She went on to pass law, I think, and become a MP. Are you suggesting WINZ will find a reason to turn her success into a fail, criminalize the good account she has made. Obviously her actions will be private and she can goto a review of decision that will just accentuate the political story which was the point. That you cannot buy the political, economic, social life of a citizen for a paucity amount. Even CEOs paid millions have more freedom.
Our first meet the candidates event has been advertised in the local paper for the end of the month, looking forward to it. Being held by the Grey Power, I hope the public are allowed to ask questions.
That’s a tough one Cinny. I went to a greypower meeting and couldn’t believe the inanity of the raucous mob with their questions/diatribes. I hope your meeting has a competent chairman.
I see this as a problem with old people (I am not being ageist – one can criticise anyone provided it is done fairly and also I am in my 70’s).
The old have a feeling of entitlement, also a concentration on themselves and their needs. And they often abdicate their responsibilities and behave like children, demanding, irritated, hence they can become very raucous when roused about politics and money
Herald is really taking a turn for the worst if today’s stories are anything to go by.
“They were found near Lake Tutira, between Napier and Wairoa, in a hunt sparked by contact with a psychic, but Mr Vining said a forensic psychiatrist verified yesterday that the remains were not human.”
Well I guess some people find that reassuring. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11898178
This was my instinct years back, and now it’s being formally supported:
Extreme heatwaves that kill even healthy people within hours will strike parts of the Indian subcontinent unless global carbon emissions are cut sharply and soon, according to new research.
Even outside of these hotspots, three-quarters of the 1.7bn population – particularly those farming in the Ganges and Indus valleys – will be exposed to a level of humid heat classed as posing “extreme danger” towards the end of the century.
The new analysis assesses the impact of climate change on the deadly combination of heat and humidity, measured as the “wet bulb” temperature (WBT). Once this reaches 35C, the human body cannot cool itself by sweating and even fit people sitting in the shade will die within six hours.
Good article – I wish the people in those areas the best of luck. I also worry about storm asthma and things like that. Too often the west thinks it is somehow insulated from all this – major part of the problem imo.
It’s 1.7 bn living there now, but those areas currently have high population growth. There’s areas of Africa that will likely get the same kind of lethal heatwaves, but aren’t mentioned presumably because there aren’t the big numbers of people living there now. But those areas of Africa have very high population growth. So by the time the lethal heatwaves start hitting, the numbers at risk are likely to be around 2.5bn to 3bn.
I think the air might be drier in Africa, it looks like it’s the combination of heat and humidity that is dangerous. The Swedes love their saunas, when someone tipped a pail of water on the hot rocks there were times when it felt like there just wasn’t any oxygen to breath.
A lot of western Africa is quite humid. Most of what’s south of Mali/Niger and north of Namibia is pretty sweltering. Southern Tanzania through Malawi and northern Zimbabwe were pretty sticky too when I went through 20 years ago and it’s already warmed since then.
When the WBT (Wet Bulb Temperature) goes over 35 degC not only can the body no longer cool itself by sweating … but the surface of your lungs now becomes a surface on which moisture starts to condense.
Slowly but surely you drown or die of pneumonia.
And yes this kind of heat stress is already lethal:
i was in France during the heatwave of 2003. It killed an about 14000 people that summer, mainly elderlies.
We literally lived at night and stayed indoors during the day. Madness really. Luckily i lived in the South of France in St. Paul de Vence a very old place with houses old several hundred years so the walls are build of solid river rocks. Which kept the houses around a balmy 30 degrees during the day. Utter madness. Elsewhere especially in the North it must have been horrendous.
It is standard for families in Paris or in the North to holiday on the country side in August, it is the summer holiday there.
What was not expected was the heatwave, and the fact that houses in the North are not equipped to deal with such a heat wave.
Also, a lot of old people do like to live on their own very happily.
In fact, when i first came to NZ i was living in Wellington, and one day i asked my then spouse ‘where are all the old people’ and i was told they live in Oamaru (hahaha) or in retirment homes on the country side. which to this european whose Nana died at home, whose Mother died at home seemed cruel. what you mean they don’t live at home? what do they do in Oamaru? lol.
Different Culture really, but no Grandma was not abandoned by their families.
A friends sister has just gone to Spain. Apparently (this is only what I was told) Spanish people now take a break from the Spanish summer and head off to more northern climes. If true, do I need to explain how odd that is in terms of European summer holiday destinations?
(I know southern France, Portugal and Spain have been on fire this year, but the impression I was given was that going north was not a ‘one off’ flowing from the back of just this years summer)
We’ll be seeing more of the ‘friendly’ Australians then, who will have to take us over wholly or suck up to us a bit more so they can get away from their central heartless desert which will be spreading.
I wonder if Aborigines will be able to manage as they will have lost much of their original culture though enough may still remain. But they may have to defend their territories against new colonial civil invasions so they aren’t over-run again and get ‘white-anted’.
Will we be like Mars in the end? With a few people living underground and coming out at night and in winter? I guess I will hold onto my board games and packs of cards for light relief – but without electricity? I think th SADD syndrome might hit.
the fire season in the south of france is bad this year. Very very bad.
and not getting better anytime.
i expect more then just damage to houses soon as the area is densely populated.
Is there a possible scenario where, if Labour get into the low 30s, Greens mid teens, and the Maori Party a couple of seats, that Winston can be cut out altogether?
Nicer if the greens stay mid teens (or higher), labour get mid thirties, so there’s no need to have a three term nat propping party in coalition being kept on life support by the people they’ve been voting against for nine years.
I think we have a really opportunity here. Little said a few days before his resignation that Labour needed to go for NZF votes. Hope Ardern takes the same view (and then backs it up with policy).
And as I indicated a while back, if TOP can get over the line as well then a Lab/Grn/TOP/MP coalition is also a real possibility. There’s a lot of policy synergy in that grouping.
But the point is that TOP will attract votes from across the spectrum. By no means all of that ‘sub 5%’ risk sits with the left.
There are at least four ways TOP can benefit the left if we are smart.
1. They will get a solid share of existing conservative votes. Their economic agenda is framed in terms they see sense in.
2. Gareth absolutely makes his core pitch at youth voters. Much of the intergenerational unfairness, education, UBI, cannabis and environment policies are pitched directly to their interests
3. Their ToW, Democracy Reset and Water policies have very close synergy with Maori interests. The MP should be paying close attention.
4. And being new and ‘non-tribal’ they stand a fair shot at getting previously unmotivated non-voters to give them a go.
I haven’t seen any polling that tells us where the TOP vote might come from, but going by some lefties’ arguments, the idea is that TOP are more likely to support Labour than National given a choice. It’s the same old shit that Peters does, no-one actually knows. It’s power play 101. People can vote for whoever they like, but it’s still a risk to vote TOP.
As for policy I don’t see anything particularly great that the Greens aren’t already moving on.
Well they’ve gone from 0.8% to 2% in the past two weeks. The next few polls might be interesting.
But yes getting over 5% the first time out the gate is a tough ask.
It’s almost impossible unless you have wealthy backer and a good reason to argue the threshold needs to be a little lower. Because at 5% it’s just a guaranteed cosy sinecure for the Establishment parties when everyone applies the ‘wasted vote’ logic to any new party.
When an election looks this tight, even 2% wasted vote can swing it. I’d love our threshold to be way lower, but I’m sure we all recall the Nats were having none of that when it was recommended.
Best way is to start putting scenarios into the MMP calculator. It’s somewhat clunky, but I just open multiple tabs of it and start putting the numbers in to compare what happens when you take electorate MPs in and out.
“overhang with the Mp “.
What overhang are you expecting? You don’t think the MP are going to win 3 or 4 electorates do you?
If they do the Labour Party are going to need a new deputy leader I would say.
“Davis is on the list”
I have just seen that. No wonder he was looking so happy when he was announced as deputy. With the Labour polling numbers he must have been getting very worried. Labour are still going to have to get up a bit even if he is the effective number 1 on the list.
Meanwhile though how many electorates do you expect the Maori Party to get? The look as if they will be entitled to a couple so if there are going to be any overhang seats they are going to have to win 3 or 4 electorates. What do you think they will be, and which Labour MPs are going to be left out in the cold?
Very good book.
Ruth, Roger and Me
Debts and Legacies
“In Ruth, Roger and Me, Andrew Dean explores the lives of the generation of young people brought up in the shadow of the economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, those whom he calls ‘the children of the Mother of All Budgets’. Drawing together memoir, history and interviews, he explores the experiences of ‘discomfort’ and ‘disconnection’ in modern Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Bupa rest home in Cambridge failed to provide proper care to Robert Love’s mum, even though he was topping up the government subsidy. Complaints met with the usual corporate speak fob off we have all encountered.
And although she was no longer in charge when the complaints were made…the immediate former Big Boss of Bupa NZ (and hence she must take responsibility for much of the current culture) is none other than Grainne Moss who now has charge of creating a better and safer culture within the Ministry for Vulnerable Children.
I thought bet this is an immigrant come to take our jobs.
Right. This is a perverse cultural cringe we have. And to keep on voting for a political party like National Party to keep this up and dumbing down NZ is such a cringe that it becomes grotesque. Where are the gutsy NZs who want to run our own country and see our own people rise and use their abilities. Why keep importing everything. Quelle horreur. Merde etc. We are already international and can do as well as internationals given a chance, education, encouragement and opportunity.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11492534 Irish-born champion swimmer Grainne Moss is one of a small number of female chief executives in New Zealand. The mother of four runs Bupa, the country’s largest aged-care home provider.
1. You were the first Irish woman to swim the English Channel, when you were 17. What lessons have you taken from that into the business world?
