Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, selfish, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
‘One in 100 Kiwis homeless, new study shows numbers quickly rising
Homelessness in New Zealand has been skyrocketing and now a new study proves just how big the issue is.
The “severely housing deprived” had accelerated from 2006 to 2013, says a study by University of Otago, Wellington.
At least one in every 100 Kiwis were homeless in 2013, this included those living with family and friends.
This figure had increased from 2006 data which showed one in every 120 people were homeless, while in 2001, this was at one in 130 people.’
All in denial over the issue of homelessness in New Zealand.
Part of the cruel, selfish, uncaring and cruel section of the populace poisoned by the antisocial neoliberal cult.
Well here’s something… which makes me kinda angry…
Phil Goffs little plan to relocate the Ports of Auckland to other areas – including places like Murawai…not only does it pander to Keys agenda to make Auckland city council have to sell off public assets and … privatize the ports… ( to the tune of 3-5 billion dollars ) it falls all too conveniently within the tax bribe of Keys 3 billion tax bribes…
So as Goff feigns opening up of areas for ‘ housing’ he assists Key in forcing Auckland city council to raise funds by selling off assets.
I would say that for the man who was given ‘dispensation’ to agree to disagree and cross the floor to vote with National regards the TTPA he has already shown his true colours. I would suggest that Labour cut off the neo liberal darlings in order to purge the neo liberal from the MOU.
Else , in disagreeing with old seadogs and in an era of more pragmatic rationalism he is found to be wanting. It is for no small reason that the Maori named the Waitemata the ‘ feminine ‘ harbour and the Manukau the ‘ masculine ‘ harbour…
Cosmopolitans such as Goff have absolutely no clue when they speak of relocating the main ports of Auckland to such places as the Thames and Murawai. Absolutely no idea of the treacherous shifting sands and bars of these waterways. And the colossal amount of funds needed to keep those waterways free from obstruction. And even then… the total impracticality of those locations to begin with.
The Orpheus cries out from its grave as testament to Goff’s folly…and its prophetic fulfillment is thus :
I would say… that in a way it was… however… if Labour is to tolerate subversives such as Goff, and hand out special treatment as such, – with special dispensations to cross the floor to vote for the TTPA… that it would behoove Labour to monitor carefully the tightrope they are walking…
As Goff becomes a liability to the whole concept of the MOU.
They are effectively saying one thing , – yet allowing such subversives like Goff to undermine confidence in the MOU as a genuine movement away from the supply side/ starve the beast model of neo liberal economics.
The whole concept of Goff advocating selling off of the Ports of Auckland plays right into the hands of Keys govt in demanding Auckland council sell off assets to fund infrastructure.
And as for suggesting such ludicrous locations as Murawai???!!!
Good lord!!!….does the man not know his history ???…
The Ports of Auckland operation could be shifted to Tauranga and to Marsden Point.
Goff would not have to sell Ports of Auckland land to do it – instead he could turn all of that land into the next waterfront development – just as the current one is ready to go into construction. It’s the operations that would be divested.
Granted it would take quite some funding of Kiwirail to form the track to Marsden, and further hundreds of millions to upgrade the northern line. Probably also it would need the Avondale-Onehunga line paralleling SH20 to do it as well. None of them easy tasks, until you compare them to the SH1 expressway programme accelerated for Wellsford-Whangrei within NZTA.
Many of those moves would take three terms of central and local government commitment to achieve – so nothing to get too anxious about for a while.
Well I do hope your right, another poster suggested Northland if it could be done, so there’s Tauranga way as well. As for Ports needing to be sold I’m pretty sure it would. But any suggestion of major Ports anywhere on the West coast is out of the question , I’m surprised it was even looked at. There would be calamity after calamity , mark my words. An outrageous suggestion.
I remember coming into the Manukau late one night, with a skipper new to it. He had 3 crew with torches out on the whaleback and must’ve lost a kilo just in sweat getting in. Smart fellow too, he’d been pushing boats for twenty years.
Essential listening for the politicians (and probably the voting public):
Natrad Saturday with Kim Hill
Dr Dacher Keltner is the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of the 2009 book, Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, consulted on the 2015 Pixar film Inside Out, and his new book is The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence (Penguin).
Yes …I can understand… my point is … that often at the sake of political expediency…and a little lack of convenient joining of the dots… the consequences of overlooking the pragmatics can lead to the loss of lives… I need not remind you of the loss of 29 lives at Pike River due mainly to the destruction of unions ( aka the Employment Contacts Act or the later Employment Relations Act ) and lack of union mines inspectors monitoring conditions…
And I find it quite… pertinent that the Edmond Fitzgerald also lost 29 lives… and you know as well that if integrity is to have its place in the MOU… if workers are to account for anything in this equation… then all things must therefore be considered. Not just political expediencies.
Aye…well then Weka… I guess I’ll have to run with yer… I just wish… there was more a clamp down on the devious and the insipidly dishonest. With playing with honest men and women’s lives and dressing it up as bright ideas instead of calling it the deceptive plans it is… I don’t truck that sort of forked tongued weakness. Its sickening.
Hi Paul. There’s another article in the paper today about a couple who experience for the weekend really high end luxury living. Sick-making really when so many are in real need, like rubbing their faces in it. We cancelled our Herald over two years ago because of the tripe and trivia which was being delivered each morning to our place. Bias and rigged for the Government we no longer could stand it. Since then we have been hounded by their marketing team and each time they get a barrage from me about how we do not need social gossip, health issues, travel ideas etc – that we want a “proper” newspaper. Last week we were offered a week’s free with home delivery of the newspaper, so for a bit of a laugh really we said okay.
Well I can tell you it has gone from bad to worse – I just cannot believe that New Zealanders can read this drivel every day and soak it in for real. The editorial writers are a disgrace and the only use these newspapers are going to be for us is lining for our cat’s overnight litter tray.
And, they are going to be getting a email from me addressed to the owner’s of the paper saying its an insult to the people of NZ that they have fed this crap to read every day.
Suddenly Little is smart enough to have his caucus totally under control and he has unified the opposition…meanwhile Key’s popularity is dropping…is Claire reading the runes and seeing change?
She’d be an idiot not to… if she knows what side her bread is buttered on… and like all primeval organisms … she can sniff the breeze to smell the carcass to her own advantage.
Discussing: “Housing”, “Labour Green Memorandum”, and “Economy Meltdown”
Former Labour Party Leader, current MP for New Lynn and people’s hero – David Cunliffe
Winner of best columnist at the Canon media awards – the brilliant Rachel Stewart
The best MP in the NZ First Party – Tracy Martin
Political commentator, blogger and author – Comrade Chris Trotter
And NZ First bad boy – blogger and commentator – Curwen Rolinson
That,… was a particularly good showing… the speakers articulated their opinions with clarity.
And the good will was evident. I was quite impressed with Curwen Rowlinson. Equally impressed at the general sense of unanimity among all of them. Also David Cunliffe, he showed a real power as a headperson in humility and facilitating of the collective desire to work cohesively.
Rachael Stewart was total business . Refreshing, … and was the perfect contrast to Chris Trotters more measured and pensive analysis of the events unfolding.
It was good to hear Trotter at the end saying how important it was for the Nats to lose in 2017 because they are out of ideas (they never had many) and that the ideas they have got and cannot help pursuing are making the country’s problems worse.
Great episode, all were good, even Trotter. I have always like Tracey Martin, utterly underrated in my opinion. & Curwen is great, an awesome young man.
“Seeing people sleeping in their cars breaks my heart” – totally how I feel.
Yep, and the sentiment that “this is not a New Zealand that I recognise”.
The analysis of the Nat voting mindset was particularly good.
I agree with Cunliffe, the economy is hollow & the only thing giving us the illusion of GDP growth is record immigration levels & a foreign investment bubble. We are at a tipping point
“It may even have been put on the table already if the chit chat about talks on the side between NZ First and National go-betweens is true.”
TRACY WATKINS
Last updated 05:00, June 4 2016
Tracey Watkins gives us her opinion of the chance of Winston Peters becoming Prime Minister.
