For a lot of people, yes and for the rest a product that is better had in moderation not the “must drink at least 20 glasses a day” line that was pushed at us growing up.
Plain water or water with a low sugar fruit syrup is a much cheaper and healthier option
would blame Fonterra for this.International mkt price down,rinse old faithful domestic consumer.p.s and lay off a few hundred workers…whats the big cheese salary band again?
“Well look this is a tinder-dry area and extraordinarily, errr, ancestral in nature.”
Winston Peters’ fatuous comments about Gaza Native Affairs, Māori Television, Monday 29 June 2015
Last Monday night, Māori Television’s normally excellent Native Affairs programme did what the other channels here have lacked the courage and the conscience to do: it invited people on to talk about the latest incident of Israeli piracy in international waters.
It was a promising idea—the programme was, after all, fronted by the excellent Mihingarangi Forbes. Unfortunately, however, after a brief introductory discussion with Kia Ora Gaza’s Roger Fowler, it was all down-hill. The other guests were all politicians, most of whom did not seem more than vaguely familiar with the situation in Gaza. Even the best of the four on offer, Greens co-leader Metiria Turei, resolutely steered away from mentioning that the blockade was illegal.
Māori Party leader Te Ururoa Flavell and Labour’s Nanaia Mahuta made some comments supportive of the peace protestors, but neither of them seemed to have much knowledge of the situation.
At the 6:38 mark, it was the turn of the New Zealand First leader to demonstrate the depth and seriousness of his research into the matter at hand. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have read anything, let alone given it more than a passing thought….
MIHINGARANGI FORBES: Winston, should New Zealand recognize Palestine as an independent state? Currently around a hundred and thirty-five U.N. countries do; we don’t.
WINSTON PETERS: Well look this is a tinder-dry area and it’s extraordinarily, errr, ancestral in nature. Uh, there ARE people working on a long-term solution, errr, that wi- would be acceptable to both sides, but in the middle of it has come this event, for which none of us is seriously briefed, and, ahh, I’m not going to jump into an argument without knowing the details on both sides, but this will not be, would not resolve THIS matter. Ahh, there ARE people trying to get past the present impasse that’s gone on now for decades, and trying to bring it to a resolution, and that’s what we in New Zealand First and I believe, indeed, the Government supports.
After that grim exercise in saying nothing, it was turn of the Labour Party representative. She was almost as mealy-mouthed and vague as Peters….
NANAIA MAHUTA: Well New Zealand’s long played a role in international peace-keeping and also, ah, supporting humanitarian aid, ah so that’s an important role that we have to continue on the Security Council. On the particular, though, it’s the — the first priority though must go to those who have been detained, and in particular, those New Zealanders who are over there. Ah, and I’m sure that the Government will have eyes on this particular situation. It IS a tinderbox, so we’re going into a live area. It is a sensitive situation, it will require negotiation. But we cannot get away from the fact that an independent Palestinian state, which Labour HAS supported, I think we first voiced it in 2005, is a matter of negotiation, and it will require, uh, an ongoing effort to look for a solution there in Gaza. …..
Holocaust survivors condemn Israel for Gaza massacre, call for boycott
In response to Elie Wiesel’s bizarre advertisement comparing Hamas to Nazis, 327 Jewish Holocaust survivors and descendants published a New York Times ad accusing Israel of ‘ongoing massacre of the Palestinian people.’
When Elie Wiesel spoke at Saint Louis University on December 1, 2009, three women challenged him to break his silence about Gaza and to travel with them on the Gaza Freedom March to see for himself the devastation caused by Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 and the ongoing siege.
Five years later, and the old hypocrite has still not gone to Gaza.
It’s time to put some cold, hard cash under the mattress.
In the 2008-09 financial meltdown there was a deadly serious danger NZ banks would freeze up. We borrow heavily. Two-thirds of the money we borrow comes from outside the country. If NZ banks can’t borrow, they can’t pay us. Funds frozen!
Let’s assume last week’s 30% crash in Chinese shares and/or the Greek Euro crisis equals a 5% probability international finance markets will seize up, blocking your unfettered access to your bank accounts.
If the risk is 5%, NZ banks should be paying you at least 7% or 8% interest to risk leaving your money with them. They don’t.
It’s called risk/reward ratio. Today your risk is hugely greater than the possible reward.
The logical thing is to withdraw your money as cash . . . . NOW.
NZ banks can always borrow from the RBNZ as the Lender of Last Resort. The problem Greece has is that the ECB is no longer loaning to Greek banks so as to punish the Greeks for what the private banks in Germany and elsewhere did.
Joyce on “The Nation” said something like “Dairy is not that big, its 5% … Kiwifruit is 2%”. Paddy tried to say its 20% but Joyce stuck to his 5%. Should Paddy have clarified what it was a percentage of?
Joyce doesn’t appear to be comparing apples with apples as Dairy is approx $11 billion and Kiwifruit about $1 billion (from a very quick google search). Has Kiwifruit increased recently to $4 billion? Why didn’t Joyce just say Kiwifruit is 30% of GDP (and leave out that that figure is for the Bay of Plenty)? Who would challenge him?
Not the MSM. Spineless, useless, entertainment for profit.
The entire Washington Press Corps knew Ronald Regan did not have a functioning brain. Questions for his “press conferences” were submitted 24 hours in advance. They were numbered and the “lucky” reporters whose questions had been chosen for an answer were told which number their question would be and told it must be asked precisely as it was submitted. There were never follow-up questions. Then Regan read the answers from a teleprompter.
20 years later we were told Ronnie is dead. Died of Alzheimers.
He had Alzheimers when he was POTUS and NO ONE said a word. They didn’t want to be tossed out of Washington for telling the truth that everyone in Washington already knew!
The so-called “most powerful man in the world” was brain dead!
John Campbell was lethal because he asked the questions by showing examples, not by confronting ministers head-on.
Amakiwi
Have you a link to that piece on Ronald Reagan’s head. It always seemed to be that he was a good one liner, or joker, and indeed there is a recurring photo with him and a lot of suits falling about in high glee, or for a photo shoot! That seemed to be his main pulling power.
“In August 1994, at the age of 83, Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease,[289] an incurable neurological disorder which destroys brain cells and ultimately causes death.[289][290] In November, he informed the nation through a handwritten letter.”
Dairy is 20% of exports and 5% of GDP is how I understood it.
The interesting thing I noted is the “don’t talk it down” meme ,Paul Henry was chucking that line about last week , he obviously had been handed his instructions on what to say. just in case we needed more proof of his being a PR man for national.
User-pays for burial costs in Auckland must go up to match the contractors costs. Some well spoken woman explains this in a TINA tone. This should be a service that is subsidised if necessary. When you view it objectively, user cannot pay, and if the family and connections have little money how are they to manage? Cold hearted, money-mad Auckland council. The pits of NZ.
2009 costs went up.
(Note the unsuitable council department making cemetery policy!) http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/central-leader/2333960/Burial-costs-going-up
The Auckland City Council’s arts, culture and recreation committee voted last Wednesday to raise the charges over the 2009/2010financial year.
The three council cemeteries are Hillsborough, Waikaraka and Otahuhu.
An adult plot now costs $1027, with another $507 in digging fees.
With the increase, the total cost will go up to $1917.
There are also other costs to take into account when burying loved ones.
Being buried on a Saturday can already add $195 to $377, a public holiday burial currently costs an extra $377 and reopening an occupied plot costs an extra $130.
Those fees will all go up….
Councillor Cathy Casey told the meeting she was concerned the increase is to be applied to all the cemeteries, when some were “five star” and some were “one star”.
She moved an amendment for a 2.6 percent price increase instead. A 25 percent increase in the first year is outrageous in the current climate. When someone dies it’s a huge expense,” she said.
2015 costs go up.