Don’t look back. I made that mistake during the channel crossing. The conditions were so rough that my father and brother had to get tied to the boat for their own safety and they’d emptied their entire stomachs. I’d been swimming for three hours and I looked back at the White Cliffs of Dover, which were absolutely massive. It was a devastating moment because I thought, “I’ve got nowhere”. Looking back has got very limited value.
(And another fact that may prove to be be interesting is that she is a practising Catholic. And my own feeling that champion sports people are very individualistic, and can be very system-focussed for outcomes, rather than human-focussed with tolerance.)
(She also went to a ‘finishing school’ in Switzerland. Mrs Moss holds a Masters of Business Administration (with honours) from the prestigious IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.)
Now – State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes has today announced the appointment of Gráinne Moss as establishment Chief Executive of the new Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki….
“Too many of our children and young people are being abused and neglected,” said Mr Hughes.
“(She also went to a ‘finishing school’ in Switzerland. Mrs Moss holds a Masters of Business Administration (with honours) from the prestigious IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.)”
Incubator for neo-libs?
I sometimes despair, greywarshark, despair.
Good luck to Robert Love…attempting to hit them in their bank balance is probably the only way of hurting them.
(I never used to think that way…but one must keep up with the times and accept that the $$$ is All.)
Ardern back tomorrow with a plan for Labour. Greens this week had a standing room only campaign launch in Auckland where they said they’re going for bold.
Why are you hostile to The Opportunities Party? They have excellent policies. Their chief of staff and Wellington Central candidate is brilliant. I hope he is the next Minister for the Environment.
Not sure if a comparison of UF’s utter lack of meaningful policy with TOP’s very clear and distinct positions stacks up much.
And quite explicitly Morgan has come out and repudiated the electorate seat ‘coat-tailing’ which has kept the UF and ACT zombies in govt long after the electorate walked away.
Gaming the voting process is the epitome of tribal, partisan politics which delivers us mediocre Establishment party governments that represent sector constituencies only and increasingly have been failing to work in the interests of all voters. Mr English calls this “stable” government, I call it stagnant, mediocre and unenlightened. It’s precisely this type of behaviour from Establishment parties that is alienating so many voters from the democratic process and to be frank, putting our democracy at risk.
Nah. People across the spectrum agreeing with a single party either means its policy platform is too narrow or that the actual implementation of those policies hasn’t been signalled.
And when one of those supporters is so far right that they don’t believe there are any right wing people in NZ, that rings some pretty huge alarm bells.
Bullshit. When the Greens criticise TOP’s environmental and climate change policy as ‘too extreme’, while at the same time a right-winger can see the sense of their tax reform policy … you’re outta the park labelling this ‘narrow’.
And if you’re worried about their implementation, go do your own homework. TOP has a big website and you should be able to find it on your own. Lazy insinuations are just that … lazy and self-serving.
And while you’re at it, if you think it so important, ask srylands why he’s interested in TOP’s policies.
And yes, their implementation is pretty bloody vague. I’ve read a few of their policies, and there’s a shitload of fluff, some managerialist bullshit (like shared services for school administration) and bugger-all substance. Their tax policy doesn’t even have any even illustrative tax rates or firm claims for one or two affected groups like the greens do, and they don’t have a fiscal plan like Labour.
And I don’t give a shit about why srylands is interested in anything. The only relevant point is that with someone like him agreeing with something, it pays to double-check how it would fuck things up for most people. It is not “a good sign”, any more than an endorsement from the KKK.
So you give a shit about sryland’s opinion when it suits your argument , and don’t give a shit when it doesn’t.
That’s not what he said. It’s that srylands stated beliefs indicate that him agreeing with something would indicate that that something is probably badly wrong.
The party is well financed and employs experienced media folk for their communications.
Why the hell should anyone have to ask them to provide policy specifics rather than waffle?
They want teachers to be repested and better qualified. Fair enough. What about pay, numbers and conditions? The greens at least mention those in their policy, and lots more. TOP manage to announce a small fraction of the number of policies across the same sector, but in the same number of pages as the Greens.
So now suddenly srylands beliefs are going to be the yardstick by which you determine what you believe in?
No. That’s not what either of us said.
You started this line with the sentence: “Here we have both a RW and a LW endorsing TOP at the same time … I would say that’s a pretty good sign something is good about TOP.”
All I’ve said is that no, srylands agreeing with something is a bad sign. It doesn’t determine my beliefs. It raises my suspicions.
TOP’s lack of details also raises my suspicions.
You have presented nothing to allay those suspicions. Like maybe a fiscal plan that has more figures than “80:20”.
So now suddenly srylands beliefs are going to be the yardstick by which you determine what you believe in?
Nope.
It means that I’m going to take what he says as bollocks until proven otherwise as you would do with any proven liar.
All this and you still haven’t asked him why?
Have you considered what I said about Morgan being a traditional economist with all the inherent failings in regards to what srylands often says? They’re birds of a feather although Morgan does seem to have a higher social conscience.
If I was wrong about TOP being vague on implementation of their finance policy (rich for an economist), feel free to point out their specifics rather than misrepresenting what I said about some tory trool.
I said that I don’t give a shit why srylands would profess to have an opinion on TOP. But the opinions srylands has are usually pretty fucked up, and therefore best avoided.
Similar to real alarm bells – I might not know why the fire alarm is going off, but the area is usually best avoided for the duration that they’re going off.
I find TOP’s policies surprisingly vague too. How hard would it have been to include examples? And asking them to clarify is so fraught that I think that alone makes them untrustworthy to govern.
Personally, I don’t see Gareth Morgan as a Messiah. I see him as a naughty boy who knows damned well that he screwed both an unfair system and many people in order to become rich. But he puts that down to talent, and now he tries to atone with fairy-tale solutions.
Srylands has lost it, is obfuscating, or is a complete fool. Probably all three.
Yesterday he said there was no need for a reset economically, then promptly proposed deliberately crashing the housing market and paying the banks for their loss.
I’m guessing he’s doing some astroturfing/trolling. I haven’t looked too closely (don’t read their comments a lot tbh), but it all looks like ways to undermine the left. Yawn 😉
I’ve no problem with disagreeing with RW opponents ideas most of the time. But unless they are trolling or arguing in bad faith, I usually attempt to treat them with the ordinary respect we all owe to our fellow humans.
If there is one thing which REALLY irks me is watching a bunch of so-called lefties mobbing someone in an ugly display of mindless gang bullying. It happens far too often and I loath it with a passion. It’s the one thing which repeatedly drives me to question my ongoing participation here.
For a start it’s a matter of simple dignity and decency. Then there’s the ugly, smug assertions of moral superiority, the unquestioned assumptions and the short-circuiting of intellectual curiosity.
Conservative thinking people comprise at least 40% of our fellow citizens; sneering at them, actively refusing to listen, engaging in bad faith will assuredly reinforce their prejudices about progressive politics.
And most fatally of all … it leads us to persistently underestimate them.
I imagine that theres more than a few folk in the various parties trying to figure out what this all mean to them – both positive and negative.
Meanwhile, theres also a bunch of journos trying to second guess the NZ voters and what this will mean come 24 September. They are writing articles which in many cases (tho we dont know which ones yet) will be 100% wrong.
My prediction is that we wont end up with a “threeway coalition of equals” as I think that Labour are on the up, and that it will be at the expense particularly of the Greens as they will both be strong and chasing voters in the same “urban liberal” part of voterland.
And I have absolutely no idea what will now happen in the Maori seats, but I wouldnt be at all surprised to see the end of the Maori Party in Parliament.
Yes and then there is winnie and that stuff from down south. I’m sure i predicted Paula going in as leader to the election – might happen. But possibly only for a short time as her chickens come home to roost soon.
Kelvin’s promotion to deputy and his declining to be on Labour’s list might make it tougher for Hone. That’s a bit of an offset to the Mana-Maori deal to not run a Maori party candidate in TTT.
Anyone recall what Ardern had to say about Davis running hard against Harawira in 2014? Since Davis is now going on the list, I’ve certainly got hopes for a bit more electoral pragmatism from Labour in TTT this time around.
“Anyone recall what Ardern had to say about Davis running hard against Harawira in 2014?”
Do you mean at the time?
I thought the Mp announcement the other day where they basically said the antagonism came from Little was interesting. I find Labour so confusing, lol, like how do they even make decisions?
If you follow Māori politics (as I do) you would know that most of the antagonism has come from the Māori Party since Tuku Morgan became president. There has been some really nasty stuff, including from media darling Marama Fox. They have demonised Andrew Little at every opportunity and have also told a lot of lies about him – and Tuku Morgan has led the charge.
When they voted for the sell off of state houses they lost me forever. Hone Harawira lost my support when he decided Singapore was a good model for drug policy and that Chinese drug dealers deserved the death penalty.
The Māori Party are desperate as they know they face oblivion if (as is possible) Te Ururoa Flavell loses his seat.
Fair points, and Tuku Morgan is one of the people I least trust in politics. It’s up to Māori I guess, so if they vote Mp back in, then I’d like to see co-operation between Labour and the Mp, so am interested in the shifting dynamic and Labour also appear now to be keeping the door open (which is a change from Little).
“Hone Harawira lost my support when he decided Singapore was a good model for drug policy and that Chinese drug dealers deserved the death penalty.”
I missed the interview, but read the transcript of that and it seemed to me that he was referring to sending any offenders back to China – where – of course, if convicted they would face a death penalty.
Small distinction, but different to advocating for a death penalty as such. (He does have a seriously unflinching attitude to drugs in all forms though, which is most likely a result of the effects on his local community up North.)
Not for Labour, but there was for the left, which in turn would have helped Labour now if they wanted to shift NZ leftwards.
Mana fucked it up, the whole KDC thing, and I’m with you on the racist drug dealer thing. I used to think parliament would be better with him in it, but he’s blown his chances. I guess if he gets in this time we’ll see.
