A frosty start to the day in Southland; clear skies, stars, the sound of waves plashing on the sand; could be worse.MfE are here today to tell us about coastal erosion and climate change. Heard of “managed retreat”?
Surely we need a education system that prepares people for lifelong learning, not one that regards attending a university as the only preferred endpoint?
Lots of kids are well ready to leave school at 16. They want to get a job and get money and get out of home, and out from under someone else’s authority, and make their own way in the world.
Fine, I say. Let them leave school at 16, but keep open learning options as apprentices, night & weekend school options and generally if you want to leave formal schooling at 16 then allow you to return to learning at 19 or 21 while still working.
That would far better suit the the huge majority of young people who are particularly tempramentally, intellectually or inclined to want to go to university and slog their way through a pointless meal ticket exercise.
The older system catered for this with an ‘out’ basically at school cert level with technical schools (United etc) providing the trade start up courses.
Everyone else stayed on to university (govt funded Back then) or found something of interest and went that way. It worked a treat, supplied apprentices to building trades etc and gave kids choice if they chose to leave at 16.
But it wasn’t broken so we fixed it with the start of the great dumbing down where pass/fail seems to have given way to an attendance record and aspirational double speak.
The way that the teacher unions demand the status of white collar professionals is a megaphone that informs us of their middle class educational values and attitudes.
Middle class capture of education means an ambient bias that regards professional, white collar jobs as superior outcomes to the traditional trades and artisan jobs (panel beaters, sign writers, roofers, skilled machinery operators, etc etc) that make up the skilled engine room of the economy and can provide satisfying, fufilling and reasonably paid work for huge numbers of people.
Middle class capture of education means an ambient bias that regards professional, white collar jobs as superior outcomes to the traditional trades and artisan jobs (panel beaters, sign writers, roofers, skilled machinery operators, etc etc) that make up the skilled engine room of the economy and can provide satisfying, fufilling and reasonably paid work for huge numbers of people.
More likely that those types of jobs are becoming obsolete.
How many panel beaters are required when it’s just a quick fix and then attach a new part that’s already the right colour?
How many sign-writers when all that’s needed is a large monitor and a PC? Skilled machine operators?
Technological change is making more and more of the trades obsolete.
They were pretty quick to throw the manual teachers overboard. If it can’t be assessed by essay and doesn’t lead to a university lecturing position, it doesn’t matter.
Unfair, Gabby. Who threw the manual teachers overboard? They were never allowed to be NZEI members, because real old primary schools never had tech classes. Only the disastrous Intermediate schools did (I believe that opponents of the introduction of Intermediate schools back in the 1950s were quite correct) because they (Int schools) introduced wood/metalwork + sewing/cooking classes, but the weird teachers who did it were not NZEI – they were PPTA members of the secondary schools’ union, because all the other tech teachers in NZ were. Consequently they never had any representation in the primary schools’ union.
Later PPTA could not protect them either, because new industrial law (1980s, 1990s) prohibited unions from taking action in support of other unions. NZEI and PPTA negotiated at different times, able to take industrial action at different times. So when Tommorrow’s Schools gave primary and intermediate schools autonomy to some extent through bulk funding (be aware that all schools are still bulk-funded for their Operations Grants: bulk funding was abolished ONLY for teachers’ salaries.)
Bulk funding is aimed at underfunding, and when that happened to intermediate schools, the pressure came on.
It was the neo-liberal Govts who threw those manual teachers overboard, Gabby. Secondary schools are now dangerously short of them too, but the secondary manual teachers still there were not thrown overboard. OK?
Sanctuary (replying to 2.1.1)
Have you ever been a teacher? If yes, what horrible experience perverted your view of teacher unions? 80%+ of teachers belong to those unions, and you are vilifying all of us.
Idiot. Do you think that none of us understand history, the bourgeois, the bias, and that we aim for middle-class comforts?
I find you shallow and insulting. I hope that you can modify your comment and explain.
I long held the belief (reinforced by my time as a teacher), back in the days before Rogernomics fucked up this country, that all kids should be endowed at birth with say 16 years of free education, the first 10 or 11 years to be compulsory.
This would have meant kids free to leave school at 16 and go into the workforce. Some, however, would soon realise they had made a mistake and would want to return to education – and could do so with the 4 or 5 years they were still entitled to.
They could then go to polytechs or universities to upgrade their skill, with few financial consequences.
I would love to see a system whereby after, say, 25-30 years in employment any person can take a 12 month sabbatical at 80% of their wage averaged over the previous five years (with a cap of course) to do any sort of (state approved) training they wish whatsoever. Thus, if a middle aged manager wants to spend a year learning to, say, be a beekeeper or live in Latin country and learn Spanish, this would be allowed – and at 80% of their previous wage.
I’ve come to the conclusion that people should do a few years in work and follow that with a few years in uni. The first uni course will get them a bachelor degree. After that they start doing research landing them doctorates. The time in work would be to give them actual physical experience on which to base their next cycle of research.
Because it’s what’s necessary in a democracy to improve the nation’s living standard while also living within our very limited means. Same as compulsory voting is also necessary so as to ensure people engage in their own governance.
Uneducated people are detrimental to democracy and not investigating everyone’s ideas limits the innovation needed to improve everyone’s living standards.
“Long service leave forms part of the National Employment Standards (NES). The NES apply to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system, regardless of any award, agreement or contract.”
Surely we need a education system that prepares people for lifelong learning
That is exactly what we need but it’s not solely the fault of the education system. Parents as well have been telling their children forever to Get and education, get a job and you’re right for life. This was bollocks in the 1970s and it’s even more so now as technological changes eliminate ever more jobs. We need to get everyone into continual learning but especially those that haven’t yet achieved tertiary education.
Fine, I say. Let them leave school at 16, but keep open learning options as apprentices, night & weekend school options and generally if you want to leave formal schooling at 16 then allow you to return to learning at 19 or 21 while still working.
Most, if not all, universities allow entrance if the person is over 20 even if they don’t have any high-school qualifications. The problem is that our entire socio-economic system effectively discourages people from getting that ongoing education.
Because for most people the best way to learn about a discipline is to learn from someone who’s been studying the field for years, and to learn alongside other people who are also learning about the subject so you can exchange ideas and aid each other’s learning.
Sure, you might find a club to get that sort of environment, but educational institutions have an important part to play.
Personally I think all education should be free from cradle to the grave, with no limits on when to start a new course.
And yet I can’t help wondering whether the guy who allegedly put oxygen and acetylene in the same bottle the other day had received formal welding training or was largely self-taught. Poor bugger.
I’ve had a small artistic hobby for years now. I learn a lot on youtube, I read a lot, get lots of ideas from all around the place. Most of my pinterest pins are all about it. I own pretty much all the equipment I need for it. I’m ok – not brilliant, but these days I can largely make pretty much what I set out to make (albeit with room for improvement).
But I still pay for regular evening classes at the art school. Because the structure and environment suit me, and it’s good to have fellow people learning the same skills to bounce ideas off.
A thought not at all influenced from being kicked out of school for asking questions, but I’ve long been of the persuasion that young people should be strongly dissuaded from seeking jobs or formal education for some five years or so after leaving school.
Five years to breath and experience before getting on the dread mill?
Against the grain, I know, but I’m persuaded we destroy one another by insisting we go from school to job to grave – with maybe a little breather between work and grave.
If you ask anyone, ‘What are you?’ or similar questions, they will invariably answer ‘a plumber, a teacher a . . .’ the job they do. They should, in an ideal world say, ‘I’m an educated and enlightened human being who has a lot of empathy for my fellows . . .’ or something along those lines.
We are defined by the jobs we do, as if this is the be all and end all of life.
The world is running out of time, but it would be good if everyone could have the opportunity to be whatever they wanted to be.
Yes just earn enough to travel, work, experience life sort of on the bread-mill, and this shouldn’t go against the grain of thoughtful government planners.
As you say, it’s about leaving bias aside to the best possible levels…before passing on ‘knowledge and experience’ … that is inadequate or incorrect for the recipient…
In order to achieve such a level requires substantial self awareness…
At face value there is a dearth of self awareness in the general populace…
Way way back in the neolithic age before we had expensive telepathic stones*, when I was 17, I did a year out working after 7th form.
3 months doing night shift in a factory. 6 months on a town supply dairy farm, 5 months on sheep station in Taupo, and 3 months army as a territorial after I turned 18.
Was damn useful because it gave a whole.pile of discrimination about things that I didn’t want to do It also got me out from underfoot at home.
Then I went to university at Waikato because it wasn’t Auckland and living costs were way lower. I also became a underage barman, part time soldier, and fell in love with playing multi user star trek late at night on the DEC 1170 (it was 1979).
That year off working was incredibly valuable.
* As good a description of cellphones and tablets as any.
Was damn useful because it gave a whole.pile of discrimination about things that I didn’t want to do
Finding out what you don’t want to do and also what you actually want to do is important. IMO, most people are ‘unsuccessful’ because they never do find out and never have the opportunity to do so.
Local body politicians have too much authority to dispose of, or take on projects that cost much. They are often businessmen who have been able to crry out their interest successfully and then take on the role of handling the everyday business of a large entity whether city or region with diverse needs and are then at the top level of their aptitude and knowledge related in Peters Principle, ie they have reached their level of incompetence.
Participatory democracy must start being applied immediately. General competence must be withdrawn from local government and they be obliged to go through more complex levels of examination of scenarios involving big money or letting go of resources, or building of them. This would start off by answering what are the long-term effects of this? Is the body’s expressed vision the actual likely one from what is observed elsewhere and by viewing the possibility of misadventure from weather, low tenders and skimping of quality etc.
What jobs will be lost, how many people and animals will be disadvantaged by this, and for short term or likely permanent? What expenditure on remediation and repair is set aside? Double that figure to get true cost and where is this money to come from? What advantage to the region and to jobs? What profit arises to the buyer? How and when will they
want this profit realised? What demands will be made on the public of the region to enable the entity to realise their profit? Will they employ local people in the running of their business?
Then when all these are dealt with under a number of separate headings, the business people or=f the region, the public who have formed groups to study the matters under each heading, will be called to detail their findings to a series of meetings. Decisions will be made and anecdotes and experience in other areas be related as to the viability of the proposal, and its likely outcome and advantage. The ratepayers will be given figures showing the long as well as the short term effects on their rate levels and satisfactory services they require, ie navigable roads, clean water, sewage properly disposed of etc.
Then there are meetings held, reports in the local newspaper with facts, and information about scenarios elsewhere in the country and applicable overseas ones. Then a referendum of all local citizens with five years’ residence which would be binding if 75% reached for or against, and if carried out to legal requirements .
That would limit the lure of $ in eyeballs effect by citizens elected to office, who have never given thought to anything but their private interests before. The OIO does not and can not, consider matters from a ‘coalface’ point of view, but the residents can, and the really alert and able ones can learn what needs to be considered, losses and gains, and be leaders in discussing the facts of the matter with their peers, being all the adults in the area, and then all can vote from a roll of those having 5 year residency.
You aren’t just – A local body politician, you are The very model of a local body politician. I am the very model of a [local body politician]
I’ve information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;[a]
I’m very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news, (bothered for a rhyme)
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
Gosman
Joe90 is not you. His opinions are worth something, unlike your meanderings through the forest looking for juicy berries to bite at.
Actually joe90 would not be wrong – I am anonymous and I am (almost) a bedwetter, having a tendency to be incontinent. Lack of muscle tone from sitting too long at the keyboard is possibly part of the problem. It’s time perhaps to do more muscle toning and improve the body and less mind and word-wrestling.
Thanks for ripping off the kids there, Joe with short term thinking.
When the Natz sold off significant parts of power generation companies less than a decade ago, guess what, they got less from the sale than they would have earned from dividends already, so now we don’t have that income for the country to run our schools and hospitals or future income for next generations. The right wingers are financial idiots.
Economic[edit]
The Government was elected in the context of the late 2000s recession.
The Fifth Labour Government’s Emissions Trading Scheme was delayed and the Emissions Trading Scheme Review Committee was set up to review the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme[4] in accordance with the coalition agreement with the ACT Party.[5] In November 2009, an amended version of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme was adopted.[6]
Personal tax cuts, reducing taxes on all income; the top personal tax rate was lowered from 39% to 38% and then 33%.[7]
Abolished the Loss Attributing Qualifying Company (LAQC) tax structure, which had allowed individuals (mainly property investors) to reduce their individual income tax by off setting their LAQCs losses (the Look-through company structure replaced LAQCs, but without the tax benefits).
Increased GST from 12.5% to 15% in October 2010.
Increased the minimum wage from $12.00 per hour to $13.00 per hour in its first term, and to $14.25 in its second term.[8] This represents a nominal 3.1% average annual increase, significantly lower than the previous government’s nominal 7.9% annual average increase.
Suspended payments to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund.[9]
Introduced the nine-day working fortnight for businesses who were considering laying off staff.
Capped the minimum employers’ contributions to KiwiSaver at 2%, the amount was due to increase to 4% by 2011 and gave employees the option to contribute as little as 2% of their income to KiwiSaver where previously the smallest contribution amount was 4%. The minimum employee and minimum employer contributions were raised to 3% in April 2013.
Introduced the “mixed ownership model” plan, in which the Government planned to reduce its share in Genesis Energy, Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power and Solid Energy from 100% to 51% and Air New Zealand from 74% to 51%, and sell off the remainder. The plans to sell down Solid Energy were later axed due to the company’s poor financial position. A citizens-initiated referendum on the sell-downs returned a 67.3% vote in opposition (on a turnout of 45.1%).
Ultra-Fast Broadband rollout of fibre to the house to 87% of households
Seven Roads of National Significance
Wonder if the council actually asked the public if they could sell off that land?
$13m may sound like a lot but ongoing income from an actual council forestry operation would have been better for the council and for the local region.
Council and future ratepayers were earning money off that land and trees (incredibly high returns at present plus if we have to axe the plastic, will be worth even more, plus potential carbon credits), plus if the council ever needs land in the future for growth they already own land, that earns them money and capital gains.
Pity our kids and anyone who is retired in the area who are going to have to sort out the mess when our councils and country is bankrupt with idiot short term thinkers and our government and councils have killed the golden gooses.
Public land should be considered a long term asset, not something to be sold and benefit a few for a quick buck, while future needs are not going to be able to be met or it is going to be a lot more expensive to buy a bit back later. They should be forced to consider generational costs not forcing future costs onto the young to sort out the messes so they get cheaper rates for a few years (which they probably won’t anyway).
The thickos at Auckland council for example accidentally sold a bit of the rail access in Auckland according to a local who was complaining about it, which is why they are not using the existing rail line that runs from Helensville right through Kumeu and to the city and could be used now. Instead Auckland rail’s “bright” idea is forcing a massive detour to Swanson in proposed plans and completely new rail options in that area for billions. Doh! Plus they ordered trains that don’t fit thought the tunnel. Oh well, the rate payers will have to pay.
Bought to you by the same council and Natz government that forced planning changes to have 10 acre sections go into 600m2 in Kumeu with thousands of million dollar spec houses being built and only have one, one lane road running through… then wonder why NZ productivity is so low and they can only attract migrants who have little education and no other country will take them or don’t bother working here but plant questionable money here as gold bricks or plan their route to OZ.
A majority of those who bothered to make a submission. My view was that we should retire debt rather than own an asset of dubious value, poor soils on steep/marginal terrain, growing third rate soft wood with limited uses, whose future earnings were dependent on the whims of a global timber market.
A majority of those who bothered to make a submission.
So, just a minority then.
We’re not supposed to be ruled by a minority.
My view was that we should retire debt rather than own an asset of dubious value, poor soils on steep/marginal terrain, growing third rate soft wood with limited uses, whose future earnings were dependent on the whims of a global timber market.
1. The income from the land would have retired the debt
2. According to the article the project proved the feasibility
3. We actually need more wood in NZ to build houses
And do the general public in a catchment area really understand what the factors of concern are concerning the sale of the forest –
Lack of control over workers safety.
Over local employment.
Over access to forest or not when suitable.
Over care for maintaining fire breaks.
Over provision of roading when there is a cut.
Over paying share of fire levy for services.
Over lack of concern for evidence of fire (government used to maintain high watching posts in the fire season.)
Over the access for getting pine cones and clearing slash
for fuel and who is responsible for this (can be handy fund raiser for
local groups who control access reliably.)
Is there opportunity for small local trucking operation
carting slash to wood processor?
Is there opportunity to get work trimming lower braches to provide fine logs with better quality vertical wood and less knots, galls?
Can the forest be sold off by Council in bits over a period when the price is right and then replanted there by locals quickly to avoid erosion?
Can the cutting be chosen carefully so that erosion areas near water courses are left standing?
Can the wood be sold locally at a competitive but reasonable price
for local use?
These sort of matters need to be spelt out and discussed, rather than a general feeling of let’s get the debts down. Keeping and selling some cutting rights to locals or nearby mills would keep money flowing in for infrastructure expenditure.
Their own wood itself could be used direct for some local infrastructure.
And there would be more matters than i have raised. I would be pleasantly surprised if all these points have been thoroughly canvassed at public meetings – it would take more than one.
And the financial advantages of different proposals say – four at most would be interesting. Money now and no resource later along with extra costs for providing usable roads and trying to meet people’s needs for clean air and some break from rattling roaring trucks 7 days a week for months should be thought about.
They are having trouble near Whangarei where there is large felling. Peoples houses are eternally coated with dust inside, they are getting asthma, they can’t use the road as once, the children get dusty while they wait for the school bus, the bus gets squeezed to the side, when it wants to stop and pick up kids it can be difficult, the trucks are rather scary as they go past with their high loads,
Lots to consider; more than just money now, debt drop. And the continuing noise and problem is so different to the regular farm and area noise.
‘nature’ is recognised as one of the most prestigious and most cited scientific journals in the world.
When ‘nature’ takes Australia and Australian political leadership to task, then you know that there is a problem.
