Maybe Labour understand that there are tough times ahead with any amount of unrest…..
I would invite readers to delve daily into the markets on http://markets.on.nytimes.com/research/markets/overview/overview.asp . There are some interestingly rapid movements during the last month, commodities are well down, only Brent Crude over $100, light crude down near $70. Shares are crashing. What this all indicates is a deflationary spiral as prices have peaked, a lack of liquidity in the markets. Money is looking for safe hedges and has nowhere to go.
What does it mean…tough times ahead with more disruption, more dissent. national as the next government (should they gain that poisoned challice) will end up needing all the police powers they can muster. The legitimacy of the current system is on the line, and rather than face the challenge positively they seem to want the right to repress whilst they loot our assets for their mates benefit.
You need to ask one more “why”. Why, after the US Federal Reserve has pumped $16T in new cash into the financial markets via the major banks, is there still a “lack of liquidity” in the markets?
And really, its a very simple issue. There is no shortage of money. There is an excess of debt and liabilities.
In other words, this isn’t a liquidity issue, its a solvency issue.
They can impoverish the middle class and under class all they like now, there are not enough assets in the OECD to compensate for the hundreds of trillions of potential loan and derivative bad (false) assets now hidden on bank balance sheets. At a time when the banks themselves have maximised their leverage in an attempt to maximise their profits, hence are woefully undercapitalised.
Some of the largest banks in the world are operating at leverage ratios of over 30:1. This is exactly like taking a million dollar mortgage out with a $30K deposit. Guess what, if the housing market tanks by just 5% you are suddenly left underwater.
That’s where all the banks are right now, except with trillion dollar bigger sums, and the markets set to tank by 40%-50%.
Yes, solvency is the big underlying issue. Creating credit out of thin air gives short term liquidity but it all gets dissolved or has nowhere safe to go. Creating any more credit just increases solvency problems.Bail outs are just a waste of time propping up the edifice.
Yep. A “bail out” is simply more debt, creating a short term supply of money to help pay off debts already owed to banks.
The Greek “bail outs” increase Greek debt further, and the money is paid straight to bankers.
The Greek ‘socialist’ government is working hand in hand with the bankers and the corporatists against their own people.
The Greeks defaulted in the first half of the 20th century, and they should do so again. And this time, they should get their tax systems and enforcement sorted out.
IT does have another side effect devaluing the American dollar forcing ours up if we don’t do something our export sector will get damaged again just when it is showing some resilience laissez fair for us social credit for them =disaster for our export sector just when we need it to keep our economy afloat , Their is a difference between borrowing and printing .Blinglish will have to borrow more if he doesn’t print and that will cost more and weaken our economy further.
“Maybe Labour understand that there are tough times ahead with any amount of unrest…..”
Wow, ‘ tough times ahead’, this is a valid reason for increasing the powers of the state?
Tough times for whom, and unrest from where? More importantly, how will increasing the Orwellian surveillance powers of a Government address the financial minefields, the increasing costs and the ballooning employment shortages we know make up the bulk of the tough times ahead.
Yeah let’s continue to ignore the problems that lead to the unjust laws and just give the State more and more of our freedoms. If we are to believe all the info distributed from our great leader the ‘serious crimes, the ones that desperately required National to remove even more of the freedoms fought for by our soldiers in bloody wars past, relate primarily to the cultivation and trafficking of marijuana.
A subject which only highlights exactly how uninterested they are in solving the problem.
Wow, ‘ tough times ahead’, this is a valid reason for increasing the powers of the state?
In the eyes of Right Wing Authoritarians it is. Labour has been centre-right for a while now and it now seems to be shifting into the authoritarian mode along with National, Act and United Future.
More importantly, how will increasing the Orwellian surveillance powers of a Government address the financial minefields…
It won’t but it will allow the government to oppress the populace to protect the thieves capitalists.
IMO, Anybody who’s voted Labour before because they were the party of the working class should now either be voting Mana, Alliance or Greens. None of the other parties are there for the majority of the populace.
amen, jenny.
i had just put a comment on another posting here but will repeat it here.
i seem to be missing something here, i thought the tories where all for less (nanny) state in our lives and yet we get this legislation.
equally i see a major left wing party struggling to get traction in polls, rushing to the aid of the tories to help them push thru this disgusting piece of lawmaking.
it has helped to decide where this one will vote come november and it aint gonna be for the nat lite crew. sorry guys.
peace.
The Tories are for anything which will secure their status and power when citizen uprisings occur. Just watch the UK.
And it is a shame that after 9/11, UK Labour led the charge into increased surveillance and CCTV powers, more than what was ever necessary to combat the IRA.
i seem to be missing something here, i thought the tories where all for less (nanny) state in our lives and yet we get this legislation.
That’s what the Tories say that they’re for but any reading of history will show the exact opposite. The Tories are the dictators that they warn people about.
Should MPs be party puppets or individual representatives?
John Key is famous for being an open and accessible PM, amicable and chatty, but National have become famous for saying as little as possible about stuff that matters.
Phil Goff looks more like he’s on slogan autopilot, but Labour MPs like Trevor Mallard, Clare Curran and Darien Fenton have generated publicity for speaking their own minds – for better or worse.
The Maori Party speaks as “our people” while Hone Harawira says what he likes.
Depends on what it is about. There are obviously party positions and ministerial responsibilities, but I have not been given any limitiation on what I can say from a personal point of view and how wider issues might effect my own region.
Isn’t this current public discussion around the future of the RWC just another example of the wider cultural cringe that we as a nation suffer from. (“Please world, love us, please! Please endorse that our decision to live here was the right one!”)
We talk about whinging Poms.
Where else in the world would you get such a debate dominating the media.
And at an event as it enters its final and high profile stage.
Strange thing is at school Kiwi kids are taught that the game is bigger than the man …
(People, the sun will continue to rise in the East whether the ABs are there or not)
Oh yes, my goodness yes, you do! Anyone old enough to remember that git Bickerstaff and his “punch a Pom a day” campaign? All in fun, he said… sadly my ex-husband took that as an instruction, and guess who the “Pom” was that he had ready to hand? 🙁
As a ‘pommy youth’ I well remember the shadow the ‘bash a pom a day’ sentiment cast over my family. I guess to many New Zealanders it was just harmless fun at the expense of the plummy voiced English (which we weren’t/aren’t) or part of Muldoon’s anti-union barrage (Dad was a shop steward).
To my family it was simply an experience of hostility and non-belonging. I remember Mum crying and just wanting to go ‘home’.
Having said that, I had very good friends (some of my best friends – still – are New Zealanders :)).
And don’t get me on to my ‘identity’ – I’ve given up on that as a bad joke.
Yeah but the likes of Deaker has a soft spot for the Irish, Welsh, or Scots. But they despise the English.
It seems that people can wave the flags of any nationality here in Godzone and say they are proud of their “homeland”, but look out if you are English or from areas of Asia.
but look out if you are English or from areas of Asia.
That is so true! My students are for the most part Asian, which is something I’ve learned not to talk about, if I don’t want to hear stereotypes and ignorant abuse. “They’re taking our jobs”, etc..
I remember a student at Unitec in tears over the abuse she got from a bus driver when she asked a question about his route. My son and his friend Jinkoo were catching a bus near their school Western Springs College and they got on together. Jinkoo (Korean, and quite dark-skinned) started to ask something and the driver responded with “I’m sick of you bloody Chinese coming here, you don’t even speak English, and your bloody stupid questions…”. WSC doesn’t have uniforms, goodness knows how old this driver thought they were, but they were just kids! Jinkoo grew up in Germany until he was 8, then in Titirangi. His English is perfect, and his response was scathing!
As a ‘pommy youth’ I well remember the shadow the ‘bash a pom a day’ sentiment cast over my family. I guess to many New Zealanders it was just harmless fun at the expense of the plummy voiced English (which we weren’t/aren’t) or part of Muldoon’s anti-union barrage (Dad was a shop steward)
I was glad at the time that my Dad hadn’t lived to see it! When we girls started school, we had our Dad’s Scouse accent, but we were gobsmacked to be mobbed by 6 year olds screaming “Get back to Pongolia, garn!” My Dutch friend Ellen actually did get punched for speaking Dutch in the street, she was 5 years old, her sister 4.. (Her father then declared that they would all speak English in the home from then on.) New Zealanders seem deeply suspicious of and hostile to “foreigners”..
It’s been the subject of much mirth that our glorious leader John “100% pure compared to other countries” Keys doesn’t seem to know what a percentage is.
But this latest bit of innumeracy has me stunned. From question time yesterday:
When Standard & Poors were giving a meeting in New Zealand about a month ago what they did say, was there was about a 30% chance, ah, that we would be downgraded, that’s what happens when you’re on negative outlook, they did go on to say though, if there was a change of government then that downgrade would be much more likely.
Everyone catch that?
Keys is now crowing that the likelyhood of something that has already happened would be even higher if National weren’t in govt.
Keys dropped the ball. But it’s a good thing Keys is in charge, ‘cos if it were someone else they might’ve dropped the ball.
FFS people used to let this idiot play with their money? Oh that’s right, we still do.
There used to be lots of money slopping around for the idiot to play with….but now?????
“100% pure compared to other countries….” the fekker should have been standing in the stream with me opening day watching effluent dumping, I would have submerged his TV friendly little nostrils deep into it for as long as it took for him to wise up..
Yep Bored, just after opening day on a river in the back of beyond seemingly clear and 100% pure as they come. After not too long me net and screens all clogged with dairy farm shit. And there aint even hardly none dairy farms in this catchment !!
Fertiliser use up 700% in last decade.
Imagine if everyone’s business could just dump their refuse in the street.
Got broken off and then thrown off on the Tuki, rainbows, one large, one little….took a fish out of the top of the Manawatu. Rainbow, 1.5Kgs. Some council idiots plough the Hawkes Bay rivers to”help” river flood flows..buggers the pools big time.
Season looking good if you are prepared to walk into difficult spots around Tararuas / Ruahines. Those streams dont turn to black bottomed slime drains (courtesy of fertilizer / dairy) like the lower country streams. The Manawatu, Mangatainoka, Makakahi, and to the Ruamahanga have been pretty much stuffed with algae by mid season for the last few years. Its a disgrace, and Keys willful ignorance of this makes me despise him more.
Businesses do dump their refuse in the street. The difference is that it can actually be picked up and is organised to be so. Farm refuse can’t be and no in government is bothered about either cleaning it up or preventing it from being dumped in the first place.
Yes, well it is the fundamental issue. How many businesses are still allowed to dump their refuse in the public estate like streets or creeks? None.
There seems to be some kind of implicit understanding that the farming sector can so dump. Similarly with the mining sector, though less so.