Excellent. I see that The Opportunities Party has offered to share its policy ideas with Jacinda. Gareth makes exactly the same point that I posted here yesterday. There is simply not enough time to develop the required policies without a lot of help.
I suggest that the offer of Gareth and Geoff be taken up. Today.
I imagine a lot of older lefties still remember what happened last time someone with a strong economic agenda got their hands on the levers of power. Douglas’ toxic legacy still lingers in many nostrils.
Still Morgan is an entirely different critter to Douglas; his social agenda is distinctly left wing, and TOP’s environmental policy criticised by the Greens as ‘too radical’. Nor does he have any ambitions to hang around long enough to become a Minister of anything.
I think Sir Roger Douglas is the greatest living New Zealander. I also think that most of TOP policies are exactly what New Zealand needs. They are not inconsistent views.
We need a comprehensive capital tax, urban planning reform and an end to poverty traps. I don’t know what Roger Doug thinks of TOP policies.
Also note that TOP rejects the ridiculous antiquated notion that policies and people are “left” or “right”. It is just embarrassing. There are only good policies and bad ones.
Douglas admitted years later that they got the order of things wrong. They believed if they imposed radical neo-liberal economic shock therapy on the economy they could tidy up the social mess later.
They believed if they imposed radical neo-liberal economic shock therapy on the economy they could tidy up the social mess later.
The problem being that it’s capitalism, of any stripe, that’s causing the economic and social problems. You can’t solve either of them by having more of it.
I think he is the worst New Zealander, and should be deknighted and thrown in prison for the rest of his days.
His economic vandalism is at the root of everything that has gone wrong for New Zealand since the 1980s.
Roger Douglas was OK. The policies he implemented were Blairite “third way” policies, which were considered Orthodox at the time. The Labour Party’s “sin” was not to disown them when they turned out badly, and change tack.
No, the Third Way was recognition that the move to radical capitalism under Douglas/Reagan/Thatcher was bad and causing problems and that we needed to move slightly back to Keynesianism while still continuing to prop up radical ‘free-market’ capitalism.
Roger Douglas adopted the new economics in the most extreme way and at the fastest pace of any country in the world. He was drunk with his own cleverness along with his ratpack, and no doubt got accolades from overseas which our wealthy men are always striving for. Treasury prepared the papers lauding neo liberalism. How many are there to be held to account for this treason of economic vandalism? We should have a list.
Exactly. Douglas was in many ways a creature of his time, and in some ways I can see why he pursued this shiny new economic idea with such zeal. And absolutely you are on the money gw; NZ was the most extreme outlier of this very unfortunate experiment.
In reality Douglas had very little public policy experience and his family background in the unions, the drama of Muldoon’s exit and Lange’s charisma, effectively camouflaged his intentions from the voting public.
None of his agenda was put to scrutiny or debate before it was hurriedly imposed on us. There was no research, no planning, no recognition of the need to lay the ground, or put in place transitional arrangements. Just a mono-maniacal belief that the magical market would sort out the mess.
Unfortunately the political trauma of this folly has adhered to the NZ left’s subconscious for generations since. We abandoned the economic argument, retreated into worthy, valuable ‘identity’ issues and refused to challenge the now established orthodoxy. The Fifth Labour govt marked a low point in this respect.
For example one bad experience with a medical doctor should not prevent you from every seeing a medic ever again … a reasonable person learns from the experience and returns better informed, more aware. More than anything else the left in this country needs a solid economic agenda to work with, a credible alternative to a now stale, dysfunctional neo-lib orthodoxy.
In my mind TOP is putting up a researched, costed and transparent place to start that journey.
A month or so ago Douglas came out and pubicly expressed a hope that Labour would be leading the next government. Seems like he has had a political epiphany of some kind.
Actually this current bunch clowns have been transferring defence housing as a part of the treaty settlements and then the local iwi leases back the former defence houses back the MOD at commercial rates so guess what happens when the lease runs out?
Was living in the army housing in Papakura when the decision to sell was made.
The houses were kept in great condition by the MoD, and the servicemen and women had families that were all in one community, and helped each other through deployments.
Instead of offering those homes to the army tenants who lived there, they were sold off as one lot to a developer who then broke up the houses and offered them at a considerable markup.
Many of the houses were bought as investments, and while some have been looked after, some have not.
Yeah heard about what happen at Papakura and I believe it’s the same over at Hobbie as well for the RNZAF personal, but the one to watch is going to the old Navy Housing quarters in the North Shore as some of those houses are on prime land from what my cousin has said to me. (She’s in the Navy)
So god only knows what’s going to happen there with the Navy personal? Unlike us here in Oz where we pay 50% of the rent in a Defence house and the Government pays the other 50%. The NZDF personal now pay 100% rent at the going commercial rate and its no longer subsidise by the government from what I’ve been told.
Yes, I understand the same about the Hobsonville project, and the Navy Housing on the Shore will be worth a lot in this market. Any sale will help prop up the budget.
The Papakura sell-off was even more interesting as they had just spent millions doing up the SAS unit there, and almost immediately decided to close it down and relocate.
IIRC, the SAS now has a presence back in the old Papakura Military Grounds, but that required further capital investment to reinstate.
The gains seem to be only in the books and from only one perspective.
Seriously couldn’t the government have at least got a discount – also why don’t iwi use the houses to house iwi – and at least if they do that they are easing the housing problem for Maori?
If they sell them off, especially to an overseas buyer then NZ don’t even get the taxes – like in the UK – massive profits from the houses went offshore to a tax haven and they posted local tax losses.
From what I understand that those defence houses that were part of any treaty settlement with the local iwi’s were to lease back to defence for 10yrs. Now the problem going be what happens after the 10yrs are up?
1) Where are the defence families going to live if the houses are not lease back to defence?
2) Most of the defence housing in the Auckland are in prime real estate areas for example the former Navy housing in the North Shore area.
When RNZAF Base Wigram closed under National the former defence housing wasn’t use by the local iwi to house it own people, but resold or lease out on to rental market and its for the new housing development on the former airfield.
As you said the local iwi should be looking after it own people, but appears they are not and like all property owners are after the dollars and bugger anyone else.
I was thinking about people and how many are involved in abusive behaviour and suicides are growing.
I thought of the Hawthorne effect which was name for a study of workers and how their behaviour changed when lighting and other things were being altered ostensibly to make their work easier.
Perhaps this should be considered when working with parents having difficulties and be an attempt to aid them in their work bringing up their children and trying to find a little work so they can not be excluded from the workplace.
[Care and attention effect –
The original research at the Hawthorne Works in Cicero, Illinois, on lighting changes and work structure changes such as working hours and break times was originally interpreted by Elton Mayo and others to mean that paying attention to overall worker needs would improve productivity. Later interpretations such as that done by Landsberger suggested that the novelty of being research subjects and the increased attention from such could lead to temporary increases in workers’ productivity. This interpretation was dubbed “the Hawthorne effect”…
Although illumination research of workplace lighting formed the basis of the Hawthorne effect, other changes such as maintaining clean work stations, clearing floors of obstacles, and even relocating workstations resulted in increased productivity for short periods. Thus the term is used to identify any type of short-lived increase in productivity.[4][7][8]
(I would think that the boring aspects of work would result in a fall-back in effect, and that having some enlivening thing happen every few days would stop the fall.
So if this was transferred to taking an interest in people in a listen to and carry forward the parent’s own wishes and needs where it would most enable their parenting and in-training role.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect
No matter what ails ya, the stupidity of bigots is a marvelous tonic.
An overly zealous group of Norwegian nationalists is facing online ridicule after mistaking a photo of seats on a city bus for women wearing burqas.
Screenshots from the Norwegian Facebook group Fedrelandet Viktigst, which translates to “The Fatherland, Most Importantly,” show members of the group expressing xenophobic fears in response to the photo. The image depicts several darkly-coloured seats on a city bus, lit in such a way that some might mistake it for rows of women in burqas.
The Facebook group is labelled as meant for “anyone who loves Norway, and appreciates what our ancestors have been fighting for!”
The only time I’ve ever seen my partner visibly angry and shaking in public was the first time we encountered a burka in public in a Melbourne shopping mall.
I gotta admit burqas induce a massive cognitive dissonance for me.
On one hand they’re a massive symbol of institutionalised oppression of women.
On the other hand, at least some burqa wearers genuinely freely choose to do so and would be genuinely uncomfortable about not wearing it in public. Whether that situation is the product of a messed-up oppressed upbringing is kind of a separate topic.
So my disgust at what the burqa represents is at serious war with my libertarian instincts that people should be free to do what they want (up to the point that they interfere with other people doing what they want).
But yeah, there’s nothing but delight in obnoxious morons mistaking bus seats for burqas and publicly making themselves idiots over it.
What fascinates me about burqa wearers is many that I have seen overseas especially at Dubai Airport are glamorous (from what you can see). Lots of jewellery on their fingers, red nail polish, one had sky high red strappy shoes on carrying very expensive bags from designer stores.
The paradox of this fascinates me, I thought it was to keep women demure, pious, subdued and submissive. I wouldn’t mind betting they are hell on wheels in their own environment and its obvious their menfolk like them dressed in racy lingerie under all the voluminous robes.
The paradox of this fascinates me, I thought it was to keep women demure, pious, subdued and submissive.
No, it’s to mark them as being owned by men and that other men are therefore not allowed to look/converse with without the express permission of the man.
i have met quite a few girls in France and Germany who would wear not the burka but the Abaya with a Hijab – a headscarf with long coat/dress when going out. Underneath these girls are as modern and flamboyant as any other girls/women elsewhere.
the point about dressing in the headscarf and long coat outfit is simply to not ‘seduce’ men, but to portray an image of ‘modesty’.
at home these women wear regular clothes.
