Sarah Cooper again. Presumably this was prompted by the candycorn skidmark gassing the clergy from their church across the road so he could waddle across and have his photo taken in front of it holding an upside-down black book (alleged to be a bible).
So easy to laugh at the biggest dummy in the room, no real sport in that as far as I can see…..here is really funny and brave comedian Larry Wilmore exposing why Donald Trump is Obama's main legacy…to Obama's face and pretty much ending his mainstream career in the process..turns out Democrats have about as much ability to laugh at themselves as they have for self analysis…ie; none.
Oh sure, Obama and the Dems are totes responsible for putting the Mandarin Mugabe into the Oval Office. The brazenness of incrementally pushing a law for equality here, implementing a government body to rein in the worst predatory practices of the financial industry there … nek minnit, a (half) black man has the temerity to win the presidency, and what's more, win it twice because he was actually good at the job.
Fuck me, they even made sure tens of millions of poor people got access to healthcare which they previously couldn't afford. Can't have that, of course that's going to boost a muddled asshole yearning to scream free into the highest office in the land.
Of course, self-absorbed narcissists falsely painting the tiny-fingered fascist and Hillary as somehow equivalent, or loony lefties amplifying repackaged Repug smears, and all kinds of other undermining from loony lefties prancing around on purity ponies had nothing to do with it. Didn't affect the vote one tiny bit. No sirree.
I imagine those of us in the habit of coming up with nicknames for the failed mail-order mediocre steak salesman have a communist attitude toward the fruit of our labours. I certainly feel more honoured than annoyed when someone else uses one of my originals, rare as that occasion may be.
Actually, come to think of it, that was a bit harsh.
Would you like me to list all the things I've called him, and you can tell me which ones you find particularly distressing, and I'll try not to re-use them?
It's interesting they're having a pile on for calling the terrified tunneler names, rather than join discussion of the startling events we currently see. Diversionary tactics?
And why keep going back to past governance as a way of detracting the subject from the maniacal mole-person who, inadvertently, has just kicked off a global civil rights movement.
Whoopsies!
Should we not talk about that?
Should we only use a somber tone if we do talk about that?
Should we tremble in awe at authority, knowing our rightful place as servants, as right wing nuts would believe is the solution?
Should we burn it all to the ground as left wing nuts believe is the answer?
There is no humor in either of those camps.
Deep diving Don and the demolition men are on the run. America is in the midst of a pandemic and a revolution. This is the largest call for systemic change ever, the whole world is watching, taking notes and names, and people of color and their allies are not backing down.
Well those Muricans are just damned ungrateful aren't they. After Obama made life so so peachy for them all they have the gall to vote in the worst candidate the country could dredge up.
Why do you suppose the electorate felt so disenfranchised that they welcomed a sexists, racist, fascist moron for President?
For full marks your answer must not contain the following words:
For starters, the American electorate rejected the sexist, racist, fascist moron, by a margin of 65.9 million to 63.0 million. It was the Electoral College that barfed up the Douche ex Machina.
Then there's the uncomfortable demonstration that a sizable minority of the American electorate are themselves sexist, racist morons that aren't bothered enough by the prospect of fascism to vote against it. Which includes many that describe themselves as lefties that get their jollies prancing around on purity ponies trying to demonise non-fascist leftie candidates that actually have a chance of winning election but fail to meet their fantasies.
…. non-fascist leftie candidates that actually have a chance of winning election but fail to meet their fantasies.
Have you ever LISTENED to Biden and Clinton and Schumer talking? The hatefulness of these "non-fascist leftie candidates", unfortunately, is not a fantasy….
When my in-laws were alive, this often happened and we would have to just accommodate that. The truth is, while we sometimes had a disability card, with elderly friends their mobility was often variable, and sometimes it took a while to get to where they needed to go. I can understand that some without mobility for a while don't have the ability or time to get the card. (That's what I told myself anyway. It doesn't result in rage. Note: we never parked in the disability spots regardless. With two able bodied persons, most outings could be accommodated, just by using one of us for drop off and pick up. Left the carparks free for those without that option. )
I understand that his stress levels and frustration may be high, but the effect of releasing that energy in such a way would be detrimental not only to himself (and the car) but for his son that had to witness it.
He's such a fuckwit, and I hope progressives understand that some of us were pointing out his authoritarian tendancies when he was going hard out against anti-vaxxers. There are all sorts of ways to deal with the problem of misuse of mobility parks, but I suspect this isn't about that but about his personality and belief that he is always right.
And isn't he wanting to go into parliament under the Maori Party banner? Yet another doctor not happy with doing his job and joining a right wing party" Crikey – the woods are already full of them!
Not sure about that – I suspect the gNats or ACT would welcome him on board if they thought it would suit their purpose. Even NZ1 under hold-the-ladder-steady, cargo-cultist, exceptional Shane. He might have to watch a bit of porn though from time to time.
The Māori Party I think are currently "pivoting" like everybody else
I think he's already been turned down by the Nats, tho that was under Simon Bridges. He might be just the ticket considering the current conversations about their dominating paleness at the moment !
In our town, we just let the person in the shop etc know if someone without a card uses the disabled park. They they let the whole shop know through the loud speaker, it works a treat.
Arrogance and entitlitis was what I thought when I read the article. But not to fret, he has got himself some anger management.
We got the modern corporate apology too. Loaded with excuses and diversions.
My mum has one of the mobility permits and I know of a couple of times she has come back to the car and the permit was on the floor of the car. Inadvertantly swept it off the dashboard with handbag, scarf etc.
" My mum has one of the mobility permits and I know of a couple of times she has come back to the car and the permit was on the floor of the car. Inadvertantly swept it off the dashboard with handbag, scarf etc. "
For those in our public sector research and development communities, this volume of fresh funding is very, very rare over the years. Our Crown Research Institutes for example have pumped out massive horticultural innovations that have built whole new sectors of our economy.
And R&D loans are a nice untargeted way of giving businesses the opportunity to think harder and longer without doing the usual thing of mortgaging the house.
She's no one for oratory or large abstract nouns, but she delivers.
I hope she does very well in the next Cabinet placings.
I disagree Ad. Not only does she deliver, but she also makes sense when interviewed.
Labour needs to push her (and others) forward to counter National's oft-repeated (and erroneous) contention that this is a government with a cabinet of only 2 competent Labour people.
But Parker's binning of RMA scrutiny for infrastructure developments over the next 2 years is a little too close to ACT policy for me-the public needs the checks and balances provided by the RMA.
The council's head of three waters and waste, Helen Beaumont, said a home priced at $500,000 has an allocation of 800 to 900 litres, whereas a $1 million dollar home gets about 1700 litres.
As a manager of a couple of small water schemes I’d call it the path of least resistance…..
Residential water usage and perceived entitlement is pretty proportional to property value and you can waste a lot of time and have a lot of unproductive arguments trying to fight that.
The miscreants at the upper end will be gross abusers and this policy will deal with them without getting into fights with everyone
Plenty of times I've seen Watercare front up with live modelling to Auckland Council showing precisely how different communities with different-sized families get impacted across different pricing staircases.
I've seen them go through 10 models, each overlaying water pricing upon a proposed rates increase to show essentially a wealth-based cumulative impact.
Why the hell we don't have a single water price regulator yet is incomprehensible.
The arguments can be won, and often have.
If this kind of decision were from central government it would have a BORA rider on it. Failing that someone should have a sit-down with the Human Rights Commission.
I've seen them go through 10 models, each overlaying water pricing upon a proposed rates increase to show essentially a wealth-based cumulative impact.
The core problem with all water pricing models is the disconnect between the actual costs of delivering water, and any pricing model consumers would accept.
Cost of supply is at least 90% fixed capital and overheads that remain the same regardless of volume. Paradoxically as volumes go down the cost per unit to deliver goes up … strongly.
While at the same time consumers have a certain very inelastic minimum demand they must have regardless of price, they are only prepared to pay on usage basis. But then they resist the metering necessary to implement it.
It's all a complex mess that never makes anyone happy. The best you can hope for is a tolerable muddle.
What do you reckon that very inelastic minimum demand might be? I vaguely recall places in northern europe having per capita consumptions in the vicinity of 80 litres per day.
Personally I'm a bit under 50 litres per day at home, so my typical water bill is around $20/month fixed charge for the connection and $6/month for supplying the water I use and taking it away again.
So when Christchurch is talking about putting excess usage charges on households with usages of 900 litres/day or 1700 litres/day, that's a definite hmmm moment.
While a consumer’s baseline demand is inelasstic, the perception of many water users is that an allocation of water is infinitely elastic.
The obvious solution of metering is not for the faint hearted, it will get very emotive very quickly. And that goes for small households that are actually really good with their usage through to large irrigators. Although with consent monitoring by regional councils the large users are really good now, most of my grief comes from larger residential blocks, especially when they’ve just moved down from Auckland.
New Zealand First and Labour have been negotiating a deal for nearly two months and Justice Minister Andrew Little said he regretted that for some landlords and tenants it would be too late.
…
While the prime minister, finance minister and Little have been pushing for a more compulsory arrangement, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters told RNZ last week he wouldn't play a part in breaking the sanctity of contracts.
Also a moving and unpredictable target. The way events have transpired it only needs to be about rent remission through levels 4 and maybe 3 over a couple of months.
Had things gone differently it could have been a very different situation requiring the unwinding of a lot of leases and other contracts. Which would have been something else altogether.
Prudent for government to wait and see what they were dealing with.
We’re affected and I think they’ve got it right with substance and timing. Time to bang some heads together, to use the commercial phrase.
The person parking without displaying a valid mobility card could, hypothetically, be charged with "behaviour likely to cause violence": a law more likely to be enforced in smaller towns such as Rotorua, or Kaitaia. So I suspect "The Trial of the Good Doctor" has a more, at this stage… whimsical… element to it.
Nothing changes in the States, even after having their first Black POTUS….just goes to show that the liberal ideology doesn't care what colour or sex you are as long as you are prepared to maintain their power structures and political status quo.
Those whining about liberals have had five years since Bernie burst on the scene to make the case for whatever flavour of illiberalism you want to impose. And failed. Utterly and miserably.
If you want to keep trying to attack those that really are trying to improve the world for the majority of people, ie those currently commonly called liberals, then go right ahead. But just don't be surprised when the reaction is "stick it up your ass right back where it came from".
Please explain: how does criticising the likes of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Charles Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, the comically inept “Mayor Pete” and the hilarious (unintentionally) Jerry Nadler make one “illiberal”? And how was the "liberal" Joe Biden "trying to improve the world for the majority of people" on this occasion?
Biden is a long way from being my first choice. But he is the first choice of most of those that are bearing the brunt of the really nasty shit going down in the US. That choice deserves respect, if you are capable of any.
Your clip in lieu of an argument is from sometime last century. Things have evolved since then. Maybe that's why you didn't come up with something a bit more recent.
… he is the first choice of most of those that are bearing the brunt of the really nasty shit going down in the US.
No he's not. He's despised by black and Latino social activists, who rightly hold him accountable for the massive incarceration industry that flowed from his obscene and racist Crime Bill.
Your clip in lieu of an argument is from sometime last century. Things have evolved since then.
