Open mike 04/09/2024
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6:00 am, September 4th, 2024 - 69 comments
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- Vegas Baby
Good morning, lovely people. Don’t worry. This isn’t really a newsletter, just a quick note. I’m sitting in our lounge, looking out over a gloomy sky. Although being Rotorua, the view is periodically interrupted by steam bursting from pipes and dispersing—like an Eastern European industrial hellscape during the Cold War.Drinking ...2 hours ago - Why Entrust Needs New Leadership
I am part of a new team running in the Entrust election in October. Entrust is a community electricity trust representing a significant part of Auckland, set up to serve the community. It is governed by five trustees are elected every three years in an election the trust itself oversees. ...3 hours ago - London Bridge is falling down
In the UK, London is the latest of council groups to signal potential bankruptcy.That’s after Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city, went bankrupt in June, resulting in reduced sanitation services, libraries cut, and dimmed streetlights.Some in the city described things as “Dickens” like.Please, Sir, Can I have some more?For families with ...3 hours ago - Govt may kick elderly out of hospitals
The Government is considering how to shunt elderly people out of hospitals, and also how to cut their access to other support. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, ...3 hours ago - Getting the nephs off the couch
The so-called “Prince of the Provinces”, Shane Jones, went home last Friday. Perhaps not quite literally home, more like 20 kilometres down the road from his house on the outskirts of Kerikeri. With its airport, its rapidly growing (mostly retired) population, and a commercial centre with all the big retail ...5 hours ago - De moralibus orcorum: Sargon of Akkad, Rings of Power, Evil, and George R.R. Martin
I have noted before that The Rings of Power has attracted its unfortunate share of culture war obsessives. Essentially, for a certain type of individual, railing on about the Wokery of Modern Media is a means of making themselves a online livelihood. Clicks and views and advertising revenue, and all ...11 hours ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #37
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Yesterday, I ruminated about the effects of being a political follower.And, within politics, David Seymour was smart enough on Friday to divert attention from “race blind” policies [what about gender blind I thought - thinking of maternity wards] and cutting school lunches by throwing meat to the media. Teachers were ...1 day ago - A warm embrace
Far, far away from here lives our King. Some of his subjects can be quite the forelock tuggers, but plenty of us are not like that, and why don't I wheel out my favourite old story once more about Kiwi soldiers in the North African desert?Field Marshal Montgomery takes offence ...1 day ago - Literal clowns are running the place, we must put a timeout on this stupidity… right Aotearoa?
These people are inept on every level. They’re inept to the detriment of our internal politics, cohesion and increasingly our international reputation. And they are reveling in the fact they are getting away with it. We cannot even have “respectful debate” with a government that clearly rejects the very ...2 days ago - Fact brief – Does manmade CO2 have any detectable fingerprint?
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- Judge Not.
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Uh-uh! Not So Fast, Citizens! The power to initiate systemic change remains where it has always been in New Zealand’s representative democracy – in Parliament. To order a binding referendum, the House of Representatives must first to be persuaded that, on the question proposed, sharing its decision-making power with the people ...2 days ago
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Flatlining: With no evidence of a genuine policy disruptor at work in Labour’s ranks, New Zealand’s wealthiest citizens can sleep easy.PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN has walked a picket-line. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has threatened “price-gauging” grocery retailers with price control. The Democratic Party’s 2024 platform situates it well to the left of Sir ...2 days ago
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The Beginning of the End: Rogernomics became the short-hand descriptor for all the radical changes that swept away New Zealand’s social-democratic economy and society between 1984 and 1990. In the bitterest of ironies, those changes were introduced by the very same party which had entrenched New Zealand social-democracy 50 years earlier. ...2 days ago
- Kōrero Mai – Speak to Me.
Good morning all you lovely people. 🙂I woke up this morning, and it felt a bit like the last day of school. You might recall from earlier in the week that I’m heading home to Rotorua to see an old friend who doesn’t have much time. A sad journey, but ...2 days ago - Winning ways
2 days ago - 48 seconds on a plan that would reverberate for a million years
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- Using blunt instruments and magical thinking to ignore evidence of harm
The abrupt cancellations and suspensions of Government spending also caused private sector hiring, spending, and investment to freeze up for the first six months of the year. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāThis week we learned:The new National/ACT/NZ First Coalition Government ignored advice from Treasury that it didn’t have to ...2 days ago - Is This A Dagger Which I See Before Me: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power Episode 5 (Seaso...
