I’m not much into conspiracy theories, but something struck me the other day as – well, worth investigating further, because I know little about the subject. Perhaps someone on the Standard can amplify the matter?
This was that the USA joined the TPPA negotiations on or around 2008, at the time when Key had just become leader of the National Party/Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Are we then just part of a giant neoliberalist conspiracy funded by the corporates of the United States, and aimed at total domination of the world by the wealthy elite?
So john Key just gained at least five points after refusing to go to Waitangi (a good decision if a bit late) this will either add more to National and/or take away votes from the left
The people I saw up close with the most restraint were the New Zealand Police. I watched for half an hour as they were screamed at within centremetres of their faces, with dozens of protests’ i-phones raised waiting for someone to make the all-important first punch. All for television.
Not a word from them. Not a muscle twitched. Just ice-cool.
And from there, the protest energy at the Sky City entrance dissipated to very little.
Impressive work from the New Zealand Police there.
The ones doing the screaming were possibly the Rent-a-Mob that Gnats like to refer to at protests, no doubt knowing personally that such a thing exists because they ordered one to take-away.
Dunedin anti-TPP protester Olive McRae said yesterday’s mass protests in Auckland had been “very positive”, and emphasised she did not want what happened to her to distract from the success of the overall protest.
This was despite a badly swollen scalp, and bruising elsewhere on her body sustained during a day of protest, including an incident in which her hair was pulled by a police officer, during a motorway protest yesterday afternoon…
Ms McRae emphasised she had been engaged in a peaceful protest, and she and fellow protesters had gone to great lengths to ensure no members of the public, including motorists, were injured or put at risk.
She rejected suggestions the hair pulling was necessary to remove her from the highway for her own safety, and said police had used excessive force.
And what does it say about not only the current National government, but NZ itself, that there will be many of us whose first thought will be Dirty Politics?
How did John Key handle the bombing of Tolley’s office? In response to advice that MPs might want to close their offices meantime, Key said that the safety of people at work was paramount.
He is of course correct.
But also hypocritical as that was not an issue for him with his ongoing hair pulling of a young woman at work.
The second example of Key’s hypocrisy in just one day- this one being not going to Waitangi after his criticism of Clark back in 2007and his promises to always attend.
Here is a comment from an exporter (grundle) re the chinese FTA agreement by a manufacturer.
I will quote in full
e all (or some of us do) know what a ‘crock’ the TFA with China has been.
If the agreement with China was an FTA then explain why we have been paying an 8% tariff on all beef exported into China.
I own a manufacturing company in Auckland and supply a global company which also has suppliers in China. During a ‘bench-marking’ exercise which all manufacturers/suppliers around the globe quoted Tax paid, FIS, prices into each country.
Lordie, Lord, guess what. I had to add 28% to my FIS price into China. The Chinese would add….ZERO to their FIS Auckland price.
Free Trade agreement I think not!! What sort of muppets do we have running NZ Inc???
Clark, Prime Minister at the time, heralded this as the first Western country to achieve an FTA with China….What a load of BS!!
In the last 12 months my company has lost 3 customers to China, two of which relate to Govt. supply contracts.
Remember, every $1.0m that is spent on importing goods equates to 9.4 FTE, both direct and indirect.
If that $1.0m spent importing goods was kept in the NZ economy the Govt would see a $288k return. That $1.0m actually costs us $1.288m. Lost jobs, less PAYE, less GST, etc..
This simple economic fact seems to elude our esteemed politicians. Maybe our leaders aren’t as smart as the believe they are and besides ” it doesn’t matter, because the plebs don’t know any better themselves….”
Is the TPP going to be another Chinese FTA??
A question for John Key. Explain the reason/s for gifting government contracts to the Chinese, whilst our NZ manufacturers are complying with Aust/NZ standards and the Chinese do not comply. The adage; ” you get what you pay for” has been played out for example, in the railway electrification of Auckland. Within three years the Chinese supplied barriers and fencing are rusting out and falling over. Aust/NZ standards for galvanised structures…. what do you mean??
Correctly gauged rolled hollow section steel…All under gauged ….Hey but its cheap and we can’t upset our Chinese masters can we!!!
Stand up NZrs and demand that our government actually starts looking out for local providers of local employment. NOT sucking up to the Chinese at the cost to local businesses and employment.
Read the BERLE REPORT and learn something!!
Regards the TPP. Lets see some detail and solid evidence pointing to a real, not imagined, advantage for NZ Inc.
“Stand up NZrs and demand that our government actually starts looking out for local providers of local employment. NOT sucking up to the Chinese at the cost to local businesses and employment”
dv
So some little manufacturer doesn’t get everything he wants. He does apparently sell in China. When reading this load of complaints, remember that even Fonterra which is our biggest exporter in the sector of dairy produce is only a small player in the world Compare how much more miniscule this little exporter is.
That we managed to make arrangements with China through a trade agreement kept us in the picture, at the table able to talk and deal with this huge country. We are tiny, they are big and powerful. We can’t get just what we want in these circumstances. We just have to try for the best. And note that bigger countries than we are, get grumpy because they don’t get what they want. Sometimes they go to war about it which isn’t a good thing for them and their people really, and not for the world either.
We just have to keep dealing and trying for a better price. And not give away all our worldly goods as may be the price for belonging to the TPPA with its airy-fairy promises. We get vague promises, they get the right to sue us for airy-fairy profits they dreamed up for the future, and that haven’t come to fruition and they can blame that on us somehow. TPPA has been dreamt up by someone who used to send letters to Santa at the North Pole asking for really good stuff and got it! Such people have always expected to get what they want. Now they want to send us their wish list.
edited
Day after day – I see logging trucks laden with unsawn logs travel past on their way to Tauranga. There must be a hundred or more a week. They by-pass one of the largest saw mills in the country – now closed its doors with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Those logs are destined for …. China.
Part of the FTA is that we cannot export sawn lumber to China. Great deal!
NZ in WW2 sent a battalion of foresters to England with the express purpose to log and saw their spruce for the manufacture of the Mosquito. The Brits did not have the know how nor the capability to do it themselves fast enough.
Part of the heritage of this country was built on saw milling – now because of a FTA we are not allowed to do it!
If we were to put our foot down and demand that we only export sawn lumber – the ISDS machine would spring into action immediately.
Swings and roundabouts Macro. We have been not-value-adding to our products for yonks now. I believe that the timber industry is badly skewed, the wood may be straight but the business practices aren’t. Is it true that we have to pay overseas prices for our own timber now that it is privatised and been sold to Fletchers, which I believe was then bought by Graeme Hunt? And that we had to make special treaties with Fletchers to prevent export of all, leaving us with insufficient for our own national needs?