Though I had not been articulated it as bluntly as Watkins has, it had been stuck in the back of my mind as well. Here and Here
But unlike Watkins I had not imagined that this would be a bauble that the Labour/Greens would be offering Peters, but instead would be a sweetener offered by the National/ACT/Peter Dunne cabal.
What form this would take would be hard to say. The most likely would be a power sharing arrangement where for the first half of the next government’s term John Key would remain Prime Minister to be replaced by the premiership of Sir Winston for the second half.
Given the venom exuded by the Key Government to de-seat Winston in 2008, it is hard to imagine National welcoming him back into the fold let alone as PM. But Politics is a weird pit. Have him in or loose the election. Mmmm.
Surely this is much more likely with a left based govt.
It is credible for the PM to come from a party on say 15%, with Labour on say 30%. But it would look ridiculous if the larger party was on 45%.
The idea of WP being the PM for say the first 18 months has been widely mooted, but almost invariably on a NZF/Labour coalition. I guess the Greens would get something, but nothing too substantial in such a deal.
Paul
+1
In all the media in all the world, those items have to walk into ours. When can we concentrate on our learning about our own interesting little country.?
People internationally do, but we can’t think about our own lives and nation and analyse what to do, too much dull cultural cringe, and cargo culting waiting for the more advanced nations, we think, to bring us news from their home and to teach us their advanced ways.
But home is where the heart is. Media bring us news from our heart-land. Or get out of the country back to your owners in your corporate headquarters you bunch of toadies, mercenaries and confidence tricksters.
edited
bwaghorn
I seem to remember that you are sheep oriented = a shepherd?
This was on Radionz this morning.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201803333
Philip Armstrong: sheep
9:05 AM.Kim Hill talks to the Head of the Department of English at the University of Canterbury, and co-director of New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies about his new book, Sheep.
There was interesting stuff about whether sheep are bright and if not why not. The clever ones are a problem and get put down. They have been seen rolling on their backs to get under an electric fence to better grazing.
Or lifting the bar on the gate to get in with the rest of the flock to the tasty vegetable garden. And I think rolling across a cattle stop.
On the road at the mo will listen if I get a chance.
My view is sheep and cattle are bright in their own way but easily panicked but as you say being overly clever/cheeky is likely to shorten their lives
Dell XPS models always get good reviews. Never owned one myself.
They are both $799 refurbs. The first one has 256GB SSD (making it v. speedy), the other has a big 500GB HDD & a larger screen.
Gangnam Style
Thanks for comments on mine 2/6/16 on callous disdaining attitude to a young mother becoming pregnant a second time and being in dire conditions Very good comment greywarshark, whenever I see this kind of comment from our less emphatic compatriots (“why do they have babies if they are poor/homeless/not me?”) I am reminded of this little clip from 30 Rock. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCYPqrmLwqs
That’s a cutting piece of social comment from 30 Rock. You may have heard the interview on Radionz today Saturday, about studies on how the effects of having much money and power distorts or demolishes the human connections between classes.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201803328 29.12 m Dacher Keltner: power and corruption
8:12 AM.Kim Hill talks to the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, whose new book is The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence.
Then there was a description of how the bullying, callous attitudes of Australian politicians is formed, in special self-funded college within at one, (perhaps more), university which the institution can’t control. I thought of the recent hooligan behaviour at a NZ airport, of some boys from a sports team of an eminent education institution here where parents challenged its right to control their children’s behaviour to an accepted civil standard.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201803330 15.54 m. Van Badham: privilege in Australia
8:45 AM.Kim Hill talks the Australian theatre-maker, novelist, social commentator, and columnist for Guardian Australia, who has written widely about privilege and politics.
The rise of the rich, the bowing to and encouraging of individualistic, self-centred, hedonism or simplistic narrow self-interest is behind the lack of concern by both men and women about others’ suffering here in NZ. And it is being taught and reinforced in elite educational establishments, and I expect soon, military schools. The lack of socialisation of these children shows up in the lack of respect for others and condoning assaults, sexual violations, stealing through fraud, corruption becoming common amongst the better-off.
(And can I ask that more people put a bracket in front of their youtube offerings. The posts being filled with black boxes, some without any comment or explanation is destructive to the worth of a discussion site.
edited
I was hoping the ‘joke’ wasn’t too black…Slightly off topic but I can’t recommend Tina Feys book enough, I actually heard the audio book read by her, amazingly funny & political & fascinating & so, so honest.
I say the ‘jump back up your mother’, whenever I hear the ‘poor people shouldn’t have babies’ vacuous bile, simple pleasures are the best.
The New Bapsae
I haven’t read you before. I hope your comment at 15.2 is heartfelt, and not sarky – the quote would be my ideal for a social welfare system.
JFK responds: “Look! At the end of the day, what is a million bucks? How many kids would that sort of chicken feed, feed? Ok! so it might buy 10 2 bedroom relocatable cabins with showers and full kitchen and stuff – enough to house the 8 carloads of people in one carpark sleeping in cars who don’t want to be helped. But think of the money my mates will make hosting a golf tournament. AND the photo ops! I could be famous shaking hands with a famous winner. It’s good to be seen with winners. And let’s face it – Hungry kids and homeless people are losers – no votes there.”
A short opinion piece – Friday 26th June 2020 Whilst our Government has treated many financial victims of the current Covid-19 virus with appropriate generosity, the same cannot be said for those of the two earlier “epidemics” in NZ. The “Covid-84” virus (also called “Rogernomics”) spread systemic greed, with the ...
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Are You Still Here? Just like his colleague, Phil Twyford – of KiwiBuild fame – David Clark juts out his chin and shamelessly apportions blame to everybody but himself. Even worse, he has turned viciously on Ashley Bloomfield, the nearest approximation to a competent, decent, humble and accountable public servant ...
. . 20 June The bad news: Aotearoa New Zealand has two new cases of covid-19. The good news: the two cases were picked up at an Auckland quarantine facility. The terrifying news: had the story of the two women leaving quarantine without testing not broken four days ...
Willing Victims: What would all those Americans in MAGA hats be left with if they abandoned Trump? Just the sick feeling of having been cheated. Just the knowledge that the man in the White House is nothing more than a shape-shifting New York grifter; and that they have always been ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Like an earthquake rumbling down the San Andreas Fault, Jeff Gibbs’ and Michael Moore’s controversial film “Planet of the Humans” tore a rift through the environmental movement, a rift its leaders would not yearn for in an election year. After activists have spent ...
New Zealand First is pleased to announce Jenny Marcroft as the party’s election 2020 candidate for the Auckland Central electorate. Jenny spent years working in Auckland Central, having spent a vast proportion of her broadcasting career there. She says she, "knows the place and knows the people." Ms Marcroft says ...
New Zealanders deserve healthy rivers and lakes that are safe to swim in - but they have been getting worse for decades. That's why, with our latest announcement, we're investing in projects that will help clean up our rivers and lakes and restore them to health, within a generation. ...
This week we moved into the second half of 2020 - and our Government delivered another week of big changes and major progress for New Zealanders. Read below for a wrap of the key things moments from the week - from extending paid parental leave, to making major investments in ...
The Green Party has opposed the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Bill which shortcuts normal consenting processes under the Resource Management Act (RMA), reduces public participation and narrows environmental considerations. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development A regional freight hub for the lower North Island will be built just northeast of Palmerston North, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Government is investing $40 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to designate and buy land and design ...
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson is calling for the introduction of a Guaranteed Minimum Income to lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty and prevent more families entering into further debt with the Ministry of Social Development. ...
There has been renewed focus on New Zealand First acting as a handbrake on the Government after our decision to not support Auckland light rail. We are a handbrake for bad ideas, that istrue, but our track record since 2017 has seen New Zealand First constructively also serve as an ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP New Zealand First’s Fair Residency for Superannuation Bill passed its First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill makes a significant change to NZ Super by raising the minimum residency requirement from 10 to 20 years, after age 20. “Currently, a migrant of ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order A New Zealand First member’s bill in the name of Darroch Ball introducing a six-month minimum prison sentence for assaults on first responders has passed its second reading in Parliament. The new offence of "injuring a first responder or corrections officer with ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Deputy Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First welcomes the launch of the new Criminal Cases Review Commission, gifted with the name from Waikato-Tainui - Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, announced in Hamilton today by Justice Minister Andrew Little. “New Zealand First has long believed in and ...
