.
Somehow framing me, it just isn’t going to work, and by the time you break the case, you and I are going to be in harmony.