In 2015 UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon called for a one day government leaders summit in New York leading up to the COP 21 Paris agreement.
Moon made it clear that he didn’t want Deputy Leaders or Foreign Ministers or Climate Change Spokespersons. He wanted Government leaders. Moon knew that having the leaders turn up would be symbolic of a government and a nation’s commitment to address climate change.
The Australian Prime MInister of the time, Tony Abbot, refused to go.
Current Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeated this snub, for the Pacific Forum.
Australia has two pressing environmental problems: climate change and finding a leader who can tackle it……
…..It’s no coincidence that when Turnbull’s political colleague (and then-treasurer) Scott Morrison wanted to criticize environmentalists last year, he brought a lump of coal to parliament and spoke about it in glowing terms. Last week — after Turnbull confirmed he was quitting politics — his son complained about the “undue level of influence” of the coal lobby….
….Many of those poorer countries are on the front line and will suffer heavily as the weather worsens. So will Australia. Droughts there are projected to increase in length and severity as a result of climate change. Heatwaves, floods and bush fires are also linked to global warming, and are predicted to become more common and more extreme. The country’s island neighbours in the Pacific are likely to be inundated as sea levels rise. As a result, Australia, whose draconian refugee policy is a source of shame to many citizens, is likely to face an increase in climate refugees.
There you have it, climate and refugees.
All power to our Prime Minister under much different personal circumstances for taking the bold and decisive action necessary to get there. She is a real leader.
None of the simpering ‘Fast Follower’ John Key or cowardly Morrison ducking for cover.
Morrison won’t turn up. Pacific Nations are suffering some of the worst affects of climate change on the planet. (so is Australia, but that is another can of worms).
A real leader leads from the front, and is not a ‘fast follower’ like John Key, or stay at home coward like Scott Morrison.
They make the difficult decisions and make the effort to turn up.
On climate Australia is a major global foot dragger, on refugees Australia is the puppet master behind the scenes in Nauru that saw one of this country’s top reporters detained for doing her job.
Australia is imperiously beginning to treat New Zealand as they treat they think that they can treat the other Pacific islands.
My prayer is that our Prime Minister takes up the leadership role on the world stage abdicated by Australia on both climate change and justice for refugees.
I pray that Prime Minister Ardern uses the platform given to her to issue a joint statement rallying the Pacific nations of our region to demand that the Australian leader and government live up to their responsibilities on climate change indifference to human rights and refugee cruelty.
As the nature Editorial says:
Things can change quickly in politics, and Australia has a chance to force that change.
nature
It is our role as smaller Pacific countries to try and make Australia live up to that historic task.
Last time I read Nature it was full of PC-politics, and flag-waving for free-market-democracy. Quickly becoming Just another rag, owned by the capital market, majority owned by Springer, which is majority owned by private equity firm BC Partners.
Are you saying that what Nature has been quoted as saying is wrong? It may be open to being swayed by financial interests but surely this is right to state,
and it stands repeating:
….Many of those poorer countries are on the front line and will suffer heavily as the weather worsens. So will Australia.
Droughts there are projected to increase in length and severity as a result of climate change. Heatwaves, floods and bush fires are also linked to global warming, and are predicted to become more common and more extreme.
The country’s island neighbours in the Pacific are likely to be inundated as sea levels rise. As a result, Australia, whose draconian refugee policy is a source of shame to many citizens, is likely to face an increase in climate refugees….
And the statement below is obviously true, and if we keep our minds on what is true, broadcast correctly and offering a clear path for us to follow to work for effective timely action, we should stick to the path even if it is paved by financiers and self-centred entities, which for a while we can agree and combine with;
“Things can change quickly in politics, and Australia has a chance to force that change.”
From what I can see the PM has decided she should not berate the Australian government in public. Her last experience over the Manus refugeees seems to have sheeted that message home.
So whatever the PIF does in their joint statement there won’t be any direct or indirect criticism of Australia on any issue. Not going to happen on refugees given the PIF is in Nauru, and probably bromides on climate change. Maybe a climate adjustment fund paid for by Aus and NZ.
Ardern should demand that the current Oz government start legislating in accord with the view of most Australian voters, in order to prevent representative democracy from losing credibility.
“The annual Lowy Institute Poll on Australian attitudes to the world and global issues for 2018 has been released. Among a series of interesting findings, one thing is clear: support for climate action and renewable energy continue to grow. In response to the survey’s questions on climate and energy, 59% of respondents agreed with the statement: “climate change is a serious and pressing problem. We should begin taking steps now even if this involves significant costs.”
I am sure you know that governments don’t demand that other government should start legislating on the basis of opinion polls. Ardern is not going to tell Australia how it should govern. She seems to have well and truly learnt that lesson
I know it seems to be the expectation on this site that the New Zealand will give all our close partners lectures on how they should run their countries, but Ardern is a PM, not a political activist.
I hope she hasn’t learnt that lesson, Wayne. Moral leadership is not only required nowadays in practical politics, it will actually be a pre-requisite to the consensus politics of survival for humanity during climate change.
But I share your scepticism inasmuch as she keeps presenting as merely a neoliberal manager of govt. To leave her mark on history, she will have to do much more than just that. She will have to lead a transformational government. One that has consequences on the global stage, not just here. Western statesmen have been conspicuous in their absence since Vaclav Havel. Could be an indicator that western stateswomen are emerging?
Not surprised – the orange roadcone-overcomb is out of options – slippery slope time and many more shockers to come.
“The dramatic and previously untold scene is recounted in Fear, a forthcoming book by Bob Woodward that paints a harrowing portrait of the Trump presidency, based on in-depth interviews with administration officials and other principals.”
White House Chief of Staff John F Kelly frequently lost his temper and told colleagues that he thought the president was “unhinged,” Woodward writes.
In one small group meeting, Kelly said of Trump: “He’s an idiot. It’s pointless to try to convince him of anything. He’s gone off the rails. We’re in Crazytown. I don’t even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I’ve ever had.”
Cohn stole letters off Trump’s desk before he had signed them and Trump never even noticed they had gone. 😯
Stuff reckons “Hate is the name of the game in Trump World”. Author of the review (PAUL WALDMAN ) reckons contempt is the name of the game, and provides the evidence to prove him right. Yet Woodward’s book is entitled Fear to inform us that he & his publisher have a third differing opinion.
We can only marvel at Trump’s ability to confuse everyone else all the time. Whether fear, contempt or hate is a better diagnosis of the political culture he generates, it is, as I mentioned here several weeks ago, social darwinism. Playing all against all, he ensures that only the most fit survive.
Imagine working for the prick. It’d be like:
“look on the bright side Mr POTUS, an orange jump suit matches your complexion and hair. We’ll arrange a hood for you.”
“Your red scarf matches my eyes……..
Loving you has made me babanas”
Fuck what a thicket of dysfunction! There goes the leader of the free Whurl.
The concern is that much of it has rubbed off – including in lil ole NuZull
Must be about time the govt re entered the negotiating room, with an offer better than 2% p.a. (i.e the rate of inflation) otherwise IMO they are just continuing on from the previous govt, and continuing to be part of the problem !!
“”Schools around the country have reported increasing difficulty finding relieving teachers over the last three years.” https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12119342
“”To attract new teachers the offer will see a cumulative increase of14.7 per cent to base salaries for graduates with a teaching degree ($47,980 to $55,030) over three years, and a 14.2 per cent cumulative increase for graduates with a subject degree and graduate teaching diploma ($49,588 to $56,638) over three years.
“Teachers on the next steps (6-11) will see a cumulative increase of between 6.5 to 13.7 per cent to base salaries over three years. Teachers on the maximum step (12) will receive a cumulative increase of 6.1 per cent over three years ($75,949 to $80,599.)”
Its only 2% per year for those on the maximum step. When you look at the actual amounts it was $4500 over 3 years for top of scale and $7000 for new teachers
Apparently not just the teachers have shortages, apparently record amounts of GP’s are due to retire and new doctors are being “encouraged” to have 50% go into being a GP’s and there is predicted to be a shortage.
I’m not so sure it is shortages, but more they have rapidly increased NZ population artificially and in demographics that really impact teachers and doctors and then expect the existing professionals to just work harder… very Rogernomics thinking.
The question also is, why are they having difficulty attracting teachers in the first place or why are they are leaving? I think with teachers it is Dukeofurl comment down (8.2) that hits the nail on the head – too many positions are not guaranteed long term.
Also in NZ the whole system has become too adversarial and so many industries are allowed to rip people off (construction, utilities, councils, food, insurance ) that the cost of living is sky high and people expect to be able to do more than survive, but actually have a decent standard of living if they are in professional jobs.
Part of the problem is that government seem to just write off young Kiwis and not want to encourage them into teaching so therefore you are not getting enough of the people who would be good teachers wanting to do that.
The newish board of trustees system also means they technically ‘hire teachers” so you are getting more of a cultural bias into whatever the board wants as teachers, and the board are not in the teaching profession themselves.
Same has happened with building as soon as they made tertiary about user pays and high fees they automatically encouraged people to go for a career that was considered more financially rewarding.
Teaching should be a high status profession, but somehow they have wrecked that in the last 30 years.
To go into the trades, you used to be paid to do it on the job by industry, not spend time and a lot of money on your education and paperwork for years. They need to get the people in, THEN get them to study and register after a few years of practical paid work under their belts.
Warning – long and detailed but contains some primer points on how things get on the Order Paper for debate in Parliament and what could be an interesting situation in the House today re a Member’s Bill due to be debated probably late afternoon. Also possibly relates to Peters’ current grumpiness and his remarks re refugees vis a vis the Coalition agreement.
Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka Waka Jumping Bill)
This is the first week back to the House in the ‘four weeks on/ two weeks off’ House sitting calendar and for addicts like me it is interesting to see what is on the debating programme for each session.
Of particular interest to me (and possibly very few others except possibly Micksavage and Dennis Frank LOL) was whether the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill – aka the waka jumping bill – would make it back into the House this week. From looking at the Order paper for yesterday and progress made, and today’s Order Paper, the answer is very unlikely. Actually ‘No’ is probably more accurate and may well be intentional.
This Bill went through its Second Reading and half of its Committee stages during the week of 7 – 9 August including under extended hours on the morning of Thurs 9 August, but then lost prominence in the last week of that four week sitting session when the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Amendment Act was pushed through under urgency in the week of 14 – 16 August .
[NOTE: the make up and placement of Government Bills on each day’s Order Paper is solely at the discretion of the Government (Standing Order 68). OTOH Member‘s Bills appear on the Order Papers for Members‘ Days in accordance with a strict priority set by Standing Orders 71 and 72. and cannot be rearranged by the Government, Speaker etc. Private and Local Bills are similarly governed by Standing Orders 69 and 70.] http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/00HOHPBReferenceStOrders20171/7868e924149435f4cb3c6e00cfc63ec498a39b37
Yesterday’s Order Paper (4/9/2018) showed the continuation of the Committee stages of this ‘waka jumping bill’ back down to No 11 on the list of Government Bills. Nine other Government Bills were listed for First, Second or Third Readings taking up a total of up to 13½ hours of debating time allocated to the usual set maximum number of 12 X 10 minute speeches (2 hours) for each Reading.
Normally these nine Readings could take up to 18 hours but the first Reading of one Bill started in the previous sitting session had only 90 minutes of speeches left, and three of the Bills (Nos 7 – 9) were being taken together. Following these Bills, at No 10 was the Education (Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ) Amendment Bill set down for Committee stages which are not limited in terms of time or number of speeches. As National’s current MO is to filibuster every Bill at all stages, but particular at the Committee stages, this Bill is likely to take some time. http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/OrderPaper_20180904/b131016772ec5be085794488af075758fc7a5b55
A normal week in Parliament involves the House sitting from 2pm – 6pm and 7.30pm -10pm each Tues and Weds and from 2pm – 6pm only on Thursday – a total of 17 hours. Each day, Question Time takes up about one hour, and every Wednesday the General Debate following Question Time is assigned one hour a total of four hours, leaving 13 hours for the House to debate Bills, etc in a normal three day sitting week where the House does not invoke extended hours or urgency.
Every fourth week is also meant to be a Members’ Day on the Wednesday – allowing 4½ hours for the debating of Member’s Bills (and Private and Local Bills), further reducing the time for debating Government Bills to 8½ hours in those weeks. However, this is sometimes changed depending on what else is being debated – eg Budget debates and similar override Members’ days.
Yesterday, the House moved through the first three Government Bills on yesterday’s Order Paper more quickly than the maximum time allowed, meaning they were halfway through No 4 on the list when the House rose at 10pm. This time saving was offset by the House undertaking an Urgent Debate called for by Simon Bridges on the removal of Clare Curran from Cabinet taking just over an hour. (As an aside, over 15 mins of that time was Bridges floundering around, which led to the next speaker, Chris Hipkins, calling Bridges’ speech “the longest 15 minutes in Bridges’ life” and Bridges being “two snappers short of a resignation”. LOL.)
Together with today’s Members Day, this means that the only time left for debating Government Bills this week is about two hours tomorrow, Thursday, after Question Time before the House rises at 6pm.
Today’s Order Paper has also introduced four other Government Bills to replace the three Bills that passed their Readings yesterday ahead of the waka jumping Bill which is now back down to No 12. These are at Nos 1, 5, 6 and 10 on today’s Order Paper. Although these Bills will not come up today being a Members Day, in theory the set time Readings of the eight Bills before the waka jumping bill could take up to a maximum of 10 ½ hours plus three Bills now up for their Committee stages debates of no maximum time. Against only two hours available tomorrow.
So bye bye waka jumping bill for this week at least, unless there are further changes to tomorrow’s Order Paper – highly unlikely IMO. If any, they may well push it further down the pecking order.
————————————————————
Member’s Bill (Rino Tirikatene) – Electoral (Entrenchment of Maori Seats) Amendment Bill
HOWEVER – there is another Electoral Amendment Bill on today’s Order Paper that will be rather controversial and probably will not make it through to Select Committee consideration.
This is the Electoral (Entrenchment of Maori Seats) Amendment Bill sponsored by Rino Tirikatene intended to align the Maori seats with general electorate seats which are already entrenched under section 268 of the Electoral Act 1993. More information is provided in the Explanatory Note in the Bill. http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/member/2018/0056/latest/whole.html#DLM4333801
The First Reading of this Bill is now at No 2 in the order of Members’ Bills and set down for 12 X 10 minute speeches today. The Member’s Bill at No 1 is only set down for 35 mins maximum debate, so taking into account Question Time and the one hour General Debate, Tirikatene’s Bill should pop up for debate about 4.30pm or thereabouts and continue after the dinner break.
When this Bill was pulled out of the biscuit tin ballot back in May 2018 this raised Winston Peters’ blood pressure in view of NZF’s longstanding policy to call for a referendum on the continuation of the Maori seats. He made it clear at the time that NZF will not be supporting this Bill.
Peters’ blood pressure is probably up again with this up for debate today even though if NZF vote against the Bill with National, this Bill will not make it past this First Reading to Select Committee and will die on a Vote of Ayes 54 (L/GP) vs Noes 65 (NZF/Nats) with ACT being an unknown if Seymour votes at all. The latter seems to be his MO at present in many cases.
To avoid this defeat and the further opportunity for claims that the Coalition Govt is in disarray etc, Tirikatene could withdraw or postpone the Bill under Standing Order 74(1)(b) thereby removing it from debate today. In fact, I am surprised it hasn’t been. But then again, maybe an opportune time for it to be debated while both Ardern and Peters are out of the country.
I wonder in fact whether the fact that Peters’ much wanted Electoral Integrity Bill/ waka jumping Bill is not progressing as fast as he wants coupled with the unfortunate coincidence of Titikatene’s entrenchment of the Maori seats Bill coming up for debate today (though the strict Standing Orders mentioned above) has contributed to, or is the cause of, his grumpiness at present, including his challenging remarks etc re refugee numbers. After all , this is politics …and sometimes not dissimilar to chess……
I’m not inclined to see the grumpy old man syndrome as evidence of substantial disagreement, but you could be right that Labour & NZF haven’t reached consensus on refugee policy. Understandable that media seize on apparent discord like a pitbull trying to extricate meat from a body: it’s their industrial process at work.
Just needs govt leader or deputy to say the magic words: ” we haven’t agreed a govt policy on refugee numbers yet”, doesn’t it?
You seem to be missing the point. My post is more about these two Electoral Amendment Bills much more than about the refugee issues.
As you say, the PM and/or the DPM could just say that they have not agreed a govt policy on refugee numbers yet, but they haven’t. Instead Peters has stood his ground on the NZF policy on no increase etc and obviously had not consulted the PM on his intention to do so. Hence my grumpy old man remark (and I have called him that to his face years ago in jest when I had a lot to do with him while working on secondments to Parliament. LOL)
His remarks and the PM’s reaction are not a good look, but I do understand that NZF need to maintain their base conservative policies to maintain their voting core constituency – as is discussed under the post on Winston and the refugees issue by mickysavage.
My point is that last week was a bit of a bumpy one and this week is looking a little so too, so the coincidence of these two Electoral Amendment Bills appearing on the Order Paper at the same time tends to give the perception of more dissonance.
As I said, Peters is very keen to get the waka jumping Bill through, but is opposed in principle to the Tirikatene Member’s Bill to entrench the Maori seats as this is very much against a longstanding NZF policy which they campaigned on to hold a referendum on whether or not the Maori seats should continue. The Tirikatene Bill is to resolve a longstanding technicality which could be left for the moment without any real consequences – in the interests of not raising the preception of more disharmony.
Here is what Peters said back in May when the Tirikatene Bill was drawn in the ballot.
