Or bias items as on TV One last night when they reported the protest at parliament about responding and increasing the refugee quota. Completely ommitted the point the protesters were making that John Key’s mother was a refugee fleeing Nazi
Germany, but despite this he is so so callous he can’t offer the same opportunity to others in a terrible plight. Its a shame TV NZ didn’t mention that because I think this sums JK up perfectly.
Ownership of at least 30 to 40 per cent of New Zealand’s biggest meat processor, Silver Fern Farms, looks set to pass to Chinese interests in a $100-million deal, say sources.
They said an announcement was due next week, possibly as soon as Monday.
Silver Fern last year enlisted the services of Goldman Sachs to advise on its options as it looked at raising $100 million to retire debt.
The company, which is a “hybrid” cooperative owned by farmers and outside shareholders, has been holding meetings with farmers on the condition that they sign confidentiality agreements.
The company has already made big inroads into its debt.
“They [Silver Fern] are going to be as strong as any other company in the industry, so why put the ownership of the company at risk?” said Richardson. “That discussion [with Alliance] needed to take place – unfortunately it has not.”
Richardson said the transaction would have ramifications for Alliance and all the other meat companies.
Silver Fern and Invercargill’s Alliance Group are together responsible for processing just over half New Zealand’s meat production.
The National government should change our silver fern to red.
Personally whether it is the Chinese, Koreans, Australians, Canadians or whoever, Kiwis are fast becoming tenants and future serfs of our own country by selling off cheaply our land and businesses.
Because of low wages, poor financial management of executives, cronyism within those executives, Government strategic direction of privatisation, Kiwis are unable to compete with the vast wealth of overseas buyers.
Like the 1980’s which most Kiwis know was a big mistake and a few individuals got extremely rich while the country got poorer, this is even worse times.
Now they are also hell bent on destroying the heart of rural NZ, farms and exports.
Under TPPA and associated agreements the public sector.
It’s all right. The Prime Minister has got your back…
Prime Minister John Key says he doesn’t want New Zealanders to become tenants in their own country as foreign companies seek to buy up farms, and the Government may look at law changes.
…. oops that was 2010 He’s managed to sort his ethical hiccup since then.
yup – I think that’s right. Google didn’t instantly show a later furrowed brow comment from him so he must be have been quite comfortable with it since then.
He and his party colluded with the speaker to avoid the question –
ANDREW LITTLE to the Associate Minister of Finance: Does she stand by the Prime Minister’s statement that “I’d hate to see New Zealanders as tenants in their own country”; if so, how many applications by overseas investors to buy land were declined under the Overseas Investment Act 2005 between January 2012 and June 2015?
ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition): I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This question was originally set down for the Prime Minister, and I therefore seek leave for the House to have the question transferred back to the Prime Minister.
Mr SPEAKER : Order! No. I refer the member to Speaker’s ruling 169/5. I am not prepared to put the leave. It is the prerogative of the Government to decide whom the question goes to. It has made that decision. If the member wants to continue asking it as it is on the Order Paper, he can do so.
Personally whether it is the Chinese, Koreans, Australians, Canadians or whoever, Kiwis are fast becoming tenants and future serfs of our own country by selling off cheaply our land and businesses.
And John Key’s here to help facilitate that. It’s the inevitable end result of capitalism.
Like the 1980’s which most Kiwis know was a big mistake and a few individuals got extremely rich while the country got poorer, this is even worse times.
IMO, a lot of us who lived through those times recognise that Nationals policies are a continuation of the 1980s. Even the 5th Labour government was. And, yeah, we’re becoming worse off because of it.
Creative people are also usually working in a field they love. They are generally more motivated by a love of what they do, rather than money.
Which is, IMO, how uncreative people become rich while the creative people remain poor. The rich exploit other peoples desire to do and be creative to increase their own wealth while themselves not anything of any real value.
I keep getting a; cannot find BBC server, message when I try the above link (actually, even when I google BBC too).
But yeah, I have to agree with your conclusion – particularly within the music industry. That said, some rich people got that way by being very creative with their accounting and use of tax-havens.
NZ the turn of the century – the visible grandees of the National Party IMPORTED the foreign bankster The Ponce Key for THE PURPOSE of winning and retaining POWER.
Not missing a bankster beat The Ponce Key set about THE PURPOSE under the seductive cover of “Key Aura….fancy a beer ?”
NZ 15 years on – THE PURPOSE well achieved dues are to be paid.
I have found that there is another ant the Stinging Needle Ant that is worse than Argentinian ants and is taking over their territory. It also eats other ants and stings people. The USA haven’t done a good job of keeping track of this invader, long in the country, and in the recent decade it has exploded in numbers. People haven’t known anything about them till recently.
Then there is the ‘crazy ant’ named in the USA the Tawny Crazy Ant. That has overtaken the fire ant in some places. They will also overtake the Argentinian ant. The list of incursions of ants from the south into the USA is sobering. We have to be aware of the power of ants and ways of controlling and managing them when they come to our shores and climate change gives them breeding boosts. http://news.utexas.edu/2013/05/16/invasive-crazy-ants-are-displacing-fire-ants-researchers-find
The Tawny crazy ant invasion is the most recent in a series of ant invasions from South America brought on by human movement. The Argentine ant invaded through the port of New Orleans in about 1891. In 1918 the black imported fire ant showed up in Mobile, Ala. Then in the 1930s, the red imported fire ant arrived in the U.S. and began displacing the black fire ant and the Argentine ants…
LeBrun said crazy ants are much harder to control than fire ants. They don’t consume most of the poison baits that kill fire ant mounds, and they don’t have the same kinds of colony boundaries that fire ants do. That means that even if they’re killed in a certain area, the supercolony survives and can swarm back over the area.