The farming one stems of course from NZ’s historical agricultural development when such things were relatively somewhat understandable. But that has morphed and changed to such an extent that if pre-european NZ was subjected to a resource consent application for the agricultural practices as practised today it would not progress very far methinks …
Farms should stop dumping anything outside the farm gate. Big ask for the current generation and would take time but that is what needs to happen. And people get grumpy WHEN ANOTHER FUKCING SHAKE RUMBLES THROUGH MID-SENTENCE … AAARRRRGH! … now where was my brain cells … ah yes, people get grumpy when that sector fails to acknowledge that very particular and major point.
What about TripleD (dipton double dipper) saying on morning report about the deposit guarantee scheme, “nobody knew how to do it”.
Well why the hell didnt they find out?
Oh I see, they needed the opportunity to dispense funds to their mates under a cloak of legality.
Nice work if you can get it.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 5.1
You should listen to the interview. English barely mentioned that Labour were the ones who set it up – I figured he’d be crowing from the rooftops that that was the case.
National supports the Government’s plans to offer a guarantee of $150 billion in retail banking deposits, but says there still many unknowns about how the scheme will work.
National leader John Key was briefed by Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard this afternoon about the plan after the Government announced the policy at the Labour Party campaign launch.
Makes no difference, marsman. If they hadn’t extended it, SCF would have gone into liquidation in the first period specifically to get the advantage of the scheme.
you cannot have it both ways, If they were unstable, the Government should not have extended the Guarantee, If they were fine then they simply manipulated the NZ Govt to make a buck
So either Blingless was an idiot signing them an extension or the SCF are guilty of serious misconduct
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 5.1.2.1.1.1
If the government had not extended the guarantee, SCF would have triggered the payout earlier while under the protection of the original term extended to them by Labour.
On November 19th 2008, Key and his ministers were sworn in. That very day, Treasury Head John Whitehead signed the deed admitting SCF into the retail deposit guarantee scheme “on behalf of the Minister of Finance” Bill English.
Labour didn’t sign SCF into the scheme – National did and they did so while aware that SCF was not up to the terms of the scheme.
Fascinating to hear Bill English on Morning Report clouding the issue so thoroughly that the answer was not his problem and he was not responsible. The good thing was that he actually fronted up.
I do not care who it was that originally signed SCF on. It could have been Tinkerbell trembling in fear when she signed, asCaptain Hook held a shimmering longblade to her tiny throat. It is irrelevant. If SCF had failed during the term of that agreement then the relevant questions would be asked. The FACTS plainly show that the EXTENDED coverage was signed on by National, THREE TIMES My earlier statement stands
” either Blingless was an idiot signing them an extension
or the SCF are guilty of serious misconduct ”
I have seen figures reported at various places that show as much as a billion dollars was added to the risk value in the period between National coming to power and the actual collapse
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell …
Gormless, ( at 3:08) still has trouble with the FACTS that hundreds of millions of dollars of liability were added to the guarantee AFTER National extended the scheme for SCF. What about that data is so hard to understand?
Fox: Your colleague, she’d seen the protests in Greece and Europe and elsewhere. Did you guys take your cue from that? Are you hoping to cite certainly what was a lot of the tension, if not police activity. I know over the weekend there were over 100 arrests and you guys got things fired up. Are you taking your cues from the international movement and how do you want to see this? If you could have it in a perfect way, how would it be?
Jesse: Well I don’t know, its really difficult to answer questions leading to those conclusions. I’d say that we didn’t take our cue leading off of anybody really. It became a more spontaneous movement. As far as seeing this end, I wouldn’t like to see this end. I would like to see the conversation continue. This is what we should have been talking about in 2008 when the economy collapsed. We basically patched a hole on the tire and said let the car keep rolling. Unfortunately it’s fun to talk to the propaganda machine and the media especially conservative media networks such as yourself, because we find that we cant get conversations for the department of Justice’s ongoing investigation of News Corporation, for which you are an employee. But we can certainly ask questions like you know, why are the poor engaging in class warfare? After 30 years of having our living standards decrease while the wealthiest 1% have had it better than ever, I think it’s time for some maybe, I don’t know, participation in our democracy that isn’t funded by news cameras and gentlemen such as yourself.
Fox: But, uh, yeah well, let me give you this challenge Jesse.
Jesse: Sure.
Fox: We’re here giving you an opportunity on the record […] to put any
message you want out there, to give you fair coverage and I’m not
going to in any way
Jesse: That’s awesome!
Fox:…give you advice about it. So, there is an exception in the case, because you wouldn’t be able to get your message out there without us.
Jesse: No, surely, I mean, take for instance when Glenn Beck was doing his protest and he called the President, uh, a person who hates white people and white culture. That was a low moment in Americans’ history and you guys kinda had a big part in it. So, I’m glad to see you coming around and kind of paying attention to what the other 99 percent of Americans are paying attention to, as opposed to the far-right fringe, who who would just love to destroy the middle class entirely.
Fox: Alright, fair enough. You have a voice, an important reason to criticize myself, my company and anyone else. But, let me ask you that, in fairness, does this administration, President Obama, have any criticism as to the the financial situation the country’s in…?
Jesse: I think, myself, uh, as well as many other people, would like to see a little but more economic justice or social justice—Jesus stuff—as far as feeding the poor, healthcare for the sick. You know, I find it really entertaining that people like to hold the Bill of Rights up while they’re screaming at gay soldiers, but they just can’t wrap their heads around the idea that a for-profit healthcare system doesn’t work. So, let’s just look at it like this, if we want the President to do more, let’s talk to him on a level that actually reaches people, instead of asking for his birth certificate and wasting time with total nonsense like Solyndra.
I’ve been looking at the comments on the stuff political blogs for a while now. Every time John Pagani writes a blog he gets dozens of incredibly vitriolic, and often very uninformed, people commenting. A lot of them repeat the lies that Labour left us in a huge deficit hole and wasted all the money etc. They’re all generally very very anti-Labour and very pro-National.
When DPF writes a blog the comments are sort of 60/40 supportive or anti, with the anti ones saying stuff about him deliberately manipulating the media spin for his paymasters.
Yet when a new post goes up in the What (S)he Said blog, which is by Andrea Vance and John Hartevelt who are in the parliamentary press gallery, the comments are usually a lot more anti-national.
It makes me think there’s a whole bunch of righties just waiting for DPF and Pagani’s blogs so they can go in an astroturf hither and yon. But they ignore What (S)he Said and as a result we get more honest commenting going on.
I thought Pagani’s role was to act as a punchbag for Paul Holmes, Richard Griffin, Matthew Hooton and whoever else on the right wants a workout on an agreeable patsy.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 8
I wasn’t ill-informed, it is unfortunately, a subject that I know rather too well (as John already knew). John Pagani however was quite ill-informed on the subject he was writing on – which is why he got my comment pointing out one aspect of why he was ill-informed. Apparently he didn’t like by characterization of his motivation for writing such cobblers.
In any event, the comment didn’t survive there. So I repeated and expanded it here.
Japan is to resume whaling in the Southern Ocean next month with military security to protect its boats from the radical environment group Sea Shepherd which has promised to launch “Operation Divine Wind” or kamikaze against them.
On the tsunami and nuclear meltdown in Japan being connected to the emperor of Japan having sex with the sun goddess
“That happened many, many years ago, and that created a spiritual atmosphere over Japan which was an atmosphere ruled by the powers of darkness. The sun goddess is not a very nice lady. The sun goddess is a power of darkness, which is headed up by the kingdom of Satan. And so the sun goddess wants natural disasters to come to Japan. Sometimes the hand of God, which is more powerful, will prevent them. And when he decides to prevent them and when he doesn’t is far beyond anything that we can predict.”
Why the surprise? This creationism crap is worming its way into schools. It comes from the cell groups that set themselves up in the libraries of our teacher colleges. The graduates go out into the world and this drivel slowly permeates the classrooms – particularly, but not exclusively, in the lower decile schools where the communities are receptive and indeed request it – the communities’ boards recruit them. (Further confirming the warnings that were given when Picot set in train the self managing schools model).
It’s a toss up between English and Heatley as being the worst cabinet ministers. Both have caused immense financial hardship to those in the lowest income bracket.
I am concerned about how much Heatley has wasted on his screwed up housing policies. The man simply does NOT get it that his newly developed social housing unit will not deliver affordable rental properties to those who do not qualify for a HNZ property.
NZ has such an aging population who require medical treatment. Unless there is a robust, affordable secure housing policy, the elderly in particular are going to require more health resources. This can be said for children as well and people with permanent health conditions which impede working more than several hours a week.
Heatley has 40 million for his social housing unit EXPERIMENT, which has redirected money away from housing people in need, while far too many HNZ homes are unoccupied.
Dosent help that the HCC is full of Tea-Party wannabes, and Julie Hardaker is trying her best to be like Michelle Bachman without the god-bothering.
Heatley is probably in the pocket of the slumlords union Property Investors’ Federation.
Fortunately, the Tea Parters on my council are a) most of the time all bluff and bluster and b) too caught up into having admission fees established for the local art gallery to be any sort of threat to council services.
Profit is a dead weight loss so I’m not overly concerned about that especially considering that it is the profit drive (pure greed) that is destroying the environment.
No, we needed the lab time to tell us that those effects were good for us rather than the End of Civilisation which seems to be the reason why such drugs are banned.
“The majority of voters for all main political parties want the government to phase out battery cages. When asked whether animal welfare laws should prohibit cages, 70 per cent of the respondents said they should. When told the government is considering phasing out battery cages and asked if they agreed with this, 81 per cent said they did,” says SAFE campaign director Eliot Pryor.
So, is the government listening to the public on this or are they still defending the use of battery hens?
However, the Horizon poll finds 64% say they are not well enough informed or not informed at all on Preferential voting (64%); Single Transferable Vote (62.2%) and
Supplementary Member (71.3%). Only on the former electoral system, First Past the Post, do a majority (58.1%) feel informed or well informed, while 28% feel ill-informed on it.
Asked if they would like the electoral Commission to send them information about the alternative voting systems to MMP, 74.2% say yes, 25.8% no.
Well, at least people are asking for the information. Now hopefully that will be made available to them. Although I’m pretty sure that NAct will prefer to keep people uninformed.
Among voters who are registered, intend to vote, have decided which party to support or who don’t know but express a current preference, Mana has 2.2% (up from 1.9% in July). The Maori Party has 1.1%. Some 21% of those supporting Mana voted for the Maori Party at the 2008 general election.
National has 39.5% (up 2.2% since July), Act 4.8% and United Future 0.8%.
Labour has 27% (no change), the Green party 10.7% (+ 0.5%), New Zealand First 7.3% (+1.3%).
Actually, the most important point of that poll is that Labour would only be able to form a coalition with the support of Mana. Phil Goff should, about now, be feeling really stupid for saying that he won’t work with Hone.