I sat in quite a few kitchens in Germany with turkish women/girls while the men sat in the living room. The ladies have no issues discussing boys/ men in no uncertain terms. Let me rest it at that. 🙂
Good fun, good food and much tea was consumed.
and while some be forced to wear this, many choose it on their own and make it fashion. and its not up to us to judge these choices.
For me it is the oppressive, sexist and deeply damaging purdah culture these dress forms represent which I passionately object to. Yes they are a dress choice, but then so is a skinhead making a ‘dress choice’ if they wear a swastika in public. It’s the symbolism that matters here.
What most westerners don’t realise is that originally these walking tents had almost nothing to do with Islam. Purdah culture thoroughly pre-dates Islam, and the first 500 years or so these dress forms were completely unknown and discredited. IIRC they only appeared in Islam around AD 1300 or so inside some extremist cult and spread from there.
Purdah, or the strict social segregation of men and women, is an ancient practise that has no place in the modern world. It roughly falls into the same basket of horrors such as genital mutilation and foot binding.
I do agree with weka on the point she makes above; but at the same time I will never feel under any obligation to tolerate or condone it.
“I deeply regret and apologise for the fraud that was committed,” he said in a written statement.
“I wished it had never happened but I accept I am accountable for everything done in and by the Ministry when I was CEO and I am ultimately responsible.
“I feel as angry and aggrieved as anyone about [Harrison’s] stealing and breaches of trust.”
He was told that the fraud was being committed by several people and did nothing. He doesn’t seem to realise that this is a breach of trust by him to the employees and to the people of NZ.
This is the guy who stood by during the corruption, and during the time the corrupt official hunted down the whistleblowers, while he was Secretary of the Ministry of Transport:
May it be a lesson to whomever runs the State Services Commission – and the Minister of State Services – in future. As well as to ever single head of a government agency.
is there not a tax loop hole here in NZ where a landlord of a residential or commercial property can write of the loss of an untenanted property against income?
maybe just do away with that loophole.
some of the rural townships could actually be quite lovely little hubs if the upstairs of the old fringes were to be residential again instead of ’empty commerical office space to lease’.
We >i>still have landlords of Commercial property, in the Hawkes Bay, putting up rents and forcing out long standing tenants…just for those shops to sit empty, or some brave soul starts up and closes down in the blink of an eye due to the stress of so called ‘market rents’.
If your retail property is empty, or has a constant flow of ‘pop ups’, then its NOT market rent.
And the question is, what are the artificial motivations that make property that is vacant or with high-tenant-turnover viable?.
i know live near a little rural town. lovely actually, but pretty much all the upstairs of the shops are ‘offices ‘ to rent and two thirds of the shops are for lease. . Like really? how many offices can a rural small town have? Put people in to live, create some live in these little towns. Offices! Bullshit.
what ever tax clause it is that makes it more attractive to keep a property empty instead of renting it out needs to be closed, done away with. It is a clause that keeps people on the street homeless and out of earning a living. Stupid.
Such a loophole would be news to me, but then I have little experience in commercial property.
I suspect that what may happening is that in the commercial leasing the book value of the property is directly related to it’s imputed rental value. Often such a property will be tied up as bank collateral for some other project. If it’s then leased for residential for a lower rental than office space, the bank would be in it’s rights to revalue the property downwards.
In this case the owner has every reason to leave a property empty rather than lease it at a reduced rent.
Also in the commercial context, potential tenants are much fewer in number compared to residential, so it’s always anticipated that there can be quite long vacancies between tenancies.
Of course none of this addresses the very real issue you raise.
If it’s then leased for residential for a lower rental than office space, the bank would be in it’s rights to revalue the property downwards.
In this case the owner has every reason to leave a property empty rather than lease it at a reduced rent.
Economics tells us that the value of a thing is how much it can garner upon the open market. It would seem to me that when it’s left empty then the value is zero and the bank should value it at that. If it’s used for commercial or residential should make no difference to the bank.
What you’re describing would seem to be some sort of loophole.
Not really. As I suggested in practise there are often quite large gaps in commercial tenancies, and valuing a property at zero for their unknowable duration is not reasonable.
But the moment you do lease it, regardless of whether it’s commercial or residential, the income is now known and the value of the property becomes determinate again. And that is what the bank cares about.
Besides once it is leased residential, it makes it a lot harder to subsequently place a more attractive commercial tenant.
As I said I’m not an expert here; just pointing out some quite pragmatic reasons why commercial property can lie empty for long periods without any particular tax reason being involved.
Re last paragraph PLUS EFFING 100!
Public Service reform of its senior management and corporatised structure is LONG overdue
Politicised, unaccountable, crony-enabled, and generally dysfunctional.
“Auditor-General Martin Matthews has resigned. Good riddance. Given his woeful performance as chief executive of the Ministry of Transport, where he appears to have repeatedly looked the other way on Joanne Harrison’s fraud, there really was no other option.”
But the peasants don’t need to know what was going on, so no publication of the report. Off you go Martin, here’s a little something to tide you over and Martin, keep your mouth shut.
“Foodstuffs run an operation of using a large amount of labour hire temporary workers. They’ve got hundreds of them, and they use them in permanent positions and exploit the precarious nature of their work.”
First Union transport and logistics secretary Jared Abbott
This should be the topic of the day…its all about the employment issues that have massive effect on the lives of a large number of non voters, tap into that and Labour could turn things around.
sometime ago they had a position that i was much qualified for and i applied.
they were keen to employ me. but the wage was stupid low, so i politely declined.
and that was not a job for a low skilled worker. no, they demanded degrees and work experience and such and still barely wanted to pay 40.000 plus. so much time wasted, my time. Sad!
But The Fight Goes On
There are continual early morning protests to slow contractors from accessing this site on public land and to disrupt the consequent high number of heavy trucks carrying excavated material along the narrow Karangahake Gorge road.
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
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 ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
I feel like I should be in continuous prayer for Metiria Turei today during her interview with MSD today.
She is a brave woman, may today go smoothly for her.
They should be interviewing Paula Bennet.
Brave or “courageous” (in the sense that Sir Humphrey Appleby used the word)?
Brave
She went on to pass law, I think, and become a MP. Are you suggesting WINZ will find a reason to turn her success into a fail, criminalize the good account she has made. Obviously her actions will be private and she can goto a review of decision that will just accentuate the political story which was the point. That you cannot buy the political, economic, social life of a citizen for a paucity amount. Even CEOs paid millions have more freedom.
can anyone confirm that Turei is meeting WINZ today? I might put a post up about the benefit issues.
Yes she did Weka
Our first meet the candidates event has been advertised in the local paper for the end of the month, looking forward to it. Being held by the Grey Power, I hope the public are allowed to ask questions.
That’s a tough one Cinny. I went to a greypower meeting and couldn’t believe the inanity of the raucous mob with their questions/diatribes. I hope your meeting has a competent chairman.
Dang Garibaldi 🙂 I’ll bring the popcorn.
I see this as a problem with old people (I am not being ageist – one can criticise anyone provided it is done fairly and also I am in my 70’s).
The old have a feeling of entitlement, also a concentration on themselves and their needs. And they often abdicate their responsibilities and behave like children, demanding, irritated, hence they can become very raucous when roused about politics and money
Herald is really taking a turn for the worst if today’s stories are anything to go by.
“They were found near Lake Tutira, between Napier and Wairoa, in a hunt sparked by contact with a psychic, but Mr Vining said a forensic psychiatrist verified yesterday that the remains were not human.”
Well I guess some people find that reassuring.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11898178
The story below on missing woman Wei Qiujie features a picture of some random guy on a piano and this is followed by a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11898258
In depth interview with Gareth Morgan. Rather long, but stick the wireless headphones on and give the kitchen a spring clean 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuQHnZCMIcU
This was my instinct years back, and now it’s being formally supported:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/02/climate-change-to-cause-humid-heatwaves-that-will-kill-even-healthy-people
This may well be the first impact of climate change that will hit hard.
Good article – I wish the people in those areas the best of luck. I also worry about storm asthma and things like that. Too often the west thinks it is somehow insulated from all this – major part of the problem imo.
It’s 1.7 bn living there now, but those areas currently have high population growth. There’s areas of Africa that will likely get the same kind of lethal heatwaves, but aren’t mentioned presumably because there aren’t the big numbers of people living there now. But those areas of Africa have very high population growth. So by the time the lethal heatwaves start hitting, the numbers at risk are likely to be around 2.5bn to 3bn.
I think the air might be drier in Africa, it looks like it’s the combination of heat and humidity that is dangerous. The Swedes love their saunas, when someone tipped a pail of water on the hot rocks there were times when it felt like there just wasn’t any oxygen to breath.
A lot of western Africa is quite humid. Most of what’s south of Mali/Niger and north of Namibia is pretty sweltering. Southern Tanzania through Malawi and northern Zimbabwe were pretty sticky too when I went through 20 years ago and it’s already warmed since then.
https://www.populationpyramid.net/western-africa/2016/
https://www.populationpyramid.net/sub-saharan-africa/2016/
When the WBT (Wet Bulb Temperature) goes over 35 degC not only can the body no longer cool itself by sweating … but the surface of your lungs now becomes a surface on which moisture starts to condense.
Slowly but surely you drown or die of pneumonia.
And yes this kind of heat stress is already lethal:
https://robertscribbler.com/2015/06/24/wet-bulb-at-33-c-human-hothouse-kills-nearly-800-in-pakistan/
i was in France during the heatwave of 2003. It killed an about 14000 people that summer, mainly elderlies.
We literally lived at night and stayed indoors during the day. Madness really. Luckily i lived in the South of France in St. Paul de Vence a very old place with houses old several hundred years so the walls are build of solid river rocks. Which kept the houses around a balmy 30 degrees during the day. Utter madness. Elsewhere especially in the North it must have been horrendous.
And no, Air conditioning is not common in europe.
