A thought-provoking read about some of the thinking behind attempts to sow mistrust towards media and institutions of society in general.
How to respond? The final paragraph seems worthwhile:
” If the left is to succeed in replacing the status quo with something better, then it must create an international movement and reject all the worst impulses of postmodernism and once again get behind what German philosopher Jürgen Habermas has called the “project of modernity.” Most importantly, leftists must be careful to avoid political alliances (voluntary or involuntary) with reactionary movements or “anti-modern” ideologues like Dugin. If a true progressive believes in the notion of “progress,” then she would sooner defend the status quo than align with political forces that hope to restore some forgotten “golden age.” ”
I do not wish to be negative, but the left does not have to do anything like the jargon list which you breezily preach.
The Left has only to approach persons of integrity and goodwill and demonstrate that Capitalism has failed – world wide.
Threadbare capitalism and its greed, has prevented home ownership on a massive scale. It has also put millions of families in the hands of ruthless landlords – charging exorbitant rents.
For instance: From 1915 to 1988 there was a cap on rents that could be charged in the UK. Why was that thrown away? You well know the answer to that. The Capitalists wanted to take from the poor. Thievery. Robbery. Untold Crime.
Capitalism has to be removed from our towns, our communities, our Parliaments. Worldwide. No Capitalist should have any benefit; any access; any property; any status in the real world.
Good luck ‘Reserve Bank’ at getting at the truth of how these Australian banks operate.
Letter from RB.
(brief)
To clarify, we request a written response from your organisation outlining:
• The actions you, your Board and your senior teams have taken to identify and address conduct risk – including any “gap analysis” work against the expectations set out in the FMA’s Conduct Guide
• Any specific plans and actions you have taken (or have underway) to respond to the issues and themes arising from the Royal Commission
• Any other work you have underway or that is planned to proactively identify and address potential conduct and culture risk
The letter is quite specifically asking for information and not just a reassurance that ‘she’ll be right, mate’. It is asking for formal responses and thus an early step in and of a formal (and ongoing?) process. I think the (potential) implications are quite clear, especially when reading between the lines.
Your link is something to do with CO2 concentrations.
Also, Labour were in prime position to sweep the Tories out of local governments left right and centre, but because they are poorly led by a guy who cannot form a sold shit let alone a solid Brexit policy, they made on balance very few inroads.
Exactly. The main story of this election is the exit of the Brexit vote led by UKIP. The Tories, Lib Dems, Labour, and Greens all gained seats at the expense of UKIP (God Bless Em and thank Christ their gone – down from 82 seats to 2).
Ed simply repeats the poor and one sided view of his opinion makers. There was a massive 1.5% swing to Labour in London and a pathetic 1% swing to the tories in the country. /sarc
The BBC reported what actually happened – not what someone dreamt up in their head.
“If there was any journalism left in this country there would be a major analysis in tomorrow’s papers of the giant Goebellian lie spun to the British people over #LocalElections2018 A systemised deception of which any dictatorship would be proud.”
Today the result according to you is all the media’s fault and so instead of the revolution of some imagined extremists happening, in reality few useful Councils changing to Labour and people like you are not ready to face the reality that Corbyn is actually pretty incoherent and as a result average in voter appeal, and the Labour successes are more due to vigilant grassroots campaigning.
You weren’t clear about anything except an obscure allegory about voting and a glacier calving. For the rest, you just need to be more honest about what you were indeed about. And honest that the results jet didn’t go your way.
Where as most honest or thinking people know Corbyn is concerned about extreme Zionism …. and its documented attempts to influence and take down British politicians …
Telling us that a great number of new Labour people were elected is as useful as saying that Labour nearly won the last national election. It’s a nice warm feeling like weeing in the bath.
Which Councils did Labour win, and which did the Conservative win?
A good test is whether Barnet shifts. That will measure whether the anti-semitism controversy has had any effect.
You appear to have an anal obsession.
‘ led by a guy who cannot form a sold shit ‘
‘ who can stick his opinions up his ass.’
‘
It’s a nice warm feeling like weeing in the bath.’
Get some help.
Watching David Parker this morning on Q+A explain the Legal challenge he is facing over the threat of steel/aluminium tariff about to placed on NZ exports by the US by President Donald Trump has now left me very worried about this ‘legal’ fight he is drawing us all into at the WTO that may carry on for years it was explained to us.
If we are now entering into yet another “Trade agreement” in the TTP 11 are we now about to become more restricted from the same ‘legal’ claims in courts over yet more unfair treatments from other ‘trade agreements’ and is these ‘legal’ claims we will be making to secure our trade agreements going to bankrupt us all because we all know just how very expensive any ‘legal case’ will cost us all as NZ taxpayers.
A statement came out in a warning today from a legal agency that reminds us all that during the beginning of the 1929 depression there were many trade disputes arising when countries begun tightening their imports from other countries in an attempt to preserve the local domestic workforce for political reasons and this bankrupted several countries who sought legal claims over restricting imports of products then.
So has the Labour government actually considered these costs and financial effects to our economy when they finally agree to TPP 11?
I am very worried here that to much haste has been made to get into this deal as I see many cases where we have not secured protection for our own workers and exporters inside the TTP 11 at all as the agreement is very ‘vague’ in its many confusing confusing wordings.
David Parker may be gone in a few years and leave us all with many crippling issues that may ruin us all.
whether we signed TPP 11 or not dosn’t change the drawn out process of a WTO ruling…indeed the ISDS provision (whatever your opinion of it) provides an alternative remedy….no agreement signed, be it the WTO or individual trade agreements are guarantees of compliance or honourable behaviours by any party.
Some agreement and process is better than none when the barriers start to be raised…it is why the WTO was invented in the first place
Are you saying that if we have issues with any country inside the TTPA will be disputed both in the ISDS and WHO also?
Will we be bankrupt by both legal challenges made to both dispute systems as Canada has sadly found?
Thanks for confirming our worst fears that (Quote) “no agreement signed, be it the WTO or individual trade agreements are guarantees of compliance or honourable behaviours by any party”
Why are we then taking these ‘risks’ even entering into these agreement when they are not binding? Ana if we have no easy way of exiting from them at any time of our choosing?
They are a fools game and danger.
They came with fish hooks are some dark places that could end up destroying us all.
no cleangreen, im saying that having agreements which have provision for trade dispute resolution beats the hell out of gunboat diplomacy and/or war….which incidentally is likely to cost more if finance is your sole concern.
No Pat;
‘Money’ is not my main concern; – but since now our environment is very fragile and about to implode, the money paid to fight legal claims are making it worse to save our environment because we will be bankrupt!!!!!
So that is the concern here.
” i am saying why the hell are we now so sold on joining up to these flawed agreements as you appear to accept but i do not as we can not afford “as a small fish” in a big ocean of sharks to even go there.
Best stay out and be safe.”
Quote; me here;
“Why are we then taking these ‘risks’ even entering into these agreement when they are not binding? ”
And if we have no easy way of exiting from them at any time of our choosing?
They are a fools game and danger.
They came with fish hooks are some dark places that could end up destroying us all.
the real fools game, particularly for a ‘small fish’ would be to engage in a game without any rules…unless you advocate not trading at all?
As to exiting…we can, provided we are willing to accept the consequences….oddly enough much the same consequences as never having joined….and the ‘we’ to which I refer is the voting public.
Watching David Parker this morning on Q+A explain the Legal challenge he is facing over the threat of steel/aluminium tariff about to placed on NZ exports by the US by President Donald Trump has now left me very worried about this ‘legal’ fight he is drawing us all into at the WTO that may carry on for years it was explained to us.
NZ won’t be facing a legal challenge over the US putting in place tariffs. The US will be.
If we are now entering into yet another “Trade agreement” …
The interesting thing about the WTO (and the GATT before it) is that it was set up so that FTAs wouldn’t be needed. The rules would have been set at an international and multi-lateral level. Something that FTAs don’t do. In fact, FTAs actually complicate things. I disagree with the WTO as well but it’s better than FTAs.
So has the Labour government actually considered these costs and financial effects to our economy when they finally agree to TPP 11?
IIRC, they believe that there won’t be any because people are nice. Or something like that.
I am very worried here that to much haste has been made to get into this deal as I see many cases where we have not secured protection for our own workers and exporters inside the TTP 11 at all as the agreement is very ‘vague’ in its many confusing confusing wordings.
We shouldn’t even be trying to protect our exporters. That way lies the same failure as the Great Depression.
Actually developing the economy rather than over producing a limited amount of stuff is a much better option.
Regardless of “free” or not, any trade agreement is essentially a commercial contract. Normal contracts go to the courts for resolution, but if both parties run their own court system, would you be subject to your opponent’s jurisdiction?
So international agreements look for alternative models of dispute resolution.
Well, either that or it’s our alien lizard overlords preparing the way for one world government.
Only if you are happy for all trade agreements to be fundamentally anti democratic.
But there is plenty of evidence that super-national legal juristictions are not needed to facilitate trade. There is not much wrong with requiring international investors to go through the courts where they choose to invest on the other hand, and experience doesn’t indicate international investors need to have influence over what laws politicians can legislate.
History would disagree with that….
“When the war came in 1914, I was very soon impressed with two points. . . . I saw that
you could not separate the idea of commerce from the idea of war and peace . . . . [and]
that wars were often largely caused by economic rivalry conducted unfairly. . . . But
toward 1916 I embraced the philosophy that I carried throughout my twelve years as
Secretary of State . . . . From then on, to me, unhampered trade dovetailed with peace;
high tariffs, trade barriers, and unfair economic competition, with war. Though
realizing that many other factors were involved, I reasoned that, if we could get a freer
flow of trade ‐ freer in the sense of fewer discriminations and obstructions ‐ so that one
country would not be deadly jealous of another and the living standards of all countries
might rise, thereby eliminating the economic dissatisfaction that breeds war, we might
have a reasonable chance for lasting peace.”
what first question would that be?…as far as i can see you have only asked one …about fairness, which has been addressed….the best outcome is one that provides options other than armed conflict….you tell me…is that fair?
I will add however my surprise that both yourself and Nic would appear to advocate laissez faire in international trade.
What’s anti-democratic? The democratic bit is where the treaty is made by the government. Shouldn’t governments honour the terms of their treaties?
The mechanism I don’t really care about, but I know that using the local court system didn’t do support care workers much good about their back-pay. Maybe overseas traders prefer to use a system that can’t be overruled by a partisan govt acting under urgency.