I have argued, often, that Biden is unfit for office of any kind. Sometimes, though, a few minutes of the man actually performing is enough to gauge his character.
Maybe that's why you didn't come up with something a bit more recent.
Yes, there have been revelations recently about his less publicized (at the time) behaviour back in 1993—the same year he was sneering at the very idea of social deprivation, and railing against black "predators"—"born out of wedlock"—threatening "my mother."
That Biden rooster in the above clip is a tad Trumpesque in his approach.
Complex issues are black and white, he doesn't care about extenuating circumstances and using emotive examples to get them 'off the streets and into jail'. And that is a Democrat!
To be fair it is more accurate to say Trump is Bidenesque as that clip predates Trump entering politics by about 25 yrs.
Yes, it's clear, Biden shouldn't be elected over Trump.
While Biden exposed his limitations and unfitness for office in 1993 Trump was in his golden bloom. That led all these years later to the inspirational leadership, the humanity and enlightened ways we've witnessed in recent years. Going into the 2020s Trump is the one.
The fact that Biden is despised by black and Latino social activists (you say further down) further accentuates the gap between the two. No activists or any groups despise Trump to any extant let alone to the level of Biden.
Some said the choice last time was for the lesser of two evils. At least this time there's only one evil and one who has made America great again.
In the link below civil rights veteran Bob Woodson touches on your point of having blacks in positions of power, stating black struggles are an issue of class.
Tucker Carlson is about the only person making much sense on this crisis.
I've held back from saying much on this tragic mess because while people are still protesting, looting and attacking the police emotions will rule. Facts will mean little.
But here are the crude numbers: black Americans consist of around 15% of the population, about 25- 30 % of police shootings, and perpetrate 52% of the homicides.
In recent years between 200 – 240 black are killed by the police, while at the same time some 6000 are killed by other blacks. An black man in the USA is at least 20 times more likely to be killed by another black man than a cop.
And it turns out adding diversity to the police makes little difference, black cops shoot blacks at very similar rates to white cops. There is in fact remarkably little evidence to show, that once all the variables are controlled for, that the police as a whole, are substantially biased against black citizens.
Watching even a few seconds of the video of George Floyd's death had us all united in one thing, that something went very, very wrong at that moment. And the cops involved have now been charged. Minnesota Police, the same people who brought us the death of Justine Damond , will come under even more scrutiny.
Nor can the obvious dangers of policing in a society where guns are routinely carried be neglected. Cops must treat every person they encounter as potentially armed and likely to try and kill them at any moment; this must have a deeply corrosive and brutalising effect on a person who must work in such an environment day in day out.
This is a very emotive and complex story, but I agree with Woodson, the real issues of race are being used as a ruse for something else here. Just a few months ago Andrew Yang was openly predicting exactly this kind of rioting if the USA failed to address the deepening economic inequality and insecurity across the whole of their society, regardless of ethnicity. There is the root cause, and it's especially sharp in the immediate aftermath of the COVID shutdown, most working families in the US are now broke or very close to it. This is the crisis that BLM, Antifa and other far left actors are exploiting for their own purposes.
What you can be also sure of is that the vast majority of ordinary Americans, are horrified and ashamed of the burning, the looting and the attacks on the police forces they all rely on.
There is in fact remarkably little evidence to show, that once all the variables are controlled for, that the police as a whole, are substantially biased against black citizens.
Ever had the experience of riding along with a black man driving when they've been pulled over for a DWB (driving while black)? I've had it happen, once in New Jersey once in Wisconsin, both times very presentable marketing managers driving, on our way to meetings where I was coming along for technical support. Both of them said afterwards that DWB stops go a whole lot better when there's a presentable white person in the car with them.
And the initial cop approach to the car was very different to all the traffic stops I had as a driver. So I've got some direct personal experiences that will need to be overcome with very good evidence before I'll buy in to the idea that there isn't a lot of racism in US police forces.
I couldn't even be fucking bothered. Just another case of "identity politics distracts from the real issue" bullshit, but this time spread lavishly between two extra thick pieces of white bread.
A whole bunch of Black American voices say otherwise, as well as Native Americans, Latinos and Asians, I'll listen to them, and believe them (quietly, the last thing they need is another know it all white guy telling them what's good for them), rather than someone who doesn't think white privilege exists.
There are also plenty of black voices with other points of view; they don't get much attention at moments like this, but they're not hard to find either. This of course is the fatal flaw of identity politics, the entirely racist notion that all people of the same ethnicity think the same.
Of course white privilege exists; it's exactly what you would expect in a society where the majority of people are white. All societies, regardless of ethnicity organise themselves to suit their own cultural preferences and values; and this innately privileges the in-group over others. It would be quite weird if it were otherwise.
All perfectly good logic in general and I've no particular quibble with that thread. But the context of police shootings is quite different; from the perspective of a cop any random black person they encounter in the daily course of their work … is 2 – 3 times more likely to be a dangerous than a random person of any other ethnicity.
The thread is quite right, ordinary people mostly mingle with other ordinary people and making assumptions about a whole group of people based on the behaviour of a tiny criminal minority of that group is by definition racism. But police by the very nature of their profession do not mingle with ordinary people, they have to deal with that tiny minority. Their experience is quite different, especially in a society where dangerous criminals are also very likely to be armed.
It is a brutal logic, but their daily lived experience all the same.
But the context of police shootings is quite different; from the perspective of a cop any random black person they encounter in the daily course of their work … is 2 – 3 times more likely to be a dangerous than a random person of any other ethnicity.
But that "2-3 times" is 99.9% vs 99.8% to not be a murderer. 94% vs 95% to not even need arresting that year. So "random" people being encountered should be treated equally. But they're not. They're ulled over at different rates, arrested at different rates, and shot at different rates.
Sure, listen to those POCs with other POVs, but there's literally 1000s right now, screaming their stories, of harassment and racism, and I won't ignore that. To deny there's institutionalised racism is delusional, juries often let white people off killing black Americans because like your reasoning (maybe wrong word, long day at work, tired), they think they are more likely to shoot than non blacks, ie: "they're scary".
Pointing to all the ordinary people who don't commit crimes is largely irrelevant in this context. The experience of police is different to you or I. They deal with criminals every day, we don't and as a result theirs is a highly selective view of ethnicity.
Racism is by definition an irrational prejudice against an ethnic group, but what if from an average American cop's perspective it was entirely rational?
Sticking the racist label on this is great if heaping guilt on white people is your goal, but you've been doing this for decades with little to show for it. The outcomes for minorities and people of colour remain stubbornly poor.
So excuse me if I'm inclined to peel back your label and peek under it.
Except it's not rational. It's disproportionate. They make more arrests of black people at traffic stops because they pull over black drivers as a fishing expedition, but only pull over white drivers for explicit cause. They are more likely to shoot unarmed black people than unarmed white people in similar circumstances. They are more likely to use force on black people than white people in similar circumstances.
From an actual, rational, comparative risk assessment, the differentiating factor between force levels is the ethnicity of the person facing the officer. That's why white women call the cops when they're asked to leash their dogs by a black man.
Peek under that fucking label all you want. Just take your blinkers off, first.
"Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to physical appearance and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism
Some beliefs formed early are like stubborn stains – hard to shift.
America Doesn’t Need Another Commission to Expose Its Racism
“There is evidence of lawless police action against whites and Negroes alike, but the dominant pattern is that of race prejudice,” the committee wrote. “Negroes have been shot, supposedly in self-defense, under circumstances indicating, at best, unsatisfactory police work in the handling of criminals, and, at worst, a callous willingness to kill.” The [1947] report changed nothing.
They are more likely to shoot unarmed black people than unarmed white people in similar circumstances. They are more likely to use force on black people than white people in similar circumstances.
The logical trap you are falling into is this; small differences at the mean become quite large ones at the extreme. In ordinary life there is no excuse to treat black and white people differently, but the police operate at the extremes.
The circumstances they are operating in are not similar to the ones you and I experience. Hence they treat whites and blacks differently and there are different outcomes. No-one is saying this is a good thing, no-one is defending it, no-one is saying there are not cops who revert to brutal, racist stereotypes. No-one is saying nothing can be done about it.
But police are ordinary people as well, doing a tough, shitty and essential job. If we want them to change their behaviour, understanding their experience from their perspective is the logical place to start.
I saw a girl similar to one of my kids ages on a BLM march, & I realised it's something I'll never need to do with my kid.
& I saw this woman addressing a crowd of mostly whites, and asking them to put up their hand if any of them would want to be black in the USA, there wasn't many takers.
It is emotional, and complicated, but it exists. Same as here, and in Aus.
Of course you and I have the remarkable privilege to live in two small countries that are very well governed comparatively, and we have the luxury of sneering down at the USA with it's well understood problems.
But most people in the world have a quite different view.
That's clever Joe90, it's interesting the more you arm the police, the more terrified they are. The cops were charged over Floyds death, would they have been without the protests? What does history say? (how many cops have been charged with murder, or accessory to murder, SFA).
It's very easy to condemn police from behind the safety of your keyboard. It's my view that most people here shitting on them wouldn't last 10 minutes in the job.
Red Logix There is a time for every purpose under heaven. ( From the Bible.)
This matter of the Floyd shooting is a time for reacting with shock and horror and not easy-peasy reasonableness. It is not reasonable and don't lose all your brownie points RL trying to say otherwise. Read the below that Gordon Campbell at Werewolf on Scoop has taken the time and trouble to write and illustrate why we should be upset and shaming the USA police in that State.
There's plenty giving the cops shit standing in front of them, and getting beaten for it. If cops can't handle being cops no one is forcing them. And their toxic masculinity macho bullshit is awful anyway. There are enquiries aplenty with cops turning off body cameras, thank goodness there's plenty of people with phones filming them. I also think it's my prerogative to criticise racist, violent, arsehole cops, so there.
I'm proud of our own cops, they've really shown themselves as a professional, calm, rational force. I don't want them armed, even though I'm not likely to ever be at risk.
You wouldn't last 10 mins at my job, like I wouldn't at yours, that's such a dumb argument, I know I wouldn't last 10 mins being a cop, coz I'd hate it. It does seem to attract some unsuitable people though huh? (More in US than here, though we've had some bad ones).
To condemn the rioting—which I believe to be a moral and political imperative—is not at all the same thing as opposing the protests. Many observers have been reluctant to do the former because they wish to avoid the latter. I maintain that this is a grave mistake. On the contrary, sympathy for the protesters’ reform agenda would seem to require condemning the nefarious deeds of looters and arsonists. For the rioting plays right into the hands of those political forces that are least sympathetic to the interests of poor communities of color. Mark my words: The violence from these protests will, if it persists, provoke a vicious backlash. It will discourage people from viewing the plight of the minority poor with compassion and understanding.
Actually, her crime is nothing more than infelicitous phrasing. If you want to look for people who actually, rather than clumsily and unintentionally, dehumanize black people, you need look no further than the United States President, or the Democratic Party candidate in 2016, or the presumptive Democratic nominee in 2020.
Her three hearts are an indication of how much she loves herself. She has used the tragedy to turn attention to how high her spirituality is, how kind she is, and preach lovely phrases to her admiring readers.
"Opportunists picking what they see as the winning side or shifting sands in the base?"
Both I reckon. But I am somewhat heartened that some conservatives seem to think Trump has gone too far. Not sure why, maybe it's the involvement of the military? They do actually fear a fascist state?
Well, here's The Lincoln Project's latest ad. Yes, old-skool Republicans really don't want a fascist state. But there's very few old-skool Republicans left after the impact of the orange asteroid that destroyed the party of dinosaurs.
When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.
I'm really curious about what kinds of talks are going right now on in military settings about oaths to the constitution, obligations to follow orders from the Commander-in-Chief vs the obligation to not carry out an illegal order, and so on.
It's not just idle curiosity, it could really make a difference to how the next few months and years play out.
On the day Mattis called Trump a threat to the Constitution, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reminds service people that their oath is to the Constitution.
This memo is fascinating. The text — a direct reminder that soldiers' highest loyalty is to the Constitution — is less interesting than the subtext, that the reminder is deemed vitally necessary at this moment: pic.twitter.com/9l9awUNaZD
Thanks for that. Wonder if this from Gallego from a couple of days ago had anything to do with it.
edit: Gonna be fascinating if it turns out to be the military that puts a lid on the Wrath of Con. That’s not their constitutional role. That responsibility belongs to the legislative branch (Congress) and the judicial branch (the courts), which have both run away from doing their job.
The military exists to protect Americans, not harm them. I have one simple question for Chairman Milley. pic.twitter.com/0LduJSE1sD
Just In: NBC’s Mike Kosnar obtains a statement from the Bureau of Prisons about their un-badged officers in DC. It’s long so I screen-shotted it, and their previous statement, sent upon their deployment pic.twitter.com/BbTdJNDpBg
but it makes heartening reading .It is possible to feed ourselves locally without industrialised agro /chemical technology
Many urban Russians own or rent dachas where its customary to grow food, and the practise of growing one's own food has not died out as in many western countries
"By autumn 2017, Vladimir Putin had publicly set a goal for Russia to become the world’s top producer and exporter of organic agriculture. In the summer of 2018, the Russian president signed legislation creating official standards, labeling and certification procedures for organic products produced for commercial sale in Russia that went into effect in 2020. Government support will be available to organic farmers, and a public registry will be created listing certified producers."
That's genuinely interesting francesca. The whole aspect of the dacha and how central it is to ordinary Russian family life is often missed in the Western world.
Contrary to what you may have imagined from my comment on the other post around the crisis facing the Russian people, I'm not anti-Russian in the slightest. About 20 years ago I had the remarkable chance to live and work there for a period and I still have many powerful memories of the experience.
It's a bloody minefield trying to get a clear idea of what actually life is like for the ordinary Russians with so much noise and propagandistic static coming at you. I have always found Russian literature and culture and history fascinating, and so diverse!
Met a few, and really liked them
Actually Red I find you one of the most balanced and thoughtful commenters on here, always worth reading , even when we disagree you're never insulting or nasty or resort to cheap putdowns
That 1 remains an ongoing worry. I really hope the care and support bubble around them is kept strong, and that the authorities are really looking after those inside that bubble to give them every reason to keep that bubble secure.
Active doesn’t necessarily mean infectious. On average, a good 200 people per day arrive at our borders. Anyone of them could be another case. Our borders are ‘closed’ but they are not hermetically sealed. At present (as at 1 June), there are 2,760 people in quarantine and managed isolation.
I've spent the last three days collecting stories from the protests in small towns across the US. If you're from a small town like me, you get it: these protests really fucking matter: https://t.co/FrrXlOTtbS
"Pop 12,000 and 96.6% white. I wasn't expecting much. We are isolated and remote. But, on the way home from work, the sight of this on the courthouse lawn made me catch my breath." pic.twitter.com/0Oma7XU3Wz
Amazing stuff, loved reading all that. Reminded me about the NZ anti tour marches, the Hamilton, AK & Wellington ones of course, but I remember being absolutely fascinated about the one they had in Westport (or Hokitika? Somewhere smallville west coast) & there was about 3-5 people marching.
…Space scientists are concerned that defunct models could collide with active satellites or the International Space Station, which would then cause more debris, setting off a catastrophic chain reaction that could wipe out telecommunications systems – a phenomenon known as Kessler Syndrome….
And in that link is an example of how space technology wants to take over a Scottish bog and probably every available unused space, rather like British colonials claiming NZ land not being farmed by Maori, as 'waste land'.
We in NZ are feeling very smart at getting involved in rocket building and launching for space. Always doing the wrong thing. Twerps R'Us.
All the top sporting organisations in New Zealand have been beholden to their sponsors, and dictating if and when we can see them on television – all used to be free to air (Golf/Rugby/Netball/Tennis/Soccer/Yachting and others) and paying their top stars huge and inflated salaries – you could say almost pure capitalism in practice.
Suddenly a pandemic and these prima donnas salaries are under threat – and it seems their governing organisations have their hands out for some government relief. Top sports are a nice-to-have but in these times, a bit of a luxury.
I wonder how long it will be before the much heralded and wonderful "essential service" employees around the country, will be going cap in hand to the bargaining tables for a pay rise.
Tamati Coffey – and some other Labour MPs? – needs to learn the most basic rule of election campaigns. His job now is silence.
What Jacinda Ardern says matters very much. What ordinary MPs say does not matter at all – until they say something stupid. Then it's a headline.
Three months of self-discipline, and Labour win. National can't win, unless Labour start aiming gun at foot. Don't give free hits to the media or the opposition.
If you don't remember 2008-17, listen to somebody who does.
Agree. Coffey has to remember that our privately-owned media (including our 'state enterprises') will show him in the worst possible light if they can.
Interesting that Human Rights Commission expressed concern at Covid-19 public health response bill passed under urgency. The HRC points out on its website that the NZ Bill of Rights Act does not override any Act passed into law that infringes it. A reasonable question to ask therefore may be: what is the purpose of a Bill of Rights if not to clearly lay out the freedoms of an individual in a fair and open society? What effective purpose does the Bill of Rights serve? After all, given the lack of oversight to the “science” provided by the WHO, it seems that NZers rights are vulnerable to the edicts of global entities.
Good question about the Bill of Rights. Had a protest form offered to me today about the lockdown and infringing on freedoms. Put a note on it that I in precautionary measures at this time, and so would any citizen who was concerned about the community wellbeing where they live.
We have to remember that laws are brought in by people about people, and if they need to be overruled everyone should know why. I think all thinking people understand the whys of the lockdown, and how practical it has been; we feel the pain straight away and fix it rather than dragging it out, along with lots of bodies, over a longer period.
After his first cabinet meeting as top dog, Chris ‘Chippy’ Hipkins gave his first speech from the podium as Prime Minister. Since his election as Labour leader he has been clear that the government’s agenda would be pared back to “bread and butter issues”. So the decision to can ...
Hipkins says the Government was doing “too much too fast”. Now it’s praying clearing the decks will also clear the way to a better election result. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: He’s done it. New PM Chris Hipkins has ‘cleared the decks’ of all manner of flotsam and ...
A deeply-statistically-flawed poll the other day reported that 43.8 percent do not trust the National Party leader. I say deeply-statistically-flawed because it can be empirically proven that this data is non-correct.Let me show my working.The Newshub-Reid Research poll asks 1,000 random New Zealanders what they reckon. Thus we can infer ...
Hipkins held his expected bonfire of the policies today, ditching the RNZ/TVNZ merger, punting hate speech legislation to the Law Commission (which basicly means it will never happen), and dumping the "bougie dole" social insurance scheme. But along the way, he also shitcanned a key part of the government's emissions ...
Fonterra’s farmers will be relieved that prices in the Global Dairy Trade auction this week have rebounded – up 3.2% across the board. It is the first rise since December 6 The index had fallen 2.8% on January 3 and 0.1% on January 17, to kick off 2023 on a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Announcements on the provision of aid – to Auckland, Turkey and Syria – are recorded on the Beehive website today along with a statement from the PM about his flying visit to Australia. This was Chris Hipkins’ first overseas visit since he took office, enabling him ...
There’s a 19th century flavour to National’s “social investment” strategy, in that it aims to seek capital from philanthropists and charitable organisations – some of them having their own religious agendas- to fund and deliver the provision of social services. Beyond that point, the details are remarkably scarce. Regardless, “social ...
Karl du Fresne writes – The jury has returned its verdict, and it’s emphatic. New Zealanders want the country’s name left as it is. In a Newshub-Reid Research poll, respondents were asked what they thought New Zealand should be known as. Fifty-two percent wanted the country to be ...
Poorly-managed diabetes results in amputations and other expensive hospital treatments – an example of how charging patients to access their medication ends up costing more in the long run. Photo: Getty ImagesTLDR: The phrase ‘penny wise and pound foolish’ is one that applies across much of the Government’s approach to ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes- In recent decades the Labour Party has lost its traditional connection with working-class voters, becoming more of a middle-class party of liberalism. This is especially true of Labour’s historic connection with working-class Māori. This is a constituency that the party used to monopolise. ...
In recent decades the Labour Party has lost its traditional connection with working class voters, becoming more of a middle class party of liberalism. This is especially true of Labour’s historic connection with working class Māori. This is a constituency that the party used to monopolise. But ever since the ...
Hi,I wanted to thank everyone who responded to A New Day, a New Cease & Desistover the last five days or so. So many readers have brushed up against MLMs — and they’re something I want to push further into. Did I hear from good old Jonathan Callinan, the ...
As the planet continues to cook, extreme weather events like those we experienced over the last two weeks are set to become more frequent. How we plan our cities to mitigate the risks of climate change will inevitably be more salient going forward, and that will only increase over time. ...
TLDR: For paying subscribers, here’s the key scoops, breaking news and key links I’ve picked up this morning, as at 6.40 am, including:the Reserve Bank of Australia hiked its official cash rate to a 10-year high and warned of more hikes to come, which was more hawkish than expected; RBABP ...
A year ago this week we saw the headline “Mask-wearing 17-year-old egged by aggressive convoy protesters”. As the protestors settled in for their long campout in opposition to vaccination requirements they demonstrated their commitment to standing up for the rights of the individual by verbally abusing, and throwing eggs at, ...
Chris Hipkins has become New Zealand’s 41st prime minister following Ardern’s unexpected resignation—perhaps the bold and unpredictable move Labour needed to improve its election chances. Just six days into his premiership and Labour had its first lead over National in thirteen weeks. National has had a largely uninterrupted run of ...
Good people can come into your life imperceptibly. It can seem they’re just there one day being remarkable. Nat Torkington, for instance.We were both online from the early days, I’m assuming that’s where we first connected; maybe in the UseNet newsgroups, or maybe later through Public Address.But it was when ...
One of New Zealand’s biggest electricity generators, Genesis Energy, has given the go-ahead for a large solar farm near Lauriston on the Canterbury Plains, an hour’s drive south of Christchurch. It is part of Genesis’ strategy of replacing thermal baseload with renewable generation – a mix of wind and solar. ...
Buzz from the Beehive We found just one fresh announcement on the Beehive website this morning, when we made our first visit since 4 February. It was posted in the name of Nanaia Mahuta, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, and explained why she was not at Waitangi at the weekend. ...