As I also now see, I am not alone in thinking this and I/S has called it on NRT ” … a potential flashpoint in the coalition …” ie
Today is a Member’s day, and finally we’re back to first readings. First up is Hamish Walker’s KiwiSaver (Foster Parents Opting in for Children in their Care) Amendment Bill, and following that is the debate on Rino Tirikatene’s Electoral (Entrenchment of Māori Seats) Amendment Bill. This is a potential flashpoint in the coalition, with Labour and the Greens supporting entrenchment, and NZ First almost certainly opposed. But the bill needs National’s support to work anyway (because entrenchment bills need to be passed by the margin they propose), so we’ll get to see whether they’ve really moved on from the Brash era or not.
Perhaps there has been agreement after all. We only have a few hours to wait.
And it appears that Bridges will not be in the House today, as Bennett is fronting Question No 1 to the PM. With both Peters and Ardern away, who is the Acting PM today?
ADDENDUM – And Seymour actually does have a position on the Maori seats. He wants to abolish them or so it seems. The whole thing is getting even more interesting.
I appreciate your explanations, just saw no need to comment! Hard to tell if they are brokering deals behind the scenes when necessary, of course, as we would expect, to ensure successful governance. If that basic process has been suspended, or has not yet re-engaged after the return of the PM due to scheduling difficulties, some irritation would be natural…
Posted this previously, a few mates of mine sons are currently training to be a builder (A much needed skill) all 3 of them currently have had their son’s in their 3rd or 4th building coys as they proceed thru their apprenticeships. Why is that because they have been placed on contracts not wages, and as work loads for the builders they have been under reduced they are “let go”
In the “old days” apprectices did their time with 1 coy and were waged staff.
The building industry IMO cannot complain about skill shortages and then not have a system that allows ease to obtain the qualifications. It appears much less stress to allow off shore workers to make up for any shortfalls.
Try google and search building apprentices in Auckland the results are to me alarming. There are none
What you have to wonder, is when it is so obvious, why does the government seem so obsessed with doing the opposite and then wringing their hands and/or ignoring poverty, lack of housing, lack of job opportunities for many including school leavers, massive infrastructure costs being forced onto locals instead of business and shoddy workmanship?
Its because of Employment Contracts Act that short term contracts became the norm in building , even for qualified builders.
Is happening in Teaching now as well. Those Schools saying they cant get decent applicants are not saying the job they are offering isnt a staff position but is a contact for a year or so which ‘may’ be renewed. Especially affects those teachers starting out.
Yep, how can you buy a house (or even rent one now) when you don’t know whether you will have a job or not each year and you might be forced to relocate without much notice to get a new job.
I think it is more than that – It is even happening across the ditch – my daughter who has an MA (Hons) and BSc (Hons) and masses of other relevant experience coupled with about 7 years teaching experience simply cannot get a permanent teaching position – and it is not just her – It applies to almost all her colleagues . The jobs being offered are all one year contracts because the schools want to be “flexible” in their staffing requirements. As school rolls go up and down like a yo-yo these days (as they fall in and out of popularity) the school can off load or recruit staff more easily. There is little loyalty to staff these days no matter how dedicated they are.
Yes Chris 73, jacinda beating key at his own game. And although I don’t like it, I am all for jacinda using opportunities like this to counteract the negative spin from msm about labour.
All the bs from garner, soper et al about the cost of jacindas trip tp Nauru. Ffs were any of them outraged by bridges limo use?
I like being clean and smelling clean so I had no other choice but to vote right and, if taking it a step further, my sense of smell comes from my parents then its all their fault 🙂
‘People who have a greater tendency to turn their nose up at the whiff of urine, sweat and other body odours are more likely to have rightwing authoritarian attitudes, research suggests.’
Thing is, like Sir John Key, it’ll take a lot of time before the public tire of Jacinda so best to leave her alone and go after the weaker members of the herd and pick them off one by one
Journalism is on the cutting edge of where it’s at. Or maybe not. I’m obviously not a journalist as who would pay for that sentence!
But it is amazing what will happen to you – TVNZ journalist reporting on Nauru at a cafe after talking to a refugee. Come with us, police station for three hours. But not detained, just have to be careful about being ‘unannounced’ in risk area.
Lost her accreditation, now got it back.
RNZ reporter Gia Garrick – “We had an MFAT official sit the seven of us down, or actually it was the six of us minus Barbara [Dreaver], she wasn’t back at this stage …and tell us that the Nauru government would like to pass on a message to us that it would prefer if we reported on the Forum instead of just focussing on the one issue here.
Really it didn’t want any focus on the refugee issue that has led to problems for the poor Nauruans as well as the inmates. A no win situation for anyone, not even Australians who are so scared of these people. Doesn’t say much for supposedly bold, brave Ozzies in the wars does it.
Good morning Newshub That’s the way Prince Charles lead the way to a environmentally friendly future of sustainable energy ka pai .
I see that great innovative British company Dyson have invested in producing electric cars to ka pai.
That’s sad about that Mana Wahine Penny Bright we need more wahine like her to make a stand for the common people to be treated humanly & fairly by the big boys .
Duncan this is what happen’s when a government denies a housing shortage so there m8 can cash up on capital gain’s. I heard an know of a few people had to live in hotels
4 years ago and the Tsunami of house less tangata is still rolling in & rising .
This same phenomenon has been caused by the greedy people in America Britain Canada Australia the neo libreals buying there voter’s does anyone see a pattion here shonky .
Loyd the fishermen are hard men the scallop fishing dispute between British and French fishermen this must have been going on for a few years they need to Aline there policy’s so this situation you can not two competing fisheries and clearly one is not concerned about preserving the fishery as the other can you see the Bigotry .
Its is laugh able how no negative story’s got to be published and put on TV when the last government was in parliament conclusion FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Duncan there is no magic wand to fix your m8 deliberate shorting our housing markets for there gain . I can see you are all about your EGO ana to kai
Ka kite ano P.S and so are your bosses
Lance O Sullivan does not get the big Picture if
he did he would not go poking holes in the waka that has given the most care for common tangata whenua & then giving the party that caused this mess amo to fire at the Labour party his action could cause us to slide the neo libreals back into power that will be a stuff up for the poor people enough said ka kite ano
You know what makes Eco Maori get a sore face is a lot of Maori leader know that the justice system was and is still un fair to tangata whenua how do I know this well the upper classes are in the no they rub shoulders together they are part of the system and they did nothing to warn te tangata whenua about this un fair justisce system they are just looking out for there own best interest Eco looks out for all people future
Its not just about me in my Papatuanuku
Ka kite ano. Ana to kai
The sirens are going off again did you like my challenge I have sent out to all Maori Leaders He tangata he tangata he atua he tangata . Ka kite ano
P.S these leader’s are still deafening reality all around Papatuanuku the indigenous cultures are being pushed into hardship Australier America Canada Many country’s that are pushing native people under the bridge around Papatuanuku
WOW the sandflys are swarming today they tried a repeat of yesterday’s play by getting some of there young puppets to park right close behind me I could see how nervious the driver was . They think they know me YEA RIGHT
You want to know why they are so unset I used the Infrormation ACT on the New Zealand Police to get all files on me be it written, verbal ,voice recording ,video recording ,written any data and buy the LAWS in there book’s they have to give me this information . I will let you know how my progress is on this subject.
The sandfly’s are interfering in my son’s work life my wife’s work life all of my family’s lives and a lot of people know that this is happening They think they are above the Law that they break every day holding on to there bibles.
If they don’t give me my private information well that will tell all my readers that the justices systems are a SHAM . P.S why are they trying to get me to assault some one because they have nothing on me so they are trying to entice into assaulting one of there undercover muppets so they can beat me in there cells I can see the smoke coming out there ——– Ana to kai ka kite ano
Peter Thiel is one of the people responsible for putting trump in the White House we don;t need him coming down here with the attitude that he is a law on to him self using his money and Lawyers to do just that he will use his money to shape our laws to suit his class of people and who give’s a shit about the consequences of pushing more people onto the bread lines and on the street’s . He backs privatization and smaller governments the first one will siphon more money to the wealty from the poor the people who they don’t care about , There belief is that you have to have poor people this is justified by them they say poor people are what is needed to keep profits flowing up to the wealthy and wages low . The second one is because they want a small weak government so they can do what they want the government,s will be to weak to stop them. Thats how there capitalism WORKS he doe’s not care about the people if he did he would not have backed trump enough said link is below .
Of course Drury is going to back him Thiel is powerful enough to be able to cause a slide in Drurys favorite stock no. Ana to kai ka kite ano link below.Theil will be a raciest like his m8
I filed A Infromation ACT on Ministry of Primary Industry to why because the top cop from Gisborne who started this farce man hunt on me got his ex cop m8 that work for MAF a well known fact that MAF is were cops go when they leave the police force .
So all the information that MAF has will open the door for my court case against the New Zealand Police to stop there un- justified harassment of me and my family .
I have some one of high credibility how told me that MAF was watching me they tryed to get him to sack me he told them were to go. Ana to kai ka kite ano P.S a lot of people can see your bad behavior
Here is a Mana Wahine she discovered the first pulser netron star they emite beams of radiation out two oppsite points on the star over 50 years ago her male colleges got the prize and hounners she was award a major science prize Ka pai the Papatuanuku is growing up. ka kite ano link is below
Good evening Newshub the high price of fuel will encourage people to buy Electric Cars that’s a good thing .
The what Authority ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.
That organization need to be scraped it is not interdependent it’s is that in NAME ONLY.
Game of Thrones a that’s a good win for Weta digital studio see computer TEC industry’s is big business and NZ is missing out because a lot of contracts for new work is going to over seas company’s.
Humpty Dumpty LOL. his mistress mite be able to put him to gather again.
3d printing is the technology that is going to help us get to a carbon neutral future .
The Mokopunas will just print what they want not shops no low freight Ka pai
Science is going to lead us to a better future that T cell therapy to treat cancer is awsome.
I give Papatuanuku creatures are awesome I had a ridge back dog that was huge .
Ka kite ano .
The Crowd Goes Wild Makere & Mulls I was just writing about Mull’s pronouncing those names he you did better than I would have.
No comment on the ref Mull’s &; Makere for the Leauge .
What was in the drink ??????
Dont cut the cheese Mulls leave the fruit alone guys .
Were’s Wairangi I could guess across the ditch no.
Ka kite ano P.S thats mean That the World Surfing is paying the Wahine the same as the men ka pai
The fake it till you make it class trump everyone could see there were heaps more people at Obama inuarguation than trumps. He still has idiots following him they are idiots as well he is dragging the worst of humanity out of there holes of – – – – fools Ka kite ano
Link is Below P.S lucky his muppets are only actually 20% of the people he fakes all the polls to like shonky
Trump inauguration crowd photos were edited after he intervened
This person is telling us to stop living in the past he would much rather hear about world war 1 & 2 than the real truth about what has happened in the past sure his hapu mite have lost a war and lost there best land but his sad excuse of dont live or look to the past is tipical. The reality is when a country does not teach te Mokopunas about the past they are hiding the facts that they RIPPED off All Maori and not just one hapu they are ashamed of the way they treated Maori full stop.
This writer has a silver spoon in his mouth that will be 1 reason he wants the past hidden he has been sucked into the denial spin what about the thousands of Maori in prison does he think that’s fair enough said link below Ka kite ano
Good evening Newshub has simon sorted out his leak in his canoe enough said.
The Gisborne injection of money is good the roads are bad there back to the future Ka pai.
We can not even control party pill let
alone probiotic go figure.
Burt Reynolds was a excellent old school actor ECO enjoyed his humour and his movies Mike I guessing that you watch some of his movies.
Ka kite ano P.S I’m chasing our Mokopunas at the minute
The Crowd goes Wild Mulls & Wairangi
Wai I thought you were getting a tan in Australia.
That will be mean watching the Wahine League and then the Warriors game straight after Ka pai.
A Japanese Wahine in the finals for the Tennis Kia kaha.
The whenuapai Battlers I miss the name of the your sport.
That was a good win for Kelston college league team Ka kite ano.
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Let's Do This Again: What else can Jacinda do in a political environment so bereft of imagination and courage but seek a continuance? If she trades upon the extraordinary personal qualities that she has, miraculously, carried with her into the office of Prime Minister, then I, for one, will offer ...
How corrupt are the New Zealand Police? This corrupt: On 10 February 2019, Police attended a family harm incident. The suspect attempted to run the attending officers over in a driveway with his car, narrowly missing them, before fleeing the scene. A short pursuit followed, ending when the suspect stopped ...
Parliament's triennial Review of Standing Orders was released today, and it contains a number of welcome, if minor, improvements. The ones that caught my are: A move to encourage "pre-legislative engagement" - the government consulting widely on legislation before it is introduced - by promising easier passage (e.g. with ...
Lauren Vargo, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonGlaciers around the world are melting — and for the first time, we can now directly attribute annual ice loss to climate change. We analysed two years in which glaciers in New Zealand melted the most in at least four ...
Caroline Shaw, Anja MizdrakE-bikes are everywhere. Sales are booming and predicted to overtake sales of new cars in a few years. There were three times as many e-bikes and e-scooters imported into NZ in 2019 alone as there are e-cars in the entire country. You can’t go out in ...
New Zealand First is facing a difficult struggle to get re-elected, but Josh Van Veen, who was once a researcher for Winston Peters, argues that there is still a very significant section of cultural conservatives who oppose mass immigration and political correctness and might yet be won back over to ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk Many Americans these days seem unable to avoid controversy on practically any topic, so why not embrace the discord and wade into the especially volatile arena of nuclear energy? Advocates claim it’s the only way to meet global climate goals, ...
Can we trust New Zealand’s military? There must now be serious doubt, given the landmark report released on Friday concluding the investigation into allegations made in the book Hit and Run by Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson about a 2010 SAS killing raid in Afghanistan. The most recent Colmar Brunton ...
In New Zealand, we've just had the report of the Hit and Run inquiry, which found that a New Zealand led raid had accidentally killed civilians, including a child. meanwhile, around the same time, the British SAS was conducting its own raids in Afghanistan, and theirs were a hell of ...
In addition to establishing a process for setting emissions reductions plans, the Zero Carbon Act established a process for managing the risks of climate change. The first part of this is the preparation of regular risk assessments, looking at the risks to our economy, society, environment, and ecology. The first ...
Over on The spinoff, Amnesty International's Meg de Ronde has a response to Friday's release of the Hit and Run report. And in response to Attorney-General David Parker's claim that the government was being "transparent" by releasing the report, its titled "we shouldn’t have to work this hard to get ...
Story of the Week... Opinion of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study FindsAs climate change raises sea levels, storm surges and high tides will ...
There's an election next month, so you'd be expecting political parties to be telling us what they stand for and what they'd do if they'd win. But while the Greens have given us a detailed policy platform, and National has talked about roads and austerity, Labour, currently leading the polls ...
"Who's youse accusin' of innference?" Without the timely intervention of a team of top American political consultants and campaign experts, Boris Yeltsin would never have won his second term as President of the Russian Federation. The Russians waited 20 years to return the favour.WHEN IT COMES to the disinformation game, ...
As polling day in the American presidential election draws closer, things are looking bad for Donald Trump. The polls show that he is tracking well behind his Democrat rival. Most people assume that the President will be striving might and main to avoid what looks increasingly likely to be a ...
Our health professionals do an amazing job. Image credit: Wikipedia – Cardiac surgery. Finally, I have got back to these rankings. A long period in hospital and computer problems meant the June 2020 rankings were abandoned. Now, with a new personal defibrillator implanted in my chest and a new hard ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 26 through Sat, Aug 1, 2020Editor's ChoiceThe four types of climate denier, and why you should ignore them allThe shill, the grifter, the egomaniac and the ideological ...
Over the last few days, reports have emerged of people travelling from New Zealand and testing positive for Covid-19 upon arrival at their destination. First in South Korea and now in Australia. What might these positive tests mean?They’re false-positives As Toby Morris and I have explained before, there are ...
Former National Minister - Wayne MappYou could tell that the Hit and Run book by investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson was right on the money by the way former National Party Minister of Defence, Wayne Mapp, reacted to its now largely vindicated claims.Even though the recent inquiry into ...
So, the Hit and Run inquiry has reported back, and found some appalling shit at NZDF and NZSIS. And while they quibble a few of the details - the name of a dead child - they basicly uphold Hager and Stephenson's version of events. The SAS went to those villages. ...
We are failing to think though the interdependencies in an economy. We miss economist Bryan Philpott (1921-2000). I miss him personally – we used to have such great discussions – but this column is about how the nation misses his economic experience and wisdom. We tend to ...
Michelle Boag - LeakerThe Heron report (PDF) was released yesterday, and it was a bit disappointing to say the least. It correctly found that former National Party president Michelle Boag and National Party MP Hamish Walker were politically motivated in leaking peoples private medical information, but didn’t look further into ...
Adam Smith, Massey UniversityA recent global assessment of shark populations at 371 coral reefs in 58 countries found no sharks at almost 20% of reefs and alarmingly low numbers at many others. The study, which involved over 100 scientists under the Global FinPrint project, gave New Zealand a good ...
On different trajectories and from different ends of the political spectrum, last night’s One News/Colmar Brunton poll has the Green Party and ACT converging around the five percent mark. And, as odd as it may sound, they head into the election campaign with a lot in common.Putting the Greens and ...
Janet Stephenson, University of OtagoA proposed multibillion-dollar project to build a pumped hydro storage plant could make New Zealand’s electricity grid 100% renewable, but expensive new infrastructure may not be the best way to achieve this. New Zealand’s electricity generation is already around 80% renewable, with just over half ...
Truth In Advertising: Labour, it would seem, is the party that knows nothing about running the economy right up until the moment that it does. HOW DID LABOUR acquire its reputation for being a poor economic manager? As with most things political and historical, it’s a long story.In the beginning, the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Government rulemakers looking to decide how much money to spend to avoid adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere need a good estimate of what a warming climate will cost in social damages, for example through more extreme weather events. That point makes ...
Below is the list of gender-critical material which appeared on Redline from October 1, 2019 to October 31, 2019. Rainbow Tick threatens to pull Massey’s tick if lesbians are allowed to speak Freer Lives – a gender-critical Marxist site Freer Lives on Violence, debate and Britain’s Gender Recognition Act British ...