Fees for burial plots across the Auckland region increased by an average 22 per cent, fees for ash plots by 14 per cent, and internment fees by 132 per cent…
An example of the impact of the fees rise was at Manukau Memorial Gardens, where a burial plot cost had gone up 15 per cent from $3464 to $4000, plus interment fee of $1072.
A Papakura burial plot went up 19 per cent from $1678 to $2000 and interment went up by $857 to $1400 or a 158 per cent rise.
At Waikumete, a fee for the ash plot garden rose 48 per cent from $1708 to $2533 plus interment of $300.
Funeral Directors Association CE Mrs Shanks said that Work and Income provides funeral grants of up to $2008 to cover burial, plot and cremation charges but this would not cover costs, she said.
Where is the empathy for poor people in grief from family deaths? Perhaps there needs to be a paupers area as in the past when we actually acknowledged that poverty existed.
And the recession impacting as much now as then, or worse, while costs continue to rise in excess of income.
Interesting how culture is against cremation.
The council has earmarked $46.5 million to expand cemetery areas in the next 10 years in view of more than 70 per cent of people favouring burial over cremation.
Many people are aware of the 1951 waterfront lockout, when the National Party government of Sid Holland brought in draconian legislation and imposed six months of strong-arm state tactics to defeat the wharfies and their allies who comprised the vanguard of the organised labour movement and wider woring class. Much less well-known, however – even though it was very much one of the precursors of 1951 – is the 1949 Auckland carpenters’ dispute in which the union was deregistered by the first Labour government as part of its sustained assault on the most progressive sections of the union movement. . .
As is usual with lay-offs here, the Fonterra ones seem to be meeting with no opposition. Below are a small collection of articles about when workers actually fight, most particularly a series of workplace occupations. Among the pieces are an interview I did with a spokesperson for the Vio.me factory occupation in Thessaloniki in Greece: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/when-workers-occupy/
Today, Greek voters take part in a referendum on whether to accept or reject the austerity measures the troika (IMF, European Central Bank, and EU Commission) wish to impose on them.
The film is a direct response to the current crisis, being imposed on European countries under the name ‘AUSTERITY’. It also addresses many of the misperceptions of Greek culture and history that are promoted as part of a program of destructive propaganda against the country and its people.
Apologies if I’ve missed any previous comments on this article, but just got back from coffee with a friend who pointed it out from yesterday’s Herald:
From reading through it seems that the violence was considerable and on-going for several years. The police officer was one of four family members, and had charges laid separately from the other three defendants.
The Crown applied to have the officer stand trial with the other three but in February Judge Anna Johns ruled there would have to be two trials because the allegations against the policeman were separate from the others.
The judge said there was no suggestion anyone else was present during his reported attacks, which the victim said happenned up to twice a week.
“To have the defendant’s matters heard with the others would unduly prejudice his trial, especially as allegations of prolonged family abuse would lead to feelings of disgust with members of the jury,” his lawyer James Maddox said.
Judge Johns agreed.
The trial for the three other accused – on 18 charges between them – will start in November and the Crown eventually decided in May that “public interest points away from proceeding against [the police officer].
Four charges of assault with a weapon and one of assaulting a child were withdrawn.”
I’ve ended up posting most of the article, but the reason given by the Crown Prosecutor seem fairly weak, and what has been reported seem extreme to dismiss so cavalierly.
“”The Crown is of the view the child’s wellbeing may be jeopardised by a second set of proceedings. That is a risk the Crown is not willing to take,” prosecutor Eliza Walker said.
But both defence counsel and the judge said there was no evidence of any great emotional toll on the young girl.
“I see keeping [him] separate as not ultimately putting any additional stress on the complainant,” Judge Johns said.
Court documents alleged that between 2012 and 2014 the cop also used his police belt as a weapon against the girl.
The complainant told interviewers that in one instance he “whacked” her five times and punched her as she lay on the ground, before dragging her along the floor by her legging and striking her again with the belt.
But the court recognised the allegations against the other three defendants as being more serious.
The Crown outlined the most serious incident, which allegedly began with the girl being punched, hit with a stick and sat on.
The police summary said she was held down while someone grabbed an electric bread knife from the kitchen in a bid to cut off her nipple.
“Fortunately, the knife did not work.”
Further incidents allegedly saw the young relative dragged around the house by her hair, with such force clumps were pulled out.
And she also reported times when she was punched and had her head smashed into a brick wall outside the church they all attended.”
Difficult to untangle what legal jugglings went on in that one. The cop had some charges withdrawn, then the story quickly goes into description of someone else’s offences, then jumps back to him. It finishes up by saying although the Crown withdrew charges, the court may re-lay them. My understanding of “In the public interest” is to avoid unsettling the population, e.g. We can’t have cops being seen to be the bad guys, or, to avoid exposing personal details (personal privacy issues) the public don’t need to know. Which is contradicted by the final sentence which says charges may be re-laid. I don’t know how they go about their decisions. From here, the cop doesn’t sound like the kind of guy you want wandering around freely or in the Police, and the court saying “She doesn’t appear to under extra stress…” just sounds ignorant/absurd. Big bad World out there.
The problem is the sophisticated lobby of the wealthy. American elections are now multi million dollar affairs. Aspiring politicians try to outdo each other in the size of their campaign war chests. Politicians of all shades become beholden to the wealthy who can liberally fund election campaigns. And the lobbying continues right up to the next election.
Oligarchs keep their riches out of state coffers through what Winters calls the ‘Wealth Defense Industry.’ This is the cadre of professionals hired to lobby government and advise ways of hiding wealth, often through keeping it in tax havens. The Wealth Defence Industry represents an army of lawyers, accounting firms, and high paid lobbyists.
Some are calling for a new Left Party …as Labour seems to be failing and is not making any headway going it alone… (see ‘Guest Post – What is Little’s vision for New Zealand?’)
However rather than start a yet another new left party …better and more practical to use the existing ‘left’ opposition parties with their structures and existing politicians but have an overall ‘Left Umbrella Coalition’:
1.)…so that co-operation is the order of the day and NOT knee-capping
2.)…the objective being to get rid of this present government …this should over-ride all other objectives!
….with Metiria Turei at the helm of this coalition:
1.)…. Metiria Turei is an experienced Left and environmental politician with an impeccable record.
2.)…..she has already shown she can work with Mana/Int and Labour and NZF….
3.)…she is attractive to the 50% women vote and the Maori vote, as well as the Left vote
The Alliance was a new left startup party in opposition to neolib Labour and neolib National
…I thought i made it quite clear that a ‘Left Umbrella Coalition’ would NOT REPLACE existing parties…rather co-ordinate so they can work co-operatively
…ie there would be representatives from each of the existing parties who would be part of this organisation…which would work with the objective of collectively ousting this present government…not in competition to knee-cap each other…hence killing the opposition and letting jonkey nactional in
yes but they were all newbies…and the Alliance did not cooperate with Labour and Helen Clark to win an election…letting National win…so NOT what I meant
… i suggest a model more like the FOL ie a loose knit group of unions
Sounds like a good idea – present the coalition to the public before the election. Fair, open, no hidden uncertainties. Terribly unorthodox. That’d put the wind up them.
@ b waghorn re – NZF’s “natural home” is with National
1) Ron Marks does not run NZF….Winston does ( NZF on sale of State Assets?…more aligned with Labour and the Greens…as with many other issues eg overseas ownership of NZ land and housing)
2 ) Ron Marks wants NZ troops withdrawn from Iraq….so questionable “nats are NZF’s natural home”
3.) NZF has spent more time in successful coalition with Helen Clark’s Labour Party Government than with National …which NZF pulled the plug on and forced out of office after a very short time and on the continued sale of State Assets
“Each year, when the Pride march in London comes around, the claims that it has become commercialised and separated from its roots get stronger. This year was no different, with the movement becoming more splintered than ever – the divisions are clearer between its traditional left support and the newer, corporate-sponsored wing. . . ”
I can’t get over just how trivial both the Saturday Herald and Sunday Star-Times have become. We bought one of each this weekend for the first time in a very long while (we needed them to help light the fire!) and the only decent things I found to read were Rod Oram’s column in SST and John Armstrong in the Herald. The rest was light and fluffy – for a wet weekend, not much reading in ’em at all ! !