The Green Party is celebrating over $800m in new funding for green projects, which will get people into jobs while solving New Zealand’s long-term challenges. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is appalled that Meridian seems to have been unnecessarily spilling water from its dams to drive up its profits."While New Zealanders have been coming together in some of our darkest hours, we don’t expect power gentailers to waste water and ...
We wrapped up the first half of 2020 with a busy month, taking additional steps to support New Zealanders as we continue with our economic recovery. We rolled out targeted packages to support key industries like tourism and construction, helped create jobs in the environmental and agriculture sectors, and set ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has welcomed the appointment of Maurice Davis and his deep infrastructure and construction experience to the board of the Infrastructure Commission. Mr Davis (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the seventh and final appointment to the board led by former Reserve Bank Governor ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First List MP Hon Ron Mark welcomes the announcement of Provincial Growth Funding investment of $1.4 million to help secure the Wairarapa’s water supply. The funding boost will allow the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), and ...
New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson has been selected to represent the party in the newly formed Taieri electorate at the upcoming election. Mr Patterson, his wife Jude and two daughters farm sheep and beef at Lawrence and Waitahuna. He previously stood in the Clutha-Southland electorate however boundary changes ...
Hon Shane Jones, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises A new ‘super depot’ to be built for NZ Post in Wellington will create around 350 jobs during construction, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises Shane Jones says. Shane Jones today attended a ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for the parcel-processing depot ...
Our strong economic management prior to COVID-19 - with surpluses, low debt and near-record-low unemployment - put us in a good position to weather the impact of the virus and start to rebuild our economy much earlier than many other countries.Now we're putting our plan to recover and rebuild ...
Darroch Ball MP, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Law and Order Recently released Police fleeing driver statistics have shown yet another increase in incidents with another record-high in the latest quarter. “This new quarterly record-high is the latest in a string of record-high numbers since 2014. The data shows incidents ...
New Zealand First MP Fletcher Tabuteau is pleased to be confirmed today as the party’s candidate for the Rotorua electorate. Speaking at the Rotorua AGM for New Zealand First, Mr Tabuteau said this is an election that is incredibly important for the people of Rotorua. “The founding principles of New ...
The Human Rights Commission’s PRISM report on the issues impacting people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) provides an excellent programme of work for future governments to follow, say the Greens. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said the trans-Tasman bubble had not been jeopardised after aborder botch-upresulted in New Zealand having two active cases of COVID-19. On Friday, Mr Peters told RNZ's Morning Report he had heard from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison that borders for trans-Tasman travel would open by ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said today he was pleased the army was now running the quarantine and isolation process - up until now it has been the Ministry of Health. Peters told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking that the army knew how to introduce and follow protocols and instil discipline. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First MP and Minister for Defence and Veteran’s Affairs Ron Mark has confirmed his bid for the Wairarapa seat.“The Coalition Government has done a lot of good work throughout the Wairarapa, but many constituents have told ...
New Zealand First is pleased to release the names of its next tranche of candidates for the 2020 election. We’re proud to announce these hardworking New Zealanders that have put their hand up to fight for a commonsense and resilient future.Jamie Arbuckle – Kaikoura Mark Arneil – Christchurch Central Jackie ...
The Government is maintaining current levy rates for the next 2 years, as part of a set of changes to help ease the financial pressures of COVID-19 providing certainty for businesses and New Zealanders, ACC Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “New Zealanders and businesses are facing unprecedented financial pressures as a ...
Small businesses are getting greater certainty about access to finance with an extension to the interest-free cashflow loan scheme to the end of the year. The Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme has already been extended once, to 24 July. Revenue and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says it will be ...
A package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister David Parker announced today. The $162 million dollar package will see 22 water clean-up projects put forward by local councils receiving $62 million and the Kaipara ...
Tena koutou katoa Nga tangata whenua o tenei rohe o Pōneke, tena koutou Nau mai, haere mai ki te hui a tau mo te roopu reipa Ko tatou! Ko to tatou mana! Ko to tatou kaupapa kei te kokiri whakamua Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa Welcome. I ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $1.5 million to ensure QE Health in Rotorua can proceed with its world class health service and save 75 existing jobs, Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development, Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. The PGF funding announced today is in addition to the $8 million ...
A new programme, which sets a firm course for the Building and Construction sector to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been announced by the Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. “A significant amount of New Zealand’s carbon emissions come from the building and construction sector. If we’re serious ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing more than $7.5 million in Northland ventures to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment is going to the Northern Adventure Experience and ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced significant funding for Auckland’s Northcote College as part of the first wave of a new nationwide school redevelopment programme to upgrade schools over the next 10 years. The $48.5 million project brings the total investment in Northcote College to ...
The Government has opened an urgent response fund to support schools and early learning services to get children and young people back on track after the Covid-19 lockdown. “While we are seeing improvements in attendance under Alert Level 1 Ministry of Education data shows that attendance rates in our schools ...
The law to boost the economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19 by speeding up resource consenting on selected projects has passed its second and third readings in the House today. “Accelerating nationwide projects and activities by government, iwi and the private sector will help deliver faster economic recovery and ...
Five port-related projects in Whanganui will receive a $26.75 million Provincial Growth Fund investment to support local economic recovery and create new opportunities for growth, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This is a significant investment that will support the redevelopment of the Whanganui Port, a project governed ...
Whanganui’s Sarjeant Gallery will receive an investment of up to $12 million administered by the Provincial Growth Fund to support its redevelopment, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The project is included in a $3 billion infrastructure pipeline announced by Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Shane Jones yesterday. ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing nearly $2.5 million into three Te Ara Mahi programmes to support Manawatū-Whanganui jobseekers and employees to quickly train and upskill, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Up to 154 local people will be supported into employment within the first year by these ...
This morning I have formally tendered my resignation as Minister of Health, which was accepted by the Prime Minister. Serving as Minister of Health has been an absolute privilege – particularly through these extraordinary last few months. It’s no secret that Health is a challenging portfolio. I have given ...
Scholarships for 57 early-career agricultural emissions scientists from 20 developing countries is another example of New Zealand’s international leadership in primary sector sustainability, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. Mr O’Connor, announcing the scholarships today, says hundreds of applications were received for this fourth round of the CLIFF-GRADS programme (Climate, Food ...
A project to help rejuvenate the Horowhenua town of Foxton will receive a Provincial Growth Fund investment of $3.86 million, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This funding for the Foxton Regeneration project will be used to make the well-known holiday town even more attractive for visitors and ...
Moa bones and other sub-fossil remains of extinct species are set to have improved protection with proposals to prevent the trade in extinct species announced the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “We have lost too many of our native species, but these lost species, such as moa, remain an ...
The Government’s free and healthy school lunches programme moves south for the first time creating jobs for around 30 people in Otago and Southland. “Eighteen schools with 3000 students are joining the programme – 11 have already begun serving lunches, and seven are preparing to start during Term 3. This is ...
Thousands of Kiwi jobs and investment in New Zealand productions will be protected through a screen sector support package announced today by Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford and Minister for Broadcasting Kris Faafoi. The package also includes investment in broadcasting ...
The Government has established a new $10 million fund for the domestic events sector to help save jobs and protect incomes as it recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, Minister of Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. This funding from Budget 2020 follows talks with the event sector designed to ...
The Government has taken another step in its commitment to making sure New Zealanders get a fairer deal at the petrol pump with the introduction of legislation to improve competition in the retail fuel market, says Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods. “The fuel market study that this Government ordered ...
New Zealand has joined a global initiative that aims to enable all countries to access a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced today. The COVAX Facility was recently launched by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The Alliance includes the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank ...
