Do you have a cartoon ‘buff bernie’ poster in your bedroom? Do you find Pokemons at controversial Tama Iti protest sites? Hows life in the troll factory with the other trolls?
It is important to look at where and whom you can trust in present society Andre.
So don’t be mealy mouthed about whom you decide to criticise because you may become the object of distrust yourself. I have to watch people for a while and see their mental tendencies before I can see how far I will trust them. These days, trust is an opt-in situation, not to be given casually.
Chaos is a word that conservatives use when they survey some suggested policy or scenario that May disadvantage them somehow and May diminish their material possessions. It can destroy more than is replaced, so chaos can be a WMD on many fronts so to be regarded suspiciously and doubtfully.
Kim Hill interviewed Tim Cope who rode across Mongolia and in those hard conditions finds that you have to understand people and how they manage and still have a culture despite their hard, basic lives and appreciate them.
This includes the extent of understanding that it is a compliment if they steal your horses and realising they consider that if you can’t look after your horses well, you don’t deserve them. (Horses are their equals in a way, part of their families, and if they die, or they are sold , they will always keep a hair from their tails and attach it to a rope near the door to maintain their connection. I have photos near my door.)
It was so interesting and also adds to my thoughts on who you can trust, and how people react when there is chaos in their lives. He notes about WW2 and Stalian, and about Crimea and the Ukraine and Kadjikstan?. And his dog, who he managed to have an EU passport issued for, and got him back all the way from there to Australia. There was a TV story done, out on DVD.
11.04 Gippsland-born Tim Cope speaks fluent Russian, and has spent the best part of a decade traveling Russia, Mongolia, and Central Asia by bicycle, row boat, skis, horse, camel and many other means. His most renowned journey was a three and a half year odyssey across the Eurasian steppe from Mongolia, through Kazakhstan, Russia, and the Ukraine, to Hungary, retracing the trail of Genghis Khan on horseback.
The trip was detailed in his book On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads. On the same subject he’s completed an award winning film series for ARTE in Europe, and ABC TV in Australia. Cope’s book, which was released in Australia, the USA, Canada, UK and Germany, won Best Adventure Travel Book and the Grand Prize at the Banff International Mountain Book and Film Festival 2013 and more recently, the Grand Prize at the NZ Mountain Festival. Since 2008, Cope has been returning to Mongolia annually to guide trips for World Expeditions.
I think lobbyists are the tools of the neoliberal mindset that we should be looking for creative ways to dismantle.
Interesting that they run 2 depts side by side. One to chew on the ears of rightwing politicians and the other dept, the left. I can see strategic advantages when meeting clients needs.
Lobbyists are in the game for money. Steering govt decisions towards generating profits for their clients. I think our law making should have a sole focus: What’s best for NZ. What’s best for Vodafone shouldn’t enter into it.
Vodafone may well have the best grid of mobile phone coverage for a Civil Defense initiative but I think we need other ways of Vodafone making the select committee aware of this fact. A sweet talking lobbyist with a little black book filled with the phone numbers and birthdays of those sitting around the decision making table has too much potential for dodgey money-driven law making.
I think lobbyists are the tools of the neoliberal mindset that we should be looking for creative ways to dismantle.
Although I agree that lobbying needs to be banned as it goes against the one person, one vote ideal of democracy to the one dollar, one vote process of corruption it’s been around a lot longer than neo-liberalism.
Vodafone may well have the best grid of mobile phone coverage for a Civil Defense initiative but I think we need other ways of Vodafone making the select committee aware of this fact.
We already have that way – submissions to the select committee along with everyone else’s.
I actually suspect lobbyists add a lot of value by making the wheels of government run more smoothly.
Without lobbyists, groups who wanted to talk to politicians would have to run round trying to find who was the right person to talk to, how do they get an appointment, making the time, then trying to put their case in words the politician would understand, then trying to understand what exactly the politican is telling them in response.
Adding the lobbyist into the equation saves everyone’s time and increases the chance that people go away with a clear understanding of what has been discussed.
They may well make the wheels of government run more smoothly but at what price? Our government should be placing their banking with Westpac because they’re the best candidate for the job. Not because the influential get invited to fabulous lunches. I don’t understand why a portion of Govt banking doesn’t get done through the banking infrastructure we all own, Kiwibank. Maybe they’ve got a rubbish lobbyist with no flash lunch budget.