FYI – former Labour Party President Mike Williams view – supporting the Hawkes Bay amalgamation.
Interesting that Labour MP Stuart Nash is strongly and actively opposing the Hawkes Bay amalgamation.
Where’s the ‘cost-benefit’ analysis of the disastrous forced Auckland ‘Supercity for the 1%’ amalgamation?
“What couldn’t be predicted was the release of the final report of the Local Government Commission on the proposed amalgamation of the five councils that make up Hawke’s Bay. You’d have to be living under a large boulder if you don’t know what that was, and what happens next.
Although amalgamation plans for Northland and the Wellington region were dropped, the Local Government Commission found sufficient local support in Hawke’s Bay to confirm their (slightly) revised proposal.
From an outsider who grew up in Hawke’s Bay, loves the place and visits often, this seems a very heartening next step and I hope that local people who will make the final decision in a referendum grab the opportunity for unity. …”
What is needed, in my view, is the proper implementation of the Public Records Act 2005, and the completion of ‘transparency templates’ – which establish ‘costs datums’ available for public scrutiny, so the public can see where exactly public rates monies are being spent on Council services and regulatory functions.
It’s time to OPEN THE BOOKS so that citizens and ratepayers can ‘follow the dollar’ …..
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Neha Pathak When spring creeps around the corner, pediatrician Aaron Bernstein starts counseling his Boston-area patients and their families about extreme heat action plans. “The first heat wave of the year is routinely the most harmful,” says Bernstein, who also directs Harvard’s ...
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by Don Franks It seems that almost each day now another ram raid shatters someone’s shop front and loots the premises. Prestigious Queen street is not immune, while attacks on small dairies have long stopped being headline news. Those of us not directly affected are becoming numbed to this form ...
It’s hard to believe that when we created Sciblogs in 2009, the iPhone was only two years old, being a ‘Youtuber’ wasn’t really a thing and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok didn’t exist. But Science blogging was a big thing, particularly in the United States, where a number of scientists had ...
For 13 years, Sciblogs has been a staple in New Zealand’s science-writing landscape. Our bloggers have written about a vast variety of topics from climate change to covid, and from nanotechnology to household gadgets.But sadly, it’s time to close shop. Sciblogs will be shutting down on 30 June.When ...
Radical Options: By allocating the Broadcasting portfolio to the irrepressible, occasionally truculent, leader of Labour’s Māori caucus, Willie Jackson, the Prime Minister has, at the very least, confirmed that her appointment of Kiri Allan was no one-off. There are many words that could be used to describe Ardern’s placement of ...
A Delicate Juggler? The new Chief Censor, Ms Caroline Flora, owes New Zealand a comprehensive explanation of how she sees, and how she proposes to carry out, her role. Where, for example, is her duty to respect and protect the citizen’s right to freedom of expression positioned in relation to ...
Good grief. Has foreign policy commentary really devolved to the point where our diplomatic effort is being measured by how many overseas trips have been taken by our Foreign Minister? Weird, but apparently so. All this week, a series of media policy wonks have been invidiously comparing how many trips ...
Where we've been Time flies. This coming summer will mark 15 years of Skeptical Science focusing its effort on "traditional" climate science denial. Leaving aside frivolities, we've devoted most of our effort to combatting "serious" denial falling into a handful of broad categories of fairly crisp misconceptions: "radiative physics is wrong,""geophysics is ...
Mercenary army of bogus skeptics on parade Because they're both squarely centered in the Skeptical Science wheelhouse, this week we're highlighting two articles from our government and NGO section, where we collect high-quality articles not originating in academic research but featuring many of the important attributes of journal publications. Our mission ...
In the latest episode of AVFA Selwyn Manning and I discuss the evolution of Latin American politics and macroeconomic policy since the 1970s as well as US-Latin American relations during that time period. We use recent elections and the 2022 Summit of the Americas as anchor points. ...
The Scottish government has announced plans for another independence referendum: Nicola Sturgeon plans to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence in October next year if her government secures the legal approval to stage it. Angus Robertson, the Scottish government’s constitution secretary, said that provided ample time to pass ...
So far, the closer military relationship envisaged by Jacinda Ardern and Joseph Biden at their recent White House meeting has been analysed mainly in terms of what this means for our supposedly “independent” foreign policy. Not much attention has been paid to what having more interoperable defence forces might mean ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters For those puzzling over the various hurricane computer forecast models to figure out which one to believe, the best answer is: Don’t believe any of them. Put your trust in the National Hurricane Center, or NHC, forecast. Although an individual ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Scott Denning The excellent Julia Steinberger essay posted at this site in May provides a disturbing window into the psychology of teaching climate change to young people. It’s critically important to talk with youth about hard topics: love and sex, deadly contagion, school shootings, vicious ...
By Imogen Foote (Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington) A lack of consensus among international conservation regimes regarding albatross taxonomy makes management of these ocean roaming birds tricky. My PhD research aims to generate whole genome data for some of our most threatened albatrosses in a first attempt ...
Well, if that’s “minor” I’d be interested to see what a major reshuffle looks like.Jacinda Ardern has reminded New Zealand of the steel behind the spin in her cabinet refresh announced today. While the Prime Minister stressed that the changes were “triggered” by Kris Faafoi and Trevor Mallard and their ...
A company gives a large amount of money to a political party because they are concerned about law changes which might affect their business model. And lo and behold, the changes are dumped, and a special exemption written into the law to protect them. Its the sort of thing we ...
Active Shooters: With more than two dozen gang-related drive-by shootings dominating (entirely justifiably) the headlines of the past few weeks, there would be something amiss with our democracy if at least one major political party did not raise the issues of law and order in the most aggressive fashion. (Photo ...
Going Down? Governments also suffer in recessions and depressions – just like their citizens. Slowing economic activity means fewer companies making profits, fewer people in paid employment, fewer dollars being spent, and much less revenue being collected. With its own “income” shrinking, the instinct of most government’s is to sharply ...
In the 50 years since Norm Kirk first promised to take the bikes off the bikies, our politicians have tried again and again to win votes by promising to crack down on gangs. Canterbury University academic Jarrod Gilbert (an expert on New Zealand’s gang culture) recently gave chapter and verse ...
Misdirection: New Zealanders see burly gang members, decked out in their patches, sitting astride their deafening motorcycles, cruising six abreast down the motorway as frightened civilians scramble to get out of their way, and they think these guys are the problem. Fact is, these guys represent little more than the misdirection ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to announce its support urgently for a moratorium on deep sea mining under the high seas, after Pacific nations joined forces this week to demand change. ...
We’re committed to ensuring that there is every opportunity for women and girls to succeed in Aotearoa New Zealand, with fewer barriers. Since coming into Government, we’ve worked hard to support women and girls, by improving services like healthcare and tackling issues like the gender pay gap. Here are just ...
Political pressure from the Green Party has pushed the Government to supply free masks to kids and teachers in schools across Aotearoa New Zealand. ...
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand and the European Greens have published a joint statement calling for the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement to support climate action, phase out fossil fuel subsidies, cut agriculture emissions, protect human rights, and uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to guarantee that it will complete light rail and improve walking, cycling, and bus journeys across Wellington before digging new high-carbon tunnels. ...
The Green Party is urging Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker to commit to stronger ocean protection around Aotearoa and on the high seas while at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Portugal this week. ...
A strong Green voice in Parliament has helped reduce the influence large secret money will have in future elections and finally ensured overseas New Zealanders will retain the right to vote even while stranded by the Pandemic. But, the Government needs to go further to ensure our democracy works for ...