I was there as well, elderly died +++ in Paris because everyone took their summer holidays leaving Grand ma alone at home.
thats a bit rough.
It is standard for families in Paris or in the North to holiday on the country side in August, it is the summer holiday there.
What was not expected was the heatwave, and the fact that houses in the North are not equipped to deal with such a heat wave.
Also, a lot of old people do like to live on their own very happily.
In fact, when i first came to NZ i was living in Wellington, and one day i asked my then spouse ‘where are all the old people’ and i was told they live in Oamaru (hahaha) or in retirment homes on the country side. which to this european whose Nana died at home, whose Mother died at home seemed cruel. what you mean they don’t live at home? what do they do in Oamaru? lol.
Different Culture really, but no Grandma was not abandoned by their families.
“what do they do in Oamaru?”
steampunk, mainly 🙂
and organics 🙂
A friends sister has just gone to Spain. Apparently (this is only what I was told) Spanish people now take a break from the Spanish summer and head off to more northern climes. If true, do I need to explain how odd that is in terms of European summer holiday destinations?
(I know southern France, Portugal and Spain have been on fire this year, but the impression I was given was that going north was not a ‘one off’ flowing from the back of just this years summer)
We’ll be seeing more of the ‘friendly’ Australians then, who will have to take us over wholly or suck up to us a bit more so they can get away from their central heartless desert which will be spreading.
I wonder if Aborigines will be able to manage as they will have lost much of their original culture though enough may still remain. But they may have to defend their territories against new colonial civil invasions so they aren’t over-run again and get ‘white-anted’.
Will we be like Mars in the end? With a few people living underground and coming out at night and in winter? I guess I will hold onto my board games and packs of cards for light relief – but without electricity? I think th SADD syndrome might hit.
the fire season in the south of france is bad this year. Very very bad.
and not getting better anytime.
i expect more then just damage to houses soon as the area is densely populated.
Is there a possible scenario where, if Labour get into the low 30s, Greens mid teens, and the Maori Party a couple of seats, that Winston can be cut out altogether?
That would be nice 🙂
Nicer if the greens stay mid teens (or higher), labour get mid thirties, so there’s no need to have a three term nat propping party in coalition being kept on life support by the people they’ve been voting against for nine years.
You would have to see National and NZ1 come in under 50% combined. On the last few polls that looks unlikely.
Yes but you have to factor in the overhang with the Mp I think.
Governing without NZF is a worthwhile thing to aim for.
We do agree on that !!
Cool!
I think we have a really opportunity here. Little said a few days before his resignation that Labour needed to go for NZF votes. Hope Ardern takes the same view (and then backs it up with policy).
And as I indicated a while back, if TOP can get over the line as well then a Lab/Grn/TOP/MP coalition is also a real possibility. There’s a lot of policy synergy in that grouping.
Morgan doesn’t play well with others IMO. He’s got a good heart but he’s really bad at listening.
And as always, the risk of the sub 5% vote loss for the left.
But the point is that TOP will attract votes from across the spectrum. By no means all of that ‘sub 5%’ risk sits with the left.
There are at least four ways TOP can benefit the left if we are smart.
1. They will get a solid share of existing conservative votes. Their economic agenda is framed in terms they see sense in.
2. Gareth absolutely makes his core pitch at youth voters. Much of the intergenerational unfairness, education, UBI, cannabis and environment policies are pitched directly to their interests
3. Their ToW, Democracy Reset and Water policies have very close synergy with Maori interests. The MP should be paying close attention.
4. And being new and ‘non-tribal’ they stand a fair shot at getting previously unmotivated non-voters to give them a go.
I haven’t seen any polling that tells us where the TOP vote might come from, but going by some lefties’ arguments, the idea is that TOP are more likely to support Labour than National given a choice. It’s the same old shit that Peters does, no-one actually knows. It’s power play 101. People can vote for whoever they like, but it’s still a risk to vote TOP.
As for policy I don’t see anything particularly great that the Greens aren’t already moving on.
I’d rather see young progressive voters get rewarded by representation in parliament than by a wasted sub-5% vote for TOP, thanks.
Well they’ve gone from 0.8% to 2% in the past two weeks. The next few polls might be interesting.
But yes getting over 5% the first time out the gate is a tough ask.
It’s almost impossible unless you have wealthy backer and a good reason to argue the threshold needs to be a little lower. Because at 5% it’s just a guaranteed cosy sinecure for the Establishment parties when everyone applies the ‘wasted vote’ logic to any new party.
When an election looks this tight, even 2% wasted vote can swing it. I’d love our threshold to be way lower, but I’m sure we all recall the Nats were having none of that when it was recommended.
That’s what I was getting at. Just not sure how the overhang will affect the final seat count.
Best way is to start putting scenarios into the MMP calculator. It’s somewhat clunky, but I just open multiple tabs of it and start putting the numbers in to compare what happens when you take electorate MPs in and out.
http://www.elections.org.nz/voting-system/mmp-voting-system/mmp-seat-allocation-calculator
“overhang with the Mp “.
What overhang are you expecting? You don’t think the MP are going to win 3 or 4 electorates do you?
If they do the Labour Party are going to need a new deputy leader I would say.
Davis is on the list
“Davis is on the list”
I have just seen that. No wonder he was looking so happy when he was announced as deputy. With the Labour polling numbers he must have been getting very worried. Labour are still going to have to get up a bit even if he is the effective number 1 on the list.
Meanwhile though how many electorates do you expect the Maori Party to get? The look as if they will be entitled to a couple so if there are going to be any overhang seats they are going to have to win 3 or 4 electorates. What do you think they will be, and which Labour MPs are going to be left out in the cold?
Very good book.
Ruth, Roger and Me
Debts and Legacies
“In Ruth, Roger and Me, Andrew Dean explores the lives of the generation of young people brought up in the shadow of the economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, those whom he calls ‘the children of the Mother of All Budgets’. Drawing together memoir, history and interviews, he explores the experiences of ‘discomfort’ and ‘disconnection’ in modern Aotearoa New Zealand.”
http://bwb.co.nz/books/ruth-roger-and-me
Bridget Williams? publication. Some good stuff coming from them.
Andrew Dean’s book gives one a lot to chew over, and is well backed by facts. I endorse savenz’s recommendation.
This is our brighter future….
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
Bupa rest home in Cambridge failed to provide proper care to Robert Love’s mum, even though he was topping up the government subsidy. Complaints met with the usual corporate speak fob off we have all encountered.
And although she was no longer in charge when the complaints were made…the immediate former Big Boss of Bupa NZ (and hence she must take responsibility for much of the current culture) is none other than Grainne Moss who now has charge of creating a better and safer culture within the Ministry for Vulnerable Children.
Heaven help the children.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/82559158/former-private-sector-agedcare-boss-grainne-moss-to-head-new-state-carer
Any opposition politician keen to make some noise about this?
I thought bet this is an immigrant come to take our jobs.
Right. This is a perverse cultural cringe we have. And to keep on voting for a political party like National Party to keep this up and dumbing down NZ is such a cringe that it becomes grotesque. Where are the gutsy NZs who want to run our own country and see our own people rise and use their abilities. Why keep importing everything. Quelle horreur. Merde etc. We are already international and can do as well as internationals given a chance, education, encouragement and opportunity.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11492534
Irish-born champion swimmer Grainne Moss is one of a small number of female chief executives in New Zealand. The mother of four runs Bupa, the country’s largest aged-care home provider.
1. You were the first Irish woman to swim the English Channel, when you were 17. What lessons have you taken from that into the business world?
Don’t look back. I made that mistake during the channel crossing. The conditions were so rough that my father and brother had to get tied to the boat for their own safety and they’d emptied their entire stomachs. I’d been swimming for three hours and I looked back at the White Cliffs of Dover, which were absolutely massive. It was a devastating moment because I thought, “I’ve got nowhere”. Looking back has got very limited value.
(And another fact that may prove to be be interesting is that she is a practising Catholic. And my own feeling that champion sports people are very individualistic, and can be very system-focussed for outcomes, rather than human-focussed with tolerance.)
http://www.ssc.govt.nz/media-release-ministry-vulnerable-children-oranga-tamariki-chief-executive-appointed
Gráinne holds a BSc (Hons) in Human Anatomy and Biology from the University of Liverpool and spent the early years of her career in the UK National Health Service prior to emigrating to New Zealand at the end of the 90s.
(She also went to a ‘finishing school’ in Switzerland. Mrs Moss holds a Masters of Business Administration (with honours) from the prestigious IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.)
Now – State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes has today announced the appointment of Gráinne Moss as establishment Chief Executive of the new Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki….
“Too many of our children and young people are being abused and neglected,” said Mr Hughes.
A NZHerald item on other imported executives.
“(She also went to a ‘finishing school’ in Switzerland. Mrs Moss holds a Masters of Business Administration (with honours) from the prestigious IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.)”
Incubator for neo-libs?
I sometimes despair, greywarshark, despair.
Good luck to Robert Love…attempting to hit them in their bank balance is probably the only way of hurting them.
(I never used to think that way…but one must keep up with the times and accept that the $$$ is All.)
Rosemay
Hadn’t seen your name recently, might have missed it.. Hope you are well and got through the winter (most) in good order.
Been on the road in the Far North…. no wifi, no telly, often no cellphone coverage. Living the simplest of lives in a Bus. Bliss. 🙂
Getting most of the news and commentary from RNZ….hence the despair.
I hate elections.
How do we choose when choosing often demands we compromise more than we are comfortable with?
I promised I would vote this year….it’s going to be a struggle.
We will be back in the Far North during the election, so at least we’ll be ringside for the Kelvin/Hone showdown…should be fun.
Trust winter has been kind to you too grey…
Māori Party are scared – labour reciprocity coming.