From today new legislation takes effect to both restore the right to legal representation at the start of a Care of Children (CoCA) dispute in the Family Court, and allow parties to those proceedings to access legal aid where eligible. During a visit to the Family Court in Auckland today, ...
Home-based early childhood education (ECE) subsidised by the government will transition to a fully qualified workforce by 2025 to ensure better and more consistent quality, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. “Quality early learning helps provide children with a strong foundation for their future,” Chris Hipkins said. From 1 January ...
The new Criminal Cases Review Commission | Te Kāhui Tātari Ture (CCRC) has started work and can now independently investigate claimed miscarriages of justice. “Even though we have appeal rights and safeguards against unsafe convictions, from time to time our justice system does get things wrong. The design of the ...
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou Ki a koutou Te Āti Awa, Taranaki Whānui, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, ngā mana whenua o te rohe nei, tēnā koutou Ko Te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa ki ngā take o te Ao (NZIIA), Ko te Rōpū Tohu Tono ...
The Government’s increase to paid parental leave kicks in today with another 4 weeks taking New Zealand up to a full 6 months (26 weeks, up from 22 weeks) leave for new parents, and the maximum weekly payment will increase by $20pw, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. ...
A new package of infrastructure investments will help kick-start the post-COVID rebuild by creating more than 20,000 jobs and unlocking more than $5 billion of projects up and down New Zealand. Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones today outlined how the $3 billion infrastructure fund in the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today expressed the New Zealand Government’s deep disappointment at the passage by China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee of a national security law for Hong Kong. “New Zealand has consistently emphasised its serious concern about the imposition of this legislation on Hong Kong without inclusive ...
More jobs and more family time with newborns are the centrepiece of a suite of Government initiatives coming into effect today. July 1 is a milestone day for the Government as a host of key policies take effect, demonstrating the critical areas where progress has been made. “The Coalition Government ...
Environment Minister David Parker has today “called in” Auckland’s application to the Waikato Regional Council to take an extra 200 million litres of water a day from the lower reaches of the Waikato River for Auckland drinking water and other municipal uses. The call-in means the application has been referred ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker announced today that New Zealand’s hosting of APEC in 2021 will go ahead using virtual digital platforms. Mr Peters said the global disruption caused by COVID-19, including resultant border restrictions, had been the major factor in the ...
The start of construction on a new link road between Matakana Road and State Highway 1 will create jobs and support the significant population growth expected in the Warkworth area, Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff announced today. Transport Minister Phil Twyford said construction of the Matakana Link ...
The Government is prioritising its latest investment in PPE for frontline health workers, including staff at managed isolation and quarantine facilities, Health Minister David Clark says. “With no community transmission of COVID-19 our response now has a firm focus on keeping our border safe and secure. “We must ensure that ...
The Parihaka Papakāinga Trust in Taranaki will receive up to $14 million for a new visitor centre and other improvements at the historic settlement that will boost the local economy and provide much-needed jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little have ...
Protections for workers who are employees of one employer but working under the direction of another business or organisation have come into force, closing a gap in legislation that made the personal grievance process inaccessible for some workers, says Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “This Government is working hard to ...
A range of improvements are already underway to address issues identified in the rapid review of the Managed Isolation and Quarantine system released today, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. The review was commissioned just over a week ago to identify and understand current and emerging risks to ensure the end-to-end ...
The important brown kiwi habitat around Whakatāne will receive added protection through an Iwi-led predator free project announced by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. “The Government is investing nearly $5 million into Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa’s environmental projects with $2.5 ...
An extra 4,000 tonnes of offcuts and scraps of untreated wood per year will soon be able to be recycled into useful products such as horticultural and garden mulch, playground safety surfacing and animal bedding as a result of a $660,000 investment from the Waste Minimisation Fund, Associate Environment Minister ...
The Governor-General has referred Scott Watson’s convictions for murder back to the Court of Appeal, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Mr Watson was convicted in 1999 of the murders of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. His appeal to the Court of Appeal in 2000 was unsuccessful, as was his ...
Head of the inquiry Michael Heron QC will have the power to require the production of documents, summon witnesses and question parties under oath if necessary. ...
State Services Commissioner Peter Hughes has today announced the details of an investigation into the breach of sensitive personal information last week. The Commissioner said the Minister of State Services, the Hon Chris Hipkins, had asked him to undertake ...
More than 3400 primary health care nurses and medical receptionists/administrators across more than 500 practices and accident and medical centres will stop work for two hours nationwide on Thursday 23 July after mediation to settle their multi-employer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kris Gledhill, Professor of Law, Auckland University of Technology On the very day New Zealand entered COVID-19 lockdown (March 26), the man arrested for the Christchurch mosque terror attacks admitted he was a murderer and a terrorist. Despite the lockdown, Justice Mander ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union says Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford needs to front up about how much public money is being used to bail out struggling bus company InterCity. Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke says: “InterCity has ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is sceptical that 61% of taxpayer funding for waterway clean-up just happens to be focused on the Northland electorate. Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke says: “The Government has announced that $162 million of taxpayers' ...
Tai Tonga Candidate, Takuta Ferris, has signed up to the visionary thinking that has been produced by Tokona Te Raki (Māori futures collective). “The opening statement by Dr Eruera Tarena says it all” said Takuta Ferris. “The future is not just ...
The huge success of a pilot programme featuring rural mayors connecting youth in their regions with local small businesses has led to it being scaled up around the country, across 23 more councils. A collaboration between the Mayors Taskforce for ...
The associate editor of The Indian Times joins host Duncan Greive to discuss his belief that New Zealand’s media ignores the quarter of our population not born here – and why both parties lose as a result. I first met Gaurav Sharma in the aftermath of March 15. New ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cassandra Cross, Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Law, Cybersecurity Cooperative Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology Last year, Australians reported more than A$634 million lost to fraud, a significant jump from $489.7 million the year before. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission ...
Having already faced a devastating earthquake, Christchurch knows the value of community in times of crisis. Now in the wake of Covid-19, a popular creative hub is expanding its mission to bring more people together.Whether it’s a beautifully restored building or a brand new office block, the reminders of the ...
Parole hearings will return to New Zealand prison’s this week after face-face meetings were suspended as a result of the COVID-19 emergency. The New Zealand Parole Board completed all its scheduled hearings during the COVID-19 lockdown period, with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabrielle Appleby, Professor, UNSW Law School, UNSW In an open letter to Attorney-General Christian Porter, about 500 women working in the law from across Australia have sought changes to the way judges are disciplined and appointed. The letter comes after former High ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Genevieve Wilkinson, Lecturer in Intellectual Property and Human Rights, University of Technology Sydney After a decade of legal challenges by the tobacco lobby, Australia’s pioneering push to eliminate all tobacco advertising finally has clear air. Its longest stoush, over plain packaging laws ...
With the world in lockdown, and a new album set for release, The Beths decided to keep playing live – from their living rooms. As the band prepare for their first show in front of a crowd in months, they tell Josie Adams the stories behind Live From ‘House’. When ...
Latest from the Beehive – According to the blare from the Beehive, the Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme will be further extended to 31 December, a new $162 million package of 23 projects across the country will clean up waterways and deliver over 2000 jobs, and the PM has delivered ...
Vision New Zealand is delighted to be launching George Ngatai as its candidate for Takanini tonight, 6th July, at the Songbird Cafe, 9 Gosper Road, Waiata Shores, Conifer Grove Takanini. Party Leader Hannah Tamaki said “I am confident that George will ...
Honour the Maunga and Iramoko Marae have announced a unique partnership that gives life to Treaty principles in their joint efforts to save 345 trees from being felled on Ōwairaka / Mt Albert. Honour the Maunga has maintained an ongoing tree-saving ...
Festival for the Future Live will kick off its 10th annual event on Monday 13 July, in what is touted to be the most international digital summit ever hosted from New Zealand. With speakers from The United Nations Development Programme and The Obama ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk The Lokataru Legal and Human Rights Foundation says there are two problems with the Indonesian police which have developed during the era of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration. These two problems are “politicisation” and “police professionalism”. “Perhaps it’s still the same as the problem before, particularly ...