A new poll shows that the majority of people back the Greens’ call on the Government to overhaul the country’s criminally punitive, anti-evidence drug law. ...
The US Supreme Court’s decision on abortion is a reminder that we must take nothing for granted in Aotearoa, the Green Party says. “Aotearoa should be a place where everyone, no matter where they are from, or who they love, can choose what is right for their body and their ...
We’re proud to have delivered on our election commitment to establish a public holiday to celebrate Matariki. For the first time this year, New Zealanders will have the chance to enjoy a mid-winter holiday that is uniquely our own. ...
Proposed new legislation to reduce the risk that timber imported into Aotearoa New Zealand is sourced from illegal logging is a positive first step but it should go further, the Green Party says. ...
On World Refugee Day, the Green Party is calling on the new Minister for Immigration, Michael Wood to make up for the support that was not provided to people forced to leave their home countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
This week, we’ve marked a major milestone in our school upgrade programme. We've supported 4,500 projects across the country for schools to upgrade classrooms, sports facilities, playgrounds and more, so Kiwi kids have the best possible environments to learn in. ...
We’ve delivered on our election commitment to make Matariki a public holiday. For the first time this year, all New Zealanders will have the chance to enjoy a mid-winter holiday that is uniquely our own with family and friends. Try our quiz below, then challenge your whānau! To celebrate, we’ve ...
The Green Party says the removal of pre-departure testing for arrivals into New Zealand means the Government must step up domestic measures to protect communities most at risk. ...
The long overdue resumption of the Pacific Access Category and Samoan Quota must be followed by an overhaul of the Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSE) scheme, says the Green Party. ...
Lessons must be learned from the Government's response to the Delta outbreak, which the Ministry of Health confirmed today left Māori, Pacific, and disabled communities at greater risk. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to withdraw the proposed Oranga Tamariki oversight legislation which strips away independence and fails to put children at the heart. ...
European Commission President von der Leyen and Prime Minister of New Zealand Ardern met in Brussels on 30 June 2022. The encounter provided an opportunity to reaffirm that the European Union and Aotearoa New Zealand are longstanding partners with shared democratic values and interests, aligned positions on key international and ...
Export revenue to the EU to grow by up to $1.8 billion annually on full implementation. Duty-free access on 97% of New Zealand’s current exports to the EU; with over 91% being removed the day the FTA comes into force. NZ exporters set to save approx. $110 million per annum ...
57,000 EVs and Hybrid registered in first year of clean car scheme, 56% increase on previous year EVs and Non Plug-in Hybrids made up 20% of new passenger car sales in March/April 2022 The Government’s Clean Car Discount Scheme has been a success, with more than 57,000 light-electric and ...
Police Minister Chris Hipkins congratulates the newest Police wing – wing 355 – which graduated today in Porirua. “These 70 new constables heading for the frontline bring the total number of new officers since Labour took office to 3,303 and is the latest mark of our commitment to the Police ...
Members with a range of governance, financial and technical skills have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Board as part of the shift to strengthen the Bank’s decision-making and accountability arrangements. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 2021 comes into force on 1 July 2022, with the establishment of ...
New Zealand to remain at Orange as case numbers start to creep up 50 child-size masks made available to every year 4-7 student in New Zealand 20,000-30,000 masks provided a week to all other students and school staff Extra funding to schools and early childhood services to supports better ...
Aotearoa New Zealand will join Ukraine’s case against Russia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which challenges Russia’s spurious attempt to justify its invasion under international law. Ukraine filed a case at the ICJ in February arguing Russia has falsely claimed genocide had occurred in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as ...
The Government has taken another step forward in its work to eliminate family violence and sexual violence with the announcement today of a new Tangata Whenua Ministerial Advisory Group. A team of 11 experts in whānau Māori wellbeing will provide the Government independent advice on shaping family violence and sexual ...
Te Mahere Whai Mahi Wāhine: Women’s Employment Action Plan was launched today by Minister for Women Jan Tinetti – with the goal of ensuring New Zealand is a great place for women to work. “This Government is committed to improving women’s working lives. The current reality is that women have ...
The food and fibre sector acknowledged its people and leadership at last night’s 2022 Primary Industries Good Employer Awards, a time to celebrate their passion towards supporting employees by putting their health, welfare and wellbeing first,” Acting Minister of Agriculture Meka Whairiti said. “Award winners were selected from an extraordinary ...
Kia ora koutou katoa. It is a rare thing to have New Zealand represented at a NATO Summit. While we have worked together in theatres such as Afghanistan, and have been partners for just on a decade, today represents an important moment for our Pacific nation. New Zealand is ...
Te Arataki mō te Hauora Ngākau mō ngā Mōrehu a Tū me ō rātou Whānau, The Veteran, Family and Whānau Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy Framework “We ask a lot of those who serve in the military – and we ask a lot of the families and whānau who support ...
Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs Aupito William Sio has been appointed by the United Nations and Commonwealth as Aotearoa New Zealand’s advocacy champion for Small Island States. “Aotearoa New Zealand as a Pacific country is particularly focused on the interests of Pacific Small Island Developing States in our region. “This is a ...
An estimated 100,000 low income households will be eligible for increased support to pay their council rates, with changes to the rates rebate scheme taking effect from 1 July. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced increases to both the maximum value of the rates rebate, and the income threshold ...
A long-standing physical activity programme that focuses on outcomes for Maori has been expanded to four new regions with Government investment almost doubled to increase its reach. He Oranga Poutama is managed by a combination of hapū, iwi, hauora and regional providers. An increase in funding from $1.8 million ...
The Government is progressing a preferred option for LGWM which will see Wellington’s transport links strengthened with light rail from Wellington Station to Island Bay, a new tunnel through Mt Victoria for public transport, and walking and cycling, and upgrades to improve traffic flow at the Basin Reserve. “Where previous ...
To Provost Muniz, to the Organisers at the Instituto de Empresa buenas tardes and as we would say in New Zealand, kia ora kotou katoa. To colleagues from the State Department, from Academia, and Civil Society Groups, to all our distinguished guests - kia ora tatou katoa. It’s a pleasure ...
On June 28, 2022, a meeting took place in Madrid between the President of the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, and the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, who was visiting Spain to participate in the Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as one ...
A six-fold increase in the Aotearoa New Zealand-Spain working holiday scheme gives a huge boost to the number of young people who can live and work in each other’s countries, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. Jacinda Ardern and Spanish President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón made the Working Holiday/Youth Mobility Scheme announcement ...
A significant barrier has been removed for people who want to stand in local government elections, with a change to the requirement to publish personal details in election advertising. The Associate Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty has taken the Local Electoral (Advertising) Amendment Bill through its final stages in Parliament ...
New financial conduct scheme will ensure customers are treated fairly Banks, insurers and non-bank deposit takers to be licensed by the FMA in relation to their general conduct Sales incentives based on volume or value targets like bonuses for selling a certain number of financial products banned The Government ...
Legislation that bans major supermarkets from blocking their competitors’ access to land to set up new stores paves the way for greater competition in the sector, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Dr David Clark said. The new law is the first in a suite of measures the Government is ...
The Government has announced an end to the requirement for border workers and corrections staff to be fully vaccinated. This will come into place from 2 July 2022. 100 per cent of corrections staff in prisons, and as of 23 June 2022 97 per cent of active border workers were ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has concluded a visit to Rwanda reaffirming Aotearoa New Zealand’s engagement in the Commonwealth and meeting with key counterparts. “I would like to thank President Kagame and the people of Rwanda for their manaakitanga and expert hosting of this important meeting,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “CHOGM ...
Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty officially launched the new Monitoring, Alerting and Reporting (MAR) Centre at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) today. The Government has stood up the centre in response to recommendations from the 2018 Ministerial Review following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake and 2017 Port Hills fire, ...