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- Do or do not. There is no try
1. Upon receiving evidence that school lunches were doing a marvellous job of improving outcomes for students, David Seymour did what?a. Declared we need much more of this sort of good news and poured extra resources and funding into them b. Emailed Atlas network to ask what to do next c. Cut ...3 days ago - Dangerous ground
The Waitangi Tribunal has reported back on National's proposed changes to gut the Marine and Coastal Area Act and steal the foreshore and seabed for its greedy fishing-industry donors, and declared it to be another huge violation of ti Tiriti: The Waitangi Tribunal has found government changes to the ...3 days ago - Climate Change: National wants to cheat on Paris
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- Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable
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4 days ago - Treaty Bill “a political stunt”
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- An average 219 NZers migrated each day in July
Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 11:Annual migration of New Zealanders rose to a record-high 80,963 in the year to the end of July, which is more than double its pre-Covid levels.Two ...5 days ago - What you’re wanting to win more than anything is The Narrative
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Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...5 days ago - Inside the public service
In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...5 days ago
- New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them
This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...6 days ago
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A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939. How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...6 days ago - Motorway madness
How mad is National's obsession with roads? One of their pet projects - a truck highway to Whangārei - is going to eat 10% of our total infrastructure budget for the next 25 years: Official advice from the Infrastructure Commission shows the government could be set to spend 10 ...6 days ago
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Ever since Wayne Brown became mayor (nearly two years ago now) he’s been wanting to progress an “integrated transport plan” with the government – which sounded a lot like the previous Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) with just a different name. It seems like a fair bit of work progressed ...6 days ago
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And they taught usWhoa-oh, black woman, thou shalt not stealI said, hey, yeah, black man, thou shalt not stealWe're gonna civilise your black barbaric livesAnd we teach you how to kneelBut your history couldn't hide the genocideThe hypocrisy to us was realFor your Jesus said you're supposed to giveThe oppressed ...6 days ago - How mismanagement, not wind and solar energy, causes blackouts
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In February 2021, several severe storms swept across the United States, culminating with one that the Weather Channel unofficially named Winter Storm Uri. In Texas, Uri knocked out power to over 4.5 million homes and 10 million people. Hundreds of Texans died as a ...6 days ago
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For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...7 days ago - Unstoppable Minister McKee
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Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...1 week ago - Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)
Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...1 week ago - Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous
A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...1 week ago
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- Time for a Change
You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...1 week ago - Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.
The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading ...1 week ago
- Buried deep
Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...1 week ago - Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.
Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading ...1 week ago
- Leadership for Dummies
If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...1 week ago - Home again
1 week ago - Dead even tie for hottest August ever
Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...1 week ago
- Release: Māori business not a priority for this Govt
Scrapping the Progressive Procurement programme designed to support and grow Māori businesses is a missed opportunity. ...19 hours ago - Release: March 15 inquiry grants cut by Government
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has cut grants helping overseas family of victims to attend the next phase of the Coronial Inquiry into the 15 March 2019 Christchurch Masjidain Attack. ...19 hours ago
- Minister of Injustice seeks to Entrench largest land confiscation in History
The Waitangi Tribunal has released an Urgent Report on the Government’s proposed amendments to the Takutai Moana Act 2011. The report calls out Paul Goldsmith’s proposal for what it is: a “gross breach of the Treaty” and an “illegitimate exercise of kāwanatanga”. The Tribunal is recommending the Crown step down ...3 days ago
- Takutai Moana changes another assault on Te Tiriti
The Government must abandon its Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act interventions after the Waitangi Tribunal found it was committing gross breaches of the Treaty. ...3 days ago - Greens call on Govt to leave Te Reo in schools alone
As Te Wiki o te Reo Māori approaches, the Government is considering deprioritising teaching Te Reo Māori in our schools. ...3 days ago
- Govt cannot ignore racism
The Government’s directive to the public service to ignore race is nothing more than a dog whistle and distraction from the structural racism we need to address. ...3 days ago
- Release: Lemauga Lydia Sosene to take medical leave
Labour’s Mangere MP Lemauga Lydia Sosene has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will shortly take medical leave. ...3 days ago
- Potential intelligence sharing with Israel must be investigated
Concerns have been raised that our spy arrangements may mean that intelligence is being shared between Aotearoa and Israel. An urgent inquiry must be launched in response to this. ...4 days ago
- Release: Charter schools undermine our education system
The Government is taking a wrecking ball to our public education system by reinstating charter schools. ...4 days ago
- Youngest MP to travel to Canada to accept Politician of the Year Award
Aotearoa’s Youngest Member of Parliament, and Te Pāti Māori MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, will travel to Montreal to accept the One Young World Politician of the Year Award next week. The One Young World Politician of the Year Award was created in 2018 to recognise the most promising young politicians between ...4 days ago
- Greens celebrate huge step forward for ADHD community
The Greens welcome today’s long-coming announcement by Pharmac of consultation to remove the special authority renewal criteria for methylphenidate, dexamfetamine and modafinil and to fund lisdexamfetamine. ...4 days ago
- Release: Millions to be spent dividing NZ for no reason
The National Party is wasting millions of dollars allowing David Seymour’s Treaty Principals Bill to be drafted and go to Select Committee. ...4 days ago
- Release: New Zealanders departing our shores at a record rate
The Migration figures released by Stats NZ today show National is continuing to drive Kiwis away from New Zealand in record numbers. ...4 days ago
- Te Tai Tokerau MP Slams Govt Overreach in Scrapping Māori Wards
Mema Paremata for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, has reflected on the decisions made by the councils of the North amidst the government’s push to remove Māori Wards and weaken mana whenua representation. “Actions taken by the Kaipara District Council to remove Māori Wards are the embodiment of the eradication ...4 days ago
