Green Party MPs Catherine Delahunty and Gareth Hughes invite you to a series of hui to discuss the Government’s broad “drill it, mine it” agenda for Aotearoa – what’s happening, what does it mean to our environment and communities and how do we stop it.
These meetings are aimed at groups and individuals who are interested and engaged in working to protect Aotearoa from the destructive social and environmental impacts of mining.
From coal (lignite and conventional), gold, iron sands and other mineral mining to fracking and deep sea oil drilling there is a broad agenda of resource extraction on the table. We would like to discuss with you your concerns and the impacts, risks and opportunities towards clean alternatives and a green economy.
Dates
Auckland – Wednesday 11th April, 7 – 9pm
Lecture Theatre B15, Library Basement, University of Auckland Campus, Auckland
Hamilton – Monday 16th April, 7 – 9pm
Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street, Hamilton
Wellington – Tuesday 17th April, 7 – 8.30pm
Mezzanine Room, Wellington Library, 65 Victoria Street, Wellington
The youth mental health initiatives announced yesterday – resulting from a report by Sir Peter Gluckman last year that highlighted the risks facing young New Zealanders – must be a positive attempt to address serious problems.
…new online initiatives to tackle youth mental health problems including New Zealand’s woeful youth suicide rate.
It will also put more nurses into low decile secondary schools and test out an initiative targeted at Maori and Pacific youth via the Whanau Ora programme.
There have already been criticisms that other things should be addressed – of course they should but that shouldn’t be a negative on this.
You are trying to credit your pathetic party of one, leader who has been in minister for youth how many years, while the death count climbs of youth suiccides, noteably in young girls now too!
It’s not strange that media don’t mention UF, that’s normal. Quietly getting things done rather than making headlines.
I’d like to acknowledge here the work of United Future leader Peter Dunne, who made Youth One Stop Shops part of his Confidence and Supply Agreement with the National Party.
Peter is also busy driving work through in the youth suicide area and I am pleased to have his support for this package today.
Pete you do realise that you quoted support for the Dunny Brush , from a notorious lier John Key. This quote is nothing more than fellatio from JK in thanks for the support on asset sales!
The same JK who is responsible for ensuring hardship for families for decades to come, which will result in more suicides at youth and adult ages. The same hardship that your party of one leader supports…FFS Pete you are off your head !
i posted this question yesterday Pete,
perhaps your concern for the subject was not authorised yet,
maybe your email with the UF talking points was delayed ??
“We already know the Nats love to mine. The PM recently signaled that as-yet undefined relationships with Google are going to be an ever-increasing part of the Government’s service provider policies. If we consider the proposed Cloud-mining, the recent steps by Facebook and Google to incorporate Suicide Hotline services, the massively intrusive nature of the amended Search & Surveillance Bill, the inflation only increases of Health budgets, the MSD nannystate paycards and the overall lack of human compassion expressed by this Government’s members you may understand how a person could be pressed to highlighting the fact there is a very large information void that begs the question:
What exactly are the Government plans for dealing with mental health in NZ?”
To be fair, I haven’t found any evidence that UF lied at election time.
What’s really telling, I feel, is Peter Dunne’s letter which was read at the first Ohariu community meeting on asset sales. Dunne’s letter was solely focussed on one point: “I didn’t lie.” He didn’t make a case for or against asset sales, and he didn’t make any acknowledgement that people were against the idea. He also didn’t say anything in support of it. In fact I don’t think he mentioned it at all. (I don’t have a copy of the letter to post I’m afraid.)
All he really cared about was himself and his reputation. He couldn’t care less about the concerns of his constituents – the baubles of office are far more important than what the proleteriat might think.
Dunne will go down with John Key’s ship, and it’ll be bloody good riddance to both.
It’s like a group of repressed 1940’s era school principals have targetted those naughty union boys who won’t pull their socks up. A good kick in the crotch should should clear their heads to see that, hey, guess what, we’re fully grown adults now guys. Laughable.
“Crusher” should immediately be deemed pop speak for ‘not walking the talk’, as Collins has managed before in her political career with threatened sackings that did not eventuate etc.
I doubt this will go far enough but at least something is being done about a problem that’s been plaguing the poor for decades. Loan sharks are the scum of society IMO.
Ah, right. A Labour MP trying to bring in a private bill when Labour had nine years in power to pass it as legislation. There’s no insult there pal, they had their chances.