This one’s the most disturbing though. Apparently, most people believe that employers should have a say in your recreation.
Whao! What just happened in the public gallery in Parliament? It happened as Goff was beginning his speech in the general debate, and apparently our friendly PM blamed the incident on Labour.
I think the speaker got it wrong. But the PM obviously said something during/just after the kerfuffle in the gallery that got right up the nose of the opposition.
The incident interrupted a speech by Labour leader Phil Goff and several MPs leapt to their feet out of concern.
At the time Prime Minister John Key was shouting across the House “shame on Labour”. Question time had just finished and MPs were engaged in a general debate.
[…]
Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee said security guards were on the scene “very, very quickly”.
[…]
“[We were] shocked because you don’t know why he was wanting to leap. When he went out he made a few statements that were fairly clear what he was about. I’d rather not go into that.”
The man was heard calling out about Work and Income, Prime Minister John Key and Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.
I happened to read an article today entitled Key Nats’ ace; Goff sidelined, published on the Otago Daily Times website today. The fictional piece is so obviously a beat up that I’m surprised it reached publication…
Dalefield School principal Kevin Jephson said the standards would reward only those pupils “who arrive at school from extremely advantaged backgrounds such as inherited intelligence, emotional security, financial prospects and pro-active parenting”.
“The many children who come to school less advantaged not only demonstrate their lack of readiness to learn at higher academic levels but also inflict on the school their many and varied social problems.”
National Standards had allowed politicians and bureaucrats to “get in by the back door” and influence policy and practice in schools, which under parent control were “more relaxed and human”, he said.
Now boards of trustees face the axe for not implementing National Standards and teachers are hamstrung and demotivated by “countless restrictive practices”. “With the tyranny of officialdom flooding our schools they will soon descend into mediocrity and then over time become ripe for closure and mergers.”
(funny that is already happening in Dunedin and Kawerau, and the rumour mill suggests those are ‘pilots’ for future amalgamations)
and…
“We at Dalefield cannot afford to wait any longer for the minister to wake up and rescind an unworkable, treacherous and anti-child educational law. “It is time for the lawmakers to stand up and apologise to our citizens for wasting precious taxpayer funds and degrading high performing schools on a political whim.”
I’d love to see Tolley do that! And finally
“We have a duty to the children of this country to maintain the very high educational standards we have now and not just let our children’s futures and our high international rankings be destroyed by a political neoliberal ideology which has captured the present government,”
Well said Kevin Jephson and well spotted Ian.
Last week buried in a column somewhere I saw a quote from Anne Tolley to the effect that National Standards were just a beginning and that she had many more things to improve NZ education. Ominous.
And watch that Mandate that National will seize in order to justify massive changes.
So what about the wairarapa times age running a meet john key forum and putting a two inch bannner for key on the bottom of every page for a week?
When the goebbles golum come back to life?
Noting that effective enforcement of intellectual property rights is critical to sustaining economic growth across all industries and globally;
Is completely contrary to reality. Preventing people from applying their imagination and coming up with ideas, which is what IP enforcement does, actively prevents development of the economy.
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The Committee of Disobedient Women has intercepted an email from Dr Emma Eejut, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Massey University to the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Jan Thomas. Dear Jan, Thank you for your courageous move. I think 10 pages of blether** should tie any of the students game enough to try holding ...
That's the only response to the findings of the Ombudsman's investigation into LGOIMA practices at the Christchurch City Council:My investigation identified serious concerns about the Council’s leadership and culture, and its commitment to openness and transparency. In particular, Council staff raised concerns with me about various methods employed by some ...
NZ First seems to be nakedly trying to enrich itself from public office:A powerful New Zealand First figure helped establish a forestry company that then pushed for money from two key funding streams controlled by a New Zealand First Minister. An RNZ investigation has found Brian Henry, lawyer for Winston ...
Behrouz Boochani is an award winning author and journalist. He is also a refugee, who for the past six years has been detained in Australia's offshore gulag on Manus Island, and in Papua New Guinea. But last night, with the cooperation of the WORD Christchurch festival and Amnesty International, he ...
Different Strokes: If a multicultural immigration policy imposes no obligation on immigrant communities to acknowledge and ultimately embrace their host nation’s most cherished traditions and values, then how is that nation to prevent itself from being reduced to a collection of inward-looking and self-replicating ethnic and cultural enclaves?THE COALITION GOVERNMENT’S ...
Protective Zone: Reading the rules and guidelines released by Massey University, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that its governing body considers the whole concept of free speech a disruptive threat to the orderly imparting of orthodox academic knowledge.IN TRUE ORWELLIAN fashion, Massey University has announced its commitment to ...
Farmers held a hate-march on Parliament today, complete with MAGA hats, gun-nut signs, and gendered insults. While supposedly about a grab-bag of issues - including, weirdly, mental health - it was clear that the protest was about one thing, and one thing only: climate change. And specifically, forestry "destroying" rural ...
The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security released their annual report today, and I've been busy reading through it. In amongst the usual review of what they've been doing all year, there's a few interesting bits. For example, a discussion on "agency retention and disposal of information", which points out that ...
Recently more than 150 post-graduate students and young scientists presented an open letter to the Green Party via The Spinoff, encouraging them to reconsider their position on genetic modification. Their target is tackling climate change issues.[1] Can any party continue to be dismissive about genetic modification (GM) contributing to ...
by Deirdre O’Neill Under Thatcher and then Blair and continuing up until our contemporary moment, the working class has seen its culture slowly and progressively destroyed. The change from an industrial society to a service society produced a marked shift in focus from the working class as the backbone of ...
Since 2013, the Australian government has detained refugees without trial in Pacific gulags, where they are abused, tortured, and driven to suicide. The policy is not just an abuse of human rights and possible crime against humanity; it has also had a corrosive effect on the states Australia uses as ...
It seems fair to say that we currently live in a problematic political moment in world history. Democracies are in decline and dictatorships are on the rise. Primordial, sectarian and post-modern divisions have re-emerged, are on the rise or have been accentuated by political evolutions of the moment such as ...
Last month, Greenpeace head Russel Norman surrendered his speaking slot at an EPA conference to student climate activist Sorcha Carr, who told the EPA exactly what she thought of them. It was a bold move, which confronted both regulators and polluters (or, as the EPA calls them, "stakeholders") with the ...
The core principle supposedly underlying New Zealand's electoral finance regime is transparency: parties can accept large donations from rich people wanting to buy policy, but only if they tell the public they've been bought. Most parties abide by this, so we know that TOP was wholly-owned by Gareth Morgan, and ...
Today is a Member's Day, probably the second-to-last one of the year, and its a big one, with the Third Reading of David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. last Member's Day it was reported back from committee, after MPs voted narrowly to make it subject to a (rules TBA) ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzThe growth of the human population over the last 70 ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women In her excellent oral submission to the Abortion reform select committee on 31st October on behalf of Otago University’s Department of Public Health, historian and public health researcher Hera Cook stated: “We would ask that the committee not use the term ‘pregnant persons’ and ...
by Don Franks In 1957, E M Forster wrote, of his greatest work: “The India described in ‘A Passage to India’ no longer exists either politically or socially. Change had begun even at the time the book was published ( 1924) and during the following quarter of a century it ...
The Referendums Framework Bill was due back from select committee today. But there's no report on it. Instead, the bill has been bounced back to the House under Standing order 29593) because the Committee didn't bother to produce one. They probably tried. But given the membership of the committee (which ...
Two years into New Zealand’s Labour-led government, the long-delayed Zero Carbon Bill became law on 7 November. Passed essentially unanimously, the lengthy public debates and political manoeuvring faded away until the final passage was even anticlimactic: Flipping through the @nzstuff@DomPost I was starting to wonder if I’d dreamt ...
Now the Zero Carbon Bill is law, what's next? Obviously, the ETS changes currently before select committee are going to be the next battleground. But we're also going to get a good idea of where we're going, and if the progress the Zero Carbon Act promises is good enough, during ...
Grant PearceThe effects of the current Australian bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland (and also again in California) are devastating and far-reaching. To date, the fires have resulted in several lives being lost and many homes and properties destroyed. Here in New Zealand, the impacts have been only ...
A passing comment in a post the other day about the labour force participation rates of older people prompted me to pull down the fuller data and see what we could see about various participation rates over the decades since the HLFS began in 1986. As it happens, the ...
Distract And Divert: The rise of what we have come to call “Identity Politics” represents the ideological manifestation of the ruling class’s objective need to destroy class politics, and of the middle-class’s subjective need to justify their participation in the process.THE RELIEF of the ruling class can only be imagined. ...
"I saw a newspaper picture,From the political campaignA woman was kissing a child,Who was obviously in pain.She spills with compassion,As that young child'sFace in her hands she gripsCan you imagine all that greed and avariceComing down on that child's lips?" ...
Dr Matt Boyd, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick WilsonThe Global Health Security Index which considers pandemic threats has just been published. Unfortunately, NZ scores approximately half marks (54/100), coming in 35th in the world rankings – far behind Australia. This poor result suggests that the NZ Government needs to ...
The Zero Carbon Act is inadequate, with a weak methane target designed to give farmers a free ride. But it turns out it could have been worse: Climate Change Minister James Shaw was so desperate to get National on board, he wanted to gut that target, and leave it in ...
The Herald reprints an Australian story on a couple of tragic deaths in Bali from drinking cocktails that had methanol in them. The story argues that methanol is likely the result of home distillation. But what the young tourists were experiencing was far from a hangover. They’d consumed a toxic cocktail ...
Last month, the police announced a trial of specialist roaming armed units, which would drive round (poor, brown) areas in armoured SUVs, armed to the teeth. When they announced the trial, they told us it was about having armed police "ready to attend major incidents at any time if needed". ...
Spain went to the polls today in the second elections this year, after the Socialists (who had come to power in a confidence vote, then gone to the polls in April) rejected the offer of a coalition with the left-wing PoDemos, and instead decided to gamble n a better outcome ...
A couple of days ago I attended (and spoke at) the University of Waikato’s “LearnFest” event. There were lots of talks and sessions on very diverse aspects of teaching, mostly at tertiary level. One was by Myra Williamson from Te Piringa Faculty of Law here at Waikato, on Contract Cheating ...
There will be a transit of Mercury – the planet Mercury will pass across the face of the Sun – taking place at sunrise in New Zealand on Tuesday, 12th November. It was by observing such an event 250 years ago that James Cook and his scientist colleagues were able ...
Since becoming the world’s first openly transexual mayor and member of parliament, Georgina Beyer has been recognised as a trailblazer for trans rights. Daphna Whitmore talks with her about where she sees the current trans movement We start out talking about legislation the government put on hold that would have ...