- Govt already seeking advice on Treaty referendum
On one hand, the Prime Minister has assured Aotearoa that his party will not support the Treaty Principles Bill beyond first reading, but on the other, his Government has already sought advice on holding a referendum on our founding document. ...5 days ago
- Release: Aged care will be worse off if redesign rushed
New Zealanders needing aged care support and the people who care for them will be worse off if the Government pushes through a flawed and rushed redesign of dementia and aged care. ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt fails hundreds of workers as mills close
Labour is devastated at news hundreds of workers are set to lose their jobs following the closure of Winstone Pulp mills. ...5 days ago
- Job losses from mill closures consequence of Govt inaction
Hundreds of jobs lost as a result of pulp mill closures in the Ruapehu District are a consequence of government inaction in addressing the shortfalls of our electricity network. ...6 days ago
- Ngarewa-Packer devastated for Ruapehu following WPI closure
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru is devastated for the Ruapehu community following today’s decision to close two Winstone Pulp mills. “My heart goes out to all the workers, their whānau, and the wider Ruapehu community affected by the closure of Winstone Pulp International,” said Ngarewa-Packer. ...6 days ago
- Release: Cabinet should stop the Treaty Principles Bill
National Party Ministers have a majority in Cabinet and can stop David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill, which even the Prime Minister has described as “divisive and unhelpful.” ...7 days ago
- Release: Staff gagged to keep fast track list secret
The National Government is so determined to hide the list of potential projects that will avoid environmental scrutiny it has gagged Ministry for the Environment staff from talking about it. ...7 days ago
- Release: Labour challenges Te Whatu Ora gag orders
Labour has complained to the Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission about the high number of non-disclosure agreements that have effectively gagged staff at Te Whatu Ora Health NZ from talking about anything relating to their work. ...1 week ago
- Greens call on Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned after letter from Christian leaders
The Green Party is once again urging the Prime Minister to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill as a letter from more than 400 Christian leaders calls for the proposed legislation to be dropped. ...1 week ago
- Sign the petition: Keep military-style firearms off our streets
Help us tell the Government that reintroducing military-style firearms should not be up for debate. ...1 week ago
- Vast majority of councils support Māori wards
Councils across the country have now decided where they stand regarding Māori wards, with a resounding majority in favour of keeping them in what is a significant setback for the Government. ...1 week ago
- Release: Government on the wrong side of Māori wards
The National-led government has been given a clear message from the local government sector, as almost all councils reject the Government’s bid to treat Māori wards different to other wards. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki
The Labour Party congratulates Kuīni Ngā Wai hono i te po Paki on being crowned as the eighth Te Ariki Nui – head of Te Kiingitanga. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party welcomes new Maaori Kuiini
The Green Party welcomes the coronation of the new Maaori Kuiini, Te Arikinui Nga Wai Hono i te Po, today in Turangawaewae. ...2 weeks ago
- ECE teachers deserve better than this Government
The Green Party is unsurprised but disappointed by today’s announcement from the Government that will see our Early Childhood Centre teachers undermined and pay parity pushed further out of reach. ...2 weeks ago
- Urgent intervention needed on supermarkets
The Green Party is calling on the Government to intervene in the supermarket duopoly dominating our supply of groceries following today’s report from the Commerce Commission. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Rainbow youth neglected in mental health funding
Labour backs the call from The Rainbow Support Collective members for mental health funding specifically earmarked for grassroots and peer led community organisations to be set up in a way that they are able to access. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Transport in NZ has to be more than just roads
As expected, the National Land Transport Programme lacks ambition for our cities and our country’s rail network and puts the majority of investment into roads. ...2 weeks ago
- Speech: Barbara Edmonds Building Nations 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa, Thank you for your warm welcome and for having my colleagues and I here today. Earlier you heard from the Labour Leader, Chris Hipkins, on our vision for the future of infrastructure. I want to build on his comments and provide further detail on some key elements ...2 weeks ago
- Govt transport plan deepens fossil fuel fix
The Green Party says the Government’s new National Land Transport Programme marks another missed opportunity to take meaningful action to fight the climate crisis. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for public to back Wrybill in BOTY and beyond
The Green Party is calling on the public to support the Ngutu Pare Wrybill not just in this year’s Bird of the Year competition but also in pushing back against policies that could lead to the destruction of its habitat and accelerate its extinction. ...2 weeks ago
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News that the annual number of building consents granted for new homes fell by more than 20 percent for the year ended July 2024, is bad news for the construction industry. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Pay Tribute to Kiingi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII
Papā te whatitiri, hikohiko te uira, i kanapu ki te rangi, i whētuki i raro rā, rū ana te whenua e. Uea te pou o tōku whare kia tū tangata he kapua whakairi nāku nā runga o Taupiri. Ko taku kiri ka tōkia ki te anu mātao. E te iwi ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Gaps still to be addressed in callouts response
The Government must guarantee New Zealanders will not be at risk after making changes to the way mental health callouts are handled. ...2 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Kiingi Tuheitia passing
Haere e te Kīngi o te kotahitangi Haere ki o nui, ki o rahi I te pō ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party pays respects to Kiingi Tuuheitia
The Green Party is paying tribute to the Māori King, Kiingi Tuuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero XVII, after he passed away earlier this morning. ...2 weeks ago
- Serious assaults down 22% in Auckland CBD
Cross-government action to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in Auckland is getting traction, says Police Minister Mark Mitchell. “Our central cities should be great places to live and work, but in recent years they have become hot spots for crime and anti-social behaviour. In Auckland, businesses and residents suffered as ...15 hours ago - Draft critical minerals list released for consultation
A draft list of minerals deemed essential to New Zealand’s economy and strengthening its mineral resilience has been released for consultation, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The draft Critical Minerals List identifies 35 minerals essential to economic functions, are in demand internationally, and face high risk of supply disruption domestically ...18 hours ago
- Government eliminates $190 million in trade barriers to boost the economy