Back to the swamp for you DH. Parliament whether the dirty filthy tories are in office or otherwise has only so much time to do suff, Loan Sharking affects mainly poor people so has been a low legislative priority.
The backwash from Loan Sharking is more prevalent in high unemployment environments.
UPDATE: Bridgecorp directors Rod Petricevic and Rob Roest have been found guilty on all charges of misleading investors in the company’s 2007 collapse.
MY COMMENT:
“All three directors face six counts under the Securities Act 1978 in respect of untrue statements in prospectuses and investment statements dated December 21, 2006, distributed by Bridgecorp and Bridgecorp Investments.”
Ok – so why were former fellow Directors of Huljich Wealth Management (NZ) Ltd, John Banks and Don Brash not even CHARGED for signing Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009, which contained untrue statements?
Has the failure to apply ACT’s ‘one law for all’ to the current and former Leaders of the ACT Party been an arguably corrupt form of political protection because this National Government is dependent upon the vote of the MP for Epsom, Minister of Regulatory Reform (no less) John Banks?
How would a fair-minded member of the public ‘perceive’ this????
Upon what FACTS and EVIDENCE do Transparency International base New Zealand’s ‘perceived’ status as the ‘least corrupt country in the world’?
Unsubstantiated opinion from anonymous businesspeople?
Is Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perception Index ‘ even worth the paper upon which it is written?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Attendee: Transparency International Conference 2010 waterpressure@gmail.com
One of the major reasons for thr Rule of Law is consistency and yet here we have a very visible example of the inconsistency of how our laws are applied.
The issue is, given the economic conditions, are the Government’s books in a better or worse position as a result of the 2010 tax changes? The answer is very clear: The deficit is much worse because of the 2010 tax changes. They were not fiscally neutral and the Government is having to borrow to fund the tax cuts to upper income earners.
In many ways, the Government’s dire financial position was of their own making.
The chart shows that New Zealand’s combination of tax policies is relatively very favourable to people with high incomes, and relatively very unfavourable to people with low incomes.
Perhaps that’s why low income people are leaving – just like the RWNJs said people who are over taxed would. Of course, they were talking about rich people rather than the people who make stuff but there ya go – just one more thing for them to get wrong.
Probably when something more happens. There are currently 4 enquiries running and nothing much happening. The only thing I have seen for the last couple of days has been Collins is posing and not doing anything much. The only thing I saw today was links from the bookies about when she will get around to filing at the court (another week, another two weeks, and I’m wondering why they don’t have ‘never’ 😈 ).
Took long enough… Taking counsel usually the first step in the process of getting the legal advice that says no to pursue the case. Hopefully the client will be a fool because discovery would be interesting.
But you are right. It isn’t much. I really would like her to get committed. Lawyers will have to do in the absence of Oakley hospital.
Having economic,social and conservation policies that they refuse to trade for a ride to work in a Beamer and that more and more people are gaining an understanding of and like means that the Green percentage of the vote just keeps growing,
Having as Mayor of Wellington a Green Mayor and not having have the sky fall in also gives those who agree with the Green message the confidence to vote for them,
“If a National Election were held today the National Party would likely be returned to Government, however a Labour/ Greens alliance could form Government.”
and just think, that change has manifested after only a few weeks of the media expressing a modicum of criticism/reality towards the Key government and its policies. Imagine if they had done that a month prior to the election.
The writing was on the wall for all to see with the TV1 poll,in the leadership preference Slippery John Key had slipped a massive 4% since the 2011 election…
When you next click ‘add to cart’ you may wish to reflect upon this fantastic article about modern work conditions in a free and democratic society. http://t.co/70hlGxLm
On second thoughts, this serves Amazon right; if they followed worlds best practice and set up in China like all other US corporates, they wouldn’t have had any of this “worker complaints” crap.
And so the house of cards that is the Slippery National Government begins to tilt upon its rotten foundations,
The negative polls begin as a trickle and befor you can utter the words ”conflict of interest”, or, ”vote of no confidence” the negative polls become an engulfing flood where the back-bench becomes restless and begins to count the casualties by the numbers as the nasty poll results become a torrent only the desperate fools on the front bench,s continue to call them rogue,
By the way, wheres Banks, you know that bloke what had that oh so public cuppa tea with Slippery and then started gushing John this, John that like a man in love,
SkyCity say that when Banks contested the Auckland Mayoralty against Len Browne they,(SkyCity),gave them each 15 grand for their campaign funds,
Len Browne appears to have declared this donation as the law requires but in the house today Labour’s Grant Robertson alleged that Banks had made no such declaration,
Pleased you have stuck around. Also found your comments hard to read at times, but also appreciated their content and found this comment much easier to read. So hang in there.