We got milk to China and we know that nothing else matters except dairy. Which has been in milk rush fever for yonks. So we can’t saw our own lumber, that is par for the course in this crazy global market. We do what we do best, then export it so they can do what they do best to it, and then, and so on. It is strange that this is so much like the old type British unionism where each union would only do the work that was covered by their union agreement, another union then did their bit. Much amusement was had because perhaps an electrician could instal something but someone else had to test it. It was uneconomic and inefficient so that got scrapped.
Yet the production of things being split up between nations with much unnecessary transport and handling and bug-carrying shipping, is the received wisdom of all modern business economics. Don’t argue with the wisdom of the business class Macro. They know how to rub the genie to create profit, their magic is stronger, than your practical arguments.
edited
Talking about mugs. What about a line of mugs with political faces on them, perhaps caricatured, for fund raising by the Labour Party. as time moves towards next election? Labour pollies would have to form part of the set – have their faces on them. But better to be talked about for something, than ignored.
Labour could organise a buffet diner to raise money, buying a mug would be a prerequisite along with the dinner cost and there would be a Greek style Zorba music dance, and instead of throwing plates on the floor, they would throw National mugs. That would get some interesting publicity and indicate the strength of determination to win and save the country, and the Labour Party at the same time.
edited
Just a health and safety warning on the mug throwing exercise. The mugs would fracture and there might be some flying splinters so the crowd should stand in a large circle well back from the central impact. Pollies create many dangers which can cut you up and this could be another occurrence – so beware.
Wellington’s hospitality industry is in decline. Is cheap booze being sold in supermarkets really to blame? Or does it come down to a growing lack of disposable income?
Alistair Boyce, managing director of the Backbencher pub near Parliament, wants to see legislation introduced that would set a minimum price per standard drink, across both off-licences and on-licensed premises.
A wee while ago a 500ml bottle of beer cost a little over $2nz across a Dusseldorf bar – same beer across the bar in Whanganui – $7 for a 330ml bottle. Fuck em’.
I think it is reduced disposable income for the most part. People like to go out, and would go out more if they could stretch their income that far. In Australia, the alcohol prices favour the pub over the off-license but drinks at the pub are quite a bit cheaper than they are here, relative to income. However, the pubs in the major Aussie cities do have a much bigger customer base. What might make a difference is a culture change whereby having a drink is associated with conviviality and catching up with friends, rather than drinking up large. This might broaden the pub’s customer base and allow for a price-shift favouring the pub, since they would be able to sell a few drinks to many rather than try to sell many rather expensive drinks to a few. But as things stand, I suspect that raising off-license prices will just lower people’s standards rather than send them running down to the local.
“I think it is reduced disposable income for the most part. People like to go out, and would go out more if they could stretch their income that far.”
Indeed.
“But as things stand, I suspect that raising off-license prices will just lower people’s standards rather than send them running down to the local.”
Or result in them staying home more and drinking less often.
I agree a culture change may help, but if the hospitality industry want to increase consumer demand, then they need to support and push issues that will put more money in peoples pockets while opposing those that will result in consumers having less.
…if the hospitality industry want to increase consumer demand, then they need to support and push issues that will put more money in peoples pockets while opposing those that will result in consumers having less I agree, but also suspect that the squeeze runs all the way down. I have known a bar to get pokies, for instance, not because they wanted them, but because the rent from them meant keeping afloat. Meanwhile the franchises put the squeeze on franchisees, etc. It is not just publicans supporting low wages and still wanting to sell drinks, it is each layer taking their pound of flesh, with low-paid workers and high-priced drinks as the end result.
“It is not just publicans supporting low wages and still wanting to sell drinks, it is each layer taking their pound of flesh, with low-paid workers and high-priced drinks as the end result”
And it’s that kind of structuring that requires to be opposed Even those on the top (applying the squeeze) lose out when patrons stop coming and bars close.
I think, at least for those over about 25, there is the reduced alcohol limit when driving that worries them. They don’t want to go out for a meal and not have a couple of glasses of wine with the food.
The ridiculous campaign the police are running which basically tries to tell you that you cannot safely drink anything is putting people off going out. It doesn’t apply to the younger ones who aren’t driving on their boozing nights anyway.
The person complaining is a special case of course. He lets politicians into his establishment which lowers the tone enormously. Would you want to drink in a place that let Trevor Mallard or Peter Dunne through the door?
“Is cheap booze being sold in supermarkets really to blame? Or does it come down to a growing lack of disposable income? ”
Neither, they’ve just slowly priced themselves out of the market. It’s the classic instance of diminishing returns; the more they put their prices up the less interest people had in buying their booze. No sympathy here.
Pub prices are outrageous, small wonder youngsters pre-load.
“The price of alcohol in off license establishments has always been substantially lower.”
Bollocks, you’re talking to an old public bar boozer here. A pint of tap beer used to be little more than bottle store prices, now they whack on outrageous markups of 400, 500, 600% and more.
High alcohol prices were the domain of first after-hours nightclubs and then trendy bars where the nobs would go to avoid mixing with the working class. They were justified by bar owners either for the short opening hours or low patronage.
When people pre-load it’s a pretty clear message they want to drink at their destination but can’t or won’t because the prices are too high for them.
Bollocks, you’re talking to an old public bar boozer here. A pint of tap beer used to be little more than bottle store prices, now they whack on outrageous markups of 400, 500, 600% and more.
Sorry but you just have it wrong here. At many pubs you could go from bar to bottle store and buy a flagon of tap beer for much the same price you’d pay at the bar.
Bottles cost more than tap beer largely due the cost of bottling but the difference wasn’t that great, was only the boutique beers with high prices.
Prices are considered high because they are high. You can’t load on a huge 500% markup and expect to maintain your sales numbers. Too many bar owners are just plain greedy. You don’t see the popular bars dropping their prices, they’re more than happy to rake it in when the going’s good.
Back in the day you could swap an empty flagon for a pre-filled one at minimal cost. However, it still cost more to drink in a bar and far more in a nightclub when they came about. Yet, they still use to pull the crowds in.
People would queue down Courtenay Place to get into Serepisos’s place. And before that, Ray Johns had them queuing up the stairs at Spats.
IMO, people just don’t have the disposable income to blow on partying as they used too.
Prices have increased but have bar margins, thus return? Overheads such as rent/lease and power increases would have had an impact.