The Government has successfully removed trade barriers affecting nearly $190 million worth of exports to help grow the economy, Minister for Trade and Agriculture Todd McClay today announced. “In the past year, we have resolved 14 Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs), returning significant value to kiwi exporters. These efforts directly boost our ...1 day ago
- Reo Māori the ‘beating heart’ of Aotearoa New Zealand
From private business to the Paris Olympics, reo Māori is growing with the success of New Zealanders, says Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka. “I’m joining New Zealanders across the country in celebrating this year’s Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week, which has a big range ...2 days ago
- Need and value at forefront of public service delivery
New Cabinet policy directives will ensure public agencies prioritise public services on the basis of need and award Government contracts on the basis of public value, Minister for the Public Service Nicola Willis says. “Cabinet Office has today issued a circular to central government organisations setting out the Government’s expectations ...3 days ago
- Minister to attend Police Ministers Council Meeting
Police Minister Mark Mitchell will join with Australian Police Ministers and Commissioners at the Police Ministers Council meeting (PMC) today in Melbourne. “The council is an opportunity to come together to discuss a range of issues, gain valuable insights on areas of common interest, and different approaches towards law enforcement ...3 days ago
- New Bill to crack down on youth vaping
The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping. “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...4 days ago
- Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed
Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...4 days ago
- Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...4 days ago
- Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups
Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...4 days ago
- Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it
The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...4 days ago
- Targeted supports to accelerate reading
The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...4 days ago
- Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology
With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...4 days ago
- Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...4 days ago
- Driving structured literacy in schools
The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...5 days ago
- Labour’s misleading information is disappointing
Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says. “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them. ...5 days ago
- Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine
The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...5 days ago
- Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill
Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...5 days ago
- Government unlocking potential of AI
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...5 days ago
- Government releases Wairoa flood review findings
The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...5 days ago
- Promoting faster payment times for government
The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...5 days ago
- Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech
E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward. Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...6 days ago
- Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses
Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...6 days ago
- Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test
More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...6 days ago
- Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction
Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...6 days ago
- Māori Education Advisory Group established
The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...6 days ago
- Government welcomes findings of NZ Superannuation Fund review
The Government has welcomed the findings of the recent statutory review into the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis says. The 5-yearly review, conducted on behalf of Treasury and tabled in Parliament today, found the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation ...6 days ago
- First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight
Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...6 days ago
- Have your say on suicide prevention
Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...6 days ago
- Action to grow the rural health workforce
Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...7 days ago
- Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...7 days ago
- Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians
Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris. “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...7 days ago
- Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations
A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report. “It will have the mandate ...1 week ago
- Passport wait times back on-track
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...1 week ago
- New appointments to the FMA board
Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...1 week ago
- District Court judges appointed
Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...1 week ago
- Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand
Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...1 week ago
- New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender
New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...2 weeks ago
- Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...2 weeks ago
- Improving access to finance for Kiwis
5 September 2024 The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...2 weeks ago
- Contract law changes: Simplifying or complicating?
A major union and a big business group are at odds over whether planned changes to employment law will simplify or complicate matters. ...45 mins ago - Who will miss Auckland Transport the most if it goes? The most anti-AT councillors
A bill aimed at getting rid of AT might go before parliament. No one will miss AT more than the local politicians who use it as an easy blame sponge. Auckland Transport staffers pretended to take notes as the councillor lectured them about buses. Their organisation had approved a plan ...47 mins ago - Firearms Minister Nicole McKee won’t rule out trying to bring back banned guns
Nicole McKee won't promise not to re-introduce banned semi-automatics, saying instead she's committed to listening to stakeholders. ...2 hours ago
- Cancer can’t stop woman of Steele
Watching the legendary Ironman New Zealand event in Taupō earlier this year, Harriet Steele had her first “big wobble”.She’d coped with a shock breast cancer diagnosis in January, followed by an emergency mastectomy and chemotherapy getting underway. But being sidelined at an Ironman event, watching her partner compete, was almost ...3 hours ago - Taiwan on a mission to win hearts and minds at ‘critical moment’
Polite but frank diplomat Joanne Ou speaks about her hope of a better future for Taiwan and offers a warning from the frontlines The post Taiwan on a mission to win hearts and minds at ‘critical moment’ appeared first on Newsroom. ...3 hours ago
- No one ends up in Waiau Pa by accident
No one ends up in Waiau Pa by accident. A small dot on the edge of South Auckland near the coast. A town you’ll never pass through unless you come to stay, or to fish, or to come back to after a long time away, having grown and expanded while ...4 hours ago
- Justice ministry battles leaks and ministers over Treaty bill
Officials from other agencies can only look at hard copies of Cabinet papers on the Treaty Principles Bill in an effort to prevent new leaks The post Justice ministry battles leaks and ministers over Treaty bill appeared first on Newsroom. ...4 hours ago
- Has David Seymour ‘saved’ school lunches – or enshittified them?