Opp party – take our policies and we’ll go away – yeah nah you’ll go away soon enough.
Hone may be the only one with enough cutthrough to get over the line but not sure what the point is anymore on that one.
Gnats crapping themselves – justifably so.
And it’s only Thursday – what next?
Ardern back tomorrow with a plan for Labour. Greens this week had a standing room only campaign launch in Auckland where they said they’re going for bold.
Potential.
Why are you hostile to The Opportunities Party? They have excellent policies. Their chief of staff and Wellington Central candidate is brilliant. I hope he is the next Minister for the Environment.
A RW endorsing TOP is a pretty good sign that something is wrong with TOP.
e.g. https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-03082017/#comment-1361900
You should definitely vote TOP though.
That kind of tribal thinking really just keeps the left under the 40% mark. Truly successful government looks to serve the whole nation.
Here we have both a RW and a LW endorsing TOP at the same time … I would say that’s a pretty good sign something is good about TOP.
Sounds good until you read drylands other comments.
“Here we have both a RW and a LW endorsing TOP at the same time … I would say that’s a pretty good sign something is good about TOP.”
Um, Peter Dunne.
Not sure if a comparison of UF’s utter lack of meaningful policy with TOP’s very clear and distinct positions stacks up much.
And quite explicitly Morgan has come out and repudiated the electorate seat ‘coat-tailing’ which has kept the UF and ACT zombies in govt long after the electorate walked away.
http://www.top.org.nz/abusing_democracy
“Not sure if a comparison of UF’s utter lack of meaningful policy with TOP’s very clear and distinct positions stacks up much.”
I wasn’t comparing policy, I was critiquing the rationale that having both left and right wing endorsements means something.
It means that your claim that TOP cannot work with a broad range of political perspectives may be a bit tribal on your part.
I haven’t said that TOP can’t work with a broad range of parties.
Nah. People across the spectrum agreeing with a single party either means its policy platform is too narrow or that the actual implementation of those policies hasn’t been signalled.
And when one of those supporters is so far right that they don’t believe there are any right wing people in NZ, that rings some pretty huge alarm bells.
Bullshit. When the Greens criticise TOP’s environmental and climate change policy as ‘too extreme’, while at the same time a right-winger can see the sense of their tax reform policy … you’re outta the park labelling this ‘narrow’.
And if you’re worried about their implementation, go do your own homework. TOP has a big website and you should be able to find it on your own. Lazy insinuations are just that … lazy and self-serving.
And while you’re at it, if you think it so important, ask srylands why he’s interested in TOP’s policies.
I said “either”.
And yes, their implementation is pretty bloody vague. I’ve read a few of their policies, and there’s a shitload of fluff, some managerialist bullshit (like shared services for school administration) and bugger-all substance. Their tax policy doesn’t even have any even illustrative tax rates or firm claims for one or two affected groups like the greens do, and they don’t have a fiscal plan like Labour.
And I don’t give a shit about why srylands is interested in anything. The only relevant point is that with someone like him agreeing with something, it pays to double-check how it would fuck things up for most people. It is not “a good sign”, any more than an endorsement from the KKK.
Make up your mind, if you don’t give a shit about sryland’s opinions, why the hell do they “ring pretty huge alarm bells” for you?
He did explain that fairly clearly:
So you give a shit about sryland’s opinion when it suits your argument , and don’t give a shit when it doesn’t.
Fair enough. Or if it’s that important maybe you could just ask the man to explain a bit more. The we might all learn something.
That’s not what he said. It’s that srylands stated beliefs indicate that him agreeing with something would indicate that that something is probably badly wrong.
The party is well financed and employs experienced media folk for their communications.
Why the hell should anyone have to ask them to provide policy specifics rather than waffle?
They want teachers to be repested and better qualified. Fair enough. What about pay, numbers and conditions? The greens at least mention those in their policy, and lots more. TOP manage to announce a small fraction of the number of policies across the same sector, but in the same number of pages as the Greens.
@ DtB
So now suddenly srylands beliefs are going to be the yardstick by which you determine what you believe in?
Wow … that’s a lot of power you’re giving to the man. All this and you still haven’t asked him why?
Oh I forgot .. you don’t give a shit about that.
No. That’s not what either of us said.
You started this line with the sentence: “Here we have both a RW and a LW endorsing TOP at the same time … I would say that’s a pretty good sign something is good about TOP.”
All I’ve said is that no, srylands agreeing with something is a bad sign. It doesn’t determine my beliefs. It raises my suspicions.
TOP’s lack of details also raises my suspicions.
You have presented nothing to allay those suspicions. Like maybe a fiscal plan that has more figures than “80:20”.
Nope.
It means that I’m going to take what he says as bollocks until proven otherwise as you would do with any proven liar.
Have you considered what I said about Morgan being a traditional economist with all the inherent failings in regards to what srylands often says? They’re birds of a feather although Morgan does seem to have a higher social conscience.
If I was wrong about TOP being vague on implementation of their finance policy (rich for an economist), feel free to point out their specifics rather than misrepresenting what I said about some tory trool.
I said that I don’t give a shit why srylands would profess to have an opinion on TOP. But the opinions srylands has are usually pretty fucked up, and therefore best avoided.
Similar to real alarm bells – I might not know why the fire alarm is going off, but the area is usually best avoided for the duration that they’re going off.
I find TOP’s policies surprisingly vague too. How hard would it have been to include examples? And asking them to clarify is so fraught that I think that alone makes them untrustworthy to govern.
“When the Greens criticise TOP’s environmental and climate change policy as ‘too extreme’, ”
Where have they done that?
Personally, I don’t see Gareth Morgan as a Messiah. I see him as a naughty boy who knows damned well that he screwed both an unfair system and many people in order to become rich. But he puts that down to talent, and now he tries to atone with fairy-tale solutions.
There’s also some pretty interesting class stuff flowing through his progress. He’s not an ally of poor people.
“He’s not an ally of poor people.”
Or the left, like the people intending to vote Top aren’t.
Why would you chose a rich prick over the greens or Jacinda’s labour?
I’ve wondered that myself.
It’s a question needing to be convincingly answered. Not seen shit worth considering yet, even from the now usual subject.
Srylands has lost it, is obfuscating, or is a complete fool. Probably all three.
Yesterday he said there was no need for a reset economically, then promptly proposed deliberately crashing the housing market and paying the banks for their loss.
I’m guessing he’s doing some astroturfing/trolling. I haven’t looked too closely (don’t read their comments a lot tbh), but it all looks like ways to undermine the left. Yawn 😉
I’ve no problem with disagreeing with RW opponents ideas most of the time. But unless they are trolling or arguing in bad faith, I usually attempt to treat them with the ordinary respect we all owe to our fellow humans.
If there is one thing which REALLY irks me is watching a bunch of so-called lefties mobbing someone in an ugly display of mindless gang bullying. It happens far too often and I loath it with a passion. It’s the one thing which repeatedly drives me to question my ongoing participation here.
For a start it’s a matter of simple dignity and decency. Then there’s the ugly, smug assertions of moral superiority, the unquestioned assumptions and the short-circuiting of intellectual curiosity.
Conservative thinking people comprise at least 40% of our fellow citizens; sneering at them, actively refusing to listen, engaging in bad faith will assuredly reinforce their prejudices about progressive politics.
And most fatally of all … it leads us to persistently underestimate them.
And its only Thursday – what next?
Excitement all round.
I imagine that theres more than a few folk in the various parties trying to figure out what this all mean to them – both positive and negative.
Meanwhile, theres also a bunch of journos trying to second guess the NZ voters and what this will mean come 24 September. They are writing articles which in many cases (tho we dont know which ones yet) will be 100% wrong.
My prediction is that we wont end up with a “threeway coalition of equals” as I think that Labour are on the up, and that it will be at the expense particularly of the Greens as they will both be strong and chasing voters in the same “urban liberal” part of voterland.
And I have absolutely no idea what will now happen in the Maori seats, but I wouldnt be at all surprised to see the end of the Maori Party in Parliament.
But I too may be 100% wrong too.
Excitement all round.
Yes and then there is winnie and that stuff from down south. I’m sure i predicted Paula going in as leader to the election – might happen. But possibly only for a short time as her chickens come home to roost soon.
If Hone gets over the line, and brings a couple of others with him, there may be a chance of a deal excluding Winston?
Kelvin’s promotion to deputy and his declining to be on Labour’s list might make it tougher for Hone. That’s a bit of an offset to the Mana-Maori deal to not run a Maori party candidate in TTT.
Saw somewhere that it’s Labour Party policy that as he is now deputy leader, he has to be on the list.
Kelvin will added to the list in line with the Labour constitution – heard him confirm it yesterday on the radio.
Does that give Hone an easier ride in TTT? And subsequent Maori Party seats.
It would be really wise for Labour to consider mending some bridges with Mana and the Mp at this point.
Anyone recall what Ardern had to say about Davis running hard against Harawira in 2014? Since Davis is now going on the list, I’ve certainly got hopes for a bit more electoral pragmatism from Labour in TTT this time around.
“Anyone recall what Ardern had to say about Davis running hard against Harawira in 2014?”
Do you mean at the time?
I thought the Mp announcement the other day where they basically said the antagonism came from Little was interesting. I find Labour so confusing, lol, like how do they even make decisions?
I guess both at the time and the immediate aftermath when it became clear that if Hone had won TTT he would have coat-tailed Laila Harre in as well.
The relevance being that if she had been arguing for electoral pragmatism back then, she’s got a much better platform to argue for it now.
It would be really interesting to know. But would she have said anything publicly? She wasn’t in much position of power then right?
If you follow Māori politics (as I do) you would know that most of the antagonism has come from the Māori Party since Tuku Morgan became president. There has been some really nasty stuff, including from media darling Marama Fox. They have demonised Andrew Little at every opportunity and have also told a lot of lies about him – and Tuku Morgan has led the charge.
