After making copious amounts of hay about the SIS debacle – its pretty hilarious seeing Trev….^H^H^H….Zitetic saying the real issue is that Fairfax’s flawed OIA request was turned down.
How about a bit of decency for once and admitting you are wrong? Don’t you realise that above all else, dishonesty and mud slinging is what Kiwis abhorre more than anything else?
Let’s all get really heated up about who may or not have said/read/discussed a few months ago and then go round and round in circles on it. And let’s ignore the politicization of our local spooks.
And while we are at it lets ignore the big issues we face like poverty, climate change, the end of cheap oil, strategic government deficits and the rapacious greed of the uber wealthy.
Cue for RWNJs to find another reason to say that Goff is human and they will not now be voting Labour.
If Goff had admitted he had a human memory and may possibly have forgotten seeing documents on what transpired to be a minor issue already dealt with by the SIS this wouldn’t have kept coming up.
“RWNJ” not polling for Labour shouldn’t be a concern – most commenters even on Red Alert are shaking their heads in bewilderment at why Goff has kept this issue alive. Judgement is rightly questioned.
That’s Goff’s problem, he now says the documents and Tucker are wrong – having previously apparently accepted the “flicked by” version henow seem’s to be saying even that was false.
It is impossible to believe [Tucker] has now risked his reputation to take a cheap shot at Mr Goff, who he served loyally when he was Foreign Minister, Defence Minister and Trade Minister through the 2000s.
Hooten adds that
It is not often that the only logical conclusion is to believe that a major political figure is telling barefaced lies, but this is one of them.
However I give Goff some benefit of the doubt – perhaps he was sufficiently distracted by the Hughes affair that he simply didn’t attend to the original Tucker briefing – then got himself embroiled in a Clintonesque farce of denial
A disturbing display of misjudgment and naïveté by Joe Bloggs….
As Matthew Hooten points out so succinctly:
You need to read Nicky Hager’s book about the National Party’s secret funding by rabidly anti-democratic Christian fundamentalists, and see the key role that Hooton played in that before you start quoting Hooton.
Hooton has zero credibility.
Unlike Hooton, Key, Brash and the other scoundrels outed by the leaked emails, Phil Goff has never once been exposed, or even suspected, of dishonesty.
It is also impossible to believe that the mention of Mossad agents being involved in espionage work in Christchurch would not have sent a chorus of warning bells off in Phil’s head.
Pretty unlikely doncha think?
Why does our media rely on right wing spin merchants for comment on issues?
The released documents suggest Goff discussed it so it must have attracted his attention. He previously seemed to accept “flicked by”.
He either forgot about it (it turned out to be minor and dealt with so that’s feasible) or he is trying to cling to integrity and credibility as it diminishes.
“The released documents suggest Goff discussed it “
Err, no they don’t.
They say something was discussed, but they don’t say what.
Of the items on the list of bullet points (which include the Israeli matter plus several redacted items) there is no indication of which were discussed, and no indication which items related to questions raised by Goff.
You need to have a closer look. You’re being led astray.
moving along, the report in this mornings dompost about racism on trade me is no surprise.
I t has always been racist, anti labour and anti the JW’s in a most evil and tawdry fashion.
It is great to see them and the supposed ‘community’ getting a bit of exposure for their under the radar activities.
What’s with the bad weather, seems like everyone is out in the middle of the night, but its freezing out!!! My street seems to be a magnet for motorcycles at 4am, cars parked up and momentarily blast noise at 5am. Then roaring cars of people going to work. What gives? Noise in hamilton over night has never been so bad.
Yesterday, the Minister for Social Development, Employment and Youth Affairs, Paula Bennett was asked by Trevor Mallard “How can she justify cutting the very benefit that allowed her to get her qualification, and how can that not be hypocritical?”
She recieved the benefit when cheap oil let politicians laze around claiming they crafted the economic miracle. Now she applies their wisdom, equally lazily, with peak oil upon us. Its not hypocritical its incompetence.
Nah, asshole of the week goes to the Labour Party for breeching the democratic process yesterday, I’ve learnt to expect that sort of shite from the right wing nationalist, but not from a party which claims to be about helping people.
That was the last nail in the coffin guys, not going to vote for Trevor ever again, nor encourage anyone else to.