By RNZ Pacific A sit-in has been held outside the French High Commission in French Polynesia to commemorate the 54th anniversary of the first nuclear weapons test at Moruroa. The demonstration was organised by the anti-nuclear group Association 193 which again decried the recent law change tightening compensation criteria for ...
David Goldsmith, a 52-year-old dad from Christchurch, is starting his month-long hunger strike outside Parliament on Monday as a drastic call for climate change action AR: Hunger strikes are mostly known from prisons – that’s drastic. DG: Yes, it’s ...
The biggest news site in New Zealand, and the country’s fifth biggest site overall, Stuff has embarked on an experiment in dropping the use of Facebook and Instagram. It has been launched ‘in the context of the international Boycott Facebook movement’, according to a memo leaked to The Spinoff. A leaked ...
After the Labour's annual conference, pundits were quick to criticise Jacinda Ardern for taking a 'self-congratulatory tone' in her remarks, but the PM says that was not her intent at all. ...
A global study is under way to compare how information about Covid-19 is delivered by authorities and the media, and how it is understood and used by people in different countries. University of Canterbury (UC) population health expert Professor Philip ...
It’s time to get ready to vote in the 2020 General Election and referendums. “It’s less than three months now until the election on 19 September when you choose the people and parties that represent you in Parliament. There will also be two referendums ...
If you’re like most New Zealanders, you probably don’t know the name of the country’s most powerful judge. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of, writes University of Otago law lecturer Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere. Here’s a test for you: name New Zealand’s chief justice. Click on the link to find ...
If enough New Zealanders continued to work from home on a regular basis, the country could easily save the same amount of carbon emissions as taking 35,000 cars off the road, according to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. The analysis ...
There are many groups within NZ including the Green Party that are calling for the legalisation of marijuana for personal/medicinal use and my question for them is: - How can they reconcile that stand with the negative environmental effects from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Moore, Director of The Australian National University Institute for Space and the Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre, Australian National University With all of the immense challenges we face on Earth this year, space can feel like an afterthought. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tanya Notley, Senior Lecturer in Digital Media, Western Sydney University Today we release the findings from our new research into how young Australians consume and think about news media. Following a summer of bushfires and during the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Thwaites, Chair, Monash Sustainable Development Institute & ClimateWorks Australia, Monash University The global Sustainable Development Report 2020, released this week in New York, ranks Australia third among OECD countries for the effectiveness of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, beaten by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Yue Zhang, Associate Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Swinburne University of Technology Only 40% of students in China who previously intended to study overseas still plan to, while just under 50% of those who had studied overseas plan to return to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Neil Warren, Emeritus Professor of Taxation, UNSW A major report commissioned by the NSW government has proposed lifting and expanding the goods and services tax and replacing stamp duty with a broad-based land tax. Launched at the National Press Club on July ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Baker, Lecturer in Business Strategy, Auckland University of Technology Like the coronavirus itself, joblessness can act as a pestilence on a society. People who would have otherwise gone to their local restaurant, hairdresser, café or bar, taken a holiday in Queenstown ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Mailhammer, Associate Dean, Research, Western Sydney University Remember when Australians paid in shillings and pence? New research suggests the words for these coins and other culturally important items and concepts are the result of close contact between the early Germanic people ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Ian Cummings - Independent Candidate Ian Cummings is pleased to announce he will be campaigning as an independent candidate in the upcoming general election to provide voters with a credible alternative and more effective voice on issues that matter ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Stories raise themes of political accountability, investigation launched after active case details leaked, and frustrating infrastructure failures hurt Auckland water system.There have been several stories involving the theme of political accountability for mistakes in recent days. So for a lead today, ...
Labour's scaled-down party conference was still an opportunity for Jacinda Ardern to show how loved she is by her fans - and make the case for why her Government should keep on moving to a second term Looking around the packed room at Te Papa in Wellington, it was hard ...
Stacy Gregg and Nicky Pellegrino conclude their podcast series, and interview Tayi Tibble. Wellington poet Tayi Tibble was 23 years old when she won the Ockham for best first book of poetry for Poukahangatus. Of Te Whanau ā Apanui and Ngāti Porou descent, Tayi’s poems speak to beauty, activism, power ...
As New Zealand’s top artistic gymnast, Maia Fishwick, heads back to the US to join her college team, the Aggies, she tells Suzanne McFadden her rise has been an against-the-odds story. Maia Fishwick was told she was too old to be a good gymnast. She was seven. This was a kid who obviously had a ...
Oranga Tamariki's refusal to acknowledge systemic issues within the organisation is intolerable, writes social worker and social work researcher John Darroch Recently Newsroom published an article based on interviews with practising social workers who described systemic issues within Oranga Tamariki. As a social worker, and post-graduate student conducting research into statutory ...
As Serena Jones faces incurable cancer, she wants to add something personal to the end-of-life choice debate Seven years ago I was told I had a 25 percent chance of living five years without the cancer returning; two years ago I was given 12 months to live. Plainly the up-coming ...
Advocacy group Sea Shepherd steps up its moves to push for US ban on New Zealand seafood over Māui dolphin protection A US ban on New Zealand seafood could be three to four weeks away after Sea Shepherd filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. Earlier this year, the marine advocacy group ...
David Clark has become the oldest of ritual objects: a scapegoat, writes Dr Deane Galbraith and Dr Ben Schonthal The casting out of David Clark has been a spectacle of biblical proportions. We mean that quite literally. The Health Minister’s mistakes were serious and the media is right to hold our ...
A new petition calling for an end to religious instruction in primary schools is part of a renewed campaign to make state schooling truly secular, reports Emily Writes.Few people know about Section 54 of the Education and Training Bill, but Tanya Jacob does. That’s why she has authored a petition ...
Combatting climate change as a healthcare organisation involves more than simply reducing its carbon footprint, writes David Galler. It means seeing climate change and wellbeing as intertwined – and that what’s good for the environment is always good for health.This pandemic, as overwhelming as it is, will eventually pass. But ...
Changes to Covid-19 testing criteria may see fewer New Zealanders being tested - but there is some confusion about how the rules are being applied Health Minister Chris Hipkins has promised to put officials on notice about providing Covid-19 tests for those who want them, following confusion after changes to ...
A list of infrastructure projects handpicked for border exemptions is either a hasty cut and paste job or a sign we can't build anything without foreign labour. ...
A New Zealand-made ad featuring porn stars that encourages parents to talk to their children about what they're seeing online has gone viral - and sparked a world-wide conversation. The campaign that features two naked actors has reached more than 22 million viewers around the world and is being retold in ...
Parliament's independent MP has been accused of pandering to anti-vaccine activists after he started a petition and introduced a bill against what he calls "forced vaccination". ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Days after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Philippines Anti-Terrorism Law, Vice-President Leni Robredo has pushed for safeguards so that the controversial measure would not be abused, reports Rappler. In her weekly radio show with co-host Ely Saludar, Robredo noted that she does not oppose the law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Developments in Melbourne on Saturday are more important, and certainly of more interest to the public, than what has happened in Eden-Monaro. Anthony Albanese is set to struggle over the line in the Labor seat, ...
The House - Parliament had to speed through a bill adjusting a law which enables some prisoners to vote. Daniela Maoate-Cox explains how and why they did it. ...
The campaign to stop the Department of Conservation exterminating tahr in national parks is gathering increasing public support, with nearly 40,000 people signing the petition calling for a halt to DOC’s plans. The Change.org petition was started ...
DATE: Sunday, 5th July 2020 TIME: 15:00 LOCATION: Taylor Preston's, Centennial Highway, Wellington On Sunday, Wellington Animal Save will be bearing witness to animals on their way to slaughter, outside Taylor Preston's slaughterhouse. ...
Local Government’s Regional Sector are welcoming an announcement today of over $162 million in central government funding for 22 regional and unitary council Jobs for Nature projects, saying the strong support is an endorsement of the return on ...