When they voted for the sell off of state houses they lost me forever. Hone Harawira lost my support when he decided Singapore was a good model for drug policy and that Chinese drug dealers deserved the death penalty.
The Māori Party are desperate as they know they face oblivion if (as is possible) Te Ururoa Flavell loses his seat.
Fair points, and Tuku Morgan is one of the people I least trust in politics. It’s up to Māori I guess, so if they vote Mp back in, then I’d like to see co-operation between Labour and the Mp, so am interested in the shifting dynamic and Labour also appear now to be keeping the door open (which is a change from Little).
“Hone Harawira lost my support when he decided Singapore was a good model for drug policy and that Chinese drug dealers deserved the death penalty.”
I missed the interview, but read the transcript of that and it seemed to me that he was referring to sending any offenders back to China – where – of course, if convicted they would face a death penalty.
Small distinction, but different to advocating for a death penalty as such. (He does have a seriously unflinching attitude to drugs in all forms though, which is most likely a result of the effects on his local community up North.)
Davis went hard in 2014 as otherwise he wouldn’t have got into parliament.
There is no tactical advantage in letting Hone Harawira win in 2017.
Not for Labour, but there was for the left, which in turn would have helped Labour now if they wanted to shift NZ leftwards.
Mana fucked it up, the whole KDC thing, and I’m with you on the racist drug dealer thing. I used to think parliament would be better with him in it, but he’s blown his chances. I guess if he gets in this time we’ll see.
Labour are for some reason very Hone averse. They’d probably find the Fox/Flavel flexibility easier to accommodate.
To get a new gov’t coalition that excluded NZF, you’d probably need to count on National getting less than 40%.
How likely is that?
Some of the polls have had them down at 42%, so it’s not out of the question.
Excellent. I see that The Opportunities Party has offered to share its policy ideas with Jacinda. Gareth makes exactly the same point that I posted here yesterday. There is simply not enough time to develop the required policies without a lot of help.
I suggest that the offer of Gareth and Geoff be taken up. Today.
http://www.top.org.nz/the_opportunities_party_offers_policy_help_to_jacinda_adern_and_labour
I imagine a lot of older lefties still remember what happened last time someone with a strong economic agenda got their hands on the levers of power. Douglas’ toxic legacy still lingers in many nostrils.
Still Morgan is an entirely different critter to Douglas; his social agenda is distinctly left wing, and TOP’s environmental policy criticised by the Greens as ‘too radical’. Nor does he have any ambitions to hang around long enough to become a Minister of anything.
I think Sir Roger Douglas is the greatest living New Zealander. I also think that most of TOP policies are exactly what New Zealand needs. They are not inconsistent views.
We need a comprehensive capital tax, urban planning reform and an end to poverty traps. I don’t know what Roger Doug thinks of TOP policies.
Also note that TOP rejects the ridiculous antiquated notion that policies and people are “left” or “right”. It is just embarrassing. There are only good policies and bad ones.
Douglas admitted years later that they got the order of things wrong. They believed if they imposed radical neo-liberal economic shock therapy on the economy they could tidy up the social mess later.
The problem being that it’s capitalism, of any stripe, that’s causing the economic and social problems. You can’t solve either of them by having more of it.
“Douglas admitted years later that they got the order of things wrong.”
Where? I’ve never seen the slightest repentance. He was faithfully following the neolib blitzkreig template.
Douglas was a Trojan horse – elected to be left but actually ultra-right. Should have been attainted for treason long ago.
I think he is the worst New Zealander, and should be deknighted and thrown in prison for the rest of his days.
His economic vandalism is at the root of everything that has gone wrong for New Zealand since the 1980s.
Roger Douglas was OK. The policies he implemented were Blairite “third way” policies, which were considered Orthodox at the time. The Labour Party’s “sin” was not to disown them when they turned out badly, and change tack.
No, the Third Way was recognition that the move to radical capitalism under Douglas/Reagan/Thatcher was bad and causing problems and that we needed to move slightly back to Keynesianism while still continuing to prop up radical ‘free-market’ capitalism.
It failed badly.
Roger Douglas adopted the new economics in the most extreme way and at the fastest pace of any country in the world. He was drunk with his own cleverness along with his ratpack, and no doubt got accolades from overseas which our wealthy men are always striving for. Treasury prepared the papers lauding neo liberalism. How many are there to be held to account for this treason of economic vandalism? We should have a list.
Exactly. Douglas was in many ways a creature of his time, and in some ways I can see why he pursued this shiny new economic idea with such zeal. And absolutely you are on the money gw; NZ was the most extreme outlier of this very unfortunate experiment.
In reality Douglas had very little public policy experience and his family background in the unions, the drama of Muldoon’s exit and Lange’s charisma, effectively camouflaged his intentions from the voting public.
None of his agenda was put to scrutiny or debate before it was hurriedly imposed on us. There was no research, no planning, no recognition of the need to lay the ground, or put in place transitional arrangements. Just a mono-maniacal belief that the magical market would sort out the mess.
Unfortunately the political trauma of this folly has adhered to the NZ left’s subconscious for generations since. We abandoned the economic argument, retreated into worthy, valuable ‘identity’ issues and refused to challenge the now established orthodoxy. The Fifth Labour govt marked a low point in this respect.
For example one bad experience with a medical doctor should not prevent you from every seeing a medic ever again … a reasonable person learns from the experience and returns better informed, more aware. More than anything else the left in this country needs a solid economic agenda to work with, a credible alternative to a now stale, dysfunctional neo-lib orthodoxy.
In my mind TOP is putting up a researched, costed and transparent place to start that journey.
A month or so ago Douglas came out and pubicly expressed a hope that Labour would be leading the next government. Seems like he has had a political epiphany of some kind.
Thanks for this Anne. I’m open to that idea.
Ooops… publicly expressed, not pubicly…. 😯
We are all assuming that you meant that in the most innocent manner.
Indeed. 🙂
Assuming that Labour suddenly threw out all their policy because they changed leaders is rather stupid.
Sucking National’s oxygen 100% is hilarious.
Profile shifts percentages in the last month.
Must read for anyone wondering what the future holds for National’s state housing sell offs.
How the MoD’s plan to privatise military housing ended in disaster
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/apr/25/mod-privatise-military-housing-disaster-guy-hands
Actually this current bunch clowns have been transferring defence housing as a part of the treaty settlements and then the local iwi leases back the former defence houses back the MOD at commercial rates so guess what happens when the lease runs out?
Was living in the army housing in Papakura when the decision to sell was made.
The houses were kept in great condition by the MoD, and the servicemen and women had families that were all in one community, and helped each other through deployments.
Instead of offering those homes to the army tenants who lived there, they were sold off as one lot to a developer who then broke up the houses and offered them at a considerable markup.
Many of the houses were bought as investments, and while some have been looked after, some have not.
Yeah heard about what happen at Papakura and I believe it’s the same over at Hobbie as well for the RNZAF personal, but the one to watch is going to the old Navy Housing quarters in the North Shore as some of those houses are on prime land from what my cousin has said to me. (She’s in the Navy)
So god only knows what’s going to happen there with the Navy personal? Unlike us here in Oz where we pay 50% of the rent in a Defence house and the Government pays the other 50%. The NZDF personal now pay 100% rent at the going commercial rate and its no longer subsidise by the government from what I’ve been told.
Yes, I understand the same about the Hobsonville project, and the Navy Housing on the Shore will be worth a lot in this market. Any sale will help prop up the budget.
The Papakura sell-off was even more interesting as they had just spent millions doing up the SAS unit there, and almost immediately decided to close it down and relocate.
IIRC, the SAS now has a presence back in the old Papakura Military Grounds, but that required further capital investment to reinstate.
The gains seem to be only in the books and from only one perspective.
Maybe Michael Portillo was advising?
Seriously couldn’t the government have at least got a discount – also why don’t iwi use the houses to house iwi – and at least if they do that they are easing the housing problem for Maori?
If they sell them off, especially to an overseas buyer then NZ don’t even get the taxes – like in the UK – massive profits from the houses went offshore to a tax haven and they posted local tax losses.
From what I understand that those defence houses that were part of any treaty settlement with the local iwi’s were to lease back to defence for 10yrs. Now the problem going be what happens after the 10yrs are up?
1) Where are the defence families going to live if the houses are not lease back to defence?
2) Most of the defence housing in the Auckland are in prime real estate areas for example the former Navy housing in the North Shore area.
When RNZAF Base Wigram closed under National the former defence housing wasn’t use by the local iwi to house it own people, but resold or lease out on to rental market and its for the new housing development on the former airfield.
As you said the local iwi should be looking after it own people, but appears they are not and like all property owners are after the dollars and bugger anyone else.
https://t.co/V5fVfJm6VI
in the end this is more important than policy, seriously if our government is not in charge then it matters not what policy you vote for.
what is Labour’s stance on the GCSB ? anyone know?
IIRC Andrew Little reaffirmed Labour’s commitment to five eyes and the GCSB.
I was thinking about people and how many are involved in abusive behaviour and suicides are growing.
I thought of the Hawthorne effect which was name for a study of workers and how their behaviour changed when lighting and other things were being altered ostensibly to make their work easier.
Perhaps this should be considered when working with parents having difficulties and be an attempt to aid them in their work bringing up their children and trying to find a little work so they can not be excluded from the workplace.