“They don’t sting like fire ants do, but aside from that they are much bigger pests,” he said. “There are videos on YouTube of people sweeping out dustpans full of these ants from their bathroom. You have to call pest control operators every three or four months just to keep the infestation under control. It’s very expensive.”
There is something called Time Banking that an interviewee is discussing with Kim Hill that sounds interesting and would be worth a listen but I have to do things while there is some sun outside. So will catch up on it later and here’s the link for others curious and interested.
Radionz
9.35 Edgar Cahn: time banking
Professor Edgar S. Cahn was former counsel and speech writer to Robert F. Kennedy, and is a legal professor at the University of the District of Columbia. He is best known as the originator of time banking, a way to value the contributions that people make to rebuilding community and to ‘co-producing’ public services. He spoke on 3 September in Christchurch as a guest of the Lyttelton Harbour TimeBank, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Lyttelton is one of the first timebanks in NZ. The key thing about timebanks that’s different from alternative money systems is that everyone’s skills and time are valued equally. The unit of exchange is time (usually an hour, but can be broken down into smaller blocks), and a lawyers time is worth exactly the same as a gardeners, 1 hour = 1 hour.
You don’t swap directly, but instead pay into or withdraw from bank accounts. If I do an hours gardening for you, then you pay 1 hour from your account into mine. If you then do 3 hours lawyering for someone else, you pay 3 hours into their account. Simple and sweet.
It sounds like Green $ which I have been involved in. I found that had certain problems so time banking might be more straightforward. It is as you say a needed practice. I want to see volunteer work of an agreed type to be regarded as equivalent to some paid work. Labour has done this in the past. That can then apply to young people, and also those below retirement age, which shouldn’t be raised by the way! It would take pressure off the young and allow more flexibility in their lives and training, and work experience.
I hope too that soon governments will require all able retired, and even some of the differently-abled to do a few hours at least, working for the community in some capacity agreed with the government. I am sure that retired people are going to have to advocate for themselves as the pension cost (superannuation) gets more expensive and we use more of the health budget. We can put work into the community that provides us with most or all of our living expenses, and feel justified in saying we are contributing to society, not just expensive dependents, sighed about by economists as an unsustainable burden. Which is what is happening! And the present approach is truly unsustainable.
The answer to retirement living costs will never be that to solve it people need to save for their retirement. You cannot save enough to enable yourself to live for a third of your life on your investments. And savings in investments can be lost completely when companies go down, fraudsters use your money for risk-taking, high-living etc. It is inevitable that a lot of money sitting unused and meant to be accumulating, will tempt people in our present money-mad society with lack of morals. Having money today is all that many people aim for, all they respect, being a person of integrity doesn’t stack up.
How can we retired justify ourselves being kept on what is an extended holiday, for as much as a third of our life. We are getting to be like the cuckoos who lay their eggs mainly in greywarblers nests. (A fascinating study of how this practice has evolved and carried out on Radionz recently.)
Superannuation (old age pension) expense is measured and it is rising. It is argued that sentimentality towards older people should ensure it is maintained, as sweet gratitude for all we have done in society before retirement. That’s very sentimental, not appropriate on being deserving because our pension system doesn’t discriminate as to past behaviour and morals but is universal, and it is unrealistic. Gratitude is nice but actual money and services for living are needed.
I can’t understand how mature people can continue to set themselves up as exceptional to be recipients of benefits, but ignore the plight of the young. We hear the statistics about growing numbers, and constantly more reaching 100, though the risk of alzheimers gets very high after 80, yet the response is to just to give donations to the alzheimer trust.
Even with a system of required volunteer work, there will be a huge cost, but the value of the work may be such that the economy can bear the cost and thrive. But there needs to be urgent action. The tide of refugees overseas is overwhelming the systems requiring thought and action. There is a tide of retired people coming through and our pollies are trying to surf on the tops of the political morass just keeping their balance and distance from dealing with the reality waiting underneath.
As a member of the Hurunui TimeBank for several years I offered surfing lessons, bread baking, scissors and knife sharpening. In turn I had sewing done, gardening, and take-away meals.
Great for retirees in a community. They have many skills and time available for trading across all groups.
Not sure if this has ever been discussed here before, but wouldn’t it be great if there was an ability to like/dislike, or rate comments on The Standard? Some people make incredible individual contributions in the comments section. Sometimes it feels like it would be great to be able to give those comments a ‘like’.
The +1 does have the advantage over the likes/dislikes in that it can actually draw peoples attention to the comment through the latest comment list on the right and as a space on the page while scrolling down.
When I last tried it about 5 years ago my conclusion was that led to way too much into in-crowd bullying practices. People routinely voted up the people that they liked and down the people that they didn’t like, without bothering too much about the value of the arguments. That violated our policy of promoting “robust debate”.
I suspect that the best approach would be to only allow a very limited number of approvals ONLY. Say 10 per week. Then at least it’d make people think before granting vote up.
However we run this site without any requirement to login at all and for people to be able to have multiple handles over time (if and only if they don’t abuse or game the process). The reason for allowing completely open access to writing comments is to both allow people to reinvent themselves (an important part of growing up in net cultures), and to drop as many barriers to entry as possible – as in we don’t even require a valid email – we just demand that the handle + ’email’ secret combination are unique.
The barriers are all at the behavioural side. If you behave badly then you get that very unsubtle and often highly educational net exit…
So what would we limit the votes against? A probably fictional email address? A dynamically changing IP address? What about the people who don’t comment at all, but who’d probably like to vote on comments?