Transport Minister Michael Wood has welcomed the announcement that a 110km/hr speed limit has been set for the SH1 Waikato Expressway, between Hampton Downs and Tamahere. “The Waikato Expressway is a key transport route for the Waikato region, connecting Auckland to the agricultural and business centres of the central North ...
Following feedback from the sector, Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti, today confirmed that new literacy and numeracy | te reo matatini me te pāngarau standards will be aligned with wider NCEA changes. “The education sector has asked for more time to put the literacy and numeracy | te reo ...
$4.5 million to provide Ukraine with additional non-lethal equipment and supplies such as medical kit for the Ukrainian Army Deployments extended for New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) intelligence, logistics and liaison officers in the UK, Germany, and Belgium Secondment of a senior New Zealand military officer to support International ...
Changes to electoral law announced by Justice Minister Kiri Allan today aim to support participation in parliamentary elections, and improve public trust and confidence in New Zealand’s electoral system. The changes are targeted at increasing transparency around political donations and loans and include requiring the disclosure of: donor identities for ...
The Labour government has announced a significant investment to prevent and minimise harm caused by gambling. “Gambling harm is a serious public health issue and can have a devastating effect on the wellbeing of individuals, whānau and communities. One in five New Zealanders will experience gambling harm in their lives, ...
The Government has widened access to free flu vaccines with an extra 800,000 New Zealanders eligible from this Friday, July 1 Children aged 3-12 years and people with serious mental health or addiction needs now eligible for free flu dose. From tomorrow (Tuesday), second COVID-19 booster available six months ...
The Government is investing to create new product categories and new international markets for our strong wool and is calling on Kiwi businesses and consumers to get behind the environmentally friendly fibre, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said today. Wool Impact is a collaboration between the Government and sheep sector partners ...
At today’s commemoration of the start of the Korean War, Veterans Minister Meka Whaitiri has paid tribute to the service and sacrifice of our New Zealand veterans, their families and both nations. “It’s an honour to be with our Korean War veterans at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park to commemorate ...
Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash and Associate Minister of Tourism Peeni Henare announced the sixth round of recipients of the Government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF), which supports local government to address tourism infrastructure needs. This TIF round will invest $15 million into projects around the country. For the first time, ...
Matariki tohu mate, rātou ki a rātou Matariki tohu ora, tātou ki a tātou Tīhei Matariki Matariki – remembering those who have passed Matariki – celebrating the present and future Salutations to Matariki I want to begin by thanking everyone who is here today, and in particular the Matariki ...
Oho mai ana te motu i te rangi nei ki te hararei tūmatanui motuhake tuatahi o Aotearoa, Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki, me te hono atu a te Pirīmia a Jacinda Ardern ki ngā mahi whakanui a te motu i tētahi huihuinga mō te Hautapu i te ata nei. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker will represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the second United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, which runs from 27 June to 1 July. The Conference will take stock of progress and aims to galvanise further action towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, to "conserve and sustainably use ...
The Government is boosting its partnership with New Zealand’s dairy sheep sector to help it lift its value and volume, and become an established primary industry, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced. “Globally, the premium alternative dairy category is growing by about 20 percent a year. With New Zealand food ...
The Government is continuing to support the Buller district to recover from severe flooding over the past year, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today during a visit with the local leadership. An extra $10 million has been announced to fund an infrastructure recovery programme, bringing the total ...
“The Government has undertaken preparatory work to combat new and more dangerous variants of COVID-19,” COVID-19 Response Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall set out today. “This is about being ready to adapt our response, especially knowing that new variants will likely continue to appear. “We have undertaken a piece of work ...
More than 91 percent of tariffs will be removed the day the deal comes into effect, while the value of NZ exports to the EU are estimated to increase by $1.8b a year by 2035. ...
RNZ News New Zealand has designated US groups the Proud Boys and The Base as terrorist entities. Set down in the government’s official journal of record — the Gazette — last Monday, 20 June, it was published publicly a week later but with no wider dissemination. The move — authorised ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra David Pocock, the progressive independent who broke the Liberals’ stranglehold on one of the two ACT Senate seats, wouldn’t have expected to find himself allied with Pauline Hanson before even being sworn in. But, ...
Tabloid Jubi The Civil Organisations Solidarity for Papua Land has condemned Indonesia’s Papua expansion plan of forming three new provinces risks causing new social conflicts. And the group has urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to cancel the plan, according to a statement reports Jubi. The group — comprising the Papua ...
RNZ Pacific Palau, Fiji, and Samoa have announced their opposition to deep-sea mining, calling for a moratorium on the emerging industry amid growing fears it will destroy the seafloor and damage biodiversity. The alliance was announced just as a United Nations Oceans Conference began in Portugal this week. The moratorium ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just spoken to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone, expressing solidarity and support for his country. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis B Desmond, Lecturer, Cyberintelligence and Cybercrime Investigations, University of the Sunshine Coast Sashenka Gutierrez/EPA The art of concealing or misrepresenting one’s identity in the physical world has long been practised by spies engaged in espionage. In response, intelligence agencies ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Homeowners will face mortgage rates near 5.5% in a little over a year, according to a survey of 22 leading Australian economists. The ...
Guest column by Nicholas Kerr Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s comments about the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling on abortion inadvertently help explain why the court was right to overturn Roe v. Wade and return the issue to the states. She noted that New Zealand ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mona Nikidehaghani, Lecturer in Accounting, University of Wollongong From Monday July 4 2022, Australian job seekers face a new social security system to police eligibility for support payments. It replaces the “Jobactive” system that required the “mutual obligation” of applying for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn Gulliver, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland A man who drove through a climate protest blocking the Harbour Tunnel this week has copped a A$469 fine, while multiple members of the activist group were arrested. The protest was among a ...
“Less than a month ago Floyd Du Plessis, the President of the Corrections Association (CANZ), wrote a letter to the Chief Executive warning of more assaults against prison officers if things didn’t change,” says Darroch Ball Leader of Sensible Sentencing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ritesh Chugh, Associate Professor – Information and Communications Technology, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock While manufacturers have successfully increased the water-repelling nature of smartphones, they are still far from “waterproof”. A water-resistant product can usually resist water penetration to some extent, but ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suze Wilson, Senior Lecturer, School of Management, Massey University Phil Walter/Getty Images The US Supreme Court’s recent ruling to throw out Roe v Wade is an issue of relevance to political leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand. The decision was ...
New Zealand will present its legal view on Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations' international court, contesting the Kremlin's claim of genocide. ...
Buzz from the Beehive The Government has declared or reiterated three bold ambitions, one of them (the elimination of family violence) probably unachievable. Whether progress is being made towards the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Price, Team Leader / Senior Research Officer, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Shutterstock Most new parents and caregivers will know the phrase “put your baby down when drowsy but awake”. But some parents may find this just doesn’t work for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Stavrou, English Language Instructor, University of Cyprus, and PhD Graduate, Charles Sturt University Traditional approaches to adult language teaching often use resources such as textbooks and generic learning materials that are less than inspiring for learners. New research shows ...
Accompanied by a giant albatross sculpture made of reclaimed plastic bottles, Greenpeace has delivered a 100,000-strong petition to parliament calling on the Government to ban single-use plastic bottles and incentivise reusable and refillable alternatives. ...
Covid-19 Response Minister Ayesha Verrall says the country needs to remain at the orange traffic light setting as case numbers are starting to "creep up". ...
Our Annual plan 2022/23 was presented to the House of Representatives today. This annual plan is a key accountability document for our Office. It describes the discretionary work we consider will help us to achieve our ultimate outcome – that Parliament ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Director, Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre; Associate Professor of Criminology, Faculty of Arts, Monash University AAP Image/Supplied by Department of Justice In 2020 the killing of Hannah Clarke and her three children – Aaliyah, 6, Laianah, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Anne Kenny, Associate Professor, School of Law, Murdoch University The election of the Albanese Labor government brings an opportunity to end one of the most detrimental elements of Australian refugee law and policy in the past decade: the use of temporary ...