[Care and attention effect –
The original research at the Hawthorne Works in Cicero, Illinois, on lighting changes and work structure changes such as working hours and break times was originally interpreted by Elton Mayo and others to mean that paying attention to overall worker needs would improve productivity. Later interpretations such as that done by Landsberger suggested that the novelty of being research subjects and the increased attention from such could lead to temporary increases in workers’ productivity. This interpretation was dubbed “the Hawthorne effect”…
Although illumination research of workplace lighting formed the basis of the Hawthorne effect, other changes such as maintaining clean work stations, clearing floors of obstacles, and even relocating workstations resulted in increased productivity for short periods. Thus the term is used to identify any type of short-lived increase in productivity.[4][7][8]
(I would think that the boring aspects of work would result in a fall-back in effect, and that having some enlivening thing happen every few days would stop the fall.
So if this was transferred to taking an interest in people in a listen to and carry forward the parent’s own wishes and needs where it would most enable their parenting and in-training role.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect
Sweden – Eg of Second Largest Party on 26% forming Coalition Govt
2006 General Election
Centre-Left Bloc
Social Democrats 35%(Largest Party)
Left Party 6% (Sixth)
Green 5% (Seventh)
Centre-Right Bloc
Moderate 26% (Second Largest Party)
Centre 8% (Third)
Liberal People’s Party 8% (Fourth)
Christian Democrats 7% (Fifth)
Moderates form Centre-Right Coalition Govt
Nice one.
No matter what ails ya, the stupidity of bigots is a marvelous tonic.
An overly zealous group of Norwegian nationalists is facing online ridicule after mistaking a photo of seats on a city bus for women wearing burqas.
Screenshots from the Norwegian Facebook group Fedrelandet Viktigst, which translates to “The Fatherland, Most Importantly,” show members of the group expressing xenophobic fears in response to the photo. The image depicts several darkly-coloured seats on a city bus, lit in such a way that some might mistake it for rows of women in burqas.
The Facebook group is labelled as meant for “anyone who loves Norway, and appreciates what our ancestors have been fighting for!”
http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/ignorance-unveiled-anti-immigrant-group-mistakes-bus-seats-for-burqas-1.3529632
The only time I’ve ever seen my partner visibly angry and shaking in public was the first time we encountered a burka in public in a Melbourne shopping mall.
They are disgusting things.
I gotta admit burqas induce a massive cognitive dissonance for me.
On one hand they’re a massive symbol of institutionalised oppression of women.
On the other hand, at least some burqa wearers genuinely freely choose to do so and would be genuinely uncomfortable about not wearing it in public. Whether that situation is the product of a messed-up oppressed upbringing is kind of a separate topic.
So my disgust at what the burqa represents is at serious war with my libertarian instincts that people should be free to do what they want (up to the point that they interfere with other people doing what they want).
But yeah, there’s nothing but delight in obnoxious morons mistaking bus seats for burqas and publicly making themselves idiots over it.
The way out of that dilemma for me is to support the feminists in those cultures. This ups the rights of women and enables self-determination.
What fascinates me about burqa wearers is many that I have seen overseas especially at Dubai Airport are glamorous (from what you can see). Lots of jewellery on their fingers, red nail polish, one had sky high red strappy shoes on carrying very expensive bags from designer stores.
The paradox of this fascinates me, I thought it was to keep women demure, pious, subdued and submissive. I wouldn’t mind betting they are hell on wheels in their own environment and its obvious their menfolk like them dressed in racy lingerie under all the voluminous robes.
No, it’s to mark them as being owned by men and that other men are therefore not allowed to look/converse with without the express permission of the man.
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-differences-between-a-niqab-a-chador-an-abaya-a-burkha-and-a-hijab
i have met quite a few girls in France and Germany who would wear not the burka but the Abaya with a Hijab – a headscarf with long coat/dress when going out. Underneath these girls are as modern and flamboyant as any other girls/women elsewhere.
the point about dressing in the headscarf and long coat outfit is simply to not ‘seduce’ men, but to portray an image of ‘modesty’.
at home these women wear regular clothes.
I sat in quite a few kitchens in Germany with turkish women/girls while the men sat in the living room. The ladies have no issues discussing boys/ men in no uncertain terms. Let me rest it at that. 🙂
Good fun, good food and much tea was consumed.
and while some be forced to wear this, many choose it on their own and make it fashion. and its not up to us to judge these choices.
For me it is the oppressive, sexist and deeply damaging purdah culture these dress forms represent which I passionately object to. Yes they are a dress choice, but then so is a skinhead making a ‘dress choice’ if they wear a swastika in public. It’s the symbolism that matters here.
What most westerners don’t realise is that originally these walking tents had almost nothing to do with Islam. Purdah culture thoroughly pre-dates Islam, and the first 500 years or so these dress forms were completely unknown and discredited. IIRC they only appeared in Islam around AD 1300 or so inside some extremist cult and spread from there.
Purdah, or the strict social segregation of men and women, is an ancient practise that has no place in the modern world. It roughly falls into the same basket of horrors such as genital mutilation and foot binding.
I do agree with weka on the point she makes above; but at the same time I will never feel under any obligation to tolerate or condone it.
I just saw that Auditor General Matthews is stepping down. (Might be old news now.) To do with Transport Agency and Joanne Harrison I suppose.
Who is next at facing up to the unpleasant and unsavoury?
Yep, he is but he doesn’t seem to have realised the problem:
He was told that the fraud was being committed by several people and did nothing. He doesn’t seem to realise that this is a breach of trust by him to the employees and to the people of NZ.
New tax idea Labour and Greens – help the homeless and yourselves.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2017/08/dealing-with-ghost-homes.html
excellent, will put that up as a cross-post I think.
Shades of the Land Tax of the Liberal Govt under Minister of Lands, James Mckenzie.
As a result of that tax at least four of my ancestors got a farm from the breaking up of the big estates.
The Auditor General has resigned.
This is the guy who stood by during the corruption, and during the time the corrupt official hunted down the whistleblowers, while he was Secretary of the Ministry of Transport:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/95411616/auditorgeneral-resigns-saying-his-position-untenable
Good fucking job.
May it be a lesson to whomever runs the State Services Commission – and the Minister of State Services – in future. As well as to ever single head of a government agency.
is there not a tax loop hole here in NZ where a landlord of a residential or commercial property can write of the loss of an untenanted property against income?
maybe just do away with that loophole.
some of the rural townships could actually be quite lovely little hubs if the upstairs of the old fringes were to be residential again instead of ’empty commerical office space to lease’.
We >i>still have landlords of Commercial property, in the Hawkes Bay, putting up rents and forcing out long standing tenants…just for those shops to sit empty, or some brave soul starts up and closes down in the blink of an eye due to the stress of so called ‘market rents’.
If your retail property is empty, or has a constant flow of ‘pop ups’, then its NOT market rent.
And the question is, what are the artificial motivations that make property that is vacant or with high-tenant-turnover viable?.
i know live near a little rural town. lovely actually, but pretty much all the upstairs of the shops are ‘offices ‘ to rent and two thirds of the shops are for lease. . Like really? how many offices can a rural small town have? Put people in to live, create some live in these little towns. Offices! Bullshit.
what ever tax clause it is that makes it more attractive to keep a property empty instead of renting it out needs to be closed, done away with. It is a clause that keeps people on the street homeless and out of earning a living. Stupid.
Such a loophole would be news to me, but then I have little experience in commercial property.
I suspect that what may happening is that in the commercial leasing the book value of the property is directly related to it’s imputed rental value. Often such a property will be tied up as bank collateral for some other project. If it’s then leased for residential for a lower rental than office space, the bank would be in it’s rights to revalue the property downwards.
In this case the owner has every reason to leave a property empty rather than lease it at a reduced rent.
Also in the commercial context, potential tenants are much fewer in number compared to residential, so it’s always anticipated that there can be quite long vacancies between tenancies.
Of course none of this addresses the very real issue you raise.
Economics tells us that the value of a thing is how much it can garner upon the open market. It would seem to me that when it’s left empty then the value is zero and the bank should value it at that. If it’s used for commercial or residential should make no difference to the bank.
What you’re describing would seem to be some sort of loophole.
Not really. As I suggested in practise there are often quite large gaps in commercial tenancies, and valuing a property at zero for their unknowable duration is not reasonable.
But the moment you do lease it, regardless of whether it’s commercial or residential, the income is now known and the value of the property becomes determinate again. And that is what the bank cares about.
Besides once it is leased residential, it makes it a lot harder to subsequently place a more attractive commercial tenant.
As I said I’m not an expert here; just pointing out some quite pragmatic reasons why commercial property can lie empty for long periods without any particular tax reason being involved.
Re last paragraph PLUS EFFING 100!
Public Service reform of its senior management and corporatised structure is LONG overdue
Politicised, unaccountable, crony-enabled, and generally dysfunctional.
“Auditor-General Martin Matthews has resigned. Good riddance. Given his woeful performance as chief executive of the Ministry of Transport, where he appears to have repeatedly looked the other way on Joanne Harrison’s fraud, there really was no other option.”
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/2017/08/good-riddance.html
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11898467
But the peasants don’t need to know what was going on, so no publication of the report. Off you go Martin, here’s a little something to tide you over and Martin, keep your mouth shut.
“Foodstuffs run an operation of using a large amount of labour hire temporary workers. They’ve got hundreds of them, and they use them in permanent positions and exploit the precarious nature of their work.”
First Union transport and logistics secretary Jared Abbott
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/95401353/supermarket-distribution-workers-strike-for-better-conditions
This should be the topic of the day…its all about the employment issues that have massive effect on the lives of a large number of non voters, tap into that and Labour could turn things around.
sometime ago they had a position that i was much qualified for and i applied.
they were keen to employ me. but the wage was stupid low, so i politely declined.
and that was not a job for a low skilled worker. no, they demanded degrees and work experience and such and still barely wanted to pay 40.000 plus. so much time wasted, my time. Sad!
Great news for the Left
But The Fight Goes On
There are continual early morning protests to slow contractors from accessing this site on public land and to disrupt the consequent high number of heavy trucks carrying excavated material along the narrow Karangahake Gorge road.
Sign the petition here: