Neo-liberal New Zealand.
This will break your heart.
100%.
Axed over the Christmas break, told to be out by lunchtime after 50 years’ loyalty – this is redundancy in New Zealand, where there’s no mandatory notice period or compensation payments and little support for those searching for new work.
………..New Zealand ranks in the bottom third of the OECD for spending on what are known as active labour market policies – government interventions to help people into meaningful new work. The organisation’s report last year said Work and Income focuses largely on people receiving benefits, which only includes a minority of people made redundant. “As a result, social assistance and public employment support are reduced to a minimum and act very much as systems of last resort for displaced workers who end up in the welfare system… Displaced workers are, to a large extent, left by their own to find a new job”
…..”Once you walked out the gate, that was it – no one wanted to know you. Even WINZ didn’t want to know you, because you’ve got all that [redundancy] money. So they don’t wanna know you until all the money’s gone. They were real arseholes about it, to be frank.”
……In New Zealand, unlike Australia, Canada and several other OECD countries, there is no legal requirement to pay workers redundancy compensation, leaving unions and workers to negotiate redundancy clauses in their contracts. The payments are taxed at 33 percent, and if a business goes into receivership, employees’ back-pay and redundancy payments are capped at about $22,000 – regardless of how long they’ve worked for the company or what redundancy clause their contract contains.
There’s no guarantee that a company will pay anything at all
Neo-liberal New Zealand.
Our country has been destroyed.
100%.
The country’s highest-profile suicide prevention helpline is missing one in four phone calls because of a funding shortage.
At the same time, Lifeline is dealing with a rise in phone calls by people who are at risk of suicide.
The helpline now receives an average of six calls a day from people in severe distress – double the amount it received three years ago.
Executive director Glenda Schnell said calls from suicidal people were highly complicated and consumed much more resources from the helpline, which is staffed by a combination of paid staff and volunteers.
Neoliberal Economics removes the human element from the equation and focus’s on the almighty dollar $’s and who can acquire the most in the shortest period of time, ideological B/S from Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics. This ideology was picked up early by the NZ Labour Party and Sir Roger Douglas in the 1980’s.
IMHO is has not been good for NZ and it’s naturalized citizens including te tangata whenua ?
More significant than our Prime Minister attending the South Pacific Forum, is the Prime Minister of Australia not attending the South Pacific Forum.
Morrison’s non-attendance amounts to a cowardly refusal to debate with Forum countries over the differences between Australia and the other Pacific Nations on climate change and immigration.
Morrison obviously does not want to be taken to task over these issues. And so has stayed away.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne says Australia is not snubbing the Pacific Island Forum despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison skipping the event…..
…..”We have absolutely reinforced the Pacific is a key priority of Australia’s foreign policy.”
Pacific leaders are also concerned about climate change, which has once again torn apart the Liberal party as it seeks a new energy policy.
Senator Payne said she was not surprised by the attitudes of Pacific leaders, because climate change had been raised in previous Pacific Island Forum declarations.
“We absolutely recognise it’s in our national interest to take action on climate change,” she said.
As the saying goes; “Actions speak louder than words”.
This snub must be seen for what it is.
The record shows that any Australian leader, (of either major party), who dares stand up to the powerful Australian fossil fuel lobby is immediately rolled by the conservative wings of their party.
Morrison obviously does not want to be taken to task over these issues. And so has stayed away.
Unlike Nixon, Morrison hasn’t even got the courage to issue his own denial.
This bodes ill for Australia ever doing anything meaningful to address climate change, or address the very real concerns of the Pacific Nations on the front line of climate change, facing rising sea levels and more energetic hurricanes fueled by warming seas.
Speaking at the Lowy Institute, just days before the beginning of the Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru, the Samoan prime minister seemed to take a swipe at Australia’s commitment to minimising the impact of climate change, which he called the “single greatest threat to the livelihood, security and wellbeing peoples of the Pacific”.
“While climate change may be considered a slow onset threat by some in our region, its adverse impacts are already felt by our Pacific islands peoples and communities,” said Sailele. “Greater ambition is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees centigrade and Pacific island countries continue to urge faster action by all countries.”
Sailele said addressing climate change required “political guts” from leaders. “We all know the problem, we all know the causes, we all know the solutions. All that is left would be some political courage, some political guts to get out and tell the people of your country, ‘Do this, this, this, or there is any certainty of disaster.’”
All power to our Prime Minister for fronting up.
Despite the political backlash she has attracted in this country, Prime Minister Ardern is showing the political courage and guts that Prime Minister Sailele has called for, but which is sadly missing in Australian political leaders.
I heard Jacinda, I think Monday, explaining in detail about why she decided to go to the Pacific forum and why she would or wouldn’t take her baby, the costs, the problems (something about there being no holding sites for planes on Nauru was one). They had tried to think of all possible matters and nitpickers on the Right can’t easily come up with this or that negative to wave triumphantly in the air. As is their wont.
While if the situation was reversed, the Gmats would just laugh at any questions at all.
The comparison between Morrison and Ardern. – Ardern is fronting up, despite her circumstances and Morrison is ducking for cover.
A leader’s job is to lead.
You don’t send a delegate, or deputy, (as the opposition parties and right wing media say the Prime Minister should). You don’t try to duck the responsibilities of your position like Morrison has. You make it work.
“…….she decided to go to the Pacific forum and why she would or wouldn’t take her baby, the costs, the problems (something about there being no holding sites for planes on Nauru was one). They had tried to think of all possible matters……”greywarshark
To the all the opposition Torrys and right wing media commentators:
Woman have children. Get over it.
When a world leaders conference was called in Teheran in 1943, Churchill didn’t sent a delegate, or representative, he went himself, this despite serious complications. Special arrangements and allowances had to be made to transport Churchill to Iran, to taking into account his health and age.
In the end Churchill was transported from England on a mattress in the back of special transport plane all the way to Iran and back.
Allowances were made for his health and age.
Prime Minister Ardern is a female leader of child bearing age, As a society we need to normalise and accept pregnancy, child birth and breastfeeding as part of the human condition, as unavoidable as old age and illness.
Many women have had to make similar difficult decisions and trade offs.
Prime MInister Ardern is a trend setter, but first of all she is a leader of world ranking, like all leaders she has had to make difficult decisions and personal sacrifice to carry out her job.
TBF to the new guy, given Aussies unstable politics he probably thinks if he left the country for more than a day he would be out of a job when he got back.
Scott Morrison has already been out of Australia in his first week as PM – to Indonesia to sign a free trade agreement with them. But can’t make it to Nauru for the Pacific Island Forum – and be exposed to criticism re the refugees sent there by Australia.
First he’s got to survive the Wentworth by- election, which from all accounts is getting really interesting as it’s a very diverse electorate from the big end of town to the bottom end of town. After that he has the cross bench in the upper and lower House’s of Parliament. Then the 85 knife throwers in Party room to deal with and next years budget which is also election yr.
Unless Sco Mo pull’s something out of his hat between now and year or Labour somehow falls off the cliff. Then they’re got buckles chance at getting back as they are already on life support at.
It’s been quite relaxing, not worrying or stressing about the bullshit of RAAF’s SECFOR (Training, Operations/ Op’s planning and planning) within the two NT SEC Flts. My wife and I couldn’t be bothered going the open days at Darwin and the Forward Operation Base setup down the road at Batchor Airfield to show the wife the set up at what we did on my two Timor trips.
The rest of the yr is getting house and my tank hanger (20m x9m shed) setup with my Troop SGT office up before the big wet or before first test match of the summer with all my diecast planes, britan soldiers, tanks, my 1/700 model ships and my gun safe. Looking after my little girl (Saffie cross Ozzie Cattle dog) as the wife ran her over a couple of weeks. Listening to my classical, old school country, British Classical and hymns.
As for the future, want to finish of my pilots license, my mate at my bush block wants to get involved with the Timor veterans programs in ET, the wife to go to Timor, wildlife protection feral animal control and anti poachingtravel back to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and do some wildlife tours before its to late to Africa, sub Antarctic and Arctic Regions. Higher education in History or Strategic studies and of course further training in bush fire fighting and in fire management.
Tinker in the shed with my 50’s or 60’s yank tank with the big fins, my uncle motorcycles when I finally get them and the wife has given me permission to buy an Armoured Vehicle of some sort unless we win lotto a warbird or her uncles warbird. Setting up the garden in next yr in between fishing and hunting.
ROFL – oh so just the usual “what do I do with myself now” retirement things then!
What sort of warbird? Despite being a female civilan Kiwi, when I spent almost seven years in London in the ’70s, I worked in a civil/military organisation, NATS. For almost three years of that, I was private secretary/aide de camp to Air Marshall Sir Ivor Broom, the Controller of NATS – and a rather highly medalled RAF pilot during WW11. He was still in active service and I used to also go to the big wig RAF meetings with him- female and in civvie clothes with a very high security rating obviously. It used to raise eyebrows, which Sir Ivor loved doing. LOL. Part of my role was also to look after Sir Douglas Bader, then a part time Member of the Board of the CAA (who I officially worked for.)
Two hard cases but extreme gentlemen as well. You just did not get in a car driven by either of them if you valued your life, nerves and blood pressure! I also flew with Sir Ivor at the controls quite often in various types of planes when we went around the UK for meetings etc – and sometimes, depending on the plane,once in the air, he would hand over to me despite no formal training and tell me to follow the rail lines. My elder brothers back in NZ were so jealous of me, but I told them it was my revenge for their complaints about having to drag little sister along to the Saturday afternoon movies – many of which were, yes you guessed it, films such as the Dam Busters, etc.
We had a wonderful office set up, quite unusual for the time. As well as me in my role (which included deciding who got to meet, talk to Sir Ivor etc – up your nose bigwigs got to wait a loooonnng time) there was a male typist, a male batman who was also the tea lady (lovely older guy) and Sir Ivor’s driver was female.
Memories are wonderful things.
Ps – Funnily enough, I mentioned on here a few days ago that I worked in London with the father of Brian May of Queen fame and got to know Brian, and the rest of Queen through him. Brian’s Dad was an ex RAF avionics engineer in NATS.