Maybe I am missing something, but what’s Trevor Mallard got to do with that? (I’ve just read the article and what’s the issue really? Kronic is good? I don’t think so)
I’m pretty sure that Trevor Loundes didn’t stand last time?
In other words if you don’t want to look too much like a political fuckwit, then it pays to be specific. In your case I’m afraid that it probably makes little difference because of the other moronic things you write.
“what is the issue really?”
The issue is really the failure of the babyboomer generation to do anything about the issue of Cannabis in NZ.
If people like Trevor showed some balls on this issue in the first place, we wouldn’t have ever had a kronic problem, it has all been caused by the prohibition, not the ingesting.
Safer alternatives to alcohol, that’s what the issue is, not the mindless persecution of people based solely on the whim New Zealands biggest drug dealers, the Alco Pops.
Nice come back Lynn! So do you agree that things should be aired through the democratic process or shall we just shut up shop because NONE of the people without “political fuck wit ness” are willing to pull their heads from the sand on this issue.
I referenced Trevor MP for the Labour party – I am so sorry I wasn’t aware there were 2.
“The ban inserted into the bill had not been to a select committee for public submissions, which was a violation of the parliamentary process”
Goff and Labour are done. I don’t know what the hell they’re thinking but they’re ill disciplined and just incredibly stupid. How can a party on one hand release good policy (I still absolutely hate the idea of a CGT) and yet just be stupid every week is beyond me. They’re just crazy. They show all the signs of a party in serious danger. Sucks to be a Labour party supporter but imo far better you lose really badly than just lose and continue to be in denial about the shape of your party.
A couple of times I’ve seen a large banner ad across the top of the site for the election results.co.nz site. On the far right of this banner ad there appears to be logos of various political sites including kiwiblog and scoop. The Standard logo also appears there. This seems rather confusing to me and I’m wondering if Lynn has seen it?
I’ve only seen this ad twice: first time I clicked on it wondering what it was, and just now when I clicked ‘back’ on an article and of course the ads have changed and no amount of refreshing has brought it back.
Edit: of course now that I’ve posted this, it’s come back up. I’ve taken a screenshot and I’ll upload it somewhere and post a link to it.
Yeah I have. We’re in that scoop cartel (that is where we get our ads from). It is a bit annoying having our logo there and even more so to have kiwiblogs. On the other hand it must be even more galling that it will be displayed at the sewer…..
Right, that was the bit that confused me. Having the scoop logo above The Standard looks like you’re affiliated with them. Turns out you are, but for advertising only.
I don’t see why all of those logos are on the ad itself? It’s like if Cadbury placed an ad in a bunch of different magazines and put all of the magazines logos in their ad – you can bet Women’s Weekly would object to a Woman’s Day logo appearing in their magazine, and vice versa. The background colour is also confusing, with it be very close to The Standard’s beige background.
Except this time it is going to be much worse than 2008 (for various reasons).
This is a set up for the Fed to start QE3 in earnest and start printing huge amounts of USD again. Watch for our dollar to hit parity with the USD as they deliberately crush the USd downwards into valueless toilet paper,
Shoot me for saying this, but I’m actually glad that English borrowed hard this year. Global money markets are in for a bad freeze in the next few weeks. Italy is on the chopping block.
hey aerobubble. thats just postmodernistic kiwis working out their own truths. we live in an anything goes society now and any laws made in the past to protect people from the imbecilic inanity of drongos have gone by the wayside. plus all of the cops seem to have been bought off with cheap harldy davisons too. New Zealand the way you want it dude.
After an unsuccessful political career that ended when John Key was permanently deported from New Zealand, the former PM tried his hand as a planking instructor. Despite the low wage, he still employed a phalanx of security guards, who reportedly all pack hobbit swords. “When the economy flat lined, planking seemed like the obvious choice,” John Key said about his latest career change. “Best of all I get to touch young Men’s bottoms.”
Planking, saying he’s smoked pot – is there nothing Peter Dunne won’t do in an effort to pretend he is in any way, shape or form, interesting and relevant?
Maybe Key was as well. This will explain why he cannot recall his views on the Springbok tour. He can’t because he spent the whole tour being spaced out of his tiny mind!
I still think he has a drink problem . Just watch carefully how he performs . grinning , flapping and what is more revealing sluring his words. Must admitt that the Tories seem to have it well hidden . If Phil Goff acted like this goon of a PM it would be headline news, Its unfair and wrong but it’s what the Left has to contend with\.