If FFNZ really put their faith in “Top Medical Journals” they would now be amending their billboards to recognise new research results. Image from FFNZ but updated to agree with the latest research. ...
National Messiah? Chris Luxon identifies himself as an evangelical Christian. If he is genuine in this self-characterisation, then he will take every opportunity his public office provides to proselytise on behalf of his faith. He will also feel obliged to bear witness against beliefs and practices he believes to be ...
I'm going to make a Reckless Prediction™ that the Tories have 'topped out' in the 'poll of polls' / Britain Elects multipoll tracker at about 38%, and in the next week we will start to see Labour creep up on them.In fact, we might just be seeing the start of ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women Lizzie Marvelly: “I may have missed this… has @afterellen gone all terf-y? Or am I reading something incorrectly? “ https://twitter.com/LizzieMarvelly/status/1191840059105742849 After Ellen is a lesbian website that is unashamedly pro-lesbian, as you’d expect. So why is Ms Marvelly so bothered about lesbians having their ...
Did you know there once was a time when it was illegal to be a gypsy (aka Romani) in Britain?That was between 1530, when the Egyptians Act was passed, and 1856, when it was repealed.Amongst other things, the act forbade the entry of 'Egyptians' into England, ordered those already there ...
Some days I sit and think, “what will I write…?” What do you say when you get to 1000 posts? Maybe you just start where you are, diverge to where this all began, then offer a collection of reader’s favourite posts, and a few of your own? (And throw in ...
Counter-Puncher: The “activists” and “radicals” (his own words) from the Indian community who took such strong exception to Shane Jones’ remarks about Immigration NZ’s treatment of arranged marriages, may end up bitterly regretting their intervention. Jones is not the sort of person who turns the other cheek to his critics.SHANE ...
In the spirit of Remember, remember the fifth of November, let's keep this in mind FOREVER.
Oh dear. Extraordinary interview on PM with Andrew Bridgen and @EvanHD just now. Bridgen was defending Jacob Rees Mogg’s Grenfell comments. Evan asked him if JRM had meant to say he would have left ...
Collision Course? In conditions of ideological white-out, the international bankers’ “Woop-Woop! Pull Up!” warning may have come too late to save global capitalism.WHAT DOES IT MEAN when international bankers are more willing to embrace radical solutions than our politicians and their electors? At both the International Monetary Fund and the ...
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a conundrum. It is a disease that was described hundreds of years ago and the bacteria that causes it (Bordetella pertussis) isolated in 1906. We have had vaccines for about 80 years but this disease is defiant in the face of human immunity. I wanted to ...
The Zero Carbon Bill has just passed its third reading, uanimously. In the end, National supported it - but we all know they'll turn around and gut it the moment they regain power. Meanwhile, I guess ACT's David Seymour didn't even bother to show up. I am on record as ...
Dr Lindsay Robertson, Dr Jerram Bateman, Professor Janet HoekMembers of the public health community hold divergent views on how access to vaping products or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products should be arranged. Some believe ENDS should be as widely available as smoked tobacco and argue for liberal ...
When the Police were trying to cover up for the National Party over Dirty Politics, they went all-in with their abuses of power. They illegally search Nicky Hager's house, violating his journalistic privilege and invading his privacy. They unlawfully acquired Hager's bank records. They did the same to left-wing blogger ...
Last month, in response to a wave of protests by Extinction Rebellion, the British government purported to ban their protests from the whole of London. It was a significant interference with the freedoms of expression and assembly, and another sign of the country's decline into tyranny. But now, a court ...
Last year, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security reported on significant problems with the intelligence warrant system. While they were unwilling to declare any warrant "irregular" (meaning unlawful) due to the recent law change, they were also not willing to give the system a clean bill of health. Now, they've ...
The National Party has come out in support of encouraging greater vaccination uptake. But it sure isn’t the way I’d do it. National’s suggested docking the benefits of those on benefit whose kids aren’t keeping up with their vaccinations. Some in National have suggested extending that to payments under Working ...
Feeding The Flames: It is simply not enough to demand an end to “corruption”, or “inequality”, or the overbearing influence of the authorities in Beijing. These are just “lowest common denominator” demands: the sort of slogans that pull people onto the streets. They are not a plan.WHERE’S THE PLAN? Across ...
The labour market statistics have been released, and unemployment has risen to 4.2%. There are 115,000 unemployed - 11,000 fewer than when Labour took office. In that time the minimum wage has gone up by $2 an hour, which shows that the right's fears about increases causing unemployment are simply ...
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee has called for submissions on Andrew Little's tyrannicalTerrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill. Normally I encourage participation in the democratic process. I am not doing so in this case. Instead, I encourage all of you to boycott this submissions process, and to post ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzIf tiny concentrations of carbon dioxide can hold enough heat ...
Aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and within it, one of the fastest sources is elite travel: billionaires flitting around the world in their private jets, spewing excessive pollution into the atmosphere just so they can avoid mixing with us dirty peasants. But in ...
That's what we face if we don't stop climate change, according to a warning from 11,000 scientists:The world’s people face “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” unless there are major transformations to global society, according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists. “We declare clearly and unequivocally ...
by Phil Duncan Here’s just a few of the kind of threats issued day in and day out against gender-critical women – feminists, marxists, etc – overwhelmingly by MEN (albeit men identifying as women). “Kill all Terfs”. “Shoot a Terf today”. “All terfs deserve to be shot in the head”. ...
This is the third of the synopses of parts of the opening chapter of John Smith’s Imperialism in the 21st Century (New York, Monthly Review Press, 2016). The synopsis and commentary below is written by Phil Duncan. Unlike the humble cup of coffee and t-shirt that we looked at in ...
Tom MooreTraditionally a food source and cutting tool, freshwater mussels/kākahi are now widely valued as water filters that help clean our waterbodies and maintain ecosystem health throughout Aotearoa. The improvement they provide in water quality can make it easier for other animals to live in streams and rivers, as ...
And to think he gave all the potential goodwill away with that moronic, cult-like statement (repeated ad nauseam by many National hardliners) that Key is quite simply “the greatest PM we ever had”…Installation complete: this was nothing ...
The chairman of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISCS) working group, Wayne Brown, has hit back at critics of his group’s recommendations to relocate the Ports of Auckland cargo operations to Whangarei’s deepwater port of Northport. The working group's recommendation to close Auckland waterfront to all but cruise ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First backs the public to decide on the End of Life Choice Bill via a referendum at the 2020 General Election. The Bill, with New Zealand First’s referendum provision incorporated, passed its final reading in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Justice New Zealand First is proud that a key Coalition Agreement commitment which will provide for a more transparent and effective criminal justice system has been realised. Legislation to establish the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body focused on identifying and responding to possible miscarriages of ...
"Today we have made a choice that will leave a legacy... I hope that means that future generations will see that we, in New Zealand, were on the right side of history." - Jacinda Ardern, Third Reading of the Zero Carbon Bill ...
Darroch Ball, New Zealand First List MP A Member’s bill has been proposed that would provide income tax exemptions for all New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel while on operational deployment overseas. The Income Tax (Exemption for Salary or Wages of NZDF Members on Active Deployment) Amendment Bill proposed by New Zealand First ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have brought common sense to the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill, which passed its final reading in Parliament today. Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters says months of hard work went into negotiating a balanced ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First has listened to calls to recognise paramedics as registered health professionals under the Health Practitioners’ Competence Assurance Act (the Act).Today, the Coalition Government announced plans for paramedics to be registered as health practitioners under the Act, and the establishment of a ...
We began the week by commemorating the New Zealand Wars and celebrating a major increase in the number of teachers. Then, we were busy supporting offenders into work and getting our rail back on track after years of underinvestment. And that's just the start! ...
In October I was sworn in as the Mayor of Lower Hutt.It’s the privilege of my life to serve Hutt people as their Mayor. There is something really special to be able to serve the community where I was raised, and where I live. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters met with Korea Racing Authority Chairperson Nak Soon Kim in Seoul today to discuss closer cooperation between the New Zealand and Korean horse racing industries. As part of the visit to the Seoul Racecourse, Mr Peters witnessed ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $10 million to establish Otago as the centre of New Zealand’s creative digital industry over the next ten years, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “The initiative will bring us closer to the vision of ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF)’s skills and employment programme will help young Otago people into long-term forestry careers, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. Te Ara Mahi will invest $63,000 in the 2020 school year to support eight 17 and 18 ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will support local plans to revitalise and stimulate economic development opportunities in Otago, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The four Regional Economic Development Ministers have approved an in-principle investment of $19.9 million towards the region’s ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is pleased to have received the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) report on the Coalition Government’s Mycoplasma bovis eradication efforts, which shows significant progress in the fight against the disease. New Zealand First Spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, says the report’s findings ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development Hon David Parker, Minister for Trade and Export Growth The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing to support economic growth opportunities for Otago’s engineering and manufacturing sectors, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Trade and Export Minister David Parker announced today. Almost $20 million ...
The Government is building special housing to accommodate one of Aotearoa’s greatest taonga- our kaumātua, says the Minister for Māori Development, Hon Nanaia Mahuta. Speaking at a National Kaumātua Service Providers Conference in Rotorua today, the Minister reinforced the importance kaumātua play in maintaining and passing on mātauranga Māori, knowledge, ...
Eleven men from a pilot forestry training programme for prisoners in Northland now have full time jobs or job offers upon release, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis and Forestry Minister Shane Jones announced today. The ‘release to work’ programme was a collaboration between Te Uru Rākau and the Department of Corrections, ...
Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins today introduced into Parliament a Bill that will make it easier for the public service to tackle the biggest challenges facing Governments. The Bill represents the most significant change in the public service in 30 years. The State Sector Act 1988 will be repealed ...
The families of more than 416,000 students will be better off next year as their schools have signed up to the Government’s donations scheme, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. The scheme will see almost $62.5 million in additional Government funding go to schools nationwide next year. “I’m really pleased ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced further support as the Government of Samoa responds to a serious measles outbreak. “New Zealand will deploy a further 18 vaccination nurses, bringing the total to 30 working in Samoa over the next four weeks,” Mr Peters said. “A New Zealand Medical Assistance ...
Fa’atalofa atu, malo e lelei, Kia ora koutou katoa Thank you to the Child Poverty Action Group for asking me to be here today to provide an update on some of the things that have been happening across my the social development portfolio. Can I firstly acknowledge the vast ...
***Please check against delivery*** Good morning everyone. It is a pleasure to be with you this morning to open this year’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Conference and AGM. Firstly, thank you Dr Alan Jackson, NZTR Chair for your introduction. And let us acknowledge also: The NZTR Board; Dean McKenzie, Chair ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer and more secure, Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing) Kris Faafoi has announced today. Both renters and landlords will benefit from the suite of practical changes to the Residential ...