Hipkins is doing the right thing for New Zealanders already living in Australia, but there’s now a growing risk of a fresh surge of net emigration of frustrated young Kiwis across the Tasman. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Employers here in Aotearoa are desperate to keep their best-trained, most-productive ...
This post contains two guest posts from readers, both of which were sent to us after the flooding on Friday 27 January, both of which discuss how we handle our stormwater. This is a guest post from Ed Clayton, who’s written for us before about Auckland’s relationship with freshwater, ...
TLDR: For paying subscribers, here’s the key breaking news, scoops and links I’ve found since 4 am this morning, as of 7 am, including:A 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,200 in Turkey near its border with Syria; ReutersMetService has warned a new cyclone is forming north of Aotearoa that ...
The politics of Waitangi and the Treaty evident over the weekend have moved into a new space. The politics of Waitangi and the Treaty evident over the weekend have moved into a new space. There is a new wave of Maori activism, which sees the Treaty as a living ...
Originally published by The Hill After decades of failure to pass major federal climate legislation, Congress finally broke through last year with the Inflation Reduction Act and its close to $400 billion in clean energy investments. Energy modeling experts estimated that these provisions would help the U.S. cut its carbon pollution ...
Apology Accepted? “I dropped the ball on Friday, I was too slow to be seen …The communications weren’t fast enough – including mine. I’m sorry for that.”–Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown.HOW OFTEN do politicians apologise? Sincerely apologise? Not offer voters the weasel words: “If my actions have offended anyone, then I ...
At first blush, Christopher Luxon’s comment at the parliamentary powhiri at Waitangi this year sounded tone deaf. The Leader of the Opposition in talking about the Treaty of Waitangi described New Zealand as “a little experiment”. It seemed to diminish the treaty and the very idea of our nation. Yet ...
THE (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding. BRIAN EASTON writes: Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It ...
A brief postscript to yesterday’s newsletter…Watching the predawn speeches just now, the reverence of those speaking and the respectful nature of those listening under umbrellas in the dark. I felt a great sadness at the words from Christopher Luxon last evening still in my head. The singing in the dark accompanied ...
by Don Franks While on holiday,I stayed a few days in Scotland with a friend who showed me one of the country’s great working-class achievements. It was a few miles out of central Edinburgh, a huge cantilever bridge across the river Forth. The Forth Bridge was the first major structure ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic and ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 29, 2023 thru Sat, Feb 4, 2023. Story of the Week Social change more important than physical tipping points1.5-degree Goal not plausible Photo: CLICCS / Universität Hamburg Limiting global ...
So Long - And Thanks For All The Fish: In the two-and-a-bit years since Jacinda Ardern’s electoral triumph of 2020, virtually every decision she made had gone politically awry. In the minds of many thousands of voters a chilling metamorphosis had taken place. The Faerie Queen had become the Wicked ...
Look at us here on our beautiful islands in the South Pacific at the start of 2023, we have come so far.Ten days ago we saw a Māori Governor General swearing in our new PM and our first Pasifika Deputy PM, ahead of this year’s parliament where they will be ...
The Herald’s headline writers are at it again! A sensible and balanced piece by Liam Dann on the battle against inflation carries a headline that suggests that NZ is doing worse than the rest of the world. Check it out and see for yourself if I am right. Is this ...
Photo by Anna Demianenko on UnsplashTLDR: Here’s my longer reads and listens for the weekend for sharing with The Kaka’s paying subscribers. I’ve opened this one up for all to give everyone a taste of the sorts of extras you get as a full paying subscriber.Subscribe nowDeeper reads and listens ...
Hello from the middle of a long weekend where I’m letting the last few days unspool, not ready, not yet, to give words to the hardest of what we heard.Instead, today, here are some good words from other people.Mother CourageWhen I wrote last year about Mum and Dad’s move to ...
Workers Now is a new slate of candidates contesting this year’s general election. James Robb and Don Franks are the people behind this initiative and they are hoping to put the spotlight on working people’s interests. Both are seasoned activists who have campaigned for workers’ rights over many decades. Here is ...
Buzz from the Beehive Politicians keen to curry favour with Māori tribal leaders have headed north for Waitangi weekend. More than a few million dollars of public funding are headed north, too. Not all of this money is being trumpeted on the Beehive website, the Government’s official website. ...
Insurers face claims of over $500 million for cars, homes and property damaged in the floods. They are already putting up premiums and pulling insurance from properties deemed at high risk of flooding. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: This week in the podcast of our weekly hoon webinar for paying subscribers, ...
Our Cranky Uncle Game can already be played in eight languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. About 15 more languages are in the works at various stages of completion or have been offered to be done. To kick off the new year, we checked with how ...
The (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding.Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It refers to ‘government’ on ...
It’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump on this link for our chat about the week’s news with special guests Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick and Auckland City Councillor Julie Fairey, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which ...
In March last year, in a panic over rising petrol prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government made a poor decision, "temporarily" cutting fuel excise tax by 25 cents a litre. Of course, it turned out not to be temporary at all, having been extended in May, July, ...
This month’s open thread for climate related topics. Please be constructive, polite, and succinct. The post Unforced variations: Feb 2023 first appeared on RealClimate. ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two fresh press releases had been posted when we checked the Beehive website at noon, both of them posted yesterday. In one statement, in the runup to Waitangi Day, Maori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis drew attention to happenings on a Northland battle site in 1845. ...
It’s that time of the week again when I’m on the site for an hour for a chat in an Ask Me Anything with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump in for a chat on anything, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which are set to cost insurers and the Government well over ...
Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers (left) has published a 6,000 word manifesto called ‘Capitalism after the Crises’ arguing for ‘values-based capitalism’. Yet here in NZ we hear the same stale old rhetoric unchanged from the 1990s and early 2000s. Photo: Getty ImagesTLDR: The rest of the world is talking about inflation ...
A couple of weeks ago, after NCEA results came out, my son’s enrolment at Auckland Uni for this year was confirmed - he is doing a BSc majoring in Statistics. Well that is the plan now, who knows what will take his interest once he starts.I spent a bit of ...
Kia ora. What a week! We hope you’ve all come through last weekend’s extreme weather event relatively dry and safe. Header image: stormwater ponds at Hobsonville Point. Image via Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland There’s been a storm of information and debate since the worst of the flooding ...
Hi,At 4.43pm yesterday it arrived — a cease and desist letter from the guy I mentioned in my last newsletter. I’d written an article about “WEWE”, a global multi-level marketing scam making in-roads into New Zealand. MLMs are terrible for many of the same reasons megachurches are terrible, and I ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic ...
Open access notables Via PNAS, Ceylan, Anderson & Wood present a paper squarely in the center of the Skeptical Science wheelhouse: Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased. The signficance statement is obvious catnip: Misinformation is a worldwide concern carrying socioeconomic and political consequences. What drives ...
Mark White from the Left free speech organisation Plebity looks at the disturbing trend of ‘book burning’ on US campuses In the abstract, people mostly agree that book banning is a bad thing. The Nazis did us the favor of being very clear about it and literally burning books, but ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has undergone a stern baptisim of fire in his first week in his new job, but it doesn’t get any easier. Next week, he has a vital meeting in Canberra with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, where he has to establish ...
As PM Chris Hipkins says, it’s a “no brainer” to extend the fuel tax cut, half price public subsidy and the cut to the road user levy until mid-year. A no braoner if the prime purpose is to ease the burden on people struggling to cope with the cost of ...
Buzz from the Beehive Cost-of-living pressures loomed large in Beehive announcements over the past 24 hours. The PM was obviously keen to announce further measures to keep those costs in check and demonstrate he means business when he talks of focusing his government on bread-and-butter issues. His statement was headed ...
Poor Mike Hosking. He has revealed himself in his most recent diatribe to be one of those public figures who is defined, not by who he is, but by who he isn’t, or at least not by what he is for, but by what he is against. Jacinda’s departure has ...
New Zealand is the second least corrupt country on earth according to the latest Corruption Perception Index published yesterday by Transparency International. But how much does this reflect reality? The problem with being continually feted for world-leading political integrity – which the Beehive and government departments love to boast about ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
Transport Minister and now also Minister for Auckland, Michael Wood has confirmed that the light rail project is part of the government’s policy refocus. Wood said the light rail project was under review as part of a ministerial refocus on key Government projects. “We are undertaking a stocktake about how ...
Sometime before the new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that this year would be about “bread and butter issues”, National’s finance spokesperson Nicola Willis decided to move from Wellington Central and stand for Ohariu, which spreads across north Wellington from the central city to Johnsonville and Tawa. It’s an ...
They say a week is a long time in politics. For Mayor Wayne Brown, turns out 24 hours was long enough for many of us to see, quite obviously, “something isn’t right here…”. That in fact, a lot was going wrong. Very wrong indeed.Mainly because it turns ...
One of the most effective, and successful, graphics developed by Skeptical Science is the escalator. The escalator shows how global surface temperature anomalies vary with time, and illustrates how "contrarians" tend to cherry-pick short time intervals so as to argue that there has been no recent warming, while "realists" recognise ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Tomorrow we have a funeral, and thank you all of you for your very kind words and thoughts — flowers, even.Our friend Michèle messaged: we never get to feel one thing at a time, us grownups, and oh boy is that ever the truth. Tomorrow we have the funeral, and ...
Kia ora e te whānau. Today, we mark the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi - and our commitment to working in partnership with Māori to deliver better outcomes and tackle the big issues, together. ...
We’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...
The Green Party is joining more than 20 community organisations to call for an immediate rent freeze in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, after reports of landlords intending to hike rents after flooding. ...
When Chris Hipkins took on the job of Prime Minister, he said bread and butter issues like the cost of living would be the Government’s top priority – and this week, we’ve set out extra support for families and businesses. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to provide direct support to low-income households and to stop subsidising fossil fuels during a climate crisis. ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Work on the TVNZ/RNZ public media entity to stop; Radio NZ and NZ on Air to receive additional funding Social insurance scheme will not proceed this term The Human Rights (Incitement on Ground of Religious Belief) Amendment Bill to be withdrawn and not progressed this term. The matter to be ...
The Government is providing a $5 million package of emergency support to help businesses significantly affected by the recent flooding in Auckland. This includes: $3 million for flood recovery payments to help significantly affected businesses $1 million for mental wellbeing support through a boost to the First Steps programme $1 ...
The Government’s Temporary Accommodation Service (TAS) has been activated to support people displaced by the severe flooding and landslips in the Auckland region, Housing Minister Megan Woods says. “TAS is now accepting registrations for people who cannot return to their homes and need assistance finding temporary accommodation. The team will work ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today held their first bilateral meeting in Canberra. It was Chris Hipkins’ first overseas visit since he took office, reflecting the close relationship between New Zealand and Australia. “New Zealand has no closer partner than Australia. I was pleased to ...
New Zealand will immediately provide humanitarian support to those affected by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by these earthquakes. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones affected,” ...
An historic Northland pā site with links to Ngāpuhi chief Hongi Hika is to be handed back to iwi, after collaboration by government, private landowners and local hapū. “It is fitting that the ceremony for the return of the Pākinga Pā site is during Waitangi weekend,” said Regional Development Minister ...