TV 3 mentioned it in a promo, giving themselves credit for having got it, so I am interested to see that Stuff already had it! Fatty McRoberts and Patrick Gower are creaming their jeans over it… They accept Key’s word that “it wasn’t an audition, it was an invitation”… 🙁
Dear oh dear oh dear oh dear. To laugh or to cry, that is the question.
Right-wing humour,
Right-wing wit.
Where does one look
When faced with this…………situation?
It’s back on the front page, but most of the comments below it are from people who find it cringe-worthy & “try hard” – though there are a fair number who like the vid & Key’s performance.
On the issue of foreign ownership of lands, be it New Zealand land or investments in Asia.
This is being spun as, “if Mums and Dads investors can own tracts of China, then it is only right that China can own bits of New Zealand.”
Just who are these companies from New Zealand that own bits of Asia. I don’t feel that I own any of Asia. Is Fonterra a New Zealand Mums and Dads company or is it in fact a multi-national trading as a NZ company.
Technically all land in China is on lease from the government anyway. You can’t actually ‘own’ land there.
In practice this means they can evict you and confiscate the land and as long as they follow all the rules (that they wrote, naturally), you have no recourse.
Okay, but these “Kiwi” named companies that own overseas enterprises – where do they do their banking and how much does the NZ treasury get back – I wouldn’t mind betting that the majority of their funds are in places like Bermuda, and are only Kiwi in name… but of course we can feel proud and hold our heads hight – Yeh, they’re one of us!
In practice this means they can evict you and confiscate the land and as long as they follow all the rules (that they wrote, naturally), you have no recourse.
Nothing stopping Labour from saying that they will do exactly that with Meridian, Solid Energy etc. if they are sold off.
@logie97 It is so funny to hear talk of us being on a par with China. 4 million odd (some very odd) here in NZ and in China they are trying to stop their population from increasing exponentially as it is 1.3 billion (doubled in about 40 years). So China can open its big fish mouth and swallow this little fish and hardly burp. Key is so delusional. These politicians want to talk up our importance and our high standing in the world on one hand, then on the other we are too small and poor to do things we need to do and have. The truth is in the middle somewhere.
But we have had a few successes in the business world, one being our farming. Now big business wants to do what it does with smaller capable entities and take them over and receive the benefits as the johnny-come-lately. The pollies have made us so needy and dependent on farming, and then are prepared to sell it off to foreigners. What will we have left that we can run and be successful at. We are being emasculated and defemininised by the free market, lacking vital force, not making much now for ourselves. And while big foreign-country business raids our dairy markets, and would no doubt put pressure on Fonterra’s control over much of the dairy farms which ensures standards are upheld, Turners & Growers are trying to break the kiwifruit organisation which has been successful in the world. They have an opportunity to trade but want more. Why should NZ Inc have the right to get together to compete against giant countries and giant corporations?
Many public authorities, including the ICO, have created Twitter accounts to communicate with their customers. Does this mean that people can use Twitter to submit freedom of information requests?
Answer
While Twitter is not the most effective channel for submitting or responding to freedom of information requests, this does not mean that requests sent using Twitter are necessarily invalid. They can be valid requests in freedom of information terms and authorities that have Twitter accounts should plan for the possibility of receiving them.
It would certainly make the process of getting information out of government far easier.
Check out the stockmarkets: they are going down fast world wide. The US markets lost 4-5 % today, over 10% for the week. More importantly if you look at the Automaticearth today http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/ you will see the mega banks have taken a bath, up to 30%+ in the last 6 months. For your weekend viewing watch the US markets tomorrow and the European and Asian tonight.
A little while ago commentators on this site including myself said that oil over $100 US would kill any growth, and create job losses. Brent is still over $100 but dropping fast. That is because there is a lack of demand, even from China. When the US consumer is out of work and broke China has issues selling.
Earlier this week everybody was assuming a National victory under Key…myself and others said there were too many uncertainties even 4 months out. This one is a game breaker, show on. Now we will see if he is up to much. My money is on him to fail abjectly with the economy.
NZers need to stop giving Key a pass on National’s bad management of the economy however.
At the moment, too many people are buying the line that “National is doing a good job in the face of strong global headwinds”.
By the way, I think that the final aim of these ongoing market crashes and rolling sovereign debt crises is to eventually replace the USD as the worlds reserve currency with IMF SDRs, or a version thereof.