There is a further consideration – which is site efficiency. Obviously you don’t want people to do more than one tick per comment. That means that you have to store details about whoever has already done a tick as a record per person, and to keep track of the number of ticks. That is hugely expensive because it means that each page of comments now either has to be unique to each user by embedding information in page about what comments that they have done, or by each tick requiring a backend lookup via jquery or the like. Either way requires extra SQL and CPU loadings.
Plus I haven’t seen a plugin package that actually does these things all that efficiently. The two packages I have used in the past caused about a 15-25% increase in site load.
So now with all of the costs involved – does the return to the *site* outweigh those penalties? Or could those costs be used for something more productive?
When I last tried it about 5 years ago my conclusion was that led to way too much into in-crowd bullying practices. People routinely voted up the people that they liked and down the people that they didn’t like, without bothering too much about the value of the arguments.
Fully agree. Open to pack bullying in my view and could put new ‘commenters’ off from joining in the conversations.
I have to say the way commenting has been made easy and streamlined on this site must be in large part why it’s the site is a success. If it wasn’t so good I think it would also reduce the amount of rwingers commenting on here aswell. I often struggle reading through the posts that get 300+ comments! So it must be working.
The Acme Corporation, in association with Stand Your Ground Funeral Services and The Spike Milligan Appreciation Society
are proud to present this user friendly (& open to contributions) KIWI’S GUIDE TO THE REALTY OF NEW KEYLAND
-indexed in alphabetical order
Ardern Road
– Plenty of clear and open outlooks, because seeing where you are, matters
Bennet Grove The access road is restricted: pre-approved vendors only. Also has a dank run off from the nearby glue factory
Brownlee Esplanade
– A parallel circuit route with impressive dual carriageway options, and multiple off ramps each of which exit onto side-streets leading away from any practical destination
Campbell Bay
–The sun seems brighter here, or is it the absence of dark windows?
Coleman Crescent
– Yes the consents are lovely! But where are the houses?
Eade Lake
– Home of the National Masonry Block Emporium and produces vast quantities of Never-Float Sacking
English Avenue
– The QS never quite made sense but they went ahead anyway
Groser Acres
– All the Malls you could ever want, but residents are unable to purchase local produce due to TPPA ISDS Resolution NZP#8-2-a/sff>nz/-neg. Government seem reluctant to intervene
Henry Place
– Oddly reminiscent of a vaudeville promenade
Hooton Lane
– Where the poplars are trained to hide the sun
Hosking’s Court
– A gated paradise with GE Peacocks that shift tone with the weather
Little Street
– Sure, things get rowdy now and again, but when you need a hand they’ll offer two
Peter’s Point
– The squirrelly tracks often require 3 point turns but it beats buying a monorail
Steven Joyce Square
– *warning* You will be assimilated
The John Key Memorial Boulevard – 3rd lane on the left in the staff car park at BOA Headquarters
Turei Heights
– Precipice defying earth works with foundations set deep into stable bedrock
Seymour Bridge
– A low weight but nonetheless essential private carriageway *No heavy traffic!*
Slater Alley
– Much publicised expansion of all services appears to have been suspended
Tolley Terrace
– For some reason the street signs are stamped by Serco
Watkins Way For Sale signs are proudly displayed on all property
“Coleman Crescent” is obviously meant to be “Smith Crescent”
and there are a couple of blatant issues with the ‘indexed alphabetically’ aspect.
– I was unable to edit over the weekend due to technical issues and did send an email requesting assistance … but such is life eh!
Won’t be around for awhile. Be excellent to each other Standardista’s
Re the flag – I cannot believe this, my partner gets the magazine “Air Force News” and the latest features an article entitled “Royal Appointment for the RNZAF.”
“Her Majesty 11 has approved the appointment of Prince Charles to three honorary positions in the NZDF, the Government has announced”. It then proceeds to say they are Marshal of the RNZAF, Admiral of the Fleet of the RNZN and Field Marshal, NZ Army.
Just when Key is trying to get rid of the Union Flag on our NZ Flag these appointments have been okayed. John Key then goes on to say “These appointments recognise the consistent and strong support Prince Charles has maintained for the New Zealand Defence Force”.
Well, he certainly wants a bob both ways – lovely jubbly when the Birthday honours and knighthoods come around, especially for him one day and dinners and holidays with the Queen. It reeks of hypocrisy – I wonder if he has even approached the Queen about removing the Union Flag from the NZ flag and surely the Governor General would have been the correct person to make this announcement and not the Government?
Has anyone seen anything about this in MSM – or has it been put on the back burner for the time being because of the flag furore – wouldn’t surprise me one little bit.
Key, like all National supporters, is an outright authoritarian and thus fully supports the monarchy. In fact, I doubt if he can even image a different system than a top down dictatorial model. This is why Canterbury lost their democracy in ECan, why National comes out with the BS of having a mandate whenever they’re called on their decisions which most people oppose and why this government will do nothing to advance us to becoming a republic (in fact they’ve done the exact opposite in their re-establishment of the Queens Honours and now this ‘recognition’ of Prince Charles).
Winston Peter’s pointed it out a few days ago (and Key’s fondness for all things monarchial even if he wants to remove the Union Jack from the NZ flag).
It was officially announced but probably disappeared in among other news. The Prince of Wales is visiting NZ in November.
The Queen appointed him to 5-star ranks in all of the UK Armed Forces in 2012 so I imagine he will receive similar appointments in other Commonwealth countries as he visits them. Prince Philip holds the same NZ ranks (Admiral of the Fleet of the RNZN in 1958, the other 2 in 1977 during the Silver Jubilee Year).
I wonder what airspace does one own above one’s own property? Can one shoot down drones or disable them, collect them and claim them as one’s personal property and then build one’s interesting transporter from the parts.