The Act leader’s scheme to cut spending on the free school lunch programme not only subtly shift costs from central government to schools, it also risks damaging the very thing that makes the programme work, writes Max Rashbrooke. You mightn’t think that giving kids free lunches would be “one of ...5 hours ago
- ‘It was quite baffling’: Police call driver on motorway to say ‘stop using your phone’
A roadside police officer spotted a driver allegedly on his phone – so searched his number plate, found his details and called him up. Stewart Sowman-Lund has the details in this special report for The Bulletin. An Auckland motorist was surprised to receive a phone call from a police officer ...5 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 16 September
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 16 September appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Monday 16 September
The post Daily crossword, Monday 16 September appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
- Coalition policies are not about ‘needs’ or ‘race’
Opinion: The dog is being whistled to and it hears ‘race’ and ‘Māori’ loud and clear The post Coalition policies are not about ‘needs’ or ‘race’ appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
- Don’t stand by as science funding circles the drain
Opinion: New Zealand has a reputation as a country of innovators, outside-the-box thinkers with a can-do approach to tackling big problems. Yet that reputation belies a huge (and growing) hole in funding for research, science and innovation. On a global scale, our investment in R&D pales woefully in comparison to ...5 hours ago
- The emergency that is St John
“111, what is your emergency?”The emergency is St John.Frontline staff have told The Detail it’s broken and on life-support – underfunded, understaffed, and overstressed.And now First Union members have voted to strike again, on September 27, after rejecting the latest offer from Hato Hone St John.Staff say it’s a last ...5 hours ago
- US Fed prepares to cut rates as health of NZ economy revealed
The US Federal Reserve hasn’t cut interest rates for four years – now speculation of a “jumbo” cut is growing The post US Fed prepares to cut rates as health of NZ economy revealed appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
- ‘Regrettable’: Judge sends shot across bow of fisheries minister
Three decades after the historic Sealord fisheries deal – the grand-daddy of all Treaty settlements – the Govt faces paying compensation for unstitching it by stealth The post ‘Regrettable’: Judge sends shot across bow of fisheries minister appeared first on Newsroom. ...5 hours ago
- Order In Council Rarely Appropriate For Firearms Law
COLFO strongly encourages Governments to use the full legislative process, including public consultation with vulnerable communities, for significant changes, to create enduring firearms laws that increase public safety. ...7 hours ago - Global Indigenous Leaders Condemn New Zealand Government Treatment Of Māori
Global Indigenous leaders and environmentalists condemn New Zealand's Treaty Principles Bill as a significant affront to Māori rights and democratic processes, urging government respect for Te Tiriti o Waitangi. ...7 hours ago
- NZCTU Slams Govt For Failing Mill Workers
NZCTU criticises the Government for neglecting to save 300 jobs in Ruapehu after Winstone Pulp International's mill closures, highlighting regional economic impacts and the need for proactive support. ...7 hours ago
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Octopus Energy's COO warns that New Zealand's prolonged high electricity prices necessitate urgent regulatory changes for increased market competition and improved investment. ...7 hours ago
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Wadestown residents firmly oppose Wellington City Council's proposed cycle lanes and parking management changes, demanding a comprehensive re-evaluation that prioritises community input. ...7 hours ago
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The BSA's report on harmful speech raises concerns about subjectivity and potential censorship of controversial views, according to Free Speech Union’s Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling. ...8 hours ago
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The Maritime Union of New Zealand is federated with the Maritime Union of Australia, and the MUA and the wider CFMEU have our full support in their struggle. ...8 hours ago
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“These latest figures on the costs of Wellington City Council’s latest bike rack have truly humbled the Taxpayer’s Union. Imagine a Council so incompetent it can make its previous $84k bike rack blowout look almost reasonable in comparison. ...10 hours ago
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Gender Equality, the role of media in group think, Men's Rights Activists, confronting one's own bias.
Cassie Jaye, the producer of The Red Pill movie in a 15 minute Ted Talk.
“We have to stop expecting to be offended”.
Reviews of the Red Pill.
1.
2.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-red-pill
Who was involved tells me all I need to know.
https://archive.is/otL8x
https://archive.is/fLboS
https://archive.is/QXMqR
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8337341/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr4
It appears she was lacking funding to complete the project (because her approach was to have them tell their story) so was "transitioned" away from "the collective" towards a new "red pill" support network.
You should link the video to the TDB site. It's in sync with his anti-feminist narrative.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/09/04/new-roy-morgan-poll-all-gravy-for-national-as-men-run-screaming-from-the-left/
One of the more important points made, and obviously missed, is that it is possible to advocate for one group without being anti another.
Meh, she decided to no longer identify as a feminist.
Her rejection of being called, feminist, because men describe it as anti-male is inept logic.
None of the below is evidence of any discrimination against men
I can see why Bomber wrote what he did.
If you can hand wave these issues away then it's no surprise that the 'left' is failing to resonate with males.
They are narratives created by the right and perpetuated on TDB.
And left wing men influenced by it think they have to abandon solidarity with women to win back male voters – who next the poor?
Awesome! So condescending.
Is it still mansplaining when talking to a bloke?
It is a very weak argument that because it's a right wing narrative, it's ti be dismissed even when it resonates with lived experience.
Whose lived experience?
This is all nonsense. None of it is caused by discrimination against men.
Can someone give me the background on this "Bomber" person please?
As to the moniker, it relates to his writing style.
Check The Daily Blog for writing or The Working Group on You Tube for an example of him 'in the flesh'.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2024/09/04/new-roy-morgan-poll-all-gravy-for-national-as-men-run-screaming-from-the-left/
Martyn Bradbury… been around the left side politics for years Alliance, Mana Party Internet Mana etc. Hes got his own particular style…
You've lived a charmed or sheltered life if it is untouched by male suicide, family break ups or male premature death.
You have no idea.
That said – no male suicides, family break-ups or premature male death (unless that includes both parents dying below the statistical norm via cancer).
And was any of it based on discrimination against men?
Living up to the traditional provider role model in the age of two incomes, inter-generational middle class decline is not of a discrimination against men, but Atlas Network Randian – Laffer curve, Chicago school libertarianism.