Wages have also increased. But have they kept up?
We also have an aging population.
If bars were making a good return, (and going off closures, a number don’t) we wouldn’t hear gripes like this (link above) coming from within the industry.
However, in saying that, it could be a ploy to reduce competition.
The mind boggles.
I think you’d probably collapse about 2 hours after the bar opened.
On the other hand I do remember many years ago in my University days there were people who would go and have an 8 ounce beer in every pub in Wellington between 9am and 6pm. There were about 45 I think. Never tried it myself. I was foolish occasionally but never that foolish.
The late great Whanganui bicycle crawl was jug a pub jobbie, handles for ladies, starting at The Castlecliff ,all the way across town to The Aramaho, back down the river to The Riverside, Fosters, Rutland, Imperial, Railway, Criterion, Masonic, Federal, Commercial and then over the river to The Red lion Inn.
Face plants and heatstroke etc made for a big day thin on finishers.
Fond memories of Hammond Gamble in particular, swimming in the indoor pool in the bar while the bands played, the guys in the pool team the occasional brawl over the table, the flat upstairs and the Aussie receptionist.
Good times.
I remember the bicycle run and yeah beer was much cheaper and there was a good wine-shop in the main street, opposite Dowsetts, which closed down like many not long after supermarkets were allowed to sell alcohol.
Crawled out a window at the Rutland to avoid the coppers when I was 16 or 17. I have a vague memory of seeing Hammond Gamble and Midge Marsden there, possibly after the bikes on Boxing Day. I also did a couple of crawls, but as most of my mates were Eastsiders, we’d start at the Aramoho, then do the run to the ‘cliff and back into town via the Red. We’d park up there and walk over the bridge to do the town pubs.
Sadly, most of the other pubs mentioned above are long gone. However, the Station lives on as a sports club over by Peat park. It’s a top joint. As luck would have it, I’ll be in the river city tomorrow. Might check out the ‘new’ Riverside bar, see if it’s any chop.
Same thing applied at the Wellington 7’s, only 13k attendance, I wondered about the reasons and if it was economic, what a shame for a great comp if people simply can’t afford to go, and an indictment of the economic policies of this govt.
Waitangi
Key does not attend because he may give power to the unelected opposition reps to enhance their profile on nat tv
Sorry John you dont get to play political bias as PM. You have an obligation and if your security needs to be cranked up for your so called safety that you feel you dont need, well PUT YOUR BALLS WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS AND PROVE IT
Gandhi fronted all sorts of violence and threats to his political profile to the point of being assassinated but knowing it would come, did not give up his principles and actions to achieve independence and democracy for India
On Keys stance he is not addressing the fact that Waitangi is a commemoration of the Treaty and protests are protests .If the protest are illegal and a danger to the govt to be there, Then use the law, you had no trouble at Tetoki bringing a hit squad .
Key is playing the Yank public opinion game of the FDR era, he aint called Slippery for nothing .
Key is trying to sidestep the fact that Maori do have a right to demand clarity over the TPPA and any other crown agreements will be affected by the statutes of the Treaty and why not address it at Waitangi .Key wont do that because of the law and he has already sold out the treaty and NZ in te TPPA and the only way out for NZ is to get rid of the TPPA by electing a govt that will do so .
The TPPA is a mobile ponzi where America gets to take over the sovereignty of the Pacific countries and as we know the real gains to NZ are minimal but isnt interesting to note that the great highs in milk prices have decreased as this TPPA has gained traction and from that you could easily follow that to the drop in currency value and the fact that oil will bottom right out as recent finds in Europe have completely changed the game .And as for the 2008 Crash hoax well Johnny saviour we know we know you are dangerous BS
Key got his TPPA mates in AK to sign the starter for one world govt without full disclosure to the people of NZ. 605 corporations in the states have had the full text since its drafting, why not the people of NZ ?
So Johnny stop pullin our ponytail/chain and face it you have been caught by the Chaser Game Over lets hope 2017
This would be good scheme for a the Green or Labour Party to propose in this country. Might get some of the missing million back to the ballot boxes:
Under a law passed unanimously by the French senate, as of Wednesday large shops will no longer bin good quality food approaching its best-before date. Charities will be able to give out millions more free meals each year to people struggling to afford to eat… Supermarkets will also be barred from deliberately spoiling food in order to stop it being eaten by people foraging in stores’ bins…
Crucially the law will also make it simpler for the food industry to give some excess products directly to food banks from factories. Until now, if a dairy factory made yoghurts carrying the brand name of a supermarket, it had been a long, complex process to donate any excess to charity. Now it would be faster and easier…
Of the 7.1m tonnes of food wasted in France annually, 67% is binned by consumers, 15% by restaurants and 11% by shops. Each year 1.3bn tonnes of food are wasted worldwide.
@Chairman of course it will but that’s too reasonable, sensible and logical. Besides, Labour hate us as much as the Nats, that’s been an established fact since 1999. They have no intention of increasing benefits. They won’t even talk about it.
And here’s an interesting example. On the surface young lad made good and then you see stuff like this and see the dependency on the right connections and where the money comes from.
“Crimson immediately found a market: Beaton’s old high school, King’s College. “We had a very quick client base from people who knew of my experience going through. Parents talk, and they all want the best for their kids.” He adds: “We’ve been cash-flow positive since day one.”
“The Motivational Corner was one of four businesses Beaton bought last year. There was also UniTutor, a university tutoring service; MedView, a company that prepares students wanting admission to New Zealand’s medical schools; and Play Atlantic, which helps student athletes win scholarships to overseas universities (Max Key, the prime minister’s son, is a Play Atlantic consultant).”
No question he’s bright and works hard but I wouldn’t think there’s anyone in my neighborhood paying for his services – or even able to.
And before the righties get stuck in – nope I’m not jealous it just seems to me to quietly reinforce the whole plutonomy service the rich, have the right connections concept.
as an aside, this is why the rhetoric about GE/Monsanto feeding the world is bullshit. We have plenty of non-GE capacity to grow food for everyone, it’s just that some of us don’t want to share.
Did anyone else notice the large drones piggybacked on transport planes flying into Whenupai airbase on tuesday evening?
Seemed quite ominous to me considering the TPP signing coming up.
Maybe it’s a regular thing apparently we build them here but these things looked really big like the U.S ones.
Labour leader Andrew Little and Labour MPs are standing outside the Te Tii Marae gates in the rain after the Green Party went on ahead of them.
The Opposition parties were to be welcomed on at the same time, but instead the Greens have been taken on for a separate powhiri. That has left Labour standing in the rain for an hour.