Didn’t someone turn their pressure hose on one recently. Personally I have little enough private space from my neighbours and passers-by, I would be very aggrieved to have some nosy noisy passing over my property.
K Rowling wrote about flies on the wall recording information for the right-wing authorities. That was one scary outfit, and perhaps with methods not too far distant from our own, in the near future.
TPPA and copyright issues.
“More Experts Realizing That The TPP Is A Horrible And Dangerous Deal On Copyright”
….
He (David Post) focuses on the issue of orphan works, which are works where the owner can’t be found. As we’ve discussed in the past, the entire “problem” of orphan works is really a problem created by the automatic application of copyright, rather than requiring registration (“formalities.”) By automatically having copyright cover everything, there is no way to easily track down many copyright holders for the purpose of licensing. The Copyright Office has been struggling for years on how to deal with this issue (never apparently willing to explore the issue of returning to a registration requirement). However, as we noted earlier this year, under the current draft of the TPP, the Copyright Office’s own proposal on orphan works would not be allowed.
I’ve penned an editorial to try make sense of this week’s bizarre political circus. I’ve even coined new terminology: The Rugby-Industrial Complex. This week has really been the angry cynical culmination of my hatred of this stupid third-term National government.
Excellent description of the apparent motivators of this ghastly government Brendan
This is what will turn us into New Keyland rather than New Zealand if we are not careful; and what a dark,unpleasant place to live that could be for us and our children! And it already is for far too many.
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
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Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
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Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...
Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...
Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...
Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...
MONDAY“Merry Xmas, and praise the Lord,” said Sheriff Luxon, and smiled for the camera. There was a flash of smoke when the shutter pressed down on the magnesium powder. The sheriff had arranged for a photographer from the Dodge Gazette to attend a ceremony where he handed out food parcels to ...
It’s a little under two months since the White Ferns shocked the cricketing world, deservedly taking home the T20 World Cup. Since then the trophy has had a tour around the country, five of the squad have played in the WBBL in Australia while most others have returned to domestic ...
Comment: If we say the word ‘dementia’, many will picture an older person struggling to remember the names of their loved ones, maybe a grandparent living out their final years in an aged care facility. Dementia can also occur in people younger than 65, but it can take time before ...
Piracy is a reality of modern life – but copyright law has struggled to play catch-up for as long as the entertainment industry has existed. As far back as 1988, the House of Lords criticised copyright law’s conflict with the reality of human behaviour in the context of burning cassette ...
As he makes a surprise return to Shortland Street, actor Craig Parker takes us through his life in television. Craig Parker has been a fixture on television in Aotearoa for nearly four decades. He had starring roles in iconic local series like Gloss, Mercy Peak and Diplomatic Immunity, featured in ...
The Ōtautahi musician shares the 10 tracks he loves to spin, including the folk classic that cured him of a ‘case of the give-ups’. When singer-songwriter Adam McGrath returns to Kumeu’s Auckland Folk Festival from January 24-27, he’s not planning on simply idling his way through – he wants the late ...
Alex Casey spends an afternoon on the job with River, the rescue dog on a mission to spread joy to Ōtautahi rest homes.Almost everyone says it is never enough time. But River the rescue dog, a jet black huntaway border collie cross, has to keep a tight pace to ...
Asia Pacific Report Fiji activists have recreated the nativity scene at a solidarity for Palestine gathering in Fiji’s capital Suva just days before Christmas. The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network recreated the scene at the FWCC compound — a baby Jesus figurine lies amidst the ...
By 1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver and 1News reporters A number of Kiwis have been successfully evacuated from Vanuatu after a devastating earthquake shook the Pacific island nation earlier this week. The death toll was still unclear, though at least 14 people were killed according to an earlier statement from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Scully, Professor in Modern History, University of New England Bunker.Image courtesy of Michael Leunig, CC BY-NC-SA Michael Leunig – who died in the early hours of Thursday December 19, surrounded by “his children, loved ones, and sunflowers” – was the ...
The House - On Parliament's last day of the year, there was the rare occurrence of a personal (conscience) vote on selling booze over the Easter weekend. While it didn't have the numbers to pass, it was a chance to get a rare glimpse of the fact ...
A new poem by Holly Fletcher. bejeweled log i was dreaming about wasps / wee darlings that followed me / ducking under objects / that i was fated to pickup / my fingers seeking / and meeting with tiny proboscis’s / but instead / i wake up / roll sideways ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Versta/Shutterstock Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world. While we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Terry, Professor of Business Regulation, University of Sydney Michael von Aichberger/Shutterstock Even if you’ve no idea how the business model underpinning franchises works, there’s a good chance you’ve spent money at one. Franchising is essentially a strategy for cloning ...
If something big is going to happen in Ferndale, it’s going to happen at Christmas. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If there’s one episode of Shortland Street you should watch each year, it’s the annual Christmas cliffhanger. The final episode of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William A. Stoltz, Lecturer and expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University US President-elect Donald Trump has named most of the members of his proposed cabinet. However, he’s yet to reveal key appointees to America’s powerful cyber warfare and intelligence institutions. ...
Announcing the top 10 books of the the year at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, $37) The phenomenal Irish writer is the unsurprising chart topper for 2024 with her fourth novel that, much like her first ...
I am right and you are wrong.
a good clip from danmark on the state of journalism.
don’t worries, there are subtitles.
Fearmongering is replacing journalism, and this man does not stand for it.
https://www.facebook.com/gapminder.org/videos/1060574540644170/?fref=nf
Take that Mr Media! And our media leads the news with all the crime and tragedies. Effect?