The Government is investing in a suite of initiatives to unlock Māori and Pacific resources, talent and knowledge across the science and research sector, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Two new funds – He tipu ka hua and He aka ka toro – set to ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for India tomorrow as she continues to reconnect Aotearoa New Zealand to the world. The visit will begin in New Delhi where the Foreign Minister will meet with the Vice President Hon Jagdeep Dhankar and her Indian Government counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and ...
Over $10 million infrastructure funding to unlock housing in Whangārei The purchase of a 3.279 hectare site in Kerikeri to enable 56 new homes Northland becomes eligible for $100 million scheme for affordable rentals Multiple Northland communities will benefit from multiple Government housing investments, delivering thousands of new homes for ...
The Government is supporting one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most significant historic sites, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, as it continues to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. “The Waitangi Treaty Grounds are a taonga that we should protect and look after. This additional support will mean people can continue to ...
A memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day, Minister for Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis said. The Battle of Ohaeawai in June 1845 saw ...
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...
The Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...
A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...
25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...
The strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...
The Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...
The new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
There’s a storm a’brewing on Treasure Island, and Alex and Jane are here to break it all down. The fans are rocked by a new team member, and the faves face the consequences of their Dame’s early morning strolls. Matty McLean is playing his heart out, Susan’s eyelids are inverted ...
It’s only week two, but already our fans and faves are feeling the strain. Tara Ward power ranks. Like a pair of Josh Kronfeld’s undies sent out to sea, our Treasure Island castaways have found themselves bobbing around on choppy waters. This was a tense week that saw one contestant ...
Chris Hipkins’ policy purge gives far more insight into how he will govern than the reshuffle he announced last week. Hate speech, biofuels, media mergers and social insurance have been dumped in the worthy, but not important bin, writes political editor Jo Moir. The front bench under Chris Hipkins’ leadership ...
You might be able to solve a delivery problem by cutting the number of packages you send. But is that enough, wonders Toby Manhire. If there’s one thing Chris Hipkins isn’t afraid of, it’s repeating himself to make the point. The first three sentences of his statement unveiling the policy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sathana Dushyanthen, Academic Specialist & Lecturer in Cancer Sciences & Digital Health| Superstar of STEM| Science Communicator, The University of Melbourne CDC/Unsplash Australians aged 18 and over will be eligible for a COVID booster from February 20 if they have ...
The state-owned radio broadcaster will keep its independence and get a cash injection after the Government scrapped the proposal to merge it with TVNZ Normal transmission has resumed for the country’s media industry. RNZ and TVNZ will remain as separate entities and the bogeyman of a monolithic public media entity ...
The EMA is relieved the Government has dedicated $5m to support Auckland businesses impacted by the recent flooding. Chief Executive Brett O’Riley says that is consistent with discussions the EMA and the Auckland Business Roundtable had been having with ...
The prime minister has unveiled what he calls a ‘new direction’ for the Labour government, and it involves launching a wrecking ball into Jacinda Ardern’s extensive policy programme. Stewart Sowman-Lund reports from parliament.We knew something was coming, but we perhaps weren’t expecting quite so much policy carnage at parliament ...
Organisations directly affected by this afternoon’s announcement that the media merger will not go ahead have issued statements in response, with a common thread of welcoming clarity after months of uncertainty and speculation. RNZ chair Jim Mather said: “Media in New Zealand is being challenged by rapidly changing commercial models, the ...
The decision to halt legislation that would bring religious grounds into existing hate speech rules, pending a referral to the Law Commission, has been rebuked by Amnesty International NZ. “We are deeply disappointed and frustrated that the government is taking so long to strengthen the country’s legislation against incitement to ...
The biggest private sector union in Aotearoa New Zealand, E tū, is concerned by the Prime Minister’s announcement today that the New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme (NZIIS) will be delayed indefinitely. The announcement was part of the new Prime ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has welcomed the Government’s decision to take the proposed social insurance scheme off the table for the rest of this parliament but has warned against bringing back similar proposals in future. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, ...
NZ On Air welcomes the decision from Cabinet today providing certainty for the public media sector. “Our funding strategy is flexible and future-focused, and we are able to quickly respond both to audience and media environment changes, without being ...
In an email to staff distributed shortly after Chris Hipkins’ announcement that the media merger will be scrapped, RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson has said: “It is good to have clarity after recent uncertainty.” The boost in funding for RNZ, details of which are to be determined, was “an endorsement ...
Pāmu is committed to reducing its climate impact through emissions reduction and strengthening climate resilience through adaption. Doubling down on its commitment , the state-owned enterprise has now signed a second sustainability-linked loan, ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is delighted at the news that the TVNZ/RNZ media merger is to be scrapped. Taxpayers' Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “Our former Chairman, a former TVNZ board member, Barrie Saunders was among the first ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin O’Connor, Professor of Cultural Economy, University of South Australia Federal Labor is engaged in urgent reform, making up for the “lost decade” under the Coalition. The Voice, industrial relations, climate change, universities, health, Asian-Pacific diplomacy, research and development are all undergoing ...
Prime minister Chris Hipkins has announced the end of the planned merger of TVNZ and RNZ. It’s been in the works for more than three years and was set to be up and running this year. However, speaking at a post-cabinet press conference this afternoon, Hipkins confirmed it would not ...
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At a magnitude of 7.8, this week’s horrific earthquake near the Turkish border was 177 times stronger than Christchurch’s in 2011. This week an extremely large earthquake occurred in the southeast of Turkey, near the border with Syria. Data from seismometers which measure shaking of the ground caused by ...
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It’s Wednesday, February 8 and welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates – coming to you today from Wellington. I’m Stewart Sowman-Lund, reach me on [email protected] What you need to know Chris Hipkins will chair the first meeting of his new cabinet. He will front a post-cabinet press ...
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Paved-over rivers, covered-up shorelines and filled-in wetlands reemerged during Auckland’s devastating deluge – taking the city 200 years back into the past.Tāmaki Makaurau’s recent flooding has stirred up plenty of kōrero about our biggest city. Architecture and urban planning professor Timothy Welch reminded us that we built Auckland in ...
PM Chris Hipkins is back in Wellington after his big day in Canberra. He’s chairing the first meeting of his new cabinet after last week’s reshuffle. That reshuffle saw ministers like Andrew Little and Peeni Henare demoted, while newer players like Ayesha Verrall soared up the ranks. According to the ...
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In the digital age, online activity can be a conduit for abusive behaviours. But secure digital tools can also offer a lifeline for victims. It’s no secret that New Zealand has a family violence epidemic, with one third of women physically or sexually assaulted by a partner over their lifetimes. ...
Thousands of people mistakenly paid the government’s cost of living payment have chosen not to repay it. And while the department responsible for sending out that money won’t say whether it’s disappointed by the lack of repayments, the prime minister was happy to express his views. Stuff has today revealed ...
A pair of Auckland councillors have leveraged the city’s flood disaster to protest government’s legislation enabling more medium density housing. Hayden Donnell says our elected representatives would be better off pointing the finger at themselves. As residents across her ward worked to clean out their waterlogged houses, Mt Eden-Puketāpapa councillor ...
Researchers from the University of Otago are “strongly” recommending the $5 fee to get a prescription filled be removed as a “simple way to reduce health inequities”. A new study has found removing the fee could significantly reduce the number of hospital admissions and length of hospital stays. The findings, published ...
We’ve known since the earliest moments of Chris Hipkins’ premiership that some of the unwieldy policy agenda of Jacinda Ardern was up for the chop. And now, about two weeks since being sworn in, the prime minister has confirmed the chopping block will be on display at today’s 3pm post-cabinet ...
The death toll for the quake that hit Turkey and Northern Syria may reach 20,000. For Syrians, the quake has struck a population already overwhelmed by the impacts of war, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full ...
Norton, a leading Cyber Safety brand of Gen, today published the New Zealand findings from a global study about online dating, associated scams, and attitudes about online stalking. The 2023 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report (NCSIR), conducted online ...
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Chris Hipkins’ first overseas trip as prime minister heralded few surprises. But, as Stewart Sowman-Lund reports from Canberra, that’s exactly what he will have wanted. It’s been just two weeks since Chris Hipkins was sworn in as prime minister, a fortnight that has seen him deal with devastating flooding, formalise ...
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By Ian Chute in Suva Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) board chairman Ajay Bhai Amrit says he has receipts to prove former FBC chief executive officer Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum received an annual package of $387,790 including benefits and entitlements. He said this worked out to $32,315 a month and that the board ...
PNG Post-Courier PNG Defence Force Commander Major-General Mark Goina says “appropriate force” will be dealt to the gunmen who ambushed and wounded two soldiers in Saugurap, Enga Province, last week. In a statement Major-General Goina said: “A section from the PNGDF contingent deployed in Enga Province were on routine duty, ...
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Sarah Cooper again. Presumably this was prompted by the candycorn skidmark gassing the clergy from their church across the road so he could waddle across and have his photo taken in front of it holding an upside-down black book (alleged to be a bible).
So easy to laugh at the biggest dummy in the room, no real sport in that as far as I can see…..here is really funny and brave comedian Larry Wilmore exposing why Donald Trump is Obama's main legacy…to Obama's face and pretty much ending his mainstream career in the process..turns out Democrats have about as much ability to laugh at themselves as they have for self analysis…ie; none.
.
Oh sure, Obama and the Dems are totes responsible for putting the Mandarin Mugabe into the Oval Office. The brazenness of incrementally pushing a law for equality here, implementing a government body to rein in the worst predatory practices of the financial industry there … nek minnit, a (half) black man has the temerity to win the presidency, and what's more, win it twice because he was actually good at the job.
Fuck me, they even made sure tens of millions of poor people got access to healthcare which they previously couldn't afford. Can't have that, of course that's going to boost a muddled asshole yearning to scream free into the highest office in the land.
Of course, self-absorbed narcissists falsely painting the tiny-fingered fascist and Hillary as somehow equivalent, or loony lefties amplifying repackaged Repug smears, and all kinds of other undermining from loony lefties prancing around on purity ponies had nothing to do with it. Didn't affect the vote one tiny bit. No sirree.
Idiot.
Can we just stick to Trump?
All the nicknames have been seen a million times and not really that funny any more.
Bite me.
I love seeing each new name from what appears to be a bottomless well of imagination. Keep up the food work.
Sadly most of them are either heavily inspired or outright stolen from others.
Steal from one, you're a plagiarist. Steal from everyone, you're an artiste (or a billionaire)
I imagine those of us in the habit of coming up with nicknames for the failed mail-order mediocre steak salesman have a communist attitude toward the fruit of our labours. I certainly feel more honoured than annoyed when someone else uses one of my originals, rare as that occasion may be.
The one that's tickled me the last couple of days is "bunkerbaby".
Be fair. He just happened to feel the need to give it an inspection at that particular moment.
Indeed. Fortunately it passed inspection, except for the widdle patch on the carpet where he'd
coweredconducted most of his examination.To me he shall always be simply a PO
TUSActually, come to think of it, that was a bit harsh.
Would you like me to list all the things I've called him, and you can tell me which ones you find particularly distressing, and I'll try not to re-use them?
Nah.
I'll leave the peurile behaviour to you.
Thank you.
Agree, tiresome
Trumps is quite possibly the most unhinged President ever, but this carping on about physical qualities seems so beside the point
[Fixed error in user handle]
Unfunny nicknames are all that some people here have in their arsenal, sadly.