See We knew You would get over the odd insertion of a comma where a apost, apostra, ummm aposti-thing was meant to be,(or was that the other way round),
Oh We was planning on sticking round, we just didn’t plan on sticking round all day wasting energy on the ‘pack’ who could quite understand what the intent meaning and content of our posts were, but, for reasons known only to themselves needed to vent,
thanks we will wrap our reading gear round the thread/post you have pointed us at…
They were actually beginning to trickle down (ironic giggle) just before the election, bugger it.
Why do you think that some of them look a bit more grim when their latest arrogant indiscretion is revealed? In 2009 they just stood up and bullshitted, exuding arrogance and oil. Brownlee still does, but he’s to thick to realise that the more they do this term, the more the pendulum will swing back in 2014.
We assume that your question is purely rhetorical and your own answer will suffice without us needing to add further pixels,
Ah politics as theatre, yesterday Slippery is in the House answering for the Member from Dipton, Slippery’s Finance Minister,
Today the Member from Dipton is in the House and Slippery has suddenly become the grey ghost,do we detect some tension there???,
You have to feel a brief moment of sympathy for the poor old Brat Pack tho don’t you???, ok then you don’t, how bout a brief moment of gut busting derisivemirth at the antics of these plonkers,
The Brat Packers started the week with the Member from Dipton,s little gem upon being told by Treasury that He aint got a snow-flakes chance in hell of achieving a surplus befor 2020 He then tells reporters He is all relaxed about that coz its all a ”guess” anyway,
Next Minute that bloke Nick whats-his-name gets caught out being naughty and resigns,(befor Slippery could push Him under a moving bus by any chance),
Mere moments later Slippery is spending up big time to fly all the top Embassy staff back home from round the world to tear strips off of that arch Brat Packer Murry McCully,
Is all that just coincidence in action,or is there politics at work here of a not so nice nature,dirty deeds done dirt cheap in other words…
There’s been numerous cases of investor company fraud involving huge amounts of money where little punishment has been handed down to the perpetrators…
I’ve come to the realisation that the biggest benefit of the government printing money at 0% interest is that it makes accumulating money worthless. People with vast sums of cash would no longer be able to have an income without working, would no longer be able to bludge off the rest of us as they do now (Well, would be more restricted in it anyway).
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
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Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
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It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
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Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
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Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
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. ...
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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. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
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 ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
On International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi and the wider union movement are celebrating the proud history of the labour movement during a tough time for working people. ...
From bills to beards, a walk through the former Green co-leader’s time in politics. After close to a decade in politics, James Shaw is preparing to bid farewell to parliament. Tonight will see the former minister deliver his valedictory address, certain to be a speech filled with Shaw’s trademark wit ...
Two months ago, MPs unanimously voted to give themselves a week off in Efeso Collins’ honour. On Tuesday, most were too busy to give even an hour of their time. The day Fa’anānā Efeso Collins died, parliament felt different. In a building that operates at a breakneck pace, everyone stopped ...
India’s election involves hundreds of millions of people and is a months-long affair. Here’s how voting works and what’s at stake.The biggest-ever election in world history started on April 19, with more than 10% of the world’s population eligible to vote. Elections in India, the world’s most populous country ...
Behind closed doors, NZ First will be arguing fiercely against any watering down of the ministerial decision-making powers in the Bill The post Bishop backtracks after fast-track backlash appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Emotional scenes played out in the Invercargill courthouse on the first two days of the coronial inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones, in which the boy’s mother was accused of disposing of her son’s body. The second season of Newsroom’s award-nominated podcast The Boy in the Water ...
Opinion: The impression from the carpark is very inviting. The area is well fenced but barred so there is easy visibility of loved ones. Inside, the spaces are welcoming and clean and staff are friendly and clearly comfortable. I am greeted by ‘Kim’. She has worked here for three years, ...
After the Christchurch earthquake, the then-national civil defence boss compared his experience to “putting a team on the rugby field who have never ever played together before”. Now, eight years later – and following a damning inquiry into the emergency response of cyclones Gabrielle, Hale and the Auckland anniversary weekend floods – ...
