Definitely.
Will always be necessary in the hard-to-reach ranges and mountains.
Looking forward to Labour and Greens committing budget to pedt-free New Zealand in their next budget.
Um no ad
Reflexively you have assumed aerial poison perhaps means 1080? Brodifacoum is a cumulative poison that concentrates up the food chain. brodifacoum has a role in local eradication but has a very high incidence of secondary poisoning limiting its safety.
No poison is nice aerial poison is indiscriminate. mindless cheerleading is what the nats want for their battle of the birds, we need to be putting lots more money in the pot and using ground control much more.
Do you dispute DOC’s statement that “The benefits of using brodifacoum to eradicate rats from offshore islands are now well documented in terms of species recovery.”?
A question that you’d need contributions from people with various types of expertise to be able to answer, something which a government dept like DoC is well placed to arrange. I take it from your question that DoC has arrived at the answer “Yes?”
[with some noted caveats] The benefits of using brodifacoum to eradicate rats from offshore islands are now well documented in terms of species recovery. In most cases, any short term losses of individuals of native species are offset by the longer term benefits of removing the rats.
Pyscho.. I want to know what you think based on the toxicology , not DOC’s assessment of “best bang for buck”. Do you perhaps think our opinion should be discounted?. Read the link and let us know if YOU think chucking this stuff out of a chopper is a good idea.
If great care is taken not to drop huge loads of it into pristine lakes. Even when great care is taken, huge loads of it will be dropped into pristine lakes…
” About 700kg of bait being ferried by helicopter to Indian Island in Dusky Sound for a rat eradication programme was lost over Anchor Island.
Anchor Island is pest free and home to the endangered kakapo, saddleback and mohua. As a precaution, two kakapo had been moved to Chalky Island.
“A full review of the safety procedures and practices is under way to ensure such an incident does not occur again,” Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson said yesterday.
The 700kg of brodifacoum cereal bait pellets, about 15% of the total necessary for the operation, was being transported beneath a helicopter from Anchor Island, where they were stored, on Thursday when the load detached in flight.”
“A full review of the safety procedures and practices is under way to ensure such an incident does not occur again,”
Maybe it could consider not storing huge quantities of pesticide on a pest-free island being used for restoring native wildlife? There’s a reason why the military doesn’t put ammo and fuel storage in the middle of a camp, perhaps DoC could learn something from that.
Yes the truck tipped over at the punch bowl. Anticoagulant was detectable in paua for months (for as long as they were checking im pretty sure), indefinite shellfish ban for that area at the time.
Some slightly more technical info here: http://www.issg.org/pdf/publications/Island_Invasives/pdfHQprint/3FisherP.pdf
With pest control it’s best to read the scientific data and sift the wheat from he chaff- even some of the studies are of dubious worth. DOC press releases are pure PR.
Bottom line is they are badly underfunded and politicized. If you are buying in to the cheap and nasty rotational aerial poisoning swaying and waving of hands in the air, you are selling us short.
Sorry last bit not aimed at you RG, im saying don’t accept widespread aerial poison as a given, it’s the low cost low outcome option. Not a solution or even a decent stop gap.
keepcalm, I agree with you there. The rodent situation is, in my view, “unsolvable”, on the “mainland” at least, given the resilience of the animals, our relationship with them and other factors (climate change, economic projections, political changes etc.) The balance of the flora and fauna changed significantly sometime back and now we are in the “New Wild” phase, where conventional, ‘destroy that pest’ thinking is redundant and wasteful of resources. There is a place for protection of species, but it’s not the broad-scale, extermination-based thinking we are now “enjoying” in this country. That culture leads to collapse, imo. There is however, another way… 🙂
xanthe – are you going to suggest an environmental issue that The Greens could champion, as you alluded recently? I’m very keen to know which single environmental issue you believe would have the appeal to get The Green Party into Government.
Robert: I am shocked that the Greens support aerial broadcast poisoning and that they do not challenge the lie that it is “eradication” when it clearly is ongoing control. I would not have a clue what the total number of votes the Greens shed over this but this is clearly an issue which is highly polarizing and Greens are continuing to hemorrhage (ironically) over this
Currently animal pest control in Aotearoa New Zealand involves the extensive use of poisons in ground and aerial operations because they are generally cost e ective means of controlling animal pest species. Modern technology allows more precise distribution of aerial poison such as 1080 than in the past, and the amount of poison per hectare has been reduced while still maintaining e ectiveness.
However, the use of poisons on a large scale, particularly near people’s homes, poses ecological risks and raises community concerns. The Green Party Environment policy aims to minimise the use of all persistent, environmentally damaging, or non- sustainably produced poisons, especially when using aerial distribution, and we strongly support research and promotion of other pest control methods. 1080 poison is widely used to control pest species as it degrades relatively rapidly and is not bio- accumulative. Nonetheless it is acutely toxic to a number of non-target animals including dogs and native wildlife, is considered inhumane by many, and there may be as yet undiscovered long-term toxicological e ects arising from its widespread use.
The Green Party aspires to see indigenous biodiversity and farm animal health maintained and enhanced, and eradication and control of pest animals achieved with minimal use of poisons, and without the use of genetically modi ed organisms. We recognise that currently it is not feasible to stop all use of poisons for animal pest control without unacceptable adverse impacts on biodiversity and forest health. However, we believe that current and developing integrated ground control methods o er opportunities, and that increased research and development will extend alternatives to aerial 1080 over time that are both affordable and effective.
The Green Party will:
1. In general, and wherever practical, support replacing poisons with humane and safe biological and physical controls.
2. Continue to support a ban on the release or eld trial of genetically engineered organisms into the environment (see our Agriculture and Rural A airs policy for further details).
3. Promote, support and fund ground-based methods of pest control by a properly trained workforce in preference to aerial poisoning wherever they could reasonably achieve the desired conservation outcomes, especially in areas of lowland forest, around farms, near people’s homes (i.e. closer than 200 m) and near waterways that supply human and stock drinking water.
4. Establish and fund comprehensive ground control training schemes for people willing and able to do this physically demanding work.
5. Signi cantly increase funding for both research and implementation of innovative, safe and humane methods of ground based pest control.
6. Where possible, eliminate the uncontrolled use of bio-accumulative and persistent poisons for animal pest control.
7. Support greater involvement of local communities in maintaining and enhancing local biodiversity, and promote and fund a multi-agency approach to integrated animal pest control. Such an approach will include educating the community on biodiversity values, threats and pest control methods, and engaging the public in community-led ground based control programmes.
8. Coordinate and fund agencies to develop pest control schemes in collaboration with industries harvesting pest animals (e.g. the fur and textiles industry), in areas where pest animal harvesting and conservation outcomes can both be achieved.
9. Support poison-free integrated animal pest control in partnership with the local community, whānau, hapū and iwi. These areas will be regularly monitored to transparently assess the e ectiveness of control methods to ensure that desired biodiversity outcomes are being met and control methods improved.
10.Investigate a strategy to progressively increase the proportion of ground control and progressively decrease the proportion of aerial control with the purpose of ensuring increased pest control coverage and e ectiveness, and increased use of alternatives to aerial poison. The strategy will be regularly reviewed to ensure conservation outcomes were clearly being improved.
Thanks, weka. I feel xanthe’s exploiting the opportunity for reasoned debate here on TS, choosing instead to rig the discussions for her own end, whatever that might be. Of course, xanthe’s as welcome to do that as anyone else, but should expect derision when it becomes apparent that he/she is not sincere. I recall your challenging her about a seeming anti-Green stance and I don’t think that was misplaced.
Nope i did not raise the greens , you did robert.
As for their policy (thanks weka) i continue very much underwhelmed. but thats a side issue that i did not start here.
I certainly did not set about “exploiting the opportunity for reasoned debate here on TS, choosing instead to rig the discussions for her own end” thats just ad holmium bullshit (sorry robert) IMHO.
My purpose has been clear and consistent to prompt readers to understand the toxicology of brodifacoum and make their OWN view of it’s suitability for chucking out of a chopper.
Sneaky, xanthe. I mentioned The Greens regarding another issue altogether:
I think you are behaving subversively here and your comments “smell” wrong 🙂
you seem to be getting somewhat close to telling lies about GP policy. I’ve posted the GP policy above so people can make up their own minds, but please take care not to misrepresent their stance and what they intend.
I agree that under current conditions predator free mainland NZ is a pipe dream. BUT.
Back in 1988 the first big pest eradication was titled “The Battle for Breaksea island”. And indeed, if we want to be predator free we need to be on a war footing.
So if you got every 18 year old in the land and conscripted them in a conservation army for 18 months and waged war on rats, mice, stoats, rabbits, ferrel cats and wild dogs, then it could be done. Campbell Island tells us we can clear an area of 120sq/km in a single go quite easily. With 60-80,000 “troops” who knows how much we could clear!
With unlimited manpower to build fences, setup trap lines and generally fight the good fight, it could be done.
And actually, I think it would be an amazing thing to bequeath to the future, a country over run with birdlife.
I have read the link. It says this stuff is highly toxic, which strikes me as something one would actually look for in a pesticide. Do you have some argument for why that wouldn’t be a desirable feature of a pesticide?
Apologies for the careless terminology. What constitutes a pest is indeed in the eye of the beholder, and a matter of indifference to the toxic substance.
I have and can’t see the answer to my question. Perhaps you could just explain clearly. Also, you haven’t answered other direct questions I’ve put to you, and I’d appreciate that you do, for the sake of not appearing evasive – “hit and run” and “spray and walk away” are not admirable tags to acquire.
It is your opinion yes. And the thing about opinions is that they’re of value only to the person who holds them. What actually counts for something is what you can argue for. So far, I haven’t seen you make any argument whatsoever, hence my attempts to find out exactly what point you’re trying to make.
I am not trying to “make a point” I want to know what people think about “spreading about” brodifacoum having reviewed the toxicology.
I actually feel that citizens should access neutral quality information https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brodifacoum#Toxicology
And have an opinion outside of supporting one faction or another. So far there has been very little (apart from Robert, thanks!) evidence of grappling with the toxicology. there seems to be a feeling that we should just trust DOC cause they know better.
forget point scoring. What (having read the link) do you think about spreading brodifacoum about.
I think it would be very foolish to “spread brodifacoum about.” It’s highly toxic to mammals, cumulative in the animals that consume it (and that consume them) and slow to break down in the soil. However, it also sounds like it’s a very effective means of getting rid of mice, rats and possums from a defined area, so it’s unsurprising DoC would use it for that purpose. As long as they’re taking steps to avoid “spreading it about” beyond that defined area (which they are), I have no problem with it at all.
Pscho: brodifacoum is not a poison to “spread about” its use should be ( usually is) within fairly strict limits due to cumulative poisoning up the food chain.
The pixie dust to sprinkle everywhere to salve your middle class conscience would be 1080.
Hopefully the incoming Labour govt will toss the whole stinking mess of psudo-science and PR spin out and put our people to work on actually doing the job!
Sneer all you like. The country puts a lot of money and expertise into figuring out the best way of trying to keep native species from going extinct, and according to that assembled and often-reviewed expertise, this is it. You could argue the experts are wrong, in which case you’re likely to lose the argument, or you could argue that trying to preserve native species is pointless, in which case you’re likely to be in a small minority. Either way, yes I do enjoy a good night’s sleep thanks.
So someone else’s argument is likely to be better than mine so I better watch out?
Convincing corner you are arguing there.
Declaring war on nebulous concepts is a way of making shallow thinkers feel good about themselves.
Has the war on terror eradicated terrorism?
“Sneer all you like. The country puts a lot of money and expertise into figuring out the best way of trying to keep native species from going extinct, and according to that assembled and often-reviewed expertise, this is it. You could argue the experts are wrong, in which case you’re likely to lose the argument, or you could argue that trying to preserve native species is pointless, in which case you’re likely to be in a small minority. Either way, yes I do enjoy a good night’s sleep thanks.”
I think you will find that a big reason 1080, Brodifacoum etc are used in the way that they are is because of cost. There are other effective, less problematic methods that also get used (e.g. trapping) but cost more. It’s a misrepresentation of what is going on in NZ to claim that poison is the best, when neoliberal obsession with business models and cuts to DOC are also a factor.
So it’s not so much that the experts are wrong, but that they have their own contexts to work in and their own belief systems about what should be done. Presenting that as ‘the experts are always right’ is sloppy debate.
There are other effective, less problematic methods that also get used (e.g. trapping) but cost more.
Those other methods tend not just to cost more, but also to have very poor scalability. I expect the next government will fund DoC better, and that may well allow more trapping and less use of poisons in some areas, but it will remain a minor part of the programme.
…‘the experts are always right’ is sloppy debate.
It would be, yes. The experts aren’t always right, eg we both disagree with the experts on certain matters of nutrition. In that case, people have made compelling arguments for how the experts have got it wrong. In this case, I’m not seeing any arguments for why we shouldn’t just assume the expertise DoC has called on has given it the best advice available.
Scalability is just as easy with trapping as other methods, except for cost. If you know how to set up, run and maintain a trap line in one forested valley, you can pretty much do that in every similar landscape in NZ.
One argument about DOC (which I just made) is that they’re operating in a specific context and culture. The context is that they’re short on money. The culture is one that sees all non-natives as inherently bad.
The short on money thing is fixable, and there are plenty of pro-conservation people in NZ that would choose non-poison methods were that supported. Many already do and if you look closely you’ll find that all over the place there are people doing trap lines off their own bat. It beggars belief that DOC are so slow to work proactively with those groups. Some of that is cultural e.g. DOC see themselves as the owners of the conservation estate (am generalising here), and they take a kind of siloed approach.
It’s also blatantly obvious now that DOC are hugely compromised by government in terms of being a fundamentally conservation organisation hence their support for projects like the Ruataniwha Dam or the Queenstown/Milford tunnel. It’s demonstrable that DOC, as an organisation, have very distinct cultural frameworks, and it’s not solely about the science or evidence.
As for the non-native thing, here’s a good example. For decades DOC took the position that gorse and broom were evil and to be eradicated no matter what. Not that DOC are the only ones like that, councils are similar. Meanwhile, regenag people started working in different ways with landscapes including using gorse as a nursery crop to restore native forest. You can look at Hugh Wilson’s work on this at the Hinewai Reserve on the Banks Peninsula, but there are multiple examples now to the extent that DOC itself now offers this as advice on one way landscapes can be restored to native.
So we know that DOC have a very specific culture and world view around conservation that isn’t always supported by the evidence. Had DOC not had that world view they would have been doing experiments alongside the hippies 30 or 40 years ago and we’d be vastly ahead on reforestation than we are now. Even now, spray the fuck out of it is still the default in most places. That will change but it’s the attitudinal stuff that is getting in the way, not best practice or unbiased science.
Scalability is just as easy with trapping as other methods, except for cost.
That’s true of most things that are poorly scalable. It would be possible to do pest control in hundreds of thousands of hectares of poorly-accessible bush using people with traps, just like it’s possible to dig railway cuttings using people with shovels. But we don’t, because it would be a needlessly expensive way of doing them. Cost-effectiveness isn’t something invented by neo-liberals.
that’s not the situation though. Sure we can use 1080 drops in select places that are hard to reach, but that’s not what’s happening. Instead we are now using 1080 on easy to access farmland and conservation estate.
The comparison with building roads with shovels is inaccurate because trap lines are effective, that’s why many people still use them. Lots of conservation estate could be managed using trap lines. It would also create jobs and give people who want it access to living in some pretty amazing places.
For instance, at the moment possums are controlled by 1080, other baits, and trapping. Of those only trapping gives usable fur (there’s some animal rights issues to be sorted there). Afaik currently trappers are plucking which means the carcasses get left in the bush providing an excellent food source for rats and stoats. Non-1080 baits do the same I think. Or councils and private land owners are paying teams to bait and/or trap to control numbers and again the bodies are being left in place. This is not that smart.
What we could be doing instead is setting up a fur, pelt and meat industry that also controls possum numbers, provides jobs, uses the resource instead of treating it like garbage, and get people into the bush. That’s much more of a sustainable process than what we are doing now.
Eradication of possums in NZ can’t be done by poison btw, nor the rest of the pest-free aims. It’s well known that the only way we will become pest-free is if multiple biological methods are developed across a number of species. Personally I think that’s science fiction and instead of basing policy and conservation on that, we should be doing best practice at control with the aim of preservation of local ecosystems. This means that you design for each catchment. What works in the Dunedin hills is going to be different than Milford Sound which is different than West Coast river valleys.
I’m not averse to 1080 in selected situations, because I know it works, but this wholesale and increasing use is ideologically driven. At best it can be argued that DOC are doing what they can under neoliberal govt, but it’s not even close to best practice.
The comparison with building roads with shovels is inaccurate because trap lines are effective, that’s why many people still use them. Lots of conservation estate could be managed using trap lines. It would also create jobs and give people who want it access to living in some pretty amazing places.
Trap lines work – they just cost a hell of a lot more as you point out in your last line.
Now, are they actually as effective as poison drops? I haven’t seen anything to indicate that they are.
What we could be doing instead is setting up a fur, pelt and meat industry that also controls possum numbers, provides jobs, uses the resource instead of treating it like garbage, and get people into the bush. That’s much more of a sustainable process than what we are doing now.
It’s only sustainable if you want to keep the possums and, well, we don’t. Of course, unless the research on making all of the possums sterile pans out, we’ll probably be keeping them.
And then there’s the health issue of using possum meat as food as it can be seriously unhealthy.
but this wholesale and increasing use is ideologically driven.
Those are all good points and I don’t have any problem with the government putting up money to have more trapping in easily-accessible areas (if, the big if that Draco points out, it is actually more effective than poison drops – how useful is it for reducing rat populations, for instance?). That still leaves us with huge swathes of conservation land that’s not easily accessible but would require large numbers of people to manage via trapping. Use of 1080 in those areas has to be large-scale because the problem is large-scale and we don’t have credible alternatives.
The Waitakere Ranges Ark in the Park is a really large scale operation, using poisons. They don’t sound keen on the gas-fired traps as a replacement system until they see really good successful precedents. Helluva lot of fundraising effort otherwise.
Lots of different groups manage different lines – thousands of volunteers.
Result is lots of super-rare birds reintroduced. Many from Tiritiri.