The nicknames I read on here for trump has made me laugh loudly more than once. I like laughter, laughter is good.
Okay, okay, I give in. Here's the map to the motherlode. Use it with caution.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TrumpNicknames/
Dang Andre !!!!! That's gold, thanking you very much.
I'll be using that material next time trump does a presser to troll the MAGA crowd when they leave the chat open on their youtube stream.
It's interesting they're having a pile on for calling the terrified tunneler names, rather than join discussion of the startling events we currently see. Diversionary tactics?
And why keep going back to past governance as a way of detracting the subject from the maniacal mole-person who, inadvertently, has just kicked off a global civil rights movement.
Whoopsies!
Should we not talk about that?
Should we only use a somber tone if we do talk about that?
Should we tremble in awe at authority, knowing our rightful place as servants, as right wing nuts would believe is the solution?
Should we burn it all to the ground as left wing nuts believe is the answer?
There is no humor in either of those camps.
Deep diving Don and the demolition men are on the run. America is in the midst of a pandemic and a revolution. This is the largest call for systemic change ever, the whole world is watching, taking notes and names, and people of color and their allies are not backing down.
Get onboard or get out of the way.
But Hillary! Biden! Obama!
… pile on …
Looks like I'm only two or four short of collecting the complete set of TS's currently active useful idiots.
Don't want to make a mountain out of an orange mole-rat's enablers, huh?
+1
@Andre, as usual your answer exemplifies my point beautifully…thank you.
Well those Muricans are just damned ungrateful aren't they. After Obama made life so so peachy for them all they have the gall to vote in the worst candidate the country could dredge up.
Why do you suppose the electorate felt so disenfranchised that they welcomed a sexists, racist, fascist moron for President?
For full marks your answer must not contain the following words:
Russia
Russia
Russia
For starters, the American electorate rejected the sexist, racist, fascist moron, by a margin of 65.9 million to 63.0 million. It was the Electoral College that barfed up the Douche ex Machina.
Then there's the uncomfortable demonstration that a sizable minority of the American electorate are themselves sexist, racist morons that aren't bothered enough by the prospect of fascism to vote against it. Which includes many that describe themselves as lefties that get their jollies prancing around on purity ponies trying to demonise non-fascist leftie candidates that actually have a chance of winning election but fail to meet their fantasies.
…. non-fascist leftie candidates that actually have a chance of winning election but fail to meet their fantasies.
Have you ever LISTENED to Biden and Clinton and Schumer talking? The hatefulness of these "non-fascist leftie candidates", unfortunately, is not a fantasy….
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/07/01/senator-charles-schumer-architect-abettor-accomplice-of-and-accessory-to-gazas-martyrdom/
That old canard Vote for the lesser Evil has been driving away young voters for decades
Here's Jonathan Cook with a much better analysis than the knee jerk
Oh half the population are a basket of dumbarse moronic fascists
https://braveneweurope.com/jonathan-cook-why-the-lefts-case-for-lesser-evil-sounds-hollow
Sigh.
This is how you actually do it:
What was he thinking (again)?
Dr Lance Sullivan admits and excuses himself by Facebook post of using a brick to smash a window of a car parked in a disabled carpark.
When my in-laws were alive, this often happened and we would have to just accommodate that. The truth is, while we sometimes had a disability card, with elderly friends their mobility was often variable, and sometimes it took a while to get to where they needed to go. I can understand that some without mobility for a while don't have the ability or time to get the card. (That's what I told myself anyway. It doesn't result in rage. Note: we never parked in the disability spots regardless. With two able bodied persons, most outings could be accommodated, just by using one of us for drop off and pick up. Left the carparks free for those without that option. )
I understand that his stress levels and frustration may be high, but the effect of releasing that energy in such a way would be detrimental not only to himself (and the car) but for his son that had to witness it.
He's such a fuckwit, and I hope progressives understand that some of us were pointing out his authoritarian tendancies when he was going hard out against anti-vaxxers. There are all sorts of ways to deal with the problem of misuse of mobility parks, but I suspect this isn't about that but about his personality and belief that he is always right.
And isn't he wanting to go into parliament under the Maori Party banner? Yet another doctor not happy with doing his job and joining a right wing party" Crikey – the woods are already full of them!
Māori Party, National, or TOP apparently. The ones that will tolerate authoritarians, but I suspect he won't be getting into any of them now.
Hopefully not, but with the ‘front bum’ man the current leader of the Maori Party, I wouldn’t rule it out
"The ones that will tolerate authoritarians………."
Not sure about that – I suspect the gNats or ACT would welcome him on board if they thought it would suit their purpose. Even NZ1 under hold-the-ladder-steady, cargo-cultist, exceptional Shane. He might have to watch a bit of porn though from time to time.
The Māori Party I think are currently "pivoting" like everybody else
I think he's already been turned down by the Nats, tho that was under Simon Bridges. He might be just the ticket considering the current conversations about their dominating paleness at the moment !
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/102643128/lance-osullivan-joining-the-national-party-not-the-right-call–bridges
OwT Is Shane really that bad, with no balancing positives?
We're all God's children @grey. I just don't particularly like his racist attitudes towards people I regard as family, or the size of his ego
How can one post actually contain so much shit.
First, do no harm.
In our town, we just let the person in the shop etc know if someone without a card uses the disabled park. They they let the whole shop know through the loud speaker, it works a treat.
Sounds to me like the dr has anger issues.
haha, that's brilliant of the shop.
I used to have a stash of fliers saying something like "you've got my car park do you want my disability too?" that I would leave on the windscreen.
Arrogance and entitlitis was what I thought when I read the article. But not to fret, he has got himself some anger management.
We got the modern corporate apology too. Loaded with excuses and diversions.
My mum has one of the mobility permits and I know of a couple of times she has come back to the car and the permit was on the floor of the car. Inadvertantly swept it off the dashboard with handbag, scarf etc.
" My mum has one of the mobility permits and I know of a couple of times she has come back to the car and the permit was on the floor of the car. Inadvertantly swept it off the dashboard with handbag, scarf etc. "
That would be really easy to do, and do often.
Hang/peg it on the rear vision mirror. There are not enough disability parks with an aging population.
"But not to fret, he has got himself some anger management."
Do you know if that's with 'the Bish"'s ManUp programme? And are doctors visits to go up 10% to take account of the cost of tithing?
He'll be paying for it no doubt.
My vote for under-sell and over-perform Minister of this government is …
Megan Woods.
As well as rescuing the housing portfolio, yesterday she actually announced major funding for research and development:
· $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
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2006/S00027/govt-boosts-innovation-rd-for-economic-rebuild.htm
For those in our public sector research and development communities, this volume of fresh funding is very, very rare over the years. Our Crown Research Institutes for example have pumped out massive horticultural innovations that have built whole new sectors of our economy.
And R&D loans are a nice untargeted way of giving businesses the opportunity to think harder and longer without doing the usual thing of mortgaging the house.
She's no one for oratory or large abstract nouns, but she delivers.
I hope she does very well in the next Cabinet placings.
I disagree Ad. Not only does she deliver, but she also makes sense when interviewed.
Labour needs to push her (and others) forward to counter National's oft-repeated (and erroneous) contention that this is a government with a cabinet of only 2 competent Labour people.
"under-sell and over-perform" is a good thing.
It's what smart Ministers do.
+1 @BG
I think she is most certainly the "Miss Fixit" minister.
Its a pity that she has to sleep and Jacinda can't throw a few more portfolios from underperforming ministers at her.
Woods and Parker are the policy workhorses of this government.
Yes Woods and Parker both highly rated by me.
But Parker's binning of RMA scrutiny for infrastructure developments over the next 2 years is a little too close to ACT policy for me-the public needs the checks and balances provided by the RMA.
Chch council proposes charging for water usage based on property value – but not how you'd think: https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/121713503/excess-water-use-charges-to-impact-cheaper-suburbs-first
I wonder why CCH uses a formula for use based on property value rather than actual usage ?
On the face of it seems patently unfair and non-sensical.
As a manager of a couple of small water schemes I’d call it the path of least resistance…..
Residential water usage and perceived entitlement is pretty proportional to property value and you can waste a lot of time and have a lot of unproductive arguments trying to fight that.
The miscreants at the upper end will be gross abusers and this policy will deal with them without getting into fights with everyone
Entitlement and influence. Poor citizens are so much easier to ignore when a policy affects them.
Plenty of times I've seen Watercare front up with live modelling to Auckland Council showing precisely how different communities with different-sized families get impacted across different pricing staircases.
I've seen them go through 10 models, each overlaying water pricing upon a proposed rates increase to show essentially a wealth-based cumulative impact.
Why the hell we don't have a single water price regulator yet is incomprehensible.
The arguments can be won, and often have.
If this kind of decision were from central government it would have a BORA rider on it. Failing that someone should have a sit-down with the Human Rights Commission.
I've seen them go through 10 models, each overlaying water pricing upon a proposed rates increase to show essentially a wealth-based cumulative impact.
The core problem with all water pricing models is the disconnect between the actual costs of delivering water, and any pricing model consumers would accept.
Cost of supply is at least 90% fixed capital and overheads that remain the same regardless of volume. Paradoxically as volumes go down the cost per unit to deliver goes up … strongly.
While at the same time consumers have a certain very inelastic minimum demand they must have regardless of price, they are only prepared to pay on usage basis. But then they resist the metering necessary to implement it.
It's all a complex mess that never makes anyone happy. The best you can hope for is a tolerable muddle.
What do you reckon that very inelastic minimum demand might be? I vaguely recall places in northern europe having per capita consumptions in the vicinity of 80 litres per day.
Personally I'm a bit under 50 litres per day at home, so my typical water bill is around $20/month fixed charge for the connection and $6/month for supplying the water I use and taking it away again.
So when Christchurch is talking about putting excess usage charges on households with usages of 900 litres/day or 1700 litres/day, that's a definite hmmm moment.
Takes a particular kind of nerd to interrogate an Asset Management Plan.
Unfortunately it's what we now have to do to find business.
While a consumer’s baseline demand is inelasstic, the perception of many water users is that an allocation of water is infinitely elastic.
The obvious solution of metering is not for the faint hearted, it will get very emotive very quickly. And that goes for small households that are actually really good with their usage through to large irrigators. Although with consent monitoring by regional councils the large users are really good now, most of my grief comes from larger residential blocks, especially when they’ve just moved down from Auckland.
Sounds a bit cowardly.
If they are going to charge for water they should meter it. The technology has been around for ever.
Christchurch already has water meters fitted, just needs the political will to charge for residential use.
[Fixed error in e-mail address]
Winston First drags chain on Covid commercial tenancy relief: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/418207/govt-unveils-action-plan-on-small-business-rent-disputes
Urghhh … finding oneself in agreement with Winston at such an early hour of the day is not pleasant.
Two months is a long time.
Also a moving and unpredictable target. The way events have transpired it only needs to be about rent remission through levels 4 and maybe 3 over a couple of months.
Had things gone differently it could have been a very different situation requiring the unwinding of a lot of leases and other contracts. Which would have been something else altogether.
Prudent for government to wait and see what they were dealing with.