Fact Check: New Zealand’s own relationship with China might, however, be salvageable if our own Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was willing to equip its minister, Winston Peters, with a few facts. Legislating for the protection of national security – the very action our Foreign Minister is decrying – ...
I hope we can all agree that charging only certain returning expats for isolation costs is the right call. Instead of a blanket fee, which may have resulted in a small number of Kiwis deciding not to return home because of financial reasons, the Government has chosen to implement a ...
Back at the beginning of this government, the Greens made a foolish decision to support the Electoral Integrity Act - demanded by Winston Peters to keep his own backbench in line as part of his coalition deal with Labour - as an act of good faith within the coalition. It ...
SATURDAY AUGUST 1Artefact (Prime, 7.30pm). The series presented by Dame Anne Salmond screened on Māori Television, but is totally worth revisiting if you saw it the first time. Dame Anne tells the stories of taonga that highlight the history of Aotearoa. Further reading: this 2013 interview with Dame Anne by the lovely ...
Have unions and the Government sold workers short with their attempt at fixing the so-called “Hobbit Law”? Unionist Ian Powell argues that the union movement has been outmanoeuvered, and the Government has agreed to a new piece of anti-worker legislation that retains the principles of the previous National Government’s hated ...
Most of the claims made by anti-fluoride propagandists are simply wrong. Image source:Fluoridation and the ‘sciency’ facts of critics Anti-fluoride propagandists continually cite studies from areas of endemic fluorosis in their arguments against ...
An article in the EETimes suggests that advances in autonomous vehicles are not moving as quickly as expected because those working on them have confused complicated problems with complex ones. Engineering can only take you so far in complex worlds. Complicated systems tend to have fairly predictable inputs, processes and outputs. Complex systems (like ...
Last week, after Judith Collins announced that National would be cruel and vicious to kiwis caught overseas by the pandemic, and rob them at the border if they returned home, Labour looked like it was falling all over itself to cry "me too". But now, it looks like kindness has ...
If entry into New Zealand from abroad is safe, it should be allowed. People arriving from places that are Covid-free, or no more risky than New Zealand, and who get here on flights that do not intersect with risky places, should return to normal travel arrangements. Currently, the Cook ...
We've announced that we will expand the Flexi-wage programme to support up to 40,000 more people into work, or to help them start their own business. It's yet another way we're helping keep our economy moving by getting people into work and training. Read on to find out more ...
Business subsidy of on average $7500, and up to $22,000, to hire unemployed New ZealandersUp to 40,000 jobs to be supported by $311 million investment in keeping New Zealanders off the unemployment benefitRing-fenced fund to help unemployed start their own business ...
This week was the last of the 52nd Parliament: a major milestone for our Government and a great opportunity to look back at all the progress we've made for New Zealanders. This week, we increased support for businesses to take on apprentices, improved access to hospital care in Northland, and ...
Kia orana and kia ora koutou katoa. It is a privilege to be able to speak in this adjournment debate and to mark and acknowledge the fact that we are now two years and 10 months into the conclusion of a parliamentary term that has been extraordinary in so many ...
On 1 August, we marked the anniversary of Jacinda Ardern becoming the Leader of the Labour Party. On that day in 2017, Leader Andrew Little nominated Jacinda Ardern to succeed him and lead the party to victory.Now, three years on, we look back at some of the key moments ...
With the June 2020 quarter showing underemployment increasing, the Green Party is calling for a Guaranteed Minimum Income and an increase to the abatement threshold to ensure everyone has a dignified income. ...
We went hard and we went early in our health response to COVID-19, and we did everything we could to cushion the economic impact too. In fact, we can fill every letter of the alphabet with the steps we took to fight COVID-19 and ensure we were in a position ...
Investing in our people, backing businesses, and upgrading infrastructure and housing throughout the country - it's been another week of progress for New Zealanders as we deliver our plan to recover and rebuild. ...
July was another busy month, packed with key investments aimed at progressing our economic recovery as we rebuild New Zealand. We extended support for businesses, helped create jobs through local infrastructure projects, and kept working to clean up our waterways so Kiwis can access safe clean water. Check out the ...
The Green Party is calling for the Defence Force Chiefs in place between 2010-2017 to front up and explain how dishonesty, process and policy failures within the Defence Force led to ‘a series of incorrect statements in briefings to ministers and public releases’ regarding alleged breaches of international torture prevention ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
The Government is stepping up action to deal with environmentally harmful products – including plastic packaging, tyres and e-waste – before they become waste. ...
The Green Party are ensuring that New Zealanders who were overseas when COVID-19 hit will not be charged for the cost of isolation or quarantine if they return home to live. ...
It's been another week of creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and investing in infrastructure up and down the country - all of which are helping to keep our economy moving post-COVID-19. ...
Law changes to end tenure review and provide for better management of Crown pastoral lands in the South Island high country were considered by Parliament today with the first reading of the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill says Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage. ...
The Green Party have secured legislative amendments in a bill expected to pass third reading this week, to ensure better rules for school teachers and staff, so they can de-escalate children with diverse needs and cognitive differences, such as autism, rather than using unnecessary and often traumatising force. ...
New Zealand needs to be more aggressive in pursuing economic opportunities and resist the short-term thinking affecting some of its major industry, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says.Mr Peters told Wellington Chamber of Commerce members this morning that the planned closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will have ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has ridiculed the National Party "circus", with the politician saying it was in "chaos" after the resignation of another MP.Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon announced on Monday he would retire from politics after he allegedly sent inappropriate pornographic images to a young woman. Following a ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters today outlined what he saw as the requirements to re-open New Zealand's borders for tourists and travellers. If New Zealand was dealing solely with an Australian state such as Tasmania, we wouldn't need a vaccine, said Mr Peters, but these moves were complicated by the ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters appears to have prompted last-minute alterations to proposed legislation for commercial landlords and their tenants. Mr Peters told reporters on Wednesday said that he was making sure the proposed bill was in step with what the parties had actually agreed to. He said he ...
Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprise and New Zealand First List MP Shane Jones attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new NZ Post "super depot" in Wellington. The state-owned postal service, which got $280 million from the Coalition Government last month, is expanding its operations to handle surging parcel volumes. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYIntroduction Good afternoon. Welcome to you all here today and party supporters watching from around the country. We appreciate your hard work keeping New Zealand First strong; thank you for keeping the faith. Sixty-three days out from Election Day, ...
The diversity of conservation boards around Aotearoa is increasing with 47 appointments to 14 of the 15 conservation boards across New Zealand announced today by the Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. ...
A Government grant of $6.4 million will expand the Pettigrew Arena in Taradale with new indoor courts of national standard. “The project is likely to take 18 months with approximately 300 people employed through the process,” Grant Robertson said. “The expansion will increase the indoor court space up to 11 ...
The Far North tourist destination of Mangonui is to receive Government funding to improve waterfront infrastructure, open up access to the harbour and improve water quality, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. A total of $6.5 million from the $3 billion set aside in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund ...
The Government has re-affirmed its commitment to supporting the hosting of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which the ICC has delayed from 2021 to 2022. “This is obviously a disappointing decision for cricket players and fans around the world and for the White Ferns and their supporters here at ...
Cyclists and walkers will now have a safer way to get around Taupō, Tūrangi, and between Hamilton and Cambridge, with funding for shared paths and Te Awa River Ride, Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. “The Te Awa River Ride is the latest part of massive growth ...
Six major cycle routes will be completed in Christchurch thanks to funding from the Government’s investment in shovel-ready infrastructure as part of the COVID-19 recovery Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. $125 million will be invested to kick-start construction and fund the completion of the following cycleway ...
Plans are underway for a brand new state-of-the-art hub for Whanganui’s justice and social agencies, following confirmation the ageing Whanganui Central Police Station is to be replaced. Police Minister Stuart Nash has announced $25 million in new infrastructure spending to improve facilities for the wider community, and for staff who ...
An adjustment payment has been made to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu under the relativity mechanisms in their 1995 and 1997 Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today. The latest payments to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu are $2,700,000 and $2,600,000 respectively to ensure the ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Phil Twyford today kicked off the start of the Auckland NZ Upgrade Programme rail projects which will support over 400 jobs and help unlock our biggest city. Both ministers marked the start of enabling works on the third main rail line project ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment of $3.78 million in Wairoa will create much needed economic stimulus and jobs, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. PGF projects announced today include: $200,000 loan to Nuhaka Kiwifruit Holdings Ltd (operated by Pine Valley Orchard Ltd) to increase the productivity ...
Tenants in public and Māori housing may be benefiting from their own affordable renewable energy in future – a fund to trial renewable energy technology for public and Māori housing has today been announced by Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods and Associate Minister for Housing (Māori Housing) Nanaia Mahuta. ...
Hokianga will receive $2.7 million to redevelop four of its wharves and upgrade its water supply, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Far North District Council will receive $1.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for the work on the wharves. “The work will include the construction of ...
A $350 million Residential Development Response Fund is being established to support the residential construction sector and to minimise the economic impact from COVID-19, the Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “The Residential Development Response Fund will help to progress stalled or at-risk developments that support our broader housing ...
As part of a broader plan to divert waste from landfill, the Government today announced $10.67 million for new infrastructure as part of the Resource Recovery Network across the Auckland region. “This key investment in Auckland’s community recycling network is part of the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group ‘shovel ready’ projects ...
The Government is investing $45 million in the first stage of an ambitious urban development project for Tauranga that will employ up to 250 people and help the region grow, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the funding has been allocated out of the $3 billion ...
Getting low-emission trucks on the road is a step closer with investment in infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles, the Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has announced. The Infrastructure Reference Group has provisionally approved $20 million for New Plymouth company Hiringa Energy to establish a nationwide network of hydrogen-fuelling stations. ...
A new trades training centre to upskill the local workforce will be built in the South Waikato town of Tokoroa through funding from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Government will contribute $10.84 million from ...
The Government has agreed to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act subsequent children provisions, Minister for Children Tracey Martin announced today. “There are times when children need to go into care for their safety – the safety and care of children must always be paramount,” Minister Martin said. “But ...
A $1.5 million boost to grow primary mental health and addiction services for Pacific peoples in Auckland, Hamilton and Canterbury will lead to better outcomes for Pacific communities, Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa says. Pasifika Futures has received funding to expand services through The Fono, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest by ...
Twenty-two projects to boost the sustainability and climate resilience of New Zealand’s food and fibres sector have been announced today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The $18m funding will deliver practical knowledge to help farmers and growers use their land more sustainably, meet environmental targets, remain prosperous, and better understand ...
Employment Minister Willie Jackson welcomes an initiative that assists employers to get mature workers into New Zealand small businesses. The disadvantages that older people face in the workplace was highlighted in the whole of Government Employment Strategy. In order to address this, a Mature Workers Toolkit has been developed and ...
New Zealand and Australia reaffirmed today the need for the closest possible collaboration as they tackle a global environment shaped by COVID-19, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said. “In these challenging times, our close collaboration with Australia is more vital than ever,” said Mr Peters. Mr Peters and his Australian ...
The recovery and forensic examination of the loader driven by survivor Russell Smith means the underground team are now moving into an area of the Pike River Mine that has not been seen since the explosion, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little said. “The fifth and last robot ...
The Government has confirmed a community-wide trial of CovidCard technology as it explores options for COVID-19 contact tracing. “Effective contact tracing is a vital part of the COVID-19 response,” Minister of Health Chris Hipkins said. “While manual processes remain the critical component for contact tracing, we know digital solutions can ...
The government is proposing changes to aquaculture legislation to improve the process for allocating and transferring aquaculture assets to iwi. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash has introduced the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Amendment Bill to Parliament. It proposes a limited new discretionary power for Te Ohu Kaimoana Trustee Limited (ToKM). ...
The Minister of Justice has today introduced the Family Court (Supporting Children in Court) Legislation Bill – the next step in the ongoing programme of work to fix the failed 2014 Family Court reforms led by then Justice Minister Judith Collins. The Bill arises from the report of the Independent ...
A new Department of Conservation (DOC) action plan tackles the impacts of climate change on New Zealand’s biodiversity and DOC managed infrastructure including tracks, huts and cultural heritage. Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage says extreme weather events around the country have really brought home our vulnerability to changing weather patterns. ...
A heavily scaled back international Antarctic season will commence this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods have confirmed. “Antarctica is the only continent that is COVID-19 free,” Mr Peters said. “Throughout the global pandemic, essential operations and long-term science have continued at ...
The Government is providing up to $30 million to help fund the NZ Campus of Innovation and Sport in Upper Hutt - an investment that will create 244 jobs. “The sports hub is designed to be a world-leading shared service for a range of sports, offering the level of facilities ...
Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today transport projects currently in construction will continue at pace due to extra Government support for transport projects to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. To keep the $16.9 billion 2018-21 National Land Transport Programme going the Government has allocated funding from the COVID Response and ...
$50 million for further rural broadband digital connectivity has been allocated from the $3 billion infrastructure fund in the COVID Response and Recovery Fund has been announced by Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure and Kris Faafoi, Minister for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media. The investment will go to boosting broadband ...
The Minister for Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media has congratulated the Ultra-fast Broadband (UFB) programme on its major milestone of connecting more than 1 million New Zealand households and businesses to UFB. “This milestone has been 10 years in the making and demonstrates the popularity of the UFB network. “Uptake ...
Landmark legislation passed today puts New Zealand on track to saving thousands of lives and having a smokefree generation sooner rather than later, Associate Health Minister, Jenny Salesa says. The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill regulates vaping products and heated tobacco devices. “There has long been concern ...
A discriminatory law that has been a symbol of frustration for many people needing and providing care and support, has been scrapped by the Government. “Part 4A of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill (No 2) was introduced under urgency in 2013 by a National Government,” Associate ...
Kiwi motorists are set to reap the benefits of a more competitive fuel market following the passing of the Fuel Industry Bill tonight, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods says. “This Act is where the rubber meets the road in terms of our response to the recommendations made in the ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to New Zealanders to modernise tenancy laws with the passing of the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill 2020 today, says Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing), Kris Faafoi. “The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 was out-dated and the reforms in the RTA modernise our ...
New rules to protect and restore New Zealand’s freshwater passed into law today. Environment Minister David Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor welcomed the gazetting of the new national direction on freshwater management. “These regulations deliver on the Government’s commitment to stop further degradation, show material improvements within five years and ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced the appointment of Jeremy Clarke-Watson as New Zealand’s new Consul-General in Los Angeles. “New Zealand and the United States share a close and dynamic partnership, based on a long history of shared values and democratic traditions,” Mr Peters said. “Mr Clarke-Watson is a ...
Victims of family violence can end a tenancy with two days’ notice Landlords can terminate tenancies with 14 days’ notice if tenants assault them Timeframe brought forward for limiting rent increases to once every 12 months Extension of time Tenancy Tribunal can hear cases via phone/video conference Reform of New ...
Two employment schemes – one new and one expanded – going live today will help tens of thousands of people continue training on the job and support thousands more into work, the Government has announced. Apprenticeship Boost, a subsidy of up to $12,000 per annum for first year apprentices and ...
The Government is funding a significant infrastructure package at Omokoroa which will create 150 new jobs and help transform the Western Bay of Plenty peninsula, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the Government is investing $14 million towards the $28 million roading and water package. This ...
The Green Party has unveiled its housing plan which aims to get the record-high number of people off the social housing waiting list, while improving the size and quality of the rental market. ...
In its third major policy announcement, the Green Party has revealed a suite of plans to subsidise community-provided rental housing and boost the state housing build programme, Marc Daalder reports Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and global economic meltdown, New Zealand's housing crisis has continued unabated. House prices are still surging and the ...
By Patrick Makis in Buka Contact tracing has begun for the Autonomous Region of Bougainville’s first covid-19 case. The 22-year-old male, who had returned from Port Moresby on an Air Niugini flight on July 29, is stable and is being isolated in Arawa town. ABG’s Deputy Controller, Health Secretary Clement ...
The Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon wants New Zealanders to amplify the resilience of Māori whānau and communities on the International Day of Indigenous Peoples on Sunday 9th of August. The theme for the day is ‘COVID-19 and Indigenous Peoples’ ...
A small proportion of Covid-19 patients continue experiencing symptoms long after they test negative. Freya Sawbridge, one such ‘Covid long hauler’, describes what it’s like.Four months have passed and I’m onto my fifth relapse. The room is eerily still yet my mind spins like the stripes of a barber’s pole. ...
A new poll shows New Zealand First list MP Shane Jones coming third in the contest for the Northland seat that's being seen as crucial to his party's chances of staying in Parliament. ...
A poll in the electorate seat of Northland shows New Zealand First could be out of Parliament altogether after the election Shane Jones has a big hill to climb if he wants to take Northland and secure NZ First's position in parliament. National Party candidate Matt King is well ahead of ...
Christchurch writer Chris Stuart spent decades toggling between high-stakes overseas aid work and the strange safety of home. Out of that has emerged a crime novel: For Reasons of Their Own. I used to always tell people that when you work in war zones and disasters, you are only ever a ...
Welcome to Election Live for August 9, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election seasonclick here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. 7.15am: Labour tax policy coming ...
New Zealand's unofficial poet laureate Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. This week: the rotten egg laid by the outgoing coalition governmentLet’s keep moving I was sitting in my cheap motel room next to the window, smelling petrol fumes when on the TV came a lady in red ...
She’s Cheryl West, she’s Ellen Crozier, she’s the woman who makes headlines for throwaway jokes online. Sam Brooks talks to Robyn Malcolm, actor and activist.There’s nothing more compelling on a New Zealand screen than Robyn Malcolm wanting something. Whether it’s Cheryl West trying to get a lingerie business off the ...
The Labour leader returned yesterday to the Auckland Town Hall, where she was last seen riding the Jacindamania wave towards government. Toby Manhire went along to see how this campaign launch compared to the 2017 edition.A lot was the same. The big wash of red light bouncing off the Town ...