Political editor Justin Giovannatti reports from Te Papa, where the prime minister today addressed Labour’s 2020 Congress.Jacinda Ardern looked to slap a Labour sticker on the team of five million with the launch today of the party’s Covid-19 recovery plan, at an event which serves as the unofficial kickoff to ...
Kelvin Davis stole the show at Labour’s 2019 conference with a hilarious speech about the formation of the coalition government. The party’s oft-underestimated deputy leader was again in the spotlight this year, but with a more solemn yet at times impassioned address outlining the country’s Covid-19 sacrifices. Here is the text: Anne Guenole. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Russo, Associate Professor, Director Cabrini Monash University Department of Nursing Research, Monash University The Victorian government’s decision to “close and contain” nine public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne represents a significant escalation in the fight against COVID-19. Under the ...
By Grace Auka-Salmang in Port Moresby Key findings from the 2016 to 2018 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey reveals that 56 percent of women aged 15 to 49 in PNG have experienced physical violence around the age of 15. And 28 percent have experienced sexual violence. Also 18 ...
The New Zealand Herald recently published a column which criticises its own record on race. Teuila Fuatai explains why she felt she had to call out the paper that commissioned her. In the column, freelance journalist Teuila Fuatai detailed her concerns about the Herald’s record on race and her efforts to ...
Open mike 04/06/2016 
Open mike is your post.
Today’s content Labour Party Thomas Manch (Stuff): It might be ‘team’ Labour, but there’s little doubt about who’s the skipper, and ‘saviour’ Audrey Young (Herald): No ordinary Labour speech by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (paywalled) Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): Ardern asks NZ to move her towards a second term Richard Harman (Politik): Labour’s red glow Justin ...56 mins ago
A short opinion piece – Friday 26th June 2020 Whilst our Government has treated many financial victims of the current Covid-19 virus with appropriate generosity, the same cannot be said for those of the two earlier “epidemics” in NZ. The “Covid-84” virus (also called “Rogernomics”) spread systemic greed, with the ...3 hours ago
After a long break, the government is back inserting secrecy clauses in legislation. This time its the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill (No 3), which in its clause allowing Ministers to exempt purchasers of farm land from the usual rules also allows them to exempt an exemption from the publication requirement: ...4 hours ago
Louise Delany (public health lawyer) Health and emergency laws have played a critical role in this country’s successful elimination of community transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic. This blog details key aspects of the legislation and comments on issues around testing, payments by incoming travellers for quarantine costs, and mask use. ...7 hours ago
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Stop making sense: why it's time to get emotional about climate change The science has been settled to the highest degree, so now ...10 hours ago
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Is the consequence of the Simpson Report proposals for restructuring the health system poorer accountability to people? When in doubt, centralise‘ has been a persistent theme in New Zealand public policy throughout our history. The current government is no exception. Here are some examples. - The regional polytechs have been ...3 days ago
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When the Christchurch murderer pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder and a number of other violent assault charges a few months ago, he effectively closed the door on what the public will know about the lead up to and commission of the event. His plea means that no evidence ...6 days ago
Daphna Whitmore The Philippines is enduring one of the longest lockdowns in the world. For President Duterte the lockdown provides an opportunity to garner more powers and to push through a brazen assault on human rights. A new law called the Anti-Terror Bill has been passed under urgency and it ...6 days ago
There really is not much about Paula Bennett concerning her career trajectory, the policies she promoted, and most importantly, the socio-economic effect this had upon New Zealand (and particularly the most vulnerable in this, our oft-cited “egalitarian” society of this country) that can be said now that hasn’t already been ...7 days ago
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Tertiary fees in New Zealand versus Australia: Fees Are Important, but not as Important as Financing In Australia, the Education Minister Dan Tehan has proposed an overhaul of the existing higher education funding system to offer 39,000 additional study places by 2023 and 100,000 by 2030. The proposal has been ...1 week ago
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As New Zealand’s top artistic gymnast, Maia Fishwick, heads back to the US to join her college team, the Aggies, she tells Suzanne McFadden her rise has been an against-the-odds story. Maia Fishwick was told she was too old to be a good gymnast. She was seven. This was a kid who obviously had a ...11 hours ago
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As Serena Jones faces incurable cancer, she wants to add something personal to the end-of-life choice debate Seven years ago I was told I had a 25 percent chance of living five years without the cancer returning; two years ago I was given 12 months to live. Plainly the up-coming ...11 hours ago
Advocacy group Sea Shepherd steps up its moves to push for US ban on New Zealand seafood over Māui dolphin protection A US ban on New Zealand seafood could be three to four weeks away after Sea Shepherd filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. Earlier this year, the marine advocacy group ...11 hours ago
David Clark has become the oldest of ritual objects: a scapegoat, writes Dr Deane Galbraith and Dr Ben Schonthal The casting out of David Clark has been a spectacle of biblical proportions. We mean that quite literally. The Health Minister’s mistakes were serious and the media is right to hold our ...11 hours ago
Changes to Covid-19 testing criteria may see fewer New Zealanders being tested - but there is some confusion about how the rules are being applied Health Minister Chris Hipkins has promised to put officials on notice about providing Covid-19 tests for those who want them, following confusion after changes to ...12 hours ago
A list of infrastructure projects handpicked for border exemptions is either a hasty cut and paste job or a sign we can't build anything without foreign labour. ...12 hours ago
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Work is underway to stamp out systemic bullying and harassment in Parliament, but is this more than 'HR speak and rhetoric'? ...12 hours ago
Kelvin Davis stole the show at Labour’s 2019 conference with a hilarious speech about the formation of the coalition government. The party’s oft-underestimated deputy leader was again in the spotlight this year, but with a more solemn yet at times impassioned address outlining the country’s Covid-19 sacrifices. Here is the text: Anne Guenole. ...1 day ago
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, selfish, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
‘One in 100 Kiwis homeless, new study shows numbers quickly rising
Homelessness in New Zealand has been skyrocketing and now a new study proves just how big the issue is.
The “severely housing deprived” had accelerated from 2006 to 2013, says a study by University of Otago, Wellington.
At least one in every 100 Kiwis were homeless in 2013, this included those living with family and friends.
This figure had increased from 2006 data which showed one in every 120 people were homeless, while in 2001, this was at one in 130 people.’
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/80719962/one-in-100-kiwis-homeless-new-study-shows-numbers-quickly-rising
Of that 1/100 derived from census returns aren’t 70% or so living with friends or family ?
Paula Bennett, John Key, stunned mullet……
All in denial over the issue of homelessness in New Zealand.
Part of the cruel, selfish, uncaring and cruel section of the populace poisoned by the antisocial neoliberal cult.
Thank you for your considered response Marvin.
Have you not been to the CBD of Auckland or Wellington, Stunned Mullet?
Probably is driven through it in his SUV with the tinted windows up while staring at his IPhone.
Look up
tha’ts right sm, and the rest don’t want help, dear leader told us.
A song for sm.
Well here’s something… which makes me kinda angry…
Phil Goffs little plan to relocate the Ports of Auckland to other areas – including places like Murawai…not only does it pander to Keys agenda to make Auckland city council have to sell off public assets and … privatize the ports… ( to the tune of 3-5 billion dollars ) it falls all too conveniently within the tax bribe of Keys 3 billion tax bribes…
So as Goff feigns opening up of areas for ‘ housing’ he assists Key in forcing Auckland city council to raise funds by selling off assets.
I would say that for the man who was given ‘dispensation’ to agree to disagree and cross the floor to vote with National regards the TTPA he has already shown his true colours. I would suggest that Labour cut off the neo liberal darlings in order to purge the neo liberal from the MOU.
Else , in disagreeing with old seadogs and in an era of more pragmatic rationalism he is found to be wanting. It is for no small reason that the Maori named the Waitemata the ‘ feminine ‘ harbour and the Manukau the ‘ masculine ‘ harbour…
Cosmopolitans such as Goff have absolutely no clue when they speak of relocating the main ports of Auckland to such places as the Thames and Murawai. Absolutely no idea of the treacherous shifting sands and bars of these waterways. And the colossal amount of funds needed to keep those waterways free from obstruction. And even then… the total impracticality of those locations to begin with.