It should be more than apparent that the TPPA, and similar agreements, are not a democratically proposed set of regulations. Never the less if the NZ government signs it then it will be expected not to contradict its intent in their future law making. This will continue even if we elect a government which is totally against what it stands for, or is doing.
Of course democracy works best when we (the electorate) are able to replace the government with one which has a mandate from the electorate. This mechanism simply doesn’t work for any un-elected super national organisations.
“The mechanism I don’t really care about, but I know that using the local court system didn’t do support care workers much good about their back-pay. ”
And that can happen whenever we elect a government which doesn’t agree with certain interests.
“Maybe overseas traders prefer to use a system that can’t be overruled by a partisan govt acting under urgency.”
I expect they would do, yes.
The question interleaved with your two examples is why you think overseas traders should have stronger protections against law changes than other factions of the electorate? The overseas traders clearly have ready access to alternative jurisdictions, the electorate often do not.
It’s a basic principle of natural justice that all are equal before the law. Not so for foreign corporations as they have greater rights. The BoRA and common law supposedly guarantee natural justice. Such a load of shit.
Should tourists be able to vote in our elections? Just as stupid to say. But while they are here they are entitled to the principles of natural justice and to be equal before the law. But not more equal.
So they should be subject to the whims of law changes that they have no means of affecting? How is that equal rights under the law when compared with locals?
Interesting thing about tourists – if they get in shit here, they are often entitled to diplomatic assistance from their governments, up to and including their governments raising their cases at the highest level of our political system. So they don’t get to vote, but they also have avenues that most NZ citizens don’t have.
The issue I’m trying to point out is that “equal rights under the law” do not necessarily mean “identical”. And if we want to trade in those countries, our rights would actually be identical to their rights when trading in our country. We would be assured of reasonably consistent investment and trading conditions.
So they should be subject to the whims of law changes that they have no means of affecting?
Yes that is how democracy works. Geographical areas are divided off into States and the people permanently living in those areas get to elect representatives who make laws.
The people who own the corporations get to vote for the government in countries where they live permanently. Why should these people get multiple votes all over the world just because they are wealthy? One person one vote not one dollar one vote.
Tourists getting help from their governments is not them having more legal rights under our law.
if we want to trade in those countries, our rights would actually be identical to their rights when trading in our country.
This statement is meaningless when we don’t have the large multinational corporations that can utilize this crap based here.
If we want to change our laws to protect our environment or public health that is our right. If some multinational doesn’t like that they can fuck off.
Actually, we have quite a few companies exporting to and trading with other countries. Big and small. It’s what we, as a nation, do: export.
In exchange for those companies getting more stable legal frameworks with dispute resolution so they can employ people here to sell things there, we give the same conditions to companies from those countries to do the opposite.
Whatever, dude. We’re not at the bottom of the OECD by any stretch of the imagination. We might not be a “big country”, but we’re sure in the top couple of tiers.
No they are not bound by them at all. In New Zealand Parliament is supreme and can do pretty much what it wants. If a new government wants to withdraw from a treaty then it can.
Regardless of “free” or not, any trade agreement is essentially a commercial contract. Normal contracts go to the courts for resolution, but if both parties run their own court system, would you be subject to your opponent’s jurisdiction?
Bollocks.
FTAs, and the WTO, are there to ensure equivalency of rules so that a company from one nation can be assured of the same treatment in another. When a company is operating in another country then they’re bound by that other countries rules.
ISDS and other extra-legal systems were set up to bypass that so that the company was no longer truly governed by the rules of country that they were operating in to the point that they could challenge the nation about rule changes that it didn’t like up to and including suing them.
But if a country is stupid enough to promise that it will allow trade under condition X, then changes its laws to condition Y when people have already invested on the basis of X, why shouldn’t the state be required to pay damages?
It’s not a “free trade” issue so much as a guarantee that the rules you promise today will be delivered tomorrow. Sure, they can sue over anything, but if the state signed a reasonable agreement then frivolous suits would fail.
But if a country is stupid enough to promise that it will allow trade under condition X, then changes its laws to condition Y when people have already invested on the basis of X, why shouldn’t the state be required to pay damages?
Why should a country even make such an agreement?
It’s not a “free trade” issue so much as a guarantee that the rules you promise today will be delivered tomorrow.
But a country should never make such an agreement because new information may require a change in the rules. The only thing that a country can offer a foreign company operating in it’s borders is that it will operate under the same rules that the business native to it operate under.
And that doesn’t require an agreement between countries at all.
And why would any country open up its markets to companies from another country without expecting something in return?
And presuming we want to keep that thing in return, what if a company feels it’s been disciminated against somehow by some new regulation they think was targeted at them? Like if we put a tax on blue cars, and coincidentally all the cars imported from Latvia were blue and almost all blue cars were Latvian – and undercut local car manufacturers? Is that under the same rules, or is it unfairly targeted?
Without some manner of impartial dispute resolution, the only option is to take or leave the trade agreement. Brexiting, in other words. And disputes by one or two companies can burn the entire deal.
Yeah, total disaster, UK economy shrunk by 6% already completely down the toilet.
Oh, hang on that’s just what the UK treasury erroneously predicted would happen. Actually, its totally ok when the UK electorate decides they don’t need the EU to dictate laws to their own politicians.
Not much. If they want to shoot themselves in the foot, that’s their problem. I’m sure it’ll all be rosy for England when they get rid of all the immigrants and do their own plumbing. And it’ll probably help the Scottish independence movement.
But I used brexit as the comparison because it seems a bit silly to have a perfectly fine agreement that then falls apart because a myriad of small participants think they’ve been screwed and have no means of redress.
And why would any country open up its markets to companies from another country without expecting something in return?
They have no right to expect anything in return except that their companies will be able to sell in NZ.
Like if we put a tax on blue cars, and coincidentally all the cars imported from Latvia were blue and almost all blue cars were Latvian – and undercut local car manufacturers?
I know your using hyperbole but such a tax would never come into existence as it simply wouldn’t pass any sort test of justice.
Without some manner of impartial dispute resolution,
We already have one – the courts.
But I used brexit as the comparison because it seems a bit silly to have a perfectly fine agreement that then falls apart because a myriad of small participants think they’ve been screwed and have no means of redress.
Except that it wasn’t fine. People were being hurt by it.
And why would any country open up its markets to companies from another country without expecting something in return?
They have no right to expect anything in return except that their companies will be able to sell in NZ.
It’s an agreement. I give you this in exchange for that. If you disagree, I don’t give you this. So what happens if someone thinks they’re not getting the same market access they’re giving NZ, is shit gets held up in customs. They mimic the barriers that they think NZ is imposing on them.
So to avoid that we go to dispute resolution. If we use our courts, they think the courts are rigged. If we use their courts, we think the courts are rigged. So we agree an independent ISDS process, and put a buffer between a trade dispute and a trade war.
Like if we put a tax on blue cars, and coincidentally all the cars imported from Latvia were blue and almost all blue cars were Latvian – and undercut local car manufacturers?
I know your using hyperbole but such a tax would never come into existence as it simply wouldn’t pass any sort test of justice.
Yeah, you know what they say about everything before the word “but”.
As it is, that’s merely an exaggerated example of what happens. Country A introduces a regulation, Country B decides it’s targeted at Country B’s citizens as an unfair trade barrier. And then Country B does what – appeals to courts controlled by a government that’s specifically targeting them?
HdPA has written a thoughtful piece today. Yes, it is about the Gayford rumours and I think she’s got it about right. It started out as a bit rumour mongering for the sake of it, then was picked up by the dirty political pros and all hell broke loose.
Shutting the rumour down was risky. It almost certainly spread the stories. If 100,000 of us had heard the rumours at the start of the week, 4.6 million of us will possibly have heard them now.
I suspect the majority of those who didn’t hear the rumours still don’t know what they are, and I’m one of them.
Zorb6
Someone the other day was saying just that. Setting up a target; then attacking and defending it; this morning announcing (think herald) that numerous and continuous tweets and comments alleging incorrect behaviour being received that should be made public. Forced to publish about it to clear the air. Police also.
Example of ‘How to hit our leaders without leaving visible bruises’. A lot of media mendaciousness, look our hands are clean. Lots of argy-bargy about it, bringing lots of clicks. From the busy and live media group – look out for – CFC or Clique for Clicks.
There are people who get their kicks in life by spreading rumour and innuendo. Social media has made it easy for them and has spawned a group of dirty political right wing pros who are making a career out of the game. They will lie low for a while… until the next target comes along and then they will be back in business again.
Like it or not Gabby it is a reality and sticking our heads in the sand will only let it continue to fester.
Can you actually prove this claim of yours?
Can you prove that, in the case of whatever the claims made about Gayford were, that there are “a group of dirty political right wing pros who are making a career out of the game. They will lie low for a while… until the next target comes along and then they will be back in business again.” were actually doing such a thing?
If you can’t prove it then, unfortunately, you are included in the people who, in your own words “get their kicks in life by spreading rumour and innuendo”.
So who are these right wing individuals or are you simply spreading a rumour that such people exist?
So, alwyn, you will admit that Anne was right when (not if) her prediction comes true? Or will you adhere to your obvious right-wing bias?
I already know how contemptuous (and contemptible) your reply will be. I’ve seen some of your previous prevarications.
Don’t be such a silly little chap.
When I read what you say I am forced to ask.
Will you admit that you are completely incapable of realising that you are stupid?
I already know the answer of course. From all your previous comments I know you are a fool and will always adhere to your obvious left-wing bias but are quite incapable of recognising the fact.
There, that suit you?
Now, if you think Anne’s claims are right please produce some evidence for it. Simple saying something, without evidence, doesn’t make it true, particularly when it comes from someone as contemptible as you are.
If you have nothing except wild claims to come out with why do you bother to reply to me. Let Anne and I have a civilised discussion and confine yourself to the side lines. Are you really so desperate to start flame wars?
As predicted. And correct English is ‘Let Anne and ME have a civilised discussion.’ I did not find your tone to Anne all that civilised – accusing her of the very fault she was decrying by making a ridiculous demand. Paralleled by the similar demand (ie, rather silly) I deliberately made of you: When Anne is proven correct, will you admit error? No reply to that, I notice. Just infantile invective.
You say
“When Anne is proven correct, will you admit error?”
I am willing to answer a slightly different question.