Or bias items as on TV One last night when they reported the protest at parliament about responding and increasing the refugee quota. Completely ommitted the point the protesters were making that John Key’s mother was a refugee fleeing Nazi
Germany, but despite this he is so so callous he can’t offer the same opportunity to others in a terrible plight. Its a shame TV NZ didn’t mention that because I think this sums JK up perfectly.
They are all avoiding mention of that fact ankerawshark because it shows their beloved John Key in a very bad light!
Chinese eye $100m chunk of Silver Fern
Ownership of at least 30 to 40 per cent of New Zealand’s biggest meat processor, Silver Fern Farms, looks set to pass to Chinese interests in a $100-million deal, say sources.
They said an announcement was due next week, possibly as soon as Monday.
Silver Fern last year enlisted the services of Goldman Sachs to advise on its options as it looked at raising $100 million to retire debt.
The company, which is a “hybrid” cooperative owned by farmers and outside shareholders, has been holding meetings with farmers on the condition that they sign confidentiality agreements.
The company has already made big inroads into its debt.
“They [Silver Fern] are going to be as strong as any other company in the industry, so why put the ownership of the company at risk?” said Richardson. “That discussion [with Alliance] needed to take place – unfortunately it has not.”
Richardson said the transaction would have ramifications for Alliance and all the other meat companies.
Silver Fern and Invercargill’s Alliance Group are together responsible for processing just over half New Zealand’s meat production.
Silver Fern owned by the Chinese, eh?
How ironic that we are about to have our flag changed for us to a Silver Fern. What a sharp illustration of today’s New Keyland.
The National government should change our silver fern to red.
Personally whether it is the Chinese, Koreans, Australians, Canadians or whoever, Kiwis are fast becoming tenants and future serfs of our own country by selling off cheaply our land and businesses.
Because of low wages, poor financial management of executives, cronyism within those executives, Government strategic direction of privatisation, Kiwis are unable to compete with the vast wealth of overseas buyers.
Like the 1980’s which most Kiwis know was a big mistake and a few individuals got extremely rich while the country got poorer, this is even worse times.
Now they are also hell bent on destroying the heart of rural NZ, farms and exports.
Under TPPA and associated agreements the public sector.
It’s all right. The Prime Minister has got your back…
…. oops that was 2010 He’s managed to sort his ethical hiccup since then.
You mean to say that he’s managed to avoid any reference to it since.
yup – I think that’s right. Google didn’t instantly show a later furrowed brow comment from him so he must be have been quite comfortable with it since then.
He and his party colluded with the speaker to avoid the question –
ANDREW LITTLE to the Associate Minister of Finance: Does she stand by the Prime Minister’s statement that “I’d hate to see New Zealanders as tenants in their own country”; if so, how many applications by overseas investors to buy land were declined under the Overseas Investment Act 2005 between January 2012 and June 2015?
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/business/qoa/00HOH_OralQuestions/list-of-questions-for-oral-answer
What actually transpired –
Question No. 3 to Minister
ANDREW LITTLE (Leader of the Opposition): I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This question was originally set down for the Prime Minister, and I therefore seek leave for the House to have the question transferred back to the Prime Minister.
Mr SPEAKER : Order! No. I refer the member to Speaker’s ruling 169/5. I am not prepared to put the leave. It is the prerogative of the Government to decide whom the question goes to. It has made that decision. If the member wants to continue asking it as it is on the Order Paper, he can do so.
http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/pb/debates/debates/51HansD_20150819_00000012/oral-questions-%E2%80%94-questions-to-ministers-questions-to-members
I do wonder how many hours and taxpayers dollars of Prime Ministerial time it took to avoid those words passing his lips again.
I’d say that it probably cost us thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars for him to avoid it.
And John Key’s here to help facilitate that. It’s the inevitable end result of capitalism.
IMO, a lot of us who lived through those times recognise that Nationals policies are a continuation of the 1980s. Even the 5th Labour government was. And, yeah, we’re becoming worse off because of it.
As in the UK with Thatcher followed by Blair. Hells Bells.
The essence of creativity
Which is, IMO, how uncreative people become rich while the creative people remain poor. The rich exploit other peoples desire to do and be creative to increase their own wealth while themselves not anything of any real value.
DtB
I keep getting a; cannot find BBC server, message when I try the above link (actually, even when I google BBC too).
But yeah, I have to agree with your conclusion – particularly within the music industry. That said, some rich people got that way by being very creative with their accounting and use of tax-havens.
Weird, works for me.
Try This one which appears to be the shortest version that I can get working.
NZ the turn of the century – the visible grandees of the National Party IMPORTED the foreign bankster The Ponce Key for THE PURPOSE of winning and retaining POWER.
Not missing a bankster beat The Ponce Key set about THE PURPOSE under the seductive cover of “Key Aura….fancy a beer ?”
NZ 15 years on – THE PURPOSE well achieved dues are to be paid.
NZ now – EXPORTED.
Ants – something we will have to develop defences against. I did some looking up on Argentinian ants and anteaters. I was wondering if they would be useful in control of these ants. What is the anteaters preference?
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/how-anteaters-decide-what-to-eat/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzVpQX9r25g
I have found that there is another ant the Stinging Needle Ant that is worse than Argentinian ants and is taking over their territory. It also eats other ants and stings people. The USA haven’t done a good job of keeping track of this invader, long in the country, and in the recent decade it has exploded in numbers. People haven’t known anything about them till recently.
http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/11/16928308-stinging-needle-ants-overtaking-invasive-argentines-in-us
This 2013 report gives details. We have in Nelson Argentinian ants and they are very hard to control. They probably are most likely to come in through ports. We need to be looking out for these other blighters. Because they will blight our lives when they come.