What awesome company you had back then, I reminds me of some the cocktail parties I intended during the few years after Timor (INTERFET) as Airfield Defence Guard (An Aussie Rockape) especially the WW2 and Korean Fighter Pilots. Especially when the Spitfire Pilots from the Morotai Spitfire Wing/ Borneo found out I was and ADG which some them were good mates of old John Gorton en Oz PM had very close encounter with his gun sight when he panged his fighter during the Battle of Malaya.
Brian May would’ve been an interesting fella to talk too, let alone his dad.
As for the warbird, her uncle has a winjeel trainer, but there is a Ex RAAF Mk5c Spitfire in pieces that saw service in Darwin/ Arnhem area on wish list, the wife likes the Me-109G in winter camo, but having read the pilots notes they don’t like asphalt runways all that much and requires big grassy Airfields because of the torque of the big DB engines. The goal would to own a RNZAF, RAAF, RAF, or FAA Aircraft or similar A/C either a single or twin engine that saw service in the Far East or South Pacific to honour my great uncle who was in 3NZ Div, my wife’s Pop (RAN) and Nan (AIF) those veterans and those who have no known grave which to is the saddest thing I’ve seen in War cemetery’s that someone’s lost family member has no known grave.
VV
There are so many stories and paths that cross from war and defence efforts.
I was doing some volunteer counter work at local art gallery, got talking to an English woman and found that her husband had been the Squadron Leader? (in charge) of my birth father’s bomber group around north England Market Rasen area during WW2.
This was interesting. https://www.spitfireclub.co.uk/dowding—park Leigh-Mallory, already envious of Park for leading the key 11 Group while No.12 Group was left to defend airfields, repeatedly failed to support No.11 Group. Leigh-Mallory and his Big Wing (led by Douglas Bader) often ran amok through No.11 Group airspace confusing the defences. Quintin Brand’s No. 10 Group in the South West successfully supported No.11 Group when required despite having far more arduous defensive duties in its own area than No.12 Group.
Park’s subsequent objection to Leigh-Mallory’s behaviour during the Big Wing controversy may have contributed to his and Dowding’s removal from command at the end of the battle, but neither Park nor Dowding had much time for internal politics and fell easy prey to their waiting critics. Richard Saul of 13 Group on the other hand, wrote to Park on learning of his pending departure from No.11 Group, commenting on “the magnificent achievements of your group in the past six months; they have borne the brunt of the war, and undoubtedly saved England”. Park was to remain indignant however over his and Dowding’s treatment for the rest of his life. Park was posted immediately to Training Command before seeing later high ranking service in the Mediterranean and elsewhere.,,
On leaving the Royal Air Force, Park personally selected a Supermarine Spitfire to be donated to the Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand. This aircraft is still on display today along with his service decorations and uniform….
While Sir Hugh Dowding controlled the Battle from day to day, it was Keith Park who controlled it hour by hour. Air Vice Marshal ‘Johnnie’ Johnson, one of the top Allied air aces of the war, said: “He was the only man who could have lost the war in a day or even an afternoon”. This was an echo of Winston Churchill’s description of Admiral Jellicoe in the First World War.
Although Park has not received widespread public recognition, either in Britain or his native New Zealand, he has a claim to be one of the greatest commanders in the history of aerial warfare.
You mention the original characters you met. Did you see or know the story of Colonel Wintle shown on TV in Heroes and Villains series?
Exkiwiforces
If you or your wife have time to read and like quirky Laoa and Tahi based mystery/detective books I recommend trying Colin Cotterill’s books. He has a couple of main characters in series Dr Siri Paiboun and his wife is one, and other Jimm Juree, super girl reporter.
Unfortunately the wife goes by the stars with accommodation IRT SEA travels as I tend to sleep under the stars where I go in SEA. As tend to follow J P Cross an eccentric British Army Officer base in Laos during the war in between stints with Gurkhas or at famous British Jungle Warfare School in Borneo, Graham Greene’s travels through Indo- China, and another eccentric British Army Officer from that era called Arthur George Trevor- Wilson who the French booted out in 1950 as he was good Mates with Ho Chin Minh.
The other three I want to follow is Johnny Cooper the SAS fellow not the boxer, Fitzroy McLean travels in Asia Minor and his time with Tito and old mate T.E Lawrence.
Then a little unknown Kiwi lady called Iris a friend of my NZ grandmother who was with SOE in Western Europe as a courier, spy, and escorted escaped or downed RAF aircrew to freedom via Spain and Portugal. She was a bluebell dancer in Paris before the war and she could Fench and German. A 6ft blond with blue eyes and she was petty handily a pistol from all accounts, just as she was with a Croquet mallet.
I’ll take a look at that website.
That bit about Dowding and Park is so true that they not recognise in the wider public and the thing about Park was that was head hunted by old Winnie to be the RAF CInC for Defence of Malta and again he could’ve lose the war in the British Pond (the med) for the first time since 1746.
I find those stories about resistance from SOE fascinating.
Nancy Wake for one. Looking at Violette Szabo the other day. Her little girl was presented with a cross by King George VI and she said she would keep it for Mummy for when she came home.
I think the Gestapo had tortured her and executed her by that time. Apparently she did not give away anybody. It is all very hard to think about and especially it didn’t teach us to be better.
Thinking of JP Cross I see there is a book called Operation janus by him about the Ghurkas on TradeMe here for $23.50NZ with free shipping. It actually comes from booktopia located in Australia.
When Alan Hinlea, a British Gurkha captain with a hatred of a class system that has always kept him down, deserts to the guerillas and is spirited away to the jungle Communist HQ, Chin Peng, the leader of the Malayan Communist Party gloats at what he hopes will be a major propaganda victory.
A fellow British Gurkha officer is despatched with five Gurkhas to hunt Hinlea down and the chase through pathless jungle becomes a race against time and a contest of deadly jungle warfare skills. Operation Janus is the first in a trilogy of books involving Gurkha milita…
I have the upmost respect to my grandparents generation and in your case your late father going through the Great Depression then followed by WW2 and then building a society where everyone had an equal share in the nations wealth alongside a equally caring society as they knew what the alternative was especially with invent of the “bomb”. When everyone kept their word or handshake and prepared to get stuck in when it was need in times of stress or disaster.
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve reading about Luftwaffe’s Aces under the heading “The German Aces Speak” series by Colin D. Heaton and Anne- Marie Lewis also is on British and German Night Fighters. I’ve the last paragraph in each chapter quite somber on their thoughts for the future. Just like as I was brought up with grandparents in the Nelson region many moons weather about the war, the depression or working class fights with bosses or in case of grandparents turning to the 81 protests in Nelson with helmets etc as it was a worthy battle that needed to be fought. But needless to say they were force to take back seat and how they managed to talk my grandmother out of it, I do not know.
Just like those young kids/ man like your late father climbing into their bomber/ fighter every day/ night or in case of Mike Simths relative in Singers climbing into that elderly biplane knowing what odds were at returning or those on the convoys or facing Rommel tanks or Herr Hitlers paras or the likes of Iris in the SOE or the PoW’s to incredible brave. Compared with what I’ve done and seen in my last 15yrs.
Three quotes, I want to share two from JP Cross and the old bulldog Winnie
Fighting in privacy seem to a relic of the past. Propaganda- that branch of the art of lying which consists of nearly deceiving your friends without quite deceiving your enemies- has been become more acute. Now rallies, chiefly negative because they have organised by people leaping to unwarranted conclusions without adequate examination of the evidence, are a feature of modern life now.
The other JP quote,
At the beginning of the 21st century, was no longer worldwide and all- embracing Communism. Instead, an unhealthy mixture of religious bigotry, lust of oil and over educated idiots with no sense of history rising to the top of the political tree have broken the pattern which has created a new type of situation for which no lasting answer has yet been found.
The further back you look, the further for you can see
They are unlikely to have another coup.
Early federal elections are a problem as Victoria has its state election on 24th Nov 2018 and NSW is 23 rd march 2019
Theres really ‘no space’ to do a 6 week federal campaign till after NSW is done next year. Technicalities about Senators terms also mean that it wont happen till after may 2019.
Yes, the Libs have really shot them selves in foot since the last couple of wks. The federal election is really Labour’s to grab unless they do something really stupid before the polls.
to which we should add boo hoo wah wah wah wah wah.
and if the only way business can be conducted is by using slave labour and forcing costs onto others (such as by supposedly ‘independant contractors – couriers, food delivery people, exploitation of immigrants, a series of ticlet clippers in the chain, and so on), then your business isn’t viable,
btw, I post the above having looked at some comments on TDB that are akin to the
“boo hoo hoo wah wah wah – YOU try running a business and see how you get on” bullshit
So far, all I’ve seen from ‘bizzniss’ leaders is that the reason for poor bizzniss confdinse is “uncertaintay”.
Bizzniss doesn’t like ‘uncertainty”
Well fellas, welcome to the whurl of the precariat. Uncertainty is the precariat class’ biggest characteristic, yet it’s something they’re expected to swallow whilst their bizzniss counterparts expect to be able to cut costs, diminish the rights of their greates asset (their worker bees), take on greater risk from the bizzniss they work for, and basically prop up the fortunes (or otherwise) of their masters.
Whether now, or a few more steps down the road – it ain’t gonna last.
Again, if the only way your bizzniss can survice is by imposing slave-like conditions, then your bizzniiss ain’t viable.
(Maybe fuck off to Straya and try your hand there)
Oh how history repeats (or at least echoes)
boo hoo wah wah wah
Perhaps good journalism is not yet quite dead in NZ when the Southland Times can come up with this editorial this morning. Perhaps we should be looking past the biggies and looking more to news sources such as this or ODT.
The subject is Chelsea Manning and her appearance at the Sydney Antidote Festival on Sunday via satellite from Los Angeles in conversation with Peter Greste, the Australian Aljazeera journalist imprisoned by Egypt for over a year.
Yesterday I also read a related article of particular interest in exploring the dubious nature of character by Dr Binoy Kampmark, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, teaching within the Bachelor of Social Science (Legal and Dispute Studies) programme at RMIT in Melbourne. Unfortunately the link to the article at abandonhope. net is currently broken but if it comes up again I will try to post the link, as I think some here would find it worth reading.
As of this morning, the Australian govt has still not made a final decision whether to ban Manning from entry to Australia for the two remaining events in Melbourne on Friday 7 Sept and Tues 11 Sept. It remains to be seen whether they will make a decision one way or another or just procrastinate… Some Australian articles are suggesting that they are not wishing to upset their US friends …
Tickets are still on sale for her two events here next weekend in Auckland and Wellington (Embassy Theatre not St James as I think I said in early posts) and supposedly the issue of her visa will just be a matter of rubber stamping with the decision last Friday to give her a special direction to apply for the visa.
Just for the hell of it because I am just plain nosey, I checked ticket availability.
In Auckland (Q theatre) ticket seem to be about 2/3 booked for the floor A reserve seats, and the same for the B reserve Gods seats. the other two options (VIP Meet and Greet) and Balcony seats are shown as “Not available right now” so whether sold out or quite what is not clear.
In Wellington the Embassy seat plan is showing about half booked in total.
Another slight update – John Pilger has thrown his hat in the ring in joining the petitioners to the Australian govt to allow Manning into Australia for the two remaining events in Melbourne and Brisbane, according to this Australian Green Party report two hours ago,
For those who do not click on links when they don’t know the who or what, this is an interesting take by David Cormack on “What if National had actually retained power?”
Mickysavage or lprent – Possibly good for a post by itself given it is almost a year since the general election?
“By way of a bribe payment, a price was agreed upon which was typically $400 if the applicant attended and sat their IR or IF driving test, and up to $550 if the applicant did not attend and between $1500 and $2500 for a class two to five truck licence.”
The scheme had the potential to allow people to drive heavy trucks on the open roads without having to sit the required test….
Brar was involved in at least 107 corrupt transactions between 2014 and 2016. He received over $56,000 in bribes. More bribe money was passed on to his co-defendants….
Lovepreet Brar, or Love Brar has he is known in online Punjabi pop videos, has been sentenced to 11 months home detention for taking bribes for driver licences.
In some cases people who did not even sit the test were able to buy a New Zealand drivers licence and get behind the wheel.
In the video for his song ‘Jail’, Brar depicts a character who lives in a showy house, owns expensive cars, carries guns and has just been shot in the shoulder. It has had more than 4.3 million hits on Youtube.
His video promotion shows him with a large gun standing staunchly. Hardly something to encourage positive reactions in the public. However it may have appealed to the dairy owners, and the liquor store owners who have suffered menace and death. This young man is a symptom of problems that need to be fixed in our society. There will become a growing division with immigrants from Asia, with NZrs becoming warier and Indians feeling grief and anger, and resentment.
Chinese have been connected with an active and open drug market and imports, and I think this possibility is based on known facts. I have respect for Chinese and Indian, but I think some find us easy pickings and some NZrs are very ready to enlarge established criminal activities.
There may be racism involved when people are refused employment, but often there is a question in the employers’ minds based on known facts of tendencies. If Ia large enough number of Indian people end up in Court or under investigation, any bias against them will increase.
Then we too have to watch that our own dealings with immigrants are of an equitable nature. There is a twisted approach to respect and fair dealings to them in immigration, and in other departments too.
What a ridiculously low sentence. Not even being made to pay the money back. certainly the judiciary seems to be sending a message to migrants that they can just break NZ laws and get away with a slap on the wrist, no jail time for dishonest migrants endangering lives and NZ reputation. Unlike if Kiwi’s do it.
Look at these sentences clearly very light ones, given to migrants who are dishonest and corrupt.
In this a Chinese business man received $33,000 worth of stolen honey and was repackaging it, but only fined $17,500 – sounds like he was still $15,500 better off after being caught. Funny enough endangering our food reputation for quality export honey is fine apparently but less so if you just send a hoax and not even do the crime aka the nearly 9 years jail Jeremy Kerr got for sending a hoax letter to Fonterra about 1080.
“A Chinese businessman has been fined for receiving 480kg of stolen mānuka honey after a well-planned heist targeting a ready-for-export shipment at an Auckland warehouse.”
“Judge Singh convicted and sentenced Sun to pay a $17,500 fine, $15,000 of which would be a reparation payment to Azurelife.
Sun said he was able to pay the fine by week’s end.”
… so they made more than a million in profit but only fined $847k…. that’s certainly sending the message to ignore OIA if you can make a buck, you still get to make a profit even if you are caught.
Come to NZ and poison the locals with drugs, no need to pay an taxes or declare any income and you will become a citizen no questions asked!
“According to Inland Revenue records neither Yim nor Wu, who arrived in New Zealand in 1991 and 1994, have ever declared their income nor paid any tax.”
“As part of the raids on Yim, police also seized 12 luxury sports cars valued at more than $1.3m, including a Ferrari worth more than $500,000 and a Lamborghini Gallardo. More than $1.8m in cash was seized and a further 1kg of methamphetamine found.
Watches, jewellery, electronics, and 48 bottles of vintage French wine valued at about $42,000 were also seized.”
“Yim was sentenced this month in the High Court at Auckland to 11 and a half years in prison for possession of a class A drug for supply.
During sentencing he was described by Justice Geoffrey Venning as being vital to the drug scheme which imported the equivalent of 30kg of pure methamphetamine with a street value of $40m.”
Yim, who came to New Zealand from Hong Kong on a resident visa before gaining citizenship in 1995, has previously been convicted on three unrelated charges.
In July 2006 he was convicted at the Auckland District Court for drink-driving and on a dangerous driving charge, while in April 1997 he was convicted of shoplifting.”
I can only hope that the ird investiagtes this man and taxes him on any undisclosed income. My understanding, even illegal earnings are subject to tax, penalties and use of money interest 🤑
I thought we could seize criminals’ stuff or is it just Maori ganga. I meant gangs (I think Freudian slip.) Spoiler – racist thoughts occurring here. Why do some foreign people get treated so badly, and others get jailed for a long time at our expense and if they are in drugs, they will get a whole new set of traders there. Daft.
Dunno about “redeemed”, but it’d be awkward if they didn’t figure out how to get along at the very least – they get seated next to each other all the time lol
GW will never live down starting the “forever war” (as I saw it called somewhere).
But people who run into each other regularly build relationships.
Very good article on Radio NZ site about redundancy in NZ. However rather than expecting the government to pay for training etc, maybe it should be time in NZ where businesses are regulated to not constantly being making people redundant willy nilly and then often hiring people back later as contractors. This is creating a precriat class not just at the bottom end but through the whole NZ work culture. Part of the reason it is so common, is that it is so easy for an employer to do make employees redundant at little cost to themselves while the costs to the workers are huge. Not easy to find replacement work if they have kids and morgages and so forth and can go from being relatively well off to losing their homes and no guarantee in next job it does not happen again.
“In New Zealand, unlike Australia, Canada and several other OECD countries, there is no legal requirement to pay workers redundancy compensation, leaving unions and workers to negotiate redundancy clauses in their contracts. The payments are taxed at 33 percent, and if a business goes into receivership, employees’ back-pay and redundancy payments are capped at about $22,000 – regardless of how long they’ve worked for the company or what redundancy clause their contract contains.
There’s no guarantee that a company will pay anything at all, as Rob Dempsey found out.”
“The Statistics NZ paper, along with two more follow-up Motu reports, and the OECD report, found people who lose their jobs earn between 12 and 22 percent less than comparable workers four to five years afterward, even if they find other work.
“Income and especially wage effects upon displacement can be considerable, even for those who successfully return to work, and seem to be more pronounced in New Zealand than in most other OECD countries,” the OECD authors wrote.”
Great article about how much money Mondelez has made from NZ as they created debts sent profits to offshore companies in return for ‘intellectual property’ until they destroyed the local business and the factory closes down and they make those workers redundant.
Will she or won’t she? That is, will Jacinda Ardern appear in the House this afternoon for Question Time to parry with Simon Bridges on Question 1, her only question for the day – Does she have confidence in all her Ministers?
The PM has not appeared on her usual Tuesday media slots on RNZ Morning Report, the AM Show etc. Presumably getting ready for her trip to Nauru without Neve for the first time, as Neve is too young for the vaccinations needed to go there.
Neither the PM nor Winston Peters will be in the House tomorrow as Peters is already in Nauru for the Pacific Islands Forum and Ardern is flying up this afternoon or tonight on the RNZAF Boeing 757 for a quick one day /36 hour visit for the Leaders Retreat tomorrow, before everyone (Peters, Ardern, other government attendees and the press contingent) return together on the Boeing 757 leaving about midnight Weds. (Flight time to/from Nauru is about 5 – 6 hours; and Nauru is in exactly the same time/day zone as NZ.)
The PM hardly ever attends Question Time on Thursday and it is highly unlikely that Peters will this week after a busy few days in Nauru.
and in other news,
Credlin TV (13:00 bulletin today) has just reported (to paraphase) Winston Peters as saying that if the only reason Straya (which is in breach of its U.N obligations) is worried that Nauru detainees might hop across the deetch once PR/Citizenship was obtained, then NZ could accommodate – even if legislation is necessary.
There is actually no reason for either the Nauru or the Manus Island atrocities other than the trio of Dutton, Corman and Morrisons, and their hanger’s on.
Guys, nothing has been saved from Linguistics. We lost the entire collection of Indigenous Languages: the recordings since 1958, the songs in many languages without live speakers, the Curt Nimuendaju archive: papers, photos, negatives, the original ethnic-historical-linguistic map with the location of all ethnic groups in Brazil , the only record we had dating back to 1945. The ethnological and archaeological references of the Brazilian ethnic groups since the 16th century … In short, an irreparable loss to our Historical Memory.
Which kiwi journo seems tired of life as a right-winger, making a play to reinvent himself on the radical left? Barry Soper: “Chelsea Manning has courage and integrity, and should be welcomed here”. [https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12117259]
“National’s immigration spokesman Michael Woodhouse was frothing at the mouth at the prospect of the former US Army intelligence analyst coming here saying her criminal record should have seen her banned, and if he was still the minister, that’s most certainly what would have happened.”
“we let in the real Wolf of Wall Street in 2014 to tell sell out audiences here how he ripped off investors to the tune of US$200 million through a fake bond scheme. Jordan Belfort charged Kiwis up to $860 a head to hear how he did it. So who was the Immigration Minister then? Michael Woodhouse!”
I posted a update re Chelsea Manning at 7 above with some other links you may be interested in. They cover reviews etc from her appearance via satellite link at the Sydney Antidote Festival on Sunday, the still no decision from Australian authorities on her visa, and sales etc of tickets here in NZ.
Nah, much more simple. He has always tried to butter his bread on both sides. I am also presuming that he is probably up in Nauru thanks to the RNZAF Boeing 757 and will be coming back tomorrow night on it with Peters and Ardern.
By the way, I have drafted up something re the waka jumping bill and why it will probably not be back in the House this week. Includes a little primer on how to work out what may make it into the House in any week. Will try to post it in Daily Review tonight as now off sleepy drugs after last week.
Interesting memories. At age 13, I mostly bought SF at the local 2nd-hand bookshop in 1963 (usual question: “What’s science fiction?”) but I did also get Bader’s famous “Reach for the Sky” and resonated with his struggle with adversity & heroic recovery after losing his legs. Awaiting the reason for delay of the waka bill with interest too!
Jim Mora’s chat show continues to scrape the bottom of the barrel. The Panel, RNZ National, Tuesday 4 September 2018, 4:47 p.m.
Jim Mora, Niki Bezzant, Neil Miller, Caitlin Cherry
Even for this dog of a show, this was a particularly inane exchange of inane inanities. First the host Jim Mora read out, in an evident tone of approval, a gobsmackingly depraved Nigel Farage quote praising Australia’s brutal mistreatment of refugees, claiming it “has saved lives.”
NIKI BEZZANT: I note that his website says he’s the world’s most charismatic politician!
NEIL MILLER: Pshaw! I think Barack Obama might have something to say about that! Not to mention Bill Clinton.
“The last election unlocked a new voice born of the quiet revolution of more Māori in Parliament. The number of Māori MPs had grown from 13 in 1996 to 29 after election 2017. Twenty are in the Labour, NZ First and Green Party governing arrangement. Ten have executive portfolios. MPs of Māori descent lead National, NZ First, Act and the Greens and Kelvin Davis is deputy leader of Labour.”
“Factoring all new enrolments, the net gain of 61,000 Māori to the general roll since 2006, compared to 25,000 to the Māori roll, exactly matches the earlier 70 per cent swing to the Māori roll.” “The percentage of Māori on the Māori roll is at its lowest, at 52 per cent, since MMP began. The percentage of Māori on the general roll, 48 per cent, is at its highest.” [Rawiri Taonui] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12118287
Oh wow – this is so, so relevant to what I will hopefully post not just re the waka jumping bill but also about a member’s bill that will probably be debated in the House tomorrow as per my 18.3.1.1. to you above. Must feed the menagerie and me. and then will get to it.
Good morning The Am Show Condolences to Japan for the people lost in that Typhoon that is raging there at the minute .
The police get $70 k for a 40 hour week=$30.00 a hour I think that’s fine for a young person the question is how much do they get in year 2 .3 ,4, 5
I know that some have it hard dealing with some public but not all are on that roster
that has to be the highest pay rate for a first year for most industry’s $1400 extra every year for 3 years is much better than other people..Dairy farm workers have not even had a %1 rise in pay over ten years and they work hard.
trump is causing this Nike gear burning hight light and these intelligent people YEA RIGHT are falling for his lies?????? he is going to keep his deceit going it will get louder as the American President elections get closer . Many thanks to NIKE for making a stand for EQUAL RIGHT’S.
Girls out perform boys at school so why do we not have more in management .
Because these old fossils have bias systems in place that keep wahine out of management .
Segregated schools who paid for this study some old fashion religious group.
Boys have to learn to respect girls how is that going to happen if they are separated at school,s
James Shaw is a good man he has highlighted that National is cooperating on the carbon neutral policy. The polls are showing that a lot of Kiwi voter’s are taking there mokopuna’s future and Climate change seriously our Ausse cousin’s need to take Climate Change seriously . Ka pai enough said
What process do they have in place to stop cheating in harness racing ??????? I see this behavior all through out sport’s .
It’s a BIG KNOW TO SELLING OUR TAB TO AUSTRALIA we have $5 billion going there from the banks and now some fool wants to sell our Tab that would just under mine our sports franchises WAKE UP.
Duncan I see you think that it is your job to hold the government accountable .The
problem Eco Maori has is YOU did not do that to national .
There you go the Duncan that man Tony who is champion single sex is a chauvinistic person and if we let people like his spread his fossilized view’s on us it’s all about the boys in his world and we need more voices championing equal right’s for wahine .
That’s the reason this study has landed on your desk Duncan the old fossil are feeling insecure with the Big Equal right movement that is sweeping across Papatuanuku at the minute .
Its a fine balancing act to keep a coalition government in line I say Jacinda is doing that job well.
Stop calling for her to do thing you know she won’t do .
Ka kite ano
The big computer multi nation soft ware company’s have being milking Aotearoa public sector for many decades they bid low get the contract for the job and then ask for more money 2x the original bid and more .
There actions have kept Aotearoa company’s out of this market they are to big for NZ government to hold to account for there soft ware not preforming the task set out to achieve. NOVA Pay Now Acc has the same plans with Oracle these company will bleed NZ dry they don’t care that there action’s will cause harm to NZ people or anyone it’s all about the money .
The consequences of this is they are actually stunting Aotearoa TEC sector’s we have the coding expertise here what do you think Iprent well I think so .
Conclusion ban foreign company’s from bidding for these soft ware up date jobs for our public services sector.
I have a link to back my claim of the talent we have in Aotearoa
sure we mite have to import a few coders but that will ad to OUR IT service sector.
Wow the sandflys are highly sensitive about there money they had a bunch of young people harresment me at a set of lights and a marked cop car was waiting around the corner how do I know it was a set up because the boys keep perusing me right next to the cops now they have some on on a big road bike following me around muppets the want to get me in there cells and beat me muppets. Ka kite ano
Freedom of the PRESS reporter’s who put there safety on the line to broadcast the fact’s that the powerful are suppressing all the killing and un humane practices that these people are doing in there grab or clinging ont to power Eco Maori Applauds all you great people who are doing this great service for Humanity NEED to be defended .
So the powerful left people of the world need to stand up and defend these great people . I see one of OUR Kiwi reporters was held in custody on Naru
Barbara Dreaver is a Mana Wahine Journalist who is not going to give up Ka pai E hoa .Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub That’s a strong Typhoon in Japan blowing houses boat’s and truck’s around Tangaroa and Tawhirimatea are a real power full force of Papatuanuku.
There you go Mike Eco Maori has not been barking up the wrong tree pointing out trump’s flaws . May all his fans please stand up
The housing catastrophe is a gift to Aotearoa from shonky and national to Aotearoa’ people and what do you know some of his biggest fans just cashed in there capital gains WOHO I ignore anything they have to say this is the best way to handle that.
Phenomenon.
Eco Maori think’s its ok for Nike to highlight discrimination and get some exposure for there support by using a picture to speak a thousand word they are not dumb.
Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild James & Mulls I agree with the Kiwi’s new Coach Aotearoa has had a positive effect on the International League seen .
Anna is in her element on te maunga there is plenty of snow .
Sore face jame’s NZ net ball had that phenomenon that phenomenon happen to one of our best coaches a couple of decades ago
Ka kite ano P.S electric race cars are the way of the future they are faster and cleaner less noise than there carbon gulpers cousins ka pai
Good morning The Am Show Rua Moko has been going hard all over Papatuanuku .
You no what’s a joke all this spin about the ANZ business poll showing a lack of business confidence yesterday polls show that consumer spending is up ???? and what top’s it off is whos on the ANZ board well no other than shonky so don’t take any notice of the ANZ business poll’s better still change bank’s if you bank with them in protest for the bankers cheating common people once again.
There you go Duncan alcohol is the root of the problem and you champion longer jail terms you don’t want to hurt your capitalist m8 profts .
The problem is what if the person who accidentally dies in the fight was the aggressor and the other person was just defending them selves . I have seen aggressor pick on someone next minute.
I agree with Lowe Jonson had heaps of presser on him he handled it and stayed loyal to the Warriors ka pai. IT,s a exciting weeked for sports the wahine league and Rugby Playing this week to NO People.
BUY a electric car everyone that will sort out your high fuel bill.
collins if the role were reversed ( never going to happen) would you do what you are telling someone else to do total I think not.
trump was a Democrat supporter it was bill influence on trump that gave him the hunger for the President of America trump new Democrats would not stand for his —- so he changed wakas . Ka kite ano c why I don’t like the word crack
Here you go there is a small group of farmers who don’t have the correct effluent systems in place and this tars the rest of farmers link below Ka kite ano.
Typical national neo liberals playing the lets stir up the crime subject about crime to get a lift in there polls .First why don’t they come up with Idears to benefit OUR society O NO they only come up with policys to line there pockets ITS beneath them to think about the common person in a positvey we are just sheep to these people wating to be shorn .Ana to kai ka kite ano P.S
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
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Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
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Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
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The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
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A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
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“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
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Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
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New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
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Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
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New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
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Neo-liberal New Zealand.
This will break your heart.
100%.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/in-depth/365540/why-being-made-redundant-in-nz-is-so-tough
100% Pure… scum.
Neo-liberal New Zealand.
Our country has been destroyed.
100%.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12118028
Neoliberal Economics removes the human element from the equation and focus’s on the almighty dollar $’s and who can acquire the most in the shortest period of time, ideological B/S from Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics. This ideology was picked up early by the NZ Labour Party and Sir Roger Douglas in the 1980’s.
IMHO is has not been good for NZ and it’s naturalized citizens including te tangata whenua ?
No it hasn’t but could we expect anything else from an ideology based upon one of the Seven Deadly Sins?
More significant than our Prime Minister attending the South Pacific Forum, is the Prime Minister of Australia not attending the South Pacific Forum.
Morrison’s non-attendance amounts to a cowardly refusal to debate with Forum countries over the differences between Australia and the other Pacific Nations on climate change and immigration.
Morrison obviously does not want to be taken to task over these issues. And so has stayed away.
“I am not a crook”
Richard Nixon – November 17, 1973
“We absolutely recognise it’s in our national interest to take action on climate change,”
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne – AAP, September 3, 2018
As the saying goes; “Actions speak louder than words”.
This snub must be seen for what it is.
The record shows that any Australian leader, (of either major party), who dares stand up to the powerful Australian fossil fuel lobby is immediately rolled by the conservative wings of their party.
Morrison obviously does not want to be taken to task over these issues. And so has stayed away.
Unlike Nixon, Morrison hasn’t even got the courage to issue his own denial.
This bodes ill for Australia ever doing anything meaningful to address climate change, or address the very real concerns of the Pacific Nations on the front line of climate change, facing rising sea levels and more energetic hurricanes fueled by warming seas.
Related Posts and comments:
A taste of the Island Nations’ bitterness that Morrison does not want to have to face up to.
“World leaders who deny climate change should go to mental hospital”
Samoan Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele – The Guardian, August 31, 2018
All power to our Prime Minister for fronting up.
Despite the political backlash she has attracted in this country, Prime Minister Ardern is showing the political courage and guts that Prime Minister Sailele has called for, but which is sadly missing in Australian political leaders.
I heard Jacinda, I think Monday, explaining in detail about why she decided to go to the Pacific forum and why she would or wouldn’t take her baby, the costs, the problems (something about there being no holding sites for planes on Nauru was one). They had tried to think of all possible matters and nitpickers on the Right can’t easily come up with this or that negative to wave triumphantly in the air. As is their wont.
While if the situation was reversed, the Gmats would just laugh at any questions at all.
The comparison between Morrison and Ardern. – Ardern is fronting up, despite her circumstances and Morrison is ducking for cover.
A leader’s job is to lead.
You don’t send a delegate, or deputy, (as the opposition parties and right wing media say the Prime Minister should). You don’t try to duck the responsibilities of your position like Morrison has. You make it work.
To the all the opposition Torrys and right wing media commentators:
Woman have children. Get over it.
When a world leaders conference was called in Teheran in 1943, Churchill didn’t sent a delegate, or representative, he went himself, this despite serious complications. Special arrangements and allowances had to be made to transport Churchill to Iran, to taking into account his health and age.
In the end Churchill was transported from England on a mattress in the back of special transport plane all the way to Iran and back.
Allowances were made for his health and age.
Prime Minister Ardern is a female leader of child bearing age, As a society we need to normalise and accept pregnancy, child birth and breastfeeding as part of the human condition, as unavoidable as old age and illness.
Many women have had to make similar difficult decisions and trade offs.
Prime MInister Ardern is a trend setter, but first of all she is a leader of world ranking, like all leaders she has had to make difficult decisions and personal sacrifice to carry out her job.
All power to her.
TBF to the new guy, given Aussies unstable politics he probably thinks if he left the country for more than a day he would be out of a job when he got back.
How long will Morrison last and who will be the next PM ?
Could be an early Election in Australia ?
Scott Morrison has already been out of Australia in his first week as PM – to Indonesia to sign a free trade agreement with them. But can’t make it to Nauru for the Pacific Island Forum – and be exposed to criticism re the refugees sent there by Australia.
And Climate Change.
Exactly.
How long do you think Morrison will last? I always value your take on things Australian.
First he’s got to survive the Wentworth by- election, which from all accounts is getting really interesting as it’s a very diverse electorate from the big end of town to the bottom end of town. After that he has the cross bench in the upper and lower House’s of Parliament. Then the 85 knife throwers in Party room to deal with and next years budget which is also election yr.
Unless Sco Mo pull’s something out of his hat between now and year or Labour somehow falls off the cliff. Then they’re got buckles chance at getting back as they are already on life support at.
So a shoe in then! LOL.
How are you enjoying your ‘separation’ in July? Any firm plans for the future?
It’s been quite relaxing, not worrying or stressing about the bullshit of RAAF’s SECFOR (Training, Operations/ Op’s planning and planning) within the two NT SEC Flts. My wife and I couldn’t be bothered going the open days at Darwin and the Forward Operation Base setup down the road at Batchor Airfield to show the wife the set up at what we did on my two Timor trips.
The rest of the yr is getting house and my tank hanger (20m x9m shed) setup with my Troop SGT office up before the big wet or before first test match of the summer with all my diecast planes, britan soldiers, tanks, my 1/700 model ships and my gun safe. Looking after my little girl (Saffie cross Ozzie Cattle dog) as the wife ran her over a couple of weeks. Listening to my classical, old school country, British Classical and hymns.
As for the future, want to finish of my pilots license, my mate at my bush block wants to get involved with the Timor veterans programs in ET, the wife to go to Timor, wildlife protection feral animal control and anti poachingtravel back to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and do some wildlife tours before its to late to Africa, sub Antarctic and Arctic Regions. Higher education in History or Strategic studies and of course further training in bush fire fighting and in fire management.
Tinker in the shed with my 50’s or 60’s yank tank with the big fins, my uncle motorcycles when I finally get them and the wife has given me permission to buy an Armoured Vehicle of some sort unless we win lotto a warbird or her uncles warbird. Setting up the garden in next yr in between fishing and hunting.
So I’ve got a lot to keep me busy atm.
ROFL – oh so just the usual “what do I do with myself now” retirement things then!
What sort of warbird? Despite being a female civilan Kiwi, when I spent almost seven years in London in the ’70s, I worked in a civil/military organisation, NATS. For almost three years of that, I was private secretary/aide de camp to Air Marshall Sir Ivor Broom, the Controller of NATS – and a rather highly medalled RAF pilot during WW11. He was still in active service and I used to also go to the big wig RAF meetings with him- female and in civvie clothes with a very high security rating obviously. It used to raise eyebrows, which Sir Ivor loved doing. LOL. Part of my role was also to look after Sir Douglas Bader, then a part time Member of the Board of the CAA (who I officially worked for.)
Two hard cases but extreme gentlemen as well. You just did not get in a car driven by either of them if you valued your life, nerves and blood pressure! I also flew with Sir Ivor at the controls quite often in various types of planes when we went around the UK for meetings etc – and sometimes, depending on the plane,once in the air, he would hand over to me despite no formal training and tell me to follow the rail lines. My elder brothers back in NZ were so jealous of me, but I told them it was my revenge for their complaints about having to drag little sister along to the Saturday afternoon movies – many of which were, yes you guessed it, films such as the Dam Busters, etc.
We had a wonderful office set up, quite unusual for the time. As well as me in my role (which included deciding who got to meet, talk to Sir Ivor etc – up your nose bigwigs got to wait a loooonnng time) there was a male typist, a male batman who was also the tea lady (lovely older guy) and Sir Ivor’s driver was female.
Memories are wonderful things.
Ps – Funnily enough, I mentioned on here a few days ago that I worked in London with the father of Brian May of Queen fame and got to know Brian, and the rest of Queen through him. Brian’s Dad was an ex RAF avionics engineer in NATS.
What awesome company you had back then, I reminds me of some the cocktail parties I intended during the few years after Timor (INTERFET) as Airfield Defence Guard (An Aussie Rockape) especially the WW2 and Korean Fighter Pilots. Especially when the Spitfire Pilots from the Morotai Spitfire Wing/ Borneo found out I was and ADG which some them were good mates of old John Gorton en Oz PM had very close encounter with his gun sight when he panged his fighter during the Battle of Malaya.
Brian May would’ve been an interesting fella to talk too, let alone his dad.
As for the warbird, her uncle has a winjeel trainer, but there is a Ex RAAF Mk5c Spitfire in pieces that saw service in Darwin/ Arnhem area on wish list, the wife likes the Me-109G in winter camo, but having read the pilots notes they don’t like asphalt runways all that much and requires big grassy Airfields because of the torque of the big DB engines. The goal would to own a RNZAF, RAAF, RAF, or FAA Aircraft or similar A/C either a single or twin engine that saw service in the Far East or South Pacific to honour my great uncle who was in 3NZ Div, my wife’s Pop (RAN) and Nan (AIF) those veterans and those who have no known grave which to is the saddest thing I’ve seen in War cemetery’s that someone’s lost family member has no known grave.
VV
There are so many stories and paths that cross from war and defence efforts.
I was doing some volunteer counter work at local art gallery, got talking to an English woman and found that her husband had been the Squadron Leader? (in charge) of my birth father’s bomber group around north England Market Rasen area during WW2.
I have read a bit about Baron Dowding. Did Bader ever talk about him and that time?
Here is a This is your Life on Douglas Bader.
https://www.bigredbook.info/douglas_bader.html
This was interesting.
https://www.spitfireclub.co.uk/dowding—park
Leigh-Mallory, already envious of Park for leading the key 11 Group while No.12 Group was left to defend airfields, repeatedly failed to support No.11 Group. Leigh-Mallory and his Big Wing (led by Douglas Bader) often ran amok through No.11 Group airspace confusing the defences. Quintin Brand’s No. 10 Group in the South West successfully supported No.11 Group when required despite having far more arduous defensive duties in its own area than No.12 Group.
Park’s subsequent objection to Leigh-Mallory’s behaviour during the Big Wing controversy may have contributed to his and Dowding’s removal from command at the end of the battle, but neither Park nor Dowding had much time for internal politics and fell easy prey to their waiting critics. Richard Saul of 13 Group on the other hand, wrote to Park on learning of his pending departure from No.11 Group, commenting on “the magnificent achievements of your group in the past six months; they have borne the brunt of the war, and undoubtedly saved England”. Park was to remain indignant however over his and Dowding’s treatment for the rest of his life. Park was posted immediately to Training Command before seeing later high ranking service in the Mediterranean and elsewhere.,,
On leaving the Royal Air Force, Park personally selected a Supermarine Spitfire to be donated to the Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand. This aircraft is still on display today along with his service decorations and uniform….
While Sir Hugh Dowding controlled the Battle from day to day, it was Keith Park who controlled it hour by hour. Air Vice Marshal ‘Johnnie’ Johnson, one of the top Allied air aces of the war, said: “He was the only man who could have lost the war in a day or even an afternoon”. This was an echo of Winston Churchill’s description of Admiral Jellicoe in the First World War.
Although Park has not received widespread public recognition, either in Britain or his native New Zealand, he has a claim to be one of the greatest commanders in the history of aerial warfare.
You mention the original characters you met. Did you see or know the story of Colonel Wintle shown on TV in Heroes and Villains series?
(Radio Desert Island requests)
You might enjoy the whole written story.
https://www.headstuff.org/culture/history/terrible-people-from-history/alfred-daniel-wintle-english-rascal-hero/
Exkiwiforces
If you or your wife have time to read and like quirky Laoa and Tahi based mystery/detective books I recommend trying Colin Cotterill’s books. He has a couple of main characters in series Dr Siri Paiboun and his wife is one, and other Jimm Juree, super girl reporter.
If you can handle wacky stuff here is Colin’s blog.
http://www.colincotterill.com/home_new.html
I did mean Laos and Thai, but letters crossed somehow.
Unfortunately the wife goes by the stars with accommodation IRT SEA travels as I tend to sleep under the stars where I go in SEA. As tend to follow J P Cross an eccentric British Army Officer base in Laos during the war in between stints with Gurkhas or at famous British Jungle Warfare School in Borneo, Graham Greene’s travels through Indo- China, and another eccentric British Army Officer from that era called Arthur George Trevor- Wilson who the French booted out in 1950 as he was good Mates with Ho Chin Minh.
The other three I want to follow is Johnny Cooper the SAS fellow not the boxer, Fitzroy McLean travels in Asia Minor and his time with Tito and old mate T.E Lawrence.
Then a little unknown Kiwi lady called Iris a friend of my NZ grandmother who was with SOE in Western Europe as a courier, spy, and escorted escaped or downed RAF aircrew to freedom via Spain and Portugal. She was a bluebell dancer in Paris before the war and she could Fench and German. A 6ft blond with blue eyes and she was petty handily a pistol from all accounts, just as she was with a Croquet mallet.
I’ll take a look at that website.
That bit about Dowding and Park is so true that they not recognise in the wider public and the thing about Park was that was head hunted by old Winnie to be the RAF CInC for Defence of Malta and again he could’ve lose the war in the British Pond (the med) for the first time since 1746.
I find those stories about resistance from SOE fascinating.
Nancy Wake for one. Looking at Violette Szabo the other day. Her little girl was presented with a cross by King George VI and she said she would keep it for Mummy for when she came home.
I think the Gestapo had tortured her and executed her by that time. Apparently she did not give away anybody. It is all very hard to think about and especially it didn’t teach us to be better.
Thinking of JP Cross I see there is a book called Operation janus by him about the Ghurkas on TradeMe here for $23.50NZ with free shipping. It actually comes from booktopia located in Australia.
When Alan Hinlea, a British Gurkha captain with a hatred of a class system that has always kept him down, deserts to the guerillas and is spirited away to the jungle Communist HQ, Chin Peng, the leader of the Malayan Communist Party gloats at what he hopes will be a major propaganda victory.
A fellow British Gurkha officer is despatched with five Gurkhas to hunt Hinlea down and the chase through pathless jungle becomes a race against time and a contest of deadly jungle warfare skills. Operation Janus is the first in a trilogy of books involving Gurkha milita…
I have the upmost respect to my grandparents generation and in your case your late father going through the Great Depression then followed by WW2 and then building a society where everyone had an equal share in the nations wealth alongside a equally caring society as they knew what the alternative was especially with invent of the “bomb”. When everyone kept their word or handshake and prepared to get stuck in when it was need in times of stress or disaster.
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve reading about Luftwaffe’s Aces under the heading “The German Aces Speak” series by Colin D. Heaton and Anne- Marie Lewis also is on British and German Night Fighters. I’ve the last paragraph in each chapter quite somber on their thoughts for the future. Just like as I was brought up with grandparents in the Nelson region many moons weather about the war, the depression or working class fights with bosses or in case of grandparents turning to the 81 protests in Nelson with helmets etc as it was a worthy battle that needed to be fought. But needless to say they were force to take back seat and how they managed to talk my grandmother out of it, I do not know.
Just like those young kids/ man like your late father climbing into their bomber/ fighter every day/ night or in case of Mike Simths relative in Singers climbing into that elderly biplane knowing what odds were at returning or those on the convoys or facing Rommel tanks or Herr Hitlers paras or the likes of Iris in the SOE or the PoW’s to incredible brave. Compared with what I’ve done and seen in my last 15yrs.
Three quotes, I want to share two from JP Cross and the old bulldog Winnie
Fighting in privacy seem to a relic of the past. Propaganda- that branch of the art of lying which consists of nearly deceiving your friends without quite deceiving your enemies- has been become more acute. Now rallies, chiefly negative because they have organised by people leaping to unwarranted conclusions without adequate examination of the evidence, are a feature of modern life now.
The other JP quote,
At the beginning of the 21st century, was no longer worldwide and all- embracing Communism. Instead, an unhealthy mixture of religious bigotry, lust of oil and over educated idiots with no sense of history rising to the top of the political tree have broken the pattern which has created a new type of situation for which no lasting answer has yet been found.
The further back you look, the further for you can see
Busier than ever but not stressed. Hope your wee girl recovers ok.
It’s nice and quite for the moment, but I’ll slowly ramp up next yr.
They are unlikely to have another coup.
Early federal elections are a problem as Victoria has its state election on 24th Nov 2018 and NSW is 23 rd march 2019
Theres really ‘no space’ to do a 6 week federal campaign till after NSW is done next year. Technicalities about Senators terms also mean that it wont happen till after may 2019.
Yes, the Libs have really shot them selves in foot since the last couple of wks. The federal election is really Labour’s to grab unless they do something really stupid before the polls.
Reading between the lines and perhaps the letters of pollies speeches.
When they say too many absolutely-s – perhaps one is okay but then b-wary.
Which can be added to the usuals ‘At the end of the day’ etc.
Another gem from Campbell:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1809/S00004/gordon-campbell-on-trying-to-cheer-up-the-business-sector.htm
to which we should add boo hoo wah wah wah wah wah.
and if the only way business can be conducted is by using slave labour and forcing costs onto others (such as by supposedly ‘independant contractors – couriers, food delivery people, exploitation of immigrants, a series of ticlet clippers in the chain, and so on), then your business isn’t viable,
btw, I post the above having looked at some comments on TDB that are akin to the
“boo hoo hoo wah wah wah – YOU try running a business and see how you get on” bullshit
So far, all I’ve seen from ‘bizzniss’ leaders is that the reason for poor bizzniss confdinse is “uncertaintay”.
Bizzniss doesn’t like ‘uncertainty”
Well fellas, welcome to the whurl of the precariat. Uncertainty is the precariat class’ biggest characteristic, yet it’s something they’re expected to swallow whilst their bizzniss counterparts expect to be able to cut costs, diminish the rights of their greates asset (their worker bees), take on greater risk from the bizzniss they work for, and basically prop up the fortunes (or otherwise) of their masters.
Whether now, or a few more steps down the road – it ain’t gonna last.
Again, if the only way your bizzniss can survice is by imposing slave-like conditions, then your bizzniiss ain’t viable.
(Maybe fuck off to Straya and try your hand there)
Oh how history repeats (or at least echoes)
boo hoo wah wah wah
Holy heck. This is one hell of a story of a crash landing. Its a miracle nobody died.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=12118594
Perhaps good journalism is not yet quite dead in NZ when the Southland Times can come up with this editorial this morning. Perhaps we should be looking past the biggies and looking more to news sources such as this or ODT.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/106771151/she-didnt-come-hardly-saw-but-kind-of-conquered
The subject is Chelsea Manning and her appearance at the Sydney Antidote Festival on Sunday via satellite from Los Angeles in conversation with Peter Greste, the Australian Aljazeera journalist imprisoned by Egypt for over a year.
From all accounts, the session went very well with Manning receiving a standing ovation at the end. A fuller report from the Guardian – https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/sep/03/chelsea-manning-ronan-farrow-and-ta-nehisi-coates-on-terror-and-bravery-at-antidote
Stuff also had a reasonable article yesterday by Alexander Gillespie – https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/106772001/manning-leaked-info-to-break-secrecy-and-privacy-governments-work-under
IMO two of the NZ best on Manning were by Gordon Campbell on Werewolf. If you missed them here are links:
29 Aug – http://werewolf.co.nz/2018/08/gordon-campbell-on-nationals-crusade-against-chelsea-manning/
30 Aug – http://werewolf.co.nz/2018/08/gordon-campbell-on-the-continuing-saga-of-the-chelsea-manning-visit-and-bts/
Yesterday I also read a related article of particular interest in exploring the dubious nature of character by Dr Binoy Kampmark, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, teaching within the Bachelor of Social Science (Legal and Dispute Studies) programme at RMIT in Melbourne. Unfortunately the link to the article at abandonhope. net is currently broken but if it comes up again I will try to post the link, as I think some here would find it worth reading.
As of this morning, the Australian govt has still not made a final decision whether to ban Manning from entry to Australia for the two remaining events in Melbourne on Friday 7 Sept and Tues 11 Sept. It remains to be seen whether they will make a decision one way or another or just procrastinate… Some Australian articles are suggesting that they are not wishing to upset their US friends …
Tickets are still on sale for her two events here next weekend in Auckland and Wellington (Embassy Theatre not St James as I think I said in early posts) and supposedly the issue of her visa will just be a matter of rubber stamping with the decision last Friday to give her a special direction to apply for the visa.
Just for the hell of it because I am just plain nosey, I checked ticket availability.
In Auckland (Q theatre) ticket seem to be about 2/3 booked for the floor A reserve seats, and the same for the B reserve Gods seats. the other two options (VIP Meet and Greet) and Balcony seats are shown as “Not available right now” so whether sold out or quite what is not clear.
In Wellington the Embassy seat plan is showing about half booked in total.
Another slight update – John Pilger has thrown his hat in the ring in joining the petitioners to the Australian govt to allow Manning into Australia for the two remaining events in Melbourne and Brisbane, according to this Australian Green Party report two hours ago,
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/australia-government-wants-ban-chelsea-manning-they-will-not-silence-her
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12118587
What if national were still in government?
For those who do not click on links when they don’t know the who or what, this is an interesting take by David Cormack on “What if National had actually retained power?”
Mickysavage or lprent – Possibly good for a post by itself given it is almost a year since the general election?
Thanks bwaghorn
I was sorry to see this young Indian guy in this scam about issuing drivers licences.
From what i have heard there seems a lot of corruption in India. If immigrants come here and want to be accepted, they need to keep their noses clean and not just rip off our systems.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/365583/punjabi-singer-gets-home-detention-for-drivers-licences-bribes
“By way of a bribe payment, a price was agreed upon which was typically $400 if the applicant attended and sat their IR or IF driving test, and up to $550 if the applicant did not attend and between $1500 and $2500 for a class two to five truck licence.”
The scheme had the potential to allow people to drive heavy trucks on the open roads without having to sit the required test….
Brar was involved in at least 107 corrupt transactions between 2014 and 2016. He received over $56,000 in bribes. More bribe money was passed on to his co-defendants….
Lovepreet Brar, or Love Brar has he is known in online Punjabi pop videos, has been sentenced to 11 months home detention for taking bribes for driver licences.
In some cases people who did not even sit the test were able to buy a New Zealand drivers licence and get behind the wheel.
In the video for his song ‘Jail’, Brar depicts a character who lives in a showy house, owns expensive cars, carries guns and has just been shot in the shoulder. It has had more than 4.3 million hits on Youtube.
His video promotion shows him with a large gun standing staunchly. Hardly something to encourage positive reactions in the public. However it may have appealed to the dairy owners, and the liquor store owners who have suffered menace and death. This young man is a symptom of problems that need to be fixed in our society. There will become a growing division with immigrants from Asia, with NZrs becoming warier and Indians feeling grief and anger, and resentment.
Chinese have been connected with an active and open drug market and imports, and I think this possibility is based on known facts. I have respect for Chinese and Indian, but I think some find us easy pickings and some NZrs are very ready to enlarge established criminal activities.
There may be racism involved when people are refused employment, but often there is a question in the employers’ minds based on known facts of tendencies. If Ia large enough number of Indian people end up in Court or under investigation, any bias against them will increase.
Then we too have to watch that our own dealings with immigrants are of an equitable nature. There is a twisted approach to respect and fair dealings to them in immigration, and in other departments too.
What a ridiculously low sentence. Not even being made to pay the money back. certainly the judiciary seems to be sending a message to migrants that they can just break NZ laws and get away with a slap on the wrist, no jail time for dishonest migrants endangering lives and NZ reputation. Unlike if Kiwi’s do it.
Look at these sentences clearly very light ones, given to migrants who are dishonest and corrupt.
In this a Chinese business man received $33,000 worth of stolen honey and was repackaging it, but only fined $17,500 – sounds like he was still $15,500 better off after being caught. Funny enough endangering our food reputation for quality export honey is fine apparently but less so if you just send a hoax and not even do the crime aka the nearly 9 years jail Jeremy Kerr got for sending a hoax letter to Fonterra about 1080.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12077932
“A Chinese businessman has been fined for receiving 480kg of stolen mānuka honey after a well-planned heist targeting a ready-for-export shipment at an Auckland warehouse.”
“Judge Singh convicted and sentenced Sun to pay a $17,500 fine, $15,000 of which would be a reparation payment to Azurelife.
Sun said he was able to pay the fine by week’s end.”
only 4 months home detention in palatial mansion for this money launderer.
William Yan AKA Bill Liu to keep NZ citizenship despite money laundering conviction
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11905478
Compare to what happens if you live with a partner and claim a bit more benefit.
$93k fraud: beneficiary jailed for six months
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10806187
Chinese buyers fined $847k after failing to get consent to buy $5m cliff-top Auckland mansion
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12011961
… so they made more than a million in profit but only fined $847k…. that’s certainly sending the message to ignore OIA if you can make a buck, you still get to make a profit even if you are caught.
Come to NZ and poison the locals with drugs, no need to pay an taxes or declare any income and you will become a citizen no questions asked!
“According to Inland Revenue records neither Yim nor Wu, who arrived in New Zealand in 1991 and 1994, have ever declared their income nor paid any tax.”
“As part of the raids on Yim, police also seized 12 luxury sports cars valued at more than $1.3m, including a Ferrari worth more than $500,000 and a Lamborghini Gallardo. More than $1.8m in cash was seized and a further 1kg of methamphetamine found.
Watches, jewellery, electronics, and 48 bottles of vintage French wine valued at about $42,000 were also seized.”
“Yim was sentenced this month in the High Court at Auckland to 11 and a half years in prison for possession of a class A drug for supply.
During sentencing he was described by Justice Geoffrey Venning as being vital to the drug scheme which imported the equivalent of 30kg of pure methamphetamine with a street value of $40m.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11842563
Yim, who came to New Zealand from Hong Kong on a resident visa before gaining citizenship in 1995, has previously been convicted on three unrelated charges.
In July 2006 he was convicted at the Auckland District Court for drink-driving and on a dangerous driving charge, while in April 1997 he was convicted of shoplifting.”
He sounds lovely. Wonder if he qualified as highflying entreprenurial gnatzdonator or economic refugee.
It is such a shame, if we didn’t let these people into the country we would have no crime at all.
I can only hope that the ird investiagtes this man and taxes him on any undisclosed income. My understanding, even illegal earnings are subject to tax, penalties and use of money interest 🤑
I thought we could seize criminals’ stuff or is it just Maori ganga. I meant gangs (I think Freudian slip.) Spoiler – racist thoughts occurring here. Why do some foreign people get treated so badly, and others get jailed for a long time at our expense and if they are in drugs, they will get a whole new set of traders there. Daft.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/106760801/did-george-w-bush-give-michelle-obama-candy-at-john-mccains-funeral
Anyone can be redeemed in the USA it seems, wonder how long it’ll take Trump 🙂
Dunno about “redeemed”, but it’d be awkward if they didn’t figure out how to get along at the very least – they get seated next to each other all the time lol
GW will never live down starting the “forever war” (as I saw it called somewhere).
But people who run into each other regularly build relationships.
Very good article on Radio NZ site about redundancy in NZ. However rather than expecting the government to pay for training etc, maybe it should be time in NZ where businesses are regulated to not constantly being making people redundant willy nilly and then often hiring people back later as contractors. This is creating a precriat class not just at the bottom end but through the whole NZ work culture. Part of the reason it is so common, is that it is so easy for an employer to do make employees redundant at little cost to themselves while the costs to the workers are huge. Not easy to find replacement work if they have kids and morgages and so forth and can go from being relatively well off to losing their homes and no guarantee in next job it does not happen again.
“In New Zealand, unlike Australia, Canada and several other OECD countries, there is no legal requirement to pay workers redundancy compensation, leaving unions and workers to negotiate redundancy clauses in their contracts. The payments are taxed at 33 percent, and if a business goes into receivership, employees’ back-pay and redundancy payments are capped at about $22,000 – regardless of how long they’ve worked for the company or what redundancy clause their contract contains.
There’s no guarantee that a company will pay anything at all, as Rob Dempsey found out.”
“The Statistics NZ paper, along with two more follow-up Motu reports, and the OECD report, found people who lose their jobs earn between 12 and 22 percent less than comparable workers four to five years afterward, even if they find other work.
“Income and especially wage effects upon displacement can be considerable, even for those who successfully return to work, and seem to be more pronounced in New Zealand than in most other OECD countries,” the OECD authors wrote.”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/in-depth/365540/why-being-made-redundant-in-nz-is-so-tough
Great article about how much money Mondelez has made from NZ as they created debts sent profits to offshore companies in return for ‘intellectual property’ until they destroyed the local business and the factory closes down and they make those workers redundant.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201843153/business-commentator-rod-oram
DONT buy Cadbury chocolate.
Will she or won’t she? That is, will Jacinda Ardern appear in the House this afternoon for Question Time to parry with Simon Bridges on Question 1, her only question for the day – Does she have confidence in all her Ministers?
http://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/order-paper-questions/list-of-oral-questions/oral-questions-4-september-2018/
The PM has not appeared on her usual Tuesday media slots on RNZ Morning Report, the AM Show etc. Presumably getting ready for her trip to Nauru without Neve for the first time, as Neve is too young for the vaccinations needed to go there.
Neither the PM nor Winston Peters will be in the House tomorrow as Peters is already in Nauru for the Pacific Islands Forum and Ardern is flying up this afternoon or tonight on the RNZAF Boeing 757 for a quick one day /36 hour visit for the Leaders Retreat tomorrow, before everyone (Peters, Ardern, other government attendees and the press contingent) return together on the Boeing 757 leaving about midnight Weds. (Flight time to/from Nauru is about 5 – 6 hours; and Nauru is in exactly the same time/day zone as NZ.)
The PM hardly ever attends Question Time on Thursday and it is highly unlikely that Peters will this week after a busy few days in Nauru.
Latest on the costs of flying the 757 back to NZ to pick up the PM from Grant Robertson
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/09/grant-robertson-defends-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-s-separate-nauru-flight.html
One thing you may have missed with all the change of leadership in Aussie was this frightening piece of legislation. The Assistance and Access bill.
authorised by the dept of home au pairs….lmao
Thanks, Adam. Great link.
Colin Kaepernick is Nike’s new just do it, face.
Conniptions galore.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/03/colin-kaepernick-nike-just-do-it-campaign-nfl
and in other news,
Credlin TV (13:00 bulletin today) has just reported (to paraphase) Winston Peters as saying that if the only reason Straya (which is in breach of its U.N obligations) is worried that Nauru detainees might hop across the deetch once PR/Citizenship was obtained, then NZ could accommodate – even if legislation is necessary.
There is actually no reason for either the Nauru or the Manus Island atrocities other than the trio of Dutton, Corman and Morrisons, and their hanger’s on.
Tragic.
google translate –
https://www.facebook.com/cinda.gonda/posts/10204862410556647
RIP Brazilian history. Anyone who has something Brazilian don’t throw it out till you know they don’t want it.
Estamos tristes pela sua perda.
Which kiwi journo seems tired of life as a right-winger, making a play to reinvent himself on the radical left? Barry Soper: “Chelsea Manning has courage and integrity, and should be welcomed here”. [https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12117259]
“National’s immigration spokesman Michael Woodhouse was frothing at the mouth at the prospect of the former US Army intelligence analyst coming here saying her criminal record should have seen her banned, and if he was still the minister, that’s most certainly what would have happened.”
“we let in the real Wolf of Wall Street in 2014 to tell sell out audiences here how he ripped off investors to the tune of US$200 million through a fake bond scheme. Jordan Belfort charged Kiwis up to $860 a head to hear how he did it. So who was the Immigration Minister then? Michael Woodhouse!”
Hoop-la.
You can’t have loose cannons running around telling folk what the government’s been getting up to denny.
Link doesn’t work because of the brackets around it. Here it is.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12117259
I posted a update re Chelsea Manning at 7 above with some other links you may be interested in. They cover reviews etc from her appearance via satellite link at the Sydney Antidote Festival on Sunday, the still no decision from Australian authorities on her visa, and sales etc of tickets here in NZ.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-09-2018/#comment-1520634
I updated that with a couple of additions under it.
Ok, thanks. Wonder if someone dropped a tab into his coffee?? Induced a light-bulb switching on inside the head kind of moment?
Nah, much more simple. He has always tried to butter his bread on both sides. I am also presuming that he is probably up in Nauru thanks to the RNZAF Boeing 757 and will be coming back tomorrow night on it with Peters and Ardern.
Hence his latest about 11 hours ago – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12118650
By the way, I have drafted up something re the waka jumping bill and why it will probably not be back in the House this week. Includes a little primer on how to work out what may make it into the House in any week. Will try to post it in Daily Review tonight as now off sleepy drugs after last week.
As you are seem to be a similar age to me, you may be amused at some memories I probably stupidly revealed in a thread under 4 above. LOL
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-09-2018/#comment-1520717
Soper’s been reading that some have thought he was soft-soaping lately and has to redress that mistake.
Interesting memories. At age 13, I mostly bought SF at the local 2nd-hand bookshop in 1963 (usual question: “What’s science fiction?”) but I did also get Bader’s famous “Reach for the Sky” and resonated with his struggle with adversity & heroic recovery after losing his legs. Awaiting the reason for delay of the waka bill with interest too!
Test
Yay thanks Lynn
Jim Mora’s chat show continues to scrape the bottom of the barrel.
The Panel, RNZ National, Tuesday 4 September 2018, 4:47 p.m.
Jim Mora, Niki Bezzant, Neil Miller, Caitlin Cherry
Even for this dog of a show, this was a particularly inane exchange of inane inanities. First the host Jim Mora read out, in an evident tone of approval, a gobsmackingly depraved Nigel Farage quote praising Australia’s brutal mistreatment of refugees, claiming it “has saved lives.”
NIKI BEZZANT: I note that his website says he’s the world’s most charismatic politician!
NEIL MILLER: Pshaw! I think Barack Obama might have something to say about that! Not to mention Bill Clinton.
More—if you can bear it—of Neil Miller being vile and fatuous….
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-21082015/#comment-1061375
Neil Miller has repulsive views.
“The last election unlocked a new voice born of the quiet revolution of more Māori in Parliament. The number of Māori MPs had grown from 13 in 1996 to 29 after election 2017. Twenty are in the Labour, NZ First and Green Party governing arrangement. Ten have executive portfolios. MPs of Māori descent lead National, NZ First, Act and the Greens and Kelvin Davis is deputy leader of Labour.”
“Factoring all new enrolments, the net gain of 61,000 Māori to the general roll since 2006, compared to 25,000 to the Māori roll, exactly matches the earlier 70 per cent swing to the Māori roll.” “The percentage of Māori on the Māori roll is at its lowest, at 52 per cent, since MMP began. The percentage of Māori on the general roll, 48 per cent, is at its highest.” [Rawiri Taonui] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12118287
Oh wow – this is so, so relevant to what I will hopefully post not just re the waka jumping bill but also about a member’s bill that will probably be debated in the House tomorrow as per my 18.3.1.1. to you above. Must feed the menagerie and me. and then will get to it.
Good morning The Am Show Condolences to Japan for the people lost in that Typhoon that is raging there at the minute .
The police get $70 k for a 40 hour week=$30.00 a hour I think that’s fine for a young person the question is how much do they get in year 2 .3 ,4, 5
I know that some have it hard dealing with some public but not all are on that roster
that has to be the highest pay rate for a first year for most industry’s $1400 extra every year for 3 years is much better than other people..Dairy farm workers have not even had a %1 rise in pay over ten years and they work hard.
trump is causing this Nike gear burning hight light and these intelligent people YEA RIGHT are falling for his lies?????? he is going to keep his deceit going it will get louder as the American President elections get closer . Many thanks to NIKE for making a stand for EQUAL RIGHT’S.
Girls out perform boys at school so why do we not have more in management .
Because these old fossils have bias systems in place that keep wahine out of management .
Segregated schools who paid for this study some old fashion religious group.
Boys have to learn to respect girls how is that going to happen if they are separated at school,s
James Shaw is a good man he has highlighted that National is cooperating on the carbon neutral policy. The polls are showing that a lot of Kiwi voter’s are taking there mokopuna’s future and Climate change seriously our Ausse cousin’s need to take Climate Change seriously . Ka pai enough said
What process do they have in place to stop cheating in harness racing ??????? I see this behavior all through out sport’s .
It’s a BIG KNOW TO SELLING OUR TAB TO AUSTRALIA we have $5 billion going there from the banks and now some fool wants to sell our Tab that would just under mine our sports franchises WAKE UP.
Duncan I see you think that it is your job to hold the government accountable .The
problem Eco Maori has is YOU did not do that to national .
There you go the Duncan that man Tony who is champion single sex is a chauvinistic person and if we let people like his spread his fossilized view’s on us it’s all about the boys in his world and we need more voices championing equal right’s for wahine .
That’s the reason this study has landed on your desk Duncan the old fossil are feeling insecure with the Big Equal right movement that is sweeping across Papatuanuku at the minute .
Its a fine balancing act to keep a coalition government in line I say Jacinda is doing that job well.
Stop calling for her to do thing you know she won’t do .
Ka kite ano
The big computer multi nation soft ware company’s have being milking Aotearoa public sector for many decades they bid low get the contract for the job and then ask for more money 2x the original bid and more .
There actions have kept Aotearoa company’s out of this market they are to big for NZ government to hold to account for there soft ware not preforming the task set out to achieve. NOVA Pay Now Acc has the same plans with Oracle these company will bleed NZ dry they don’t care that there action’s will cause harm to NZ people or anyone it’s all about the money .
The consequences of this is they are actually stunting Aotearoa TEC sector’s we have the coding expertise here what do you think Iprent well I think so .
Conclusion ban foreign company’s from bidding for these soft ware up date jobs for our public services sector.
I have a link to back my claim of the talent we have in Aotearoa
sure we mite have to import a few coders but that will ad to OUR IT service sector.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/106809754/designer-keen-to-scrap-plastic-3d-printing-waste ka kite ano P.S I would not be advocating such drastic action’s if they did not stuff there job’s up
Wow the sandflys are highly sensitive about there money they had a bunch of young people harresment me at a set of lights and a marked cop car was waiting around the corner how do I know it was a set up because the boys keep perusing me right next to the cops now they have some on on a big road bike following me around muppets the want to get me in there cells and beat me muppets. Ka kite ano
Some music from Eco Maori.
Freedom of the PRESS reporter’s who put there safety on the line to broadcast the fact’s that the powerful are suppressing all the killing and un humane practices that these people are doing in there grab or clinging ont to power Eco Maori Applauds all you great people who are doing this great service for Humanity NEED to be defended .
So the powerful left people of the world need to stand up and defend these great people . I see one of OUR Kiwi reporters was held in custody on Naru
Barbara Dreaver is a Mana Wahine Journalist who is not going to give up Ka pai E hoa .Ka kite ano
https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/365662/nz-reporter-released-after-being-detained-in-nauru
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/04/myanmar-journalists-jail-press-freedom-attack
Good evening Newshub That’s a strong Typhoon in Japan blowing houses boat’s and truck’s around Tangaroa and Tawhirimatea are a real power full force of Papatuanuku.
There you go Mike Eco Maori has not been barking up the wrong tree pointing out trump’s flaws . May all his fans please stand up
The housing catastrophe is a gift to Aotearoa from shonky and national to Aotearoa’ people and what do you know some of his biggest fans just cashed in there capital gains WOHO I ignore anything they have to say this is the best way to handle that.
Phenomenon.
Eco Maori think’s its ok for Nike to highlight discrimination and get some exposure for there support by using a picture to speak a thousand word they are not dumb.
Ka kite ano
The Crowd Goes Wild James & Mulls I agree with the Kiwi’s new Coach Aotearoa has had a positive effect on the International League seen .
Anna is in her element on te maunga there is plenty of snow .
Sore face jame’s NZ net ball had that phenomenon that phenomenon happen to one of our best coaches a couple of decades ago
Ka kite ano P.S electric race cars are the way of the future they are faster and cleaner less noise than there carbon gulpers cousins ka pai
Good morning The Am Show Rua Moko has been going hard all over Papatuanuku .
You no what’s a joke all this spin about the ANZ business poll showing a lack of business confidence yesterday polls show that consumer spending is up ???? and what top’s it off is whos on the ANZ board well no other than shonky so don’t take any notice of the ANZ business poll’s better still change bank’s if you bank with them in protest for the bankers cheating common people once again.
There you go Duncan alcohol is the root of the problem and you champion longer jail terms you don’t want to hurt your capitalist m8 profts .
The problem is what if the person who accidentally dies in the fight was the aggressor and the other person was just defending them selves . I have seen aggressor pick on someone next minute.
I agree with Lowe Jonson had heaps of presser on him he handled it and stayed loyal to the Warriors ka pai. IT,s a exciting weeked for sports the wahine league and Rugby Playing this week to NO People.
BUY a electric car everyone that will sort out your high fuel bill.
collins if the role were reversed ( never going to happen) would you do what you are telling someone else to do total I think not.
trump was a Democrat supporter it was bill influence on trump that gave him the hunger for the President of America trump new Democrats would not stand for his —- so he changed wakas . Ka kite ano c why I don’t like the word crack
Here you go there is a small group of farmers who don’t have the correct effluent systems in place and this tars the rest of farmers link below Ka kite ano.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/106838318/small-group-of-dirty-farmers-still-causing-profound-harm-to-environment-and-industry
Typical national neo liberals playing the lets stir up the crime subject about crime to get a lift in there polls .First why don’t they come up with Idears to benefit OUR society O NO they only come up with policys to line there pockets ITS beneath them to think about the common person in a positvey we are just sheep to these people wating to be shorn .Ana to kai ka kite ano P.S
I warned you people not to stuff with Eco Maori