As Draco says, it’s always been with us. The ancient Greek Forum had outsiders pushing causes. Outlawing it would see a rise in underhanded campaigns as revealed in Dirty Politics, black market lobbyists.
I don’t like it but I’m not sure what to do about it. If it’s unavoidable…maybe as transparent as possible is the best we can hope for.
Interesting in that the headline is completely misleading. It’s not a left wing lobbying company at all, it’s a for hire lobbying firm that has sister companies to lobby left or right.
Lobbyists aren’t the grease that oils the wheels of democracy, they are the ticks that engorge themselves on our ” democratic” process.
Antoine, further up this thread at 2.1.1 you say that “I never knew there was such a firm! So it was a learning experience for me” in relation to the Stuff article about the Australian lobbyist firm you provided a link to in your original comment at 2.
While the possible effects of lobbyists you express at 2.1.1.1.2 are positive ones, regrettably in practice there are also some very negative effects that can also result including backhanders, corruption and similar.
Lobbyist firms have been in existence for many, many decades particularly in the US political arena. They are big business and big $$$s, and usually represent big business interests.
In the NZ context, there are a number of professional lobbyist firms of this ilk that have already been working in the NZ political scene for years.
This earlier Stuff article last year sets out some of the concerns with the increasing entry of professional lobbyist firms into the NZ political scene – and the need for some form of regulation etc of these activities.
Unions as represented by Helen Kelly etc, and individuals like Morgan Godfery included in the list of NZ lobbyists with access to our NZ Parliament in the latest Stuff article usually do not have the resources, money etc that these professional lobbyist firms have.
It is far from a level playing field for competing lobbyist interests in the NZ political arena. So, I would not rush into only looking at the possible positive effects; the possible negative effects also need to be understood.
As pointed out all lobbyists are not equal. If we want to be dicks about it, when you send a letter to your local MP you are lobbying.
Professional lobbyists are a blight on democratic process. They should be banned from private mp meetings and parliament period. Yes I would include unions in that despite the fact I do see a big difference between them and most of the others. The field must be level.
Political influence should be through a party of anyone’s choosing and be fully transparent.
Level playing field. This also would apply to the employers federation or whatever that union calls itself these days , the farmers union federated farmers and so on not just employee unions. Meetings can still occur but all goings on made public.
Bryan Gaynor wonders what New Zealand would have been like if Labour’s 1974 superannuation scheme had continued into now, and had continued to invest in New Zealand:
I’ve been waiting for that update. Gaynor wrote about around 2009.
People believed Muldoon was strong. people believed Muldoon was right. They were allowed to, but getting rid of that super scheme was the biggest calamity to ever hit our economy. Hindsight and all that but the scare tactics worked and we shat in our own nest. That’s okay too, you’re allowed to do that.
But between then and now I have kept hearing some of the same people, the ones who supported Muldoon, telling me the National Party’s right, they know best about finances and economies. What? They fucked up our country and they still want me to believe them?
The irony is that as a young worker I was in a super scheme which was similar to the one wiped. I stayed in it. Not only would the country be benefitting unimaginably from the scheme had it been continued but there would be generations so dramatically more comfortably off now. My personal situation is proof of that.
Gaynor says, ” …the aborted Labour Government compulsory scheme would be worth substantially more than $500b after 42 years of existence.” He talks of how that could have been available to help with our diabolical infrastructure problems.
His article should be printed on big posters and put on the office walls of all National MPs. Instead they’ll probably adorn them with newspaper copies bearing headlines about $11 billion holes.
Thanks repateet & Ad I agree this is a very powerful and informative article by Brian Gaynor.I am saddened however that only three of us have taken the time to comment.
I am not sure that Brian would like to be described as a fading star.
Maltese journalist’s funeral held after politicians told to stay away
“Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family objects to presence of government and opposition leaders as day of mourning declared.”
Murdered Maltese journalist / anti-corruption ‘whistle-blower’ Daphne Caruana Galizia TWICE ‘blew the whistle’ exposing how NZ Foreign Trusts were used for money-laundering by Maltese ‘Politically Exposed Persons’ (PEPs).