A marine conservation milestone - the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve - is being celebrated today at a community event in Tairāwhiti/East Coast attended by the Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “The creation of this marine reserve in November 1999 was a game ...
The Government is asking the food industry to step up work to tackle obesity including reducing sugar, fat and salt in their products, better information for consumers, and tighter restrictions on advertising to children. Health Minister David Clark and Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor have responded to a ...
ew, modern emergency department and outpatient facilities at Queenstown’s Lakes District Hospital mean better emergency care for the growing tourist mecca’s visitors and locals, says Health Minister David Clark. Today Dr Clark officially opened the hospital’s redeveloped Emergency Department and Outpatient facilities. The new facilities include: • An extended Emergency Department ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter says today’s release of sexual and reproductive health data reinforces the significance of the Government’s commitment to providing free or very low-cost contraception. The Ministry of Health today published statistics from the Ministry of Health’s 2014/15 Health Survey. “It is important people can make ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced that at the request of the Samoan Government, New Zealand will be providing further support to Samoa as it faces a worsening measles outbreak. “In response to a request from the people of Samoa, New Zealand is providing 3000 measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) ...
“The new Disability Action Plan 2019–2023 moves us towards the inclusive and accessible New Zealand that this government has committed to,” Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “The Action Plan was designed by disabled people, their family and supporters, the disability sector and government agencies. It will ensure ...
Third Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting 14 November 2019 Joint Statement 1. Defence Ministers Ron Mark and Dr Ng Eng Hen today conducted their third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore. 2. Building on the Enhanced Partnership signed between both countries in May this year, this annual meeting ...
A Bill to improve the court system’s response to sexual violence has passed its first reading in Parliament today. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Sexual Violence Legislation Bill will reduce the trauma sexual violence complainants experience in court, while maintaining defendants’ fundamental rights and making sure the trial process ...
Streamlined payment practices are a step closer for Kiwi businesses with the formal launch of New Zealand’s e-Invoicing framework. Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says the government has now established the structure to enable automated and direct data exchange between the accounting systems of buyers and sellers. “The move to ...
Another 51 quarantine officers and four new biosecurity detector dog teams will help protect New Zealand from invasive pests and diseases this summer, says Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “The Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity system and support our valuable primary sector “New Zealand’s flora, fauna ...
A new report has found New Zealand’s space sector contributed $1.69 billion to the economy in the last financial year and employs 12,000 people, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. The report by Deloitte was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and shows New Zealand ...
Judge Coral Shaw has been appointed as the new Chair of the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. "Judge Shaw, who is currently one of the inquiry commissioners, is extremely well qualified for the ...
The Government has confirmed its third major mental health facility upgrade since the Budget, this time at Palmerston North Hospital. The Prime Minister and Health Minister today visited MidCentral DHB to announce that $30 million has been allocated to upgrade its acute mental health facility. It follows earlier announcements in ...
The roll out of the National Bowel Screening Programme has reached the halfway mark, with 10 out of 20 District Health Boards now part of the programme. MidCentral DHB, which covers Palmerston North, Manawatu and surrounding districts, this week became the latest to DHB to offer free bowel screening to ...
The Government welcomes PHARMAC’s decision to fund a vaccine to protect young people from meningococcal disease from 1 December this year. “Meningococcal disease is a serious threat which people at higher risk should be protected from,” says Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter. “The combined pharmaceutical budget was increased by ...
Groups involved with innovative fisheries research projects are encouraged to apply for government support in the latest funding round from the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures programme. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash says the SFF Futures funding is designed to be flexible enough to support small or large projects across a ...
The Government has fixed an issue affecting how Immigration New Zealand has processed visa applications for culturally arranged marriages, which will now see a consistent process applied which ensures people with legitimate arranged marriages can visit New Zealand while also preventing any rorting of the system. Earlier this year Immigration ...
The Royal Commission into the Attacks on Christchurch Mosques will report back on 30 April 2020 to give it more time to hear submissions and consider information, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The Royal Commission was originally scheduled to report back to Government by 10 December 2019. “There has ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Washington DC today to attend a ministerial meeting focused on defeating ISIS, and to continue pursuing New Zealand’s trade opportunities. Mr Peters will participate in a meeting of Foreign and Defence Ministers from key countries contributing to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. ...
The recently crowned Bird of the Year, the hoiho/yellow eyed penguin, is getting a much needed helping hand alongside more than 168 other community conservation projects announced Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage today. 168 community conservation projects throughout New Zealand are benefiting from $8 million in government grants, including $500,000 ...
Controls on assault rifles and semi-automatic firearms are to be broadened to include some types of pistols, under changes to a bill currently making its way through Parliament. Police Minister Stuart Nash has tabled a Supplementary Order Paper to the Arms Legislation Bill, which is currently before a Select Committee ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark will travel to Singapore today to conduct a counterpart visit and to co-chair the third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting with his counterpart, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen. “Singapore is one of our most important defence partners in the region, and our ...
Nelson’s Salisbury School is to be rebuilt, creating a modern and suitable learning environment for students at the residential special school, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The school for girls aged 8-15, in Richmond, was earmarked for closure by National until the process ...
The panel undertaking a comprehensive review of the Resource Management Act has identified the main issues to be addressed and options for reform and is calling for feedback to inform its final report. In July the Government announced the comprehensive review of the resource management system, including the RMA - ...
An important safety valve has been added to New Zealand’s criminal justice system with the third reading of the Criminal Cases Review Commission Bill today. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) will investigate claimed miscarriages of justice. “We’ve seen how our justice system can very occasionally get things spectacularly wrong, ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters welcomes the tabling of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) 2019 Annual Report in Parliament today. He says the 2019 Annual Report marks the point when New Zealand’s racing industry’s decline was arrested and a turnaround started. RITA’s 2019 Annual Report recorded an industry net profit ...
The New Zealand Government is today sending 21 firefighters to help fight the ongoing catastrophic Australian bushfires. “The fires in Australia are in some of the toughest, most challenging conditions ever,” says Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin. “As of yesterday morning, there were 100 active bushfire-related incidents across Queensland and ...
More frontline support for schools through a new education agency, as part of a redesigned Ministry of Education More support for principals and school boards including through a new centre of leadership and local leadership advisor roles New independent disputes panels for parents and students Management of school property ...
The Government’s reform of the Tomorrow’s Schools system is a watershed moment in education and an opportunity to create meaningful change for ākonga Māori and their whānau, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis said today. “Last year through Kōrero Mātauranga | Education Conversation, Māori teachers, parents, ākonga, whānau, hapū and iwi ...
Infrastructure Minister is welcoming the first of many updated project pipelines from the newly established New Zealand Infrastructure Commission today. The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, has released an expanded pipeline of major capital projects – another crucial step towards delivering better infrastructure outcomes. “The first iteration of the ...
Tougher gun laws designed to improve public safety through firearms prohibition orders are proposed in a new document released for public input. Police Minister Stuart Nash says firearms prohibition orders (FPOs) would give new powers to Police to ensure high-risk individuals come nowhere near firearms. “We have already prohibited the ...
Andy Coupe has been confirmed as TVNZ’s new Board Chair. “Mr Coupe has strong commercial and capital markets experience and TVNZ has benefited from his technical knowledge of business and finance, as well as his extensive governance experience,” the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Kris Faafoi said. Andy ...
A review of the Crown Minerals Act 1991 to ensure it supports the long-term well-being of New Zealanders has been launched today with the release of a discussion document. ...
The A2 Milk Company expects continued strong growth for its speciality dairy products with increased marketing investment in China and the United States. ...
Greenpeace protesters have covered Parliament lawn with replica coral this morning, calling on the Government to take urgent action on bottom trawling. ...
Chlöe Swarbrick’s “OK boomer” retort in Parliament has proved to be the spark that set alight a dry field of latent generational angst. The debate over the remark rolls on and on, revealing that generational warfare is a growing cleavage in New Zealand. Increasingly, political problems of housing, inequality, climate ...
Can the flagship Disney+ show The Mandalorian serve the Star Wars diehards at the same time as the casual viewer, asks Sam Brooks.A quick multiple-choice test to find out if The Mandalorian is for you or not.Q. Does the title The Mandalorian mean anything to you?A) No.B) Kind of? It’s definitely part of ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.NZ First Matt Shand (Stuff): NZ First Foundation dodging electoral rules? Records suggest breaches Matt ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is labelling the Government and Auckland Council cowards, for reportedly giving in to the thugs occupying privately owned Ihumātao and proposing to use taxpayer funds and Auckland Council to buy the land. Radio NZ is reporting ...
Auckland one of the worst cities in the world for public transport, road taxes according to new data; and substantial benefit hikes appear off the Government's agenda. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rochelle Einboden, Lecturer, The Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney In Victoria, 35 young people aged 12-17 years ended their lives by suicide between 2007 and 2019 – all were entangled in the child protection system. This was ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Haslam, Professor of Psychology and ARC Laureate Fellow, The University of Queensland The ABC’s Australia Talks project aims to stimulate a conversation on a broad sweep of topics — from job security and sexual habits to national pride and personal finances. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pep Canadell, Chief research scientist, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; and Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Nitrous oxide (N₂O) (more commonly known as laughing gas) is a powerful contributor to global warming. It is 265 times more effective at trapping heat in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hilary Hollingsworth, Principal Research Fellow, Australian Council for Educational Research Australian teachers are in the thick of producing end-of-year reports. In many schools, the report writing process begins several weeks – or even months – before reports are eventually released. This process ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. (attributed to Danish physicist Niels Bohr) The difficulty of making predictions has long been known, but the rise of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Smith, Professor of Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University The Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory is dotted with around 300 termite mounds, dressed as people. They are reminiscent of giant, ochre coloured “snowmen” in their distinctly ...
Almost half a million dollars in political donations appear to have been hidden inside a secret slush fund controlled by a coterie of Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters’ trusted advisers. ...
Sources tell RNZ the Crown is considering loaning money to the council to buy the disputed land, with Fletcher seeking $40m - more than double what it paid in 2014. ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Christchurch stadium funding in the spotlight, more trouble for NZ First, and medical students caught in rort.Construction hasn’t even come close to starting on the new Christchurch stadium and the money is looking shaky. Stuff’s Michael Hayward reports a business case is ...
Severe storm surges will get bigger around parts of the South Island and smaller around the North Island as the climate changes, two studies have now predicted. ...
Bernard Hickey visited E-Go’s electric car factory in Aachen, Germany to find how it used a 5G network to flip car-making on its head, and how it’s an example of what Industry 4.0 could look like in New Zealand. ...
New rental reforms aren’t about shafting landlords, they’re about requesting that those who built an industry around housing accept that with industry, comes regulation, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell. ...