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions has welcomed the launch of the Te Mahere Whai Mahi Wāhine: Women's Employment Action Plan today. For too long, women have been disadvantaged in the world of work. While many improvements have been made over ...
The experimental weekly series provides an early indicator of employment and labour market changes in a more timely manner than the monthly employment indicators series. Key facts The 6-day series includes jobs with a pay period equal to or less than ...
Statement from Auckland Transport Interim Chief Executive Mark Lambert: Auckland Transport is proud to support the New Statement of Ambition being launched tonight by the Climate Leaders Coalition. We’re delighted that AT’s work to achieve the ...
Greenpeace Aotearoa, SAFE, Animals Aotearoa, SPCA, and the New Zealand Animal Law Association have joined forces to call for an end to intensive winter grazing through the Government’s Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare review. The coalition says that as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Swift, Educational Experiences team lead (Senior Lecturer), ANU School of Cybernetics, Australian National University Shutterstock I love writing code to make things: apps, websites, charts, even music. It’s a skill I’ve worked hard at for more than 20 years. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Baillie, Professor of Allied Health, University of Sydney Shutterstock COVID might be the largest mass casualty event in Australian history. And with one in 20 people with COVID still experiencing symptoms three months later, long COVID might even become Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick O’Connor, Associate Professor, University of Adelaide A tiny parasitic mite that lives on the European honeybee (Apis mellifera) has breached Australia’s border quarantine and been detected in managed bee hives in New South Wales. This is bad news for Australia’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Main, Visiting Scholar, Australian National University Shutterstock The COVID pandemic slowed mining activity across the Pacific. But as economic activity returns, an Australia-based company is poised to pursue what would be the largest mine in Papua New Guinea’s history. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachele Sloane, Graduate Researcher and Tutor – Master of Education, Student Wellbeing Specialisation (MGSE), The University of Melbourne Shutterstock New Child Safe Standards come into effect in Victoria this Friday, July 1. The set of 11 standards builds on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Morag Kobez, Associate lecturer, Queensland University of Technology shutterstock When the temperature drops in the southern hemisphere, you might like to stave off the chill with a big steaming pot of mulled wine, and fill your home with the comforting aroma ...
Russia's actions in Ukraine are an affront to the world but mustn't be allowed to create a more polarised, dangerous world, the prime minister says. ...
Russia's actions in Ukraine are an affront to the world but mustn't be allowed to create a more polarised, dangerous world, the prime minister says. ...
EDITORIAL:Bythe Rappler teamWe will continue bringing you the news, holding the powerful to account for their actions and decisions, calling attention to government lapses that further disempower the disadvantaged. We will hold the line. Dear readers and viewers, We thought this day would never come, even as ...
ANALYSIS:By Gavin Ellis The Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media Bill — introduced to Parliament this week — will have a long journey before it is fit for purpose. The Bill gives effect to the government’s plan to replace TVNZ and RNZ with a new entity designed for the digital ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caleb Goods, Senior Lecturer – Management and Organisations, UWA Business School, The University of Western Australia Uber Australia has struck a historic agreement with the Transport Workers’ Union – a statement of principles that re-regulate work in the Australian rideshare and food ...
Today the signatures of 72 Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Councillors, Local board members, and the LGNZ Young Elected Members Committee will be handed to the Government in support of making the voting age 16 via an open letter organised by Make It 16. “Young ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Grogan, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, The Daffodil Centre, University of Sydney E-cigarettes and vape products are illegally imported into Australia. Some claim not to contain nicotine, but do.Simon Collins/Shutterstock ABC TV’s Four Corners this week reported how unlawful sale of e-cigarettes ...
However, more work is needed to understand the cost of rolling out a new approach to disability support, Minister for Disability Issues Poto Williams says. ...
Hospitality New Zealand is calling for MPs across Parliament to send ACT MP Chris Baillie’s Member’s Bill on repealing Easter trading restrictions to a select committee so hospitality businesses can have their say on whether to stay open or ...
On 1 July an exciting new Ministry for Disabled People – will come into being to lead much-needed change. There is nothing that people will need to do on day one to continue receiving disability support services. “Many disabled people and whānau ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. Michelle and Peter Browne from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Shutterstock “Stagflation” is an ugly word for an ugly situation – the unpleasant combination of economic stagnation and inflation. The last time the world experienced ...
The Ardern government has done it again, announcing a grandiose plan to reform Wellington’s transport system. The plan includes a long-overdue duplicate Mt Victoria tunnel, a rearrangement of the road around the Basin Reserve and a light rail operation from the city centre to the south coast, all in the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Legislation to tighten things, legislation to relax things and a speech which reminds us of threats to our democracy – from the PM, we are delighted to note – feature in the latest posts on the Beehive website. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark has ...
The Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner has expressed disappointment over the delay in undertaking urgent action to address ethnic, gender and disability pay gaps across workplaces in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Government has committed to scoping ...
OP-ED by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). ...
Our report Improving value through better Crown entity monitoring was presented to the House of Representatives today. Crown entities carry out a wide range of important public services and functions. In 2020/21, Crown entities were responsible for 39% ...
Auckland Council has formally adopted the 2022/23 Annual Budget. This includes Mayor Phil Goff’s proposal for a billion-dollar “Climate Action” package to be funded by a new targeted rate levied on households. The Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance has ...
"The Wellington Chamber of Commerce welcomes today’s announcement of a preferred option for mass rapid transit," Chief Executive Simon Arcus said today. "It is good to see the government being very clear on its thoughts. These are the kind ...
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Just another piece of evidence to show how bad the supermarket duopoly is.
We are being literally and metaphorically being milked.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11475457
Dairy really isn’t that great for you.
One of the many links out there
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/doctor-rejects-dairy-dietary-advice/story-fneuzkvr-1226674091215#ixzz2ZATbzzDI
As a food, you mean?
For a lot of people, yes and for the rest a product that is better had in moderation not the “must drink at least 20 glasses a day” line that was pushed at us growing up.
Plain water or water with a low sugar fruit syrup is a much cheaper and healthier option
LOL: It’s not market failure, it’s the duopoly only thinking of the health of the nation. That’s so nice of them.
How much do they charge for coke, again?
would blame Fonterra for this.International mkt price down,rinse old faithful domestic consumer.p.s and lay off a few hundred workers…whats the big cheese salary band again?
Do you know what the supermarket mark up is?
do you?
No and I was wondering why you seemed so sure of Fonterra being the main culprit.
whilst you seem sure the supermarkets are the culprits.
Just they tend to mark up on other stuff.
Let them drink water! Milk is unhealthy anyway.
Remove milk from the NZ diet and the overall health of the country would improve in leaps and bounds, not least of all would be asthma.
“Well look this is a tinder-dry area and extraordinarily, errr, ancestral in nature.”
Winston Peters’ fatuous comments about Gaza
Native Affairs, Māori Television, Monday 29 June 2015
Last Monday night, Māori Television’s normally excellent Native Affairs programme did what the other channels here have lacked the courage and the conscience to do: it invited people on to talk about the latest incident of Israeli piracy in international waters.
It was a promising idea—the programme was, after all, fronted by the excellent Mihingarangi Forbes. Unfortunately, however, after a brief introductory discussion with Kia Ora Gaza’s Roger Fowler, it was all down-hill. The other guests were all politicians, most of whom did not seem more than vaguely familiar with the situation in Gaza. Even the best of the four on offer, Greens co-leader Metiria Turei, resolutely steered away from mentioning that the blockade was illegal.
Māori Party leader Te Ururoa Flavell and Labour’s Nanaia Mahuta made some comments supportive of the peace protestors, but neither of them seemed to have much knowledge of the situation.