Well when I was in my 20 we managed to save enough money for a 25 % deposit on a house by living with my mother for 2 years. I went into the ANZ bank and asked for a loan to buy a house got turn down they made many excuses but I no why they turned me down. So I though that i will buy a business as I wanted to stay on land to look after my family going to sea for 7 days at a time was not ideal One uncredabl person gave me the idea of a food caravan so I found one for sale it was parked outside The warehouse in Napier so I brought it as the site was ideal for foot traffic they just had hot chips and burgers on there menu and I new we could improve on that. So my friend that I lost whom was like a brother to me and I decided to put a mister whippy machine in the caravan another freezer and two deep fryers and a exhaust fan to ventilat the caravan.
My friend did most of the alterations as my carpentry skills are limited to my main tool being a chainsaw so he was a good carpenter and a perfectionists so I left him to it. He did a good job of the refit we take the caravan to the site and start serving custom well not me my wife and I get a call the fuse at the site keeps blowing we are drawing 40 amps and the fuse box was only 20 amps. The warehouse was realy help full and put in the required wiring and fuse for us at no charge. We were working long hours my wife was getting sore swollen feet from the long hours and I was still scrubbing dishes at 9 pm. So after the Christmas new year rush I decided to get a accountant a asses the business and he said to me your profit is only going to be the same as the dole. Well one person said put it in a charitable trust and work it that way he did not explain why I could do this. So I asked the accountant he said no you cannot do this so I took his word for it. But he should have said your poor so you can use a charitable trust for the relief of poverty but no I no why he gave me the wrong advice now with a few grayhairs under my cap.
So I lost with that enterprise I cut my losses and flicked it my children loved it lol heaps of i cream and burgers an fish and chips.
Now to my point I should have had a plan at the start an researched the hole enterprise before I wasted my money. So we need to spend more money on research and science I say to need a plan for all the new carbon free energy technology that we are about to get a plan for new charging out let’s for electric cars a plan for how solar power wind power is going to be implemented into our power grid plan plan research research all the information is out there we just have to look for it And we dont want to make costly mistakes when we can avoid it with research and planing this should be minimised Ka pai
Not sure I would trust those in charge of those industry’s as national have still got strings attached to management thats what key did put his m8 in all the CEO rolls they could they could throw a spanner in the works. I would do my own research so there can be a comparison to keep them honest I can see a lot of bullshit still going on.
Ka pai
Have you heard about the left’s evil plans on Nov. 4?
According to some online conservative circles, anti-fascist activists — or “antifa supersoldiers,” depending who you ask — have plans to “behead all white parents” and attack “small-business owners,” “kill every single Trump voter,” team up with violent gangs and go on a rampage, killing every conservative they can find.
[…]
Let me guess: Right-wing media started to take that seriously, too.
Oh, yes. Gateway Pundit’s D.C. Bureau Chief and White House Coordinate Lucian Wintrich responded to these satirical responses with this post: “Tom Bloke,” aka @21logician above, is “considered to be one of the leaders of the domestic terrorist group antifa,” the report reads. “[He] took to Twitter today to threaten violence against ‘white parents’ and ‘small-business owners.’”
Here’s one explanation for why the list of charges against Manafort is so short: Mueller is leaving out offences state authorities can pursue. That way even if the pumpkin Pinochet pardons Manafort, he’s still on the hook for states to go after him.
How “good guys with guns” actually make it much harder for cops to do their job and find the bad guy, even when it doesn’t degenerate into a free-for-all shootout.
Please keep writing in to TS thoughtful left writers! Looking at the recent comments at times is like looking at the sports ground after the game and it’s littered with empty snack bags and cans.
incognito
A bit of sun and time in the garden will regenerate you as well as the green things and you’ll be busting out with a spring, sprong. Looking forward to it.
Aljazeera just reporting the ICC(J) wants an investigation into war crimes in Afganistan.
Oh Dear! Maybe time for Nicky Hager and Jon Stevenson to make a submission
It turns out Donna Brazile’s allegations were either outright lies or she didn’t have a clue about the documents she was talking about.
The notion that they prove the primaries were rigged is nonsense.
On Friday, NBC News published the agreement between the Clinton campaign and the DNC. The Clinton campaign agreed to donate a minimum of $1.2 million per month to the DNC:
HFA is prepared to raise and invest funds into the DNC via the Victory. In return for this financial support, HFA requires the appropriate influence over the financial, strategic, and operational use of these JFA-raised funds.