“I had just come off the end of a major robbery case which I had been working on for six months when I got a call on the afternoon of September 1, 1992, that some remains had been found at a building site in Devonport, so I drove over with ...
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Comment: Journalists are very good at telling other people’s stories, but they fall well short when writing about their own profession. Perhaps that is why it is so undervalued. Every successive poll on the public’s attitude toward journalism is more alarming than the last. In the last month we have ...
Opinion: A young Māori woman and her Pacific partner arrive at their local hospital by ambulance. She has gone into labour at just under 24 weeks, but the couple haven’t recognised the symptoms – and don’t know the risks of premature birth for their baby. By the time they arrive, ...
Asia Pacific Report A Pacific civil society alliance has condemned French neocolonial policies in Kanaky New Caledonia, saying Paris is set on “maintaining the status quo” and denying the indigenous Kanak people their inalienable right to self-determination. The Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs) Alliance, representing some 15 groups, said in ...
Koi Tū New Zealand cannot sit back and see the collapse of its Fourth Estate, the director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, Sir Peter Gluckman, says in the foreword of a paper published today. The paper, “If not journalists, then who?” paints a picture of an industry ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Foreign investment proposals with implications for Australia’s strategic or economic security will face tougher scrutiny, under a policy overhaul to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday. At the same time, the government ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealand’s economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawai’i’s House of Representatives has joined the state’s Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24–1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today — and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders – the military-led border security operation that has “closed Australia’s borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. That’s how I’ve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last night’s dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. There’s a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: “Vengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most people’s minds, the thought ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...
A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like ‘can you name a single book you’ve ever read?’ and ‘did you read it, or did you just see the movie?’This week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroom’s Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australia’s frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didn’t hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealand’s accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying “there is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-term”. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
Protesting the removal of bins by leaving piles of your dog’s shit for others to deal with doesn’t make you a hero – it’s precious and entitled behaviour. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve stood on the shoreline of Auckland’s Cheltenham beach, desperately trying to scoop increasingly liquid dog shit ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
Writer, teacher and academic Vincent O’Sullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kākā. Miraculously, through the ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a burnt-out corporate escapee explains how she gets by ‘working as little as possible’. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 31 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Contractor in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Schmidt, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Albert Russ / Shutterstock The icebreaker of many a barbeque conversation is something like “what do you do for a crust?” “I teach chemistry at university,” is what we usually reply. Then silence. Our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Flynn, Associate Professor of Criminology, Monash University Shutterstock Sexual harassment is often considered to be a person-to-person act, but new research shows Australians are also experiencing and perpetrating workplace harassment in large numbers through technology. Our latest study shows one ...
A petition signed by more than 16,500 people, demanding the government take stronger action to halt the genocide of Palestinians by the State of Israel, is being presented to the House of Representatives today by Hon Phil Twyford. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University jenmartin/Shutterstock April has been a bad month for the Australian environment. The Great Barrier Reef was hit, yet again, by intense coral bleaching. And Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek delayed ...
Winston Peters might not give a ‘rat’s derriere’ about last night’s poll, but it revealed the unusual absence of a honeymoon period and little payoff for the government’s action plan approach, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco de Jong, Lecturer, Law School, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Details released by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet under the Official Information Act reveal New Zealand officials have been considering involvement in AUKUS from the outset. ...
The government's treatment of Māori raised eyebrows, with countries saying New Zealand needed to do more to reduce health, education and justice inequities. ...
The age of criminal responsibility was one of numerous human rights issues raised during Aotearoa New Zealand’s UPR. Other key themes were racism and discrimination, the disproportionate representation of Māori in prison, and to uphold the UN Declaration ...
In a sitdown interview ahead of his final day at Parliament this week, the former Green Party co-leader tells RNZ about his lowest point during 2017's rough election campaign. ...
Is the fringe radio station really in a financial crisis, or is it just running a hyped-up donation drive? Fringe internet radio station Reality Check Radio was launched by the anti-vaccine mandates group Voices for Freedom in March 2023. For the next year, it undertook probably the most aggressive promotional ...
Above the Fold: On Monday, the biggest Māori screen production company faced down the biggest funder of Māori content at the High Court. It was an incredibly tense moment – then, just as quickly, it resolved. Duncan Greive breaks down a strange day in the screen sector.Yesterday morning, Māori ...