Primary Care breaking down in NZ who is to blame National or Labour, this does not just happen over night ???
So many questions. So little real research So few answers.
Too much political bias and blaming preventing fair analysis.
Are there less medical staff /facilities available if so why and what to do about it.?
Are peolpe less healthy than before, if so why and what to do about it?
How did Covid impact on society? Did we become more health concious?
Did we believe all health services would be free to all?
Are peolple taking all their social and economic issues to the hospital hoping for free miracle cures .
Is it time to have a conversation about private health insurance?
I dont know the facts but I believe the issues are many, deep and complex and almost certainly not all medical related.
Go on then Koina, do yourself a favour, stretch your legs and start an answer to one of those questoins.
In reply to Ad.
Compare the reasons for hospital / out patience admissions and all DR appointments in the year 2000 to the same sample base for the year 2024.
That would be very informative.
I would be delighted if you could Ad more suggestions
Yes , poor food choices and sedentary lifestyles,
Convince people to stop eating shit, and exercise.
Move away from the concept of retirement, there's to types of old people , active and healthy , sedentary and in the Dr's every other week .
All fine sentiments until they are fact checked.
There is nothing more sedentary than sitting at a desk or a drivers seat.
Many retirees exercise more than they did when working.
Many have no doctor. Those who do, cannot see them for weeks.
Or it could be a lack of political will to face the realities of an ageing population because roads.
/
@medzihorsky
Slovakia's oldest GP retires at 97. The average age of a GP is 57, 41% of them are 63+. The health ministry estimates that the system is 400 GPs short, in a country of 5.5 mil.
https://x.com/medzihorsky/status/1830519409711980905
//
Those numbers tell a clear story: road users are no longer paying for the transport system, which is now being heavily subsidised from the pool of money that is actually intended for the likes of schools and hospitals. The subsidy is enormous (the current cost of the new Dunedin hospital is about $2b – less than the Crown subsidy for this NLTP).
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/national-land-transport-programme-government-has-a-hospital-sized-hole-in-its-transport-plan/LX7PV4XIXJFILNRV6WKNRGTESM/ (https://archive.li/W3mtC)
One side funds the clear gap left after the other side in power cuts funding and looks to privatise.
Covid was an accelerant as like Oz we don't have enough GP's especially rurally.
So here we are with a new govt and it's idealogical plays on the health system on top of stiffing the primary care sector it's promised % rise, extra GP's etc etc.
Levy's likely to have triggered many resignations, so no "this does not just happen over night…" it's a work in progress.
Oz looks very attractive to a medical professional.
In this article someone plotted spend by government – their graph & commentary as follows:
"Together ACT and National have committed to 30 years of defunding our health system. Apart from the drop in funding in 1984 that was the result of the (National-created) economic crisis, the graph below fairly clearly shows how periods of National-ACT Governments (1990-99, 2008-17, and not on the graph but almost certainly levelling out or dropping, 2023-present coincide with drops the rate of health spending increases) have held back our health spending for decades.
The above graph shows us why Labour’s money “sunk” into health didn’t do enough — because of NACT’s lack of investment, the first several billion dollars only bring us up to where funding should be, not where it needs to be. Labour have been pulling the weight for both parties, and then being punished in elections for their perceived “fiscal irresponsibility”.
Someone’s being fiscally irresponsible here, but it’s not Labour-Greens."
Graphic
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F21f48606-8f49-48be-8146-5486c8b9dfce_739x400.jpeg
Thank you, SPC.
Continued underfunding has taken primary health care to the point of collapse!
Is this all part of the Atlas Network playbook – collapse the health system so the vultures can swoop in for the more lucrative parts, and to hell with the rest of us?
Because those with health insurance get to see GP's still, NACT will not care – it will be a black mark on WP's legacy.
On this website the blame will be put on National. The other night Muttonbird was even blaming Luxon and Willis for an 8 year old boy being killed in Hamilton with a hammer.
Follow the money –
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F21f48606-8f49-48be-8146-5486c8b9dfce_739x400.jpeg
"Together ACT and National have committed to 30 years of defunding our health system. Apart from the drop in funding in 1984 that was the result of the (National-created) economic crisis, the graph below fairly clearly shows how periods of National-ACT Governments (1990-99, 2008-17, and not on the graph but almost certainly levelling out or dropping, 2023-present coincide with drops the rate of health spending increases) have held back our health spending for decades.
The above graph shows us why Labour’s money “sunk” into health didn’t do enough — because of NACT’s lack of investment, the first several billion dollars only bring us up to where funding should be, not where it needs to be. Labour have been pulling the weight for both parties, and then being punished in elections for their perceived “fiscal irresponsibility”.
Someone’s being fiscally irresponsible here, but it’s not Labour-Greens."
Why was that?
The government asked the police to not attend mental health call outs in order to cut costs.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/changes-announced-to-the-way-police-respond-to-mental-health-callouts/54ZOBUFTFJH3RLJM2BSYNMYCCA/
The police receive reports of a man with a hammer entering homes and yes did apprehend him – but only to take him to the street (where there is a home a boy is asleep in).
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/hamilton-child-homicide-8yo-zahquiel-taipeti-allegedly-attacked-with-hammer-as-he-slept/5G4UCA7ZDVADJNB7SAXYRLFQAI/
And it gets worse. Police took the alleged offender to the house the boy was killed in:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/527016/hamilton-8-year-old-s-death-police-took-murder-accused-to-property
The problem is, police have failed miserably to protect the public. They picked him up, didn't bother to assess him because they have been directed by this government not to, and gave him a lift to the house where he would later kill a child, with a hammer.