Even the potential for Kiwi!
Right next door to the city with 1/3 of NZ’s population, and dead rats and possums by the tonne.
“Trap lines work – they just cost a hell of a lot more as you point out in your last line.”
Depends on how you measure it, but I’m not saying that they cost a hell of a lot more. I think you would be surprised at the value of trapping cf to poison.
“Now, are they actually as effective as poison drops? I haven’t seen anything to indicate that they are.”
Again, it depends on what you are measuring. Yes, trapping can be very effective. So is napalm. Using hyperbole to make a point, which is that there are a range of issues here not just this number counting. So in any given catchment you need to look at a range of things that are disrupting ecosystems and causing species extinction. I think NZ has a serious problem with habitat destruction, and 1080 is a kind of sop to that, it says we’re not going to protect nature properly so we’ll do some ambulance at the bottom of the cliff stuff until the silver bullet arrives (biological).
“It’s only sustainable if you want to keep the possums and, well, we don’t. Of course, unless the research on making all of the possums sterile pans out, we’ll probably be keeping them.”
Yes, so let’s find long term solutions for control that aren’t coming from a slash and burn attitude.
“And then there’s the health issue of using possum meat as food as it can be seriously unhealthy.”
Unhealthy how? I was thinking petfood though.
“but this wholesale and increasing use is ideologically driven.
[citation needed]”
Not sure what you mean there. I just spent a number of comments outlining the attitudinal issues in conservation in NZ. They’re pretty well known. Am happy to talk about them if you want to debate the points.
Depends on how you measure it, but I’m not saying that they cost a hell of a lot more. I think you would be surprised at the value of trapping cf to poison.
More jobs = costs more.
And need a citation as to the comparability between poison use and trapping.
Again, it depends on what you are measuring.
Deaths of pests per dollar spent.
I think NZ has a serious problem with habitat destruction, and 1080 is a kind of sop to that, it says we’re not going to protect nature properly so we’ll do some ambulance at the bottom of the cliff stuff until the silver bullet arrives (biological).
Totally agree. Under National DOC has been run into the ground, and now needs to maintain its income BY LEASING OUT CONSERVATION LAND FOR MINING*
sorry for shouting so loudly – but NZ needs to wake up to the this ecological vandalism. Vandalism that is being perpetuated by a barbaric government, supervised by the “watchful” eye of a compliant department, that is supposed to be acting to protect our forests and native fauna; not destroy it.
Here is an ex-DOC worker being arrested for trying to protect the land she had worked to conserve for 15 years. https://twitter.com/hashtag/protectkarangahake?src=hash
* see the link to the Application Guide for permits to mine on conservation land issued by DOC.
About 40 years ago I was a possum trapper – the devastation that I saw Possums cause to native bush was absolutely staggering – unless there is absolutely convincing evidence that 1080 is very very bad I don’t see an alternative .
My view on 1080 is that some people were told that Radiated tooth paste and skin care products were good for ones health in the 1950 s until peoples teeth started falling out and they were dying of cancer its a poison there are many examples like this in our past .
Its is not wise to try to eradicate something it is better to control it them.
A tax free bounty on these pest would provide income for the youth and the poor we would be killing 2 birds with one stone as the saying goes.
All the remote areas we put hired workers in there still 2 birds with one stone.
The helicopter companys will still get there income flying these workers in to the remote areas. But the big powerful chemical company’s will lose out ie foreign interest whom only care about there profits. I refrained from swearing in this post
Pretty standard stuff. A basic principle of right-wingers is “A society in which I’m among the wealthy must by definition be a meritocracy and therefore should be run for my benefit.”
I have succumbed to Jane Kelsey’d blandishments again* and put up what is arguably an unpaid election advertisement (see the It’s Our Future logo on the right) on the party positions about the TPPA.
So I have also activated the authorisation statement at the bottom of the site that directs all enquiries related to electoral law to me.
I will of course treat all such enquiries with a balance between discretion and transparency, and between action and education. Which means that if I think that something oversteps the bounds you only have to point it out and it will be handled rapidly.
But if I think that someone is just taking the piss then I am quite likely to educate on the principle in public and at a personal level, but subject to those irritating privacy restraints that someone fettered me with.
* How does Jane do that? Probably because she asks and provides the two things required – a decent image and a link to something worth reading..
Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt challenges Jacinda
“Obviously, unlike other institutions, we won’t require support for Zero Fees, as we’ve already achieved that objective. This letter is a request to Central Government to support our extensive construction program so that we can offer students free accommodation. That will help us maintain our student numbers and take a little pressure off the housing crisis in our larger cities.”
And free accommodation along with free study is a good incentive to move people south and out of Auckland. Therefore, it could be worth paying that little more?
Streamline effect to enable the Jacindaroller to roll even faster and miss nothing in its path. Even her body guard is described as Hipster.-shaven head. Built for speed and– ,I could -and can go on-
If Coleman was in the Mafia his gang name would be ‘Numbers’. As soom as he opens his mouth I just stop listening. Too many numbers all at once sends me into numerical overdrive. Do his numbers ever actually stack up or does he just pluck them out of the bubble floating ar’ Q/A ably mediated by Corrin, lol!, when he said after “the break we will be back with Michelle and Josie” So I didn’t see what happened at the end of that particular debacle. I have to remove all sharp objects within reach whenever I even catch a glimpse of our prehistoric Boag.
Coleman seemed to do better than yesterday – his voice not so croaky and a bit more comfortable anyway. [At 6:06] “I get dozens of letters from people who are uh absolutely pleased with the care they are getting”, is less impressive than Coleman seems to think it is; given the thousands who attempt to access that health system every year. His main goal seems to be to interject; “that’s not true” into any statement that Clark makes.
There is one policy that most parties seem to favour, albeit with different time frames.
It is, in my opinion, the worst idea that any of them has. It is also the one policy that should be dropped by everybody. There would be no better way to waste billions on something that is obsolete before it has even started than light rail.
Read this and then vote for any party that will refuse to put 19th century technology into a 21st century world. Light rail is an antiquated and pointless idea. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/96306106/pattrick-smellie-are-we-planning-for-a-transport-future-that-wont-exist
We need more roads in the middle of Auckland and we need more carparks in the middle of Auckland and we need more carparks at the bus stations on the outskirts of Auckland so people can park their cars and ride on buses to the centre of Auckland. And we need more high rise apartment blocks in the middle of Auckland.
And when that’s all done there will be no point in getting in cars to come to the middle of Auckland because the only thing there will be roads, carparking buildings and apartment blocks.
I don’t think you have thought through what autonomous vehicles really mean.
People, at least those living in a city won’t need to own a private vehicle. You will simply summon an autonomous vehicle when you want to go somewhere.
That vehicle will take you from wherever you are to wherever you want to go.
At the moment people take their private vehicle from their home to a parking area. It then stays there, unused, until they need it again. I have seen claims that the average private car sits idle for 96% of the time.
There will be no need for large parking areas at bus stations. In fact there won’t be any bus stations.
Neither will there need to be carparks in the centre of Auckland for people at work. After all, they won’t have taken their own car to work. They will have taken an anonymous AV which is available for someone else to use as soon as they exit it.
There will still need to be some parking space. This will be for AVs which are waiting for a call and/or recharging their batteries. The space required will be only a tiny fraction of the space currently consumed by private vehicles which must all be parked in such a manner that a particular vehicle can be retrieved rather than the one that is nearest the outside.
At the moment I would guess, and it is only a guess on my part, that for each parking place in a car park for a vehicle that is 2m * 4.5m you need, allowing space for the vehicle, and space on each side of it for people to get in and out and the lanes used by vehicles to get around the parking area not the 9m2 the car requires but probably about 30-35m2.
Why bother driving yourself? Why bother having to park the thing? Why bother having to maintain it? Call a car when you want one.
Can I help it if you dream you are Buck Rogers and want a jetpack?
I’ll bet you were one of those people who said the smart phone would never catch on.
In the meantime electric cars are now here. The battery technology is now making them at a similar price to internal combustion vehicles.
To give a brief answer to your comment.
Works now.
Sure it does, and if you already have sunk all the investment in it you will probably keep it going. It is getting a new system, at a cost of billions when the technology is obsolete that is foolish.
Poorest affording it.
Yes, but there are enormous subsidies to hold the fares down, and the system is heavily subsidised by the people who drive on the roads. I often visit Paris, and I travel on the Metro. It is cheap and frequent. However the subsidies are enormous and I believe that the subsidies are more than 4 billion euros/year.
I see no reason why AVs need cost anymore than the unsubsidised cost of a bus or light rail fare.
I’ll get one.
But I don’t want to get one. I shall be only too happy to get rid of my privately owned cars. I don’t want to own one. I just want to get convenient, comfortable transport when I need it. AVs and a smart phone will be all I will need.
Those autonomous vehicles will be joining together on light rail for longer trips. As that is the most efficient way to get them from A to B. Except for the last mile. A motorway, even for AV’s, is a costly waste of space.
I can’t see how he thinks people are going to want to car pool en masse every single day to work and not want larger, safer, cheaper, more regular, more efficient, and smoother forms of rapid public transport.
“larger, safer, cheaper, more regular, more efficient, and smoother forms of rapid public transport”
They will be larger.
There is no reason at all that they would be safer.
There is equally no reason why they should be cheaper.
AVs don’t have a schedule, regular or otherwise. They will travel exactly when you want them, not when some bureaucrat says they should run.
They will not be more efficient. A small vehicle carrying one person is better than a very large one carrying 5.
The will not be smoother. My car is certainly a smoother ride than one of the Wellington units.
They will not be faster. An AV will go from where I am to where I want to go. They won’t ramble around picking up all and sundry along the way.
My God!. You talk like a Green MP.
From a scan of these articles I would suggest that you are talking about a totally different technology than I am.
These vehicles they are talking about are basically rental cars such as we have today. They require the hirer to drive them. I am talking about AVs that drive themselves.
There is absolutely no need to connect them up into a train. I want to go from point A to point B now, not when a group of people want to travel the same route.
You should also bear in mind that AVs will be able to travel much closer together than current cars with a driver. They will not have to follow the 2 second rule as the technology will enable them to communicate with other vehicles in their vicinity.
You are out of date.
No I’m afraid it is the technology listed by you that is out of date. It still expects that the cars concerned will have human drivers around a town.
“days of a private car”.
Of course they are. That is what I want to see. I don’t want to own a car. I just want a cheap option that will carry me where I want to get when I want to go there. That is what the AV will provide.
“only ICE cars are “. I don’t think there will be any ICE cars in 20 years time. There won’t need to be any private ones either.
And the roads will be much, much safer.
Autonomous vehicles will be the public transport. Much more convenient and likely to be much cheaper as well.
What do you think happens to most of the buses outside of the peak hours? The either sit around unused or they carry half a dozen people in a vehicle built for 40. AVs certainly won’t be any less efficient will they?
AVs should be able to carry, individually, more people on a trip at peak time than at less busy times. If more people want to travel they could stop and pick up another passenger along their route. The way they are called would let the system know where every vehicle is and where it is going.
The customer could be allowed the option of sharing if they want to. Give them a cheaper fare if they are willing to share the AV.
AVs will be much cheaper than a taxi. They don’t need a very expensive driver do they?
Private cars are very little used. As I noted just above a standing time of 96% has been reported. They are very inefficient and one of the reasons why people will be willing to give up their private car.
alwyn
“Private cars are very little used”? Except, of course, for those reduced to living out of their vehicle – the current housing crisis would be much worse if that wasn’t an option. Also, even standing still; they do act as additional storage space for those with small homes (especially for families – do you know how much room a pram takes up even when it’s folded away?).
Quite what this has to do with the topic I am talking about is unclear.
On the other hand anyone who has a garage will have a lot of extra space to use.
I’m sure you will get rid of your car, convert the garage and offer it free to someone living in their car. There, everyone will be better off.
You are, unfortunately, probably correct.
The curse of too many possessions. I regret to say that I am as guilty as most people.
Your comment gets the prize for the most realistic comment.
Her chances look awfully slim.
The only electorate poll I have seen, by Maori TV, had her in third place, just behind the Maori Party candidate and at only about a third of the vote for the sitting Labour MP.
I think her theme song might as well be. “So long, its been good to know you but I’ve got to be drifting along.”
Where was she last year when Sue Moroney was working on her 26 week paid parental leave bill which English vetoed because there was too much support for it. Oh, I remember, she was too busy illegally buying guns online and getting fired from her job…
Note the comment seems to have been that the first priority would be to clean up waterways and that it would only be if there was money left over that the local council could use it for other things.
You have given me the best laugh I have had all day.
You expect a local Government organisation to give up a source of income just because the excuse given for imposing a tax has vanished?
so labour has just been playing wedge politics on water and are lying shits. trucks par ruc s for the road use if its not enough raise that don’t fucking lie to sneak a tax in
Which would be all well and good, if local councils received some of that money for road maintenance. But they don’t and here in the Whanganui district a $2 million a year black hole in the rural road maintenance budget is directly attributed to the increasing numbers of heavy vehicles servicing the rural sector.
According to the Timaru Herald article, when contacted on Friday, Parker, the Labour spokesperson on water, said revenue would primarily need to be distributed to regional councils to clean up waterways.
However, money left over could be given to local councils, which would “decide what to do with it”, he said.
“He was happy to discuss possibilities for leftover revenue after the election, he said.
This was immediately misconstrued.
Following the revelation at the meeting, visibly surprised National candidate Andrew Falloon said it was the first time he’d heard a Labour politician say “the money might not be spent on cleaning up waterways”.
“Because it’s sort of the entire point of it, I thought.”
Whether Falloon was “visibly surprised”, or aurally challenged, or cognitively so, up to the reader. We couldn’t believe he deliberately misinterpreted Labour’s Parker, could we?
bwaghorn – Beware of news and articles in papers, too many vested interests.
But I gather you are a farmer, for them Labor is not an option anyway as social policies will never sit well with farmers. For them the world stops at the gate and to hell with everybody else. As long as the dosh is good who cares about the rest.
Pretty weak tinkering here from Labour. They’re going to have to do a lot better than this in order to convince me they’re committed to stable communities where people don’t live in fear of a letter from the landlord. For Labour to not move on the default lease term (afaik currently there isn’t one at all!) is very disappointing.
The Greens are much better on this and Opportunities quite bold and strong in recognising the current problem.
Set a default of three years for fixed-term tenancies on the standard tenancy form, while maintaining the provision for both parties to opt out and set the term of their choice
So actually, Labour and the Greens agree on dumping the 42 days notice option, abolishing leasing fees, limiting rent increases to a maximum of one per year, and requiring the formula for any increases to be specified in the lease agreement. The “default” position of a 3 year fixed term tenancy seems pretty meaningless if there’s a provision for both parties to opt out and set their own term. And allowing tenants the right to renewal of lease agreements sounds good, but again doesn’t offer any more protection than Labour, because both parties are saying there should be a minimum 90 days notice period if a lease agreement is being terminated. Labour specifies that there has to be a genuine reason (which is not required in law at present) and it also gives an avenue for leasers to make small alterations to a property, so long as its returned to the original state when they leave and has a healthy homes policy to support landlords providing insulation and heating.
The three year default would be a significant change which would help reset the behaviour of landlords from one of amateur speculator to professional service provider.
When a tenant with a family goes to an agent now all they get put in from of them is a shitty one year lease at best and sometimes not even that, just a casual agreement. And that’s it, if they ask for a longer lease they immediately be seen to be trouble for the landlord who wants all the flexibility. In a tight market people are forced to take these because you might not get another place close to you child’s school etc and the competition is high you having to have battled just to get that short lease put in front of you.
How is a family supposed to make planning decisions around jobs, schools, and their own savings plan toward more security in home ownership on one year revolving leases?
If a lease length was default at 3 years it would become accepted behaviour creating more stability in high rental communities and the onus would be on the landlord to have to move away from that length.
Except if a default 3 year lease is:
a) only “default” if the parties don’t agree to another lease term (ie, if the landlord chooses to offer a 3 year term), and
b) even then, not guaranteed because of the right to 90 days’ notice with a specified reason,
then I don’t see that it actually means much.
a) The point is that currently there’s no official default and if there is an unofficial one it’s either casual or one year. This is not acceptable to families who require much more certainty. What the ‘landlord’ offers right now isn’t enough and negotiations to get a longer lease and more certainty for your kids is met with silence. A 3 year default would then give the tenant with a family that certainty from the start of the discussion which the landlord would then have to negotiate down from in order to keep the flexibility they so crave at the expense of young families and community security.
b) If a landlord wants to break a lease with 90 days notice then they’ll have to pay the tenant out of that lease which would be a lot longer than it is currently.
It’s a really, really, really big deal for tenants with young families to have to shift in this environment and there are an increasing number of tenants and communities which require more stability than is currently the case.
Right now I would kill for a 3 year fixed term tenancy. At least that would mean living only in a constant state of mild anxiety vs severe anxiety over if I’m going to be homeless come January.
And from reading the (almost predictable) comments from landlords in the Stuff article- having no clue about being a landlord, can someone please explain to me how Labours/Greens proposed tenancy laws could possibly necessitate a major sell of private rentals and/or major increase in rents? The usual scaremongering or what? Are property managers panicking over the plan to ban letting fees perhaps?
Exactly Kay. With a fixed three year term you can begin to plan for your future without worrying that your immediate future might involve costly and stressful house hunting scenarios.
This would help tens of thousands of families and single people plan forward rather than worrying about the present.
Most tenants are given 90 days notice to depart, it is the law. The only time 42 days notice can be applied is if the owner or their direct family are moving into the property or if the property has sold and the purchaser requires vacant possession. Most tenants that need to move because the property has sold receive way more than 42 days notice simply because the change of owner/sales procedure takes longer than that.
The current tenancy duration term is as long as both parties agree to, 10 years if they wish. Landlords steer clear of fixed term agreements and tend towards periodical agreements (casual) because regardless of circumstances a landlord is legally stuck with the duration of the term, 1, 5 or 10 years if both parties agreed. The tenant is not, after 6 months into a 10 year term they need only claim they can’t afford it or they’ve had a job offer down country and there is not an adjudicator in the country that won’t break the lease for them.