(“JFA” means the joint-fundraising agreement.) The memo does describe the campaign having input into hiring decisions at the committee:
With respect to the hiring of future DNC senior staff in the communications, technology, and research departments, in the case of vacancy, the DNC will maintain the authority to make the final decision as between candidates acceptable to HFA.
The agreement stipulated, for instance, that the DNC would hire a new communications director in the fall of 2015 from a list of candidates that the Clinton campaign had “previously identified as acceptable.”
On the other hand, the agreement also came with a caveat: The DNC could enter into agreements like this with other candidates:
Nothing in this agreement shall be construed to violate the DNC’s obligation of impartiality and neutrality through the Nominating process. All activities performed under this agreement will be focused exclusively on preparations for the General Election and not the Democratic Primary. Further we understand you may enter into similar agreements with other candidates.
An expected choice for science adviser of the US Environmental Protection Agency believes the air is too clean – another indication that Donald Trump’s head of the EPA appears to be stacking the group in charge of trying to protect the environment with climate sceptics.
Robert Phalen, who currently directs the Air Pollution Health Effects Laboratory at the University of California Irvine, has research that would support the deregulation of policies aimed at preventing air pollution.
[…]
Mr Phalen has asserted that air is currently too clean, because children’s lungs need to breathe irritants so their bodies can learn how to fight them. “Modern air,” he said in 2012, “is a little too clean for optimum health.”
Trumps war against our climate has made the a lot of Americans step up there efforts to minimise climate change. My point about our new coalition government getting there own research is that America energy security Steven Chu got one investment wrong and the Solyndra company went broke costing $700 million and he end up resigning now this is a very intelligent man who in my view was lead down the wrong path Ka pai.
Dog forbid a women expresses frustration with the UE dragging the chain on whether or not they’ll take a more active role in supporting Ukrainian opposition to Russia.
Yes – Crimea was Autonomous but chose to have a constitution synchronous with Ukraine. This constitution allowed the right of referendum.
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea exercised their right of referendum
ascribed in their constitution.
95.5% of voters elected re-unification with Russia.
That does not equate “Russian aggression”
DPR / LPR continue to suffer Ukraine violations of the Minsk accords.
There is no manifest proof of Russian aggression in these regions.
I challenge Joe90 to assert otherwise. https://dninews.com/
Viktor was 3 of 4 years into his democratic tenure. He did not have a mandate to aver from the status-quo. Multi billion gas (16) subsidy and support from Russia. The EU offered nothing comparable. Maiden was a made-in (insert Capitals here) Coup-dT.
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What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
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The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
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Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
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Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
Delving into the operations of a russian twitter troll.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/jenna-abrams-russias-clown-troll-princess-duped-the-mainstream-media-and-the-world
When I see commenters who only ever seem to be attempting to sow distrust and chaos, I can’t help wondering …
I swear I’m not a russian troll comrade 🙂
Do you have a cartoon ‘buff bernie’ poster in your bedroom? Do you find Pokemons at controversial Tama Iti protest sites? Hows life in the troll factory with the other trolls?
It is important to look at where and whom you can trust in present society Andre.
So don’t be mealy mouthed about whom you decide to criticise because you may become the object of distrust yourself. I have to watch people for a while and see their mental tendencies before I can see how far I will trust them. These days, trust is an opt-in situation, not to be given casually.
Chaos is a word that conservatives use when they survey some suggested policy or scenario that May disadvantage them somehow and May diminish their material possessions. It can destroy more than is replaced, so chaos can be a WMD on many fronts so to be regarded suspiciously and doubtfully.
Kim Hill interviewed Tim Cope who rode across Mongolia and in those hard conditions finds that you have to understand people and how they manage and still have a culture despite their hard, basic lives and appreciate them.
This includes the extent of understanding that it is a compliment if they steal your horses and realising they consider that if you can’t look after your horses well, you don’t deserve them. (Horses are their equals in a way, part of their families, and if they die, or they are sold , they will always keep a hair from their tails and attach it to a rope near the door to maintain their connection. I have photos near my door.)
It was so interesting and also adds to my thoughts on who you can trust, and how people react when there is chaos in their lives. He notes about WW2 and Stalian, and about Crimea and the Ukraine and Kadjikstan?. And his dog, who he managed to have an EU passport issued for, and got him back all the way from there to Australia. There was a TV story done, out on DVD.