Although they are not supposed to talk politics on the marae, they are apparently happy to show their colours – the Labour group is a blaze of Labour branded umbrellas and flags.
TPPA
It may have been explained already, but why the rush to get it through parliament now.
Most parties appear to have 2 years to ratify the agreement.
Why not open it to clause by clause scrutiny in our parliament over the next 18 months.
What’s the Key government’s rush?
Kiwis are unaccustomed to having to remove worthless governments – unlike the Poms, who rioted in the streets over Maggie’s poll tax.
We expect better governments than we get, and the governments in turn have lost their respect and loyalty to the people. There will be tears before bedtime one of these days, as either the people or a despotic regime assert power.
Mike “Contra” Hosking clearly intends his “aspirational” heroes to
be a standing reproach to protestors and other “dicks”. Seven Sharp, Television One, Friday 5 February 2016
That brilliantined, preening, self-aggrandizing [1] National Party placeman and SkyCity Casino shill Mike “Contra” Hosking likes to keep repeating that, like the National Party, he’s all about “aspiration”. On tonight’s program, he pushed this message with a vengeance, and his grinning, giggling underling Toni Street followed along obediently….
Item no. 1: An interesting report about young people who learn to fly, and who build and launch rockets for a hobby. This of course provides the thoughtful and serious host with an opportunity for a pointed little homily….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: What a contrast with some of the people we’ve seen on the streets yesterday, [speaking through closed lips, through the side of his mouth] who are not involved in launching rockets, shall we say?
TONI STREET:[grinning nervously] Yeeeees.
Item no. 2: World Bike Polo championships in Timaru. The organizer says the key message for all Bike Polo players is “Don’t be a dick.” After some quite interesting bike polo action, it’s back to the studio….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: Words to live by. Words to live by—“Don’t be a dick.” TONI STREET:[still grinning nervously] Ha ha ha ha!
Item no. 3: A Super Bowl commercial, featuring Dame Helen Mirren scolding drink-drivers, labeling them as “a short-sighted waste of space” and “a Darwin Award contender”, amongst other things. At the end of it, there is a brief moment of awe-struck silence, then there is this….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: Wonderful, eh!
Item no. 4: After noting that Joseph Parker is the number one contender for the world title, Hosking purrs, “Amazing, eh!”
To hear Hosking utter such fervent endorsements will not have surprised long-time Hosking monitors, many of whom will have recalled his endorsement, a couple of years ago on his NewstalkZB radio program, of another right wing ranter. After playing several minutes of his hero loudly and offensively excoriating black men in the United States, Hosking ascended to full worship mode, panting with excitement: “Good, eh!”
The right wing ranter that Hosking commended to his beleaguered listeners was Bill Cosby.
“UN panel has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been ‘arbitrarily detained’ in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, calling upon the UK and Sweden to end Assange’s deprivation of liberty.
“The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) … considered that Mr. Julian Assange was arbitrarily detained by the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,” the statement said.
The group concluded that the WikiLeaks founder “is entitled to his freedom of movement and to compensation.”
…”On Thursday, an official from OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner) Christophe Peschoux said if UN panel concludes that a person’s rights have been violated then “the decision is indirectly, but still legally binding on the relevant authorities and states.” ”
“The opinions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are legally-binding to the extent that they are based on international human rights law, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The binding nature of its opinions derives from the collaboration by states in the procedure, the adversarial nature of is findings and also by the authority given to the WGAD by the UN Human Rights Council.”
‘Assange sex case: Five things you may not know about it’
“Government departments produce draft documents for consideration all the time. This is a draft document which has not been seen by the Minister or his staff – nothing more,” a spokesperson for the Minister said in a statement.”
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Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Photo by Jari Hytönen on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Next week the government will again next try to get its legislation through to deal with non-citizens who won’t cooperate with efforts to deport them. The bill, which the opposition and crossbench refused to rush ...
A long-term project that will set out an alternative vision for Aotearoa that looks beyond the narrow confines of the policy straight jacket adopted by successive governments. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bree Hurst, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, QUT, Queensland University of Technology TK Kurikawa/Shutterstock A much-awaited report into Coles and Woolworths has found what many customers have long believed – Australia’s big supermarkets engage in price gouging. What started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law & Justice, UNSW Sydney The Albanese government wanted to avoid an inquiry into its migration amendment bill. The report, handed down yesterday by a senate committee that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Lobbying is at the heart of government. Who has access to and influence over key government officials shapes the decisions governments make – and how they make them. The ability to influence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Myfany Turpin, Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology, Linguistics and Ethnobiology, University of Sydney The act representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision contest has sadly not qualified for the grand final. Yet for Zaachariaha Fielding and Michael Ross, the duo that makes up Electric Fields, ...
In announcing changes to the school lunches programme, David Seymour said kids would no longer be served ‘woke’ foods. To clear up any confusion, The Spinoff has compiled a guide to the wokeness levels of some common food items. Apple = NOT WOKE Avocado = WOKE Avocado, smashed = EVEN ...
The Minister Responsible for GCSB and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security have been notified of this review, and have been provided a finalised Terms of Reference. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Minglu Chen, Senior Lecturer, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney Robert Way/Shutterstock As the past few years have illustrated so clearly, the Australia-China relationship is complicated. As such, it is crucial for Australians to develop a more nuanced understanding of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mariana Campbell, Research Lecturer, Conservation, Charles Darwin University Marilyn Connell Australian freshwater turtles are facing an alarming trend. Almost half of these species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) is one of Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Debbie Passey, Digital Health Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Josephine Barbaro, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, Psychologist, La Trobe University Unsplash We’ve come a long way in terms of understanding that everyone thinks, interacts and experiences the world differently. In the past, autistic people, people with attention deficit hyperactive disorder ...
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s deputy opposition leader James Nomane has accused the government of “reckless economic management” that has forced devaluation to manage loan repayments in foreign currency and placate the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Prime Minister James Marape “must stop lying to the people of Papua New Guinea”, ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Bookseller Confessional, in which we get to know Aotearoa’s booksellers. This week: Jane Arthur, author of Brown Bird, and former bookseller at Good Books.The book I wish I’d writtenI have been working on not comparing myself to others. On accepting that what I can ...
The final decision on the Wellington District Plan makes it official: High-density housing is legal across most of Wellington. Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses ...
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I’m not much into conspiracy theories, but something struck me the other day as – well, worth investigating further, because I know little about the subject. Perhaps someone on the Standard can amplify the matter?