In most Real estate agencies the property management division is close to a break even dept. A nuisance in boom sales times and keep the doors open godsends when nothing is selling. The average of about 8% on the rent income is usually split around 50/50 between the property manager and the agency. To make the job viable in regional areas (average rent 275 pw) a manager needs to look after about 80+ properties. It’s at about that level that 40 hours a week won’t equate to the manager doing a good job for the tenant or owners. I think it’s a broken model and personally support across the board licensed private property managers that don’t share the revenue 50/50.
It is for this reason that we have seen the rise of letting fees and more frequent property inspections. Sideline income generators for revenue strapped Property Management departments.
I think annual rent rises rather than the current potential for 6 monthly will just double the ask for those that currently do it 6 monthly….. I think very few landlords jack rents up every 6 months. Who gets a rent rise letter every 6 months? I don’t know of anyone.
The Tenancy Tribunal is a forum for both landlords and tenants to have their case heard. It could be easily argued that adjudicator delivered orders favour the tenants’ argument. eg:
Tenant: “I’d like to end this fixed term tenancy”
Adjudicator: “No worries, give 21 days notice.”
Landlord: “I’d like to end this fixed term tenancy”
Adjudicator: “No way buddy.”
That said, while considering this landlord/tenant situation I think it’s worth bearing in mind that 95% of hearings are instigated by landlords and 5% by tenants. The huge majority of hearings are due to unpaid rent and damaged properties.
What all three parties seem to be looking at is replicating the commercial lease structure, ie the ADLS lease structure which is the NZ default commercial lease, into the residential context.
This structure gives tenants and landlords a lot of certainty and generally keeps commercial rent returns (so either lower rental or capital value) below residential. Hence the wide boys tend to gravitate to residential ownership, or the higher risk side of commercial. Getting commercial discipline into the residential market and giving the cowboys the flick, is a very good idea.
The ADLS model is good for commercial, but would need some major changes to make it work in residential. For instance it’s really difficult for a tenant to get out of a lease in term, it’s the tenant’s responsibility to find another tenant suitable to the landlord, can be difficult and expensive. It’s also quite hard for a landlord to get rid of a tenant. This works ok in commercial because everyone wants stability.
While residential tenants want the same stability, sometimes tenants will want to be able to get out of a lease pretty quickly when personal circumstances change, like with jobs or relationships. The ADLS model will require some very careful adjustment to maintain a workable balance of aspirations, rights and responsibilities between landlord and tenant.
When I look at the residential rental environment around Queenstown, with it’s sudden economic and social changes, I can see real pros and cons of longterm residential leases.
The ADLS model is good for commercial, but would need some major changes to make it work in residential. For instance it’s really difficult for a tenant to get out of a lease in term, it’s the tenant’s responsibility to find another tenant suitable to the landlord, can be difficult and expensive. It’s also quite hard for a landlord to get rid of a tenant. This works ok in commercial because everyone wants stability.
this is standard procedure in Germany where a standard notice period is usually 3 month at a minimum. I have on several occasions found tenants for a flat i was leaving early usually for reasons of work. You can organise this in a way of x amount of potential future tenants presented and the Landlord needs to accept one of these. Essentially, don’t be an unreasonable fuckwit. IF i present you with three potential tenants that are good, in work, can pay the bond, accept one. Full stop.
As for landlords in commercial properties giving you a hard time, don’t ever get an Indian landlord. No phone, no email, realtor not happy to be contacted, lease runs out, can’t get a new lease, landlords lawyer suddenly not his lawyer anymore, accountant suddenly not his accountant anymore and landlord is in India, till when? oh who knows. Then suddenly during the busiest time in your year landlord waltzes in, shoves 10.000$+ invoices in your hand of ‘stuff i have forgotten to invoice you over the last two years – all of these invoices on paper, handwritten, no GST number nothing”, btw he did that to all the businesses, and if you don’t want to pay that you move. what you do? go tot he tenancy tribunal? Btw, that busy little fringe, now its dead, cause we and some of the others ‘moved’.
So, here we are currently looking at new premises as i really hate to be blackmailed. I pay my dues and that is that. Would i rent a premise that is also listed for sale? No.
NZ needs to pull its head out of the sand and understand that its crap laws in regards to tenancy – residential and commercial – are costing it money. Its losing businesses, its stopping businesses from forming, and its just bullshit.
as much as i like this country, renting anything is literally just torture and a waste of money, its effectively cheaper to stay at home and do fuck all. And for some reason or another the country is ok with it. Go figure.
A latter-day Roosevelt must, like the original, look at monetary reform. Now as then, the problem is how to avoid too much liquidity in the boom and too little in the bust. But this may be impossible so long as money creation — and destruction — remains in the hands of private, profitmaking banks. Only a tiny fraction of the money supply consists of physical cash minted by central banks. The bulk is bank deposits, claims on private financial institutions created when those institutions issue loans.
So in exuberant times, the money supply expands too fast, causing resource misallocation and impossible expectations about future incomes. When the mood changes, banks create too little money to keep activity buoyant, credit issued in the boom goes bad, and debt deflation sets in.
So even the Financial Times is starting to question our banking system and how it works – or, rather, doesn’t.
Michelle Boag was certainly very jittery on Q+A this morning. She kept (ridiculously) trying to equate Labour with Trump(!) and must have said “haven’t done their homework” a dozen times. The last time she said this on the show was when she so obviously hadn’t done her homework and tried to insist that Labour’s water policy would lead to cabbages costing $18.
Nice to see Ms Smug and Dismissive looking so rattled.
Boag is not a very attractive woman to be attempt a glowing English supporter. Not attractive in speech or delivery. Reckon she would be a shoe-in fox Wicked Witch of the West in Wizard of OZ. She knows she is on a lost cause.
I saw that it was Boag and Pagani and just couldn’t be bothered watching that video; Right and Righter. She really compared Ardern to Trump? Wow. If we’re doing Trump comparisons, then Key is a much better fit; disregard for truth, excessive wealth (though Trump’s was largely inherited), hair fixation, strangely charasmatic (to many), sociopathic tendencies, non-political politicians. Both with a penchant for dismissing employees; “You’re Fired” vs “The Smiling Assassin”.
The debate segments themselves were good, though the online version glitches a bit around the adbreaks, but I doubt I missed much.
She was careful not to name Ardern, but repeatedly said Labour were being Trumplike (her view is that they’re “big on the what but not the how”, “haven’t done their homework” and are making big promises that they will have to back away from once elected). It’s a pretty desperate ploy… She actually admitted at the end that she didn’t know who was going to win the election.
There is video, but I couldn’t stomach watching it. Also a longer summary, but I thought this from Henry Cooke (at 11:22am) was pithier
That was a phenomenal press conference. Paula Bennett said drug dealers have “fewer” human rights than others and the Prime Minister said it was good that NZ did not have a written constitution.
You have to wonder if those drug dealers also include; alcohol and tobacco sellers, such as supermarkets and bottlestores. Of course they won’t, even though they too are; “creating a string of victims behind them”.
Appalling stuff from National – shouting out to the lowest common denominator and showing a total lack of concern, respect or understanding of human rights.
You don’t need to abuse human rights to tackle crime – quite the opposite in fact.
It fits very well with National’s way of thinking such as “social investment”. Identify ‘the prima facie culprits’ and target them hard with all the force of the law. If this means violating their human rights or invoking National Security, for example, so be it. There are a few obvious issues with this approach but none of these will concern National voters – prisoners are barred from voting [bad pun]. The allegedly-apparent political interference in (some) police matters is another reason to be extremely wary about this erosion of citizens’ rights in New Zealand.
Perhaps some private prisons need more profit. In any case, this women is just about as bad as it gets.
I would challenge her on the notion that a group (even if despised) can have basics rights taken away. If it looks and feels fascist, perhaps it is.
Keep an eye out for the film American Made. It has been reviewed this morning by Simon Morris and sounds an absolute gas. Its background is the reality of the USA’s outrageous, no-holds-barred meddling in everything around Regan’s time and Clinton’s. Lots of ironic laughter and the absence of concern about principles left home in a quiet, dark cupboard will be the right approach. Has Tom Cruise. In theatres September 29.
And another one about India and Britain interaction. Sounds amazing. At age 68 Queen Victoria who apparently was not the stuffy moralistic person broadcast to the public, decides to learn Urdu and the finer points of curry dinners.
Victoria and Abdul (Queen Victoria by Judi Dench) from September 14
It is estimated that the 47.4 inches of rainfall in 4 days on Clear Creek equates to a 40,000 year event #houwx#hounews#txwx— Jeff Lindner (@JeffLindner1) September 1, 2017
Now I know this has nothing to directly do with the election but there has been from 1 Sept a further insidious removal of government services from street level & the provinces
The IRD in Napier has been closed until further notice.
The IRD has closed all after hours drop boxes – so cheques, returns & the like cannot be dropped in after hours which is really unhelpful to all those people who do drop them in after hours.
The reason given for Dunedin & no doubt all the others is:
“For safety reasons the after-hours Drop Box at our Dunedin office will be closed permanently and no longer available from 1 September 2017.”
Despite the above the drop boxes have been in use forever without apparently any problems.
The IRD has also removed the GST form from their website so it cannot be downloaded and filled out manually. (and possibly other forms). I’m not even sure that is legal.
Their agenda is clear : they want everyone forced to register with the Mylogin services so that they and the wider government have the ability to track our email addresses and us electronically. And some how unaccountable call centres will do the rest.
The IRD have acknowledged in the past that there is a significant group of taxpayers who actively do not wish to deal with the IRD electronically but of course this is not acceptable to our right wing governments who do not want anyone to have any personal privacy.
And while I’m on the subject of Napier ( happy to hear from a local re this) quite a significant population area now has no IRD street access and a main police station that is only open until 7.00 pm every day.
Nact doesn’t support the provinces!!
Safety seems to be the buzzword for withdrawing services by government and their mercenaries while enforcing expensive and time consuming nitpicking actions on the public.
Somewhere along the line the government is going to feel so unsafe that they will close down everything. Are we going to put up with that I ask?
The grim tale of America’s “subprime mortgage crisis” delivers one of those stinging moral slaps that Americans seem to favor in their histories. Poor people were reckless and stupid, banks got greedy. Layer in some Wall Street dark arts, and there you have it: a global financial crisis.
Dark arts notwithstanding, that’s not what really happened, though.
Mounting evidence suggests that the notion that the 2007 crash happened because people with shoddy credit borrowed to buy houses they couldn’t afford is just plain wrong. The latest comes in a new NBER working paper arguing that it was wealthy or middle-class house-flipping speculators who blew up the bubble to cataclysmic proportions, and then wrecked local housing markets when they defaulted en masse.
Wow must have upset someone high up the food chain in the government with my humane and Intelligent ideas to help reduce our prison population they must think I’m making a personal attack on there intelligent well no I’M not.
But my viewers can make up there own minds on whats intelligent and whats not.
Is it intelligent to carry on fulling our jails is it intelligent to copy or be coned to implement other larger Societies failing policy’s. Or is it intelligent to be original and make our own policy’s that suit our unique society.
They poured on the intimidation today but I’M use to it. Miss Paula Bennett just confirmed my statements made in my other post on how some people in the justice department view our Human rights and privacy rights national just keep digging that hole deeper and deeper.
Now there is someone in that outfit whom is really crafty or fucken stupid.
This is why I have said that the real people that run the government are public servants
and all these ideological dick heads that will fight the changes need to fix our Society need to get kicked out or our Society’s systems will not change fast enough to fight climate change and poverty in our Great Country.
Some of my fellow bloggers on this site that have been involved in politics for 30 years or more are skeptical of some of the public servants in the Bee hive so people take note of what they say. SO TO SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENTS and SOCIETY. PARTY VOTE GREEN
Look who had their stickys all over the Kenyan the, since overturned [result], presidential election.
A firm that worked for Donald Trump and which once claimed ties to a pro-Brexit campaign group is now reportedly working for Kenya’s incumbent president.
Cambridge Analytica’s mission statement is simple. On its website, the firm says it “uses data to change audience behaviour.” Most notably, the company was hired by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and has been given some credit for Trump’s electoral success.
Kenya’s Supreme Court on Friday overturned last month’s presidential election, citing voting irregularities, and ordered a new election within 60 days. It declared President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election null and void.
It is the first time a presidential election in East Africa’s economic hub has been nullified. Supporters of opposition candidate Raila Odinga, 72, danced and cheered in the streets, and said they felt vindicated because he had contended that he lost because the electronic tally had been hacked.
Gee thanks Bearded one. That is a pretty concise compelling argument in favour of paying for water with the intention of reducing pollution.
One graph alone should disturb doubters. And the ECan commissioners have a lot to answer for.
Wonder if they will finally be removed by a Labour/Green Government?
Yes that’s the reason I back water charges it changes the perception of water frown worthless to something we will treasurer as water should be treasured as a life giving force it is
FWe have to plan these water policies so no one can manipulate them so the few will benefit at the cost of the many water should benefit all people the same .I have seen the fishery turn into a big mess and people were given practical big checks to accept what the systems the government wanted to put in place and what we got was not ideally suited to preserve our fisheries
“Richard Griffin of Nelson is a highly experienced former journalist.
He served as Chief Press Secretary and Senior Media Advisor to Rt Hon Jim Bolger and was RNZ’s longest serving political editor.
He has been instrumental in the strategic planning of organisations in New Zealand’s primary production and tourism sectors and the pharmaceutical and banking industries.”
“Suzanne Mary (Sue) Wood, born in Onehunga in 1948, served as the president of the New Zealand National Party from 1982 to 1986, the first woman to hold the post.
She had been a teacher, journalist and swimming coach.
Her term as president included the latter years of the Third National Governmentof Robert Muldoon, the 1984 general election, and the associated constitutional crisis.
Wood stood as the party candidate for Onehunga in the 1980 by-election and in the 1981 general election; she was then teaching at Onehunga High School.
In 2002 she stood in the seat of Mana, being defeated by Labour MP Luamanuvao Winnie Laban.
Although she held a relatively high party-list ranking of 19, National’s poor overall result in the 2002 election meant that she failed to enter Parliament.
She was the campaign manager for Auckland Future in 2016.[1]”
IMO – these FACTS arguably help explain why National broadcaster Radio NZ present paid PR shill$ like Matthew Hooton to present as ‘political commentators’?
IMO – particularly during an election, it’s a ‘conflict of interest’, particularly if paid PR shill$ have particular political parties as clients.
If you can’t see that these are crony appointments to the Board of National Radio – which is supposedly meant to be independent of political influence….
·independence – broadcasters should not be subject to political influence or dominated by commercial pressures, and should be enabled to act in the public interest; and
·quality – the provision of quality services in terms of individual programmes, channel schedules and the total range of services offered to and valued by audiences.
what evidence have you or Penny Bright demonstrated of political corruption?
All Penny showed was a qualified Chair with political links. A Chair of a national public entity without political links cannot be effective in governance.
His model however assumes the Greens will perform worse on Election Day than in current polls. Which might just be wrong this time (given the Greens are down to their core support rather than riding the crest of a late wave as in previous Elections – ie solid base support rather than froth (hard to be sure though))
ScottGN
That is a good point. One thing no political poll captures (that I know of – maybe Horizon with being online rather than via phone), is the voting intentions of those overseas. This is a part of the electorate the GP strongly targets, and have preformed well with in the past (eg picking up an extra seat last election):
The Green Party’s share of the party vote (10.7%) is the second-highest it has achieved, entitling it to 14 seats in Parliament, one more than on election night before the counting of special votes.
Thanks for the analysis as always swordfish. It is a shame it was posted at eleven on a Sunday night, so might be missed by many – hopefully you can cut and paste it in a dedicated poll thread later. I found this interactive graph while looking about for the Reid Research results (doesn’t seem to be updated on their site yet), that gives the ability to see each polling companies results separately, which I like:
http://www.un.org/en/sections/universal-declaration/history-document/
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere. The document they considered, and which would later become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was taken up at the first session of the General Assembly in 1946. “
Well, even Winston Peters was a wee toddler back then but somebody should send this to Paula Bennett and their National MPs with a take-home message like those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it or something rather.
Good education might even increase the quest for power but at the same time we may be better prepared to deal with such when we are better educated. Basically, good education can lift us all and hopefully (!) get us in better shape and a better place overall.
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by The Spark “The system is broken”—the words of a young black man in Minneapolis watching flames destroy a police precinct demonstrators had torched. Broken? Yes, it is! What else could you say about a system whose police for nine minutes casually knelt on a black man’s neck, watching until ...
The latest opinion poll is out, and it’s more bad news for the National Party, with Roy Morgan putting them on only 26.5% support, against Labour’s 56.5%. You can see the details here: Roy Morgan May opinion poll. Roy Morgan is regarded as less accurate than other polling companies, and the ...
When miners pillage conservation land, they are typically required to "rehabilitate" it afterwards. Its not much compared to the damage they do, but its something. But apparently even that is now too much to expect. NZG Limited, a company owned by Oravida directors James Blackwell, Julia Jiyan Xu, Stone Shi, ...
Like everyone else, I've spent too much of the weekend watching the protests in America, and the increasingly brutal response to them. The overwhelming impression is of a nationwide police riot, as people speaking out against a murder and demanding change are beaten, gassed and shot by racist, militarised thugs ...
In mid-April, as New Zealand entered its fourth week of alert level 4, the Prime Minister warned us not to make comparisons with other countries over our Covid-19 pandemic response. This extraordinary advice came after Simon Bridges had urged the government to adopt a less-stringent lockdown similar to those in ...
Wales has lowered the voting age to 16: 16 and 17 year olds can now officially vote in Wales for Senedd elections. Votes at 16 & 17 come into force on Monday, as part of the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020. Next year’s Senedd elections will ...
The government announced more changes to the ETS today, including to the emissions budget for 2021 - 2025. The overall budget for that period will stay at 354 million tons of CO2-equivalent. But the ETS component of that - stockpile reduction, free allocation, and credits to be auctioned - budget ...
The new National Party leader, Todd Muller, had been at pains to portray himself as a solid, serious, safe pair of hands, in contrast to the increasingly Trumpian leanings of Simon Bridges, who Muller deposed in a leadership coup last Friday. But after an uneventful, if uninspiring, first press conference, ...