REVIEW: JACINDAMANIA: THE SEQUELWritten, directed and starring: Jacinda ArdernGenre: Political love story Classification: General ReleaseRunning Time: Six weeksShowing: NationwideRating: * * * * starsReviewer: Tim Murphy We've waited three years but the sequel to the 2017 blockbuster Jacindamania has finally arrived, debuting Saturday at the ...
Judith Collins is still shy of a month into the job but in her media blitz she and her arched eyebrows are everywhere, along with the party slogan "Strong team, More Jobs, Better Economy". ...
New Zealand First is pleased to announce the next tranche of candidates that will represent our values and spread our message across the country at this year’s election. We thank these hardworking New Zealanders for putting their hand up to take on the ...
A high-ranking Chinese candidate promoted over more than a dozen incumbent MPs is the biggest surprise in an otherwise orthodox National Party list for the 2020 election, as Sam Sachdeva reports The National Party has released its list rankings for the 2020 election, with the ascent of new candidate Nancy ...
The National Party is pleased to announce the appointment of Nancy Lu to the National Party’s List for the 2020 General Election, President Peter Goodfellow says. “Nancy Lu is a Chartered Accountant with a background in accounting and business working ...
Headline: A crisis of governance. – 36th Parallel Assessments [embedded content] The Port of Beirut warehouse explosion, involving 2.7 kilotons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate negligently stored in an unsecured area, crystalizes in one national tragedy a much wider trend: the crisis and decline of democratic governance world-wide.For a ...
National’s 2020 Party List is a strong mix of experience coming up through our Caucus, and new and exciting talent joining our team from communities across New Zealand, Party President Peter Goodfellow says. “The National Party is incredibly ...
Latest from the Beehive – It looked (at first blush) like Christchurch would gobble up around half the money earmarked by the government for projects to get us on our bikes. Julie Anne Genter, Associate Minister of Transport and a Green with a fondness for two-wheeled, pedal-driven transport, today banged ...
The suggestion of putting border exemptions up for auction so large companies can bring in overseas executives and key workers is naïve and totally unfair,” says Ms June Ranson, chair of the New Zealand Association of Migration and Investment ...
Looking for a wonderfully trashy movie to watch? TVNZ OnDemand now have some of Lifetime’s best dramas for your viewing pleasure. In a world of serious and credible television, the arrival of Lifetime to TVNZ OnDemand is joyous news. Lifetime is an American cable channel that churns out emotional drama after emotional drama, ...
The introduction of a $3,100 fee for returning New Zealanders will disadvantage Māori disproportionately, Phoebe Carr (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe)and Max Harris argue.The government has once again failed to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi by rushing through legislation to introduce exorbitant managed isolation fees for returning New Zealanders. This ...
7 August 2020: The Team of Six Million, a campaign group established to oppose the imposition of quarantine fees by the New Zealand Government, has expressed disappointment at the Government's urgent passing of the Public Health Response Amendment Bill to ...
In July support for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party was at 53.5% down 1% since June, but still more than double the support for National on 26.5%, down 0.5%, with just over a month to go before the election in mid-September. If ...
Welcome to Election Live for August 7, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Policy launching soon. Get in touch ...
After initial concerns about low testing rates in South Auckland, Counties Manukau DHB has the second-highest testing rate in the country. Ōtara Health chief executive Sosefina Paletaoga explains her organisation’s role in achieving this. Covid-19 has affected us all in different ways, and for us in Ōtara, it has highlighted existing ...
Oranga Tamariki's Chief Executive appeared before the Waitangi Tribunal a day after a report from the Chief Ombudsman found the agency had used its draconian powers to uplift babies too readily in many cases A Waitangi Tribunal hearing has seen Oranga Tamariki chief executive Gráinne Moss concede her organisation harmed families during ...
"A resident of the boarding house disappeared the same day Mrs Bethany’s body was discovered": provincial gothic, with astrology, by Auckland writer Mandy McMullin. I moved into the tearooms the day I turned sixteen, 23 December 2006. The same day I met Garth. It was Saturday, a lucky day for ...
The resignation of Westland Milk Products chief executive Tony Brendish almost a year to the day the company was sold to Chinese conglomerate Yili makes a mockery of assurances that there was no conflict of interest in top management preparing ...
*Watch the video in the player below*The wheels of progress turn frustratingly slow in Christchurch’s Red Zone. Frank Film asks, is anything going to happen? Hayley Guglietta is honest about her group’s activities on vacant land bordering Christchurch’s Avon River. She admits the groundwork was commenced without official ...
On this week's Extra Time podcast: After significant investigations into cycling, football and hockey in New Zealand, now gymnastics is in the spotlight around their athletes' welfare. Allegations of multiple New Zealand gymnasts suffering from verbal and physical abuse, bullying and unsafe training methods have surfaced over the past week. And ...
She’s a lone wolf, a team player, a rebel, a leader and the nicest lady around. But what combination of those do you need to survive in government?On a cold July morning, I found myself driving around Totara Park in Manurewa in the dark. I had been invited to a ...
All around the country, people are asking ‘what’s going to happen in the 2020 general election campaign?’ That’s because they haven’t read this guide, which reveals exactly what will happen in the 2020 general election campaign.Someone has finally put this term of parliament out of its misery. We’ve had three ...
The UK car industry has run a good race in the post-Brexit lobbying stakes. But Britain’s chemical industry looks to be making a late run, if recent coverage in the Financial Times is accurate.The issue for the industry is the post-Brexit regulatory regime and how this is to be ...
Latest from the Beehive – We had just finished digesting an outpouring of announcements from the Beehive over the previous 24 hours or so when the Point of Order Trough Monitor shrieked an alert. A new trough had been established. While we were inspecting the contents of this new trough, ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Chart 1, Historical: Australian much lower than Spain, Belgium and Sweden. Chart by Keith Rankin. The known incidences of Covid19 in Spain, Belgium and Sweden are similar, although Sweden lagged for a while before overtaking the other two. In deaths, Sweden is slightly lower than ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The good news in the Reserve Bank’s latest quarterly set of forecasts is that the recession won’t be as steep as it thought last time. The bad news is it ...
Analysis: National entices voters with big infrastructure projects, Judith Collins rips into Jacinda Ardern and Parliament passes a bill that could affect every tenant in the country. ...
By RNZ Pacific France’s new overseas minister Sebastien Lecornu says New Caledonia’s restrictions over the covid-19 pandemic will not affect the preparations for the October referendum on independence. Lecornu gave the assessment during a visit to New Caledonia House in Paris. Paris is expected to send dozens of officials and ...
Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa descendants are overjoyed they can do up their wharenui, while also attracting their rangatahi back to their marae, with more than $1.5 million from the Provincial Growth Fund. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Meyrick, Professor of Creative Arts, Griffith University National crises, like the pandemics that can provoke them, come in stages. Each stage presents leaders with unique problems that require mental, moral and emotional agility to manage. Change is the only constant, as ...
How is New Zealand faring in during the Covid-19 pandemic? Newsroom is taking a weekly look at the latest numbers related to the virus and the impact on the economy.Excess deaths Overseas the death toll in some countries has risen sharply, with the ...
Justice campaign organisation JustSpeak has outlined a vision for a society without prisons in its 2020 election campaign ‘ Our Justice Our Future ’. The campaign was launched last night in Wellington, to a sold out audience of supporters and volunteers. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vasso Apostolopoulos, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Partnerships, Victoria University During the COVID-19 pandemic we’re constantly being reminded to practise good hygiene by frequently washing our hands and regularly cleaning the spaces where we live and work. These practices aim to remove or kill ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Assistant Professor Caroline Fisher discuss the week in politics. This week Michelle and Caroline discuss the closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses in Melbourne under stage ...
Labour's campaign slogan "Let's Keep Moving" is hardly the most inspirational but reflects the conservative game plan - trade on the Covid response and stay on track. ...
By granting a permit to OceanaGold to mine under DOC land in the Coromandel, the government is not only threatening an endangered species, says Catherine Delahunty – it’s threatening future generations.I woke up angry. The government has given a 40-year permit to OceanaGold to mine under DOC land behind Whangamatā. ...
How come, after numerous condemnatory reports, Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss holds on to her job? Aaron Smale wonders if those harmed by her tenure aren't a big enough voting bloc So, what happens when a government department breaks the law and breaches its own policies? Nothing, apparently. The latest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia Review: The Meddler, screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival For movie scholars and enthusiasts, one of the worst things about the COVID-19 pandemic has been the shutting down of ...
The combination of solar panels, electricity storage batteries, smart household gadgets, and a boring looking black box is set to change forever how our electricity system works. But do we need subsidies? ...
The New Zealand Bar Assocation says misinformed criticism of a South Island judge’s sentencing of a sex offender has the potential for disturbing consequences for the justice system and society generally. The Bar Association’s President Kate Davenport ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Royal Commission into Aged-Care Quality and Safety delivered it’s interim report in October 2019. Titled ‘Neglect’, it provided a scathing insight into the aged care industry – finding it centred around transactions not care. ...
By Tom Peters, Socialist Equality Group More than one year after the March 15, 2019 terrorist attack, an official inquiry into the mass shooting that killed 51 people and injured 49 in two Christchurch mosques has still not released any information ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Damien Manuel, Director, Centre for Cyber Security Research & Innovation (CSRI), Deakin University Australia’s long-awaited cybersecurity strategy, released yesterday, pledges to spend A$1.67 billion over the next ten years to improve online protection for businesses, individuals and the country as a whole. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roxana Diamond, PhD Candidate, Flinders University This article has links that contain graphic content Many industries and employees have been hurt by COVID-19. But sex workers, who face stigma and discrimination at the best of times, have been hit particularly hard by ...
By Lulu Mark in Port Moresby Port Moresby may need to expand its covid-19 isolation facilities quickly and effectively in case a big spike in cases occurs, a doctor says. Rita Flynn isolation facility manager Dr Gary Nou said it would be a disaster if the spread of covid-19 in ...
Paige Tapara is a fast-rising young singer-songwriter whose debut EP explores themes of sexuality, coming of age, mental health and relationships. We asked her how it came together, and why she thinks it’s so important for NZ music to include voices like hers.Paige swoops into the room, a cream doughnut in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cathy Foley, Chief Scientist, CSIRO Universities and other research organisations in Australia have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, a group led by Australia’s Chief Scientist Alan Finkel forecasted severe impacts for our research workforce. These included the loss ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Carnt, Scientia Senior Lecturer, School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW, Sydney, UNSW You’re rushing and accidentally drop a contact lens on the bathroom floor. Should you: a) run it under the tap and pop it in? b) spit on it ...
The Māori Party is celebrating World Indigenous Day the Māori way, surrounded by friends and whānau at a Meet-the-Candidates at the Third Place Café in Rotorua this weekend. To mark World Indigenous Day, the Māori Party wants to remind Aotearoa ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Wayland, Lecturer, University of Sydney As part of new research into missing persons in Australia, I have been asking people who return after disappearing what they needed or wanted. Mary, who has gone missing four times in the last few years, ...
Forest & Bird is calling for all political parties to back an end to mining conservation land, after a permit was issued to mine the home of a critically-endangered native animal. This week Oceana Gold was granted a 40-year mining permit from the ...
Here’s a snapshot of a single day in parliament. A day where changes were made to laws that govern everything from the milk in your refrigerator to the speed you can drive your car, and to Netflix, and war crimes, and who tests your water. It was a big day.The ...
*This article was first published on RNZ and is republished with permission* Māori leaders say they have no faith in Oranga Tamariki and the chief executive needs to go after the latest report into the organisation found it was routinely taking newborns without whānau consultation. The Chief Ombudsman's report He Take Kōhukihuki, ...
So is the government succeeding in steering the country through the Covid-19 crisis and what it calls a “one-in-100-year shock”. And just what is it costing? These are questions which will be uppermost in the minds of voters when they cast their ballots in next month’s general election. Finance Minister ...
Open Mike 05/09/2018 
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Aug 2, 2020 through Sat, Aug 8, 2020 Editor's Choice Five Years After Speaking Out on Climate Change, Pope Francis Sounds an Urgent Alarm The encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ motivated many people ...9 hours ago
...20 hours ago
...22 hours ago
From some quarters, incessant scaremongering. From others, it’s a full-on tilt into touching the alarmist buttons a little too readily (uncertain times make for very captive audiences with this angle of attack). The (so-called) Opposition (and merely regarding them as that seems to be a far looser term now ...23 hours ago
National Party leader - Judith CollinsElections often bring out the best and worst in politicians. Some rise to the occasion and provide us with a clear vision for the future. While others wallow in resentment and controversy, over-relying on attack politics to try to attain the interest of voters.That’s been ...1 day ago
The attempts to sabotage Corbyn's leadership seems likely to do more damage than Corbyn supposedly ever could have done, even if all the stories about him were true: I was reluctant to say anything but this is too important, the full story needs to be told.Don’t let anyone ever tell ...1 day ago
Good day to everyone. I’ve been asked by Mr Thinks to come here and talk to you all about my concerns regarding the government response to Covid-19. We’ve been living through this pandemic for, what seems like, years. Years and years and years. Why else would the National Party have ...1 day ago
‘Good Economics for Hard Times’ should be on your reading list. New Zealand does not have a Minister of Labour. It has Ministers of Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety but there is no minister with responsibility for the labour market. That responsibility was abolished in 2012 when ...2 days ago
Back in the Kyoto era, the international climate change regime included a Clean Development Mechanism to fund emissions reduction projects in developing nations. Essentially someone would certify that a project - e.g. building a windfarm, or installing energy-efficient lightbulbs - would reduce emissions over and above "business-as-usual". The project would ...2 days ago
By Geoffrey Miller Prominent refugee advocate Murdoch Stephens says he is disappointed by Judith Collins’ reaction to Immigration New Zealand’s decision to grant refugee status to Kurdish-Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani. Judith Collins told media last month that “there’s a lot of concern in New Zealand about what they see as ...2 days ago
That was clearly a huge explosion. Just after the explosion, we see a cloud of ‘fog’ moving outwards at high speed. This is a shockwave, rather similar to that which causes a sonic boom. The ‘fog’ is caused by water condensing from the atmosphere in areas of intense low pressure ...3 days ago
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by Don Franks This talk was given to the Wellington Anti Capitalist Alliance, fifteen years ago. The ultimate weapons of mass destruction so far seen on this planet have been used just twice, 60 years ago this month. August 6 and August 9 1945 witnessed the US atomic bombing ...3 days ago
As polling day in the American presidential election draws closer, things are looking bad for Donald Trump. The polls show that he is tracking well behind his Democrat rival. Most people assume that the President will be striving might and main to avoid what looks increasingly likely to be a ...6 days ago
Our health professionals do an amazing job. Image credit: Wikipedia – Cardiac surgery. Finally, I have got back to these rankings. A long period in hospital and computer problems meant the June 2020 rankings were abandoned. Now, with a new personal defibrillator implanted in my chest and a new hard ...1 week ago
Below is the list of gender-critical material which appeared on Redline from October 1, 2019 to October 31, 2019. Rainbow Tick threatens to pull Massey’s tick if lesbians are allowed to speak Freer Lives – a gender-critical Marxist site Freer Lives on Violence, debate and Britain’s Gender Recognition Act British ...1 week ago
TUESDAY AUGUST 4Grand Designs UK (Three, 7.30pm). ...1 week ago
Most of the claims made by anti-fluoride propagandists are simply wrong. Image source: Fluoridation and the ‘sciency’ facts of critics Anti-fluoride propagandists continually cite studies from areas of endemic fluorosis in their arguments against ... 2 weeks ago
The Green Party has revealed its Homes for All Plan, which lays the foundation for an Aotearoa where everyone has a warm, dry and affordable home. ...45 mins ago
We've announced that we will expand the Flexi-wage programme to support up to 40,000 more people into work, or to help them start their own business. It's yet another way we're helping keep our economy moving by getting people into work and training. Read on to find out more ...1 day ago
New Zealand needs to be more aggressive in pursuing economic opportunities and resist the short-term thinking affecting some of its major industry, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says. Mr Peters told Wellington Chamber of Commerce members this morning that the planned closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter will have ...3 weeks ago
A Government grant of $6.4 million will expand the Pettigrew Arena in Taradale with new indoor courts of national standard. “The project is likely to take 18 months with approximately 300 people employed through the process,” Grant Robertson said. “The expansion will increase the indoor court space up to 11 ...5 hours ago
The Green Party has unveiled its housing plan which aims to get the record-high number of people off the social housing waiting list, while improving the size and quality of the rental market. ...45 mins ago
In its third major policy announcement, the Green Party has revealed a suite of plans to subsidise community-provided rental housing and boost the state housing build programme, Marc Daalder reports Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and global economic meltdown, New Zealand's housing crisis has continued unabated. House prices are still surging and the ...45 mins ago
By Patrick Makis in Buka Contact tracing has begun for the Autonomous Region of Bougainville’s first covid-19 case. The 22-year-old male, who had returned from Port Moresby on an Air Niugini flight on July 29, is stable and is being isolated in Arawa town. ABG’s Deputy Controller, Health Secretary Clement ...2 hours ago
The Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon wants New Zealanders to amplify the resilience of Māori whānau and communities on the International Day of Indigenous Peoples on Sunday 9th of August. The theme for the day is ‘COVID-19 and Indigenous Peoples’ ...3 hours ago
A small proportion of Covid-19 patients continue experiencing symptoms long after they test negative. Freya Sawbridge, one such ‘Covid long hauler’, describes what it’s like.Four months have passed and I’m onto my fifth relapse. The room is eerily still yet my mind spins like the stripes of a barber’s pole. ...4 hours ago
A poll in the electorate seat of Northland shows New Zealand First could be out of Parliament altogether after the election Shane Jones has a big hill to climb if he wants to take Northland and secure NZ First's position in parliament. National Party candidate Matt King is well ahead of ...5 hours ago
New Zealand's unofficial poet laureate Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. This week: the rotten egg laid by the outgoing coalition government Let’s keep moving I was sitting in my cheap motel room next to the window, smelling petrol fumes when on the TV came a lady in red ...8 hours ago
REVIEW: JACINDAMANIA: THE SEQUEL Written, directed and starring: Jacinda Ardern Genre: Political love story Classification: General Release Running Time: Six weeks Showing: Nationwide Rating: * * * * stars Reviewer: Tim Murphy We've waited three years but the sequel to the 2017 blockbuster Jacindamania has finally arrived, debuting Saturday at the ...17 hours ago
A high-ranking Chinese candidate promoted over more than a dozen incumbent MPs is the biggest surprise in an otherwise orthodox National Party list for the 2020 election, as Sam Sachdeva reports The National Party has released its list rankings for the 2020 election, with the ascent of new candidate Nancy ...21 hours ago
Latest from the Beehive – It looked (at first blush) like Christchurch would gobble up around half the money earmarked by the government for projects to get us on our bikes. Julie Anne Genter, Associate Minister of Transport and a Green with a fondness for two-wheeled, pedal-driven transport, today banged ...23 hours ago
Oranga Tamariki's Chief Executive appeared before the Waitangi Tribunal a day after a report from the Chief Ombudsman found the agency had used its draconian powers to uplift babies too readily in many cases A Waitangi Tribunal hearing has seen Oranga Tamariki chief executive Gráinne Moss concede her organisation harmed families during ...1 day ago
"A resident of the boarding house disappeared the same day Mrs Bethany’s body was discovered": provincial gothic, with astrology, by Auckland writer Mandy McMullin. I moved into the tearooms the day I turned sixteen, 23 December 2006. The same day I met Garth. It was Saturday, a lucky day for ...1 day ago
*Watch the video in the player below* The wheels of progress turn frustratingly slow in Christchurch’s Red Zone. Frank Film asks, is anything going to happen? Hayley Guglietta is honest about her group’s activities on vacant land bordering Christchurch’s Avon River. She admits the groundwork was commenced without official ...1 day ago
On this week's Extra Time podcast: After significant investigations into cycling, football and hockey in New Zealand, now gymnastics is in the spotlight around their athletes' welfare. Allegations of multiple New Zealand gymnasts suffering from verbal and physical abuse, bullying and unsafe training methods have surfaced over the past week. And ...1 day ago
The UK car industry has run a good race in the post-Brexit lobbying stakes. But Britain’s chemical industry looks to be making a late run, if recent coverage in the Financial Times is accurate. The issue for the industry is the post-Brexit regulatory regime and how this is to be ...2 days ago
How is New Zealand faring in during the Covid-19 pandemic? Newsroom is taking a weekly look at the latest numbers related to the virus and the impact on the economy. Excess deaths Overseas the death toll in some countries has risen sharply, with the ...2 days ago
How come, after numerous condemnatory reports, Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss holds on to her job? Aaron Smale wonders if those harmed by her tenure aren't a big enough voting bloc So, what happens when a government department breaks the law and breaches its own policies? Nothing, apparently. The latest ...2 days ago
The combination of solar panels, electricity storage batteries, smart household gadgets, and a boring looking black box is set to change forever how our electricity system works. But do we need subsidies? ...2 days ago
*This article was first published on RNZ and is republished with permission* Māori leaders say they have no faith in Oranga Tamariki and the chief executive needs to go after the latest report into the organisation found it was routinely taking newborns without whānau consultation. The Chief Ombudsman's report He Take Kōhukihuki, ...2 days ago
So is the government succeeding in steering the country through the Covid-19 crisis and what it calls a “one-in-100-year shock”. And just what is it costing? These are questions which will be uppermost in the minds of voters when they cast their ballots in next month’s general election. Finance Minister ...2 days ago
A frosty start to the day in Southland; clear skies, stars, the sound of waves plashing on the sand; could be worse.MfE are here today to tell us about coastal erosion and climate change. Heard of “managed retreat”?