Then there is the ‘crazy ant’ named in the USA the Tawny Crazy Ant. That has overtaken the fire ant in some places. They will also overtake the Argentinian ant. The list of incursions of ants from the south into the USA is sobering. We have to be aware of the power of ants and ways of controlling and managing them when they come to our shores and climate change gives them breeding boosts.
http://news.utexas.edu/2013/05/16/invasive-crazy-ants-are-displacing-fire-ants-researchers-find
The Tawny crazy ant invasion is the most recent in a series of ant invasions from South America brought on by human movement. The Argentine ant invaded through the port of New Orleans in about 1891. In 1918 the black imported fire ant showed up in Mobile, Ala. Then in the 1930s, the red imported fire ant arrived in the U.S. and began displacing the black fire ant and the Argentine ants…
LeBrun said crazy ants are much harder to control than fire ants. They don’t consume most of the poison baits that kill fire ant mounds, and they don’t have the same kinds of colony boundaries that fire ants do. That means that even if they’re killed in a certain area, the supercolony survives and can swarm back over the area.
“They don’t sting like fire ants do, but aside from that they are much bigger pests,” he said. “There are videos on YouTube of people sweeping out dustpans full of these ants from their bathroom. You have to call pest control operators every three or four months just to keep the infestation under control. It’s very expensive.”
Massimo Mazzucco’s The New Pearl Harbour, The Dust Lady Died And Dead Babies Or Why 9/11 Still Matters.
There is something called Time Banking that an interviewee is discussing with Kim Hill that sounds interesting and would be worth a listen but I have to do things while there is some sun outside. So will catch up on it later and here’s the link for others curious and interested.
Radionz
9.35 Edgar Cahn: time banking
Professor Edgar S. Cahn was former counsel and speech writer to Robert F. Kennedy, and is a legal professor at the University of the District of Columbia. He is best known as the originator of time banking, a way to value the contributions that people make to rebuilding community and to ‘co-producing’ public services. He spoke on 3 September in Christchurch as a guest of the Lyttelton Harbour TimeBank, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Audio not yet up.
Lyttelton is one of the first timebanks in NZ. The key thing about timebanks that’s different from alternative money systems is that everyone’s skills and time are valued equally. The unit of exchange is time (usually an hour, but can be broken down into smaller blocks), and a lawyers time is worth exactly the same as a gardeners, 1 hour = 1 hour.
You don’t swap directly, but instead pay into or withdraw from bank accounts. If I do an hours gardening for you, then you pay 1 hour from your account into mine. If you then do 3 hours lawyering for someone else, you pay 3 hours into their account. Simple and sweet.
Lyttelton Timebank http://www.lyttelton.net.nz/timebank
If we lived in a sane society, timebanking would have been set up decades ago in response to rising unemployment rates.
Thanks weka
Timebanking. This is the link for Radionz time bank interview
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/201769465
It sounds like Green $ which I have been involved in. I found that had certain problems so time banking might be more straightforward. It is as you say a needed practice. I want to see volunteer work of an agreed type to be regarded as equivalent to some paid work. Labour has done this in the past. That can then apply to young people, and also those below retirement age, which shouldn’t be raised by the way! It would take pressure off the young and allow more flexibility in their lives and training, and work experience.
I hope too that soon governments will require all able retired, and even some of the differently-abled to do a few hours at least, working for the community in some capacity agreed with the government. I am sure that retired people are going to have to advocate for themselves as the pension cost (superannuation) gets more expensive and we use more of the health budget. We can put work into the community that provides us with most or all of our living expenses, and feel justified in saying we are contributing to society, not just expensive dependents, sighed about by economists as an unsustainable burden. Which is what is happening! And the present approach is truly unsustainable.
The answer to retirement living costs will never be that to solve it people need to save for their retirement. You cannot save enough to enable yourself to live for a third of your life on your investments. And savings in investments can be lost completely when companies go down, fraudsters use your money for risk-taking, high-living etc. It is inevitable that a lot of money sitting unused and meant to be accumulating, will tempt people in our present money-mad society with lack of morals. Having money today is all that many people aim for, all they respect, being a person of integrity doesn’t stack up.
How can we retired justify ourselves being kept on what is an extended holiday, for as much as a third of our life. We are getting to be like the cuckoos who lay their eggs mainly in greywarblers nests. (A fascinating study of how this practice has evolved and carried out on Radionz recently.)
Superannuation (old age pension) expense is measured and it is rising. It is argued that sentimentality towards older people should ensure it is maintained, as sweet gratitude for all we have done in society before retirement. That’s very sentimental, not appropriate on being deserving because our pension system doesn’t discriminate as to past behaviour and morals but is universal, and it is unrealistic. Gratitude is nice but actual money and services for living are needed.
I can’t understand how mature people can continue to set themselves up as exceptional to be recipients of benefits, but ignore the plight of the young. We hear the statistics about growing numbers, and constantly more reaching 100, though the risk of alzheimers gets very high after 80, yet the response is to just to give donations to the alzheimer trust.
Even with a system of required volunteer work, there will be a huge cost, but the value of the work may be such that the economy can bear the cost and thrive. But there needs to be urgent action. The tide of refugees overseas is overwhelming the systems requiring thought and action. There is a tide of retired people coming through and our pollies are trying to surf on the tops of the political morass just keeping their balance and distance from dealing with the reality waiting underneath.
As a member of the Hurunui TimeBank for several years I offered surfing lessons, bread baking, scissors and knife sharpening. In turn I had sewing done, gardening, and take-away meals.
Great for retirees in a community. They have many skills and time available for trading across all groups.
Perhaps The Chairman would like to reflect on his promotion and support of ant-choice terrorists.