Minneapolis Police StationIf you’ve been keeping an eye on recent events in the United States, you’ll likely understand why there’s so much anger on the streets at the moment. Not only did police officers murder another black man; it is patently obvious that authorities initially attempted to cover up George ...
Becoming the leader of a political party is a bit like having a baby. Not so much the screaming and sleepless nights, as the fact that you’ve waited and hope and planned for something and it’s finally here. And when that wonderful gift finally arrives, you want to be ready, ...
The US appears to be headed towards what Antonio Gramsci and other Italian political theorists call an “organic crisis of the State.” It involves the simultaneous and compounded fractures of economy, society and politics, which together constitute a tipping point in a nation’s history. Social contradictions are exacerbated, class and ...
Like the rest of the world, I have been aghast at what I have seen of, and read and heard about, what is happening currently in the United States. It seems incredible that a once great country should be suffering the worst effects and the highest number of deaths worldwide ...
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Climate concerns as Siberia experiences record-breaking heatHeat wave sparks concerns about devastating wildfire season and melting permafrost.Satellite ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, May 24 through Sat, May 30, 2020Editor's ChoiceAntarctic Ocean Reveals New Signs of Rapid Melt of Ancient Ice, Clues About Future Sea Level RiseA study of seafloor ripples ...
It’s almost painful to watch. Let’s be honest, maybe a pleasure too, in some quarters, but painful nonetheless. Because the fact is, for a democracy to function properly, any sitting Government does need honest and proper Opposition so that it doesn’t get ahead of itself. That’s what we should ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk A banner on the International Energy Agency website spells it out in bold font: “The global oil industry is experiencing a shock like no other in its history.” As the response to the coronavirus pandemic upends the lives of billions of ...
The ownership of newspapers and televison channels is in turmoil, and they want to redisorganise public broadcasting. *Three years ago, I expressed concern in a column about the future of the (traditional) media. Nothing has happened since to reduce the concern. It was based on an earlier column which ...
Australia's High Court has ruled that the "palace letters" between the queen and then-Governor-General John Kerr are public records rather than private papers: Historian Jenny Hocking has won her High Court bid to access the letters exchanged between then governor-general Sir John Kerr and the Queen around the time of ...
SATURDAY MAY 30Six60: Live at Western Springs 2020 (TVNZ 1, 8.45pm). Remember live concerts? The day will come again, friends, when we will be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in an uncomfortable sweaty venue with people we don’t know. It will happen. Sometimes the sound of concerts drifts over to the ...
New Zealand and its prime minister Jacinda Ardern have received international attention and praise, rightly so, for decisive leadership, clear communication and scientific management of the coronavirus pandemic. Observers point out that the nation has been through multiple crises under Ardern’s leadership – such as the Christchurch terrorist attack and ...
…a lot of things unrelated to the pandemic were happening. Relatively little attention was given to some major events on the global stage, so I thought I would do a quick recap of some of the high (or low) -lights, starting with something familiar. The common theme throughout is human ...
Labour's talk of gutting the RMA to push through "shovel ready" projects to boost employment after the pandemic predictably has every half-arsed pipe-dream crawling out of the woodwork demanding special treatment. Today, it's the West Coast inbreds, who are demanding a host of laws be rescinded so they can dig ...
"I can't breathe, Mama. I'm dying." - Last words of George Floyd.LOOK HARD at this image. Think about what it depicts. Ask yourself how one human-being could behave so brutally when so many eye-witnesses – and very soon millions of people online around the world – were there to watch ...
Since the government announced its pandemic wage subsidy, there have been regular stories about companies taking it and then sacking or refusing to pay their workers - essentially committing fraud. But how often does this happen? The Minister just doesn't want to know: Government ministers are not receiving up to ...
"You call that a conservative?Nah, this is a conservative!" New Zealanders are in the market for a quiet and reassuring small-c conservative political centrist. The critical question, however, is which politician is currently playing that role? Who has mastered the art of relaxed, informal and intimate political communication? Who ...
I’VE OFTEN WONDERED if South African immigrants passing through towns like Kerikeri and Kaikohe ever wonder how we do it. In their homeland, through the bitter years of Apartheid, keeping the races segregated required pass laws, Alsatian dogs, tear gas, rubber bullets and, all-too-often, live rounds. Not here. Not in ...
Below is the list of gender-critical material which appeared on Redline from July 31, 2019 to September 30, 2019. Sports categories must be by sex, not gender identity Queer theory glossary Woke misogyny and homophobia: a gay critique of trans ideology Another unfortunate experiment? New Zealand’s transgender health policy and ...
Smart Energy Europe: A Plan to provide 100% of ALL ENERGY using Renewable Energy to EuropeIntroductionAll Energy renewable energy systems are often commented on here at Skeptical Science. Many comments suggest that it will be difficult, expensive or impossible to use renewable energy to power the world. To ...
The government released its Action for Healthy Waterways package today, ostensibly with the goal of cleaning up our rivers and making them swimmable within a generation. Doing that, of course, requires confronting the cow in the room: the dairy industry which causes most of the pollution. But while they've imposed ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzI would like to know if New Zealand’s carbon emissions ...
Simon Lamb, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Timothy Stern, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonBack in the 1970s, scientists came up with a revolutionary idea about how Earth’s deep interior works. They proposed it is slowly churning like a lava lamp, with buoyant ...
Remember KiwiBuild? Previously the government's flagship policy, it was supposed to build thousands of new homes every year for kiwi families. But instead of flooding the market, we've got a pathetic dribble: The Government's former flagship housing policy is so far behind schedule it will take more than 400 years ...
Don Franks Now Covid-19 restrictions allow gatherings of a hundred, an urgent hui needs calling. A special conference of the Council of Trade Unions. Today, workers face the greatest attack on employment, pay and conditions since the depression, we need a strong united union voice. As it stands now, organised ...
George Henderson New Zealand schools have introduced a climate change resource that suggests children “eat less meat and dairy”, even though teachers will not know how much meat or dairy any child in their care has eaten. Opinion pieces in the papers have called for the reduction of meat and ...
Questioning the number of district health boards in New Zealand has got to the extent that “too many DHBs” has become a perceived truth requiring no further elaboration. It is rarely challenged by policy advisers, academics, and journalists. But when one drills down further it becomes clear that the number ...
The emergence of a new National party leader, seemingly out of nowhere, has – not surprisingly – raised a number of questions as to who Todd Mulller actually is and what makes him tick. He has been an MP for some time but seems to have hidden his light under ...
Costa Rica has become the first country in Central America to recognise same-sex marriage: The first same-sex weddings have taken place in Costa Rica, the first Central American country to equalise its marriage legislation. A lesbian couple became the first to tie the knot in a ceremony that took ...
There's a new twist in the Winston Peters secret donation story. It appears that a significant chunk of NZ First's secret laundered donations goes straight into the pockets of the people administering the scheme: Tens of thousands in donor's funds given to the New Zealand First Foundation were spent paying ...
Is Todd Muller the Ned Flanders of the National Party? This is how he’s been characterised by political commentator Gordon Campbell, who suggests the change in leadership is, in Simpsons terms, akin to swapping the scary and cruel Monty Burns for Homer Simpson’s compassionate but conservative neighbour. There’s almost a ...
We all know that many so-called journalists and political commentators in New Zealand work directly or indirectly for political parties or for certain political factions. This was obviously the case when pundit for hire Matthew Hooton launched a campaign against then National Party leader, Simon Bridges, over their numerous polling ...
Let's Roll! The easy victory over a Bridges-led National Party which the Left had every cause to anticipate just a few days ago is no longer in the offing. Our enemy’s position has changed. His numbers are swelling. A rapid thrust to the left, followed by an audacious outflanking manoeuvre ...
New National Party leader Todd Muller has been interviewed about his policies, and has promised to restart offshore fossil fuel exploration if elected: The Bay of Plenty MP rolled former leader Simon Bridges last week, but says the party has not changed its stance on previous promises. "That is ...
Anyone who keeps an eye on evidence around cannabis and public health will be familiar with the Christchurch Health and Development Study. It's one of two local longitudinal studies frequently cited with respect to cannabis and youth development. But in a new article in the New Zealand Medical Journal, it is ...
In the age of covid we are Jacinda’s team of five million, except for some. There has rarely been a more blatant case of discrimination against beneficiaries than Grant Robertson’s announcement yesterday that people who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus will receive weekly payments of $490 per week for 12 weeks and $250 per week for part time ...
It was 75 years ago this month that Germany surrendered and the Allies celebrated VE (Victory in Europe) Day. Millions of people around the world had been killed and many more injured or captured. It was an end to war not just for Europeans, but their allies too, in countries across Africa. But its impact is ...
Well, we are out of lockdown, essentially. I did end up getting the wage subsidy while we were on levels 3 and 4 but I would have been fine if we didn’t. The first day of level 2, the Thursday, the office opened again for the people who weren’t able ...
Watching Todd Muller make his first speech as the newly minted Leader of the Opposition after Simon Bridges’ defenestration on Friday brought to mind a headmaster addressing a school assembly. He showed no particular desire to ingratiate himself with his audience although the occasional flash of self-deprecating humour indicated a ...
The government has announced another income support scheme for people affected by the economic aftershocks of the pandemic: a $490 a week tax-free payment for the newly unemployed, which you can get even if you have a working partner. Which is great, because its supporting people who need help, but ...
The Greens have released their party list, and it contains a few surprises. The one that's getting all the news is that the membership are clearly fans of Chlöe Swarbrick, and she has worked hard to earn that. But they've also favoured incumbent protection over new blood, and in the ...
age credit:Science and Politics – Skeptically.org It seems impossible to keep politics out of science. It’s a pity because politics can end up forcing science to produce the results desired by ...
Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Matthew Parry, Dr Ayesha Verrall, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Martin Eichner (author details*)This blog details a recent modelling study we conducted. In it we estimated that it would take between 27 and 33 days of no new detected cases of COVID-19 for there to be ...
The 2015 Schol Bio paper included a question about a group of birds known as honeycreepers, specifically, the 56 species endemic to the Hawaiian islands. (Or, were endemic: 18, or perhaps 19, are still living; the others are extinct.) Students who’ve already had a look at this paper as part of ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Climate Feedback Article Review... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... What a Week’s Disasters Tell Us About Climate and the PandemicExtreme weather presents an even bigger threat ...
Todd Muller has made a good start to his leadership, though it would obviously be pretty stupid to extrapolate too much from the first couple of days. Nevertheless, as a matter of speculation, it is interesting to think what success on his part might say about the preferences of the ...
A guest post by Hamish Price.“A leader is a dealer in hope.”— Napoléon BonaparteCatholics have a name for potential successors to a dead pope. Papabile. The small coterie of distinguished cardinals who have what it takes to step up. Todd Muller has always been one.I first met Muller at a National ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, May 17 through Sat, May 23, 2020Editor's ChoiceMore than 80 killed in India and Bangladesh as Cyclone Amphan heaps misery on coronavirus-hit areasA man salvages items from ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has described Labour's original COVID-19 commercial rent dispute proposal as "poorly targeted". Justice Minister Andrew Little hasannounced a temporary law changeto force commercial landlords and renters to consider COVID-19 in disputes over rent issues, almost two months after the Government first floated the idea. But ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First acknowledges that some small businesses have been struggling to meet fixed costs due to the loss of revenue by COVID-19. We also know some businesses are at greater risk of insolvency when they cannot come to a reasonable ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First is disappointed that the removal of the spousal deductions has had to be delayed by the Ministry fo Social Development, due to COVID19 workload pressures. “New Zealand First has always stood for fairness when it comes to superannuation ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First On the steps of Parliament today the Leader of New Zealand First, Rt Hon Winston Peters received a petition from registered nurse Anna Maria Coervers, requesting an amendment to the Protection for First Responders Bill which will ensure the legislation also include registered ...
It's been a busy seven days as we start to rebuild New Zealand together. From delivering extra support for small businesses, to investing in our artists and arts organisations, to cutting red tape on home DIY projects, we're rolling out our plan to get the economy and New Zealand moving ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says alert level 2 restrictions have to be discussed during today's Cabinet meeting. Thousands gathered across the country, including at Parliament, yesterday forBlack Lives Matter marcheswhere social distancing and mass gathering rules were flouted. Mr Peters said the breaching of Alert Level 2 rules at ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Owned Enterprises KiwiRail’s Northland rail upgrade steps up another gear today and will help Northland recover from the impacts of COVID-19, State Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters says. The Government is investing $204.5 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to ...
“Today and every day we stand in solidarity with George Floyd’s family, friends and community who feel pain and fear about his untimely death at the hands of Minneapolis police”, said Green Party Co-leader and Māori Development spokesperson Marama Davidson. ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Hon Eugenie Sage, Minister of Conservation The West Coast forests of Mount Te Kinga at Kotuku Whakaoho/Lake Brunner are the latest predator free project to receive Government funding, announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
The Green Party says major freshwater reforms announced today provide the strongest ever protections of our waterways, to help ensure the next generation can swim in the rivers of Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party has begun the process for a Select Committee inquiry into student accommodation, which has been exposed during COVID-19 as an under-regulated sector that straddles students with unfair debt. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Megan Woods, Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Hon Dr David Clark, Minister of Health Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods, and Health Minister David Clark today announced a COVID-19 vaccine strategy, ...
Budget 2020 is about rebuilding together, supporting jobs, getting business moving and the books back into the black. It’s an integral part of our COVID-19 economic response, and our plan to grow our economy and get New Zealand moving again.Here’s a quick look at the five top things you ...
The Green Party is pleased to reveal its candidate list for the upcoming election. With a mix of familiar faces and fresh new talent, this exceptional group of candidates are ready to lead the Greens back into Government. ...
The Coalition Government has approved $206 million in essential upgrades at Ōhakea Air Base. Defence Minister Ron Mark said the money would be spent on improving old infrastructure. He said safety issues would be addressed, as well as upgrades to taxiways, accommodation and fresh, storm and waste water systems. "This ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First “I am not persisting with this case just for myself, but for all people who have had their privacy breached. Privacy of information is a cornerstone of our country’s democracy. Without it our society truly faces a bleak future. We now ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones has introduced a Bill to Parliament that he says will "force more transparency, integrity and respect" for the domestic wood-processing sector through the registration of log traders and practice standards. The Forests (Regulation of Log Traders and Forestry Advisers) Amendment Bill had its first reading in ...
Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is joining over 300 lawmakers from around the world in calling on the big banks and the IMF to forgive the debt of developing countries, in the wake of the COVID crisis. ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones says concerns that carbon foresters are planting pine trees that will never be harvested are the result of "misinformation". "The billion tree strategy is an excellent idea, unfortunately from time to time it's tainted by misinformation spread by the National Party or their grandees, hiding in scattered ...
The Green Party welcomes funding in the budget to reunite more refugees with their families, ensuring they have the best chance at a new life in Aotearoa New Zealand. ...
A new-look Police graduation ceremony to take account of COVID19 health rules has marked the completion of training for 57 new constables. Police Minister Stuart Nash attended this afternoon's ceremony, where officers of Recruit Wing 337 were formally sworn in at the Royal New Zealand Police College without the normal support of ...
Mobile traders and truck shops must adhere to responsible lending requirements Interest rate cap on high-cost loans Lenders prohibited from offering further credit to an applicant who has taken two high-cost loans in the past 90 days The Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Kris Faafoi, has signalled an end ...
94% of firms say wage subsidy had positive impact on cashflow 62% of firms say support helped to manage non-wage costs like rent A survey of business that have received the Government’s wage subsidy show it has played a significant role in saving jobs, and freed up cash flow to ...
New legislation introduced to Parliament today will support growth and assist businesses on the road to economic recovery, said Revenue Minister Stuart Nash. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2020-21, Feasibility Expenditure, and Remedial Matters) Bill proposes that businesses can get tax deductions for ‘feasibility expenditure’ on new investments,” said Mr ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson has welcomed the first release of funds from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced as part of Budget 2020. Sport NZ has announced that $4.6 million in funding will go to the Wellington Phoenix, NZ Warriors, Super Rugby teams and the ANZ Premiership ...
An iconic New Zealand tourism attraction and the country’s 31 Regional Tourism Organisations are the first recipients of support from the $400 million Tourism Sector Recovery Plan, to help position the sector for recovery from COVID-19, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. The plan includes a Strategic Tourism Assets Protection ...
The Government will legislate to ensure businesses that suffered as a result of the COVID-19 response will get help to resolve disputes over commercial rent issues, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. A temporary amendment to the Property Law Act will insert a clause in commercial leases requiring a fair ...
The Minister for Small Business says new data from Xero highlights the urgency of prompt payment practices to small and medium enterprises as we move into economic recovery. Last month Government ministers wrote to significant private enterprises and the banking industry to request they join efforts by government agencies to ...
Young people in Waikato will be the first to have free access to period products in schools in another step to support children and young people in poverty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. During term 3, the Ministry of Education will begin providing free period products to schools following the ...
The Minister of Police Stuart Nash has issued the following statement in response to charges filed against three Police officers this morning in the New Plymouth District Court. “Any incident involving a loss of life in Police custody is taken very seriously. The charges today reflect the gravity of the ...
$196 million for Crown Research Institutes $150 million for R&D loan scheme $33 million for Māori research and development opportunities $12 million for the Nationally Significant Collections and Databases $10 million to help maintain in-house capability at Callaghan Innovation New Zealand’s entrepreneurs, innovators and crown researchers will benefit from a ...
Further temporary changes to NCEA and University Entrance (UE) will support senior secondary school students whose teaching and learning have been disrupted by COVID-19. “The wellbeing of students and teachers is a priority. As we are all aware, COVID-19 has created massive disruption to the school system, and the Government ...
Minister for Racing Winston Peters today announced that the terms for the directors of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) have been extended to 30 June 2021. Due to the COVID-19 crisis the transition period has been extended to ensure that the Racing Industry Bill can complete its progress through ...
The deadline for landlords to include detailed information in their tenancy agreements about how their property meets the Healthy Homes Standards, so tenants can see the home they are renting is compliant, has been extended from 1 July 2020 to 1 December 2020. The Healthy Homes Standards became law on 1 July 2019. The Standards are ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little today announced details of further appointments to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. “I am pleased to announce Paula Rose QSO OStJ as Deputy Chief Commissioner for a term of five years commencing on 15 June 2020,” said Andrew Little. “I am also pleased to announce the ...
The Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF) will pay costs of learners of all ages to undertake vocational education and training The fund will target support for areas of study and training that will give learners better employment prospects as New Zealand recovers from COVID-19 Apprentices working in all industries ...
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will finally start to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas pollution as it was originally intended to, because of changes announced today by the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw. The changes include a limit on the total emissions allowed within the ETS, rules to ensure ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List provides an abundance of examples that Pacific people’s leadership capability is unquestionable in Aotearoa. “The work and the individuals we acknowledge this year highlights the kind of visionary examples and dedicated community leadership that we need ...
The Government is backing a new $27 million project aimed at boosting sustainable horticulture production and New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery efforts, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “Our horticulture sector has long been one of New Zealand’s export star performers, contributing around $6 billion a year to our economy. During and ...
Applications have opened for 2021 Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships, which will support more Māori and women to pursue careers in forestry science, says Forestry Minister Shane Jones. “I’m delighted Te Uru Rākau is offering Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships for the third year running. These ...
The Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List once again highlights the dedication by many to looking after our native plants and wildlife, including incredible work to restore the populations of critically endangered birds says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Anne Richardson of Hororata has been made an Officer of the New ...
The Government will invest $10 million from the One Billion Trees Fund for large-scale planting to provide jobs in communities and improve the environment, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Forestry Minister Shane Jones have announced. New, more flexible funding criteria for applications will help up to 10 catchment groups plant ...
Organisations that support women are invited to apply to a new $1,000,000 fund as part of the Government’s COVID-19 response. “We know women, and organisations that support women, have been affected by COVID-19. This new money will ensure funding for groups that support women and women’s rights,” said Minister for ...
Healthier waterways are front and centre in a new project involving more than 300 King Country sheep, beef and dairy farmers. The Government is investing $844,000 in King Country River Care, a group that helps farmers to lift freshwater quality and farming practice, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “Yesterday ...
A major funding package for libraries will allow them to play a far greater role in supporting their communities and people seeking jobs as part of the economic recovery from COVID-19. “Budget 2020 contains over $60 million of funding to protect library services and to protect jobs,” says Internal Affairs ...
A jobseekers programme for the creative sector and four new funds have been set up by the Government to help our arts and music industry recover from the blow of COVID-19. Thousands of jobs will be supported through today’s $175 million package in a crucial economic boost to support the ...
Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has welcomed the First Reading of a Bill that will make legislative changes to further improve the veterans’ support system. The Veterans’ Support Amendment Bill No 2, which will amend the Veterans’ Support Act 2014, passed First Reading today. The bill addresses a number of ...
Views sought on Order in Council to help fast track the reinstatement of the Christ Church Cathedral The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Hon Poto Williams, will be seeking public written comment, following Cabinet approving the drafting of an Order in Council aimed at fast-tracking the reinstatement of the ...
The law setting out New Zealanders’ basic civil and human rights is today one step towards being strengthened following the first reading of a Bill that requires Parliament to take action if a court says a statute undermines those rights. At present, a senior court can issue a ‘declaration of ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today reiterated the deep concern of the New Zealand Government following confirmation by China’s National People’s Congress of national security legislation relating to Hong Kong. “New Zealand shares the international community’s significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand ...
Thousands of artists and creatives at hundreds of cultural and heritage organisations have been given much-needed support to recover from the impact of COVID-19, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern announced today. “The cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic,” Jacinda ...
Key New Zealand assets will be better protected from being sold to overseas owners in a way contrary to the national interest, with the passage of the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Bill. The Bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament today, also cuts unnecessary red tape to help attract ...
Setting higher health standards at swimming spots Requiring urban waterways to be cleaned up and new protections for urban streams Putting controls on higher-risk farm practices such as winter grazing and feed lots Setting stricter controls on nitrogen pollution and new bottom lines on other measures of waterway health Ensuring ...
The Government is on the verge of reaching its target of state sector boards and committees made up of at least 50 percent women, says Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter and Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa. For the first time, the Government stocktake measures the number of Māori, ...
The Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister and Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister, Kris Faafoi, has today announced the appointment of Tristan Gilbertson as the new Telecommunications Commissioner and member of the Commerce Commission. “Mr Gilbertson has considerable experience in the telecommunications industry and a strong reputation amongst his peers,” ...
The Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa have agreed to settle the pay equity claim for teacher aides, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This will see more than 22,000 teacher aides, mostly women, being valued and paid fairly for the work they do. “Teacher aides are frontline ...
Subcontractors will have greater certainty, more cashflow support and job security with new changes to retention payments under the Construction Contracts Act says Minister for Building and Construction, Jenny Salesa. A recent review of the retentions money regime showed that most of the building and construction sector is complying with ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have marked the first anniversary of the New Zealand-Singapore Enhanced Partnership with a virtual Leaders’ Meeting today. The Enhanced Partnership, signed on 17 May 2019, provides the framework for cooperation across the four main areas of trade, defence and ...
On 17 May 2019, New Zealand and Singapore established an Enhanced Partnership to elevate our relations. The Enhanced Partnership – based on the four pillars of trade and economics, security and defence, science, technology and innovation, and people-to-people links – has seen the long-standing relationship between our countries strengthen over the ...
State-Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters has welcomed KiwiRail’s announcement that it is seeking a preferred shipyard to build two new rail-enabled ferries for the Cook Strait crossing. “This Government is committed to restoring rail to its rightful place in New Zealand. Bigger, better ships, with new technology are yet another ...
Anomalies in the policy for superannuitants with overseas pensions are an indictment on the justice process in New Zealand, write Susan St John and Dr Claire Dale Along with many others, the Retirement Policy and Research Centre has worked assiduously for more than a decade to alert the public, policy-makers ...
A new study indicates native plants, despite their tendency to grow more slowly than exotic species like Pinus Radiata, are better at storing carbon in the soil for longer periods of time. ...
Systemic white violence against black Americans is alive and well, and it's white violence that sustains white supremacy Current scenes from the United States are both familiar and shocking. George Floyd’s life being brutally snuffed out by Minneapolis police, followed by peaceful protests of Floyd’s murder as well as legitimate ...
The US isn't the only country with a broken criminal justice system that works to criminalise and destroy the lives of black and brown families. Dylan Asafo puts forward two ways NZ could lead in dismantling systems of white supremacy. If you were to imagine a society without racial oppression, ...
The British Tribe Next Door attracted over 60 complaints of racist themes from viewers when it first aired in the UK. Now TVNZ is streaming it on its OnDemand service attracting concerns from members of Aotearoa’s African community and a letter from race relations commissioner Meng Foon.When The British Tribe ...
When approached by The Spinoff Jeanette Wilson denied having told participants in an online session that the product ‘lined the lungs’, despite clear evidence to the contrary.The Covid-19 crisis has sparked misinformation in every corner of the world. In New Zealand, a “psychic healer” whose fixations read like a conspiracy ...
The union movement launched a push earlier this week to double the legal minimum of sick leave from five days a year to 10. Is a change likely?What’s all this then?In light of the recent global pandemic putting the focus on health in the workplace, unions have called for changes ...
An African American pastor from George Floyd's community gives The Detail a special insight into what's happening there - and gives us hope for the future. “Nobody in America wants to be a racist.” David Hill is a pastor in the Third Ward neighbourhood of Houston where George Floyd grew ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When Ken Wyatt, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, last week effectively pronounced dead the prospect of a referendum on indigenous recognition being put to the people this parliamentary term, the demise of his hoped-for timetable ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Morrison government will significantly strengthen its scrutiny of foreign investment to protect sensitive national security technology and information and further ring fence the nation’s critical infrastructure. It will insert a new “national security test” ...
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Have a read of this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brodifacoum#Toxicology
Good to spread about for pest control?
Definitely.
Will always be necessary in the hard-to-reach ranges and mountains.
Looking forward to Labour and Greens committing budget to pedt-free New Zealand in their next budget.
You read the link? !
Indeed yes. Common knowledge.
Um no ad
Reflexively you have assumed aerial poison perhaps means 1080? Brodifacoum is a cumulative poison that concentrates up the food chain. brodifacoum has a role in local eradication but has a very high incidence of secondary poisoning limiting its safety.
No poison is nice aerial poison is indiscriminate. mindless cheerleading is what the nats want for their battle of the birds, we need to be putting lots more money in the pot and using ground control much more.
Do you dispute DOC’s statement that “The benefits of using brodifacoum to eradicate rats from offshore islands are now well documented in terms of species recovery.”?
Me? No. Has been used for local eradication under strict conditions.
Not the toxin for “hard to reach places” without concurrent control.
Good Lord. No wonder holes are being drilled.
It’s as bad as corexit.
Good to spread about for pest control?
A question that you’d need contributions from people with various types of expertise to be able to answer, something which a government dept like DoC is well placed to arrange. I take it from your question that DoC has arrived at the answer “Yes?”
DOC factsheet (pdf)
psycho…. you have read the link? ??
I read it, and your point is? That you know more than DOC because you have a Wikipedia article?
What?
There are plenty of government agencies I disagree with : D
Sure. So I’ll rock up to DOC and demand they stop using brodifacoum because Wikipedia and see how far that gets me.
Pyscho.. I want to know what you think based on the toxicology , not DOC’s assessment of “best bang for buck”. Do you perhaps think our opinion should be discounted?. Read the link and let us know if YOU think chucking this stuff out of a chopper is a good idea.
If great care is taken not to drop huge loads of it into pristine lakes. Even when great care is taken, huge loads of it will be dropped into pristine lakes…
” About 700kg of bait being ferried by helicopter to Indian Island in Dusky Sound for a rat eradication programme was lost over Anchor Island.
Anchor Island is pest free and home to the endangered kakapo, saddleback and mohua. As a precaution, two kakapo had been moved to Chalky Island.
“A full review of the safety procedures and practices is under way to ensure such an incident does not occur again,” Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson said yesterday.
The 700kg of brodifacoum cereal bait pellets, about 15% of the total necessary for the operation, was being transported beneath a helicopter from Anchor Island, where they were stored, on Thursday when the load detached in flight.”
Good grief, just what scale of disaster with this stuff is going to inevitably happen ? Thanks for that info RG.
“A full review of the safety procedures and practices is under way to ensure such an incident does not occur again,”
Maybe it could consider not storing huge quantities of pesticide on a pest-free island being used for restoring native wildlife? There’s a reason why the military doesn’t put ammo and fuel storage in the middle of a camp, perhaps DoC could learn something from that.
A truck carrying brodifacoum tipped into the sea near Kaikoura, emptying it’s load into the ocean.
Yes the truck tipped over at the punch bowl. Anticoagulant was detectable in paua for months (for as long as they were checking im pretty sure), indefinite shellfish ban for that area at the time.
Some slightly more technical info here: http://www.issg.org/pdf/publications/Island_Invasives/pdfHQprint/3FisherP.pdf
With pest control it’s best to read the scientific data and sift the wheat from he chaff- even some of the studies are of dubious worth. DOC press releases are pure PR.
Bottom line is they are badly underfunded and politicized. If you are buying in to the cheap and nasty rotational aerial poisoning swaying and waving of hands in the air, you are selling us short.
keep calm, I don’t understand your final sentence. Agree re. DoC.
Sorry last bit not aimed at you RG, im saying don’t accept widespread aerial poison as a given, it’s the low cost low outcome option. Not a solution or even a decent stop gap.
keepcalm, I agree with you there. The rodent situation is, in my view, “unsolvable”, on the “mainland” at least, given the resilience of the animals, our relationship with them and other factors (climate change, economic projections, political changes etc.) The balance of the flora and fauna changed significantly sometime back and now we are in the “New Wild” phase, where conventional, ‘destroy that pest’ thinking is redundant and wasteful of resources. There is a place for protection of species, but it’s not the broad-scale, extermination-based thinking we are now “enjoying” in this country. That culture leads to collapse, imo. There is however, another way… 🙂
xanthe – are you going to suggest an environmental issue that The Greens could champion, as you alluded recently? I’m very keen to know which single environmental issue you believe would have the appeal to get The Green Party into Government.
Robert: I am shocked that the Greens support aerial broadcast poisoning and that they do not challenge the lie that it is “eradication” when it clearly is ongoing control. I would not have a clue what the total number of votes the Greens shed over this but this is clearly an issue which is highly polarizing and Greens are continuing to hemorrhage (ironically) over this
Do The Greens support aerial broadcast of brodifacoum?
And do the other parties?
Actual Green Party policy,
“Support replacing poisons with humane and safe biological and physical animal pest controls wherever practical.”
https://www.greens.org.nz/page/conservation-policy
Long version,
Thanks, weka. I feel xanthe’s exploiting the opportunity for reasoned debate here on TS, choosing instead to rig the discussions for her own end, whatever that might be. Of course, xanthe’s as welcome to do that as anyone else, but should expect derision when it becomes apparent that he/she is not sincere. I recall your challenging her about a seeming anti-Green stance and I don’t think that was misplaced.
Nope i did not raise the greens , you did robert.
As for their policy (thanks weka) i continue very much underwhelmed. but thats a side issue that i did not start here.
I certainly did not set about “exploiting the opportunity for reasoned debate here on TS, choosing instead to rig the discussions for her own end” thats just ad holmium bullshit (sorry robert) IMHO.
My purpose has been clear and consistent to prompt readers to understand the toxicology of brodifacoum and make their OWN view of it’s suitability for chucking out of a chopper.
Putting up a link and asking for opinions and then when you get them, telling people to read the link is likely to just piss people off.
Sneaky, xanthe. I mentioned The Greens regarding another issue altogether:
I think you are behaving subversively here and your comments “smell” wrong 🙂
you seem to be getting somewhat close to telling lies about GP policy. I’ve posted the GP policy above so people can make up their own minds, but please take care not to misrepresent their stance and what they intend.
I agree that under current conditions predator free mainland NZ is a pipe dream. BUT.
Back in 1988 the first big pest eradication was titled “The Battle for Breaksea island”. And indeed, if we want to be predator free we need to be on a war footing.
So if you got every 18 year old in the land and conscripted them in a conservation army for 18 months and waged war on rats, mice, stoats, rabbits, ferrel cats and wild dogs, then it could be done. Campbell Island tells us we can clear an area of 120sq/km in a single go quite easily. With 60-80,000 “troops” who knows how much we could clear!
With unlimited manpower to build fences, setup trap lines and generally fight the good fight, it could be done.
And actually, I think it would be an amazing thing to bequeath to the future, a country over run with birdlife.
psycho…. you have read the link? ??
I have read the link. It says this stuff is highly toxic, which strikes me as something one would actually look for in a pesticide. Do you have some argument for why that wouldn’t be a desirable feature of a pesticide?
Rodenticide/mammalicide
Apologies for the careless terminology. What constitutes a pest is indeed in the eye of the beholder, and a matter of indifference to the toxic substance.
“What constitutes a pest is indeed in the eye of the beholder, and a matter of indifference to the toxic substance”
Eeeeeeeeekkkk !
xanthe – you seem over-wrought. Can you confirm for me that The Greens support aerial broadcast of brodifacoum, as you’ve implied at 9:26 am.
re-read my comment 9.26 thanks robert
I have and can’t see the answer to my question. Perhaps you could just explain clearly. Also, you haven’t answered other direct questions I’ve put to you, and I’d appreciate that you do, for the sake of not appearing evasive – “hit and run” and “spray and walk away” are not admirable tags to acquire.
psycho .. “I have read the link. It says this stuff is highly toxic”
I dont actually believe you have!… IMHO
It is your opinion yes. And the thing about opinions is that they’re of value only to the person who holds them. What actually counts for something is what you can argue for. So far, I haven’t seen you make any argument whatsoever, hence my attempts to find out exactly what point you’re trying to make.
Me too.
I am not trying to “make a point” I want to know what people think about “spreading about” brodifacoum having reviewed the toxicology.
I actually feel that citizens should access neutral quality information
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brodifacoum#Toxicology
And have an opinion outside of supporting one faction or another. So far there has been very little (apart from Robert, thanks!) evidence of grappling with the toxicology. there seems to be a feeling that we should just trust DOC cause they know better.
forget point scoring. What (having read the link) do you think about spreading brodifacoum about.
I think it would be very foolish to “spread brodifacoum about.” It’s highly toxic to mammals, cumulative in the animals that consume it (and that consume them) and slow to break down in the soil. However, it also sounds like it’s a very effective means of getting rid of mice, rats and possums from a defined area, so it’s unsurprising DoC would use it for that purpose. As long as they’re taking steps to avoid “spreading it about” beyond that defined area (which they are), I have no problem with it at all.
Pscho: brodifacoum is not a poison to “spread about” its use should be ( usually is) within fairly strict limits due to cumulative poisoning up the food chain.
The pixie dust to sprinkle everywhere to salve your middle class conscience would be 1080.
Yes. Hopefully an incoming Labour/Green govt will give a massive boost to 1080 coverage as part of the [introduced]-predator-free programme.
Hopefully the incoming Labour govt will toss the whole stinking mess of psudo-science and PR spin out and put our people to work on actually doing the job!
Be sure to let us know as soon as you have saved the birds psycho. In the meantime pats on the back alround and a good nights sleep.
Sneer all you like. The country puts a lot of money and expertise into figuring out the best way of trying to keep native species from going extinct, and according to that assembled and often-reviewed expertise, this is it. You could argue the experts are wrong, in which case you’re likely to lose the argument, or you could argue that trying to preserve native species is pointless, in which case you’re likely to be in a small minority. Either way, yes I do enjoy a good night’s sleep thanks.
So someone else’s argument is likely to be better than mine so I better watch out?
Convincing corner you are arguing there.
Declaring war on nebulous concepts is a way of making shallow thinkers feel good about themselves.
Has the war on terror eradicated terrorism?
“Sneer all you like. The country puts a lot of money and expertise into figuring out the best way of trying to keep native species from going extinct, and according to that assembled and often-reviewed expertise, this is it. You could argue the experts are wrong, in which case you’re likely to lose the argument, or you could argue that trying to preserve native species is pointless, in which case you’re likely to be in a small minority. Either way, yes I do enjoy a good night’s sleep thanks.”