“If Anne is proven correct, will you admit she was right?” by saying of course I will agree that she is correct if that happens. I won’t admit that I was “wrong” because I have never said the opposite was, or is, true. I am merely trying to find what the truth is.
Please try and read what I say properly and you won’t look quite so foolish when you accuse me of making statements that I haven’t.
If someone comes up with any evidence of this claim we will be able to accept the words Jesus said.
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.
Don’t you want to be free?
I distinctly wrote “when (not if)” eliminating the possibility upon which you erroneously base your question.
If the truth sets one free, you are obviously still struggling to find it, let alone come to terms with it.
See how easy it is to write your style of punctilious invective with no positive outcome?
You really are thick aren’t you?
Why do you think I didn’t answer the question as you asked it?
If I had you would of course, in your usual stupid manner, have then claimed that I accepted your premise and therefore accepted that National was to blame.
I really am not like you. I would like evidence, and without any it remains an open question about who is to blame.
Isn’t it time for your mummy to put you to bed? You are exhibiting the fractious behaviour typical of young children.
Perhaps in the morning you will justify your statement “When Anne ….”. Surely you have the evidence. You aren’t just making it up are you? You can surely justify your certainty? Or not, as appears to be the case. If nobody comes up with any evidence I will just have to accept that you are lying and that you haven’t the faintest idea who is to blame.
I feel bad about this.
Normally people welcome the opportunity to consider whether the things they say are accurate and are founded in reality.
If it hurts your head to think about your claims I suggest you stop reading what I say.
Then you can remain in a state of blissful ignorance. I’m sure you will be much happier and will be able to join the ranks of the Lotus Eaters in The Odyssey where
“A single taste of this native fruit made my soldiers forget everything they had ever know; where they were from, where they were going, everything.”
Punctilious and disingenuous reaction to a fair demand. You constantly troll by making silly demands (prove this or that) then pretend sincerity.
Your aim is to disrupt and discourage rather than genuinely question, with an occasional friendly pretence, and no, I am not going to waste my time looking up such an example. I think there are plenty of others here who will support my statement.
“who will support my statement.”
I am sure there are. Have you never heard the immortal words of Mathew Henry?
“None so deaf as those that will not hear. None so blind as those that will not see.”
Here endeth the Second Lesson.
Of course I used “endeth” correctly.
Just as the mild mannered reporter Clark Kent has an alter-ego of Superman I am, in my spare time, the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is of course only a part time job as the number of the Faithful is diminishing rapidly but I can still manage the Anglican Services.
You may refer to me in future, if you are one of the faithful, as The Most Reverend and Right Honourable the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Or not, as you wish.
No, you need to be a professor of English at Oxford or Cambridge.
Then you would know when to use ‘me’ instead of ‘I’.
And you would write less cacklemush. You really do need to find a healthier pastime.
@In Vino
I’ll take your word for it. No doubt you were at one of those trade schools.
The last University I studied at was in Cambridge actually, but it was in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I suppose you look down on that home of rebel colonials.
I provide this information to entertain you. You mummy says it is very kind of me as you suffer from a mild case of ADHD and my entertaining you gives her a break.
Now, off to bed diddums.
Eminence is used in for a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic and the Patriarchs of the Orthodox Churches isn’t it?
Do we have a Cardinal in New Zealand at the moment?
Don’t you think the full title of the Archbishop of Canterbury (and York I believe) is much more impressive than just Archbishop though?
Actually I remember when I was a kid in Napier and the head of the Anglican Church in New Zealand lived there. A gentleman name Norman Lesser. He used to sign his name as Norman New Zealand. How is that for swank?
That’s nice dear.
I’ll bet you really enjoyed those evenings in The Snug at The Rovers Return in the days when you were there drinking stout there with Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner.
Real salt of the earth like you were they?
Do you think our present PM will hit it off with the US President the way Key did with Obama?
“started out as a bit rumour mongering for the sake of it”
No doubt by disgruntled National party leaning people who still cant get over the fact that National lost. They cant get the PM so attacked her partner instead. What happened with the unwritten rule of media leaving politicians partners out of it? Media people like D. Hill Cone and HdPA et al are part of the problem.
National was the most to gain advantage from this negative media hype ‘dirty politics’ Loius.
it follows the same ‘logic’ used by the UN/UK and NATO who put Russia under sanctions following the ‘alleged’ poisoning of a spy they used the logic that it was most likely to be Russia to blame, as they had more to gain than anyone else so we place the same logic on the National party for this latest round of “dirty politics” upon their political opposition the ruling Government of the Labour party.
Sorry national supporters that shows logic national was most to gain here. so must have been involved in some way.
“No doubt by disgruntled National party leaning people”.
Do you have any evidence at all for this claim? Or do you simply say you have “no doubt” because you don’t want to think about it?
A lot of people, particularly in the Police Force, appeared to have “no doubt” that Arthur Allan Thomas murdered the Crewes. They had no evidence so they faked some, at least according to the enquiry into the affair.
If everybody had simply taken your line I suppose Thomas would still be banged up inside.
ps. I am using the UK rather than the Australian meaning of the term.
I wonder if there is any important difference in context between,
The police prosecuting and fabricating a conviction, and a commented accusation on a web site.
No, probably we should always require exactly the same level of certainty and evidence for everything, always.
And I do wonder if Clarke Gayford had not been the PM’s partner, whether he would have been viciously attacked in the cowardly way he has been, to get a hit on the PM and Labour. Somehow I think not, which leads me to think it’s political alright!
I was not going to read it but am now pleased that I did after reading your comment. Like you, I think she got it about right, particularly in focusing on the effect on Gayford himself as he – and this – seems to have been lost in the morass of other issues. Perhaps HdPA does have a bit of humanity after all.
I do know what the rumours have been but have no intention of revealing these, as they have been callous and despicable from day one regardless of whom they have been about/applied to.
In Gayford’s case, IMO they have been worse because they were aimed not just at him personally (and/or indirectly at JA and the Labour Party etc) but such rumours also highly affect his future professional career as someone in the public arena as a radio/TV host, MC etc – much more so than someone in a less public profession.
I know from personal experience how much false rumour and innuendo can cost a person both in their professional and personal life. It is insidious and the fallout can continue for years afterwards. It can even become dangerous for the target’s life and limb as it did briefly for a time in my case. I was not a public figure so my experiences didn’t get into the public domain, but these types of individuals never give up – especially when they have someone like Donald Trump et al as role models.
There is no denying that I’m as curious as hell, so I hope one day you will be able to write your story Anne, as it sounds like it is a story that needs to be told.
Once the Police Commissioner statement came out he was OK with that but still reckoned it was a Labour Party attempt to smear the National Party (and supported Audrey Young’s comments re this).
I think that it has been handled as well as it could have been by media and by Ardern and Gayford – that Ardern referred to ‘dirty politics’ caused a bit of a stir, but I take it as meaning what was happening was dirty (it was), and it involved politics.
The police statement raises questions about in what situations they might do that again, but it served a useful purpose, it debunked the worst rumour. Even if the rumour was detailed by media I think it more likely it would have reinforced sympathy for Gayford and Ardern.
Some on the left have tried to claim it was a National plot, and some on the right have switched to claiming it was a Labour plot to divert, and to nail National, but I have seen zero evidence any political party was involved. Some individuals circulating the rumours may have supported a party or had some connection to a party, but I doubt very much it was party driven.
Since the police statement spiked the main accusation attempts have been made to switch to promoting the ‘Streisand effect’, but that hasn’t got legs because the MSM haven’t published any details.
And there have been attempts to promote the other ‘rumour’ I’ve heard which seems to be about supposed historic behaviour – this is also dirty, and if this is persisted with it could open a big can of worms – past behaviour, especially as it now easily recorded and later dredged up from the Internet, could be slung around at just about any MP.
Since the police statement spiked the main accusation attempts have been made to switch to promoting the ‘Streisand effect’, but that hasn’t got legs because the MSM haven’t published any details.
Uhm, isn’t withholding the ‘juicy’ details actually promoting the Streisand effect!?
Only if the details get widely circulated as a result, but they haven’t, the MSM have not given the rumour promoters what they wanted.
And most of those who have found out online are likely to to see it as fake accusations/smears.
Since the police statement most in media are stating that there was no foundation, and even those intent on inflicting damage have dropped that (which suggests they knew it was false) and switched to other lines of attack.
You provided the answer I was looking for @ 5.7.1.
The exact details of a rumour are not necessarily the most damaging and most certainly not enough to keep a story alive in MSM. Think of it as the dance of the seven veils or a series of which episodes end with cliff-hangers and whodunits; people keep coming back for more and add their own ‘facts’ and fantasies to it, often without realising it.
All this leads to a heightened state of collective and individual confusion in which fake cannot be easily distinguished from reality. This further feeds and perpetuates the rumour mill and complicates and prolongs clearing people from ‘obviously’ false accusations/smears.
The Police statement took the much-needed oxygen away from the rumour mill.
MSM happily played along with keeping alive the rumour mill because it would have resulted in more clicks, etc. Did National speak out strongly against it and condemned it?
National Party leader Simon Bridges says he will not tolerate any of his MPs spreading rumours about politicians and their families.
Bridges said Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford had his “heartfelt sympathy” after Police Commissioner Mike Bush and the Prime Minister responded to rumours and innuendo circulating about Gayford.
Bridges said he spoke to his caucus yesterday after hearing continued rumours about Gayford.
“This week I specifically made it clear that I will not tolerate National MPs peddling rumours or innuendo and I was specific in that being in relation to politicians, Members of Parliament and their families because these things are generally untrue,” he said.
“I did not mention any specifics because I did not want to propagate it.”
Bridges said he had not spoken to Ardern himself but he had asked his chief of staff to convey to Ardern’s chief of staff yesterday that National was not involved.
Asked by the Herald if he was aware whether any of his MPs had been spreading rumours, Bridges said to the best of his knowledge none had been.
“I do not believe the National Party is involved in this in any way.”
Bridges said he had twice addressed caucus to set expectations about dealing with politicians’ families.
“My heartfelt sympathy to the Prime Minister and Clarke Gayford. It is entirely unacceptable and politicians families should be left out of politics.”
Bridges said if “dirty politics” was involved, it was not from the National Party.
“If it is, I entirely strongly reject that.
“I made my expectations to my Members of Parliament, when I heard and kept hearing these rumours, very clear.”
The only party leader to try and score political points off the story that I’ve seen is Winston Peters, in his usual style of implying without saying specifically who he thought might be responsible – insinuations without evidence.
I have not heard these rumours/innuendo/insinuations and neither has anyone I know. But given the history of Dirty Politics being run out of the ex PMs office and the evidence in Hagers book of key Nat MPs involvement, it is hard to believe the dirty politics machine has not been at it again. There is plenty of evidence WO has been targeting the PMs partner for months (see 5.6 above). The fact that there are various versions of the rumours would suggest attempts to try any which way to get publicity. And as HDPA says, the calls to the media to draw attention to them are just one part of the strategy. Disgusting.
Thank you; I no longer read the NZH and thus had not seen that.
I could be wrong but it appears that this was a response from Simon Bridges after after the PM had mentioned dirty politics or Dirty Politics – hard to tell from a verbal account. In any case, it is hardly a condemning statement, is it? At least he didn’t go all sanctimonious like John Key holding his flock to “the highest standards”.
I noticed that you cherry-picked the least interesting part of my comment 😉
I don’t think the MSM played along to keep the rumours alive. They seemed reluctant to give them what they craved, mainstream coverage. As it turned out I think the mostly got the balance right with the help of the police and the lawyer letter that exposed it but minimising the oxygen.
Interesting. So, you think the rumour mill was mostly driven and fed by social media? I mean until the statement signed off by the Police Commissioner it was not given the much-needed oxygen in and by MSM and they actively tried to quell the story?? I have some difficulty with this because there were many articles in MSM keeping it alive. But we don’t all have to agree on degree & extent, do we?
Anne, I chanced on one tweet that was horrific, and if that is what they have been spreading it was evil.
I wrote saying how strong the young couple have been, and good on the police for giving Clarke Gayford a Police Clearance.
Further, HDA, and her husband and friends are trying to say “It grew out of gossip” because police and the law may well be doing a “timeline” which may prove uncomfortable for some I would think.
Reading three recent articles including hers….. the new meme is “Just gossip” not “Dirty Politics”
Tui Tui IMO. You can not play with dirt without getting dirty.
I think it likely started as dirty rumours and grew through embellishment and accumulating promoters, possibly in part organised by certain people, into a dirty campaign.
Duplicity is very determined to sell the line that the rumours were amateur.
Let us have them investigated properly, and the identities of the perpetrators revealed, and we can determine to what extent that ‘pleasant fiction’ is true.
Let us have them investigated properly, and the identities of the perpetrators revealed, and we can determine to what extent that ‘pleasant fiction’ is true.
I agree it probably started out in a relatively minor way by a bunch of National supporters who couldn’t accept they lost an MMP election, but it was picked up by the pros and became an orchestrated tsunami of lies and innuendo.
There has been sufficient evidence around since 2014 that a group of shadowy people have been fermenting mischief designed to destroy the Labour Party and using unlawful means to achieve their aims. The damage done is not only to the targets, but potentially to the democratic processes of the country.
Remember Rawshark? He was the hero who outed the culprits to Hager and for their endeavours the police went after them. Now it’s time for the police to make amends and go after the culprits and leave the messengers alone. The SIS and the GCSB will know who they are. They should spill the beans.
If defamatory statements have been made then a crime has been committed.
In the case of Clarke Gayford his entire life and career was set to be savaged and ravaged.
Those who rumoured and made statements about him should explain their behaviour in Court.
I presume that Lawyers for Gayford will seek redress for this the most vile treatment ever thrown at a New Zealand citizen.
Who will have gained from this crime ? certainly not Labour.
One thing we do know: the truth will seep out. The persons who so blatantly wanted Clarke Gayford to be castrated will weep and whimper in court.
I am not sure that the divine ZB stars, and the Herald scriblers, are totally clean. But they are rapidly finding ways to say “I’m innocent. Don’t blame me “.
Let it go, Pete – release your grip – if you cut off the blood supply for too long, it’ll atrophy and drop off. Ease up, old chum, take a holiday, refresh, LET IT GO!
The Harassment Act defines harassment as a pattern of behaviour (two or more separate acts within a 12-month period) directed at someone which makes that person feel distressed or unsafe.
For example if someone is harassing you they might be:
– watching, loitering near, or preventing or hindering access to or from your place of residence, business, employment, or any other place that you go to
– following, stopping, or confronting you
– entering, or interfering with, your property
– making contact with you (by phone, email etc.) when you don’t want them to
– giving you offensive material, leaving it where you will find it (e.g. online)
– acting in any way that causes you to fear for your safety, and would cause any reasonable person in the same situation to fear for their safety
What’s the difference between civil and criminal harassment?
The main difference between the two is the intention of the harasser and the consequences for them.
If the harasser’s intention is to make you fear for your safety or that of your family, and they know that their actions are likely to achieve this aim, this is called “criminal” harassment and is a criminal offence. This means the harasser can be arrested and could be given a sentence of up to two years in prison.
If the harasser is causing you fear or distress unintentionally, this is known as “civil” harassment. Civil harassment is not a criminal offence.
It’s a curiosity of the Gayford rumours, that though they were uncivil, their object was clearly political.
I look forward to some competent journo or one of the many armed forces and police personnel equipped with Palantir tracking down and exposing those responsible – not to defend Clarke’s sensibilities, but to defend our democratic institutions from a malicious incursion.
The intelligence can track this and find the people responsible and we will expect this of them as I worked for a global communication company in the 1990’s and there are methods to track where any activities can be looked back to where they originated, so the tools are there for the police to call on when they wish.
It is a common observation that overuse of the cui bono? (“who benefits?”) style of thinking leads to conspiracy theories. They appeal strongly to people who desire to feel special, according to research by Roland Imhoff, a German social psychologist. Joseph Uscinski,
However, it also provides a better explanation than “I’m too busy to read my own website” for why Farrar left defamatory comments up on his blog until the media approached him about it.
It is a huge task monitoring and moderating a blog. Farrar has a hands off approach, relying on reporting, but those who attack don’t report themselves obviously.
It’s long been an issue at KB. I did a bit of confronting new claims there yesterday (Labour conspiracy) and instead of providing evidence I knew there would be none) the rest of the day was spent attacking. It’s at least as bad as ever and I’ve experienced a lot there over the years (rarely do now).
Farrar is taking a big legal risk. He also damages his credibility and reputation (or doesn’t repair it), and through association makes National an easy target too.
It’s his operation. Fuck him if he can’t be bothered to monitor what goes on with his site.
And if those comments were up for that long, then none of his regular readers chose to “report” defamation. Says a lot about his clientele, and the need for him to do his job.
But it sounds similar to John Banks, who ISTR failed to knowingly sign a false statement through the cunning artifice of not knowing what the statement said.
I suppose the “I’m too lazy or stupid to do my job properly” defense will be seen again from the tory machine.
I think along with overuse of “who benefits” is the child like ready answer of the majority of human beings.
We lay blame or praise depending on our personal feelings. Not on rational logic.
That is because Logic is not taught in school. Hence we end up with all sorts of non sequiturs.
In the case of Clarke Gaylord, there are four persons at the core. One is the Leader of the Opposition. Two is the Prime Minister. Three is Clarke Gaylord. Four is the Police
The Police were alerted to all sorts of very evil aspersions against Clarke. Those aspersions grew rapidly over an unknown period. More and more.
The Police, without consulting anybody but themselves, went through their records on Clarke and found no negative entry. Clarke was free of any crime.
So The Prime Minister, Jacinda Adern being the Partner of Clarke Gaylord was unlikely to have run up all the vile untrue “rumours” about Clarke. She had been with him for some years.
That left just one other key area of interest. Namely, The Leader of the Opposition, Simon Bridges. He would be well and truly aware of John Key’s cabal of Smut managers and Destroyers managed within the Beehive and beyond. For 9 years.
John Key’s nick name was the Silent Assassin. Although I don’t know why, because unlike Trump he worked through others.
You can make up your own mind, but the The Country Women’s Association is unlikely to have attempted to castrate Clarke Gaylord. Nor the Good Sisters of the Poor.
Most Likely, Enthusiasts have tried to rub Clarke out. Thereby taking Jacinda the PM out. Leaving National and their strong Media supporters very very pleased. National are highly skilled in this arena.
“In the case of Clarke Gaylord, there are four persons at the core. ”
Nope. There is no public evidence of either Labour or National conspiracies that have been claimed.
You have left out Whale Oil, who has run nasty attack posts targeting both Ardern and Gayford since last September/October, and continuing, including a still running (today) daily smear.
There have also been veiled references to the rumour in posts (still up) and open and hint references to the rumours in comments (some have been deleted after this weeks legal fright).
Slater has been seen as toxic in most National circles since Dirty Politics exposed him.
I haven’t see any evidence that Slater has done anything beyond WO.
However I have good reason to believe that someone who has had close links to Slater in the past (they have both been involved in attempted legal hits on me) has tried to spread Gayford rumours.
But there are obviously others involved to some extent, eg on Twitter. And on Kiwiblog. And there’s a horrible website who has been making outlandish accusations for years that has been pushing fake rumours.
Or it simply a malicious rumour that got legs as a result of Clarke profile; it’s happened before re a certain Ab rumour comes to mind,with today’s trolls, social media ; celebrity profile it’s does not take long for news to travel and morph very quickly; just look at social media bulling at the teenage level, not a stretch to see such extrapolating to a national level in regard to network effect This to me from a balance of probability and rationale level is far more likely than a
Grand centrally controlled conspiracy
I do not think we have as a nation realised just how shocking this assualt on Clarke Gayford has been.
Simon Bridges is clambering away every otherday that it was unbeknown to him. He says he has told his mighty team of midgets not to do nasty things.
Given that John Key spent 9 years doing seriously dirty stuff against persons he hated, it is good of Simon to clean up some of the mess. Bill English never fixed anything that we know of.
However, I guess it will take many moons to clean up national. Not one of them has studied the word – Honesty. Another word they choke on Humility. It makes them giggle.
Some of us think they have shot themselves in their whatisname this time.
Thanks Clean Green
I congratulate you on the rebuild of the East Coast Rail! Marvellous!
Honourable men and women do not use dishonesty and outright lies to destroy any persons reputation.
Dirty Politics will continue to give third degree burns to the National Caucus for some time to come. Not only that, the main Media are heavily intertwined with the Key / English / Collins /Farar/ Slater / Ede / Hooton – combo.