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2015/08/31/group-attacking-planned-parenthood-linked-extremists
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/abortion-providers-face-death-threats-in-wake-of-planned-parenthood-videos_55e88bbae4b0b7a9633c3f47
Get it right, Joe90
I didn’t promote or support anti choice terrorists.
I highlighted publicly available information countering certain comments made.
Abby Johnson is not a terrorist and the CMP is not a terrorist organization.
Therefore, I expect you to withdraw your slanderous comment and apologize forthwith.
Moderators take note.
Nah.
Moderators
As you can see Joe90 has put forward no defence while failing to withdraw or apologize.
Is this site going to allow his slanderous comment to stand?
Not sure if this has ever been discussed here before, but wouldn’t it be great if there was an ability to like/dislike, or rate comments on The Standard? Some people make incredible individual contributions in the comments section. Sometimes it feels like it would be great to be able to give those comments a ‘like’.
+1
There is an ad hoc system of “+1” replies like the above. I’m not a big fan of them myself (above is only an example) – but it can be done.
The +1 does have the advantage over the likes/dislikes in that it can actually draw peoples attention to the comment through the latest comment list on the right and as a space on the page while scrolling down.
They’ve been tried a couple of times in the history of The Standard.
When I last tried it about 5 years ago my conclusion was that led to way too much into in-crowd bullying practices. People routinely voted up the people that they liked and down the people that they didn’t like, without bothering too much about the value of the arguments. That violated our policy of promoting “robust debate”.
I suspect that the best approach would be to only allow a very limited number of approvals ONLY. Say 10 per week. Then at least it’d make people think before granting vote up.
However we run this site without any requirement to login at all and for people to be able to have multiple handles over time (if and only if they don’t abuse or game the process). The reason for allowing completely open access to writing comments is to both allow people to reinvent themselves (an important part of growing up in net cultures), and to drop as many barriers to entry as possible – as in we don’t even require a valid email – we just demand that the handle + ’email’ secret combination are unique.
The barriers are all at the behavioural side. If you behave badly then you get that very unsubtle and often highly educational net exit…
So what would we limit the votes against? A probably fictional email address? A dynamically changing IP address? What about the people who don’t comment at all, but who’d probably like to vote on comments?
There is a further consideration – which is site efficiency. Obviously you don’t want people to do more than one tick per comment. That means that you have to store details about whoever has already done a tick as a record per person, and to keep track of the number of ticks. That is hugely expensive because it means that each page of comments now either has to be unique to each user by embedding information in page about what comments that they have done, or by each tick requiring a backend lookup via jquery or the like. Either way requires extra SQL and CPU loadings.
Plus I haven’t seen a plugin package that actually does these things all that efficiently. The two packages I have used in the past caused about a 15-25% increase in site load.
So now with all of the costs involved – does the return to the *site* outweigh those penalties? Or could those costs be used for something more productive?
Fair enough. Thanks for the details response LPrent. I didn’t realise the effort or costs involved. +1’s it is 🙂
🙂 They don’t cost much…
Fully agree. Open to pack bullying in my view and could put new ‘commenters’ off from joining in the conversations.
I have to say the way commenting has been made easy and streamlined on this site must be in large part why it’s the site is a success. If it wasn’t so good I think it would also reduce the amount of rwingers commenting on here aswell. I often struggle reading through the posts that get 300+ comments! So it must be working.
Pictures might liven the place up a bit too.
http://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/world/egypt-billionaire-offers-to-buy-med-island-for-refugees/ar-AAdV3I0
Here’s some leadership from the wealthy.
They really could couldn’t they greywarshark!
The Acme Corporation, in association with Stand Your Ground Funeral Services and The Spike Milligan Appreciation Society
are proud to present this user friendly (& open to contributions)
KIWI’S GUIDE TO THE REALTY OF NEW KEYLAND
-indexed in alphabetical order
Ardern Road
– Plenty of clear and open outlooks, because seeing where you are, matters
Bennet Grove
The access road is restricted: pre-approved vendors only. Also has a dank run off from the nearby glue factory
Brownlee Esplanade
– A parallel circuit route with impressive dual carriageway options, and multiple off ramps each of which exit onto side-streets leading away from any practical destination
Campbell Bay
–The sun seems brighter here, or is it the absence of dark windows?
Coleman Crescent
– Yes the consents are lovely! But where are the houses?
Eade Lake
– Home of the National Masonry Block Emporium and produces vast quantities of Never-Float Sacking
English Avenue
– The QS never quite made sense but they went ahead anyway
Groser Acres
– All the Malls you could ever want, but residents are unable to purchase local produce due to TPPA ISDS Resolution NZP#8-2-a/sff>nz/-neg. Government seem reluctant to intervene
Henry Place
– Oddly reminiscent of a vaudeville promenade
Hooton Lane
– Where the poplars are trained to hide the sun
Hosking’s Court
– A gated paradise with GE Peacocks that shift tone with the weather
Little Street
– Sure, things get rowdy now and again, but when you need a hand they’ll offer two
Peter’s Point
– The squirrelly tracks often require 3 point turns but it beats buying a monorail
Steven Joyce Square
– *warning* You will be assimilated
The John Key Memorial Boulevard –
3rd lane on the left in the staff car park at BOA Headquarters
Turei Heights
– Precipice defying earth works with foundations set deep into stable bedrock
Seymour Bridge
– A low weight but nonetheless essential private carriageway *No heavy traffic!*
Slater Alley
– Much publicised expansion of all services appears to have been suspended
Tolley Terrace
– For some reason the street signs are stamped by Serco
Watkins Way
For Sale signs are proudly displayed on all property
EDIT NOTE:
“Coleman Crescent” is obviously meant to be “Smith Crescent”
and there are a couple of blatant issues with the ‘indexed alphabetically’ aspect.