Countries are going to find that their own central banks become irrelevant, their sovereign governments hog tied, and there will be a global central bank set up to direct the finances of the world.
Gather there are some reports that Dunne has been putting some of his “extras”down to a credit card while on overseas junkets.
Now let’s see, a hitherto secret document is released to the cetacean to spread some dirt. (That document’s release would have been countenanced by the PM).
Now there is a release of Dunne’s expenses.
Anyone smell a rat here. Dunne’s lustre is fading and he is in fact a possible liability to Key who believes he can govern without him.
This election is going to be dirty. Expect to see an unprecedented release of more department documents where political capital can be made.
Remember Bennett’s questionable release of confidential documents when she was backed into a corner.
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
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In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
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Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
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Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
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The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. 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 economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
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 ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
How what we produce and what we eat connects us to the world beyond our shores, visualised. Walking around a supermarket or vege shop, it might be obvious that everything on the shelves came from somewhere. But you might ...
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Wow I bet Pete the Squirrel : )
See http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-03082011/#comment-360797, I got it right!!
Some Pics to send to friends and those who are not-so-much-friends
Been missing your pictures lately!
aww, shucks
:-#
Uses for a used Prime Minister = fantastic!
After making copious amounts of hay about the SIS debacle – its pretty hilarious seeing Trev….^H^H^H….Zitetic saying the real issue is that Fairfax’s flawed OIA request was turned down.
How about a bit of decency for once and admitting you are wrong? Don’t you realise that above all else, dishonesty and mud slinging is what Kiwis abhorre more than anything else?
Let’s all get really heated up about who may or not have said/read/discussed a few months ago and then go round and round in circles on it. And let’s ignore the politicization of our local spooks.
And while we are at it lets ignore the big issues we face like poverty, climate change, the end of cheap oil, strategic government deficits and the rapacious greed of the uber wealthy.
Cue for RWNJs to find another reason to say that Goff is human and they will not now be voting Labour.
As if.
If Goff had admitted he had a human memory and may possibly have forgotten seeing documents on what transpired to be a minor issue already dealt with by the SIS this wouldn’t have kept coming up.
“RWNJ” not polling for Labour shouldn’t be a concern – most commenters even on Red Alert are shaking their heads in bewilderment at why Goff has kept this issue alive. Judgement is rightly questioned.
Nothing in the released documents so far contradicts Goff’s version of events.
That’s Goff’s problem, he now says the documents and Tucker are wrong – having previously apparently accepted the “flicked by” version henow seem’s to be saying even that was false.
As Matthew Hooten points out so succinctly:
It is impossible to believe [Tucker] has now risked his reputation to take a cheap shot at Mr Goff, who he served loyally when he was Foreign Minister, Defence Minister and Trade Minister through the 2000s.
Hooten adds that
It is not often that the only logical conclusion is to believe that a major political figure is telling barefaced lies, but this is one of them.
However I give Goff some benefit of the doubt – perhaps he was sufficiently distracted by the Hughes affair that he simply didn’t attend to the original Tucker briefing – then got himself embroiled in a Clintonesque farce of denial
A disturbing display of misjudgment and naïveté by Joe Bloggs….
As Matthew Hooten points out so succinctly:
You need to read Nicky Hager’s book about the National Party’s secret funding by rabidly anti-democratic Christian fundamentalists, and see the key role that Hooton played in that before you start quoting Hooton.
Hooton has zero credibility.
Unlike Hooton, Key, Brash and the other scoundrels outed by the leaked emails, Phil Goff has never once been exposed, or even suspected, of dishonesty.
It is also impossible to believe that the mention of Mossad agents being involved in espionage work in Christchurch would not have sent a chorus of warning bells off in Phil’s head.
Pretty unlikely doncha think?
Why does our media rely on right wing spin merchants for comment on issues?
Certainly the headlines spin it in Key’s & the SIS favour. But Paul Buchanan points more to a problem with the SIS & it’s possible politicisation:
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/sis-labour-row-terrible-look-nz-4339926/video
Buchanan’s comments are a bit at odds with the headline.
The released documents suggest Goff discussed it so it must have attracted his attention. He previously seemed to accept “flicked by”.
He either forgot about it (it turned out to be minor and dealt with so that’s feasible) or he is trying to cling to integrity and credibility as it diminishes.