RadioNz summary – also go to the page and see images.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday
and
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018620423/tim-cope-on-the-trail-of-genghis-khan
11.04 Gippsland-born Tim Cope speaks fluent Russian, and has spent the best part of a decade traveling Russia, Mongolia, and Central Asia by bicycle, row boat, skis, horse, camel and many other means. His most renowned journey was a three and a half year odyssey across the Eurasian steppe from Mongolia, through Kazakhstan, Russia, and the Ukraine, to Hungary, retracing the trail of Genghis Khan on horseback.
The trip was detailed in his book On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads. On the same subject he’s completed an award winning film series for ARTE in Europe, and ABC TV in Australia. Cope’s book, which was released in Australia, the USA, Canada, UK and Germany, won Best Adventure Travel Book and the Grand Prize at the Banff International Mountain Book and Film Festival 2013 and more recently, the Grand Prize at the NZ Mountain Festival. Since 2008, Cope has been returning to Mongolia annually to guide trips for World Expeditions.
‘Wondering’ versus thinking..
Try more ‘thinking’, Andre!
Read a book on techniques first though..seems you need a steer…
“Hidden meaning results from reckless destiny”
Interesting article on Stuff: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98512144/australian-leftwing-lobby-firm-hawker-britton-hiring-in-new-zealand
It’s good practice to make a statement so people know where you are coming from. So, what do you find interesting about it?
I never knew there was such a firm! So it was a learning experience for me
I think lobbyists are the tools of the neoliberal mindset that we should be looking for creative ways to dismantle.
Interesting that they run 2 depts side by side. One to chew on the ears of rightwing politicians and the other dept, the left. I can see strategic advantages when meeting clients needs.
Lobbyists are in the game for money. Steering govt decisions towards generating profits for their clients. I think our law making should have a sole focus: What’s best for NZ. What’s best for Vodafone shouldn’t enter into it.
Vodafone may well have the best grid of mobile phone coverage for a Civil Defense initiative but I think we need other ways of Vodafone making the select committee aware of this fact. A sweet talking lobbyist with a little black book filled with the phone numbers and birthdays of those sitting around the decision making table has too much potential for dodgey money-driven law making.
Although I agree that lobbying needs to be banned as it goes against the one person, one vote ideal of democracy to the one dollar, one vote process of corruption it’s been around a lot longer than neo-liberalism.
We already have that way – submissions to the select committee along with everyone else’s.
I actually suspect lobbyists add a lot of value by making the wheels of government run more smoothly.
Without lobbyists, groups who wanted to talk to politicians would have to run round trying to find who was the right person to talk to, how do they get an appointment, making the time, then trying to put their case in words the politician would understand, then trying to understand what exactly the politican is telling them in response.
Adding the lobbyist into the equation saves everyone’s time and increases the chance that people go away with a clear understanding of what has been discussed.
A.
They may well make the wheels of government run more smoothly but at what price? Our government should be placing their banking with Westpac because they’re the best candidate for the job. Not because the influential get invited to fabulous lunches. I don’t understand why a portion of Govt banking doesn’t get done through the banking infrastructure we all own, Kiwibank. Maybe they’ve got a rubbish lobbyist with no flash lunch budget.
As Draco says, it’s always been with us. The ancient Greek Forum had outsiders pushing causes. Outlawing it would see a rise in underhanded campaigns as revealed in Dirty Politics, black market lobbyists.
I don’t like it but I’m not sure what to do about it. If it’s unavoidable…maybe as transparent as possible is the best we can hope for.
Indeed, everything should be in the public domain without any OIA requests, no exceptions, no redacting, and no secrecy. Lobby away, I say.
Interesting in that the headline is completely misleading. It’s not a left wing lobbying company at all, it’s a for hire lobbying firm that has sister companies to lobby left or right.
Lobbyists aren’t the grease that oils the wheels of democracy, they are the ticks that engorge themselves on our ” democratic” process.
> Lobbyists aren’t the grease that oils the wheels of democracy, they are the ticks that engorge themselves on our ” democratic” process.
Dude, Helen Kelly was a lobbyist.
A.
Note the context:
… it’s a for hire lobbying firm that has sister companies to lobby left or right.
I don’t recall Helen Kelly ever running or working for such a firm.