Noon Radionz news – Environment Minister David Parker announced that the pressure on the land and waterways by farmers overstocking will be managed by measuring the leachate from farm pollution and legislating this down. The largest way to carry this forward will be by farmers reducing stock numbers. Government will not pay compensation for this implementation.
(I can’t find any printed report of this on RadionzRNZ 1 hour after hearing report but there is info of car fire in Dunedin carpark. Our news broadcaster is still addicted to sensation stuff.)
I was thinking that those not farming efficiently will probably find that the results of less stock will be balanced out by not having to buy imported feed, not have sickness passed on from stock held in close overstocking, less fertiliser required, less pollution ponds or whatever they use to try and reduce runoff. It’s just time for some of the large industrial off-farm owners to up their game, and for casual she’ll be right farmers who are trying to cash in on the white oil and running bigger entities than they can effectively and willingly manage.
After mismanagement (no management) of rural matters by Gnashional for years, Labour needs to keep in mind the pressure that small farmers have been under while they have been played like pawns on a chessboard. Money is needed in the rural areas by them, to assist them recover, make changes etc.
Last is what many probably know. Bill English gets job with huge Australian corporate that owns NZ businesses. (It started off as a farmer co-op over there.) http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/356412/bill-english-joins-board-of-australia-retail-giant
Mr English has been appointed to the board of the retail giant Wesfarmers, which owns KMart, Bunnings Warehouse and Target, among many other businesses and is one of Australia’s largest listed companies.
In a board announcement to the Australian stock exchange, Wesfarmers’ chairman Michael Chaney says he’s pleased with the appointment, given Mr English’s experience and Wesfarmers’ extensive interests in New Zealand.
The retail giant started life as a farming cooperative in Western Australian in 1914.
Nutrient run-off monitoring has been underway for some time, even under the past National government. Although it is done by Regional Councils rather than at a Government level and may not be that consistent around the country. And the process has certainly got the attention of farmers. A large farm I do work on has a monitoring programme with regular water sampling and a fencing programme to keep the station’s stock away from the rivers.
How the Regional Councils would get on once it comes to enforcement could be interesting, and this may have something to do with what David Parker is saying. Legislation might make enforcement a lot simpler.
Graeme
What you say is an indication of the way that not having a level playing field because of uneven monitoring and enforcement is slowing down improvements in limiting run off for the whole country. We may not even know how many farmers are not complying with regulations, or whether the stats provided are factual. The few that are doing well may be held up to indicate what all are doing, while others dawdle or avoid.
And many of the rural councils will be stacked by the local farmers being the majority sector, and they are likely to have family connections, who won’t follow the law. The councillors may even keep to the law themselves but be unable to persuade their relatives and friends to sharpen up. And then there are the out of towners, or overseas absentee landlords who have big money, and just put their fingers to their noses!
It needs outsiders bringing an objective overview, and also to set up an exemplar area that others can be measured against so that there is competition and a desire to not be at the bottom of a league table.
I have a bit of contact with the technical side of our Regional Council with the water schemes I manage and have found them well meaning but woefully under resourced, both financially and intellectually. They also seem totally subservient to consultants, generally the applicant’s.
The deemed permit renewal process can best be described as a moving target and I’m glad my schemes are on consents and I won’t be directly involved.
Reform of the Regional Councils is urgently required, maybe with either a unitary approach or their environmental functions coming under a Ministry.
A modified tanker carrying illegal migrants headed for New Zealand and Australia as part of a human trafficking operation has been intercepted by Malaysian police.
“This syndicate has been operating since mid-2017 and has international connections across Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia.”
We must accept that this was always going to happen and that it’s going to get worse. At some point in the not too distant future we will be closing our borders the same way that Australia has.
We simply don’t have the room or the resources to simply take everyone who will try to get here.
Good Morning the Am Show Duncan I agree with Denis O’Relly lets get gangs working if you are working you are to busy to get in trouble its not rocket science China makes sure that most of there citizens are working or they would have problems with there unemployed. I see were this is coming from??????????’
What Stormy Daniels said was hard case I no you don’t believe in climate change but a storm is coming.
Amanda I say the best system was Ngtai Ruawaipu all of my tipunas actions were guided by sustainability if there choices were going to affect the sustainability of the Hapu in a negative way than that path was not taken hence we are here today.
I would not take my mokopunas to a Restaurant unless it was designed to have mokopunas a play area for them mokopunas need constants entertainment .
Here we go Count Down Super Markets is taking the lead and starting 10 of there Super Markets plastic bag free for there shoppers Many thanks to Count Down Supper Markets starting the trend we have seen All the plastic waste poisoning OUR Wild life and Environment hears the link.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/103623308/countdown-chooses-10-supermarkets-to-go-plastic-bag-free-rest-to-follow P.S Eco Maori says us green Tangata should support Count Down with this Brave move.
I agree with Chris Trotter statement Duncan about the gangs are being used as a attack on Maori Mana they just have not figured that phenomenon out the powers that be don’t want to shear the Mana of Aotearoa with Maori this I see.
Thanks for the ——– I have plenty of hair at the minute .Ki Kaha Maori Tangata .
Ka kite ano
If McDonalds Family Restaurants were serious about Te Tangata health they would drop there machines that cause Tooth decay and Obesity in te Mokopunas
and serve non sugar refreshments like water the soft drinks machines make the mokopunas want more sugar on there other foods like weat bix ect
Ka kite ano
What ecomaori says: I agree with Denis O’Relly lets get gangs working if you are working you are to busy to get in trouble its not rocket science ,
I remember a story of someone visiting a town that had been badly hit by business closures. He was driven through the main streets by the local cop who was greeted with a wave by various young men on building sites and in workshops. The policeman said ‘See those guys, they were all going through the Court till recently – in trouble because they had no jobs, nothing to keep them occupied. Look at them now, happy to be working and with earned money in their pockets.”
I hope Shane can pull it off. He can do it if anyone can get things moving for the regions and the young Maori who want some structure in their life, a job with wages that to rely on and get home, his or her living and personal life on track.
Good evening Newshub I heard a bit of bazzing noise .
Mike Ruaumoko looks so beautiful at night thats Papatuanuku recycling her self in Hawaii.
Many thanks Marama Davidson and the Green party for pushing for REO to be compulsory subject Ka pai e hoa Mana wahine I have changed my views on this subject as I see more of Maoris reality Eco Maori wants all mokopuna to learn Te reo . Ka kite ano P.S I see a lot of evidence that the STATE never admits they are wrong ???????? When one has manuhiri you all ways treat them with respect
The Crowd Goes Wild
Jonelle Prices win at the Badminton on that amasing Mare Molly what a beautiful horse Mana Wahine .
Mulls I watched a bit of soccer on the weekend my mokopuan she was playing on a bigger field than she use to she kicked a boy he started crying and that put her off her game a bit it was a draw 1 all.
That was a good conversion it gave me a sore face .
It was a good weekend of sports for Eco Maori .
Ka kite ano
All women and men who want respect and freedom between all humans will want to say a small prayer of mourning for this 16 year old woman and her family.
It will be interesting to see what the Indian police do about this outrageous killing. In a society that has such lax attitudes towards harm to females and perhaps to different classes, the death penalty carried out in a proper, quick and clean manner may be needed to respond to this extreme hostility to decent and good citizens.
Dhanu Bhuiyan and his accomplices are accused of burning the 16-year-old alive on Friday in the state of Jharkhand.
She was killed after her parents complained to village elders that she had been raped, according to police.
The elders had told two accused rapists to do 100 sit-ups and pay a 50,000 rupee ($NZ1060) fine as punishment.
The power held by elders in villages that hold them in an era of vicious and oppressive cruelty to women, must be cut out by the roots in the same determined way that thuggism was last century.
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Dr Helen Waite, sports sociologist and former elite athlete, on the invasion of women’s sport by men and the anti-scientific and misogynist ideology used to rationalise it. ...
As Brexit comes to a grisly conclusion (perhaps) people on all sides are saying intemperate and uwise things. Some, like the Daly Mail, have been doing it for years.People as normally level headed as Jon Lansman are calling for automatic deselection of MPs who vote against a (likely) Labour three ...
I've got one source saying more Labour MPs than expected are mulling whether to vote for the deal - including names who were not on the letter to Juncker and Tusk— Emilio Casalicchio (@e_casalicchio) 17 October 2019 I've compiled a list of possible reasons why Labour ...
On Wednesday, the government was loudly telling us that it needed to legislate to allow it to impose "control orders" - effectively a parole regime, but imposed without charge, prosecution, conviction or real evidence - on suspected terrorists because they couldn't be prosecuted for their supposed crimes. Today, it turns ...
On Monday, the Hit and Run inquiry heard from NZDF's former director of special operations, who claimed that the defence Minister knew everything about the Operation Burnham raid. Today, the inquiry heard from that (former) Minister - and it turns out that he didn't know nearly as much as NZDF ...
Yoga gurus and cult leaders – I’ve seen a few. Two weeks ago, I unknowingly joined an alleged new-age cult at the Kāpiti coast, together with a giant kraken and some neatly dressed pensioners who would make any book club proud.They were among the two hundred people of all ages ...
The last decade has seen a trend of increasing weapons availability to police. Assault rifles. Tasers on every hip. Guns in cars. And following the march 15 massacre, pistols on every hip, all over the country. At the same time, its also seen an increase in the abuse of force: ...
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been busy preparing for our summer paper on Science Communication. Looking for something amusing about ‘risk’ in science, I came across this neat xkcd.com cartoon about why so many people come knocking on my door (or phoning me, or emailing me) desperately wanting ...
by John Edmundson The International Socialist Organisation (ISO) have recently reposted a February article, by Romany Tasker-Poland, explaining ISO’s position in the “trans rights” debate. It is available on their website and on their Facebook Page. The article sets out to explain why “socialists support trans rights”. It reads more ...
"Auckland City Mission: 10% of Kiwis experiencing food insecurity", RNZ, 16 October 2019:About half a million people are experiencing food insecurity, according to new research from the Auckland City Mission. Food insecurity, or food poverty, is defined as not having enough appropriate food. The City Mission said over the last ...
Media Statement for Immediate Release 16th October 2019 “Fake News” from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers Despite comments from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers—Herald Newspaper Tuesday Oct 15th–there is very little evidence ...
Would You Buy A Used Propaganda Video From This Man? Bridges and the National Party’s strategists have discovered that the ideas and attitudes considered acceptable by today’s editors and journalists are no longer enforceable. The rise and rise of the Internet and the social media platforms it spawned means that ...