It’s a ride that’s lasted almost 30 years for mother and daughter BMX riders Nancy and Toni James, and the next stop is the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Almost 27 years ago, Nancy and her husband Gerrard took their oldest child, Daniel, to the Waitākere BMX Club. ...
When it comes to talking about the Government’s controversial fast-track consenting process, political scientist Richard Shaw refers to the famous Chinese sci-fi novel Three-Body Problem, while RNZ’s In Depth journalist Farah Hancock talks about zombie projects. Shaw is referring to the three-party coalition Government and how the proposed legislation is ...
Opinion: The debate over single gender versus co-educational schooling has long been controversial. I went to a co-ed school and was inspired by a remarkable woman who was my maths teacher, and because of her deep knowledge and passion for the subject, I knew that maths was definitely an option ...
The Green Party Mining Our Future Community Tour
Green Party MPs Catherine Delahunty and Gareth Hughes invite you to a series of hui to discuss the Government’s broad “drill it, mine it” agenda for Aotearoa – what’s happening, what does it mean to our environment and communities and how do we stop it.
These meetings are aimed at groups and individuals who are interested and engaged in working to protect Aotearoa from the destructive social and environmental impacts of mining.
From coal (lignite and conventional), gold, iron sands and other mineral mining to fracking and deep sea oil drilling there is a broad agenda of resource extraction on the table. We would like to discuss with you your concerns and the impacts, risks and opportunities towards clean alternatives and a green economy.
Dates
Auckland – Wednesday 11th April, 7 – 9pm
Lecture Theatre B15, Library Basement, University of Auckland Campus, Auckland
Hamilton – Monday 16th April, 7 – 9pm
Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street, Hamilton
Wellington – Tuesday 17th April, 7 – 8.30pm
Mezzanine Room, Wellington Library, 65 Victoria Street, Wellington
Christchurch – Thursday 19th April, 7 – 9pm
Workers Educational Association, 59 Gloucester Street, Christchurch
Dunedin – Monday 30th April, 7.30 – 9.30pm
Practice Room, Clubs and Societies Building, 84 Albany Street, Dunedin
The youth mental health initiatives announced yesterday – resulting from a report by Sir Peter Gluckman last year that highlighted the risks facing young New Zealanders – must be a positive attempt to address serious problems.
There have already been criticisms that other things should be addressed – of course they should but that shouldn’t be a negative on this.
Youth Package big plus in fight against suicides – from UnitedFuture’s confidence and supply agreement with National.
Strange Pete because there was no mention of UF future in any of these links
here
or
here
But hold on here is what Dunne said in 2009
You are trying to credit your pathetic party of one, leader who has been in minister for youth how many years, while the death count climbs of youth suiccides, noteably in young girls now too!
http://www.casper.org.nz/home
Dunne is a shill for big pharma!
It’s not strange that media don’t mention UF, that’s normal. Quietly getting things done rather than making headlines.
Acknowledgment where it’s due – but don’t expect that here from the hissy.
Pete you do realise that you quoted support for the Dunny Brush , from a notorious lier John Key. This quote is nothing more than fellatio from JK in thanks for the support on asset sales!
The same JK who is responsible for ensuring hardship for families for decades to come, which will result in more suicides at youth and adult ages. The same hardship that your party of one leader supports…FFS Pete you are off your head !
Is that all you got!
“Quietly getting things, Dunne”
It does sound like a positive initiative in an area that has been underfunded and neglected for far to long.
If so, All credit where it is due.
i posted this question yesterday Pete,
perhaps your concern for the subject was not authorised yet,
maybe your email with the UF talking points was delayed ??
“We already know the Nats love to mine. The PM recently signaled that as-yet undefined relationships with Google are going to be an ever-increasing part of the Government’s service provider policies. If we consider the proposed Cloud-mining, the recent steps by Facebook and Google to incorporate Suicide Hotline services, the massively intrusive nature of the amended Search & Surveillance Bill, the inflation only increases of Health budgets, the MSD nannystate paycards and the overall lack of human compassion expressed by this Government’s members you may understand how a person could be pressed to highlighting the fact there is a very large information void that begs the question:
What exactly are the Government plans for dealing with mental health in NZ?”
Not new funding though, so somewhere else is missing out.
That is the United Future that now supports state asset sales eh? after “fudging” ie bullshitting at election time. What a bunch of tory toadies.
To be fair, I haven’t found any evidence that UF lied at election time.
What’s really telling, I feel, is Peter Dunne’s letter which was read at the first Ohariu community meeting on asset sales. Dunne’s letter was solely focussed on one point: “I didn’t lie.” He didn’t make a case for or against asset sales, and he didn’t make any acknowledgement that people were against the idea. He also didn’t say anything in support of it. In fact I don’t think he mentioned it at all. (I don’t have a copy of the letter to post I’m afraid.)
All he really cared about was himself and his reputation. He couldn’t care less about the concerns of his constituents – the baubles of office are far more important than what the proleteriat might think.
Dunne will go down with John Key’s ship, and it’ll be bloody good riddance to both.
How dangerous is freedom of speech? The right in Victoria are terrified about the destructive potential of, er, stickers.
It’s like a group of repressed 1940’s era school principals have targetted those naughty union boys who won’t pull their socks up. A good kick in the crotch should should clear their heads to see that, hey, guess what, we’re fully grown adults now guys. Laughable.
It’s bizarre…
Tories hate to be reminded that not everybody considers them born to rule.
I’d say there’s blood on the hands of passionate IMF endorser Gosman from the tragic suicide of this Greek pensioner..
http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/54580
How much blood must be let Gosman in order to save the bottom line?
I have to say I laughed at this article in the Herald today – it seems the one car crushed so far was not in fact the car that it was meant to be.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10796861
lol
Does this mean the Crusher has not managed to even crush a single car yet??? Doesn’t bode well for things to come LOLOLOL
Hahaha! Potential for hilarity in question time, perhaps?
“Crusher” should immediately be deemed pop speak for ‘not walking the talk’, as Collins has managed before in her political career with threatened sackings that did not eventuate etc.
Totally, as in “Yeah he talks a big game but he’s just a crusher”.
This to me shows one of the many contradictions in the left/right dichotomy, National doing what Labour should have done years ago
“New loan shark laws unveiled”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10796169
I doubt this will go far enough but at least something is being done about a problem that’s been plaguing the poor for decades. Loan sharks are the scum of society IMO.
It is also an insult to the work Carol Beaumont put in on the sharks issue.
Is it? Don’t know about her, care to elucidate?
just one of many links available dickhead, a key point being the interest ceiling.
http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/bill-seeks-shut-down-loan-sharks-3660657
Ah, right. A Labour MP trying to bring in a private bill when Labour had nine years in power to pass it as legislation. There’s no insult there pal, they had their chances.
Back to the swamp for you DH. Parliament whether the dirty filthy tories are in office or otherwise has only so much time to do suff, Loan Sharking affects mainly poor people so has been a low legislative priority.
The backwash from Loan Sharking is more prevalent in high unemployment environments.
DH – National is squandering this nation’s chances. NZers aren’t benefitting from their rule, just foreigners and their local agents.
Did anybody see Petricovic GUILTY http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/judgment-day-bridgecorp-directors-gb-115897
The Big House beckons….
It won’t, from what I read, but it’s a start…
From across the ditch
http://www.smh.com.au/business/anz-chief-mystified-over-anger-at-executives-high-pay-20120404-1wd3p.html#poll
Probably thinks the rest of us do OK eating cake.
Doubt they care at all, after all Banksters follow the Golden Rule…( he who has the gold makes the rules)
test
You broke it. Everything after your comment is in italics.
[lprent: Bored did it with the classic <i /> Must add that to the fixups for the ‘holiday’ weekend. ]
The bastard, Bored you naughty boy!!!!!!! I will fix myself over the holiday with a classic < or / …take that you b…..
Damn it Pascal, it was working fine until you tested it!
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ‘WHITE COLLAR’ CRIME AND ‘WHITE COLLAR’ CRIMINALS?
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/judgment-day-bridgecorp-directors-gb-115897
UPDATE: Bridgecorp directors Rod Petricevic and Rob Roest have been found guilty on all charges of misleading investors in the company’s 2007 collapse.
MY COMMENT:
“All three directors face six counts under the Securities Act 1978 in respect of untrue statements in prospectuses and investment statements dated December 21, 2006, distributed by Bridgecorp and Bridgecorp Investments.”
Ok – so why were former fellow Directors of Huljich Wealth Management (NZ) Ltd, John Banks and Don Brash not even CHARGED for signing Huljich Kiwisaver Scheme registered prospectuses dated 22 August 2008 and 18 September 2009, which contained untrue statements?