Antoine, further up this thread at 2.1.1 you say that “I never knew there was such a firm! So it was a learning experience for me” in relation to the Stuff article about the Australian lobbyist firm you provided a link to in your original comment at 2.
While the possible effects of lobbyists you express at 2.1.1.1.2 are positive ones, regrettably in practice there are also some very negative effects that can also result including backhanders, corruption and similar.
Lobbyist firms have been in existence for many, many decades particularly in the US political arena. They are big business and big $$$s, and usually represent big business interests.
In the NZ context, there are a number of professional lobbyist firms of this ilk that have already been working in the NZ political scene for years.
Sanders Unsworth is an example. http://sul.co.nz/page/home.aspx
This earlier Stuff article last year sets out some of the concerns with the increasing entry of professional lobbyist firms into the NZ political scene – and the need for some form of regulation etc of these activities.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/78650109/arrival-of-australian-political-lobbying-firm-in-nz-raises-questions-about-oversight
Here is another earlier Stuff article in 2011 also expressing concerns etc.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5099703/The-rise-and-rise-of-lobbyists
Unions as represented by Helen Kelly etc, and individuals like Morgan Godfery included in the list of NZ lobbyists with access to our NZ Parliament in the latest Stuff article usually do not have the resources, money etc that these professional lobbyist firms have.
It is far from a level playing field for competing lobbyist interests in the NZ political arena. So, I would not rush into only looking at the possible positive effects; the possible negative effects also need to be understood.
Yes, I can see that a malign lobbyist could cause harm
As pointed out all lobbyists are not equal. If we want to be dicks about it, when you send a letter to your local MP you are lobbying.
Professional lobbyists are a blight on democratic process. They should be banned from private mp meetings and parliament period. Yes I would include unions in that despite the fact I do see a big difference between them and most of the others. The field must be level.
Political influence should be through a party of anyone’s choosing and be fully transparent.
Unionists should be banned from privately meeting with MPs?
I don’t think there’d be many people here who would subscribe to that idea!
A.
Level playing field. This also would apply to the employers federation or whatever that union calls itself these days , the farmers union federated farmers and so on not just employee unions. Meetings can still occur but all goings on made public.
Agreed.
Bryan Gaynor wonders what New Zealand would have been like if Labour’s 1974 superannuation scheme had continued into now, and had continued to invest in New Zealand:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11940232
I’ve been waiting for that update. Gaynor wrote about around 2009.
People believed Muldoon was strong. people believed Muldoon was right. They were allowed to, but getting rid of that super scheme was the biggest calamity to ever hit our economy. Hindsight and all that but the scare tactics worked and we shat in our own nest. That’s okay too, you’re allowed to do that.
But between then and now I have kept hearing some of the same people, the ones who supported Muldoon, telling me the National Party’s right, they know best about finances and economies. What? They fucked up our country and they still want me to believe them?
The irony is that as a young worker I was in a super scheme which was similar to the one wiped. I stayed in it. Not only would the country be benefitting unimaginably from the scheme had it been continued but there would be generations so dramatically more comfortably off now. My personal situation is proof of that.
Gaynor says, ” …the aborted Labour Government compulsory scheme would be worth substantially more than $500b after 42 years of existence.” He talks of how that could have been available to help with our diabolical infrastructure problems.
His article should be printed on big posters and put on the office walls of all National MPs. Instead they’ll probably adorn them with newspaper copies bearing headlines about $11 billion holes.
He’s the only commentator I know who consistently covers this stuff, other than maybe Brian Easton. Both now fading stars in our firmament.
Thanks repateet & Ad I agree this is a very powerful and informative article by Brian Gaynor.I am saddened however that only three of us have taken the time to comment.
I am not sure that Brian would like to be described as a fading star.
https://www.google.co.nz/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/03/maltese-journalists-funeral-held-after-politicians-told-to-stay-away
Maltese journalist’s funeral held after politicians told to stay away
“Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family objects to presence of government and opposition leaders as day of mourning declared.”
Murdered Maltese journalist / anti-corruption ‘whistle-blower’ Daphne Caruana Galizia TWICE ‘blew the whistle’ exposing how NZ Foreign Trusts were used for money-laundering by Maltese ‘Politically Exposed Persons’ (PEPs).
Penny Bright
Anti-corruption whistle-blower.