At the 6:38 mark, it was the turn of the New Zealand First leader to demonstrate the depth and seriousness of his research into the matter at hand. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have read anything, let alone given it more than a passing thought….
MIHINGARANGI FORBES: Winston, should New Zealand recognize Palestine as an independent state? Currently around a hundred and thirty-five U.N. countries do; we don’t.
WINSTON PETERS: Well look this is a tinder-dry area and it’s extraordinarily, errr, ancestral in nature. Uh, there ARE people working on a long-term solution, errr, that wi- would be acceptable to both sides, but in the middle of it has come this event, for which none of us is seriously briefed, and, ahh, I’m not going to jump into an argument without knowing the details on both sides, but this will not be, would not resolve THIS matter. Ahh, there ARE people trying to get past the present impasse that’s gone on now for decades, and trying to bring it to a resolution, and that’s what we in New Zealand First and I believe, indeed, the Government supports.
After that grim exercise in saying nothing, it was turn of the Labour Party representative. She was almost as mealy-mouthed and vague as Peters….
NANAIA MAHUTA: Well New Zealand’s long played a role in international peace-keeping and also, ah, supporting humanitarian aid, ah so that’s an important role that we have to continue on the Security Council. On the particular, though, it’s the — the first priority though must go to those who have been detained, and in particular, those New Zealanders who are over there. Ah, and I’m sure that the Government will have eyes on this particular situation. It IS a tinderbox, so we’re going into a live area. It is a sensitive situation, it will require negotiation. But we cannot get away from the fact that an independent Palestinian state, which Labour HAS supported, I think we first voiced it in 2005, is a matter of negotiation, and it will require, uh, an ongoing effort to look for a solution there in Gaza. …..
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/national/native-affairs-political-panel-pt1-gaza?utm_source=brightcove&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=share%20this%20video
Holocaust survivors condemn Israel for Gaza massacre, call for boycott
In response to Elie Wiesel’s bizarre advertisement comparing Hamas to Nazis, 327 Jewish Holocaust survivors and descendants published a New York Times ad accusing Israel of ‘ongoing massacre of the Palestinian people.’
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.612072
When Elie Wiesel spoke at Saint Louis University on December 1, 2009, three women challenged him to break his silence about Gaza and to travel with them on the Gaza Freedom March to see for himself the devastation caused by Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in December 2008 and the ongoing siege.
Five years later, and the old hypocrite has still not gone to Gaza.
Is there a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinians conflict? https://rdln.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/is-there-a-two-state-solution-to-israel-palestinian-conflict-2/
It’s time to put some cold, hard cash under the mattress.
In the 2008-09 financial meltdown there was a deadly serious danger NZ banks would freeze up. We borrow heavily. Two-thirds of the money we borrow comes from outside the country. If NZ banks can’t borrow, they can’t pay us. Funds frozen!
Let’s assume last week’s 30% crash in Chinese shares and/or the Greek Euro crisis equals a 5% probability international finance markets will seize up, blocking your unfettered access to your bank accounts.
If the risk is 5%, NZ banks should be paying you at least 7% or 8% interest to risk leaving your money with them. They don’t.
It’s called risk/reward ratio. Today your risk is hugely greater than the possible reward.
The logical thing is to withdraw your money as cash . . . . NOW.
So on the basis of a 5% number you just made up, we should take our money out of the banks?
What if the chances of this happening is now 0.1%, and previously was 0.01%.
Then the 3-4% interest the banks are paying is still reasonable reward for the risk, correct?
NZ banks can always borrow from the RBNZ as the Lender of Last Resort. The problem Greece has is that the ECB is no longer loaning to Greek banks so as to punish the Greeks for what the private banks in Germany and elsewhere did.
“the ECB is no longer loaning to Greek banks so as to punish the Greeks for what the private banks in Germany and elsewhere did.”
And also for having the temerity to elect a left wing government.
Joyce on “The Nation” said something like “Dairy is not that big, its 5% … Kiwifruit is 2%”. Paddy tried to say its 20% but Joyce stuck to his 5%. Should Paddy have clarified what it was a percentage of?
Joyce doesn’t appear to be comparing apples with apples as Dairy is approx $11 billion and Kiwifruit about $1 billion (from a very quick google search). Has Kiwifruit increased recently to $4 billion? Why didn’t Joyce just say Kiwifruit is 30% of GDP (and leave out that that figure is for the Bay of Plenty)? Who would challenge him?
“Who would challenge him?”
Not the MSM. Spineless, useless, entertainment for profit.
The entire Washington Press Corps knew Ronald Regan did not have a functioning brain. Questions for his “press conferences” were submitted 24 hours in advance. They were numbered and the “lucky” reporters whose questions had been chosen for an answer were told which number their question would be and told it must be asked precisely as it was submitted. There were never follow-up questions. Then Regan read the answers from a teleprompter.
20 years later we were told Ronnie is dead. Died of Alzheimers.
He had Alzheimers when he was POTUS and NO ONE said a word. They didn’t want to be tossed out of Washington for telling the truth that everyone in Washington already knew!
The so-called “most powerful man in the world” was brain dead!
John Campbell was lethal because he asked the questions by showing examples, not by confronting ministers head-on.
Amakiwi
Have you a link to that piece on Ronald Reagan’s head. It always seemed to be that he was a good one liner, or joker, and indeed there is a recurring photo with him and a lot of suits falling about in high glee, or for a photo shoot! That seemed to be his main pulling power.
“In August 1994, at the age of 83, Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease,[289] an incurable neurological disorder which destroys brain cells and ultimately causes death.[289][290] In November, he informed the nation through a handwritten letter.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan#Alzheimer.27s_disease
Any critical biography of Reagen will cite numerous examples of his diminished mental capacity which became obvious during his second term.
Dairy is 20% of exports and 5% of GDP is how I understood it.
The interesting thing I noted is the “don’t talk it down” meme ,Paul Henry was chucking that line about last week , he obviously had been handed his instructions on what to say. just in case we needed more proof of his being a PR man for national.
Repeaters not reporters.
User-pays for burial costs in Auckland must go up to match the contractors costs. Some well spoken woman explains this in a TINA tone. This should be a service that is subsidised if necessary. When you view it objectively, user cannot pay, and if the family and connections have little money how are they to manage? Cold hearted, money-mad Auckland council. The pits of NZ.
2009 costs went up.
(Note the unsuitable council department making cemetery policy!)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/central-leader/2333960/Burial-costs-going-up
The Auckland City Council’s arts, culture and recreation committee voted last Wednesday to raise the charges over the 2009/2010financial year.
The three council cemeteries are Hillsborough, Waikaraka and Otahuhu.
An adult plot now costs $1027, with another $507 in digging fees.
With the increase, the total cost will go up to $1917.
There are also other costs to take into account when burying loved ones.
Being buried on a Saturday can already add $195 to $377, a public holiday burial currently costs an extra $377 and reopening an occupied plot costs an extra $130.
Those fees will all go up….
Councillor Cathy Casey told the meeting she was concerned the increase is to be applied to all the cemeteries, when some were “five star” and some were “one star”.
She moved an amendment for a 2.6 percent price increase instead. A 25 percent increase in the first year is outrageous in the current climate. When someone dies it’s a huge expense,” she said.
2015 costs go up.
Fees for burial plots across the Auckland region increased by an average 22 per cent, fees for ash plots by 14 per cent, and internment fees by 132 per cent…
An example of the impact of the fees rise was at Manukau Memorial Gardens, where a burial plot cost had gone up 15 per cent from $3464 to $4000, plus interment fee of $1072.
A Papakura burial plot went up 19 per cent from $1678 to $2000 and interment went up by $857 to $1400 or a 158 per cent rise.
At Waikumete, a fee for the ash plot garden rose 48 per cent from $1708 to $2533 plus interment of $300.