We’re affected and I think they’ve got it right with substance and timing. Time to bang some heads together, to use the commercial phrase.
The person parking without displaying a valid mobility card could, hypothetically, be charged with "behaviour likely to cause violence": a law more likely to be enforced in smaller towns such as Rotorua, or Kaitaia. So I suspect "The Trial of the Good Doctor" has a more, at this stage… whimsical… element to it.
(that should be attached to post #2)
You could call it the 'Jake the Muss' bylaw – "look at what you made me do".
"behaviour likely to cause violence" – is that even an offence?
Nothing changes in the States, even after having their first Black POTUS….just goes to show that the liberal ideology doesn't care what colour or sex you are as long as you are prepared to maintain their power structures and political status quo.
Those whining about liberals have had five years since Bernie burst on the scene to make the case for whatever flavour of illiberalism you want to impose. And failed. Utterly and miserably.
If you want to keep trying to attack those that really are trying to improve the world for the majority of people, ie those currently commonly called liberals, then go right ahead. But just don't be surprised when the reaction is "stick it up your ass right back where it came from".
Please explain: how does criticising the likes of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Charles Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, the comically inept “Mayor Pete” and the hilarious (unintentionally) Jerry Nadler make one “illiberal”? And how was the "liberal" Joe Biden "trying to improve the world for the majority of people" on this occasion?
Biden is a long way from being my first choice. But he is the first choice of most of those that are bearing the brunt of the really nasty shit going down in the US. That choice deserves respect, if you are capable of any.
Your clip in lieu of an argument is from sometime last century. Things have evolved since then. Maybe that's why you didn't come up with something a bit more recent.
… he is the first choice of most of those that are bearing the brunt of the really nasty shit going down in the US.
No he's not. He's despised by black and Latino social activists, who rightly hold him accountable for the massive incarceration industry that flowed from his obscene and racist Crime Bill.
Your clip in lieu of an argument is from sometime last century. Things have evolved since then.
I have argued, often, that Biden is unfit for office of any kind. Sometimes, though, a few minutes of the man actually performing is enough to gauge his character.
Maybe that's why you didn't come up with something a bit more recent.
Yes, there have been revelations recently about his less publicized (at the time) behaviour back in 1993—the same year he was sneering at the very idea of social deprivation, and railing against black "predators"—"born out of wedlock"—threatening "my mother."
That Biden rooster in the above clip is a tad Trumpesque in his approach.
Complex issues are black and white, he doesn't care about extenuating circumstances and using emotive examples to get them 'off the streets and into jail'. And that is a Democrat!
To be fair it is more accurate to say Trump is Bidenesque as that clip predates Trump entering politics by about 25 yrs.
Yes, it's clear, Biden shouldn't be elected over Trump.
While Biden exposed his limitations and unfitness for office in 1993 Trump was in his golden bloom. That led all these years later to the inspirational leadership, the humanity and enlightened ways we've witnessed in recent years. Going into the 2020s Trump is the one.
The fact that Biden is despised by black and Latino social activists (you say further down) further accentuates the gap between the two. No activists or any groups despise Trump to any extant let alone to the level of Biden.
Some said the choice last time was for the lesser of two evils. At least this time there's only one evil and one who has made America great again.
Okay, is that how you see it?
Okay, is that how you see it?
No. As usual, you have shown that you don't have a clue.
Other violent police forces, like the Gestapo, have been abolished. Now is the time to get rid of the NYPD, LAPD, and all the other ones in between.
@ Adrian
In the link below civil rights veteran Bob Woodson touches on your point of having blacks in positions of power, stating black struggles are an issue of class.
https://youtu.be/essyukA9wpM?t=1310
Tucker Carlson is about the only person making much sense on this crisis.
I've held back from saying much on this tragic mess because while people are still protesting, looting and attacking the police emotions will rule. Facts will mean little.
But here are the crude numbers: black Americans consist of around 15% of the population, about 25- 30 % of police shootings, and perpetrate 52% of the homicides.
In recent years between 200 – 240 black are killed by the police, while at the same time some 6000 are killed by other blacks. An black man in the USA is at least 20 times more likely to be killed by another black man than a cop.
And it turns out adding diversity to the police makes little difference, black cops shoot blacks at very similar rates to white cops. There is in fact remarkably little evidence to show, that once all the variables are controlled for, that the police as a whole, are substantially biased against black citizens.
https://www.pnas.org/content/116/32/15877
Watching even a few seconds of the video of George Floyd's death had us all united in one thing, that something went very, very wrong at that moment. And the cops involved have now been charged. Minnesota Police, the same people who brought us the death of Justine Damond , will come under even more scrutiny.
Nor can the obvious dangers of policing in a society where guns are routinely carried be neglected. Cops must treat every person they encounter as potentially armed and likely to try and kill them at any moment; this must have a deeply corrosive and brutalising effect on a person who must work in such an environment day in day out.
This is a very emotive and complex story, but I agree with Woodson, the real issues of race are being used as a ruse for something else here. Just a few months ago Andrew Yang was openly predicting exactly this kind of rioting if the USA failed to address the deepening economic inequality and insecurity across the whole of their society, regardless of ethnicity. There is the root cause, and it's especially sharp in the immediate aftermath of the COVID shutdown, most working families in the US are now broke or very close to it. This is the crisis that BLM, Antifa and other far left actors are exploiting for their own purposes.
What you can be also sure of is that the vast majority of ordinary Americans, are horrified and ashamed of the burning, the looting and the attacks on the police forces they all rely on.
There is in fact remarkably little evidence to show, that once all the variables are controlled for, that the police as a whole, are substantially biased against black citizens.
Ever had the experience of riding along with a black man driving when they've been pulled over for a DWB (driving while black)? I've had it happen, once in New Jersey once in Wisconsin, both times very presentable marketing managers driving, on our way to meetings where I was coming along for technical support. Both of them said afterwards that DWB stops go a whole lot better when there's a presentable white person in the car with them.
And the initial cop approach to the car was very different to all the traffic stops I had as a driver. So I've got some direct personal experiences that will need to be overcome with very good evidence before I'll buy in to the idea that there isn't a lot of racism in US police forces.
I couldn't even be fucking bothered. Just another case of "identity politics distracts from the real issue" bullshit, but this time spread lavishly between two extra thick pieces of white bread.
Tell that to Bob Woodson.
A whole bunch of Black American voices say otherwise, as well as Native Americans, Latinos and Asians, I'll listen to them, and believe them (quietly, the last thing they need is another know it all white guy telling them what's good for them), rather than someone who doesn't think white privilege exists.
There are also plenty of black voices with other points of view; they don't get much attention at moments like this, but they're not hard to find either. This of course is the fatal flaw of identity politics, the entirely racist notion that all people of the same ethnicity think the same.
Of course white privilege exists; it's exactly what you would expect in a society where the majority of people are white. All societies, regardless of ethnicity organise themselves to suit their own cultural preferences and values; and this innately privileges the in-group over others. It would be quite weird if it were otherwise.
Here's a twitter thread that responds with more patience than I ever could.
All perfectly good logic in general and I've no particular quibble with that thread. But the context of police shootings is quite different; from the perspective of a cop any random black person they encounter in the daily course of their work … is 2 – 3 times more likely to be a dangerous than a random person of any other ethnicity.
The thread is quite right, ordinary people mostly mingle with other ordinary people and making assumptions about a whole group of people based on the behaviour of a tiny criminal minority of that group is by definition racism. But police by the very nature of their profession do not mingle with ordinary people, they have to deal with that tiny minority. Their experience is quite different, especially in a society where dangerous criminals are also very likely to be armed.
It is a brutal logic, but their daily lived experience all the same.
But that "2-3 times" is 99.9% vs 99.8% to not be a murderer. 94% vs 95% to not even need arresting that year. So "random" people being encountered should be treated equally. But they're not. They're ulled over at different rates, arrested at different rates, and shot at different rates.
Sure, listen to those POCs with other POVs, but there's literally 1000s right now, screaming their stories, of harassment and racism, and I won't ignore that. To deny there's institutionalised racism is delusional, juries often let white people off killing black Americans because like your reasoning (maybe wrong word, long day at work, tired), they think they are more likely to shoot than non blacks, ie: "they're scary".
Pointing to all the ordinary people who don't commit crimes is largely irrelevant in this context. The experience of police is different to you or I. They deal with criminals every day, we don't and as a result theirs is a highly selective view of ethnicity.
The cops indeed
are racisthave "a highly selective view of ethnicity". In many ways it seems to be the main determinant on how they treat the people they come into contact with.Racism is by definition an irrational prejudice against an ethnic group, but what if from an average American cop's perspective it was entirely rational?
Sticking the racist label on this is great if heaping guilt on white people is your goal, but you've been doing this for decades with little to show for it. The outcomes for minorities and people of colour remain stubbornly poor.
So excuse me if I'm inclined to peel back your label and peek under it.
Except it's not rational. It's disproportionate. They make more arrests of black people at traffic stops because they pull over black drivers as a fishing expedition, but only pull over white drivers for explicit cause. They are more likely to shoot unarmed black people than unarmed white people in similar circumstances. They are more likely to use force on black people than white people in similar circumstances.
From an actual, rational, comparative risk assessment, the differentiating factor between force levels is the ethnicity of the person facing the officer. That's why white women call the cops when they're asked to leash their dogs by a black man.
Peek under that fucking label all you want. Just take your blinkers off, first.
"Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to physical appearance and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism
Some beliefs formed early are like stubborn stains – hard to shift.
They are more likely to shoot unarmed black people than unarmed white people in similar circumstances. They are more likely to use force on black people than white people in similar circumstances.
The logical trap you are falling into is this; small differences at the mean become quite large ones at the extreme. In ordinary life there is no excuse to treat black and white people differently, but the police operate at the extremes.
The circumstances they are operating in are not similar to the ones you and I experience. Hence they treat whites and blacks differently and there are different outcomes. No-one is saying this is a good thing, no-one is defending it, no-one is saying there are not cops who revert to brutal, racist stereotypes. No-one is saying nothing can be done about it.
But police are ordinary people as well, doing a tough, shitty and essential job. If we want them to change their behaviour, understanding their experience from their perspective is the logical place to start.
Oh, I think most people understand.
As for who the cops mingle with determining who they shoot, that's sort of the point.
Great link Mcflock.
I saw a girl similar to one of my kids ages on a BLM march, & I realised it's something I'll never need to do with my kid.
& I saw this woman addressing a crowd of mostly whites, and asking them to put up their hand if any of them would want to be black in the USA, there wasn't many takers.
It is emotional, and complicated, but it exists. Same as here, and in Aus.
It always sucks to some degree to be an ethnic or cultural minority. Anywhere and everywhere you go.
Probably less so in the USA than many places.
Always an apologist for the USA you are.
Always an apologist for the USA you are.
A USA so terrible that according to a fairly recent Gallop poll some 10% of the human race would migrate if it could, many of them to the USA.
Of course you and I have the remarkable privilege to live in two small countries that are very well governed comparatively, and we have the luxury of sneering down at the USA with it's well understood problems.
But most people in the world have a quite different view.
Dude fixed it.
/
That's clever Joe90, it's interesting the more you arm the police, the more terrified they are. The cops were charged over Floyds death, would they have been without the protests? What does history say? (how many cops have been charged with murder, or accessory to murder, SFA).