Were Fonterra’s Open Gates events a shallow PR stunt, or was there something deeper going on? Alex Braae went to Mangatawhiri to find out.This feature is made possible thanks to the Spinoff Members Fund. We need your help to make journalism that matters. For more information, click here.Walking into the Fonterra ...
It was meant to ‘draw a line under the whole episode’. So how did it turn into an unmitigated PR disaster, asks former Edelman executive David Brain.The thing about the Royal Family is that everything they do is PR really. I mean in the old sense of image and spin. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Clarke, Associate Professor, National Security College, Australian National University This past weekend, The New York Times’ China correspondents, Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy, published an expose of over 400 internal Chinese government documents relating to Beijing’s mass detentions of Uighurs, Kazakhs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Clarke, Associate Professor, National Security College, Australian National University This past weekend, The New York Times’ China correspondents, Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy, published an expose of over 400 internal Chinese government documents relating to Beijing’s mass detentions of Uighurs, Kazakhs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Stanley, Associate professor/Principal Research Fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne It’s hard to comprehend why someone would deliberately light a bushfire. Yet this behaviour regularly occurs in Australia and other countries. We would go a long way to preventing ...
There are 540,000 dwellings in Auckland and 580,000 households. The result is misery no matter how you try to square things through tenancy regulation. ...
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A forestry company with close links to New Zealand First has revealed it applied for a $15 million loan from the Provincial Growth Fund, which is overseen by NZ First minister Shane Jones. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Former prime minister Paul Keating has launched a scathing attack on the Australian media for its coverage of China, denouncing “the nominally pious belchings of ‘do-gooder’ journalists” who live on leaks from security agencies. Keating ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vincent Ho, Senior Lecturer and clinical academic gastroenterologist, Western Sydney University A parasite is an organism that lives in or on an organism of another species. Three main classes of parasites can cause disease in humans: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Protozoa and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Lilburn, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne You’re driving down an unfamiliar street on a clear spring evening. You’ve been invited to a friend of a friend’s party, at a house you’ve never been to before. Tracking the street numbers, you ...
Crimestoppers New Zealand launched its updated website www.crimestoppers-nz.org today. As well as catering for traditional anonymous reports the site now supports mobile users and allows files and images to be attached. The changes support people of all ...
Prince Andrew has spoken for the first time in public about his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. What did he say to create such a media storm, and how did he get into this mess in the first place? First thing’s first: who is Prince Andrew? Prince Andrew, Duke ...
Sam Brooks interviews the three guest curators of the New Zealand Festival of Arts: Bret McKenzie, Laurie Anderson and Lemi Ponifasio.An Oscar-winning Conchord, the world’s most beloved multimedia artist, and a world-renowned director and choreographer with an attitude. Three weeks, three unique visions of what a festival can and should ...
Plans are being put in place to increase methyl bromide monitoring following a theoretical modelling report about how the log fumigant disperses into the environment after use. ...
It’s the most beautiful time of the year! Comedian Sera Devcich joins Emily Writes to share the joy and investigate the top 10 toys your ungrateful kids will want this Christmas.It’s November which means it’s officially time for your kids to start bugging you day in and day out about ...
Proposed changes to tenancy rights are trickle down, not transformational, change says the Manawatu Tenants’ Union (MTU). There are however improvements for renters, and these efforts must be commended according to the MTU. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Stokes, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Deakin University “To be dead,” wrote the 20th century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, “is to be a prey for the living.” Even Sartre, though, would have struggled to imagine casting James Dean in a movie 64 ...
The Good Citizen podcast focuses on the way good design – and good people – can change cities for the better. In this episode, Jeremy Hansen talks to architect Richard Goldie about his bold idea for a partially submerged stadium on Auckland’s waterfront, a project that’s now a finalist in ...
Former prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC has published two books with Andrew Butler calling for a written, codified constitution that sets out ‘in an accessible form and a single document the fundamental rules and principles under which New Zealand is to be governed’. A road trip and consultation attracted ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Housing Luke Malpass and Henry Cooke (Stuff): Government hikes claims thresholds for bad landlords, increases ...
People with intellectual disabilities and their families are struggling to access support more than ever before, as the disability sector faces a now $574 million annual funding shortfall, says IHC. ...
The Labour-led coalition may have to generate a second wave of Jacindamania if it is to win another term in the Beehive. Re-election is not an impossible dream, despite the failure of Labour to deliver what many of those who voted for it in 2017 expected. Retiring Green MP Gareth Hughes ...
A corporate undertaker talks top tips for making sure you get paid, reining in rogue liquidators, and having a heart for those who’ve lost money.PwC’s John Fisk has handled high profile company failures from Pike River to Lombard Finance and the Ross Asset Management Ponzi scheme. He also chairs the ...
Armed police represent a serious cause for concern, especially for the most vulnerable, writes the chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation.The Mental Health Foundation has publicly condemned the police trial of special armed response teams patrolling three districts around New Zealand. We’re extremely worried these trials will result in ...
International crime rings are increasingly targeting New Zealanders’ bank accounts to launder proceeds from scams and fraud. Bronwyn Groot, Fraud Education Manager at the Commission for Financial Capability (CFFC) is highlighting the rising incidence ...
A just-released report shows that the food industry wants to stay in a business-as-usual mode with a few minor tweaks around the edges. In response, the New Zealand Government appeared comfortable with that approach, and provided no Government plans for comprehensive ...
New Zealand consumers will be left in the dark about foods grown in Australia that have been created using gene editing techniques. On the 13 November the Australian Senator Rice put up a motion to disallow, or overturn, the recently passed Gene Technology ...
As Aotearoa plans for festive season celebrations, The Salvation Army is preparing to make its house a home to hundreds of men, women and children who have nowhere else to stay. ...
Landlords say they feel under siege with the government planning to make it tougher for them to boot out troublesome tenants; and skilled immigrants waiting for a residents visa say its unfair officials are fast tracking applications for those on salaries over $105,000. ...
Standing with the farmers, New Conservative is committed to pushing back against the lunacy of the ETS and Carbon Zero commitments by this government. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tomas Trescak, Senior Lecturer in Intelligent Systems, Western Sydney University Just a few years ago, virtual reality (VR) was being showered with very real money. The industry raised an estimated US$900 million in venture capital in 2016, but by 2018 that figure ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rowena Maguire, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Institute for Future Environments, Queensland University of Technology Over the past two weeks, bushfires have raged across New South Wales and Queensland. While the narrative appears focused on potential causes and political point-scoring, what’s lost ...
Open mike 05/10/2011 
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Where does the left/right divide fall?
The Labour Party will vote with the right wing parties to introduce the Orwellian Video Surveillance bill.
For:
Labour
National
ACT
Against:
Maori Party
Green Party
Mana Party
No wonder flaxroots voters are confused and/or indifferent when it comes to voting time.
Maybe Labour understand that there are tough times ahead with any amount of unrest…..
I would invite readers to delve daily into the markets on http://markets.on.nytimes.com/research/markets/overview/overview.asp . There are some interestingly rapid movements during the last month, commodities are well down, only Brent Crude over $100, light crude down near $70. Shares are crashing. What this all indicates is a deflationary spiral as prices have peaked, a lack of liquidity in the markets. Money is looking for safe hedges and has nowhere to go.
What does it mean…tough times ahead with more disruption, more dissent. national as the next government (should they gain that poisoned challice) will end up needing all the police powers they can muster. The legitimacy of the current system is on the line, and rather than face the challenge positively they seem to want the right to repress whilst they loot our assets for their mates benefit.
You need to ask one more “why”. Why, after the US Federal Reserve has pumped $16T in new cash into the financial markets via the major banks, is there still a “lack of liquidity” in the markets?
And really, its a very simple issue. There is no shortage of money. There is an excess of debt and liabilities.
In other words, this isn’t a liquidity issue, its a solvency issue.
They can impoverish the middle class and under class all they like now, there are not enough assets in the OECD to compensate for the hundreds of trillions of potential loan and derivative bad (false) assets now hidden on bank balance sheets. At a time when the banks themselves have maximised their leverage in an attempt to maximise their profits, hence are woefully undercapitalised.
Some of the largest banks in the world are operating at leverage ratios of over 30:1. This is exactly like taking a million dollar mortgage out with a $30K deposit. Guess what, if the housing market tanks by just 5% you are suddenly left underwater.
That’s where all the banks are right now, except with trillion dollar bigger sums, and the markets set to tank by 40%-50%.
Yes, solvency is the big underlying issue. Creating credit out of thin air gives short term liquidity but it all gets dissolved or has nowhere safe to go. Creating any more credit just increases solvency problems.Bail outs are just a waste of time propping up the edifice.
Yep. A “bail out” is simply more debt, creating a short term supply of money to help pay off debts already owed to banks.
The Greek “bail outs” increase Greek debt further, and the money is paid straight to bankers.
The Greek ‘socialist’ government is working hand in hand with the bankers and the corporatists against their own people.
The Greeks defaulted in the first half of the 20th century, and they should do so again. And this time, they should get their tax systems and enforcement sorted out.
Keiser today had some speculation that the Germans would revert to the Deutchsmark, and leave the Euro altogether…. http://rt.com/programs/keiser-report/episode-192-max-keiser/
And in the UK, the anti- Euro pot is boiling.
http://rt.com/news/uk-referendum-eu-membership-863/
IT does have another side effect devaluing the American dollar forcing ours up if we don’t do something our export sector will get damaged again just when it is showing some resilience laissez fair for us social credit for them =disaster for our export sector just when we need it to keep our economy afloat , Their is a difference between borrowing and printing .Blinglish will have to borrow more if he doesn’t print and that will cost more and weaken our economy further.
“Maybe Labour understand that there are tough times ahead with any amount of unrest…..”
Wow, ‘ tough times ahead’, this is a valid reason for increasing the powers of the state?
Tough times for whom, and unrest from where? More importantly, how will increasing the Orwellian surveillance powers of a Government address the financial minefields, the increasing costs and the ballooning employment shortages we know make up the bulk of the tough times ahead.
Yeah let’s continue to ignore the problems that lead to the unjust laws and just give the State more and more of our freedoms. If we are to believe all the info distributed from our great leader the ‘serious crimes, the ones that desperately required National to remove even more of the freedoms fought for by our soldiers in bloody wars past, relate primarily to the cultivation and trafficking of marijuana.
A subject which only highlights exactly how uninterested they are in solving the problem.
In the eyes of Right Wing Authoritarians it is. Labour has been centre-right for a while now and it now seems to be shifting into the authoritarian mode along with National, Act and United Future.