The Orpheus cries out from its grave as testament to Goff’s folly…and its prophetic fulfillment is thus :
good points Katipo. I moved your comment to Open Mike as it was too off topic for the Green AGM thread.
I would say… that in a way it was… however… if Labour is to tolerate subversives such as Goff, and hand out special treatment as such, – with special dispensations to cross the floor to vote for the TTPA… that it would behoove Labour to monitor carefully the tightrope they are walking…
As Goff becomes a liability to the whole concept of the MOU.
They are effectively saying one thing , – yet allowing such subversives like Goff to undermine confidence in the MOU as a genuine movement away from the supply side/ starve the beast model of neo liberal economics.
The whole concept of Goff advocating selling off of the Ports of Auckland plays right into the hands of Keys govt in demanding Auckland council sell off assets to fund infrastructure.
And as for suggesting such ludicrous locations as Murawai???!!!
Good lord!!!….does the man not know his history ???…
Has he not heard of the Orpheus ???
The mans mad!
The Ports of Auckland operation could be shifted to Tauranga and to Marsden Point.
Goff would not have to sell Ports of Auckland land to do it – instead he could turn all of that land into the next waterfront development – just as the current one is ready to go into construction. It’s the operations that would be divested.
Granted it would take quite some funding of Kiwirail to form the track to Marsden, and further hundreds of millions to upgrade the northern line. Probably also it would need the Avondale-Onehunga line paralleling SH20 to do it as well. None of them easy tasks, until you compare them to the SH1 expressway programme accelerated for Wellsford-Whangrei within NZTA.
Many of those moves would take three terms of central and local government commitment to achieve – so nothing to get too anxious about for a while.
Well I do hope your right, another poster suggested Northland if it could be done, so there’s Tauranga way as well. As for Ports needing to be sold I’m pretty sure it would. But any suggestion of major Ports anywhere on the West coast is out of the question , I’m surprised it was even looked at. There would be calamity after calamity , mark my words. An outrageous suggestion.
Tauranga would take the exports, Marsden the imports.
Way it rolls.
I remember coming into the Manukau late one night, with a skipper new to it. He had 3 crew with torches out on the whaleback and must’ve lost a kilo just in sweat getting in. Smart fellow too, he’d been pushing boats for twenty years.
Essential listening for the politicians (and probably the voting public):
Natrad Saturday with Kim Hill
Dr Dacher Keltner is the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of the 2009 book, Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, consulted on the 2015 Pixar film Inside Out, and his new book is The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence (Penguin).
Podcast not up yet
Com’on , chap post what needs to be posted.
Its not only shifting the ports…. its lives as well.
[Good points, but off topic, moved to Open Mike] – weka
I moved it to Open Mike. Good points but too off topic.
Yes …I can understand… my point is … that often at the sake of political expediency…and a little lack of convenient joining of the dots… the consequences of overlooking the pragmatics can lead to the loss of lives… I need not remind you of the loss of 29 lives at Pike River due mainly to the destruction of unions ( aka the Employment Contacts Act or the later Employment Relations Act ) and lack of union mines inspectors monitoring conditions…
And I find it quite… pertinent that the Edmond Fitzgerald also lost 29 lives… and you know as well that if integrity is to have its place in the MOU… if workers are to account for anything in this equation… then all things must therefore be considered. Not just political expediencies.
Aye…well then Weka… I guess I’ll have to run with yer… I just wish… there was more a clamp down on the devious and the insipidly dishonest. With playing with honest men and women’s lives and dressing it up as bright ideas instead of calling it the deceptive plans it is… I don’t truck that sort of forked tongued weakness. Its sickening.
The Herald fawns over the rich. My, don’t they have a tough life?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11648864
Hi Paul. There’s another article in the paper today about a couple who experience for the weekend really high end luxury living. Sick-making really when so many are in real need, like rubbing their faces in it. We cancelled our Herald over two years ago because of the tripe and trivia which was being delivered each morning to our place. Bias and rigged for the Government we no longer could stand it. Since then we have been hounded by their marketing team and each time they get a barrage from me about how we do not need social gossip, health issues, travel ideas etc – that we want a “proper” newspaper. Last week we were offered a week’s free with home delivery of the newspaper, so for a bit of a laugh really we said okay.
Well I can tell you it has gone from bad to worse – I just cannot believe that New Zealanders can read this drivel every day and soak it in for real. The editorial writers are a disgrace and the only use these newspapers are going to be for us is lining for our cat’s overnight litter tray.
And, they are going to be getting a email from me addressed to the owner’s of the paper saying its an insult to the people of NZ that they have fed this crap to read every day.
And another article about a fight over $20 million Waiheke Island farm.
The adventures of the rich and famous.
Go back to sleep New Zealand.
Actually, for a change, Claire Trevett’s piece in the Herald today is almost fair, and I mean almost. Worth a read.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11650364
Suddenly Little is smart enough to have his caucus totally under control and he has unified the opposition…meanwhile Key’s popularity is dropping…is Claire reading the runes and seeing change?
She’d be an idiot not to… if she knows what side her bread is buttered on… and like all primeval organisms … she can sniff the breeze to smell the carcass to her own advantage.
Yes maybe she’s seen penguins polling otherwise she’d be putting the boot in like earlier in the week.
Someone else probably drew the dogwhistle round this cycle like soper and wifey who have been busy.
Searing edition of Waatea 5th estate last night
Discussing: “Housing”, “Labour Green Memorandum”, and “Economy Meltdown”
Former Labour Party Leader, current MP for New Lynn and people’s hero – David Cunliffe
Winner of best columnist at the Canon media awards – the brilliant Rachel Stewart
The best MP in the NZ First Party – Tracy Martin
Political commentator, blogger and author – Comrade Chris Trotter
And NZ First bad boy – blogger and commentator – Curwen Rolinson
That,… was a particularly good showing… the speakers articulated their opinions with clarity.
And the good will was evident. I was quite impressed with Curwen Rowlinson. Equally impressed at the general sense of unanimity among all of them. Also David Cunliffe, he showed a real power as a headperson in humility and facilitating of the collective desire to work cohesively.
Rachael Stewart was total business . Refreshing, … and was the perfect contrast to Chris Trotters more measured and pensive analysis of the events unfolding.
Excellent stuff.
Pretty good Ropata. Worth the listen. Upbeat for the Left.
Thanks for posting that Ropata-brilliant.
It was good to hear Trotter at the end saying how important it was for the Nats to lose in 2017 because they are out of ideas (they never had many) and that the ideas they have got and cannot help pursuing are making the country’s problems worse.
Great episode, all were good, even Trotter. I have always like Tracey Martin, utterly underrated in my opinion. & Curwen is great, an awesome young man.
“Seeing people sleeping in their cars breaks my heart” – totally how I feel.
Yep, and the sentiment that “this is not a New Zealand that I recognise”.
The analysis of the Nat voting mindset was particularly good.
I agree with Cunliffe, the economy is hollow & the only thing giving us the illusion of GDP growth is record immigration levels & a foreign investment bubble. We are at a tipping point
Understanding white privilege
Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin Di Angelo
Tracey Watkins gives us her opinion of the chance of Winston Peters becoming Prime Minister.
Though I had not been articulated it as bluntly as Watkins has, it had been stuck in the back of my mind as well. Here and Here
But unlike Watkins I had not imagined that this would be a bauble that the Labour/Greens would be offering Peters, but instead would be a sweetener offered by the National/ACT/Peter Dunne cabal.
What form this would take would be hard to say. The most likely would be a power sharing arrangement where for the first half of the next government’s term John Key would remain Prime Minister to be replaced by the premiership of Sir Winston for the second half.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/80719055/arise-sir-winston-prime-minister-of-new-zealand
Given the venom exuded by the Key Government to de-seat Winston in 2008, it is hard to imagine National welcoming him back into the fold let alone as PM. But Politics is a weird pit. Have him in or loose the election. Mmmm.