It's very easy to condemn police from behind the safety of your keyboard. It's my view that most people here shitting on them wouldn't last 10 minutes in the job.
Red Logix There is a time for every purpose under heaven. ( From the Bible.)
This matter of the Floyd shooting is a time for reacting with shock and horror and not easy-peasy reasonableness. It is not reasonable and don't lose all your brownie points RL trying to say otherwise. Read the below that Gordon Campbell at Werewolf on Scoop has taken the time and trouble to write and illustrate why we should be upset and shaming the USA police in that State.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2006/S00005/gordon-campbell-on-the-george-floyd-protests.htm?6
There's plenty giving the cops shit standing in front of them, and getting beaten for it. If cops can't handle being cops no one is forcing them. And their toxic masculinity macho bullshit is awful anyway. There are enquiries aplenty with cops turning off body cameras, thank goodness there's plenty of people with phones filming them. I also think it's my prerogative to criticise racist, violent, arsehole cops, so there.
I'm proud of our own cops, they've really shown themselves as a professional, calm, rational force. I don't want them armed, even though I'm not likely to ever be at risk.
You wouldn't last 10 mins at my job, like I wouldn't at yours, that's such a dumb argument, I know I wouldn't last 10 mins being a cop, coz I'd hate it. It does seem to attract some unsuitable people though huh? (More in US than here, though we've had some bad ones).
At no point did I say the murder of George Floyd was reasonable. It clearly wasn't, it was grotesquely wrong and on this we are all united.
What I am saying is that the easy-peasy answers everyone has jumped to are not as clear cut as people are making out. Worse still they are being used as cover for rioting, looting and arsons that are entirely counterproductive.
This is the dude potificating on violent thuggery.
https://web.archive.org/web/20171107231656/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/03/us/harvard-teacher-faces-drug-charges-in-boston.html
I know how to find reverse in my car.
Opportunists picking what they see as the winning side or shifting sands in the base?
Veggie fuckwit equates Black people to animals.
https://twitter.com/laurenluvsveg/status/1267651282724171777
Actually, her crime is nothing more than infelicitous phrasing. If you want to look for people who actually, rather than clumsily and unintentionally, dehumanize black people, you need look no further than the United States President, or the Democratic Party candidate in 2016, or the presumptive Democratic nominee in 2020.
Her three hearts are an indication of how much she loves herself. She has used the tragedy to turn attention to how high her spirituality is, how kind she is, and preach lovely phrases to her admiring readers.
She's a brown snowflake.
sixteen and a half thousand replies 😆
Really going after the big fish, they are.
Yeah, they should be trying to catch whoppers like sports jocks and radio news panel hosts/guests 😆
Ouch. That really hurt, man.
http://www.radicallychristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/mean-christians.jpg
"Opportunists picking what they see as the winning side or shifting sands in the base?"
Both I reckon. But I am somewhat heartened that some conservatives seem to think Trump has gone too far. Not sure why, maybe it's the involvement of the military? They do actually fear a fascist state?
Well, here's The Lincoln Project's latest ad. Yes, old-skool Republicans really don't want a fascist state. But there's very few old-skool Republicans left after the impact of the orange asteroid that destroyed the party of dinosaurs.
Have you seen the Meidas touch? If you haven't, I think you will like their work.
Maybe they can do more damage outside the party.
Better late than never, I guess……
When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/
I'm really curious about what kinds of talks are going right now on in military settings about oaths to the constitution, obligations to follow orders from the Commander-in-Chief vs the obligation to not carry out an illegal order, and so on.
It's not just idle curiosity, it could really make a difference to how the next few months and years play out.
On the day Mattis called Trump a threat to the Constitution, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reminds service people that their oath is to the Constitution.
Thanks for that. Wonder if this from Gallego from a couple of days ago had anything to do with it.
edit: Gonna be fascinating if it turns out to be the military that puts a lid on the Wrath of Con. That’s not their constitutional role. That responsibility belongs to the legislative branch (Congress) and the judicial branch (the courts), which have both run away from doing their job.
They have a duty to disobey illegal orders.
He's down to prison goon squads.
Some might hate this because ..Russsssia!
but it makes heartening reading .It is possible to feed ourselves locally without industrialised agro /chemical technology
Many urban Russians own or rent dachas where its customary to grow food, and the practise of growing one's own food has not died out as in many western countries
https://www.growveg.com.au/guides/growing-your-own-food-russian-style/
http://reclaimgrowsustain.com/content/russians-proving-small-scale-organic-gardening-can-feed-world
"By autumn 2017, Vladimir Putin had publicly set a goal for Russia to become the world’s top producer and exporter of organic agriculture. In the summer of 2018, the Russian president signed legislation creating official standards, labeling and certification procedures for organic products produced for commercial sale in Russia that went into effect in 2020. Government support will be available to organic farmers, and a public registry will be created listing certified producers."
https://consortiumnews.com/2020/06/03/foiling-predictions-russians-did-not-go-hungry-after-2014/
That's genuinely interesting francesca. The whole aspect of the dacha and how central it is to ordinary Russian family life is often missed in the Western world.
Contrary to what you may have imagined from my comment on the other post around the crisis facing the Russian people, I'm not anti-Russian in the slightest. About 20 years ago I had the remarkable chance to live and work there for a period and I still have many powerful memories of the experience.
Cheers
It's a bloody minefield trying to get a clear idea of what actually life is like for the ordinary Russians with so much noise and propagandistic static coming at you. I have always found Russian literature and culture and history fascinating, and so diverse!
Met a few, and really liked them
Actually Red I find you one of the most balanced and thoughtful commenters on here, always worth reading , even when we disagree you're never insulting or nasty or resort to cheap putdowns
Perhaps a new form of post covid protest. https://pixelhelper.org/en/ Effective messagaing without crowds or contact.
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+1
That 1 remains an ongoing worry. I really hope the care and support bubble around them is kept strong, and that the authorities are really looking after those inside that bubble to give them every reason to keep that bubble secure.
Active doesn’t necessarily mean infectious. On average, a good 200 people per day arrive at our borders. Anyone of them could be another case. Our borders are ‘closed’ but they are not hermetically sealed. At present (as at 1 June), there are 2,760 people in quarantine and managed isolation.
Todd-Watch update:
He thinks the Prime Minister should "get out more".
National also criticise her for having photo-ops, and being seen near people. So, they're recommending long, lonely walks?
Mood of a nation.
Amazing stuff, loved reading all that. Reminded me about the NZ anti tour marches, the Hamilton, AK & Wellington ones of course, but I remember being absolutely fascinated about the one they had in Westport (or Hokitika? Somewhere smallville west coast) & there was about 3-5 people marching.
So much going on. Technology has set out to disrupt the pattern of our lives, and create multi-Frankensteins.
This was from a link on TDB. November 2019. Needs thought. https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/117787200/defunct-satellites-threaten-human-race-space-agency-chief-warns
…Space scientists are concerned that defunct models could collide with active satellites or the International Space Station, which would then cause more debris, setting off a catastrophic chain reaction that could wipe out telecommunications systems – a phenomenon known as Kessler Syndrome….
And in that link is an example of how space technology wants to take over a Scottish bog and probably every available unused space, rather like British colonials claiming NZ land not being farmed by Maori, as 'waste land'.
We in NZ are feeling very smart at getting involved in rocket building and launching for space. Always doing the wrong thing. Twerps R'Us.
2017 https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/91818991/thousands-of-tiny-satellites-are-about-to-go-into-space-and-possibly-ruin-it-forever?rm=a
Rebuttal of Obama address.
Lovely bit of analysis of an obscure appendix released on the freshwater reforms, and how they will greatly assist our goals to reduce carbon use:
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/06/04/1216012/freshwater-reforms-to-lead-to-massive-emissions-reductions
Just an observation.
All the top sporting organisations in New Zealand have been beholden to their sponsors, and dictating if and when we can see them on television – all used to be free to air (Golf/Rugby/Netball/Tennis/Soccer/Yachting and others) and paying their top stars huge and inflated salaries – you could say almost pure capitalism in practice.
Suddenly a pandemic and these prima donnas salaries are under threat – and it seems their governing organisations have their hands out for some government relief. Top sports are a nice-to-have but in these times, a bit of a luxury.
I wonder how long it will be before the much heralded and wonderful "essential service" employees around the country, will be going cap in hand to the bargaining tables for a pay rise.
Bread and circuses.
Tamati Coffey – and some other Labour MPs? – needs to learn the most basic rule of election campaigns. His job now is silence.
What Jacinda Ardern says matters very much. What ordinary MPs say does not matter at all – until they say something stupid. Then it's a headline.
Three months of self-discipline, and Labour win. National can't win, unless Labour start aiming gun at foot. Don't give free hits to the media or the opposition.
If you don't remember 2008-17, listen to somebody who does.
Agree. Coffey has to remember that our privately-owned media (including our 'state enterprises') will show him in the worst possible light if they can.
Cons do the darndest things.
https://heavy.com/news/2020/06/fiona-moriarty-mclaughlin-instagram-viral-video/
Interesting that Human Rights Commission expressed concern at Covid-19 public health response bill passed under urgency. The HRC points out on its website that the NZ Bill of Rights Act does not override any Act passed into law that infringes it. A reasonable question to ask therefore may be: what is the purpose of a Bill of Rights if not to clearly lay out the freedoms of an individual in a fair and open society? What effective purpose does the Bill of Rights serve? After all, given the lack of oversight to the “science” provided by the WHO, it seems that NZers rights are vulnerable to the edicts of global entities.
[Please stick to one user handle, thanks]
Please stick to one user handle, thanks.
Good question about the Bill of Rights. Had a protest form offered to me today about the lockdown and infringing on freedoms. Put a note on it that I in precautionary measures at this time, and so would any citizen who was concerned about the community wellbeing where they live.
We have to remember that laws are brought in by people about people, and if they need to be overruled everyone should know why. I think all thinking people understand the whys of the lockdown, and how practical it has been; we feel the pain straight away and fix it rather than dragging it out, along with lots of bodies, over a longer period.
I had only one user handle, why did you change it? The email address provided is my sons…
Apologies, I will change it back. This is the problem when people share e-mail address and device when posting here and others cannot tell who is who.
Kia Ora.
Newshub.
Snowing down south cool.
That's is a long trip going to pick up 15 Kiwis.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora
Newshub.
That's the Ion Age.
Equality.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora.
The Am Show.
The Green party is doing good mahi with their wins on environment friendly policies and equality policies.
Its good to see our exports doing OK.
If you find yourself with A problem you have to look outside your square to solve it.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora.
Newshub.
There you go that was not to long.
Condolences to the whanau who lost 3 loved one in the farm accident.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora.
Te Ao Maori Marama.
Mana Wahine.
I,, Whanau back to A near normal life in our beautiful country Aotearoa that didn't take to long.
Te Matatini will be great.
A lot of parents are still weary of the virus but their are no cases in Aotearoa now for the tamariki best futures they should go back to school.
That is not on racism.
That's a great idea teaching the Rangatahi the skills to process meat.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora.
The Am Show.
One has to remember that close to half of tourist are New Zealanders.
That is good news.
Ka kite Ano.