The retreat managed to manage the perceptions around retreating?
You won’t find a more damning indictment of our middle class dominated, university obsessed education system than in this article –
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12119105
Surely we need a education system that prepares people for lifelong learning, not one that regards attending a university as the only preferred endpoint?
Lots of kids are well ready to leave school at 16. They want to get a job and get money and get out of home, and out from under someone else’s authority, and make their own way in the world.
Fine, I say. Let them leave school at 16, but keep open learning options as apprentices, night & weekend school options and generally if you want to leave formal schooling at 16 then allow you to return to learning at 19 or 21 while still working.
That would far better suit the the huge majority of young people who are particularly tempramentally, intellectually or inclined to want to go to university and slog their way through a pointless meal ticket exercise.
The older system catered for this with an ‘out’ basically at school cert level with technical schools (United etc) providing the trade start up courses.
Everyone else stayed on to university (govt funded Back then) or found something of interest and went that way. It worked a treat, supplied apprentices to building trades etc and gave kids choice if they chose to leave at 16.
But it wasn’t broken so we fixed it with the start of the great dumbing down where pass/fail seems to have given way to an attendance record and aspirational double speak.
The way that the teacher unions demand the status of white collar professionals is a megaphone that informs us of their middle class educational values and attitudes.
Middle class capture of education means an ambient bias that regards professional, white collar jobs as superior outcomes to the traditional trades and artisan jobs (panel beaters, sign writers, roofers, skilled machinery operators, etc etc) that make up the skilled engine room of the economy and can provide satisfying, fufilling and reasonably paid work for huge numbers of people.
More likely that those types of jobs are becoming obsolete.
How many panel beaters are required when it’s just a quick fix and then attach a new part that’s already the right colour?
How many sign-writers when all that’s needed is a large monitor and a PC?
Skilled machine operators?
Technological change is making more and more of the trades obsolete.
They were pretty quick to throw the manual teachers overboard. If it can’t be assessed by essay and doesn’t lead to a university lecturing position, it doesn’t matter.
Unfair, Gabby. Who threw the manual teachers overboard? They were never allowed to be NZEI members, because real old primary schools never had tech classes. Only the disastrous Intermediate schools did (I believe that opponents of the introduction of Intermediate schools back in the 1950s were quite correct) because they (Int schools) introduced wood/metalwork + sewing/cooking classes, but the weird teachers who did it were not NZEI – they were PPTA members of the secondary schools’ union, because all the other tech teachers in NZ were. Consequently they never had any representation in the primary schools’ union.
Later PPTA could not protect them either, because new industrial law (1980s, 1990s) prohibited unions from taking action in support of other unions. NZEI and PPTA negotiated at different times, able to take industrial action at different times. So when Tommorrow’s Schools gave primary and intermediate schools autonomy to some extent through bulk funding (be aware that all schools are still bulk-funded for their Operations Grants: bulk funding was abolished ONLY for teachers’ salaries.)
Bulk funding is aimed at underfunding, and when that happened to intermediate schools, the pressure came on.
It was the neo-liberal Govts who threw those manual teachers overboard, Gabby. Secondary schools are now dangerously short of them too, but the secondary manual teachers still there were not thrown overboard. OK?
Sanctuary (replying to 2.1.1)
Have you ever been a teacher? If yes, what horrible experience perverted your view of teacher unions? 80%+ of teachers belong to those unions, and you are vilifying all of us.
Idiot. Do you think that none of us understand history, the bourgeois, the bias, and that we aim for middle-class comforts?
I find you shallow and insulting. I hope that you can modify your comment and explain.
I long held the belief (reinforced by my time as a teacher), back in the days before Rogernomics fucked up this country, that all kids should be endowed at birth with say 16 years of free education, the first 10 or 11 years to be compulsory.
This would have meant kids free to leave school at 16 and go into the workforce. Some, however, would soon realise they had made a mistake and would want to return to education – and could do so with the 4 or 5 years they were still entitled to.
They could then go to polytechs or universities to upgrade their skill, with few financial consequences.
But then along came Roger et al . . .
I would love to see a system whereby after, say, 25-30 years in employment any person can take a 12 month sabbatical at 80% of their wage averaged over the previous five years (with a cap of course) to do any sort of (state approved) training they wish whatsoever. Thus, if a middle aged manager wants to spend a year learning to, say, be a beekeeper or live in Latin country and learn Spanish, this would be allowed – and at 80% of their previous wage.
I’ve come to the conclusion that people should do a few years in work and follow that with a few years in uni. The first uni course will get them a bachelor degree. After that they start doing research landing them doctorates. The time in work would be to give them actual physical experience on which to base their next cycle of research.
And how did you arrive at the conclusion…
On behalf of other ‘people’…
Because it’s what’s necessary in a democracy to improve the nation’s living standard while also living within our very limited means. Same as compulsory voting is also necessary so as to ensure people engage in their own governance.
Uneducated people are detrimental to democracy and not investigating everyone’s ideas limits the innovation needed to improve everyone’s living standards.
As I’ve said to you before, Draco…
You are strong in certain areas (e.g 3.5.1.2.1.1)…..this is not one of them…
Authoritarian ideals …. nah!
Australia has a system of long service leave, I think its more 3 -4 months rather than 12.
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-guides/fact-sheets/minimum-workplace-entitlements/long-service-leave
“Long service leave forms part of the National Employment Standards (NES). The NES apply to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system, regardless of any award, agreement or contract.”
Sanctuary +100
That is exactly what we need but it’s not solely the fault of the education system. Parents as well have been telling their children forever to Get and education, get a job and you’re right for life. This was bollocks in the 1970s and it’s even more so now as technological changes eliminate ever more jobs. We need to get everyone into continual learning but especially those that haven’t yet achieved tertiary education.
Most, if not all, universities allow entrance if the person is over 20 even if they don’t have any high-school qualifications. The problem is that our entire socio-economic system effectively discourages people from getting that ongoing education.
Why should lifelong learning involve lifelong institutionalisation draccy?
Because for most people the best way to learn about a discipline is to learn from someone who’s been studying the field for years, and to learn alongside other people who are also learning about the subject so you can exchange ideas and aid each other’s learning.
Sure, you might find a club to get that sort of environment, but educational institutions have an important part to play.
Personally I think all education should be free from cradle to the grave, with no limits on when to start a new course.
Well said.
If someone with a degree can’t be paid handsomely for teaching it, it’s just not worth knowing flockers.
And yet I can’t help wondering whether the guy who allegedly put oxygen and acetylene in the same bottle the other day had received formal welding training or was largely self-taught. Poor bugger.
I’ve had a small artistic hobby for years now. I learn a lot on youtube, I read a lot, get lots of ideas from all around the place. Most of my pinterest pins are all about it. I own pretty much all the equipment I need for it. I’m ok – not brilliant, but these days I can largely make pretty much what I set out to make (albeit with room for improvement).
But I still pay for regular evening classes at the art school. Because the structure and environment suit me, and it’s good to have fellow people learning the same skills to bounce ideas off.
I just don’t get that online, or doing it alone.
@ McFlock (2.4.1.1) … 100+ cheers to all you have said in your post 🙂
A thought not at all influenced from being kicked out of school for asking questions, but I’ve long been of the persuasion that young people should be strongly dissuaded from seeking jobs or formal education for some five years or so after leaving school.
Five years to breath and experience before getting on the dread mill?
Against the grain, I know, but I’m persuaded we destroy one another by insisting we go from school to job to grave – with maybe a little breather between work and grave.
Yes Bill, agreed.
If you ask anyone, ‘What are you?’ or similar questions, they will invariably answer ‘a plumber, a teacher a . . .’ the job they do. They should, in an ideal world say, ‘I’m an educated and enlightened human being who has a lot of empathy for my fellows . . .’ or something along those lines.
We are defined by the jobs we do, as if this is the be all and end all of life.
The world is running out of time, but it would be good if everyone could have the opportunity to be whatever they wanted to be.
Yes just earn enough to travel, work, experience life sort of on the bread-mill, and this shouldn’t go against the grain of thoughtful government planners.
Yes , Bill
Strongly disuaded relies on a point of view…
As you say, it’s about leaving bias aside to the best possible levels…before passing on ‘knowledge and experience’ … that is inadequate or incorrect for the recipient…
In order to achieve such a level requires substantial self awareness…
At face value there is a dearth of self awareness in the general populace…
Ever descending circles…
“the dread mill”
Beautiful!
Way way back in the neolithic age before we had expensive telepathic stones*, when I was 17, I did a year out working after 7th form.
3 months doing night shift in a factory. 6 months on a town supply dairy farm, 5 months on sheep station in Taupo, and 3 months army as a territorial after I turned 18.
Was damn useful because it gave a whole.pile of discrimination about things that I didn’t want to do It also got me out from underfoot at home.
Then I went to university at Waikato because it wasn’t Auckland and living costs were way lower. I also became a underage barman, part time soldier, and fell in love with playing multi user star trek late at night on the DEC 1170 (it was 1979).
That year off working was incredibly valuable.
* As good a description of cellphones and tablets as any.
Finding out what you don’t want to do and also what you actually want to do is important. IMO, most people are ‘unsuccessful’ because they never do find out and never have the opportunity to do so.
Neoliberal New Zealand.
Sold to the highest foreign bidder.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12119118
This sort of transaction is fundamentally wrong and by the time most people realise this it will be too late.
Local body politicians have too much authority to dispose of, or take on projects that cost much. They are often businessmen who have been able to crry out their interest successfully and then take on the role of handling the everyday business of a large entity whether city or region with diverse needs and are then at the top level of their aptitude and knowledge related in Peters Principle, ie they have reached their level of incompetence.
Participatory democracy must start being applied immediately. General competence must be withdrawn from local government and they be obliged to go through more complex levels of examination of scenarios involving big money or letting go of resources, or building of them. This would start off by answering what are the long-term effects of this? Is the body’s expressed vision the actual likely one from what is observed elsewhere and by viewing the possibility of misadventure from weather, low tenders and skimping of quality etc.
What jobs will be lost, how many people and animals will be disadvantaged by this, and for short term or likely permanent? What expenditure on remediation and repair is set aside? Double that figure to get true cost and where is this money to come from? What advantage to the region and to jobs? What profit arises to the buyer? How and when will they
want this profit realised? What demands will be made on the public of the region to enable the entity to realise their profit? Will they employ local people in the running of their business?
Then when all these are dealt with under a number of separate headings, the business people or=f the region, the public who have formed groups to study the matters under each heading, will be called to detail their findings to a series of meetings. Decisions will be made and anecdotes and experience in other areas be related as to the viability of the proposal, and its likely outcome and advantage. The ratepayers will be given figures showing the long as well as the short term effects on their rate levels and satisfactory services they require, ie navigable roads, clean water, sewage properly disposed of etc.
Then there are meetings held, reports in the local newspaper with facts, and information about scenarios elsewhere in the country and applicable overseas ones. Then a referendum of all local citizens with five years’ residence which would be binding if 75% reached for or against, and if carried out to legal requirements .
That would limit the lure of $ in eyeballs effect by citizens elected to office, who have never given thought to anything but their private interests before. The OIO does not and can not, consider matters from a ‘coalface’ point of view, but the residents can, and the really alert and able ones can learn what needs to be considered, losses and gains, and be leaders in discussing the facts of the matter with their peers, being all the adults in the area, and then all can vote from a roll of those having 5 year residency.
“Local body politicians have too much authority”
Hey! I’m one of those 🙂
You aren’t just – A local body politician, you are The very model of a local body politician.
I am the very model of a [local body politician]
I’ve information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;[a]
I’m very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news, (bothered for a rhyme)
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
The community owning the asset made the decision to sell and retire debt.
Fortunately, anonymous internet bedwetter’s don’t get a say.
Joe90
Are you callinmg me an anonymous bedwetter Yes or no.
Why do you care if he is? His opinion should have little impact on you.
Gosman
Joe90 is not you. His opinions are worth something, unlike your meanderings through the forest looking for juicy berries to bite at.
Actually joe90 would not be wrong – I am anonymous and I am (almost) a bedwetter, having a tendency to be incontinent. Lack of muscle tone from sitting too long at the keyboard is possibly part of the problem. It’s time perhaps to do more muscle toning and improve the body and less mind and word-wrestling.
So his opinion about your bedwetting status does matter to you.
My post is threaded 3.2, not 3.1.1.1.
Why was a council involved in this activity to begin with?
Because it’s better for society than having a private business do it.
https://screenshots.firefox.com/7Jj2e5NkVD8Ljuwr/www.whanganui.govt.nz
They should sell cutting rights not the land to reduce debt.
You don’t get a say in what my community does, or doesn’t do with their own assets.
Neither do you joey.
Thanks for ripping off the kids there, Joe with short term thinking.
When the Natz sold off significant parts of power generation companies less than a decade ago, guess what, they got less from the sale than they would have earned from dividends already, so now we don’t have that income for the country to run our schools and hospitals or future income for next generations. The right wingers are financial idiots.
But Merryl Lynch apparently did well out of it.
See this blast from the past,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_National_Government_of_New_Zealand
Economic[edit]
The Government was elected in the context of the late 2000s recession.
The Fifth Labour Government’s Emissions Trading Scheme was delayed and the Emissions Trading Scheme Review Committee was set up to review the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme[4] in accordance with the coalition agreement with the ACT Party.[5] In November 2009, an amended version of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme was adopted.[6]
Personal tax cuts, reducing taxes on all income; the top personal tax rate was lowered from 39% to 38% and then 33%.[7]
Abolished the Loss Attributing Qualifying Company (LAQC) tax structure, which had allowed individuals (mainly property investors) to reduce their individual income tax by off setting their LAQCs losses (the Look-through company structure replaced LAQCs, but without the tax benefits).
Increased GST from 12.5% to 15% in October 2010.
Increased the minimum wage from $12.00 per hour to $13.00 per hour in its first term, and to $14.25 in its second term.[8] This represents a nominal 3.1% average annual increase, significantly lower than the previous government’s nominal 7.9% annual average increase.