When a week in politics is a long time, 2008 is somewhere in the Jurassic period.
Sure the Nats were sore at losing their previously safest of safe National electorates to Winston Peters.
But I am not aware of much venom coming from National toward Winston Peters these days.
Never-they might offer Peters deputy PM though.
Surely this is much more likely with a left based govt.
It is credible for the PM to come from a party on say 15%, with Labour on say 30%. But it would look ridiculous if the larger party was on 45%.
The idea of WP being the PM for say the first 18 months has been widely mooted, but almost invariably on a NZF/Labour coalition. I guess the Greens would get something, but nothing too substantial in such a deal.
If you are told not to report the pressing social issues in John Key’s New Zealand, this is what the corporate press finds to distract you.
‘US woman finds human remains in secondhand freezer’
‘Distinctive Porsche stolen from Sydney home”
‘The Bachelor’s Naz apologises to the nation video’
Go back to sleep New Zealand………
Let us not forget.
The media puppets are complicit in the crimes being perpetuated on the vulnerable of New Zealand today.
Paul
+1
In all the media in all the world, those items have to walk into ours. When can we concentrate on our learning about our own interesting little country.?
People internationally do, but we can’t think about our own lives and nation and analyse what to do, too much dull cultural cringe, and cargo culting waiting for the more advanced nations, we think, to bring us news from their home and to teach us their advanced ways.
But home is where the heart is. Media bring us news from our heart-land. Or get out of the country back to your owners in your corporate headquarters you bunch of toadies, mercenaries and confidence tricksters.
edited
Labour and the Greens say this (the MoU) is not a monogamous relationship.
Little said he would welcome any other party committed to changing the government.
Should the Mana Party accept this invitation?
Would Labour now be willing to work with Mana to ensure Hone wins Te Tai Tokerau?
Thoughts?
They didn’t help Hone last time, if he dumps the internet party he might get my vote.
If … and this may be the case…one of the motivations for the MoU was to effectively neuter the right wing within Labour’s caucus, then sure, why not?
This open invitation has put Labour in an interesting predicament.
As highlighted by b waghorn, Labour weren’t prepared to assist Hone last time, therefore, has this open invitation now changed that?
If so, then it could be an attempt to neuter the right within.
I’m surprised Hone hasn’t accepted this open invitation. It would get him and his Party back in the media spotlight while allowing him policy input.
I’m surprised Hone hasn’t accepted this open invitation.
Thing is – Hone isn’t a part of any parliamentary presence. And the ‘invitation’ would appear to extend no further than parliament.
”The ‘invitation’ would appear to extend no further than parliament.”
How did you come to that conclusion, Bill?
There has been a mention of non-parliamentary parties (NGOs or such like) being invited on board? If there has been, I missed it.
Little saying he would welcome any other party committed to changing the government sounds like an open invitation to me.
Any techies out there got advice on a cheapish basic laptop brand that would suit a cave man who only does basic stuff on it.
Cheers
get one with SSD. forget touch screen. try a second hand Macbook…
Ssd ?
SSD.
Cheers
My source says that SSD tends to be on the more expensive ones, but not always. Thought that would help
This looked packed with information. too much?
http://www.storagereview.com/ssd_vs_hdd
bwaghorn
I seem to remember that you are sheep oriented = a shepherd?
This was on Radionz this morning.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201803333
Philip Armstrong: sheep
9:05 AM.Kim Hill talks to the Head of the Department of English at the University of Canterbury, and co-director of New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies about his new book, Sheep.
There was interesting stuff about whether sheep are bright and if not why not. The clever ones are a problem and get put down. They have been seen rolling on their backs to get under an electric fence to better grazing.
Or lifting the bar on the gate to get in with the rest of the flock to the tasty vegetable garden. And I think rolling across a cattle stop.
On the road at the mo will listen if I get a chance.
My view is sheep and cattle are bright in their own way but easily panicked but as you say being overly clever/cheeky is likely to shorten their lives
Cheer’s for those who gave a few computer tips
These 2 look pretty good.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/1098036671
http://www.trademe.co.nz/1096885684
Dell XPS models always get good reviews. Never owned one myself.
They are both $799 refurbs. The first one has 256GB SSD (making it v. speedy), the other has a big 500GB HDD & a larger screen.
Can Mana be trusted not to fuck up mightily this time around?
I’m sure we can trust Mana are committed to changing the Government.
Bernie Sanders.
Live feed.
Gangnam Style
Thanks for comments on mine 2/6/16 on callous disdaining attitude to a young mother becoming pregnant a second time and being in dire conditions
Very good comment greywarshark, whenever I see this kind of comment from our less emphatic compatriots (“why do they have babies if they are poor/homeless/not me?”) I am reminded of this little clip from 30 Rock. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCYPqrmLwqs
That’s a cutting piece of social comment from 30 Rock. You may have heard the interview on Radionz today Saturday, about studies on how the effects of having much money and power distorts or demolishes the human connections between classes.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201803328 29.12 m
Dacher Keltner: power and corruption
8:12 AM.Kim Hill talks to the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, whose new book is The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence.
Then there was a description of how the bullying, callous attitudes of Australian politicians is formed, in special self-funded college within at one, (perhaps more), university which the institution can’t control. I thought of the recent hooligan behaviour at a NZ airport, of some boys from a sports team of an eminent education institution here where parents challenged its right to control their children’s behaviour to an accepted civil standard.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201803330 15.54 m.
Van Badham: privilege in Australia
8:45 AM.Kim Hill talks the Australian theatre-maker, novelist, social commentator, and columnist for Guardian Australia, who has written widely about privilege and politics.
The rise of the rich, the bowing to and encouraging of individualistic, self-centred, hedonism or simplistic narrow self-interest is behind the lack of concern by both men and women about others’ suffering here in NZ. And it is being taught and reinforced in elite educational establishments, and I expect soon, military schools. The lack of socialisation of these children shows up in the lack of respect for others and condoning assaults, sexual violations, stealing through fraud, corruption becoming common amongst the better-off.
(And can I ask that more people put a bracket in front of their youtube offerings. The posts being filled with black boxes, some without any comment or explanation is destructive to the worth of a discussion site.
edited
Thank you, interesting stuff.
I was hoping the ‘joke’ wasn’t too black…Slightly off topic but I can’t recommend Tina Feys book enough, I actually heard the audio book read by her, amazingly funny & political & fascinating & so, so honest.
I say the ‘jump back up your mother’, whenever I hear the ‘poor people shouldn’t have babies’ vacuous bile, simple pleasures are the best.
“…a really strong social welfare system that didn’t limit how high you could climb, but it did certainly stop how far you could fall”
I almost wept.
The New Bapsae
I haven’t read you before. I hope your comment at 15.2 is heartfelt, and not sarky – the quote would be my ideal for a social welfare system.
Teehee, God this is Brilliant.
He was a great athlete and anti war activist
RIP
59 Seconds of sound advise to win any argument for a Social democrat, Socialist or anarchist against any Tory.
OMG I’m at the Warriors game and they’re winning against the Broncos! Bookies getting wrinsed tonight.
We did them like dinner.
I think Labour are like the Warriors. A confidence team.
Amazing game tonight.
The Warriors are also energised by the Laboureen MOU 🙂
They is Playas tonight.
Meanwhile on Planet Key:
https://t.co/GLK7RH1ZeR, I can’t even be bothered to think, “FFS”
Mmm, the homeless should choose to play golf
But they might spoil the fun, and we can’t have that
JFK responds: “Look! At the end of the day, what is a million bucks? How many kids would that sort of chicken feed, feed? Ok! so it might buy 10 2 bedroom relocatable cabins with showers and full kitchen and stuff – enough to house the 8 carloads of people in one carpark sleeping in cars who don’t want to be helped. But think of the money my mates will make hosting a golf tournament. AND the photo ops! I could be famous shaking hands with a famous winner. It’s good to be seen with winners. And let’s face it – Hungry kids and homeless people are losers – no votes there.”