“The released documents suggest Goff discussed it “
Err, no they don’t.
They say something was discussed, but they don’t say what.
Of the items on the list of bullet points (which include the Israeli matter plus several redacted items) there is no indication of which were discussed, and no indication which items related to questions raised by Goff.
You need to have a closer look. You’re being led astray.
moving along, the report in this mornings dompost about racism on trade me is no surprise.
I t has always been racist, anti labour and anti the JW’s in a most evil and tawdry fashion.
It is great to see them and the supposed ‘community’ getting a bit of exposure for their under the radar activities.
What’s with the bad weather, seems like everyone is out in the middle of the night, but its freezing out!!! My street seems to be a magnet for motorcycles at 4am, cars parked up and momentarily blast noise at 5am. Then roaring cars of people going to work. What gives? Noise in hamilton over night has never been so bad.
Asshole of the Week Award – Paula Bennett
Yesterday, the Minister for Social Development, Employment and Youth Affairs, Paula Bennett was asked by Trevor Mallard “How can she justify cutting the very benefit that allowed her to get her qualification, and how can that not be hypocritical?”
She recieved the benefit when cheap oil let politicians laze around claiming they crafted the economic miracle. Now she applies their wisdom, equally lazily, with peak oil upon us. Its not hypocritical its incompetence.
Nah, asshole of the week goes to the Labour Party for breeching the democratic process yesterday, I’ve learnt to expect that sort of shite from the right wing nationalist, but not from a party which claims to be about helping people.
That was the last nail in the coffin guys, not going to vote for Trevor ever again, nor encourage anyone else to.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10742964
Quote:
“The ban inserted into the bill had not been to a select committee for public submissions, which was a violation of the parliamentary process”
That was the last nail in the coffin guys, not going to vote for Trevor ever again, nor encourage anyone else to.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10742964
Quote:
“The ban inserted into the bill had not been to a select committee for public submissions, which was a violation of the parliamentary process”
I think that quote was attributed to Kevin Hague by the Herald
Maybe I am missing something, but what’s Trevor Mallard got to do with that? (I’ve just read the article and what’s the issue really? Kronic is good? I don’t think so)
“What does Trevor have to do about it?”
– I voted for him and his party last time, but no more, they are just as bad as the blue team.
I’m pretty sure that Trevor Loundes didn’t stand last time?
In other words if you don’t want to look too much like a political fuckwit, then it pays to be specific. In your case I’m afraid that it probably makes little difference because of the other moronic things you write.
“what is the issue really?”
The issue is really the failure of the babyboomer generation to do anything about the issue of Cannabis in NZ.
If people like Trevor showed some balls on this issue in the first place, we wouldn’t have ever had a kronic problem, it has all been caused by the prohibition, not the ingesting.
Safer alternatives to alcohol, that’s what the issue is, not the mindless persecution of people based solely on the whim New Zealands biggest drug dealers, the Alco Pops.
Nice come back Lynn! So do you agree that things should be aired through the democratic process or shall we just shut up shop because NONE of the people without “political fuck wit ness” are willing to pull their heads from the sand on this issue.
I referenced Trevor MP for the Labour party – I am so sorry I wasn’t aware there were 2.
“The ban inserted into the bill had not been to a select committee for public submissions, which was a violation of the parliamentary process”
A Tale of Two Lootings
First the wealthy loot the working class, then the government.
http://www.truth-out.org/tale-two-lootings/1312292014
Meh
Goff and Labour are done. I don’t know what the hell they’re thinking but they’re ill disciplined and just incredibly stupid. How can a party on one hand release good policy (I still absolutely hate the idea of a CGT) and yet just be stupid every week is beyond me. They’re just crazy. They show all the signs of a party in serious danger. Sucks to be a Labour party supporter but imo far better you lose really badly than just lose and continue to be in denial about the shape of your party.
A couple of times I’ve seen a large banner ad across the top of the site for the election results.co.nz site. On the far right of this banner ad there appears to be logos of various political sites including kiwiblog and scoop. The Standard logo also appears there. This seems rather confusing to me and I’m wondering if Lynn has seen it?
I’ve only seen this ad twice: first time I clicked on it wondering what it was, and just now when I clicked ‘back’ on an article and of course the ads have changed and no amount of refreshing has brought it back.