Those is a direct connection between government policy and the brutal death of a child.
NACT1 flicks txts regarding NO to Korean Ship Builders. Huh?
This despite….
And further to that….
I have never fallen for the "They are hapless, incompetent, etc,etc". Anyone still thinking that..needs to wake up ! The arrogance of these NACT1 creeps knows no bounds.They are fully aware of what they are doing. And who, and what the enablers (Atlas network, TPU,et al) are pushing.
NZ needs to get Motivated and Activated..before its too late : (
WOULD ANY ship builder now go into a new contract with this NZ govt.
I was mind boggled…fark knows what Ferry Builders would think. Could well be that was the message?
Its going to take a LOT of rebuilding NZ when NACT1 go….
Yes.
Generally there is a provision within a contract that addresses what happens if there is a termination. The parties provide for and negotiate a remedy for that scenario within the terms of the contract itself.
If a party simply repudiates a contract, i.e, walks away when they have no right to terminate, then the other party will be entitled to make a claim for damages, or be compensated for their loss.
Commercial contracts are often terminated for a multitude of reasons. Its a component of commerce. The ship yard here is being paid out for that termination.
Its a bad result for New Zealand, but the Ship Builders won't be suffering a loss here (unless they negotiated a very bad contract).
If anything theyll be calling it a win, they had two ships to build at a comparativly low price no doubt low margin.
Now they get compo for the cancellation and space freed up for what are no doubt more lucrative builds.
If the Nats werent so ham fisted there was probably a deal to be done that saw the ships built and onsold perhaps or a renegotiated contract to build smaller ships. Instead a we get a couple of very very very expensive text messages.
You just can't schedule a new boat to be built at the flick of a switch. There is a ton of design, procurement etc etc to do beforehand. This has most like put a lot of Koreans out of work.
The latest Roy Morgan poll shows little change from the last election.
That means the male/female vote imbalance continues.
On an overall basis, men heavily favour the National/ ACT/ NZ First coalition government on 63.5% more than twice as popular as the opposition Labour/ Greens/ Maori Party on only 31% – a gap of 32.5% points.
https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/9663-nz-national-voting-intention-august-2024
This is part of the class war – which oppresses women.
First selling aspiration and reward to middle class men and then selling resentment among working class men about feminism and Maori rights.
Most middle class men have no regard for the working class – could not care If they have Fair Pay Agreements or a rising MW or affordable rentals. They care about mortgages, their management/professional career or their business.
Randolph Churchill called this, "Whig class of men", those who would abandon challenge to landed gentry privilege as soon as the working class was allowed to vote.
Thus now we witness the landlord class rising above them as the working class is laid low (and returns to lack of home ownership) – consequence of the 1984-1990 and 1990-1999 neo-liberalism.
The great society of the 20th C Cold War egalitarianism is being dismantled to restore the 19th C class order. Without fear of socialism, the "Atlas Network" restoration of capitalist supremacy is returning society to its "natural order" of rank and privilege.
And middle class men want in. Working class men are managed by their race and or gender to be part of the "patriarchy".
Such is the way of supremacism. Even at the lowest ranks.
(Not publised at TDB).
COC 53 versus the Good Guys 43 is a pretty disappointing poll given the cock ups to his government is making.
It's still the election result – 45.5% NACT and the L/G/TPM at 43%.
What impact will Peters leaving have on the NZF vote?
IMO Death
The Gaza end game has emerged.
BN and Cabinet have declared an intent to control the Gaza-Egypt border permanently and this and the existing corridors created by the IDF would encircle civilians into controlled sectors.
All to
1.intensify the pressure on the Palestinians to leave and for Western countries to accept the Gazan refugees (as per Syrians).
or
2.coerce terms – inspire an alternative plan from the PA and the Arab League (requiring the end of Hamas).
The internal dynamic is this.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-09-03/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-just-mapped-out-how-israel-would-rule-gaza-forever/00000191-b88e-d9c6-a997-baaeb9a20000
Netanyahu is the inevitable manifestation in government once the state commits to running an apartheid regime on the West Bank (here defined as ruling over the territory on behalf of a settler minority with Palestinians ruled over like a "Bantustan" without contiguous borders).
The state of Israel needs to be saved from itself, a POTUS who requires the end of voting rights to those permanently residing on the WB, or US economic aid ends (the money placed into a fund and given to Israel when it complies).
It is a moral cause – taking away the right wing fascist support base from BN.
And it shows the path to peace, when a million Palestinian passport holding refugees live and work in Israel, then a million Jews in the WB can return to voting in Israeli elections while living in a Palestinian state.
The US has just delivered last week the 500th heavy airlift weapons transfer to Israel. This is in excess of 50,000 tonnes not including anything delivered by sea.
Multiple top Israeli military and intelligence officials continue to announce the obvious. Israel cannot sustain the intensity of their genocide for more than a few weeks without US unconditional support.
The US has supplied an additional US$14 billion on top of their annual US$3billion in military aid.
Only a fool could look at these actions and still believe in the US as some kind of benevolent shining light that seeks an end to the genocide.
The annual "foreign aid" to Israel is matched by an amount to Egypt and Jordan.
It was supposedly part of being a broker in the peace process.
Yes Israel gets military aid whenever it is engaged in war.
Yes they cannot continue the war without that support.