There is plenty of evidence of the way the business mentality has permeated every level of society since the recrudescence of market liberalism 35 years ago. You only need to think of how citizens in need of help from their government, their state, their country, are now routinely described as ...
John MacCormickOver the last 40 years, New Zealanders – and people in other countries – have experienced big changes in the jobs they do and where they live and work. These changes include: a decline in manufacturing jobs an increase in jobs in ‘information-intensive’ industries (which are better paid ...
Nick Wilson, Leah Grout, Mereana Wilson, Anja Mizdrak, Phil Shoemack, Michael BakerProtecting waterways has the benefits of: (1) protecting water from hazardous microbes; (2) minimising cancer risk and other problems from nitrates in water; (3) avoiding algal blooms that are hazardous to health; (4) protecting mahinga kai uses (cultural ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women In a press release today Massey University announced it has decided to rebrand and reorientate after struggling to be a University for grown-ups. For some time the University has wanted to be a safe play space for wee-woke-misogynists who have been really badly triggered ...
After a brief dalliance with 'hard Revoke' it looks like the Lib Dems are changing ground on on Brexit, with leader Jo Swinson reverting to calling for a second referendum on Johnson's deal.The party has tabled an amendment to the Queen’s speech requesting that any deal brought back from Brussels ...
The government has decided that someone has done Something Bad. But despite their belief, there seems to be no evidence that they have actually broken the law. So the government's solution is to pass a retrospective law allowing them to be punished anyway, on a lower standard of proof. If ...
So, Judith Collins has done a Facebook rant about climate change, peddling the same shit National has been shovelling for the past twenty years: the impacts are overstated, there's no need to do anything about it, and its too hard anyway (oh, and its so unfair that people who peddle ...
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.nzThere is a lot of discussion on the benefits of ...
I came across this song quite by accident. If it isn't one of Greta Thunberg's favourites - it should be.Video courtesy of YouTube.This post is exclusive to Bowalley Road. ...
Last month, NZDF's shoddy coverup of what it knew about civilian casualties in Operation Burnham began to fall apart, with the revelation that a report on the matter, which NZDF claimed not to have, had been sitting in an NZDF safe for the past nine years. Yesterday, the man responsible ...
While many imagine that countries like the USA and Europe dominate space activities, in fact India is now a major player on this stage. It launches satellites for its own purposes and also commercially, and has constellations orbiting our planet and returning data of vital importance to that nation in ...
Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING MYTH 1: Global temperatures are rising at a rapid, unprecedented rate. FACT: The HadCRUT3 surface temperature index, produced by the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, shows warming to 1878, cooling to 1911, ...
For the past week, Extinction Rebellion has been peacefully protesting in London to demand action on climate change. The British government's response? Ban their protests:Police have banned Extinction Rebellion protests from continuing anywhere in London, as they moved in almost without warning to clear protesters who remained at the movement’s ...
An essay by Judith Collins MP reported on Carbon News yesterday seems to show an alarming shift in attitude within the National Party. Collins argues against the Zero Carbon Bill, the Paris Agreement, and downplays the magnitude of climate impacts. The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015 and ratified ...
When they were running for election, Labour promised to overhaul the Employment Relations Act and introduce fair pay agreements to set basic pay and conditions on an industry level, preventing bad employers from undercutting good ones. They followed this up by establishing a working group, which reported back in January ...
A list of indicators of bad science – many of these are found in articles promoted by anti-fluoride activists. Anti-fluoride activists have been pouring money into a scaremongering campaign warning pregnant women not to drink fluoridated water. They claim fluoride will lower the IQ of their future child. Fluoride ...
Nothing Left To Say: Labour's pollster, Stephen Mills, remains swaddled-up in the comforting myths of the 1980s. As if the experience of Roger Douglas’s genuinely radical post-Muldoon policy agenda was literally a once-in-a-lifetime thing – as much as the party could possibly absorb for at least the next 50 years.MEMO ...
The Royal Commission on abuse in care is very significant for the disability community. For many decades last century, thousands of disabled children, and adults who managed to survive, were locked away from families and communities. This was not for anything they had done, but for the perceived threat their ...
With an unfair voting system, uneven electorates and an un-elected upper house, the UK's "democracy" is barely worthy of the name. But now the government wants to make it worse:The government has been accused of suppressing voters’ rights with the potential disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of people after plans ...
Back in the 90's and early 2000's, the building industry was building leaky homes which should never have been granted consent. Now it turns out they've been building dodgy office blocks as well:New imaging technology has revealed hundreds of major buildings nationwide have defective or missing concrete or reinforcing steel. ...
Local body election results were released over the weekend, to joy or despair depending on where you live. In Auckland, Phil Goff trounced John Tamihere, who is muttering darkly about running for Parliament again (but which party would want him?) Wellington is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Weta Workshop, except ...
How could government evolve over the next decades? Reports of democracy’s imminent demise are greatly exaggerated. However, satisfaction with political systems in many countries is low, so there is much to do for governments of all political stripes to improve relevance and trust. Digital technologies are seen as one ...
Two years have now gone by since the Friday afternoon when my university-student son and I headed out of our Barcelona flat to a nearby primary school, designated as a polling station for the vote that was to be held the following Sunday: the referendum on Catalonia’s independence from Spain ...
Overruled: The joint decision of Finance Minister, Grant Robertson (Labour) and his Associate Minister, David Parker (Labour) arguably the two most powerful ministers in Jacinda Ardern’s government, to grant OceanaGold the consents which Land Information Minister, Eugenie Sage (Greens) had earlier denied them, offers bitter proof of how hard fighting ...
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...
A Statement on Abortion Law Reform by the Council of Disobedient Women On the eve of bringing an end to antiquated, anti-women abortion laws Green MP Jan Logie intends to write women out of the Bill. With a stroke of the pen, the woke are aiming for total erasure ...
Musings continue apace about “the experienced businessman!” soon to be taking up a National Party MP position. Or to be more accurate, being parachuted into a seat to shut down their former MP Jamie-Lee Ross, who despite his own shortcomings shed at least some more light on the inner workings ...
The Ugandan government wants to murder gay people:Uganda has announced plans to impose the death penalty on homosexuals. The bill, colloquially known as “Kill the Gays” in Uganda, was nullified five years ago on a technicality, but the government said on Thursday it plans to resurrect it within weeks. The ...
Hassan Vally, La Trobe UniversityWho doesn’t want to know if drinking that second or third cup of coffee a day will improve your memory, or if sleeping too much increases your risk of a heart attack? We’re invested in staying healthy and many of us are interested in reading ...
Freedom Of Speech? The Säuberung (cleansing by fire) was the work of the German Student Union which, on 10 May 1933, under the watchful eye of the Nazi Reichminister for Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, consigned 25,000 books to the flames in a ritual exorcism of “un-German thought”. According to the logic of the ...
“There can be no such thing as kaupapa Māori political parties or politics in Aotearoa” (Willie Jackson, Labour Party (2017). Māori TV, General/List Election Special) I begin with that claim because at the time, I was confounded at first that it fell out of Willie Jackson’s mouth, and then ...
New Zealand has prided itself for decades with regard to its lack of pollution, and all will be aware that the ‘100% Pure New Zealand‘ meme is under threat through land, water and air pollution of various causes. There is another type of contamination that the country also faces: light ...
New Zealand’s media is doing its part in Japan, reassuring those in the path of the storm that they won’t miss any rugby while away from their flooded homes. New Zealand sports reporters stationed in Japan for the Rugby World Cup have had the rare and heartwarming opportunity to inform ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones is the only Cabinet member in favour of putting it all on green. As Finance Minister Grant Robertson finds himself with an enormous $7.5 billion surplus, the Government has begun intense, at times contentious conversations about whether to put the money on red or black at ...
by Susanne Kemp At the start of September close to 100,000 school teachers went on strike in Jordan. They demanded a 50% pay rise. A pay rise actually agreed to by the regime back in 2014. In early October, however, in the face of government repression and threats, the teachers’ ...
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.nzWhy do people still think climate change isn’t real?David ...
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones has hit back at those who are upset over a change in approach to partnership visas. There has been a specific government directive to stop waiving requirements such as couples needing to have lived together for 12 months - a test Indian couples who have ...
The North Auckland Line rejuvenation kicks off with teams surveying the rail corridor and Northland construction contractors are showing interest in the project.KiwiRail provided an industry briefing for Northland contracting and construction companies about future work opportunities on rejuvenating Northland’s rail lines. The briefing session in Whangarei was held to ...
Journalist Andrew Dickens, reporting from the 2019 New Zealand First Conference, states that the Party once again proved “they are more than a sideshow”. In his op-ed article for NewstalkZB, Mr Dickens said he has always been an admirer of the Party, saying they are “a true centrist party”. “[NZ ...
New Zealand First's potential policy of compulsory community service for ages 15-19 years old has been getting support from those in the industry. A policy remit was passed during their recent Conference in Christchurch, gaining the support of a majority of its membership. Party leader Winston Peters has been talking ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the Party hopes to decide it’s stance pill testing at music festivals "before the season of concern", with festivals generally held during the summer months. Mr Peters' comments come in an interview with TVNZ's Q+A and follow a remit from the party's youth ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says he has been told to be "alert" to potential cost blowouts for the light rail project in Auckland. Mr Peters said no such concerns were raised with him from ministerial colleagues, including Transport Minister Phil Twyford of the Labour Party. He suggested that ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters Leader of New Zealand First The Benefits of having New Zealand First in the Centre: Security, Experience & Balance 2.00pm, 20th October 2019 Ladies and Gentlemen Thank you all for your warm welcome to this, the party’s 26thConvention. Speaking on behalf of caucus colleagues, it’s great to ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs Fletcher Tabuteau is travelling to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu this week to continue toadvance important bilateral relationships in our region consistent with thePacific Reset. Mr Tabuteau will engage in a range of bilateral meetings and visit New Zealand development ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is predicting a hard Brexit for the United Kingdom, as he believes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won’t be able to negotiate terms before the October 30 deadline. The Minister, who was one of the first to publicly come out and predict British voters would leave ...
Speaking at the Council of Trade Unions' (CTU) biennial conference, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters told unionists that any future attacks on the Government won't work. "Now, we are being attacked by the union movement in this country. You can have your views but I'm here to say standing ...