Suspended payments to the New Zealand Superannuation Fund.[9]
Introduced the nine-day working fortnight for businesses who were considering laying off staff.
Capped the minimum employers’ contributions to KiwiSaver at 2%, the amount was due to increase to 4% by 2011 and gave employees the option to contribute as little as 2% of their income to KiwiSaver where previously the smallest contribution amount was 4%. The minimum employee and minimum employer contributions were raised to 3% in April 2013.
Introduced the “mixed ownership model” plan, in which the Government planned to reduce its share in Genesis Energy, Meridian Energy, Mighty River Power and Solid Energy from 100% to 51% and Air New Zealand from 74% to 51%, and sell off the remainder. The plans to sell down Solid Energy were later axed due to the company’s poor financial position. A citizens-initiated referendum on the sell-downs returned a 67.3% vote in opposition (on a turnout of 45.1%).
Ultra-Fast Broadband rollout of fibre to the house to 87% of households
Seven Roads of National Significance
I made my submission.
That was all you joey?
Wonder if the council actually asked the public if they could sell off that land?
$13m may sound like a lot but ongoing income from an actual council forestry operation would have been better for the council and for the local region.
+100 ED, Grey Area, Greywarshark, Draco
-100 Joe90
Council and future ratepayers were earning money off that land and trees (incredibly high returns at present plus if we have to axe the plastic, will be worth even more, plus potential carbon credits), plus if the council ever needs land in the future for growth they already own land, that earns them money and capital gains.
Pity our kids and anyone who is retired in the area who are going to have to sort out the mess when our councils and country is bankrupt with idiot short term thinkers and our government and councils have killed the golden gooses.
A majority of ratepayer submissions to the proposed 2015 – 2025 plan supported the sale.
Public land should be considered a long term asset, not something to be sold and benefit a few for a quick buck, while future needs are not going to be able to be met or it is going to be a lot more expensive to buy a bit back later. They should be forced to consider generational costs not forcing future costs onto the young to sort out the messes so they get cheaper rates for a few years (which they probably won’t anyway).
The thickos at Auckland council for example accidentally sold a bit of the rail access in Auckland according to a local who was complaining about it, which is why they are not using the existing rail line that runs from Helensville right through Kumeu and to the city and could be used now. Instead Auckland rail’s “bright” idea is forcing a massive detour to Swanson in proposed plans and completely new rail options in that area for billions. Doh! Plus they ordered trains that don’t fit thought the tunnel. Oh well, the rate payers will have to pay.
Bought to you by the same council and Natz government that forced planning changes to have 10 acre sections go into 600m2 in Kumeu with thousands of million dollar spec houses being built and only have one, one lane road running through… then wonder why NZ productivity is so low and they can only attract migrants who have little education and no other country will take them or don’t bother working here but plant questionable money here as gold bricks or plan their route to OZ.
But did the majority of people support it?
Or was it just the majority of business people?
A majority of those who bothered to make a submission. My view was that we should retire debt rather than own an asset of dubious value, poor soils on steep/marginal terrain, growing third rate soft wood with limited uses, whose future earnings were dependent on the whims of a global timber market.
So, just a minority then.
We’re not supposed to be ruled by a minority.
1. The income from the land would have retired the debt
2. According to the article the project proved the feasibility
3. We actually need more wood in NZ to build houses
And do the general public in a catchment area really understand what the factors of concern are concerning the sale of the forest –
Lack of control over workers safety.
Over local employment.
Over access to forest or not when suitable.
Over care for maintaining fire breaks.
Over provision of roading when there is a cut.
Over paying share of fire levy for services.
Over lack of concern for evidence of fire (government used to maintain high watching posts in the fire season.)
Over the access for getting pine cones and clearing slash
for fuel and who is responsible for this (can be handy fund raiser for
local groups who control access reliably.)
Is there opportunity for small local trucking operation
carting slash to wood processor?
Is there opportunity to get work trimming lower braches to provide fine logs with better quality vertical wood and less knots, galls?
Can the forest be sold off by Council in bits over a period when the price is right and then replanted there by locals quickly to avoid erosion?
Can the cutting be chosen carefully so that erosion areas near water courses are left standing?
Can the wood be sold locally at a competitive but reasonable price
for local use?
These sort of matters need to be spelt out and discussed, rather than a general feeling of let’s get the debts down. Keeping and selling some cutting rights to locals or nearby mills would keep money flowing in for infrastructure expenditure.
Their own wood itself could be used direct for some local infrastructure.
And there would be more matters than i have raised. I would be pleasantly surprised if all these points have been thoroughly canvassed at public meetings – it would take more than one.
And the financial advantages of different proposals say – four at most would be interesting. Money now and no resource later along with extra costs for providing usable roads and trying to meet people’s needs for clean air and some break from rattling roaring trucks 7 days a week for months should be thought about.
They are having trouble near Whangarei where there is large felling. Peoples houses are eternally coated with dust inside, they are getting asthma, they can’t use the road as once, the children get dusty while they wait for the school bus, the bus gets squeezed to the side, when it wants to stop and pick up kids it can be difficult, the trucks are rather scary as they go past with their high loads,
Lots to consider; more than just money now, debt drop. And the continuing noise and problem is so different to the regular farm and area noise.
‘nature’ is recognised as one of the most prestigious and most cited scientific journals in the world.
When ‘nature’ takes Australia and Australian political leadership to task, then you know that there is a problem.
In 2015 UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon called for a one day government leaders summit in New York leading up to the COP 21 Paris agreement.
Moon made it clear that he didn’t want Deputy Leaders or Foreign Ministers or Climate Change Spokespersons. He wanted Government leaders. Moon knew that having the leaders turn up would be symbolic of a government and a nation’s commitment to address climate change.
The Australian Prime MInister of the time, Tony Abbot, refused to go.
Current Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeated this snub, for the Pacific Forum.
“Global warming tops the agenda as climate brings down a third Australian prime minister”
nature
International Journal of Science Editorial – September 4, 2018
There you have it, climate and refugees.
All power to our Prime Minister under much different personal circumstances for taking the bold and decisive action necessary to get there. She is a real leader.
None of the simpering ‘Fast Follower’ John Key or cowardly Morrison ducking for cover.
Morrison won’t turn up. Pacific Nations are suffering some of the worst affects of climate change on the planet. (so is Australia, but that is another can of worms).
A real leader leads from the front, and is not a ‘fast follower’ like John Key, or stay at home coward like Scott Morrison.
They make the difficult decisions and make the effort to turn up.
On climate Australia is a major global foot dragger, on refugees Australia is the puppet master behind the scenes in Nauru that saw one of this country’s top reporters detained for doing her job.
Australia is imperiously beginning to treat New Zealand as they treat they think that they can treat the other Pacific islands.
My prayer is that our Prime Minister takes up the leadership role on the world stage abdicated by Australia on both climate change and justice for refugees.
I pray that Prime Minister Ardern uses the platform given to her to issue a joint statement rallying the Pacific nations of our region to demand that the Australian leader and government live up to their responsibilities on climate change indifference to human rights and refugee cruelty.
As the nature Editorial says:
It is our role as smaller Pacific countries to try and make Australia live up to that historic task.
We can’t do it without them.
Last time I read Nature it was full of PC-politics, and flag-waving for free-market-democracy. Quickly becoming Just another rag, owned by the capital market, majority owned by Springer, which is majority owned by private equity firm BC Partners.
Are you saying that what Nature has been quoted as saying is wrong? It may be open to being swayed by financial interests but surely this is right to state,
and it stands repeating:
And the statement below is obviously true, and if we keep our minds on what is true, broadcast correctly and offering a clear path for us to follow to work for effective timely action, we should stick to the path even if it is paved by financiers and self-centred entities, which for a while we can agree and combine with;
“Things can change quickly in politics, and Australia has a chance to force that change.”
From what I can see the PM has decided she should not berate the Australian government in public. Her last experience over the Manus refugeees seems to have sheeted that message home.
So whatever the PIF does in their joint statement there won’t be any direct or indirect criticism of Australia on any issue. Not going to happen on refugees given the PIF is in Nauru, and probably bromides on climate change. Maybe a climate adjustment fund paid for by Aus and NZ.
Ardern should demand that the current Oz government start legislating in accord with the view of most Australian voters, in order to prevent representative democracy from losing credibility.
“The annual Lowy Institute Poll on Australian attitudes to the world and global issues for 2018 has been released. Among a series of interesting findings, one thing is clear: support for climate action and renewable energy continue to grow. In response to the survey’s questions on climate and energy, 59% of respondents agreed with the statement: “climate change is a serious and pressing problem. We should begin taking steps now even if this involves significant costs.”
https://theconversation.com/lowy-institute-poll-shows-australians-support-for-climate-action-at-its-highest-level-in-a-decade-98625
Dennis
I am sure you know that governments don’t demand that other government should start legislating on the basis of opinion polls. Ardern is not going to tell Australia how it should govern. She seems to have well and truly learnt that lesson
I know it seems to be the expectation on this site that the New Zealand will give all our close partners lectures on how they should run their countries, but Ardern is a PM, not a political activist.
I hope she hasn’t learnt that lesson, Wayne. Moral leadership is not only required nowadays in practical politics, it will actually be a pre-requisite to the consensus politics of survival for humanity during climate change.
But I share your scepticism inasmuch as she keeps presenting as merely a neoliberal manager of govt. To leave her mark on history, she will have to do much more than just that. She will have to lead a transformational government. One that has consequences on the global stage, not just here. Western statesmen have been conspicuous in their absence since Vaclav Havel. Could be an indicator that western stateswomen are emerging?
Not surprised – the orange roadcone-overcomb is out of options – slippery slope time and many more shockers to come.
“The dramatic and previously untold scene is recounted in Fear, a forthcoming book by Bob Woodward that paints a harrowing portrait of the Trump presidency, based on in-depth interviews with administration officials and other principals.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/106829020/bob-woodwards-new-book-reveals-a-nervous-breakdown-of-trumps-presidency
Cohn stole letters off Trump’s desk before he had signed them and Trump never even noticed they had gone. 😯
Cray Cray town
Sing it Gnarls Barkley
Yes Trump is unhinged; we always suspected this. But the reasons why he is POTUS are far less crazy than he is.
Some insight can be gleaned here: https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/106833345/hate-is-the-name-of-the-game-in-trump-world-bob-woodwards-new-book-reveals
Stuff reckons “Hate is the name of the game in Trump World”. Author of the review (PAUL WALDMAN ) reckons contempt is the name of the game, and provides the evidence to prove him right. Yet Woodward’s book is entitled Fear to inform us that he & his publisher have a third differing opinion.
We can only marvel at Trump’s ability to confuse everyone else all the time. Whether fear, contempt or hate is a better diagnosis of the political culture he generates, it is, as I mentioned here several weeks ago, social darwinism. Playing all against all, he ensures that only the most fit survive.
Imagine working for the prick. It’d be like:
“look on the bright side Mr POTUS, an orange jump suit matches your complexion and hair. We’ll arrange a hood for you.”
“Your red scarf matches my eyes……..
Loving you has made me babanas”
Fuck what a thicket of dysfunction! There goes the leader of the free Whurl.
The concern is that much of it has rubbed off – including in lil ole NuZull
Must be about time the govt re entered the negotiating room, with an offer better than 2% p.a. (i.e the rate of inflation) otherwise IMO they are just continuing on from the previous govt, and continuing to be part of the problem !!
“”Schools around the country have reported increasing difficulty finding relieving teachers over the last three years.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12119342
Not just an offer of 2%
“”To attract new teachers the offer will see a cumulative increase of14.7 per cent to base salaries for graduates with a teaching degree ($47,980 to $55,030) over three years, and a 14.2 per cent cumulative increase for graduates with a subject degree and graduate teaching diploma ($49,588 to $56,638) over three years.
“Teachers on the next steps (6-11) will see a cumulative increase of between 6.5 to 13.7 per cent to base salaries over three years. Teachers on the maximum step (12) will receive a cumulative increase of 6.1 per cent over three years ($75,949 to $80,599.)”
Its only 2% per year for those on the maximum step. When you look at the actual amounts it was $4500 over 3 years for top of scale and $7000 for new teachers
Apparently not just the teachers have shortages, apparently record amounts of GP’s are due to retire and new doctors are being “encouraged” to have 50% go into being a GP’s and there is predicted to be a shortage.
I’m not so sure it is shortages, but more they have rapidly increased NZ population artificially and in demographics that really impact teachers and doctors and then expect the existing professionals to just work harder… very Rogernomics thinking.
The question also is, why are they having difficulty attracting teachers in the first place or why are they are leaving? I think with teachers it is Dukeofurl comment down (8.2) that hits the nail on the head – too many positions are not guaranteed long term.
Also in NZ the whole system has become too adversarial and so many industries are allowed to rip people off (construction, utilities, councils, food, insurance ) that the cost of living is sky high and people expect to be able to do more than survive, but actually have a decent standard of living if they are in professional jobs.
So what % of teachers are on the top pay scale either with a degree or diploma ?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11867471
That is partly why teachers in their fifties or older have increased from 35 per cent of teachers in 2005 to 41 per cent a decade later.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/01/half-of-all-high-school-teachers-quit-within-5-years.html
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12106964
For me this is why the govt is standing firm “..plus a further $200m or so when it flows through to secondary teachers who lodged their own pay claims last week..”
Part of the problem is that government seem to just write off young Kiwis and not want to encourage them into teaching so therefore you are not getting enough of the people who would be good teachers wanting to do that.
The newish board of trustees system also means they technically ‘hire teachers” so you are getting more of a cultural bias into whatever the board wants as teachers, and the board are not in the teaching profession themselves.
Same has happened with building as soon as they made tertiary about user pays and high fees they automatically encouraged people to go for a career that was considered more financially rewarding.
Teaching should be a high status profession, but somehow they have wrecked that in the last 30 years.
To go into the trades, you used to be paid to do it on the job by industry, not spend time and a lot of money on your education and paperwork for years. They need to get the people in, THEN get them to study and register after a few years of practical paid work under their belts.
Warning – long and detailed but contains some primer points on how things get on the Order Paper for debate in Parliament and what could be an interesting situation in the House today re a Member’s Bill due to be debated probably late afternoon. Also possibly relates to Peters’ current grumpiness and his remarks re refugees vis a vis the Coalition agreement.
Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill (aka Waka Jumping Bill)
This is the first week back to the House in the ‘four weeks on/ two weeks off’ House sitting calendar and for addicts like me it is interesting to see what is on the debating programme for each session.
Of particular interest to me (and possibly very few others except possibly Micksavage and Dennis Frank LOL) was whether the Electoral (Integrity) Amendment Bill – aka the waka jumping bill – would make it back into the House this week. From looking at the Order paper for yesterday and progress made, and today’s Order Paper, the answer is very unlikely. Actually ‘No’ is probably more accurate and may well be intentional.
This Bill went through its Second Reading and half of its Committee stages during the week of 7 – 9 August including under extended hours on the morning of Thurs 9 August, but then lost prominence in the last week of that four week sitting session when the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Amendment Act was pushed through under urgency in the week of 14 – 16 August .
[NOTE: the make up and placement of Government Bills on each day’s Order Paper is solely at the discretion of the Government (Standing Order 68). OTOH Member‘s Bills appear on the Order Papers for Members‘ Days in accordance with a strict priority set by Standing Orders 71 and 72. and cannot be rearranged by the Government, Speaker etc. Private and Local Bills are similarly governed by Standing Orders 69 and 70.]
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/00HOHPBReferenceStOrders20171/7868e924149435f4cb3c6e00cfc63ec498a39b37
Yesterday’s Order Paper (4/9/2018) showed the continuation of the Committee stages of this ‘waka jumping bill’ back down to No 11 on the list of Government Bills. Nine other Government Bills were listed for First, Second or Third Readings taking up a total of up to 13½ hours of debating time allocated to the usual set maximum number of 12 X 10 minute speeches (2 hours) for each Reading.
Normally these nine Readings could take up to 18 hours but the first Reading of one Bill started in the previous sitting session had only 90 minutes of speeches left, and three of the Bills (Nos 7 – 9) were being taken together. Following these Bills, at No 10 was the Education (Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ) Amendment Bill set down for Committee stages which are not limited in terms of time or number of speeches. As National’s current MO is to filibuster every Bill at all stages, but particular at the Committee stages, this Bill is likely to take some time.
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/OrderPaper_20180904/b131016772ec5be085794488af075758fc7a5b55
A normal week in Parliament involves the House sitting from 2pm – 6pm and 7.30pm -10pm each Tues and Weds and from 2pm – 6pm only on Thursday – a total of 17 hours. Each day, Question Time takes up about one hour, and every Wednesday the General Debate following Question Time is assigned one hour a total of four hours, leaving 13 hours for the House to debate Bills, etc in a normal three day sitting week where the House does not invoke extended hours or urgency.
Every fourth week is also meant to be a Members’ Day on the Wednesday – allowing 4½ hours for the debating of Member’s Bills (and Private and Local Bills), further reducing the time for debating Government Bills to 8½ hours in those weeks. However, this is sometimes changed depending on what else is being debated – eg Budget debates and similar override Members’ days.
Today is a Members Day as set down on the Order Paper, thereby further reducing the possibility of the waka jumping Bill surfacing again this week.
http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/OrderPaper_20180905/936f574159293616ec308aa6f7837e17e7746ab3
Yesterday, the House moved through the first three Government Bills on yesterday’s Order Paper more quickly than the maximum time allowed, meaning they were halfway through No 4 on the list when the House rose at 10pm. This time saving was offset by the House undertaking an Urgent Debate called for by Simon Bridges on the removal of Clare Curran from Cabinet taking just over an hour. (As an aside, over 15 mins of that time was Bridges floundering around, which led to the next speaker, Chris Hipkins, calling Bridges’ speech “the longest 15 minutes in Bridges’ life” and Bridges being “two snappers short of a resignation”. LOL.)