Edit: of course now that I’ve posted this, it’s come back up. I’ve taken a screenshot and I’ll upload it somewhere and post a link to it.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/232/standardd.png/
Yeah I have. We’re in that scoop cartel (that is where we get our ads from). It is a bit annoying having our logo there and even more so to have kiwiblogs. On the other hand it must be even more galling that it will be displayed at the sewer…..
Right, that was the bit that confused me. Having the scoop logo above The Standard looks like you’re affiliated with them. Turns out you are, but for advertising only.
I don’t see why all of those logos are on the ad itself? It’s like if Cadbury placed an ad in a bunch of different magazines and put all of the magazines logos in their ad – you can bet Women’s Weekly would object to a Woman’s Day logo appearing in their magazine, and vice versa. The background colour is also confusing, with it be very close to The Standard’s beige background.
It’s deja vue all over again.
Yeah, it’s John Keys fault
Except this time it is going to be much worse than 2008 (for various reasons).
This is a set up for the Fed to start QE3 in earnest and start printing huge amounts of USD again. Watch for our dollar to hit parity with the USD as they deliberately crush the USd downwards into valueless toilet paper,
Shoot me for saying this, but I’m actually glad that English borrowed hard this year. Global money markets are in for a bad freeze in the next few weeks. Italy is on the chopping block.
I’m an economic dunce… Please explain me QE3? 🙂
hey aerobubble. thats just postmodernistic kiwis working out their own truths. we live in an anything goes society now and any laws made in the past to protect people from the imbecilic inanity of drongos have gone by the wayside. plus all of the cops seem to have been bought off with cheap harldy davisons too. New Zealand the way you want it dude.
Friday Fun with Photos #11
After an unsuccessful political career that ended when John Key was permanently deported from New Zealand, the former PM tried his hand as a planking instructor. Despite the low wage, he still employed a phalanx of security guards, who reportedly all pack hobbit swords. “When the economy flat lined, planking seemed like the obvious choice,” John Key said about his latest career change. “Best of all I get to touch young Men’s bottoms.”
What happened after this – did the guy go running naked through the suburbs?
Who would ever have thought…. Peter Dunne a pothead pixie!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10743167
Wonder if he inhaled?
At the end of the item:
It’s hardly a “revelation”. I wouldn’t be surprised if half of MPs have inhaled at some time in their lives.
Planking, saying he’s smoked pot – is there nothing Peter Dunne won’t do in an effort to pretend he is in any way, shape or form, interesting and relevant?
Next up, a Bieber ‘do.
Ha
Maybe Key was as well. This will explain why he cannot recall his views on the Springbok tour. He can’t because he spent the whole tour being spaced out of his tiny mind!
And I thought he was straight …
I still think he has a drink problem . Just watch carefully how he performs . grinning , flapping and what is more revealing sluring his words. Must admitt that the Tories seem to have it well hidden . If Phil Goff acted like this goon of a PM it would be headline news, Its unfair and wrong but it’s what the Left has to contend with\.
haha, heres our egg of a prime minister http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5398470/John-Keys-video-invite-to-Letterman
I cannot believe I just wasted 1 minute 9sec of my life on that!! Absolutely dreadful, how embarrassing.
LOL!
Please note that no matter how they spin it, this is his demo tape, made specifically for the purpose of getting on the show.
What a lamo.
I see Stuff got that down off the front page pretty damn quick.
Hidden away nicely in National – Politics.
TV 3 mentioned it in a promo, giving themselves credit for having got it, so I am interested to see that Stuff already had it! Fatty McRoberts and Patrick Gower are creaming their jeans over it… They accept Key’s word that “it wasn’t an audition, it was an invitation”… 🙁
Dear oh dear oh dear oh dear. To laugh or to cry, that is the question.
Right-wing humour,
Right-wing wit.
Where does one look
When faced with this…………situation?
It’s back on the front page, but most of the comments below it are from people who find it cringe-worthy & “try hard” – though there are a fair number who like the vid & Key’s performance.
I should think by the way he acts Dunne is still smoking pot. the guys an embarassment to all.
That is a grave insult to pot smokers, no amount of Pot could make you as stupid as Dunne. For serious psychosis it takes serious drugs, e.g. alcohol.
On the issue of foreign ownership of lands, be it New Zealand land or investments in Asia.
This is being spun as, “if Mums and Dads investors can own tracts of China, then it is only right that China can own bits of New Zealand.”