This was that the USA joined the TPPA negotiations on or around 2008, at the time when Key had just become leader of the National Party/Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Are we then just part of a giant neoliberalist conspiracy funded by the corporates of the United States, and aimed at total domination of the world by the wealthy elite?
Conspiracy is the wrong word, it’s actually the way the system works with politicians tools of the uber wealthy controllers.
Key is the tool placed briefed and ready in a blue seat for when the brash model imploded. They had to act fast after blinglish eroding their base.
Radio New Zealand disseminating misinformation about the numbers at the TPPA protest.
Look at the aerial photos, Mr Griffin.
It is a little known fact that Richard Griffin, in addition to his other responsibilities at RNZ, is the sole person in charge of crowd estimates.
Working for the Fuerher.
Heard of that expression.
The office of Anne Tolley has been firebombed.
It will be a real measure of Key how he handles this. Particularly in this confluence of Waitangi Day and TPPA protests.
He could easily go gung-ho with the Police and security services.
I pray he chooses the path of restraint and peace.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/76601668/government-minister-anne-tolleys-office-firebombed–reports
So john Key just gained at least five points after refusing to go to Waitangi (a good decision if a bit late) this will either add more to National and/or take away votes from the left
The left just make it far too easy for National
The people I saw up close with the most restraint were the New Zealand Police. I watched for half an hour as they were screamed at within centremetres of their faces, with dozens of protests’ i-phones raised waiting for someone to make the all-important first punch. All for television.
Not a word from them. Not a muscle twitched. Just ice-cool.
And from there, the protest energy at the Sky City entrance dissipated to very little.
Impressive work from the New Zealand Police there.
Umm… I think the police learned a thing or two in 1981 too.
I think the police learned a thing or two in 1981 too.
The police on the streets yesterday weren’t even BORN in 1981.
lolz. Another Nat. simpleton.
Checkmate atheists
Hi Anne
Isn’t it funny how these RWNJ’s can’t even add 2 and 2 together to get the obvious answer, no wonder they vote the way they do.
Thanks Obama
The ones doing the screaming were possibly the Rent-a-Mob that Gnats like to refer to at protests, no doubt knowing personally that such a thing exists because they ordered one to take-away.
Speaking of restraint:
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/372065/protester-bruised-still-upbeat
Thanks, I was wondering if we would hear her story. Good on her for being so reasonable.
When I saw the pic, I couldn’t help thinking of the Key connection, you know, the pony tail thing, I bet it crossed the mind of Olive at the time.
He cant be in Waitangi and Bluff at the same time, He is going to Bluff to pull down all the nasty flags
Perhaps Yek is going to Bluff hoping to eat some good oysters to boost his morale.
What are the flags in Bluff?
He cant be at Waitangi . He has bigger fish to fry. Key is going down to Bluff to pull down all the nasty blue flags
Yeah, although your mob are way better at sinister.
/
Second time this week. Some idiot tried the same thing to Gerry Brownlee’s office on Monday night. I wonder if they have caught the fool.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/76446286/vandals-attack-mp-gerry-brownlees-christchurch-office.html
What makes you think it was a leftie?
And what does it say about not only the current National government, but NZ itself, that there will be many of us whose first thought will be Dirty Politics?
Thing about the TPPA is that opposition also might come from the rabid right nationalists.
And I thought the Tuhoe raids were because lefties were being trained how to throw molotovs properly /sarc
Why Tolley’s office? Why Brownlee’s? (although tbh, I’m surprised that someone in Chch hasn’t firebombed Brownlee’s office long ago).
They don’t seem like the targets of the left TPP protest.
How did John Key handle the bombing of Tolley’s office? In response to advice that MPs might want to close their offices meantime, Key said that the safety of people at work was paramount.
He is of course correct.
But also hypocritical as that was not an issue for him with his ongoing hair pulling of a young woman at work.
The second example of Key’s hypocrisy in just one day- this one being not going to Waitangi after his criticism of Clark back in 2007and his promises to always attend.
John Key- hypocrite.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/tpp-support-high-deal-signed-auckland-ns-184337#comment-position
Here is a comment from an exporter (grundle) re the chinese FTA agreement by a manufacturer.
I will quote in full
“Stand up NZrs and demand that our government actually starts looking out for local providers of local employment. NOT sucking up to the Chinese at the cost to local businesses and employment”
100% spot on.
dv
So some little manufacturer doesn’t get everything he wants. He does apparently sell in China. When reading this load of complaints, remember that even Fonterra which is our biggest exporter in the sector of dairy produce is only a small player in the world Compare how much more miniscule this little exporter is.
That we managed to make arrangements with China through a trade agreement kept us in the picture, at the table able to talk and deal with this huge country. We are tiny, they are big and powerful. We can’t get just what we want in these circumstances. We just have to try for the best. And note that bigger countries than we are, get grumpy because they don’t get what they want. Sometimes they go to war about it which isn’t a good thing for them and their people really, and not for the world either.
We just have to keep dealing and trying for a better price. And not give away all our worldly goods as may be the price for belonging to the TPPA with its airy-fairy promises. We get vague promises, they get the right to sue us for airy-fairy profits they dreamed up for the future, and that haven’t come to fruition and they can blame that on us somehow. TPPA has been dreamt up by someone who used to send letters to Santa at the North Pole asking for really good stuff and got it! Such people have always expected to get what they want. Now they want to send us their wish list.
edited
Are you serious???
Day after day – I see logging trucks laden with unsawn logs travel past on their way to Tauranga. There must be a hundred or more a week. They by-pass one of the largest saw mills in the country – now closed its doors with the loss of hundreds of jobs. Those logs are destined for …. China.
Part of the FTA is that we cannot export sawn lumber to China. Great deal!
NZ in WW2 sent a battalion of foresters to England with the express purpose to log and saw their spruce for the manufacture of the Mosquito. The Brits did not have the know how nor the capability to do it themselves fast enough.
Part of the heritage of this country was built on saw milling – now because of a FTA we are not allowed to do it!
If we were to put our foot down and demand that we only export sawn lumber – the ISDS machine would spring into action immediately.
Swings and roundabouts Macro. We have been not-value-adding to our products for yonks now. I believe that the timber industry is badly skewed, the wood may be straight but the business practices aren’t. Is it true that we have to pay overseas prices for our own timber now that it is privatised and been sold to Fletchers, which I believe was then bought by Graeme Hunt? And that we had to make special treaties with Fletchers to prevent export of all, leaving us with insufficient for our own national needs?