Together with today’s Members Day, this means that the only time left for debating Government Bills this week is about two hours tomorrow, Thursday, after Question Time before the House rises at 6pm.
Today’s Order Paper has also introduced four other Government Bills to replace the three Bills that passed their Readings yesterday ahead of the waka jumping Bill which is now back down to No 12. These are at Nos 1, 5, 6 and 10 on today’s Order Paper. Although these Bills will not come up today being a Members Day, in theory the set time Readings of the eight Bills before the waka jumping bill could take up to a maximum of 10 ½ hours plus three Bills now up for their Committee stages debates of no maximum time. Against only two hours available tomorrow.
So bye bye waka jumping bill for this week at least, unless there are further changes to tomorrow’s Order Paper – highly unlikely IMO. If any, they may well push it further down the pecking order.
————————————————————
Member’s Bill (Rino Tirikatene) – Electoral (Entrenchment of Maori Seats) Amendment Bill
HOWEVER – there is another Electoral Amendment Bill on today’s Order Paper that will be rather controversial and probably will not make it through to Select Committee consideration.
This is the Electoral (Entrenchment of Maori Seats) Amendment Bill sponsored by Rino Tirikatene intended to align the Maori seats with general electorate seats which are already entrenched under section 268 of the Electoral Act 1993. More information is provided in the Explanatory Note in the Bill.
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/member/2018/0056/latest/whole.html#DLM4333801
The First Reading of this Bill is now at No 2 in the order of Members’ Bills and set down for 12 X 10 minute speeches today. The Member’s Bill at No 1 is only set down for 35 mins maximum debate, so taking into account Question Time and the one hour General Debate, Tirikatene’s Bill should pop up for debate about 4.30pm or thereabouts and continue after the dinner break.
When this Bill was pulled out of the biscuit tin ballot back in May 2018 this raised Winston Peters’ blood pressure in view of NZF’s longstanding policy to call for a referendum on the continuation of the Maori seats. He made it clear at the time that NZF will not be supporting this Bill.
Peters’ blood pressure is probably up again with this up for debate today even though if NZF vote against the Bill with National, this Bill will not make it past this First Reading to Select Committee and will die on a Vote of Ayes 54 (L/GP) vs Noes 65 (NZF/Nats) with ACT being an unknown if Seymour votes at all. The latter seems to be his MO at present in many cases.
To avoid this defeat and the further opportunity for claims that the Coalition Govt is in disarray etc, Tirikatene could withdraw or postpone the Bill under Standing Order 74(1)(b) thereby removing it from debate today. In fact, I am surprised it hasn’t been. But then again, maybe an opportune time for it to be debated while both Ardern and Peters are out of the country.
I wonder in fact whether the fact that Peters’ much wanted Electoral Integrity Bill/ waka jumping Bill is not progressing as fast as he wants coupled with the unfortunate coincidence of Titikatene’s entrenchment of the Maori seats Bill coming up for debate today (though the strict Standing Orders mentioned above) has contributed to, or is the cause of, his grumpiness at present, including his challenging remarks etc re refugee numbers. After all , this is politics …and sometimes not dissimilar to chess……
I’m not inclined to see the grumpy old man syndrome as evidence of substantial disagreement, but you could be right that Labour & NZF haven’t reached consensus on refugee policy. Understandable that media seize on apparent discord like a pitbull trying to extricate meat from a body: it’s their industrial process at work.
Just needs govt leader or deputy to say the magic words: ” we haven’t agreed a govt policy on refugee numbers yet”, doesn’t it?
You seem to be missing the point. My post is more about these two Electoral Amendment Bills much more than about the refugee issues.
As you say, the PM and/or the DPM could just say that they have not agreed a govt policy on refugee numbers yet, but they haven’t. Instead Peters has stood his ground on the NZF policy on no increase etc and obviously had not consulted the PM on his intention to do so. Hence my grumpy old man remark (and I have called him that to his face years ago in jest when I had a lot to do with him while working on secondments to Parliament. LOL)
His remarks and the PM’s reaction are not a good look, but I do understand that NZF need to maintain their base conservative policies to maintain their voting core constituency – as is discussed under the post on Winston and the refugees issue by mickysavage.
My point is that last week was a bit of a bumpy one and this week is looking a little so too, so the coincidence of these two Electoral Amendment Bills appearing on the Order Paper at the same time tends to give the perception of more dissonance.
As I said, Peters is very keen to get the waka jumping Bill through, but is opposed in principle to the Tirikatene Member’s Bill to entrench the Maori seats as this is very much against a longstanding NZF policy which they campaigned on to hold a referendum on whether or not the Maori seats should continue. The Tirikatene Bill is to resolve a longstanding technicality which could be left for the moment without any real consequences – in the interests of not raising the preception of more disharmony.
Here is what Peters said back in May when the Tirikatene Bill was drawn in the ballot.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/08/nz-first-may-back-entrenchment-of-m-ori-seats-if-there-s-a-referendum-first.html
As I also now see, I am not alone in thinking this and I/S has called it on NRT ” … a potential flashpoint in the coalition …” ie
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2018/09/members-day.html
BUT wait there is more … Did I mention chess?
I have just found this article re Peters may support Tirikatene’s Bill – if there is a referendum on retaining the Maori seats first.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/08/nz-first-may-back-entrenchment-of-m-ori-seats-if-there-s-a-referendum-first.htm
Perhaps there has been agreement after all. We only have a few hours to wait.
And it appears that Bridges will not be in the House today, as Bennett is fronting Question No 1 to the PM. With both Peters and Ardern away, who is the Acting PM today?
ADDENDUM – And Seymour actually does have a position on the Maori seats. He wants to abolish them or so it seems. The whole thing is getting even more interesting.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/08/david-seymour-says-wants-to-abolish-m-ori-seats-but-will-he-actually-be-able-to.html
I appreciate your explanations, just saw no need to comment! Hard to tell if they are brokering deals behind the scenes when necessary, of course, as we would expect, to ensure successful governance. If that basic process has been suspended, or has not yet re-engaged after the return of the PM due to scheduling difficulties, some irritation would be natural…
Posted this previously, a few mates of mine sons are currently training to be a builder (A much needed skill) all 3 of them currently have had their son’s in their 3rd or 4th building coys as they proceed thru their apprenticeships. Why is that because they have been placed on contracts not wages, and as work loads for the builders they have been under reduced they are “let go”
In the “old days” apprectices did their time with 1 coy and were waged staff.
The building industry IMO cannot complain about skill shortages and then not have a system that allows ease to obtain the qualifications. It appears much less stress to allow off shore workers to make up for any shortfalls.
Try google and search building apprentices in Auckland the results are to me alarming. There are none
You are 100% right Herodotus.
What you have to wonder, is when it is so obvious, why does the government seem so obsessed with doing the opposite and then wringing their hands and/or ignoring poverty, lack of housing, lack of job opportunities for many including school leavers, massive infrastructure costs being forced onto locals instead of business and shoddy workmanship?
Its because of Employment Contracts Act that short term contracts became the norm in building , even for qualified builders.
Is happening in Teaching now as well. Those Schools saying they cant get decent applicants are not saying the job they are offering isnt a staff position but is a contact for a year or so which ‘may’ be renewed. Especially affects those teachers starting out.
Yep, how can you buy a house (or even rent one now) when you don’t know whether you will have a job or not each year and you might be forced to relocate without much notice to get a new job.
Although to be fair to ministry, a lot of 1 year contracts is because of maternity leave.
I understood it was a way of ‘trying out’ new teachers
I think it is more than that – It is even happening across the ditch – my daughter who has an MA (Hons) and BSc (Hons) and masses of other relevant experience coupled with about 7 years teaching experience simply cannot get a permanent teaching position – and it is not just her – It applies to almost all her colleagues . The jobs being offered are all one year contracts because the schools want to be “flexible” in their staffing requirements. As school rolls go up and down like a yo-yo these days (as they fall in and out of popularity) the school can off load or recruit staff more easily. There is little loyalty to staff these days no matter how dedicated they are.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/106800942/PM-Jacinda-Ardern-Clarke-Gayford-and-baby-Neve-star-in-new-kids-book?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Whenever I think the media have hit peak Jacinda something else comes along…this must be what lefties felt like when Sir John Key was in full swing 🙂
Yes Chris 73, jacinda beating key at his own game. And although I don’t like it, I am all for jacinda using opportunities like this to counteract the negative spin from msm about labour.
All the bs from garner, soper et al about the cost of jacindas trip tp Nauru. Ffs were any of them outraged by bridges limo use?
Just as a matter of interest, what made you a righty?
Have you been one since adolescence?
Not being stupid would have a lot to do with it
I like being clean and smelling clean so I had no other choice but to vote right and, if taking it a step further, my sense of smell comes from my parents then its all their fault 🙂
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/28/hate-body-odour-youre-more-likely-to-have-rightwing-views
‘People who have a greater tendency to turn their nose up at the whiff of urine, sweat and other body odours are more likely to have rightwing authoritarian attitudes, research suggests.’
Very good, chris73 and nicely finished with a 🙂 – that’s the spirit!
Thing is, like Sir John Key, it’ll take a lot of time before the public tire of Jacinda so best to leave her alone and go after the weaker members of the herd and pick them off one by one
I just wonder who’d be the next target…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/106851077/embattled-minister-clare-curran-struggles-to-explain-using-personal-email-for-government-business
Journalism is on the cutting edge of where it’s at. Or maybe not. I’m obviously not a journalist as who would pay for that sentence!
But it is amazing what will happen to you – TVNZ journalist reporting on Nauru at a cafe after talking to a refugee. Come with us, police station for three hours. But not detained, just have to be careful about being ‘unannounced’ in risk area.
Lost her accreditation, now got it back.
RNZ reporter Gia Garrick –
“We had an MFAT official sit the seven of us down, or actually it was the six of us minus Barbara [Dreaver], she wasn’t back at this stage …and tell us that the Nauru government would like to pass on a message to us that it would prefer if we reported on the Forum instead of just focussing on the one issue here.
Really it didn’t want any focus on the refugee issue that has led to problems for the poor Nauruans as well as the inmates. A no win situation for anyone, not even Australians who are so scared of these people. Doesn’t say much for supposedly bold, brave Ozzies in the wars does it.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/365728/nz-journalist-reaccredited-to-nauru-forum-meeting
Good morning Newshub That’s the way Prince Charles lead the way to a environmentally friendly future of sustainable energy ka pai .
I see that great innovative British company Dyson have invested in producing electric cars to ka pai.
That’s sad about that Mana Wahine Penny Bright we need more wahine like her to make a stand for the common people to be treated humanly & fairly by the big boys .
Duncan this is what happen’s when a government denies a housing shortage so there m8 can cash up on capital gain’s. I heard an know of a few people had to live in hotels
4 years ago and the Tsunami of house less tangata is still rolling in & rising .
This same phenomenon has been caused by the greedy people in America Britain Canada Australia the neo libreals buying there voter’s does anyone see a pattion here shonky .
Loyd the fishermen are hard men the scallop fishing dispute between British and French fishermen this must have been going on for a few years they need to Aline there policy’s so this situation you can not two competing fisheries and clearly one is not concerned about preserving the fishery as the other can you see the Bigotry .
Its is laugh able how no negative story’s got to be published and put on TV when the last government was in parliament conclusion FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Duncan there is no magic wand to fix your m8 deliberate shorting our housing markets for there gain . I can see you are all about your EGO ana to kai
Ka kite ano P.S and so are your bosses
Lance O Sullivan does not get the big Picture if
he did he would not go poking holes in the waka that has given the most care for common tangata whenua & then giving the party that caused this mess amo to fire at the Labour party his action could cause us to slide the neo libreals back into power that will be a stuff up for the poor people enough said ka kite ano
You know what makes Eco Maori get a sore face is a lot of Maori leader know that the justice system was and is still un fair to tangata whenua how do I know this well the upper classes are in the no they rub shoulders together they are part of the system and they did nothing to warn te tangata whenua about this un fair justisce system they are just looking out for there own best interest Eco looks out for all people future
Its not just about me in my Papatuanuku
Ka kite ano. Ana to kai
The sirens are going off again did you like my challenge I have sent out to all Maori Leaders He tangata he tangata he atua he tangata . Ka kite ano
P.S these leader’s are still deafening reality all around Papatuanuku the indigenous cultures are being pushed into hardship Australier America Canada Many country’s that are pushing native people under the bridge around Papatuanuku
Here you go a good education on reality for all tangata link is below ka kite ano
https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2018/sep/03/denialism-what-drives-people-to-reject-the-truth-podcast
WOW the sandflys are swarming today they tried a repeat of yesterday’s play by getting some of there young puppets to park right close behind me I could see how nervious the driver was . They think they know me YEA RIGHT
You want to know why they are so unset I used the Infrormation ACT on the New Zealand Police to get all files on me be it written, verbal ,voice recording ,video recording ,written any data and buy the LAWS in there book’s they have to give me this information . I will let you know how my progress is on this subject.
The sandfly’s are interfering in my son’s work life my wife’s work life all of my family’s lives and a lot of people know that this is happening They think they are above the Law that they break every day holding on to there bibles.
If they don’t give me my private information well that will tell all my readers that the justices systems are a SHAM . P.S why are they trying to get me to assault some one because they have nothing on me so they are trying to entice into assaulting one of there undercover muppets so they can beat me in there cells I can see the smoke coming out there ——– Ana to kai ka kite ano
Peter Thiel is one of the people responsible for putting trump in the White House we don;t need him coming down here with the attitude that he is a law on to him self using his money and Lawyers to do just that he will use his money to shape our laws to suit his class of people and who give’s a shit about the consequences of pushing more people onto the bread lines and on the street’s . He backs privatization and smaller governments the first one will siphon more money to the wealty from the poor the people who they don’t care about , There belief is that you have to have poor people this is justified by them they say poor people are what is needed to keep profits flowing up to the wealthy and wages low . The second one is because they want a small weak government so they can do what they want the government,s will be to weak to stop them. Thats how there capitalism WORKS he doe’s not care about the people if he did he would not have backed trump enough said link is below .
Of course Drury is going to back him Thiel is powerful enough to be able to cause a slide in Drurys favorite stock no. Ana to kai ka kite ano link below.Theil will be a raciest like his m8
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12120090
I filed A Infromation ACT on Ministry of Primary Industry to why because the top cop from Gisborne who started this farce man hunt on me got his ex cop m8 that work for MAF a well known fact that MAF is were cops go when they leave the police force .
So all the information that MAF has will open the door for my court case against the New Zealand Police to stop there un- justified harassment of me and my family .
I have some one of high credibility how told me that MAF was watching me they tryed to get him to sack me he told them were to go. Ana to kai ka kite ano P.S a lot of people can see your bad behavior
Here is a Mana Wahine she discovered the first pulser netron star they emite beams of radiation out two oppsite points on the star over 50 years ago her male colleges got the prize and hounners she was award a major science prize Ka pai the Papatuanuku is growing up. ka kite ano link is below
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45425872
Good evening Newshub the high price of fuel will encourage people to buy Electric Cars that’s a good thing .
The what Authority ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.
That organization need to be scraped it is not interdependent it’s is that in NAME ONLY.
Game of Thrones a that’s a good win for Weta digital studio see computer TEC industry’s is big business and NZ is missing out because a lot of contracts for new work is going to over seas company’s.
Humpty Dumpty LOL. his mistress mite be able to put him to gather again.
3d printing is the technology that is going to help us get to a carbon neutral future .
The Mokopunas will just print what they want not shops no low freight Ka pai
Science is going to lead us to a better future that T cell therapy to treat cancer is awsome.
I give Papatuanuku creatures are awesome I had a ridge back dog that was huge .
Ka kite ano .
The Crowd Goes Wild Makere & Mulls I was just writing about Mull’s pronouncing those names he you did better than I would have.
No comment on the ref Mull’s &; Makere for the Leauge .
What was in the drink ??????
Dont cut the cheese Mulls leave the fruit alone guys .
Were’s Wairangi I could guess across the ditch no.
Ka kite ano P.S thats mean That the World Surfing is paying the Wahine the same as the men ka pai
The fake it till you make it class trump everyone could see there were heaps more people at Obama inuarguation than trumps. He still has idiots following him they are idiots as well he is dragging the worst of humanity out of there holes of – – – – fools Ka kite ano
Link is Below P.S lucky his muppets are only actually 20% of the people he fakes all the polls to like shonky
Trump inauguration crowd photos were edited after he intervened
This person is telling us to stop living in the past he would much rather hear about world war 1 & 2 than the real truth about what has happened in the past sure his hapu mite have lost a war and lost there best land but his sad excuse of dont live or look to the past is tipical. The reality is when a country does not teach te Mokopunas about the past they are hiding the facts that they RIPPED off All Maori and not just one hapu they are ashamed of the way they treated Maori full stop.
This writer has a silver spoon in his mouth that will be 1 reason he wants the past hidden he has been sucked into the denial spin what about the thousands of Maori in prison does he think that’s fair enough said link below Ka kite ano
https://i.stuff.co.nz/opinion/106877783/NEW-ZEALAND-WE-NEED-TO-STOP-LIVING-IN-THE-PAST PS this guy is a nagti pakeha
Good evening Newshub has simon sorted out his leak in his canoe enough said.
The Gisborne injection of money is good the roads are bad there back to the future Ka pai.
We can not even control party pill let
alone probiotic go figure.
Burt Reynolds was a excellent old school actor ECO enjoyed his humour and his movies Mike I guessing that you watch some of his movies.
Ka kite ano P.S I’m chasing our Mokopunas at the minute
The Crowd goes Wild Mulls & Wairangi
Wai I thought you were getting a tan in Australia.
That will be mean watching the Wahine League and then the Warriors game straight after Ka pai.
A Japanese Wahine in the finals for the Tennis Kia kaha.
The whenuapai Battlers I miss the name of the your sport.
That was a good win for Kelston college league team Ka kite ano.