I think you will find that a big reason 1080, Brodifacoum etc are used in the way that they are is because of cost. There are other effective, less problematic methods that also get used (e.g. trapping) but cost more. It’s a misrepresentation of what is going on in NZ to claim that poison is the best, when neoliberal obsession with business models and cuts to DOC are also a factor.
So it’s not so much that the experts are wrong, but that they have their own contexts to work in and their own belief systems about what should be done. Presenting that as ‘the experts are always right’ is sloppy debate.
Absolutely agree weka
agree weka
Great conversation xanthe, weka,PM, Robert g.
Weka hits the nail with the money context thing.
Doc and others are always in a financial context.
For me, poisoning by 1080 is a painful, prolonged and unnecessarily cruel way for any critter to die.
As for the good/bad, native/introduced, rodent/bird argument, I have watched a morepork devour a nest of fantail fledglings.
” I have watched a morepork devour a nest of fantail fledglings.”
…and you didn’t intervene?
🙂
There are other effective, less problematic methods that also get used (e.g. trapping) but cost more.
Those other methods tend not just to cost more, but also to have very poor scalability. I expect the next government will fund DoC better, and that may well allow more trapping and less use of poisons in some areas, but it will remain a minor part of the programme.
…‘the experts are always right’ is sloppy debate.
It would be, yes. The experts aren’t always right, eg we both disagree with the experts on certain matters of nutrition. In that case, people have made compelling arguments for how the experts have got it wrong. In this case, I’m not seeing any arguments for why we shouldn’t just assume the expertise DoC has called on has given it the best advice available.
Scalability is just as easy with trapping as other methods, except for cost. If you know how to set up, run and maintain a trap line in one forested valley, you can pretty much do that in every similar landscape in NZ.
One argument about DOC (which I just made) is that they’re operating in a specific context and culture. The context is that they’re short on money. The culture is one that sees all non-natives as inherently bad.
The short on money thing is fixable, and there are plenty of pro-conservation people in NZ that would choose non-poison methods were that supported. Many already do and if you look closely you’ll find that all over the place there are people doing trap lines off their own bat. It beggars belief that DOC are so slow to work proactively with those groups. Some of that is cultural e.g. DOC see themselves as the owners of the conservation estate (am generalising here), and they take a kind of siloed approach.
It’s also blatantly obvious now that DOC are hugely compromised by government in terms of being a fundamentally conservation organisation hence their support for projects like the Ruataniwha Dam or the Queenstown/Milford tunnel. It’s demonstrable that DOC, as an organisation, have very distinct cultural frameworks, and it’s not solely about the science or evidence.
As for the non-native thing, here’s a good example. For decades DOC took the position that gorse and broom were evil and to be eradicated no matter what. Not that DOC are the only ones like that, councils are similar. Meanwhile, regenag people started working in different ways with landscapes including using gorse as a nursery crop to restore native forest. You can look at Hugh Wilson’s work on this at the Hinewai Reserve on the Banks Peninsula, but there are multiple examples now to the extent that DOC itself now offers this as advice on one way landscapes can be restored to native.
So we know that DOC have a very specific culture and world view around conservation that isn’t always supported by the evidence. Had DOC not had that world view they would have been doing experiments alongside the hippies 30 or 40 years ago and we’d be vastly ahead on reforestation than we are now. Even now, spray the fuck out of it is still the default in most places. That will change but it’s the attitudinal stuff that is getting in the way, not best practice or unbiased science.
Scalability is just as easy with trapping as other methods, except for cost.
That’s true of most things that are poorly scalable. It would be possible to do pest control in hundreds of thousands of hectares of poorly-accessible bush using people with traps, just like it’s possible to dig railway cuttings using people with shovels. But we don’t, because it would be a needlessly expensive way of doing them. Cost-effectiveness isn’t something invented by neo-liberals.
that’s not the situation though. Sure we can use 1080 drops in select places that are hard to reach, but that’s not what’s happening. Instead we are now using 1080 on easy to access farmland and conservation estate.
The comparison with building roads with shovels is inaccurate because trap lines are effective, that’s why many people still use them. Lots of conservation estate could be managed using trap lines. It would also create jobs and give people who want it access to living in some pretty amazing places.
For instance, at the moment possums are controlled by 1080, other baits, and trapping. Of those only trapping gives usable fur (there’s some animal rights issues to be sorted there). Afaik currently trappers are plucking which means the carcasses get left in the bush providing an excellent food source for rats and stoats. Non-1080 baits do the same I think. Or councils and private land owners are paying teams to bait and/or trap to control numbers and again the bodies are being left in place. This is not that smart.
What we could be doing instead is setting up a fur, pelt and meat industry that also controls possum numbers, provides jobs, uses the resource instead of treating it like garbage, and get people into the bush. That’s much more of a sustainable process than what we are doing now.
Eradication of possums in NZ can’t be done by poison btw, nor the rest of the pest-free aims. It’s well known that the only way we will become pest-free is if multiple biological methods are developed across a number of species. Personally I think that’s science fiction and instead of basing policy and conservation on that, we should be doing best practice at control with the aim of preservation of local ecosystems. This means that you design for each catchment. What works in the Dunedin hills is going to be different than Milford Sound which is different than West Coast river valleys.
I’m not averse to 1080 in selected situations, because I know it works, but this wholesale and increasing use is ideologically driven. At best it can be argued that DOC are doing what they can under neoliberal govt, but it’s not even close to best practice.
+ heaps. I think that’s a very balanced viewpoint weka.
Trap lines work – they just cost a hell of a lot more as you point out in your last line.
Now, are they actually as effective as poison drops? I haven’t seen anything to indicate that they are.
It’s only sustainable if you want to keep the possums and, well, we don’t. Of course, unless the research on making all of the possums sterile pans out, we’ll probably be keeping them.
And then there’s the health issue of using possum meat as food as it can be seriously unhealthy.
[citation needed]
Those are all good points and I don’t have any problem with the government putting up money to have more trapping in easily-accessible areas (if, the big if that Draco points out, it is actually more effective than poison drops – how useful is it for reducing rat populations, for instance?). That still leaves us with huge swathes of conservation land that’s not easily accessible but would require large numbers of people to manage via trapping. Use of 1080 in those areas has to be large-scale because the problem is large-scale and we don’t have credible alternatives.
The Waitakere Ranges Ark in the Park is a really large scale operation, using poisons. They don’t sound keen on the gas-fired traps as a replacement system until they see really good successful precedents. Helluva lot of fundraising effort otherwise.
Lots of different groups manage different lines – thousands of volunteers.
Result is lots of super-rare birds reintroduced. Many from Tiritiri.
Even the potential for Kiwi!
Right next door to the city with 1/3 of NZ’s population, and dead rats and possums by the tonne.
“Trap lines work – they just cost a hell of a lot more as you point out in your last line.”
Depends on how you measure it, but I’m not saying that they cost a hell of a lot more. I think you would be surprised at the value of trapping cf to poison.
“Now, are they actually as effective as poison drops? I haven’t seen anything to indicate that they are.”
Again, it depends on what you are measuring. Yes, trapping can be very effective. So is napalm. Using hyperbole to make a point, which is that there are a range of issues here not just this number counting. So in any given catchment you need to look at a range of things that are disrupting ecosystems and causing species extinction. I think NZ has a serious problem with habitat destruction, and 1080 is a kind of sop to that, it says we’re not going to protect nature properly so we’ll do some ambulance at the bottom of the cliff stuff until the silver bullet arrives (biological).
“It’s only sustainable if you want to keep the possums and, well, we don’t. Of course, unless the research on making all of the possums sterile pans out, we’ll probably be keeping them.”
Yes, so let’s find long term solutions for control that aren’t coming from a slash and burn attitude.
“And then there’s the health issue of using possum meat as food as it can be seriously unhealthy.”
Unhealthy how? I was thinking petfood though.
“but this wholesale and increasing use is ideologically driven.
[citation needed]”
Not sure what you mean there. I just spent a number of comments outlining the attitudinal issues in conservation in NZ. They’re pretty well known. Am happy to talk about them if you want to debate the points.
More jobs = costs more.
And need a citation as to the comparability between poison use and trapping.
Deaths of pests per dollar spent.
Possums would eat our forests dead within a very few short years without the 1080 drops.
I mean that I want proof that it’s driven by ideology and what that ideology is. You made statements of your belief that it was all driven by costs.
Yes, costs are an issue because there’s only limited resources available but that doesn’t appear to be the ideology driving it.
Let’s introduce a possum predator.
Totally agree. Under National DOC has been run into the ground, and now needs to maintain its income BY LEASING OUT CONSERVATION LAND FOR MINING*
sorry for shouting so loudly – but NZ needs to wake up to the this ecological vandalism. Vandalism that is being perpetuated by a barbaric government, supervised by the “watchful” eye of a compliant department, that is supposed to be acting to protect our forests and native fauna; not destroy it.
Here is an ex-DOC worker being arrested for trying to protect the land she had worked to conserve for 15 years.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/protectkarangahake?src=hash
* see the link to the Application Guide for permits to mine on conservation land issued by DOC.
About 40 years ago I was a possum trapper – the devastation that I saw Possums cause to native bush was absolutely staggering – unless there is absolutely convincing evidence that 1080 is very very bad I don’t see an alternative .
My view on 1080 is that some people were told that Radiated tooth paste and skin care products were good for ones health in the 1950 s until peoples teeth started falling out and they were dying of cancer its a poison there are many examples like this in our past .
Its is not wise to try to eradicate something it is better to control it them.
A tax free bounty on these pest would provide income for the youth and the poor we would be killing 2 birds with one stone as the saying goes.
All the remote areas we put hired workers in there still 2 birds with one stone.
The helicopter companys will still get there income flying these workers in to the remote areas. But the big powerful chemical company’s will lose out ie foreign interest whom only care about there profits. I refrained from swearing in this post
Yikes, is this satire? “Wife wants a bigger pool but Nats keep stealing ‘our’ taxes?”
OPINION:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/96402130/Damien-Grant-The-National-Government-a-Labour-PM-would-be-proud-to-lead?cid=app-iPad
A response to Grant in images:
“John Key has principles”
and now his work is done.
and to the poor of the world
I’m still gagging at Grant’s “National has a set of principles”, which include “small government” and “personal responsibility” comment.
And then I just read this article about a John Key doodle that sold for 8K plus change, as part of the Nats’ funding raising.
But the doodle really does say it all about John Key and his values of “personal responsibility”
A man whose greatest ambition is a personal monument to his time in government.
For a moment I thought were referring to the statue of Nick Smith squatting 😉
I say we need more Arts!
Damien’s an old fav on TS.
Pretty standard stuff. A basic principle of right-wingers is “A society in which I’m among the wealthy must by definition be a meritocracy and therefore should be run for my benefit.”
+111
And it’s that mindset and the fact that society does get run for their benefit that results in the collapse of society.
I have succumbed to Jane Kelsey’d blandishments again* and put up what is arguably an unpaid election advertisement (see the It’s Our Future logo on the right) on the party positions about the TPPA.
So I have also activated the authorisation statement at the bottom of the site that directs all enquiries related to electoral law to me.
I will of course treat all such enquiries with a balance between discretion and transparency, and between action and education. Which means that if I think that something oversteps the bounds you only have to point it out and it will be handled rapidly.
But if I think that someone is just taking the piss then I am quite likely to educate on the principle in public and at a personal level, but subject to those irritating privacy restraints that someone fettered me with.
* How does Jane do that? Probably because she asks and provides the two things required – a decent image and a link to something worth reading..
Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt challenges Jacinda
“Obviously, unlike other institutions, we won’t require support for Zero Fees, as we’ve already achieved that objective. This letter is a request to Central Government to support our extensive construction program so that we can offer students free accommodation. That will help us maintain our student numbers and take a little pressure off the housing crisis in our larger cities.”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/96396553
He’s getting his polite request in because he’s confident Jacinda’s Labour will win.
It seems that way.
Nevertheless, he has a valid point, thus a reasonable request.
Reasonably put, at least. I’m sure Jacinda will be reasonable toward Shadders and the SIT.
“I’m sure Jacinda will be reasonable…”
We’ll see.
Yes, it seems we will!
If Shadbolt’s polytech’s only competitive advantage is price, then it will rightly lose out on quality and effectiveness.
Shadbolt is barking up the wrong tree.
I don’t know if it’s their only competitive advantage, but it’s definitely been a vital marketing tool.
Why destroy, allowing them to “rightly lose out” as you put it, when we can work with to improve?
Agree. But the onus is on them. The Polytech market is rightly competitive, and should be on the quality of the graduates.
Competition. For “bums on seats” has degraded NZ Tertiary education almost beyound salvation.
An aim for excellence in all educational institutions, has changed to who can fool the most students, into enrolling.
Not to mention the waste of money going to “Managers” who add nothing but bureaucracy and cost.
Agreed. Bums on seats by itself is dumb.
They’ll be getting support for zero fees which frees up the $7.5m the community has raised previously for use in their free accomodation policy.
SIT and Invergargill still has a point of difference and an even greater range of people get to study.
It seems they require more as he is seeking more.
And free accommodation along with free study is a good incentive to move people south and out of Auckland. Therefore, it could be worth paying that little more?
Was the no-nonsense, Action Woman hairstyle worn by Jacinda on Debate night a message to viewers: “this ponytail’s not for pulling”?
Streamline effect to enable the Jacindaroller to roll even faster and miss nothing in its path. Even her body guard is described as Hipster.-shaven head. Built for speed and– ,I could -and can go on-
I think it was her sending a message that serious Jacinda is PM Jacinda.
You didn’t expect pigtails, did you?
Watching Q+A two debates this morning, Education – nicky kaye and Chris Hipkins. Then Health, coleman and Clark.
Wonder how many times coleman says 50,000 operations today.
If Coleman was in the Mafia his gang name would be ‘Numbers’. As soom as he opens his mouth I just stop listening. Too many numbers all at once sends me into numerical overdrive. Do his numbers ever actually stack up or does he just pluck them out of the bubble floating ar’ Q/A ably mediated by Corrin, lol!, when he said after “the break we will be back with Michelle and Josie” So I didn’t see what happened at the end of that particular debacle. I have to remove all sharp objects within reach whenever I even catch a glimpse of our prehistoric Boag.
Same – had to turn off once I saw Boag and heard the shrill ranting of threatened privilege
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a
Coleman seemed to do better than yesterday – his voice not so croaky and a bit more comfortable anyway. [At 6:06] “I get dozens of letters from people who are uh absolutely pleased with the care they are getting”, is less impressive than Coleman seems to think it is; given the thousands who attempt to access that health system every year. His main goal seems to be to interject; “that’s not true” into any statement that Clark makes.
An 11yo gave his much to a home less guy (get tissues ready. .people are so good.. sniff…)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11916024
David Seymour thinks people are poorly paid because of unions.
No, he doesn’t think that as he knows better; he wants other people to think that. Big difference!
He’s absolutely right – people aren’t paid enough because union membership isn’t high enough.
That’s what he meant, right?
There is one policy that most parties seem to favour, albeit with different time frames.
It is, in my opinion, the worst idea that any of them has. It is also the one policy that should be dropped by everybody. There would be no better way to waste billions on something that is obsolete before it has even started than light rail.
Read this and then vote for any party that will refuse to put 19th century technology into a 21st century world. Light rail is an antiquated and pointless idea.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/96306106/pattrick-smellie-are-we-planning-for-a-transport-future-that-wont-exist
We need more roads in the middle of Auckland and we need more carparks in the middle of Auckland and we need more carparks at the bus stations on the outskirts of Auckland so people can park their cars and ride on buses to the centre of Auckland. And we need more high rise apartment blocks in the middle of Auckland.
And when that’s all done there will be no point in getting in cars to come to the middle of Auckland because the only thing there will be roads, carparking buildings and apartment blocks.
I don’t think you have thought through what autonomous vehicles really mean.
People, at least those living in a city won’t need to own a private vehicle. You will simply summon an autonomous vehicle when you want to go somewhere.
That vehicle will take you from wherever you are to wherever you want to go.
At the moment people take their private vehicle from their home to a parking area. It then stays there, unused, until they need it again. I have seen claims that the average private car sits idle for 96% of the time.
There will be no need for large parking areas at bus stations. In fact there won’t be any bus stations.
Neither will there need to be carparks in the centre of Auckland for people at work. After all, they won’t have taken their own car to work. They will have taken an anonymous AV which is available for someone else to use as soon as they exit it.
There will still need to be some parking space. This will be for AVs which are waiting for a call and/or recharging their batteries. The space required will be only a tiny fraction of the space currently consumed by private vehicles which must all be parked in such a manner that a particular vehicle can be retrieved rather than the one that is nearest the outside.
At the moment I would guess, and it is only a guess on my part, that for each parking place in a car park for a vehicle that is 2m * 4.5m you need, allowing space for the vehicle, and space on each side of it for people to get in and out and the lanes used by vehicles to get around the parking area not the 9m2 the car requires but probably about 30-35m2.
Why bother driving yourself? Why bother having to park the thing? Why bother having to maintain it? Call a car when you want one.
We’ve been hearing of autonomous vehicles for a decade.
We’ve been waiting for electric vehicles for 20 years plus.
I’m still waiting for my jetpack.
Can I help it if you dream you are Buck Rogers and want a jetpack?
I’ll bet you were one of those people who said the smart phone would never catch on.
In the meantime electric cars are now here. The battery technology is now making them at a similar price to internal combustion vehicles.
As for how autonomous cards are going have a look at this story
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/17/self-driving-cars-california-regulation-google-uber-tesla
I don’t think it will be Google who actually produces the vehicles when they become common. Have you noticed, perchance, the previous position of the man who has just taken over as CEO of Ford?
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/22/ford-sack-ceo-senior-bosses-push-build-self-driving-cars
He was previously the head of the autonomous car unit.
Light rail works now, for hundreds of millions of trips.
And the poorest can afford it.
And light rail is often already fully autonomous.
You might get a little autonomous intercity freight, maybe even Uber for drunks.
Otherwise, I’ll get one when you get one.
To give a brief answer to your comment.
Works now.
Sure it does, and if you already have sunk all the investment in it you will probably keep it going. It is getting a new system, at a cost of billions when the technology is obsolete that is foolish.