We got milk to China and we know that nothing else matters except dairy. Which has been in milk rush fever for yonks. So we can’t saw our own lumber, that is par for the course in this crazy global market. We do what we do best, then export it so they can do what they do best to it, and then, and so on. It is strange that this is so much like the old type British unionism where each union would only do the work that was covered by their union agreement, another union then did their bit. Much amusement was had because perhaps an electrician could instal something but someone else had to test it. It was uneconomic and inefficient so that got scrapped.
Yet the production of things being split up between nations with much unnecessary transport and handling and bug-carrying shipping, is the received wisdom of all modern business economics. Don’t argue with the wisdom of the business class Macro. They know how to rub the genie to create profit, their magic is stronger, than your practical arguments.
edited
+1 DV – these trade agreements are emperors new clothes agreements. Most Kiwis are not benefiting.
An expected $1.3million SuperGold Card funding shortfall looming?
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/367830/free-bus-funding-cap-worries-remain
Will Government force ratepayers to meet the shortfall?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/75971220/mike-yardley-leave-the-free-public-transport-scheme-for-over-65s-alone.html
Thoughts?
Great cartoon in today’s Herald.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11584687
Someone should knock up a few variants, including one with Key’s arrogant mug on it.
Talking about mugs. What about a line of mugs with political faces on them, perhaps caricatured, for fund raising by the Labour Party. as time moves towards next election? Labour pollies would have to form part of the set – have their faces on them. But better to be talked about for something, than ignored.
Labour could organise a buffet diner to raise money, buying a mug would be a prerequisite along with the dinner cost and there would be a Greek style Zorba music dance, and instead of throwing plates on the floor, they would throw National mugs. That would get some interesting publicity and indicate the strength of determination to win and save the country, and the Labour Party at the same time.
edited
Just a health and safety warning on the mug throwing exercise. The mugs would fracture and there might be some flying splinters so the crowd should stand in a large circle well back from the central impact. Pollies create many dangers which can cut you up and this could be another occurrence – so beware.
@ Cogito (6) – You say “Someone should knock up a few variants, including one with Key’s arrogant mug on it.”
That might come soon enough, only with the great dictator’s face staring out at us from our money, as well as the flag!
Wellington’s hospitality industry is in decline. Is cheap booze being sold in supermarkets really to blame? Or does it come down to a growing lack of disposable income?
Alistair Boyce, managing director of the Backbencher pub near Parliament, wants to see legislation introduced that would set a minimum price per standard drink, across both off-licences and on-licensed premises.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/76578943/Cheap-booze-damaging-Wellingtons-hospitality-industry-says-pub-boss
Is putting an end to cheap booze the solution? Or will that merely lead to those priming up at home remaining at home?
Thoughts?
A wee while ago a 500ml bottle of beer cost a little over $2nz across a Dusseldorf bar – same beer across the bar in Whanganui – $7 for a 330ml bottle. Fuck em’.
$7 would be considered on the cheaper side compared to what some places charge.
I think it is reduced disposable income for the most part. People like to go out, and would go out more if they could stretch their income that far. In Australia, the alcohol prices favour the pub over the off-license but drinks at the pub are quite a bit cheaper than they are here, relative to income. However, the pubs in the major Aussie cities do have a much bigger customer base. What might make a difference is a culture change whereby having a drink is associated with conviviality and catching up with friends, rather than drinking up large. This might broaden the pub’s customer base and allow for a price-shift favouring the pub, since they would be able to sell a few drinks to many rather than try to sell many rather expensive drinks to a few. But as things stand, I suspect that raising off-license prices will just lower people’s standards rather than send them running down to the local.
“I think it is reduced disposable income for the most part. People like to go out, and would go out more if they could stretch their income that far.”
Indeed.
“But as things stand, I suspect that raising off-license prices will just lower people’s standards rather than send them running down to the local.”
Or result in them staying home more and drinking less often.
I agree a culture change may help, but if the hospitality industry want to increase consumer demand, then they need to support and push issues that will put more money in peoples pockets while opposing those that will result in consumers having less.
…if the hospitality industry want to increase consumer demand, then they need to support and push issues that will put more money in peoples pockets while opposing those that will result in consumers having less I agree, but also suspect that the squeeze runs all the way down. I have known a bar to get pokies, for instance, not because they wanted them, but because the rent from them meant keeping afloat. Meanwhile the franchises put the squeeze on franchisees, etc. It is not just publicans supporting low wages and still wanting to sell drinks, it is each layer taking their pound of flesh, with low-paid workers and high-priced drinks as the end result.
“It is not just publicans supporting low wages and still wanting to sell drinks, it is each layer taking their pound of flesh, with low-paid workers and high-priced drinks as the end result”
And it’s that kind of structuring that requires to be opposed Even those on the top (applying the squeeze) lose out when patrons stop coming and bars close.
+1000. Couldn’t agree more.
I think, at least for those over about 25, there is the reduced alcohol limit when driving that worries them. They don’t want to go out for a meal and not have a couple of glasses of wine with the food.
The ridiculous campaign the police are running which basically tries to tell you that you cannot safely drink anything is putting people off going out. It doesn’t apply to the younger ones who aren’t driving on their boozing nights anyway.
The person complaining is a special case of course. He lets politicians into his establishment which lowers the tone enormously. Would you want to drink in a place that let Trevor Mallard or Peter Dunne through the door?
Reducing the alcohol limit would have had an impact.
“Would you want to drink in a place that let Trevor Mallard or Peter Dunne through the door?”
lol. They do seem to pull a crowd when they are filming the show though.
“Is cheap booze being sold in supermarkets really to blame? Or does it come down to a growing lack of disposable income? ”
Neither, they’ve just slowly priced themselves out of the market. It’s the classic instance of diminishing returns; the more they put their prices up the less interest people had in buying their booze. No sympathy here.
Pub prices are outrageous, small wonder youngsters pre-load.
I don’t believe so. There has always been a discrepancy. The price of alcohol in off license establishments has always been substantially lower.
“The price of alcohol in off license establishments has always been substantially lower.”
Bollocks, you’re talking to an old public bar boozer here. A pint of tap beer used to be little more than bottle store prices, now they whack on outrageous markups of 400, 500, 600% and more.
High alcohol prices were the domain of first after-hours nightclubs and then trendy bars where the nobs would go to avoid mixing with the working class. They were justified by bar owners either for the short opening hours or low patronage.
When people pre-load it’s a pretty clear message they want to drink at their destination but can’t or won’t because the prices are too high for them.
Bollocks, you’re talking to an old public bar boozer here. A pint of tap beer used to be little more than bottle store prices, now they whack on outrageous markups of 400, 500, 600% and more.