Just who are these companies from New Zealand that own bits of Asia. I don’t feel that I own any of Asia. Is Fonterra a New Zealand Mums and Dads company or is it in fact a multi-national trading as a NZ company.
Technically all land in China is on lease from the government anyway. You can’t actually ‘own’ land there.
In practice this means they can evict you and confiscate the land and as long as they follow all the rules (that they wrote, naturally), you have no recourse.
Okay, but these “Kiwi” named companies that own overseas enterprises – where do they do their banking and how much does the NZ treasury get back – I wouldn’t mind betting that the majority of their funds are in places like Bermuda, and are only Kiwi in name… but of course we can feel proud and hold our heads hight – Yeh, they’re one of us!
Nothing stopping Labour from saying that they will do exactly that with Meridian, Solid Energy etc. if they are sold off.
@logie97 It is so funny to hear talk of us being on a par with China. 4 million odd (some very odd) here in NZ and in China they are trying to stop their population from increasing exponentially as it is 1.3 billion (doubled in about 40 years). So China can open its big fish mouth and swallow this little fish and hardly burp. Key is so delusional. These politicians want to talk up our importance and our high standing in the world on one hand, then on the other we are too small and poor to do things we need to do and have. The truth is in the middle somewhere.
But we have had a few successes in the business world, one being our farming. Now big business wants to do what it does with smaller capable entities and take them over and receive the benefits as the johnny-come-lately. The pollies have made us so needy and dependent on farming, and then are prepared to sell it off to foreigners. What will we have left that we can run and be successful at. We are being emasculated and defemininised by the free market, lacking vital force, not making much now for ourselves. And while big foreign-country business raids our dairy markets, and would no doubt put pressure on Fonterra’s control over much of the dairy farms which ensures standards are upheld, Turners & Growers are trying to break the kiwifruit organisation which has been successful in the world. They have an opportunity to trade but want more. Why should NZ Inc have the right to get together to compete against giant countries and giant corporations?
Wonder what our government thinks of this:
It would certainly make the process of getting information out of government far easier.
Check out the stockmarkets: they are going down fast world wide. The US markets lost 4-5 % today, over 10% for the week. More importantly if you look at the Automaticearth today http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/ you will see the mega banks have taken a bath, up to 30%+ in the last 6 months. For your weekend viewing watch the US markets tomorrow and the European and Asian tonight.
A little while ago commentators on this site including myself said that oil over $100 US would kill any growth, and create job losses. Brent is still over $100 but dropping fast. That is because there is a lack of demand, even from China. When the US consumer is out of work and broke China has issues selling.
Earlier this week everybody was assuming a National victory under Key…myself and others said there were too many uncertainties even 4 months out. This one is a game breaker, show on. Now we will see if he is up to much. My money is on him to fail abjectly with the economy.
NZers need to stop giving Key a pass on National’s bad management of the economy however.
At the moment, too many people are buying the line that “National is doing a good job in the face of strong global headwinds”.
By the way, I think that the final aim of these ongoing market crashes and rolling sovereign debt crises is to eventually replace the USD as the worlds reserve currency with IMF SDRs, or a version thereof.
Countries are going to find that their own central banks become irrelevant, their sovereign governments hog tied, and there will be a global central bank set up to direct the finances of the world.
John Key is a successful businessman. He’ll sort it out.
</sarc tags?
Gather there are some reports that Dunne has been putting some of his “extras”down to a credit card while on overseas junkets.
Now let’s see, a hitherto secret document is released to the cetacean to spread some dirt. (That document’s release would have been countenanced by the PM).
Now there is a release of Dunne’s expenses.
Anyone smell a rat here. Dunne’s lustre is fading and he is in fact a possible liability to Key who believes he can govern without him.
This election is going to be dirty. Expect to see an unprecedented release of more department documents where political capital can be made.
Remember Bennett’s questionable release of confidential documents when she was backed into a corner.
Unexpected Observation # 500;
If we want to hit the 7,000,000,000 people mark and supply more customers for mainstreet retailers then this is the way to go
.
by randal, 2011
Unexpected Earthquake Observation # 500;
earthquakes become no longer scary
This government’s practice of ignoring all professional advice or evidence and using flawed process continues with the Misuse of Drugs Amendment bill.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/08/commonsense-absent-from-drug-laws.html