John Key’s legacy is = NZ is good place to setup a Foreign Trust and use it for money-laundering.
Thanks John Key for that very toxic bad mark against us in NZ for that dirty money laundering.
Well when I was in my 20 we managed to save enough money for a 25 % deposit on a house by living with my mother for 2 years. I went into the ANZ bank and asked for a loan to buy a house got turn down they made many excuses but I no why they turned me down. So I though that i will buy a business as I wanted to stay on land to look after my family going to sea for 7 days at a time was not ideal One uncredabl person gave me the idea of a food caravan so I found one for sale it was parked outside The warehouse in Napier so I brought it as the site was ideal for foot traffic they just had hot chips and burgers on there menu and I new we could improve on that. So my friend that I lost whom was like a brother to me and I decided to put a mister whippy machine in the caravan another freezer and two deep fryers and a exhaust fan to ventilat the caravan.
My friend did most of the alterations as my carpentry skills are limited to my main tool being a chainsaw so he was a good carpenter and a perfectionists so I left him to it. He did a good job of the refit we take the caravan to the site and start serving custom well not me my wife and I get a call the fuse at the site keeps blowing we are drawing 40 amps and the fuse box was only 20 amps. The warehouse was realy help full and put in the required wiring and fuse for us at no charge. We were working long hours my wife was getting sore swollen feet from the long hours and I was still scrubbing dishes at 9 pm. So after the Christmas new year rush I decided to get a accountant a asses the business and he said to me your profit is only going to be the same as the dole. Well one person said put it in a charitable trust and work it that way he did not explain why I could do this. So I asked the accountant he said no you cannot do this so I took his word for it. But he should have said your poor so you can use a charitable trust for the relief of poverty but no I no why he gave me the wrong advice now with a few grayhairs under my cap.
So I lost with that enterprise I cut my losses and flicked it my children loved it lol heaps of i cream and burgers an fish and chips.
Now to my point I should have had a plan at the start an researched the hole enterprise before I wasted my money. So we need to spend more money on research and science I say to need a plan for all the new carbon free energy technology that we are about to get a plan for new charging out let’s for electric cars a plan for how solar power wind power is going to be implemented into our power grid plan plan research research all the information is out there we just have to look for it And we dont want to make costly mistakes when we can avoid it with research and planing this should be minimised Ka pai
Well told story.
A lot of this work is actually happening although you may not realise it if you don’t keep in close touch with the energy and transport industries.
A.
Not sure I would trust those in charge of those industry’s as national have still got strings attached to management thats what key did put his m8 in all the CEO rolls they could they could throw a spanner in the works. I would do my own research so there can be a comparison to keep them honest I can see a lot of bullshit still going on.
Ka pai
> I would do my own research
Feel free
A.
think I smell something Ka pai
Absurder by the day.
Have you heard about the left’s evil plans on Nov. 4?
According to some online conservative circles, anti-fascist activists — or “antifa supersoldiers,” depending who you ask — have plans to “behead all white parents” and attack “small-business owners,” “kill every single Trump voter,” team up with violent gangs and go on a rampage, killing every conservative they can find.
[…]
Let me guess: Right-wing media started to take that seriously, too.
Oh, yes. Gateway Pundit’s D.C. Bureau Chief and White House Coordinate Lucian Wintrich responded to these satirical responses with this post: “Tom Bloke,” aka @21logician above, is “considered to be one of the leaders of the domestic terrorist group antifa,” the report reads. “[He] took to Twitter today to threaten violence against ‘white parents’ and ‘small-business owners.’”
https://mic.com/articles/185689/november-4-conspiracy-alt-right-krang-t-nelson-antifa-supersoldiers-meme#.bMK2CnMzY
edit: heh
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/03/antifa-apocalypse-anarchist-groups-plan-to-overthrow-trump-regime-starts-saturday.html
Here’s one explanation for why the list of charges against Manafort is so short: Mueller is leaving out offences state authorities can pursue. That way even if the pumpkin Pinochet pardons Manafort, he’s still on the hook for states to go after him.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/11/robert_mueller_s_brilliant_strategy_for_outmaneuvering_trump_pardons.html
How “good guys with guns” actually make it much harder for cops to do their job and find the bad guy, even when it doesn’t degenerate into a free-for-all shootout.
https://thinkprogress.org/the-walmart-shooting-guns-75933af8cb92/
Please keep writing in to TS thoughtful left writers! Looking at the recent comments at times is like looking at the sports ground after the game and it’s littered with empty snack bags and cans.