Has the failure to apply ACT’s ‘one law for all’ to the current and former Leaders of the ACT Party been an arguably corrupt form of political protection because this National Government is dependent upon the vote of the MP for Epsom, Minister of Regulatory Reform (no less) John Banks?
How would a fair-minded member of the public ‘perceive’ this????
Upon what FACTS and EVIDENCE do Transparency International base New Zealand’s ‘perceived’ status as the ‘least corrupt country in the world’?
Unsubstantiated opinion from anonymous businesspeople?
Is Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perception Index ‘ even worth the paper upon which it is written?
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
Attendee: Transparency International Conference 2010
waterpressure@gmail.com
”Is Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perception Index ‘ even worth the paper upon which it is written?”
No, not at all Penny.
Full marks to you for keeping Banksie and Brash in the line of fire on this. They can run and squiggle but will be caught out eventually.
Why am I not surprised, that, “the party of personal responsibility” do not take responsibility for anything.
One of the major reasons for thr Rule of Law is consistency and yet here we have a very visible example of the inconsistency of how our laws are applied.
Taxes
First up we have Russell Norman’s How to crash the budget.
And then we have Rob Salmond’s Tax Everything in Combination post:
Perhaps that’s why low income people are leaving – just like the RWNJs said people who are over taxed would. Of course, they were talking about rich people rather than the people who make stuff but there ya go – just one more thing for them to get wrong.
John Key taking another day off work today I see.
Is anyone keeping count?
It must be hard work being a liar.
I’m missing my diet of daily ACC articles. Come on. Where’s the next one? 🙂
Good point. Looks to me like the leaks seemed to stop when crushless started getting bad press. Probably just a coincidence.
Probably when something more happens. There are currently 4 enquiries running and nothing much happening. The only thing I have seen for the last couple of days has been Collins is posing and not doing anything much. The only thing I saw today was links from the bookies about when she will get around to filing at the court (another week, another two weeks, and I’m wondering why they don’t have ‘never’ 😈 ).
Is announcing she will file papers next week and naming her QC not doing anything much?
You may have missed this:
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/nbpol/56854421-Collins-going-ahead-with-defamation-action
Talk is cheap.
Julian Miles probably isn’t cheap.
Probably not.
Still though, if you must press a shit case, you have to pay the big bucks to be in with a crack eh?
Took long enough… Taking counsel usually the first step in the process of getting the legal advice that says no to pursue the case. Hopefully the client will be a fool because discovery would be interesting.
But you are right. It isn’t much. I really would like her to get committed. Lawyers will have to do in the absence of Oakley hospital.
Reckon all them folks bleaty baa baaing about that TV1 poll will be equally forthright in explaining what the latest poll means right?
Of course they will. (Youse noes whose youse is.)
http://www.roymorgan.com/news/polls/2012/4761/
NATIONAL (44%) LEAD OVER LABOUR TUMBLES (30.5%)
GREENS (17%) HIGHEST RECORDED
What does it all mean, oh wise ones. tell us meow.
Attack politics hits National but gives to Greens?
End of two party domination?
National is paying big time
It’s not as drastic as it looks, last poll National blipped up:
47, 46, 45.5, 45.5, 45.5, 48.5, 44.5
They should be nervous about the trend though.
And while there’s a way to go yet Labour might start to get a bit nervous about a leader of the opposition contestant.
Greens will have a happy Easter.
You mean a happy Easter for the Left I think.
PG, a little secret…..40 something is short of 50 something. What you need for a majority.
A second hint…check what polls say then check the results, they were 5% out last election….is that Nats in high 30s?
Having economic,social and conservation policies that they refuse to trade for a ride to work in a Beamer and that more and more people are gaining an understanding of and like means that the Green percentage of the vote just keeps growing,
Having as Mayor of Wellington a Green Mayor and not having have the sky fall in also gives those who agree with the Green message the confidence to vote for them,
2014,Greens 17-20% of the Party vote anyone???…
Or is that 2013???(snigger)…
“If a National Election were held today the National Party would likely be returned to Government, however a Labour/ Greens alliance could form Government.”
and just think, that change has manifested after only a few weeks of the media expressing a modicum of criticism/reality towards the Key government and its policies. Imagine if they had done that a month prior to the election.
Imagine if they’d done that throughout the entire previous term.
What, their job? That’s crazy talk.
You guys crack me up. Dunno whether to laugh or to cry.