We want every New Zealander to be happy, safe, and healthy. To do this, we need to support strong, safe communities, and a robust and efficient health system. ...
Defence Minister Ron Mark has used his powers to overrule a noise complaint ruling against Whenuapai airbase on the grounds of "national security". The Environment Court last month released a ruling in favour of a private developer, declaring the Auckland airbase had to comply with noise restrictions when it performs ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has opened fire against "unreconstructed morons" after NZ First MP Shane Jones was photographed on holiday holding an AR-15 rifle. Mr Peters is defending Mr Jones, telling Magic Talk host Peter Williams that his MP was just having fun "like most people do". "The ...
New Zealand First Deputy Leader and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau was in attendance during the morning blessing of the Rotorua Lakefront development project. Around 60 people gathered on the shores of Lake Rotorua, including city mayor Steve Chadwick and deputy Dave Donaldson. The Lakefront development is a ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones is considering reining in on conversions of farmland to forestry, and also issued a warning to foreign-owned forestry companies that make up nearly 75 per cent of the industry. He said too many foreign companies had not provided enough access for domestic processors to get timber. ...
Speaking to Radio NZ, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the tightening of the parental category visa is a direct result of the Party’s coalition negotiations with the Labour Party. He said the new changes switch the financial onus from the parent moving to New Zealand to the child ...
The Coalition Government is set to cut red tape in the building and construction sector in an effort to allow more houses to be built, including prefabricated houses. The changes will enable the mass factory production of "high quality" buildings, slash the likely number of building inspections for factory produced ...
Since coming into Government, we’ve worked hard to tackle homelessness and make sure everyone has a warm, dry home. And today, on World Homeless Day, we want to report back and update you on our progress so far. ...
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has hit back at National Party leader Simon Bridges who criticized the Coalition Government’s approach to crime, and said that the latter isn't credible in his attack on the Government over gang recruitment. "We've got as massive drug problem in this country. It is ...
New Zealand Mānuka honey exporters have welcomed an initiative by the Coalition Government to help secure the term “mānuka honey” to be used exclusively by Kiwi exporters, ensuring that our multimillion-dollar industry is protected. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had recently announced that a Provincial Growth Funding of $5.7 ...
Political commentator Mike Hosking has labelled New Zealand First leader Winston Peters as “the voice of reason in a government soft on drugs”, for the Party’s stance on drug testing at music festivals. “If common sense is worth a vote, Winston Peters is quids in,” Mr Hosking said. The Labour ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau has announced Provincial Growth Funding to ensure work opportunities in Turangi and Whanganui, through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi. A fund of $500,000 will go to Rafting NZ in Turangi for a 16-week river guide training course to train ...
Treasury has shown that the Coalition Government has a $7.5 billion surplus, which is $4 billion higher than what was expected in the 2019 Budget unveiled last May. It is also $2 billion higher than the actual surplus unveiled this time last year, and at a size that has not ...
Official Information Act figures released to NZME show there were 350 assaults on officers in the year to the end of June, 79 more than the year before. The increase in attacks have sparked calls for more legal protection for first responders to be enacted. The assaults included officers being ...
“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...
We're making progress on tackling the long-term challenges: from homelessness, to strengthening border security, to bringing banking back New Zealand's small towns. ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones has backed the ambitious plan to move Auckland’s port to Northport, at Whangarei harbour, which he says will be the “King Kong of infrastructure”. The plan is part of the recommendations of a six-person independent working group, which has recommended the Ports of Auckland be ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson departs tomorrow for events and meetings in Japan and Vietnam. While in Japan, he will discuss economic and fiscal issues including meeting with the Minister of Finance, Taro Aso, and Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy, Yasutoshi Nishimura. He will meet with the Minister of Education, ...
The Government’s Housing Dashboard released today confirms record numbers of state houses are under construction and shows the Government build programme is gaining momentum. “After nine years of inaction, and a hands-off attitude from the previous government we’re starting to see things move in the right direction for housing,” says ...
Mr Speaker, I wish to make a ministerial statement relating to the Auckland fire. The Government is closely monitoring the situation with the fire at the NZ International Convention Centre and is thankful that everyone is now safe. Firefighters are doing an incredible job managing the fire and bringing it ...
The Government is investing in ambitious research that will digitise Te Reo, grow the low-carbon protein efficient aquaculture industry, help interpret environmental trends, and large data sets says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. The four projects range from teaching Siri to speak Te Reo to crunching large environmental ...
A new education-to-employment brokerage service to strengthen connections between local employers and schools. Funding for more trades focused ‘speed-dating’ events to connect schools with employers. Promotional campaign to raise profile of vocational education. The Government is taking action to increase the number of young people taking up vocational education and ...
A Bill to improve prison security and ensure the fair, safe, and humane treatment of people in prison while upholding public safety has passed its third reading. Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says the Corrections Amendment Bill makes a number of changes to ensure the Corrections Act 2004 is fit for ...
Minister for Māori Development, Nanaia Mahuta, has selected Arihia Bennett MNZM, Chief Executive Officer of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, as the Te Puni Kōkiri appointed representative on the New Zealand-China Council. The New Zealand-China Council (the Council) was established in 2012 as a New Zealand led and funded organisation ...
Responsibility for processing the small number of Southern Response claims still to be settled will be transferred to EQC by the end of the year. “As claim numbers reduce, it no longer makes sense for the Crown to have two organisations processing the remaining Canterbury claims,” Grant Robertson says. “Since ...
Health Minister David Clark is encouraging Whanganui residents to take up the opportunity for free bowel screening, which can detect cancer early when it’s easier to treat. Over the next two years 12,000 Whanganui locals, aged 60 to 74 will be invited to participate in the National Bowel Screening ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio, heads to Oslo today to represent New Zealand at the sixth Our Ocean Conference, which is being hosted by the Norwegian Government from the 23-24 October. “The Our Ocean Conference mobilises real action on issues like marine plastic pollution and the impacts of ...
Two secondary-school initiatives are being expanded as part of the Government’s plan to see more young New Zealanders take up a trade to help close the skills gap. This includes the largest single increase in Trades Academy places in recent years. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris ...
Session 4: Pacific Connectivity – Youth, Media and New Opportunities Kia ora tatou katoa and Warm Pacific greetings to one and all. Representatives of Tainui, the local people of the land, or manawhenua – the indigenous peoples of this area – have welcomed you this morning in accordance with ...
The Government today announced its support for a project that could substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from cattle. The announcement was made as part of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor’s visit to Nelson’s Cawthron Aquaculture Park. The Cawthron Institute will receive $100,000 from the Government’s ...
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni has welcomed the first reading of the New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension Legislation Amendment Bill. “Every New Zealander has a stake in New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension,” says Carmel Sepuloni. “They are our most common form of social assistance – nearly 800,000 New ...
Babies in Auckland aged six months and over can receive a free vaccination and children will all have access to vaccines, Associate Minister of Health Julie Anne Genter announced today at Papatoetoe High School. The move comes as part of Government efforts to step up the fight against measles. ...
***Check against delivery*** Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here, and to have the honour of opening this important conference on behalf of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. Let us take the opportunity to acknowledge all the people who have helped make today possible, including our special ...
Police Minister Stuart Nash says the safety of frontline officers and members of the public will be the focus of a new trial of specialist Police response teams in three of our largest urban centres. Police have this morning released details of an initiative to be trialled in Counties Manukau, ...
The Minister of Fisheries is calling for entries for a new public award to celebrate innovation in our seafood sector. “I have established the Seafood Sustainability Awards to recognise and celebrate those throughout industry, tangata whenua and communities who demonstrate outstanding dedication and innovation towards the sustainability of New Zealand’s ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter welcomes leaders in the private sector taking action on closing their gender pay gaps to ensure a fairer workplace for all New Zealanders. Ms Genter today launched a new report, Addressing the gender pay gap and driving women’s representation in senior leadership, from the Champions for ...
Government Ministers today welcomed the release of a marine environment report highlighting the four key issues affecting our oceans, estuaries and coastlines. The release underlines the importance of government proposals to combat climate pollution, ensure clean freshwater, protect biodiversity, make land use more sustainable, and reduce waste and plastic. Environment ...
The Government has approved funding for a new acute mental health facility for Waikato which will provide better care and support to people with mental health and addiction issues. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Dr David Clark announced the $100 million project to replace the aging Henry Rongomau ...
The Government is making progress on its goal to integrate te reo Māori into education by 2025, with over 500 teachers and support staff already graduating from Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Kelvin Davis made the announcement at an awards ceremony in Waikanae today, for ...
Statistics Minister James Shaw has welcomed the first release of 2018 Census data. The first release of data today, 23 September, includes key data on population, regional growth, the number of homes and the size of different ethnic groups in New Zealand. Data from the 2018 Census will support the ...
Minister for Statistics James Shaw today announced a public consultation on a proposed algorithm charter for government agencies. The charter has been developed by the Government Chief Data Steward in response to growing calls for more transparency in government use of data. Computer algorithms – procedures or formulas for solving ...
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, Climate Change Minister James Shaw and visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte co-hosted a business roundtable in Auckland this morning focused on working together to address climate change. “The Netherlands is an important partner for New Zealand. We share a strong agricultural history. Sustainable agribusiness and ...
The Government is taking action to build an inclusive economy where more of us receive our fair share at work and businesses can compete on great products and services, not undercutting wages and conditions, Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. Two consultations launched today seek feedback ...
The future for New Zealand’s threatened indigenous freshwater fish looks brighter with the passing of the Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill in Parliament today said Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “Until now, our freshwater fish legislation has been 20 years out of date. We have lacked effective tools to ...
At 1.30pm tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of Kiwis will join about 65 million people around the globe in ShakeOut, the world’s biggest earthquake drill. The annual drill is to remind people of the right action to take during an earthquake which is to Drop, Cover, Hold, and to practise their ...
Kiwis are benefiting from higher wage growth and low inflation under the Coalition Government. Stats NZ data out today shows the rise in the cost of living remains low, as annual Consumers Price Index (CPI) inflation fell to 1.5% in September from 1.7% in June. “The low inflation comes as ...
New Zealand’s economic strength and resilience has been recognised in a major update on the state of the global economy. The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook released overnight shows a reduced global growth forecast over the next two years as issues like the US-China trade war and Brexit take hold. ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little has today introduced a new Bill to prevent terrorism and support the de-radicalisation of New Zealanders returning from overseas. The Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill gives the New Zealand Police the ability to apply to the High Court to impose control orders on New Zealanders who ...