I’ve got an advanced draft for a Guest Post but have no time & energy finish it 🙁
incognito
A bit of sun and time in the garden will regenerate you as well as the green things and you’ll be busting out with a spring, sprong. Looking forward to it.
Aljazeera just reporting the ICC(J) wants an investigation into war crimes in Afganistan.
Oh Dear! Maybe time for Nicky Hager and Jon Stevenson to make a submission
It turns out Donna Brazile’s allegations were either outright lies or she didn’t have a clue about the documents she was talking about.
The notion that they prove the primaries were rigged is nonsense.
On Friday, NBC News published the agreement between the Clinton campaign and the DNC. The Clinton campaign agreed to donate a minimum of $1.2 million per month to the DNC:
(“JFA” means the joint-fundraising agreement.) The memo does describe the campaign having input into hiring decisions at the committee:
The agreement stipulated, for instance, that the DNC would hire a new communications director in the fall of 2015 from a list of candidates that the Clinton campaign had “previously identified as acceptable.”
On the other hand, the agreement also came with a caveat: The DNC could enter into agreements like this with other candidates:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/katherinemiller/here-are-the-details-about-that-dnc-clinton-memo?utm_term=.eyoMMM307x#.kev555LQp7
Brazile doubles down on her lies, goes full ratfucker.
Stupid fascist pizza billionaire
https://deadspin.com/did-crybaby-loser-papa-john-also-lose-our-chain-pizza-r-1820051012
Oh dear.
An expected choice for science adviser of the US Environmental Protection Agency believes the air is too clean – another indication that Donald Trump’s head of the EPA appears to be stacking the group in charge of trying to protect the environment with climate sceptics.
Robert Phalen, who currently directs the Air Pollution Health Effects Laboratory at the University of California Irvine, has research that would support the deregulation of policies aimed at preventing air pollution.
[…]
Mr Phalen has asserted that air is currently too clean, because children’s lungs need to breathe irritants so their bodies can learn how to fight them. “Modern air,” he said in 2012, “is a little too clean for optimum health.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-environment-adviser-air-too-clean-pollution-good-health-pruitt-phalen-a8033881.html
Trumps war against our climate has made the a lot of Americans step up there efforts to minimise climate change. My point about our new coalition government getting there own research is that America energy security Steven Chu got one investment wrong and the Solyndra company went broke costing $700 million and he end up resigning now this is a very intelligent man who in my view was lead down the wrong path Ka pai.
Timely insight into the expletive thoughts of Victoria Nuland in support of Winston.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL_GShyGv3o
Dog forbid a women expresses frustration with the UE dragging the chain on whether or not they’ll take a more active role in supporting Ukrainian opposition to Russia.
Yes we should forbid a woman who offers cake – as she Meddles.
Oh that’s right, Ukrainians only resist Russian imperialism because America,
/
Tell me about recent Russian imperialism.
Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and their invasion of eastern Ukraine.
You are aware the vast majority of Crimeans wanted the Russians?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26606097
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2015/03/20/one-year-after-russia-annexed-crimea-locals-prefer-moscow-to-kiev/
Yes – Crimea was Autonomous but chose to have a constitution synchronous with Ukraine. This constitution allowed the right of referendum.
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea exercised their right of referendum
ascribed in their constitution.
95.5% of voters elected re-unification with Russia.
That does not equate “Russian aggression”
DPR / LPR continue to suffer Ukraine violations of the Minsk accords.
There is no manifest proof of Russian aggression in these regions.
I challenge Joe90 to assert otherwise.
https://dninews.com/
Joe90
You saying Americans only resist Clinton-ism cos of Russia ?
Viktor was 3 of 4 years into his democratic tenure. He did not have a mandate to aver from the status-quo. Multi billion gas (16) subsidy and support from Russia. The EU offered nothing comparable. Maiden was a made-in (insert Capitals here) Coup-dT.
You are spot on.
Many people just don’t bother to read and research beyoun the corporate media’s agenda.
Latest on Manus: https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/98562366/malcolm-turnbull-set-to-reject-jacinda-arderns-manus-island-refugee-offer