Ah what a difference a good old cuppa tea makes…
The writing was on the wall for all to see with the TV1 poll,in the leadership preference Slippery John Key had slipped a massive 4% since the 2011 election…
A rouge poll? 🙂
I like it when you come right out and admit that everything you say is suspect.
A rouge-verde poll
Quite good TS, you raised a smile indeed.
When you next click ‘add to cart’ you may wish to reflect upon this fantastic article about modern work conditions in a free and democratic society.
http://t.co/70hlGxLm
Another article detailing the goings on at an Amazon warehouse. Amazon responds.
American boards treating American workers like plantation slaves. Back to the future my friends.
On second thoughts, this serves Amazon right; if they followed worlds best practice and set up in China like all other US corporates, they wouldn’t have had any of this “worker complaints” crap.
There is a little hope on the horizon.
http://www.bcorporation.net/
And so the house of cards that is the Slippery National Government begins to tilt upon its rotten foundations,
The negative polls begin as a trickle and befor you can utter the words ”conflict of interest”, or, ”vote of no confidence” the negative polls become an engulfing flood where the back-bench becomes restless and begins to count the casualties by the numbers as the nasty poll results become a torrent only the desperate fools on the front bench,s continue to call them rogue,
By the way, wheres Banks, you know that bloke what had that oh so public cuppa tea with Slippery and then started gushing John this, John that like a man in love,
SkyCity say that when Banks contested the Auckland Mayoralty against Len Browne they,(SkyCity),gave them each 15 grand for their campaign funds,
Len Browne appears to have declared this donation as the law requires but in the house today Labour’s Grant Robertson alleged that Banks had made no such declaration,
Police investigation please…
Hi Bad12
Pleased you have stuck around. Also found your comments hard to read at times, but also appreciated their content and found this comment much easier to read. So hang in there.
There is a post/thread on this subject here if you want to contribute.
http://thestandard.org.nz/better-write-those-cheques-len-john/
See We knew You would get over the odd insertion of a comma where a apost, apostra, ummm aposti-thing was meant to be,(or was that the other way round),
Oh We was planning on sticking round, we just didn’t plan on sticking round all day wasting energy on the ‘pack’ who could quite understand what the intent meaning and content of our posts were, but, for reasons known only to themselves needed to vent,
thanks we will wrap our reading gear round the thread/post you have pointed us at…
They were actually beginning to trickle down (ironic giggle) just before the election, bugger it.
Why do you think that some of them look a bit more grim when their latest arrogant indiscretion is revealed? In 2009 they just stood up and bullshitted, exuding arrogance and oil. Brownlee still does, but he’s to thick to realise that the more they do this term, the more the pendulum will swing back in 2014.
We assume that your question is purely rhetorical and your own answer will suffice without us needing to add further pixels,
Ah politics as theatre, yesterday Slippery is in the House answering for the Member from Dipton, Slippery’s Finance Minister,
Today the Member from Dipton is in the House and Slippery has suddenly become the grey ghost,do we detect some tension there???,
You have to feel a brief moment of sympathy for the poor old Brat Pack tho don’t you???, ok then you don’t, how bout a brief moment of gut busting derisivemirth at the antics of these plonkers,
The Brat Packers started the week with the Member from Dipton,s little gem upon being told by Treasury that He aint got a snow-flakes chance in hell of achieving a surplus befor 2020 He then tells reporters He is all relaxed about that coz its all a ”guess” anyway,
Next Minute that bloke Nick whats-his-name gets caught out being naughty and resigns,(befor Slippery could push Him under a moving bus by any chance),
Mere moments later Slippery is spending up big time to fly all the top Embassy staff back home from round the world to tear strips off of that arch Brat Packer Murry McCully,
Is all that just coincidence in action,or is there politics at work here of a not so nice nature,dirty deeds done dirt cheap in other words…
Sensible sentencing for white-collar criminals?
There’s been numerous cases of investor company fraud involving huge amounts of money where little punishment has been handed down to the perpetrators…
I wonder if the police will be able to “claw” back his assts from the protection of trusts under the proceeds of crime, especially as Petrovic has been found guilty of charges under the crimes act. 😉
http://feeds.beehive.govt.nz/release/police-seize-48-million-crime-assets
I’ve come to the realisation that the biggest benefit of the government printing money at 0% interest is that it makes accumulating money worthless. People with vast sums of cash would no longer be able to have an income without working, would no longer be able to bludge off the rest of us as they do now (Well, would be more restricted in it anyway).