The USA does what it does because it claims to be a friend/ally.
It is a pity that the UK was not the friend that the US needed when it went on the PNAC path in the ME.
Some people say that the amount of support that Israel recieves from the US makes it the 51st state. This is incorrect. Israel is the prime state of the US since it's debt is guaranteed by the US. No state of the US has this priviledge.
From this, it is a small step to understand that Israel does what the US requires and desires. The US demands control of oil in the ME to prevent any independent national development. Israel is reinforcing the message of Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan. The message is we don't care how much you suffer. Submit, or this will happen to you.
Israel is the US mad dog. It is off the leash at present and there is no attempt to put it back on.
If the USA finances Israel's wars, it does not have a problem as per debt (that is the underlying meaning). It cannot be defeated financially by war cost.
It is not the US dependent on the ME oil, but their partners in the US navy protected "western" organised world economy.
The Americans can withdraw from that world order and go isolationist, but there are two constraints – commitment to the post WW2 collective security order and that includes Israel and a concept of the USA as a special nation under God (which for some includes belief in end time prophecy, of which they see the state of Israel as a sign – fundamentalists, evangelicals, pentecostals and they have significant influence in the GOP).
Please don't be so naieve. The US doesn't "need" oil. It needs control of oil. It cannot be the hegemon without it.
It would suit the US fine for the ME to be consmed by flames. As you say. It doesn't "need" oil. It could the n look to Venezuela and the newly discovered and very large Guyana field. These would be far easier for them to control.
The US doesn't care about collective security. They only care about control. This is what it means to be hegemon
Who the naive one is, is a matter of perspective. Sometimes the word it and the word is, have to used carefully to inform those out of the oval ball loop with understanding of the great game.
Why does the USA see a role for itself as hegemon – is it the consequence of being dragged into two wars? And if so, for what purpose?
Some see Project 2025 as an attempt to portray the USA, as a Christian nation, a defender of western civilisation (a great tragedy could emerge, given Trump is no Christian and inclined to promotion of both authoritarianism and a selfish isolationism).
All an irony given it was founded as a constitutional republic, free of religious authority in government – albeit with a somewhat Christian faith society in the states.
I am thinking the government may have caught a wave with the economy.
Inflation and interest rates are coming down, and I expect by the time of the next election the economy will be cranking again. Of course, National will likely claim the credit for all this, as governments tend to do. But, in reality, I see it as just being in the right place at the right time, more than anything else. The same would likely be the case if there hadn't been a change in government.
If this pans out as I expect, it will be a problem for an alternative government trying to argue that the current government has stuffed things up, economically, anyway.
I will never understand why the 'economy' trumps everything else. Why to so many voters think that lower interest rates and inflation cancel out all the deliberate and sadistic societal damage being done?
Clearly, it's not just the politicians who are self-centred and sociopathic, and completely devoid of empathy.
The economy is critical because when businesses are doing well we collect more tax.
Tax pays for benefits, health, education.
One of the big jobs for our government is to create the conditions for new businesses to start and grow.
I think that they have left it a bit late for the economy to be "cranking". The tiny interest rate cut has been seized upon by commentators as a saviour, the definitive turning point, but the economy is still flat lining and house prices still falling.
Labour should run on a policy of a Wealth Tax or a Land Tax where EVERY CENT raised is to be spent on the health service.
A couple of years is time enough for the economy to have well and truly turned. As I said, not necessarily because of anything the government has or hasn't done. But, just the phase it is in the cycle.
A key indicator for me is my wife's soap business. She makes fancy soap and sells it at local markets. She is definitely on the discrecionay spending end of the market and has noticed things have really slowed down for her as the economy has slowed down.
So, if she notices a major uptick in business, then probably the economy as a whole is going ok lol.
I rest my case….the Soap Index is still in the doldrums.
Let us know when it starts to pick up.
The Soap Index will be without froth for as long as Luxon is blowing bubbles.
Maybe, but not one of these
https://www.tiktok.com/@nicvonrupp/video/7394360946199743777
To misquote James Carville, it’s the “size of the wave” (economy) stupid.
Thar be Luxo!
Highest number of business failures (700) in the last quarter since 2016, as cited on 1News. National, the party of business.
“Hospitality liquidations were up 27% and were 2.2 times more likely to be liquidated than businesses as a whole.
Transport liquidations were up 35% and construction 9%.
Retail NZ’s recent Retail Radar quarterly survey which showed that 71% of members failed to meet sales targets last quarter and 42% of retailers were uncertain whether they could survive the next 12 months.”
Exactly tWig….the economy has a long way to go to look buoyant.
Luxon has misread this, along with just about everything else.
Is tsmithfield commenting on the basis of something the PM has said? In future if he claims the sun rose this morning, best to check outside first.
As far as I can tell, the only concrete thing which may be attributed to the government, apart from having a lot of people fired in both public and private sectors, becoming a laughing stock in the eyes of Korean industry, is the official cash rate cut by 0.25%
The OCR is not set by Government but by RBNZ, which is independent.
Well,the RBNZ is statutorialy independent but the reality is murkier. See the tacit pressure brought upon them by politicians and their media industry expert proxies.
The RBNZ had to respond to the idiocies of the CoC which just sacked 6-7% of the public workforce, in turn encouraging and necessitating the same or similar happen in the private sector.
There’s been multiple daily calls for interest rate relief by RW media on behalf of their preferred politicians. The RBNZ is not independent of government and government publicists in that respect.