+1
I was talking generally. As for public bars, they still charged more.
Prices are considered high because incomes are low.
Sorry but you just have it wrong here. At many pubs you could go from bar to bottle store and buy a flagon of tap beer for much the same price you’d pay at the bar.
Bottles cost more than tap beer largely due the cost of bottling but the difference wasn’t that great, was only the boutique beers with high prices.
Prices are considered high because they are high. You can’t load on a huge 500% markup and expect to maintain your sales numbers. Too many bar owners are just plain greedy. You don’t see the popular bars dropping their prices, they’re more than happy to rake it in when the going’s good.
Back in the day you could swap an empty flagon for a pre-filled one at minimal cost. However, it still cost more to drink in a bar and far more in a nightclub when they came about. Yet, they still use to pull the crowds in.
People would queue down Courtenay Place to get into Serepisos’s place. And before that, Ray Johns had them queuing up the stairs at Spats.
IMO, people just don’t have the disposable income to blow on partying as they used too.
Prices have increased but have bar margins, thus return? Overheads such as rent/lease and power increases would have had an impact.
Wages have also increased. But have they kept up?
We also have an aging population.
If bars were making a good return, (and going off closures, a number don’t) we wouldn’t hear gripes like this (link above) coming from within the industry.
However, in saying that, it could be a ploy to reduce competition.
Anecdata ahead – 35 years ago if I spent my entire nett wage in the boozer I could buy 112 jugs of beer. Same job today would buy me 62 jugs of beer.
Wages failing to keep up.
The mind boggles.
I think you’d probably collapse about 2 hours after the bar opened.
On the other hand I do remember many years ago in my University days there were people who would go and have an 8 ounce beer in every pub in Wellington between 9am and 6pm. There were about 45 I think. Never tried it myself. I was foolish occasionally but never that foolish.
The late great Whanganui bicycle crawl was jug a pub jobbie, handles for ladies, starting at The Castlecliff ,all the way across town to The Aramaho, back down the river to The Riverside, Fosters, Rutland, Imperial, Railway, Criterion, Masonic, Federal, Commercial and then over the river to The Red lion Inn.
Face plants and heatstroke etc made for a big day thin on finishers.
God. That sounds even worse. A jug was about 35 ounces wasn’t it?
I think I’ll just go and have a lie down.
lol.
Filling up a jug with a nip of everything in the top shelf and then drinking it was probably worse.
God knows what it would cost to do that now.
It probably tasted awful but for some reason the memories are quite hazy in regards to those sessions.
Many hours spent at the Rutland.
Fond memories of Hammond Gamble in particular, swimming in the indoor pool in the bar while the bands played, the guys in the pool team the occasional brawl over the table, the flat upstairs and the Aussie receptionist.
Good times.
I remember the bicycle run and yeah beer was much cheaper and there was a good wine-shop in the main street, opposite Dowsetts, which closed down like many not long after supermarkets were allowed to sell alcohol.
Crawled out a window at the Rutland to avoid the coppers when I was 16 or 17. I have a vague memory of seeing Hammond Gamble and Midge Marsden there, possibly after the bikes on Boxing Day. I also did a couple of crawls, but as most of my mates were Eastsiders, we’d start at the Aramoho, then do the run to the ‘cliff and back into town via the Red. We’d park up there and walk over the bridge to do the town pubs.
Sadly, most of the other pubs mentioned above are long gone. However, the Station lives on as a sports club over by Peat park. It’s a top joint. As luck would have it, I’ll be in the river city tomorrow. Might check out the ‘new’ Riverside bar, see if it’s any chop.
Same thing applied at the Wellington 7’s, only 13k attendance, I wondered about the reasons and if it was economic, what a shame for a great comp if people simply can’t afford to go, and an indictment of the economic policies of this govt.
Waitangi
Key does not attend because he may give power to the unelected opposition reps to enhance their profile on nat tv
Sorry John you dont get to play political bias as PM. You have an obligation and if your security needs to be cranked up for your so called safety that you feel you dont need, well PUT YOUR BALLS WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS AND PROVE IT
Gandhi fronted all sorts of violence and threats to his political profile to the point of being assassinated but knowing it would come, did not give up his principles and actions to achieve independence and democracy for India
On Keys stance he is not addressing the fact that Waitangi is a commemoration of the Treaty and protests are protests .If the protest are illegal and a danger to the govt to be there, Then use the law, you had no trouble at Tetoki bringing a hit squad .
Key is playing the Yank public opinion game of the FDR era, he aint called Slippery for nothing .
Key is trying to sidestep the fact that Maori do have a right to demand clarity over the TPPA and any other crown agreements will be affected by the statutes of the Treaty and why not address it at Waitangi .Key wont do that because of the law and he has already sold out the treaty and NZ in te TPPA and the only way out for NZ is to get rid of the TPPA by electing a govt that will do so .
The TPPA is a mobile ponzi where America gets to take over the sovereignty of the Pacific countries and as we know the real gains to NZ are minimal but isnt interesting to note that the great highs in milk prices have decreased as this TPPA has gained traction and from that you could easily follow that to the drop in currency value and the fact that oil will bottom right out as recent finds in Europe have completely changed the game .And as for the 2008 Crash hoax well Johnny saviour we know we know you are dangerous BS
Key got his TPPA mates in AK to sign the starter for one world govt without full disclosure to the people of NZ. 605 corporations in the states have had the full text since its drafting, why not the people of NZ ?
So Johnny stop pullin our ponytail/chain and face it you have been caught by the Chaser Game Over lets hope 2017
Of course Key would think Gandhi was just another left wing rent a mobster
Have a listen to HOOTEN’S bs on radio this morning not quite awake I would say
I hear chicken is off the menu at Waitangi as it has clucked off and can’t be found.
This would be good scheme for a the Green or Labour Party to propose in this country. Might get some of the missing million back to the ballot boxes:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/04/french-law-forbids-food-waste-by-supermarkets
A policy to restore/increase benefits would get the attention and support of a number
@Chairman of course it will but that’s too reasonable, sensible and logical. Besides, Labour hate us as much as the Nats, that’s been an established fact since 1999. They have no intention of increasing benefits. They won’t even talk about it.
It’s a move a number have been waiting sometime for Labour to make.
The more beneficiaries receive, the more they spend, the more they boost business and tax returns.
Aye but the real money to be made is in servicing the rich.
The more money the rich have, the more you can make providing them shit at high prices.