Poorest affording it.
Yes, but there are enormous subsidies to hold the fares down, and the system is heavily subsidised by the people who drive on the roads. I often visit Paris, and I travel on the Metro. It is cheap and frequent. However the subsidies are enormous and I believe that the subsidies are more than 4 billion euros/year.
I see no reason why AVs need cost anymore than the unsubsidised cost of a bus or light rail fare.
I’ll get one.
But I don’t want to get one. I shall be only too happy to get rid of my privately owned cars. I don’t want to own one. I just want to get convenient, comfortable transport when I need it. AVs and a smart phone will be all I will need.
Alwyn. You are out of date.
Those autonomous vehicles will be joining together on light rail for longer trips. As that is the most efficient way to get them from A to B. Except for the last mile. A motorway, even for AV’s, is a costly waste of space.
http://81.47.175.201/livingrail/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=686:addressing-the-last-mile-combined-rail-and-car-sharing-tickets&catid=30:rail-oriented-policies&Itemid=104
Already being done. In the form of electric road vehicles that attach to a light rail train at a station.
Not to mention rail and bicycle, and probably electric golf cart type vehicles like Copenhagen.
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2014/06/bike-train-bike-connecting-bicycles-and.html
The days of a private car are numbered. It wont be long before the only ICE cars are hired, to go on holiday.
I can’t see how he thinks people are going to want to car pool en masse every single day to work and not want larger, safer, cheaper, more regular, more efficient, and smoother forms of rapid public transport.
“larger, safer, cheaper, more regular, more efficient, and smoother forms of rapid public transport”
They will be larger.
There is no reason at all that they would be safer.
There is equally no reason why they should be cheaper.
AVs don’t have a schedule, regular or otherwise. They will travel exactly when you want them, not when some bureaucrat says they should run.
They will not be more efficient. A small vehicle carrying one person is better than a very large one carrying 5.
The will not be smoother. My car is certainly a smoother ride than one of the Wellington units.
They will not be faster. An AV will go from where I am to where I want to go. They won’t ramble around picking up all and sundry along the way.
My God!. You talk like a Green MP.
From a scan of these articles I would suggest that you are talking about a totally different technology than I am.
These vehicles they are talking about are basically rental cars such as we have today. They require the hirer to drive them. I am talking about AVs that drive themselves.
There is absolutely no need to connect them up into a train. I want to go from point A to point B now, not when a group of people want to travel the same route.
You should also bear in mind that AVs will be able to travel much closer together than current cars with a driver. They will not have to follow the 2 second rule as the technology will enable them to communicate with other vehicles in their vicinity.
You are out of date.
No I’m afraid it is the technology listed by you that is out of date. It still expects that the cars concerned will have human drivers around a town.
“days of a private car”.
Of course they are. That is what I want to see. I don’t want to own a car. I just want a cheap option that will carry me where I want to get when I want to go there. That is what the AV will provide.
“only ICE cars are “. I don’t think there will be any ICE cars in 20 years time. There won’t need to be any private ones either.
And the roads will be much, much safer.
Why should they have drivers?
There’d have to be enough driverless cars to cope with the peak times because there’ll be no PT in your world.
Then they sit around unused for most of the day which is hardly a model of efficiency.
Autonomous vehicles will be the public transport. Much more convenient and likely to be much cheaper as well.
What do you think happens to most of the buses outside of the peak hours? The either sit around unused or they carry half a dozen people in a vehicle built for 40. AVs certainly won’t be any less efficient will they?
AVs should be able to carry, individually, more people on a trip at peak time than at less busy times. If more people want to travel they could stop and pick up another passenger along their route. The way they are called would let the system know where every vehicle is and where it is going.
The customer could be allowed the option of sharing if they want to. Give them a cheaper fare if they are willing to share the AV.
AVs will be much cheaper than a taxi. They don’t need a very expensive driver do they?
Private cars are very little used. As I noted just above a standing time of 96% has been reported. They are very inefficient and one of the reasons why people will be willing to give up their private car.
This works where? Rainbowponyland?
Check out Melbourne. Gold Coast. Munich.
alwyn
“Private cars are very little used”? Except, of course, for those reduced to living out of their vehicle – the current housing crisis would be much worse if that wasn’t an option. Also, even standing still; they do act as additional storage space for those with small homes (especially for families – do you know how much room a pram takes up even when it’s folded away?).
Quite what this has to do with the topic I am talking about is unclear.
On the other hand anyone who has a garage will have a lot of extra space to use.
I’m sure you will get rid of your car, convert the garage and offer it free to someone living in their car. There, everyone will be better off.
Be honest now, how many people have a car in their garage.
Most folk I know use a garage for storage.
You are, unfortunately, probably correct.
The curse of too many possessions. I regret to say that I am as guilty as most people.
Your comment gets the prize for the most realistic comment.
Cheers alwyn, there is a name for too many possessions: affluenza.
Does the possessor possess his possessions is the possessor possessed by his possessions?
Better together?
Metiria Turei seeks new mandate to stay as MP
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/338474/greens-turei-i-want-to-be-back-with-a-mandate
Her chances look awfully slim.
The only electorate poll I have seen, by Maori TV, had her in third place, just behind the Maori Party candidate and at only about a third of the vote for the sitting Labour MP.
I think her theme song might as well be. “So long, its been good to know you but I’ve got to be drifting along.”
Turei will not be silenced on poverty
Did anyone expect her to fold?
No one who has met her, or even heard her talk.
Duplicity-Allen parrots her husband and gets it wrong again in this moronic summing up of the week.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11915339
Where was she last year when Sue Moroney was working on her 26 week paid parental leave bill which English vetoed because there was too much support for it. Oh, I remember, she was too busy illegally buying guns online and getting fired from her job…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/96383507/revenue-from-labours-water-levy-could-go-to-projects-such-as-roading
if this is true labour can go get fucked
Note the comment seems to have been that the first priority would be to clean up waterways and that it would only be if there was money left over that the local council could use it for other things.
if the water is cleaned up i would expect the water tax to be stopped in that area. if it really is about water which i now doubt .
You have given me the best laugh I have had all day.
You expect a local Government organisation to give up a source of income just because the excuse given for imposing a tax has vanished?
Exactly. Crisis and Leviathan.
enjoy but ill be wasting my vote on top if its true labour are just chucking the water tax into the pot .
So rate payers should continue coughing up to fix roads jiggered by heavy traffic servicing the farming sector?.
so labour has just been playing wedge politics on water and are lying shits. trucks par ruc s for the road use if its not enough raise that don’t fucking lie to sneak a tax in
Which would be all well and good, if local councils received some of that money for road maintenance. But they don’t and here in the Whanganui district a $2 million a year black hole in the rural road maintenance budget is directly attributed to the increasing numbers of heavy vehicles servicing the rural sector.
that’s the governments fault not farmers , the rucs paid in our area must be subsidising city folk if its not being spent locally.
The RUC finances state highways and ratepayers cough for local roads but hey, externalising costs is in the rural DNA.
RUC’s don’t even cover trucks use of State highways.
They are subsidised by private motorists. Which is why rail and sea struggle to compete.
Let alone paying for rural and urban roads, which are covered by ratepayers.
“User pays” is only for some, it seems.
According to the Timaru Herald article, when contacted on Friday, Parker, the Labour spokesperson on water, said revenue would primarily need to be distributed to regional councils to clean up waterways.
However, money left over could be given to local councils, which would “decide what to do with it”, he said.
“He was happy to discuss possibilities for leftover revenue after the election, he said.
This was immediately misconstrued.
Following the revelation at the meeting, visibly surprised National candidate Andrew Falloon said it was the first time he’d heard a Labour politician say “the money might not be spent on cleaning up waterways”.
“Because it’s sort of the entire point of it, I thought.”
Whether Falloon was “visibly surprised”, or aurally challenged, or cognitively so, up to the reader. We couldn’t believe he deliberately misinterpreted Labour’s Parker, could we?
bwaghorn – Beware of news and articles in papers, too many vested interests.
But I gather you are a farmer, for them Labor is not an option anyway as social policies will never sit well with farmers. For them the world stops at the gate and to hell with everybody else. As long as the dosh is good who cares about the rest.
yeah just like all unemployed are lazy good for nothings who smoke and drink all their money a?
Pretty weak tinkering here from Labour. They’re going to have to do a lot better than this in order to convince me they’re committed to stable communities where people don’t live in fear of a letter from the landlord. For Labour to not move on the default lease term (afaik currently there isn’t one at all!) is very disappointing.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96440380/labour-strengthens-renters-rights-with-limits-on-rent-rises-90-day-notices
The Greens are much better on this and Opportunities quite bold and strong in recognising the current problem.
https://www.greens.org.nz/policy/fairer-society/residential-tenancies-safe-and-secure-rentals-amendment-bill
I could party vote Green on this policy alone…
So actually, Labour and the Greens agree on dumping the 42 days notice option, abolishing leasing fees, limiting rent increases to a maximum of one per year, and requiring the formula for any increases to be specified in the lease agreement. The “default” position of a 3 year fixed term tenancy seems pretty meaningless if there’s a provision for both parties to opt out and set their own term. And allowing tenants the right to renewal of lease agreements sounds good, but again doesn’t offer any more protection than Labour, because both parties are saying there should be a minimum 90 days notice period if a lease agreement is being terminated. Labour specifies that there has to be a genuine reason (which is not required in law at present) and it also gives an avenue for leasers to make small alterations to a property, so long as its returned to the original state when they leave and has a healthy homes policy to support landlords providing insulation and heating.
The three year default would be a significant change which would help reset the behaviour of landlords from one of amateur speculator to professional service provider.
When a tenant with a family goes to an agent now all they get put in from of them is a shitty one year lease at best and sometimes not even that, just a casual agreement. And that’s it, if they ask for a longer lease they immediately be seen to be trouble for the landlord who wants all the flexibility. In a tight market people are forced to take these because you might not get another place close to you child’s school etc and the competition is high you having to have battled just to get that short lease put in front of you.
How is a family supposed to make planning decisions around jobs, schools, and their own savings plan toward more security in home ownership on one year revolving leases?
If a lease length was default at 3 years it would become accepted behaviour creating more stability in high rental communities and the onus would be on the landlord to have to move away from that length.
Except if a default 3 year lease is:
a) only “default” if the parties don’t agree to another lease term (ie, if the landlord chooses to offer a 3 year term), and
b) even then, not guaranteed because of the right to 90 days’ notice with a specified reason,
then I don’t see that it actually means much.
a) The point is that currently there’s no official default and if there is an unofficial one it’s either casual or one year. This is not acceptable to families who require much more certainty. What the ‘landlord’ offers right now isn’t enough and negotiations to get a longer lease and more certainty for your kids is met with silence. A 3 year default would then give the tenant with a family that certainty from the start of the discussion which the landlord would then have to negotiate down from in order to keep the flexibility they so crave at the expense of young families and community security.
b) If a landlord wants to break a lease with 90 days notice then they’ll have to pay the tenant out of that lease which would be a lot longer than it is currently.
It’s a really, really, really big deal for tenants with young families to have to shift in this environment and there are an increasing number of tenants and communities which require more stability than is currently the case.
Right now I would kill for a 3 year fixed term tenancy. At least that would mean living only in a constant state of mild anxiety vs severe anxiety over if I’m going to be homeless come January.
And from reading the (almost predictable) comments from landlords in the Stuff article- having no clue about being a landlord, can someone please explain to me how Labours/Greens proposed tenancy laws could possibly necessitate a major sell of private rentals and/or major increase in rents? The usual scaremongering or what? Are property managers panicking over the plan to ban letting fees perhaps?
Exactly Kay. With a fixed three year term you can begin to plan for your future without worrying that your immediate future might involve costly and stressful house hunting scenarios.
This would help tens of thousands of families and single people plan forward rather than worrying about the present.
Most tenants are given 90 days notice to depart, it is the law. The only time 42 days notice can be applied is if the owner or their direct family are moving into the property or if the property has sold and the purchaser requires vacant possession. Most tenants that need to move because the property has sold receive way more than 42 days notice simply because the change of owner/sales procedure takes longer than that.
The current tenancy duration term is as long as both parties agree to, 10 years if they wish. Landlords steer clear of fixed term agreements and tend towards periodical agreements (casual) because regardless of circumstances a landlord is legally stuck with the duration of the term, 1, 5 or 10 years if both parties agreed. The tenant is not, after 6 months into a 10 year term they need only claim they can’t afford it or they’ve had a job offer down country and there is not an adjudicator in the country that won’t break the lease for them.
In most Real estate agencies the property management division is close to a break even dept. A nuisance in boom sales times and keep the doors open godsends when nothing is selling. The average of about 8% on the rent income is usually split around 50/50 between the property manager and the agency. To make the job viable in regional areas (average rent 275 pw) a manager needs to look after about 80+ properties. It’s at about that level that 40 hours a week won’t equate to the manager doing a good job for the tenant or owners. I think it’s a broken model and personally support across the board licensed private property managers that don’t share the revenue 50/50.
It is for this reason that we have seen the rise of letting fees and more frequent property inspections. Sideline income generators for revenue strapped Property Management departments.
I think annual rent rises rather than the current potential for 6 monthly will just double the ask for those that currently do it 6 monthly….. I think very few landlords jack rents up every 6 months. Who gets a rent rise letter every 6 months? I don’t know of anyone.
The Tenancy Tribunal is a forum for both landlords and tenants to have their case heard. It could be easily argued that adjudicator delivered orders favour the tenants’ argument. eg:
Tenant: “I’d like to end this fixed term tenancy”
Adjudicator: “No worries, give 21 days notice.”
Landlord: “I’d like to end this fixed term tenancy”
Adjudicator: “No way buddy.”
That said, while considering this landlord/tenant situation I think it’s worth bearing in mind that 95% of hearings are instigated by landlords and 5% by tenants. The huge majority of hearings are due to unpaid rent and damaged properties.
What all three parties seem to be looking at is replicating the commercial lease structure, ie the ADLS lease structure which is the NZ default commercial lease, into the residential context.
This structure gives tenants and landlords a lot of certainty and generally keeps commercial rent returns (so either lower rental or capital value) below residential. Hence the wide boys tend to gravitate to residential ownership, or the higher risk side of commercial. Getting commercial discipline into the residential market and giving the cowboys the flick, is a very good idea.
The ADLS model is good for commercial, but would need some major changes to make it work in residential. For instance it’s really difficult for a tenant to get out of a lease in term, it’s the tenant’s responsibility to find another tenant suitable to the landlord, can be difficult and expensive. It’s also quite hard for a landlord to get rid of a tenant. This works ok in commercial because everyone wants stability.
While residential tenants want the same stability, sometimes tenants will want to be able to get out of a lease pretty quickly when personal circumstances change, like with jobs or relationships. The ADLS model will require some very careful adjustment to maintain a workable balance of aspirations, rights and responsibilities between landlord and tenant.
When I look at the residential rental environment around Queenstown, with it’s sudden economic and social changes, I can see real pros and cons of longterm residential leases.
The ADLS model is good for commercial, but would need some major changes to make it work in residential. For instance it’s really difficult for a tenant to get out of a lease in term, it’s the tenant’s responsibility to find another tenant suitable to the landlord, can be difficult and expensive. It’s also quite hard for a landlord to get rid of a tenant. This works ok in commercial because everyone wants stability.
this is standard procedure in Germany where a standard notice period is usually 3 month at a minimum. I have on several occasions found tenants for a flat i was leaving early usually for reasons of work. You can organise this in a way of x amount of potential future tenants presented and the Landlord needs to accept one of these. Essentially, don’t be an unreasonable fuckwit. IF i present you with three potential tenants that are good, in work, can pay the bond, accept one. Full stop.
As for landlords in commercial properties giving you a hard time, don’t ever get an Indian landlord. No phone, no email, realtor not happy to be contacted, lease runs out, can’t get a new lease, landlords lawyer suddenly not his lawyer anymore, accountant suddenly not his accountant anymore and landlord is in India, till when? oh who knows. Then suddenly during the busiest time in your year landlord waltzes in, shoves 10.000$+ invoices in your hand of ‘stuff i have forgotten to invoice you over the last two years – all of these invoices on paper, handwritten, no GST number nothing”, btw he did that to all the businesses, and if you don’t want to pay that you move. what you do? go tot he tenancy tribunal? Btw, that busy little fringe, now its dead, cause we and some of the others ‘moved’.
So, here we are currently looking at new premises as i really hate to be blackmailed. I pay my dues and that is that. Would i rent a premise that is also listed for sale? No.
NZ needs to pull its head out of the sand and understand that its crap laws in regards to tenancy – residential and commercial – are costing it money. Its losing businesses, its stopping businesses from forming, and its just bullshit.
as much as i like this country, renting anything is literally just torture and a waste of money, its effectively cheaper to stay at home and do fuck all. And for some reason or another the country is ok with it. Go figure.
Three radical ideas to transform the post-crisis economy
So even the Financial Times is starting to question our banking system and how it works – or, rather, doesn’t.
Michelle Boag was certainly very jittery on Q+A this morning. She kept (ridiculously) trying to equate Labour with Trump(!) and must have said “haven’t done their homework” a dozen times. The last time she said this on the show was when she so obviously hadn’t done her homework and tried to insist that Labour’s water policy would lead to cabbages costing $18.
Nice to see Ms Smug and Dismissive looking so rattled.
It’s an own goal by the Nats every time they invite her on.
+100 Ed
Boag is not a very attractive woman to be attempt a glowing English supporter. Not attractive in speech or delivery. Reckon she would be a shoe-in fox Wicked Witch of the West in Wizard of OZ. She knows she is on a lost cause.
I saw that it was Boag and Pagani and just couldn’t be bothered watching that video; Right and Righter. She really compared Ardern to Trump? Wow. If we’re doing Trump comparisons, then Key is a much better fit; disregard for truth, excessive wealth (though Trump’s was largely inherited), hair fixation, strangely charasmatic (to many), sociopathic tendencies, non-political politicians. Both with a penchant for dismissing employees; “You’re Fired” vs “The Smiling Assassin”.