Funeral Directors Association CE Mrs Shanks said that Work and Income provides funeral grants of up to $2008 to cover burial, plot and cremation charges but this would not cover costs, she said.
Where is the empathy for poor people in grief from family deaths? Perhaps there needs to be a paupers area as in the past when we actually acknowledged that poverty existed.
And the recession impacting as much now as then, or worse, while costs continue to rise in excess of income.
Interesting how culture is against cremation.
The council has earmarked $46.5 million to expand cemetery areas in the next 10 years in view of more than 70 per cent of people favouring burial over cremation.
Many people are aware of the 1951 waterfront lockout, when the National Party government of Sid Holland brought in draconian legislation and imposed six months of strong-arm state tactics to defeat the wharfies and their allies who comprised the vanguard of the organised labour movement and wider woring class. Much less well-known, however – even though it was very much one of the precursors of 1951 – is the 1949 Auckland carpenters’ dispute in which the union was deregistered by the first Labour government as part of its sustained assault on the most progressive sections of the union movement. . .
full at: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/1949-auckland-carpenters-dispute-labour-bosses-versus-the-workers/
As is usual with lay-offs here, the Fonterra ones seem to be meeting with no opposition. Below are a small collection of articles about when workers actually fight, most particularly a series of workplace occupations. Among the pieces are an interview I did with a spokesperson for the Vio.me factory occupation in Thessaloniki in Greece:
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/when-workers-occupy/
Today, Greek voters take part in a referendum on whether to accept or reject the austerity measures the troika (IMF, European Central Bank, and EU Commission) wish to impose on them.
Below is a summary from information we received from a prominent source within Syriza about where things stand: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/eyewitness-in-greece-we-need-a-no-vote/
And here’s an article by a central committee member on the way forward in Greece: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/the-road-forward-for-syriza-a-view-from-a-central-committee-member/
Phil
OXI – An Act of Resistance
Some people may find it interesting.
Apologies if I’ve missed any previous comments on this article, but just got back from coffee with a friend who pointed it out from yesterday’s Herald:
Violence charges against police officer withdrawn
From reading through it seems that the violence was considerable and on-going for several years. The police officer was one of four family members, and had charges laid separately from the other three defendants.
I’ve ended up posting most of the article, but the reason given by the Crown Prosecutor seem fairly weak, and what has been reported seem extreme to dismiss so cavalierly.
Difficult to untangle what legal jugglings went on in that one. The cop had some charges withdrawn, then the story quickly goes into description of someone else’s offences, then jumps back to him. It finishes up by saying although the Crown withdrew charges, the court may re-lay them. My understanding of “In the public interest” is to avoid unsettling the population, e.g. We can’t have cops being seen to be the bad guys, or, to avoid exposing personal details (personal privacy issues) the public don’t need to know. Which is contradicted by the final sentence which says charges may be re-laid. I don’t know how they go about their decisions. From here, the cop doesn’t sound like the kind of guy you want wandering around freely or in the Police, and the court saying “She doesn’t appear to under extra stress…” just sounds ignorant/absurd. Big bad World out there.
Tax: The Facts
The same can, no doubt, be said of NZ politics.
Some are calling for a new Left Party …as Labour seems to be failing and is not making any headway going it alone… (see ‘Guest Post – What is Little’s vision for New Zealand?’)
However rather than start a yet another new left party …better and more practical to use the existing ‘left’ opposition parties with their structures and existing politicians but have an overall ‘Left Umbrella Coalition’:
1.)…so that co-operation is the order of the day and NOT knee-capping
2.)…the objective being to get rid of this present government …this should over-ride all other objectives!
….with Metiria Turei at the helm of this coalition:
1.)…. Metiria Turei is an experienced Left and environmental politician with an impeccable record.
2.)…..she has already shown she can work with Mana/Int and Labour and NZF….
3.)…she is attractive to the 50% women vote and the Maori vote, as well as the Left vote
4.)… she is fair and balanced and has mana
We could call it the Alliance. Oh, hang on…
@ Grant…excuse me that is NOT what I meant!
The Alliance was a new left startup party in opposition to neolib Labour and neolib National
…I thought i made it quite clear that a ‘Left Umbrella Coalition’ would NOT REPLACE existing parties…rather co-ordinate so they can work co-operatively
…ie there would be representatives from each of the existing parties who would be part of this organisation…which would work with the objective of collectively ousting this present government…not in competition to knee-cap each other…hence killing the opposition and letting jonkey nactional in
No it wasn’t. It was an alliance of left parties including the Greens, New Labour and a few others.
yes but they were all newbies…and the Alliance did not cooperate with Labour and Helen Clark to win an election…letting National win…so NOT what I meant
… i suggest a model more like the FOL ie a loose knit group of unions
Sounds like a good idea – present the coalition to the public before the election. Fair, open, no hidden uncertainties. Terribly unorthodox. That’d put the wind up them.
If you saw Ron marks on the nation I think its clear that the nats are nzfs natural home.
@ b waghorn re – NZF’s “natural home” is with National
1) Ron Marks does not run NZF….Winston does ( NZF on sale of State Assets?…more aligned with Labour and the Greens…as with many other issues eg overseas ownership of NZ land and housing)
2 ) Ron Marks wants NZ troops withdrawn from Iraq….so questionable “nats are NZF’s natural home”
3.) NZF has spent more time in successful coalition with Helen Clark’s Labour Party Government than with National …which NZF pulled the plug on and forced out of office after a very short time and on the continued sale of State Assets
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/68856819/call-to-withdraw-new-zealand-troops-from-iraq
Just like in New Zealand –
“Each year, when the Pride march in London comes around, the claims that it has become commercialised and separated from its roots get stronger. This year was no different, with the movement becoming more splintered than ever – the divisions are clearer between its traditional left support and the newer, corporate-sponsored wing. . . ”
full at: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/pride-in-london-lgbt-incorporation-and-commercialisation/
I can’t get over just how trivial both the Saturday Herald and Sunday Star-Times have become. We bought one of each this weekend for the first time in a very long while (we needed them to help light the fire!) and the only decent things I found to read were Rod Oram’s column in SST and John Armstrong in the Herald. The rest was light and fluffy – for a wet weekend, not much reading in ’em at all ! !
I find paper useless for lighting the fire these days.
The water proof inks they use now has made the paper pretty much fire proof.
Best bet is to go get some of those budget fire lighters, so much more effective.
And probably cheaper to.
It sounds like you’re saying, BM, that the Herald and SST are of no use whatsoever ? Not even for lighting fires.
They make a good barrier mulch. Cheaper than weedmat.
FYI – former Labour Party President Mike Williams view – supporting the Hawkes Bay amalgamation.
Interesting that Labour MP Stuart Nash is strongly and actively opposing the Hawkes Bay amalgamation.
Where’s the ‘cost-benefit’ analysis of the disastrous forced Auckland ‘Supercity for the 1%’ amalgamation?
“What couldn’t be predicted was the release of the final report of the Local Government Commission on the proposed amalgamation of the five councils that make up Hawke’s Bay. You’d have to be living under a large boulder if you don’t know what that was, and what happens next.
Although amalgamation plans for Northland and the Wellington region were dropped, the Local Government Commission found sufficient local support in Hawke’s Bay to confirm their (slightly) revised proposal.
From an outsider who grew up in Hawke’s Bay, loves the place and visits often, this seems a very heartening next step and I hope that local people who will make the final decision in a referendum grab the opportunity for unity. …”
What is needed, in my view, is the proper implementation of the Public Records Act 2005, and the completion of ‘transparency templates’ – which establish ‘costs datums’ available for public scrutiny, so the public can see where exactly public rates monies are being spent on Council services and regulatory functions.
It’s time to OPEN THE BOOKS so that citizens and ratepayers can ‘follow the dollar’ …..
Penny Bright
+100 Penny