It won’t but it will allow the government to oppress the populace to protect the
thievescapitalists.IMO, Anybody who’s voted Labour before because they were the party of the working class should now either be voting Mana, Alliance or Greens. None of the other parties are there for the majority of the populace.
amen, jenny.
i had just put a comment on another posting here but will repeat it here.
i seem to be missing something here, i thought the tories where all for less (nanny) state in our lives and yet we get this legislation.
equally i see a major left wing party struggling to get traction in polls, rushing to the aid of the tories to help them push thru this disgusting piece of lawmaking.
it has helped to decide where this one will vote come november and it aint gonna be for the nat lite crew. sorry guys.
peace.
The Tories are for anything which will secure their status and power when citizen uprisings occur. Just watch the UK.
And it is a shame that after 9/11, UK Labour led the charge into increased surveillance and CCTV powers, more than what was ever necessary to combat the IRA.
That’s what the Tories say that they’re for but any reading of history will show the exact opposite. The Tories are the dictators that they warn people about.
Should MPs be party puppets or individual representatives?
John Key is famous for being an open and accessible PM, amicable and chatty, but National have become famous for saying as little as possible about stuff that matters.
Phil Goff looks more like he’s on slogan autopilot, but Labour MPs like Trevor Mallard, Clare Curran and Darien Fenton have generated publicity for speaking their own minds – for better or worse.
The Maori Party speaks as “our people” while Hone Harawira says what he likes.
Peter Dunne has made it clear UnitedFuture is “not a one man band”.
Should there be strict party message control?
Should parliament be a house of parties or a house of representaives – or a balance of both?
Just about fell over laughing at the irony
Danyl does National to an N.
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/i-hope-this-doesnt-get-me-in-trouble-with-the-electoral-commission/
Oh that is good.
Serious question: Dunne seems to be saying feel free to speak your mind on local issues. What about wider issues?
Depends on what it is about. There are obviously party positions and ministerial responsibilities, but I have not been given any limitiation on what I can say from a personal point of view and how wider issues might effect my own region.
A one man band says he is not a one man band? Hopefully a zero man band by Nov 27.
People still vote United?
Dunne has been in so many parties it a job to remember which is which.Is he still in United ? Let’s hope this is the last we will see of him.
No Pete George forges 20,00o signatures.2 man band the only supporter outside ohariu
Isn’t this current public discussion around the future of the RWC just another example of the wider cultural cringe that we as a nation suffer from. (“Please world, love us, please! Please endorse that our decision to live here was the right one!”)
We talk about whinging Poms.
Where else in the world would you get such a debate dominating the media.
And at an event as it enters its final and high profile stage.
Strange thing is at school Kiwi kids are taught that the game is bigger than the man …
(People, the sun will continue to rise in the East whether the ABs are there or not)
Oh yes, my goodness yes, you do! Anyone old enough to remember that git Bickerstaff and his “punch a Pom a day” campaign? All in fun, he said… sadly my ex-husband took that as an instruction, and guess who the “Pom” was that he had ready to hand? 🙁
I remember the seventies well.
As a ‘pommy youth’ I well remember the shadow the ‘bash a pom a day’ sentiment cast over my family. I guess to many New Zealanders it was just harmless fun at the expense of the plummy voiced English (which we weren’t/aren’t) or part of Muldoon’s anti-union barrage (Dad was a shop steward).
To my family it was simply an experience of hostility and non-belonging. I remember Mum crying and just wanting to go ‘home’.
Having said that, I had very good friends (some of my best friends – still – are New Zealanders :)).
And don’t get me on to my ‘identity’ – I’ve given up on that as a bad joke.
Yeah but the likes of Deaker has a soft spot for the Irish, Welsh, or Scots. But they despise the English.
It seems that people can wave the flags of any nationality here in Godzone and say they are proud of their “homeland”, but look out if you are English or from areas of Asia.
That is so true! My students are for the most part Asian, which is something I’ve learned not to talk about, if I don’t want to hear stereotypes and ignorant abuse. “They’re taking our jobs”, etc..
I remember a student at Unitec in tears over the abuse she got from a bus driver when she asked a question about his route. My son and his friend Jinkoo were catching a bus near their school Western Springs College and they got on together. Jinkoo (Korean, and quite dark-skinned) started to ask something and the driver responded with “I’m sick of you bloody Chinese coming here, you don’t even speak English, and your bloody stupid questions…”. WSC doesn’t have uniforms, goodness knows how old this driver thought they were, but they were just kids! Jinkoo grew up in Germany until he was 8, then in Titirangi. His English is perfect, and his response was scathing!
I was glad at the time that my Dad hadn’t lived to see it! When we girls started school, we had our Dad’s Scouse accent, but we were gobsmacked to be mobbed by 6 year olds screaming “Get back to Pongolia, garn!” My Dutch friend Ellen actually did get punched for speaking Dutch in the street, she was 5 years old, her sister 4.. (Her father then declared that they would all speak English in the home from then on.) New Zealanders seem deeply suspicious of and hostile to “foreigners”..
Oh frack.
It’s been the subject of much mirth that our glorious leader John “100% pure compared to other countries” Keys doesn’t seem to know what a percentage is.
But this latest bit of innumeracy has me stunned. From question time yesterday:
Everyone catch that?
Keys is now crowing that the likelyhood of something that has already happened would be even higher if National weren’t in govt.
Keys dropped the ball. But it’s a good thing Keys is in charge, ‘cos if it were someone else they might’ve dropped the ball.
FFS people used to let this idiot play with their money? Oh that’s right, we still do.
There used to be lots of money slopping around for the idiot to play with….but now?????
“100% pure compared to other countries….” the fekker should have been standing in the stream with me opening day watching effluent dumping, I would have submerged his TV friendly little nostrils deep into it for as long as it took for him to wise up..
Yep Bored, just after opening day on a river in the back of beyond seemingly clear and 100% pure as they come. After not too long me net and screens all clogged with dairy farm shit. And there aint even hardly none dairy farms in this catchment !!
Fertiliser use up 700% in last decade.
Imagine if everyone’s business could just dump their refuse in the street.
Speaking of, how’s the season down there apart from the cowshit and chemicals?
Oh you know felix, there not much about …… just cupfuls or enough for a feed …..
Seasons opening was beaut…who needs rugby?
Got broken off and then thrown off on the Tuki, rainbows, one large, one little….took a fish out of the top of the Manawatu. Rainbow, 1.5Kgs. Some council idiots plough the Hawkes Bay rivers to”help” river flood flows..buggers the pools big time.
Season looking good if you are prepared to walk into difficult spots around Tararuas / Ruahines. Those streams dont turn to black bottomed slime drains (courtesy of fertilizer / dairy) like the lower country streams. The Manawatu, Mangatainoka, Makakahi, and to the Ruamahanga have been pretty much stuffed with algae by mid season for the last few years. Its a disgrace, and Keys willful ignorance of this makes me despise him more.
I think vto is talking about whitebait. Only a week to go before heading off to the Coast to give it a crack myself……
Businesses do dump their refuse in the street. The difference is that it can actually be picked up and is organised to be so. Farm refuse can’t be and no in government is bothered about either cleaning it up or preventing it from being dumped in the first place.
Yes, well it is the fundamental issue. How many businesses are still allowed to dump their refuse in the public estate like streets or creeks? None.
There seems to be some kind of implicit understanding that the farming sector can so dump. Similarly with the mining sector, though less so.
The farming one stems of course from NZ’s historical agricultural development when such things were relatively somewhat understandable. But that has morphed and changed to such an extent that if pre-european NZ was subjected to a resource consent application for the agricultural practices as practised today it would not progress very far methinks …
Farms should stop dumping anything outside the farm gate. Big ask for the current generation and would take time but that is what needs to happen. And people get grumpy WHEN ANOTHER FUKCING SHAKE RUMBLES THROUGH MID-SENTENCE … AAARRRRGH! … now where was my brain cells … ah yes, people get grumpy when that sector fails to acknowledge that very particular and major point.
time for a drink now
What about TripleD (dipton double dipper) saying on morning report about the deposit guarantee scheme, “nobody knew how to do it”.
Well why the hell didnt they find out?
Oh I see, they needed the opportunity to dispense funds to their mates under a cloak of legality.
Nice work if you can get it.
Umm, randal. Labour set it up. You know that, right?
You should listen to the interview. English barely mentioned that Labour were the ones who set it up – I figured he’d be crowing from the rooftops that that was the case.
Actually National/Key said they backed the bank deposit guarantee scheme when Labour first announced it:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10537163
But Labour did NOT sign SCF on for a second time, that was Bill English, within days of being in office.
Makes no difference, marsman. If they hadn’t extended it, SCF would have gone into liquidation in the first period specifically to get the advantage of the scheme.
you cannot have it both ways, If they were unstable, the Government should not have extended the Guarantee, If they were fine then they simply manipulated the NZ Govt to make a buck
So either Blingless was an idiot signing them an extension or the SCF are guilty of serious misconduct
If the government had not extended the guarantee, SCF would have triggered the payout earlier while under the protection of the original term extended to them by Labour.
so you are saying English knowingly extended the guarantee to a failing company.
Thanks for clearing that up.
Labour didn’t sign SCF into the scheme – National did and they did so while aware that SCF was not up to the terms of the scheme.
To be fair this was the first scheme. But there are some real questions to be asked about allowing SCF retain Govt Guarantee later.
Fascinating to hear Bill English on Morning Report clouding the issue so thoroughly that the answer was not his problem and he was not responsible. The good thing was that he actually fronted up.
I do not care who it was that originally signed SCF on. It could have been Tinkerbell trembling in fear when she signed, asCaptain Hook held a shimmering longblade to her tiny throat. It is irrelevant. If SCF had failed during the term of that agreement then the relevant questions would be asked. The FACTS plainly show that the EXTENDED coverage was signed on by National, THREE TIMES My earlier statement stands
” either Blingless was an idiot signing them an extension
or the SCF are guilty of serious misconduct ”
I have seen figures reported at various places that show as much as a billion dollars was added to the risk value in the period between National coming to power and the actual collapse
If they hadn’t given the extension, SCF would have gone into liquidation while it was still covered. Same result.
Gormless, ( at 3:08) still has trouble with the FACTS that hundreds of millions of dollars of liability were added to the guarantee AFTER National extended the scheme for SCF. What about that data is so hard to understand?
Occupy Wall Street: NYPD’s arrests boosting mob’s numbers?
Also, Dailylife timeline of Occupy Wall Street coverage.
An interview you wont see.
Transcript:
Fox: Jesse, so Ray, your partner here, your ..
Ray: comrade.
Fox: Your colleague, she’d seen the protests in Greece and Europe and elsewhere. Did you guys take your cue from that? Are you hoping to cite certainly what was a lot of the tension, if not police activity. I know over the weekend there were over 100 arrests and you guys got things fired up. Are you taking your cues from the international movement and how do you want to see this? If you could have it in a perfect way, how would it be?