– I was unable to edit over the weekend due to technical issues and did send an email requesting assistance … but such is life eh!
Won’t be around for awhile. Be excellent to each other Standardista’s
Re the flag – I cannot believe this, my partner gets the magazine “Air Force News” and the latest features an article entitled “Royal Appointment for the RNZAF.”
“Her Majesty 11 has approved the appointment of Prince Charles to three honorary positions in the NZDF, the Government has announced”. It then proceeds to say they are Marshal of the RNZAF, Admiral of the Fleet of the RNZN and Field Marshal, NZ Army.
Just when Key is trying to get rid of the Union Flag on our NZ Flag these appointments have been okayed. John Key then goes on to say “These appointments recognise the consistent and strong support Prince Charles has maintained for the New Zealand Defence Force”.
Well, he certainly wants a bob both ways – lovely jubbly when the Birthday honours and knighthoods come around, especially for him one day and dinners and holidays with the Queen. It reeks of hypocrisy – I wonder if he has even approached the Queen about removing the Union Flag from the NZ flag and surely the Governor General would have been the correct person to make this announcement and not the Government?
Has anyone seen anything about this in MSM – or has it been put on the back burner for the time being because of the flag furore – wouldn’t surprise me one little bit.
Key, like all National supporters, is an outright authoritarian and thus fully supports the monarchy. In fact, I doubt if he can even image a different system than a top down dictatorial model. This is why Canterbury lost their democracy in ECan, why National comes out with the BS of having a mandate whenever they’re called on their decisions which most people oppose and why this government will do nothing to advance us to becoming a republic (in fact they’ve done the exact opposite in their re-establishment of the Queens Honours and now this ‘recognition’ of Prince Charles).
Winston Peter’s pointed it out a few days ago (and Key’s fondness for all things monarchial even if he wants to remove the Union Jack from the NZ flag).
It was officially announced but probably disappeared in among other news. The Prince of Wales is visiting NZ in November.
The Queen appointed him to 5-star ranks in all of the UK Armed Forces in 2012 so I imagine he will receive similar appointments in other Commonwealth countries as he visits them. Prince Philip holds the same NZ ranks (Admiral of the Fleet of the RNZN in 1958, the other 2 in 1977 during the Silver Jubilee Year).
As an aside Queen Elizabeth II will pass Queen Victoria as the UK’s longest reigning monarch on 9th/10th September.
Expect Gun Salutes and probably more Key sycophancy! 👿
Something for the home handyman to build:
His control seems – rudimentary at best.
Well built for backyard drone.
I wonder what airspace does one own above one’s own property? Can one shoot down drones or disable them, collect them and claim them as one’s personal property and then build one’s interesting transporter from the parts.
Didn’t someone turn their pressure hose on one recently. Personally I have little enough private space from my neighbours and passers-by, I would be very aggrieved to have some nosy noisy passing over my property.
K Rowling wrote about flies on the wall recording information for the right-wing authorities. That was one scary outfit, and perhaps with methods not too far distant from our own, in the near future.
apparently eagles dont like them either…maybe you could get a pet eagle ?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/11797897/Eagle-collides-with-drone-in-Australian-skies.html
Love how he appears to be doing his test flight in slippers and ankle socks. 🙂
Don’t quite get the camera guy shouting “Paul! Paul! Be careful!” Bollocks to that….GO FOR IT PAUL! GO, GO, GO! (Maybe just as well I wasn’t there?)
TPPA and copyright issues.
“More Experts Realizing That The TPP Is A Horrible And Dangerous Deal On Copyright”
….
He (David Post) focuses on the issue of orphan works, which are works where the owner can’t be found. As we’ve discussed in the past, the entire “problem” of orphan works is really a problem created by the automatic application of copyright, rather than requiring registration (“formalities.”) By automatically having copyright cover everything, there is no way to easily track down many copyright holders for the purpose of licensing. The Copyright Office has been struggling for years on how to deal with this issue (never apparently willing to explore the issue of returning to a registration requirement). However, as we noted earlier this year, under the current draft of the TPP, the Copyright Office’s own proposal on orphan works would not be allowed.
Post digs deeper on that issue, and highlights why the TPP would kill any realistic reform to deal with orphan works:……
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150903/17071532162/more-experts-realizing-that-tpp-is-horrible-dangerous-deal-copyright.shtml
New Opinium Poll suggests Corbyn has increased his lead over Burnham among both Labour voters and the wider UK Electorate.
http://ourinsight.opinium.co.uk/survey-results/momentum-corbyn
From an 8 point lead (mid-Aug) to a 12 point lead (late-Aug) among Labour supporters.
And from a 5 point lead to an 8 point lead among British voters as a whole.
Marvellous!
I’ve penned an editorial to try make sense of this week’s bizarre political circus. I’ve even coined new terminology: The Rugby-Industrial Complex. This week has really been the angry cynical culmination of my hatred of this stupid third-term National government.
Check it out: http://potentialhumanist.blogspot.co.nz/2015/09/refugees-referenda-and-rugby-industrial.html
+100..good read…for some reason I keep thinking Black Shirts
+1 Well said!
“money talks and morals walk”
Excellent description of the apparent motivators of this ghastly government Brendan
This is what will turn us into New Keyland rather than New Zealand if we are not careful; and what a dark,unpleasant place to live that could be for us and our children! And it already is for far too many.
Everything you would rather not know about so called SMART Meters ….and why you must say NO!
with implications for corporate control and TPPA…and stiffling of alternative sources of energy/inventions/patents