Remember this was all forecast in the Citibank plutonomy advice they gave to investors:
http://politicalgates.blogspot.co.nz/2011/12/citigroup-plutonomy-memos-two-bombshell.html:
And here’s an interesting example. On the surface young lad made good and then you see stuff like this and see the dependency on the right connections and where the money comes from.
“Crimson immediately found a market: Beaton’s old high school, King’s College. “We had a very quick client base from people who knew of my experience going through. Parents talk, and they all want the best for their kids.” He adds: “We’ve been cash-flow positive since day one.”
“The Motivational Corner was one of four businesses Beaton bought last year. There was also UniTutor, a university tutoring service; MedView, a company that prepares students wanting admission to New Zealand’s medical schools; and Play Atlantic, which helps student athletes win scholarships to overseas universities (Max Key, the prime minister’s son, is a Play Atlantic consultant).”
No question he’s bright and works hard but I wouldn’t think there’s anyone in my neighborhood paying for his services – or even able to.
And before the righties get stuck in – nope I’m not jealous it just seems to me to quietly reinforce the whole plutonomy service the rich, have the right connections concept.
as an aside, this is why the rhetoric about GE/Monsanto feeding the world is bullshit. We have plenty of non-GE capacity to grow food for everyone, it’s just that some of us don’t want to share.
Did anyone else notice the large drones piggybacked on transport planes flying into Whenupai airbase on tuesday evening?
Seemed quite ominous to me considering the TPP signing coming up.
Maybe it’s a regular thing apparently we build them here but these things looked really big like the U.S ones.
anyone important at the signing?
@McFlock – I doubt it – even those signing know this deal is a croc and don’t want the publicity to be associated with it!
Anyone know?? My guess is, nobodies present. They send their 4th assistant to the trade minister in disguise.
You don’t seem to get it, the hearald does not report the news.
Expat +1
I prefer to wait until Checkpoint is on, and hear what actually happened thanks Magisterarse
TPPA
It may have been explained already, but why the rush to get it through parliament now.
Most parties appear to have 2 years to ratify the agreement.
Why not open it to clause by clause scrutiny in our parliament over the next 18 months.
What’s the Key government’s rush?
Steven Joyce has had a dildo thrown at him at Waitangi. For a LOL moment look at the footage from TVNZ
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/tpp-protester-boldly-chucks-dildo-at-steven-joyce-waitangi
The people throwing sex toys are acting like adults? I guess.
I enjoy a good game of ‘toss the dildo’.
Are sex toys made for children?
That’s what I meant. Adult in the Adult Shop sense.
Kiwis are unaccustomed to having to remove worthless governments – unlike the Poms, who rioted in the streets over Maggie’s poll tax.
We expect better governments than we get, and the governments in turn have lost their respect and loyalty to the people. There will be tears before bedtime one of these days, as either the people or a despotic regime assert power.
“This is for raping our sovereignty”
Because rape jokes are funny
Or, you know, not
It wasn’t a joke.
It wasn’t a joke.
She is accusing Steven Joyce of literally placing his penis into an orifice of a principle of jurisprudence without its consent?
That’s either totally confusing or HAHAHA RAPE JOKES ARE TEH FUNNY!!1
There’s certainly some confusion from you, but the rest of us understand.
Mike “Contra” Hosking clearly intends his “aspirational” heroes to
be a standing reproach to protestors and other “dicks”.
Seven Sharp, Television One, Friday 5 February 2016
That brilliantined, preening, self-aggrandizing [1] National Party placeman and SkyCity Casino shill Mike “Contra” Hosking likes to keep repeating that, like the National Party, he’s all about “aspiration”. On tonight’s program, he pushed this message with a vengeance, and his grinning, giggling underling Toni Street followed along obediently….
Item no. 1: An interesting report about young people who learn to fly, and who build and launch rockets for a hobby. This of course provides the thoughtful and serious host with an opportunity for a pointed little homily….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: What a contrast with some of the people we’ve seen on the streets yesterday, [speaking through closed lips, through the side of his mouth] who are not involved in launching rockets, shall we say?
TONI STREET: [grinning nervously] Yeeeees.
Item no. 2: World Bike Polo championships in Timaru. The organizer says the key message for all Bike Polo players is “Don’t be a dick.” After some quite interesting bike polo action, it’s back to the studio….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: Words to live by. Words to live by—“Don’t be a dick.”
TONI STREET: [still grinning nervously] Ha ha ha ha!
Item no. 3: A Super Bowl commercial, featuring Dame Helen Mirren scolding drink-drivers, labeling them as “a short-sighted waste of space” and “a Darwin Award contender”, amongst other things. At the end of it, there is a brief moment of awe-struck silence, then there is this….
MIKE “CONTRA” HOSKING: Wonderful, eh!
Item no. 4: After noting that Joseph Parker is the number one contender for the world title, Hosking purrs, “Amazing, eh!”
To hear Hosking utter such fervent endorsements will not have surprised long-time Hosking monitors, many of whom will have recalled his endorsement, a couple of years ago on his NewstalkZB radio program, of another right wing ranter. After playing several minutes of his hero loudly and offensively excoriating black men in the United States, Hosking ascended to full worship mode, panting with excitement: “Good, eh!”
The right wing ranter that Hosking commended to his beleaguered listeners was Bill Cosby.
[1] http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-15032015/#comment-985614
‘UN panel rules Julian Assange arbitrarily detained, entitled to liberty & compensation’
https://www.rt.com/news/331371-assange-arbitrarily-detained-un/
“UN panel has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been ‘arbitrarily detained’ in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, calling upon the UK and Sweden to end Assange’s deprivation of liberty.
“The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) … considered that Mr. Julian Assange was arbitrarily detained by the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,” the statement said.
The group concluded that the WikiLeaks founder “is entitled to his freedom of movement and to compensation.”
…”On Thursday, an official from OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner) Christophe Peschoux said if UN panel concludes that a person’s rights have been violated then “the decision is indirectly, but still legally binding on the relevant authorities and states.” ”
“The opinions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are legally-binding to the extent that they are based on international human rights law, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The binding nature of its opinions derives from the collaboration by states in the procedure, the adversarial nature of is findings and also by the authority given to the WGAD by the UN Human Rights Council.”
‘Assange sex case: Five things you may not know about it’
https://www.rt.com/news/331361-assange-case-five-facts/
“Government departments produce draft documents for consideration all the time. This is a draft document which has not been seen by the Minister or his staff – nothing more,” a spokesperson for the Minister said in a statement.”
sound familiar? CT strikes again
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35499012