Jesse: Well I don’t know, its really difficult to answer questions leading to those conclusions. I’d say that we didn’t take our cue leading off of anybody really. It became a more spontaneous movement. As far as seeing this end, I wouldn’t like to see this end. I would like to see the conversation continue. This is what we should have been talking about in 2008 when the economy collapsed. We basically patched a hole on the tire and said let the car keep rolling. Unfortunately it’s fun to talk to the propaganda machine and the media especially conservative media networks such as yourself, because we find that we cant get conversations for the department of Justice’s ongoing investigation of News Corporation, for which you are an employee. But we can certainly ask questions like you know, why are the poor engaging in class warfare? After 30 years of having our living standards decrease while the wealthiest 1% have had it better than ever, I think it’s time for some maybe, I don’t know, participation in our democracy that isn’t funded by news cameras and gentlemen such as yourself.
Fox: But, uh, yeah well, let me give you this challenge Jesse.
Jesse: Sure.
Fox: We’re here giving you an opportunity on the record […] to put any
message you want out there, to give you fair coverage and I’m not
going to in any way
Jesse: That’s awesome!
Fox:…give you advice about it. So, there is an exception in the case, because you wouldn’t be able to get your message out there without us.
Jesse: No, surely, I mean, take for instance when Glenn Beck was doing his protest and he called the President, uh, a person who hates white people and white culture. That was a low moment in Americans’ history and you guys kinda had a big part in it. So, I’m glad to see you coming around and kind of paying attention to what the other 99 percent of Americans are paying attention to, as opposed to the far-right fringe, who who would just love to destroy the middle class entirely.
Fox: Alright, fair enough. You have a voice, an important reason to criticize myself, my company and anyone else. But, let me ask you that, in fairness, does this administration, President Obama, have any criticism as to the the financial situation the country’s in…?
Jesse: I think, myself, uh, as well as many other people, would like to see a little but more economic justice or social justice—Jesus stuff—as far as feeding the poor, healthcare for the sick. You know, I find it really entertaining that people like to hold the Bill of Rights up while they’re screaming at gay soldiers, but they just can’t wrap their heads around the idea that a for-profit healthcare system doesn’t work. So, let’s just look at it like this, if we want the President to do more, let’s talk to him on a level that actually reaches people, instead of asking for his birth certificate and wasting time with total nonsense like Solyndra.
I’ve been looking at the comments on the stuff political blogs for a while now. Every time John Pagani writes a blog he gets dozens of incredibly vitriolic, and often very uninformed, people commenting. A lot of them repeat the lies that Labour left us in a huge deficit hole and wasted all the money etc. They’re all generally very very anti-Labour and very pro-National.
When DPF writes a blog the comments are sort of 60/40 supportive or anti, with the anti ones saying stuff about him deliberately manipulating the media spin for his paymasters.
Yet when a new post goes up in the What (S)he Said blog, which is by Andrea Vance and John Hartevelt who are in the parliamentary press gallery, the comments are usually a lot more anti-national.
It makes me think there’s a whole bunch of righties just waiting for DPF and Pagani’s blogs so they can go in an astroturf hither and yon. But they ignore What (S)he Said and as a result we get more honest commenting going on.
I thought Pagani’s role was to act as a punchbag for Paul Holmes, Richard Griffin, Matthew Hooton and whoever else on the right wants a workout on an agreeable patsy.
Every time John Pagani writes a blog he gets dozens of incredibly vitriolic, and often very uninformed, people commenting.
Like Lprent.
No Stalebiscuit, like you.
I wasn’t ill-informed, it is unfortunately, a subject that I know rather too well (as John already knew). John Pagani however was quite ill-informed on the subject he was writing on – which is why he got my comment pointing out one aspect of why he was ill-informed. Apparently he didn’t like by characterization of his motivation for writing such cobblers.
In any event, the comment didn’t survive there. So I repeated and expanded it here.
Japan is to resume whaling in the Southern Ocean next month with military security to protect its boats from the radical environment group Sea Shepherd which has promised to launch “Operation Divine Wind” or kamikaze against them.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/5734445/Japan-to-whale-again-with-extra-security
But I thought John Key had fixed it, with an amazing compromise solution that no one else was capable of thinking of, ’cause he’s so smart?
Sigh! Lanthanide, you have to stop trying to undermine the utter reality of John Key’s promises and claims about what he’s doing with … reality.
Play fair.
The World
is going madhas gone mad, edition #I’mlosingcount.C. Peter Wagner, a prominent figure in the Apostolic world with connections to a potential U.S presidential candidate , interviewed by NPR:
On the tsunami and nuclear meltdown in Japan being connected to the emperor of Japan having sex with the sun goddess
“That happened many, many years ago, and that created a spiritual atmosphere over Japan which was an atmosphere ruled by the powers of darkness. The sun goddess is not a very nice lady. The sun goddess is a power of darkness, which is headed up by the kingdom of Satan. And so the sun goddess wants natural disasters to come to Japan. Sometimes the hand of God, which is more powerful, will prevent them. And when he decides to prevent them and when he doesn’t is far beyond anything that we can predict.”
they elected Bush and he said , speaking as President, in front of real people and all that,
“God wanted me to be President”
the world has been nuts a very long time
Oh my giddy aunt! How completely nuts… He needs to learn, shit happens..
Why the surprise? This creationism crap is worming its way into schools. It comes from the cell groups that set themselves up in the libraries of our teacher colleges. The graduates go out into the world and this drivel slowly permeates the classrooms – particularly, but not exclusively, in the lower decile schools where the communities are receptive and indeed request it – the communities’ boards recruit them. (Further confirming the warnings that were given when Picot set in train the self managing schools model).
Auditor General Slams Treasury
A few days ago the Auditor General released her report on the way the Treasury implemented and managed the Retail Deposit Guarantee Scheme…
It’s a toss up between English and Heatley as being the worst cabinet ministers. Both have caused immense financial hardship to those in the lowest income bracket.
I am concerned about how much Heatley has wasted on his screwed up housing policies. The man simply does NOT get it that his newly developed social housing unit will not deliver affordable rental properties to those who do not qualify for a HNZ property.
Housing not likely to buy flats
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/economy/news/article.cfm?c_id=34&objectid=10756481
NZ has such an aging population who require medical treatment. Unless there is a robust, affordable secure housing policy, the elderly in particular are going to require more health resources. This can be said for children as well and people with permanent health conditions which impede working more than several hours a week.
Heatley has 40 million for his social housing unit EXPERIMENT, which has redirected money away from housing people in need, while far too many HNZ homes are unoccupied.
I vote Tolley!
How about a toss up between Brownlee and Tolley because they are 3 and 4 on my list?
Dosent help that the HCC is full of Tea-Party wannabes, and Julie Hardaker is trying her best to be like Michelle Bachman without the god-bothering.
Heatley is probably in the pocket of the
slumlords unionProperty Investors’ Federation.Fortunately, the Tea Parters on my council are a) most of the time all bluff and bluster and b) too caught up into having admission fees established for the local art gallery to be any sort of threat to council services.
An athlete with a heart and a brain…
See, drugs are good.
Single treatment – that’s got to be better than ongoing treatments of prozac.
Not as profitable.
Profit is a dead weight loss so I’m not overly concerned about that especially considering that it is the profit drive (pure greed) that is destroying the environment.
Err, shrooms increase your “openness to new ideas or experiences [and] awareness of feelings in the self and others”.
Did we seriously need to spend lab time to tell us that?
No, we needed the lab time to tell us that those effects were good for us rather than the End of Civilisation which seems to be the reason why such drugs are banned.
Overwhelming opposition to battery hen cages
So, is the government listening to the public on this or are they still defending the use of battery hens?
Voters feel poorly informed on MMP alternatives
Well, at least people are asking for the information. Now hopefully that will be made available to them. Although I’m pretty sure that NAct will prefer to keep people uninformed.
Horizon Poll
Actually, the most important point of that poll is that Labour would only be able to form a coalition with the support of Mana. Phil Goff should, about now, be feeling really stupid for saying that he won’t work with Hone.
This one’s the most disturbing though. Apparently, most people believe that employers should have a say in your recreation.
Stockholm syndrome in action.
Whao! What just happened in the public gallery in Parliament? It happened as Goff was beginning his speech in the general debate, and apparently our friendly PM blamed the incident on Labour.
Dunno but the Chairman referred to the “Member has been removed.” What?
I think the speaker got it wrong. But the PM obviously said something during/just after the kerfuffle in the gallery that got right up the nose of the opposition.
Stuff has breaking news that a man tried to jump into the debating chamber.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5738033/Man-tries-to-jump-at-parliament
Yeah, for change of trousers!
He looked pale, slouched in his seat, and didn’t move. For a moment I thought he was dead……and then he moved *sigh*
Not classy, WJ. Sure, it’s a “joke”, but still … not a good one.
A very disturbing incident in Parliament, could have been even worse. Thankfully it wasn’t.
What? Too soon?
Update:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5738033/Man-tries-to-jump-at-parliament
A full report on the Herald with Key apparently justifying “Down to you,” at Goff and “a throat slashing gesture,” by Key, motivated by Labour’s complaint of excessive use of the Dip Squad. Eh???
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10756747
John Key’s office cleaner wants more than $43 to spend on groceries each week for her 4 children and 4 grandchildren:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5737904/John-Keys-cleaner-campaigns-for-better-wages
meanwhile across the road, Treasury spends up large
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5737438/Treasury-spent-13-8m-on-consultants-Greens
Dene MacKenzie Biased
I happened to read an article today entitled Key Nats’ ace; Goff sidelined, published on the Otago Daily Times website today. The fictional piece is so obviously a beat up that I’m surprised it reached publication…
If you said anything else as a reporter for the ODT you would be fired immediately his boss is the national and ACT leader in Otago.
Although DM is an enthusiastic propogandist, rather than reluctant collaborator.
From todays Herald http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10756735
(funny that is already happening in Dunedin and Kawerau, and the rumour mill suggests those are ‘pilots’ for future amalgamations)
I’d love to see Tolley do that! And finally
Well said Kevin Jephson and well spotted Ian.
Last week buried in a column somewhere I saw a quote from Anne Tolley to the effect that National Standards were just a beginning and that she had many more things to improve NZ education. Ominous.
And watch that Mandate that National will seize in order to justify massive changes.
So what about the wairarapa times age running a meet john key forum and putting a two inch bannner for key on the bottom of every page for a week?
When the goebbles golum come back to life?
The full text of ACTA has been released. The first sentence in it:
Is completely contrary to reality. Preventing people from applying their imagination and coming up with ideas, which is what IP enforcement does, actively prevents development of the economy.
Go watch Everything is a Remix to get some idea.
As it’s a document designed to protect capitalism by preventing competition I’m sure it goes downhill from there.