The debate segments themselves were good, though the online version glitches a bit around the adbreaks, but I doubt I missed much.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a
She was careful not to name Ardern, but repeatedly said Labour were being Trumplike (her view is that they’re “big on the what but not the how”, “haven’t done their homework” and are making big promises that they will have to back away from once elected). It’s a pretty desperate ploy… She actually admitted at the end that she didn’t know who was going to win the election.
There is video, but I couldn’t stomach watching it. Also a longer summary, but I thought this from Henry Cooke (at 11:22am) was pithier
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96405356/live-on-the-campaign-trail-for-sunday
You have to wonder if those drug dealers also include; alcohol and tobacco sellers, such as supermarkets and bottlestores. Of course they won’t, even though they too are; “creating a string of victims behind them”.
Wonder not! Cui bono? And remember who pay taxes and who don’t.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/election-2017/338588/serious-criminals-have-fewer-human-rights-national
Appalling stuff from National – shouting out to the lowest common denominator and showing a total lack of concern, respect or understanding of human rights.
You don’t need to abuse human rights to tackle crime – quite the opposite in fact.
It fits very well with National’s way of thinking such as “social investment”. Identify ‘the prima facie culprits’ and target them hard with all the force of the law. If this means violating their human rights or invoking National Security, for example, so be it. There are a few obvious issues with this approach but none of these will concern National voters – prisoners are barred from voting [bad pun]. The allegedly-apparent political interference in (some) police matters is another reason to be extremely wary about this erosion of citizens’ rights in New Zealand.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/96447979/is-national-buying-into-the-doctrine-of-donald-trump
Perhaps some private prisons need more profit. In any case, this women is just about as bad as it gets.
I would challenge her on the notion that a group (even if despised) can have basics rights taken away. If it looks and feels fascist, perhaps it is.
Keep an eye out for the film American Made. It has been reviewed this morning by Simon Morris and sounds an absolute gas. Its background is the reality of the USA’s outrageous, no-holds-barred meddling in everything around Regan’s time and Clinton’s. Lots of ironic laughter and the absence of concern about principles left home in a quiet, dark cupboard will be the right approach. Has Tom Cruise. In theatres September 29.
And another one about India and Britain interaction. Sounds amazing. At age 68 Queen Victoria who apparently was not the stuffy moralistic person broadcast to the public, decides to learn Urdu and the finer points of curry dinners.
Victoria and Abdul (Queen Victoria by Judi Dench) from September 14
The Anthropocene says hi.
Now I know this has nothing to directly do with the election but there has been from 1 Sept a further insidious removal of government services from street level & the provinces
The IRD in Napier has been closed until further notice.
The IRD has closed all after hours drop boxes – so cheques, returns & the like cannot be dropped in after hours which is really unhelpful to all those people who do drop them in after hours.
The reason given for Dunedin & no doubt all the others is:
“For safety reasons the after-hours Drop Box at our Dunedin office will be closed permanently and no longer available from 1 September 2017.”
Despite the above the drop boxes have been in use forever without apparently any problems.
The IRD has also removed the GST form from their website so it cannot be downloaded and filled out manually. (and possibly other forms). I’m not even sure that is legal.
Their agenda is clear : they want everyone forced to register with the Mylogin services so that they and the wider government have the ability to track our email addresses and us electronically. And some how unaccountable call centres will do the rest.
The IRD have acknowledged in the past that there is a significant group of taxpayers who actively do not wish to deal with the IRD electronically but of course this is not acceptable to our right wing governments who do not want anyone to have any personal privacy.
And while I’m on the subject of Napier ( happy to hear from a local re this) quite a significant population area now has no IRD street access and a main police station that is only open until 7.00 pm every day.
Nact doesn’t support the provinces!!
Safety seems to be the buzzword for withdrawing services by government and their mercenaries while enforcing expensive and time consuming nitpicking actions on the public.
Somewhere along the line the government is going to feel so unsafe that they will close down everything. Are we going to put up with that I ask?
A speculation bubble inevitably collapses.
who woulda thunk it
/
The grim tale of America’s “subprime mortgage crisis” delivers one of those stinging moral slaps that Americans seem to favor in their histories. Poor people were reckless and stupid, banks got greedy. Layer in some Wall Street dark arts, and there you have it: a global financial crisis.
Dark arts notwithstanding, that’s not what really happened, though.
Mounting evidence suggests that the notion that the 2007 crash happened because people with shoddy credit borrowed to buy houses they couldn’t afford is just plain wrong. The latest comes in a new NBER working paper arguing that it was wealthy or middle-class house-flipping speculators who blew up the bubble to cataclysmic proportions, and then wrecked local housing markets when they defaulted en masse.
https://qz.com/1064061/house-flippers-triggered-the-us-housing-market-crash-not-poor-subprime-borrowers-a-new-study-shows/
joe90 There a good article in that link u gave on the subprime reality on the alt right attack on googles principles and values
Wow must have upset someone high up the food chain in the government with my humane and Intelligent ideas to help reduce our prison population they must think I’m making a personal attack on there intelligent well no I’M not.
But my viewers can make up there own minds on whats intelligent and whats not.
Is it intelligent to carry on fulling our jails is it intelligent to copy or be coned to implement other larger Societies failing policy’s. Or is it intelligent to be original and make our own policy’s that suit our unique society.
They poured on the intimidation today but I’M use to it. Miss Paula Bennett just confirmed my statements made in my other post on how some people in the justice department view our Human rights and privacy rights national just keep digging that hole deeper and deeper.
Now there is someone in that outfit whom is really crafty or fucken stupid.
This is why I have said that the real people that run the government are public servants
and all these ideological dick heads that will fight the changes need to fix our Society need to get kicked out or our Society’s systems will not change fast enough to fight climate change and poverty in our Great Country.
Some of my fellow bloggers on this site that have been involved in politics for 30 years or more are skeptical of some of the public servants in the Bee hive so people take note of what they say. SO TO SAVE OUR ENVIRONMENTS and SOCIETY. PARTY VOTE GREEN
This film by John Pilger should be seen – especially given the ongoing events on the Korean Peninsula
John Pilger – a world war has begun: break the silence
Look who had their stickys all over the Kenyan the, since overturned [result], presidential election.
A firm that worked for Donald Trump and which once claimed ties to a pro-Brexit campaign group is now reportedly working for Kenya’s incumbent president.
Cambridge Analytica’s mission statement is simple. On its website, the firm says it “uses data to change audience behaviour.” Most notably, the company was hired by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and has been given some credit for Trump’s electoral success.
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-40792078
Kenya’s Supreme Court on Friday overturned last month’s presidential election, citing voting irregularities, and ordered a new election within 60 days. It declared President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election null and void.
It is the first time a presidential election in East Africa’s economic hub has been nullified. Supporters of opposition candidate Raila Odinga, 72, danced and cheered in the streets, and said they felt vindicated because he had contended that he lost because the electronic tally had been hacked.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/09/01/kenyas-supreme-court-declares-presidential-election-result-null/624115001/
+100joe90 they haved figured out that voters can be influenced by big data company’s and that undermines democracy YESS
Thanks joe90 that link backs up what I’ve said on my other post we must fight this deception of big data all over the world.
Am I having double vision or am I seeing twins?
Rod Oram destroys the arguments against Labour’s policy for a royalty on commercial water users here.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/02/45811/rod-oram-a-trickle-of-problems-for-a-big-problem
Outstanding article with rich links to the OECD paper that went into NZ pollution and water regulation in depth.
Thankyou BG.
Gee thanks Bearded one. That is a pretty concise compelling argument in favour of paying for water with the intention of reducing pollution.
One graph alone should disturb doubters. And the ECan commissioners have a lot to answer for.
Wonder if they will finally be removed by a Labour/Green Government?
+100 B G
Yes that’s the reason I back water charges it changes the perception of water frown worthless to something we will treasurer as water should be treasured as a life giving force it is
FWe have to plan these water policies so no one can manipulate them so the few will benefit at the cost of the many water should benefit all people the same .I have seen the fishery turn into a big mess and people were given practical big checks to accept what the systems the government wanted to put in place and what we got was not ideally suited to preserve our fisheries
What we got quoter system that ideally suited bankers
Rattling his sabre….
Tweets by ArmsControlWonk
Confirmed.
WHISTLE-BLOWER ALERT!!
The influence, IMO, of paid PR shills at the highest levels of Radio NZ.
See for yourselves the National Party connections…..
Subject: Radio New Zealand : Board of Governors
http://www.radionz.co.nz/about/board-profile
Chair of the Radio NZ Board.
“Mr Griffin is a director of the public relations consultancy, Fraser, Griffin, Wood.”
https://www.national.org.nz/news/2016-06-03-appointments-to-radio-new-zealand-board
“Richard Griffin of Nelson is a highly experienced former journalist.
He served as Chief Press Secretary and Senior Media Advisor to Rt Hon Jim Bolger and was RNZ’s longest serving political editor.
He has been instrumental in the strategic planning of organisations in New Zealand’s primary production and tourism sectors and the pharmaceutical and banking industries.”
http://solidbusinessnz.com/company/1944292/fraser-griffin-wood-limited
Company Info
Fraser Griffin Wood Limited was formed on May 18th 2007, so this company age is now ten years and three months and eighteen days.
It is listed in the register as a NZ Limited Company.
Fraser Griffin Wood Limited registered office is located at 34 Talavera Terrace, Kelburn, Wellington , New Zealand.
Current Fraser Griffin Wood Limited directors are:
Ian Geoffrey FRASER (appointed at May 18th 2007),
Richard Andrew GRIFFIN (appointed at May 18th 2007),
Susanne Mary WOOD (appointed at May 18th 2007).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Fraser_(broadcaster)
“Born in Dunedin, Fraser became well known in New Zealand as a television interviewer, working on current affairs shows from 1974-1984.
He then moved to public relations, becoming the chairman of Consultus and fronting a series of advertisements for the Bank of New Zealand.
After heading projects for New Zealand Expo in Brisbane and Seville, Fraser became chief executive of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
He moved to TVNZ in April 2002.
His wife, Suzanne Snively, is an economist and managing director of strategic and economic advice company, MoreMedia Enterprises.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Wood
“Suzanne Mary (Sue) Wood, born in Onehunga in 1948, served as the president of the New Zealand National Party from 1982 to 1986, the first woman to hold the post.
She had been a teacher, journalist and swimming coach.
Her term as president included the latter years of the Third National Governmentof Robert Muldoon, the 1984 general election, and the associated constitutional crisis.
Wood stood as the party candidate for Onehunga in the 1980 by-election and in the 1981 general election; she was then teaching at Onehunga High School.
In 2002 she stood in the seat of Mana, being defeated by Labour MP Luamanuvao Winnie Laban.
Although she held a relatively high party-list ranking of 19, National’s poor overall result in the 2002 election meant that she failed to enter Parliament.
She was the campaign manager for Auckland Future in 2016.[1]”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11224018
(Matthew Hooton)
“His wife, Cathy Wood, is the daughter of former National party president Sue Wood.”
_____________________
Penny Bright
2017 Independent candidate for Tamaki.
Exposing the $1.6 BILLION Tamaki GENTRIFICATION $CAM.
Your point is that there are political appointments, who are also qualified, to public sector boards.
So what.
Probably that they should appoint unqualified people like her to the Board?
Aren’t you both being a little too cute by half?
Jan Alwyn is never cute!!!
I have developed a fondness for alwyn; he’s part of the couleur locale here on, or should I say of, TS.
IMO – these FACTS arguably help explain why National broadcaster Radio NZ present paid PR shill$ like Matthew Hooton to present as ‘political commentators’?
IMO – particularly during an election, it’s a ‘conflict of interest’, particularly if paid PR shill$ have particular political parties as clients.
I think it STINKS.
Penny Bright
Are commentators on RNZ paid?
nominally i believe
If you can’t see that these are crony appointments to the Board of National Radio – which is supposedly meant to be independent of political influence….
my bold.
Steve Maharey 18 August 2004
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/television-new-zealand-and-current-broadcasting-context
what evidence have you or Penny Bright demonstrated of political corruption?
All Penny showed was a qualified Chair with political links. A Chair of a national public entity without political links cannot be effective in governance.
What do you mean “qualified”!
Political links automatically disqualify them.
Yup
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/09/newshub-poll-national-and-labour-in-one-on-one-fight-for-power.html
New Newshub Reid Research poll:
National – 43.3
Labour – 39.4
NZ First – 6.6
Green – 6.1
TOP – 1.9
MP – 1
ACT – 0.6
Preferred PM
Bill English – 30.1
Jacinda Ardern – 29.9
Winston Peters – 6.9
L/G now well ahead of National in both recent polls, and genuinely could get across the line alone (here’s hoping!).
Its getting really exciting now, being that its so close will both English and Ardern try to minimize mistakes or instead go for it?
Winston Peters may not be the king maker after all, there goes his ego so what will he do?
This is really fun 🙂
The nats have already burnt the NZ1 boat. They’re committed to all or nothing.
Labgrn are already going for electoral success, using teamwork
Are the greens facing extinction?
https://theprogressreport.co.nz/2017/09/03/election-forecast-the-end-of-the-greens/
short answer: highly doubtful, but anything’s possible.
Certainly touch & go
Hovering around 5% hurdle
His model however assumes the Greens will perform worse on Election Day than in current polls. Which might just be wrong this time (given the Greens are down to their core support rather than riding the crest of a late wave as in previous Elections – ie solid base support rather than froth (hard to be sure though))
# Precarious Position
And also haven’t the Greens picked up enough special votes to get another MP in the last few elections?
ScottGN
That is a good point. One thing no political poll captures (that I know of – maybe Horizon with being online rather than via phone), is the voting intentions of those overseas. This is a part of the electorate the GP strongly targets, and have preformed well with in the past (eg picking up an extra seat last election):
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/research-papers/document/00PLLawRP2015011/final-results-2014-general-election
Newshub Reid Research (Last 4 Polls)
Early June 2017 … Late July 2017 … Early Aug 2017 …… Late Aug 2017
Nat ….… 47 ……………………… 45 ………………….. 44 ………………….. 43
Lab ….… 26 ……………………… 24 ………………….. 33 ………………….. 39
NZF ….… 9 ………………….….… 13 …………………….9 ……………….…… 7
Green …13 ………………………. 13 ……………….….. 8 …………….….….. 6
.
NRR Preferred PM
Early June 2017 …… Late July 2017 …… Early Aug 2017 … Late Aug 2017
English 26 ……………………….. 26 ……………………. 28 ……………………. 30
Little .… 7…………………….………7
Ardern 7 ………………….……….. 9 ……………….……. 26 ……………………. 30
Peters 10 ……………………..….. 12 ………………….….10 …………….….……. 7
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Colmar Brunton (Last 4 Polls)
Early July 2017 … Late July 2017 …… Mid Aug 2017 …… Late Aug 2017
Nat ….47 ………………………. 47 ……………..…. 44….……….….…. 41
Lab ….27 ……………….…..…. 24…………………. 37…….…..……… 43
NZF .. 11 ……………….…….… 11 …………….……10.…….….……..… 8
Green 11 …………………….… 15 ………….…….….4.…….….…..……. 5
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Colmar Brunton Preferred PM
Early July 2017 …… Late July 2017 …… Mid Aug 2017 ……. Late Aug 2017
English 26 ………………………… 28 ……………………. 30 ……………….……. 33
Little …. 5………………………..…. 6
Ardern ..6 ………………….….…… 6 ……………….……. 30 ………………….…. 34
Peters .11 …………………….….. 10 …………….….….…. 7 ………………..….…. 4
Comparisons (2008-17)
Newshub Reid Research (3-4 Weeks out)
CB Aug 2017 …….……. Aug 2014 ……………. Nov 2011 …….…… Oct 2008
Nat .. 43 …………………..…. 45 (- 2) ……….….…..… 53 (- 10)….…….…. 45 (- 2)
Lab .. 39 …………………..…. 26 (+ 13)…………….…. 30 (+ 9)…..….…..… 39 ( = )
NZF … 7 ……………….…….… 6 (+ 1) …………….………2 (+ 5).…….….….… 3 (+ 4)
Green 6 ………….……….……14 (- 8) ………….…….….10 (- 4).…….….……. 7 (- 1)
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Colmar Brunton Comparisons ..…
Thanks for the analysis as always swordfish. It is a shame it was posted at eleven on a Sunday night, so might be missed by many – hopefully you can cut and paste it in a dedicated poll thread later. I found this interactive graph while looking about for the Reid Research results (doesn’t seem to be updated on their site yet), that gives the ability to see each polling companies results separately, which I like:
https://www.andrewchen.nz/polls
Silver Ferns just thrashed Australia.
Top work!
You go ladies yes let give them more publicity and more money congratulations
Dangerous National policy (?) on gangs called out by Dr Gilbert.
Also wants Bennett to resign.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11916458
is it a coincidence that those who lived through the last wave of Fascism are now dead?
Sir/Miss, what is Fascism?
A: use Google.
lol….I don’t think there is much debate about when the last period of fascism was even if you wish split hairs on definitions.
http://www.un.org/en/sections/universal-declaration/history-document/
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere. The document they considered, and which would later become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was taken up at the first session of the General Assembly in 1946. “
Well, even Winston Peters was a wee toddler back then but somebody should send this to Paula Bennett and their National MPs with a take-home message like those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it or something rather.
the best message that could be given is at the ballot box…they will take no notice of any other kind
Despite 9 long years of National in Government I still believe in helping to educate people 😉
does education overcome a base lust for power?
Good education might even increase the quest for power but at the same time we may be better prepared to deal with such when we are better educated. Basically, good education can lift us all and hopefully (!) get us in better shape and a better place overall.
education may indeed achieve that in the round…I was was speaking of the individual
It depends on the individual, the education this person receives and a zillion other factors. I think it is a generally unanswerable question TBH.
in this case the individual is Paula Bennet (and /or Blinglish)…does that make it any easier?
A little easier …
One is never too old to learn and it is never too late to change but only if one is open to learn & change …
They say a leopard doesn’t change his spots and Paula Bennett has a penchant for leopard prints …
Bill English is an old-school conservative …
I don’t write off people easily though; it goes against my nature …
If you want a good laugh, here’s John Key announcing National’s crackdown on methamphetamine and the gangs that supply it back in 2009. How’s that war on drugs going, National?
I’m not laughing; see my comment @ 17.3 https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-03092017/#comment-1378184