A Bill that proposes targeted changes to simplify the processes for Māori land owners when engaging with the Māori Land Court has had its First Reading today. “The approach taken by the Government is to ensure that the protection of Māori land remains a priority as we seek to improve ...
Let me first thank all the new unionists and members in the room. There is nothing more important to improving people’s working lives than people making the decision to care, to get on board and help, to take up the reins and get involved. Congratulations to you. You bring the ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark has signed a certificate exempting the activity of engine testing at Whenuapai Airbase from the Resource Management Act 1991. The Act gives the Minister of Defence the power to exempt activities for the purposes of national security. The certificate will mean the recent Environment Court ...
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced New Zealand will join the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action while attending APEC meetings in Chile. The objective of the 39 member Coalition is to share information and promote action to tackle climate change. It was formed in April this year, in ...
Feedback sought– Lyttelton commercial zone parking The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to remove on-site car parking requirements for new developments in the Lyttelton commercial zone. The proposal, by Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section 71 of the Greater ...
Hon Minister Poto Williams Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration MEDIA STATEMENT Tuesday 15 October 2019 Feedback sought – Hagley Oval The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal about Hagley Oval. The proposal was developed by Regenerate Christchurch ...
Ladies and gentlemen, NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff, members of respective unions – thank you for the invitation to speak to you today. This might be preaching to the choir, but the importance of trade unions in New Zealand’s historical arch is difficult to understate. And it is my belief that ...
"Let’s start by acknowledging that it has been a huge year. " Police Association Annual Conference James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel Wellington Nau mai, haere mai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, ka nui te mihi, ki a koutou katoa. President of the Police Association, Chris Cahill; Members of the Association and ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of Defence Ron Mark have announced the New Zealand Government’s decision to again deploy a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 (P-3) maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea. New ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has finally seen off John Setka from the ALP, with the militant construction union leader capitulating and quitting the party. Setka, who lost a court case he brought in his fight ...
New Zealanders will almost certainly face a referendum next year on whether to legalise voluntary euthanasia after a make-or-break vote in Parliament cleared the way. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Nationals leader Michael McCormack has admitted his party should have handled better agriculture minister Bridget McKenzie’s bring-forward of the planned dairy code. Some Nationals were furious when McKenzie suddenly sped up the code’s preparation in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra While the drought continues to hit the Nationals’ constituents hard, the party faces a testing terrain on a political level. In this episode of Politics with Michelle Grattan, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack acknowledges the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy – in the job for for just weeks after moving across from the department of infrastructure last month – has dismissed talk of spending big on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Downie, Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, Australian National University It’s time we started talking about the principal opponents to action on climate change – fossil fuel industries. If history has taught us anything, it is when oil, gas and coal industries ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodie Grigg, Research Associate at the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University My friends are taking ecstasy at raves and music festivals. Is it safe? — Anonymous Key points no drug use, including ecstasy, is 100% safe festivals can present ...
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.Transport Todd Niall (Stuff): Auckland Light Rail: Goff says it’s the Government’s call Richard Harman ...
It isn't the first time Tiwai Point's owners have warned they may close the aluminium smelter, but this Government is unlikely to be handing out financial assistance. ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says APEC will definitely still be held in Auckland in 2021, despite the destruction caused by the fire at the NZ International Convention Centre. ...
The headline said it all. Stats NZ has released 2018 census data on New Zealanders’ commuting habits and, guess what, we love a motorised polluter. “Car streets ahead for travel to work and education” was the heading. It should have been “cars rule, all other options drool”.New cycleways are under construction ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Liu, Chancellors Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Fashion and Textiles Designer, University of Technology Sydney The tech giants Amazon, Google and Facebook have all begun to use machine learning to give you tips on what to wear. Is fashion styling the next field ...
Prime Minister is meeting with officials at the scene of a massive blaze in Auckland's CBD. Watch a live video of a media stand-up with FENZ and the PM. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanessa Bowden, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Newcastle It is becoming increasingly possible that sea-level rise of a metre or more will occur this century. You might expect this threat to preoccupy coastal homeowners. But many deny the need to act, for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chloe Watfern, Scientia PhD scholar, UNSW At Studio A, on the fourth floor of the Crows Nest community centre, a group of artists is working quietly. An occasional burst of laughter erupts from a corner of the studio. It makes its way ...
In response to Meghan Markle’s admission that she’s finding it a struggle to be a new mother in the media spotlight, columnists across the globe have banded together to launch a charity to support all those women who ‘have it worse’, Emily Writes can exclusively reveal.Meghan Markle – duchess, new ...
Will New Zealand’s largest construction firm have to write off yet more money over the troubled International Convention Centre project?Both Fletcher Building and SkyCity’s share prices have felt the impact of the devastating fire that has raged at Auckland’s half completed convention centre for over a day now. More than ...
The new and spectacular atlas We Are Here is page after page of haunting, hella beautiful visual data, each chapter introduced with an essay. This one, Lost in the Forest, opens the section on people. At some point in the 1990s, one of the creators of this book tried to impress ...
Kassie Hartendorp (Ngāti Raukawa) has been looking to Māori stories and storytellers to learn more about our gender identities before colonisation. There’s a lot to be read between the lines, she writes.Te ao Māori can be a very gendered place to be. In some settings, your gender can tell you ...
The Shouting Valley is a powerful group exhibition at the Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland that interrogates and gives voice to the people caught between borders. But is the real paradox of this politically charged show the limit of what art can do? Lana Lopesi reviews. “What’s bad about borders?” asked ...
The future of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is under question again as majority owner, mining giant Rio Tinto, is reviewing the plant's future. ...
There will be another crucial vote for the voluntary euthanasia bill later today - whether or not a referendum will be held at the 2020 general election. ...
It was never intended that state owned enterprises should use their monopoly commercial or regulatory power to stifle competition, yet it is at least arguable that is what has happened says Peter Dunne. ...
Go Bus drivers in South Auckland will continue refusing to collect fares tomorrow as their protest continues with the intent of avoiding disruption to passengers while highlighting the need for fair wage negotiations with their employer, FIRST Union ...
Smoke continues to billow in downtown Auckland 24 hours after fire broke out in the incomplete complex.Shortly after 1pm yesterday came the first reports of a fire on the site of the SkyCity New Zealand International Convention Centre in central Auckland. That brought a massive mobilisation of emergency services, evacuations ...
He Kākano Ahau is a podcast by writer and activist Kahu Kutia (Ngāi Tūhoe) that explores stories of Māori in the city, and weaves together strands of connection. In episode one: the legacy of urban marae Tapu te Ranga.I grew up where the tarseal on the road crumbles away into ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Australians are divided over whether the nation’s universities have too many foreign students, according to the Australian National University’s ANUpoll, released Wednesday. In the polling, 52.8% said the mix between foreign and domestic students was ...
National's leader Simon Bridges says a bill imposing restrictions on people returning after fighting for extremist groups would only keep New Zealanders "half safe". ...
Alex Casey talks to Leigh Hart about the return of Late Night Big Breakfast, the finest morning TV parody show New Zealand has ever made. Late Night Big Breakfast is set to return to TVNZ in 2020 after a five year hiatus, creator and comedian Leigh Hart has confirmed. Filmed in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Gordon, PhD candidate. Sydney University Physics Education Research (SUPER) group, University of Sydney If you want to get good marks in your exams, there’s no substitute for study. So do past exams, go over your notes, read what you need to ...
Otago University academic Chris Brickell wonders whether his new book on LGBT objects ought to be the sort of thing bookshops would want to have on their shelves. ...
South Aucklanders from Mangere to East Tamaki will be riding their Go Bus services to work for free tomorrow morning, as FIRST Union bus drivers opt out of collecting fares for their employer in an industrial action designed to show the wider public ...
What do we make of the Air New Zealand decision to quit the Auckland-Los Angeles-London route? Nothing much as it simply reflects the changing dynamics of the airline industry. Gone are the days when Air NZ took the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 into the fleet and began flying Los Angeles, then ...
Was the SkyCity Convention Centre construction site at higher risk of fire than any other construction site or building? Alex Braae asks the experts.A fire at the SkyCity Convention Centre construction site has continued to burn this morning, after a night of lighting up the Auckland CBD sky.The fire, which ...
Sky City and Fletcher Building see another "material delay" to opening of International Convention Centre as fire still rages. Plan B needed for APEC in November 2021, says Goff ...
First it was KiwiBuild, now it’s Auckland’s light rail that’s looking increasingly shambolic. Jenée Tibshraeny from Interest asks what’s going on, and how thin is that ice that transport minister Phil Twyford is skating on.The Opposition’s latest attack phrase aimed at the government is set to be one of its ...
At last, a break in the clouds for NZ’s dairy farmers : Fonterra suppliers could be looking at a sharp lift in income, as the co-op revises its forecast range for the milk price to $6.55-$7.55 kg/MS.And the signals are strong enough to underpin projections the milk price will rise ...
Members of the Indian community are angry at an immigration policy change making it harder for to bring spouses to NZ - but Shane Jones says anyone not happy should "catch the next flight home." ...
On October 7, New Zealand’s Labour Party-led coalition government announced draconian class-based restrictions on immigration. From February 2020, the government will reopen the Parent Category visa nearly four years after the previous National Party ...
Organise Aotearoa joined a rally held by the Chilean expatriate community on Tuesday outside the Chilean Embassy in Wellington, following widespread repression and brutality against protesters by President Sebastián Piñera’s armed forces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Shine, Robinson Fellow, University of Sydney Have you ever sat down to complete your morning crossword or Sudoku and wondered about what’s happening in your brain? Somewhere in the activity of the billions of neurons in your brain lies the code ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mehmet Ozalp, Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University The five-day ceasefire negotiated by US Vice President Mike Pence and Turkish President Recep Tayyib ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne The unprecedented blackout of front pages by Australia’s newspaper publishers this week is a highly significant event in Australian political and media history. It represents the completion of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Hansen, Chief of Staff, The Conversation In recent years coconut water has left the palm-treed shores of tropical islands where tourists on lounge chairs stick straws straight into the fruit, and exploded onto supermarket shelves – helped along by beverage giants ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Petterson, Professor of Geology, Auckland University of Technology CC BY-NDClimate 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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University A Greenpeace video of me plugging a trackless tram that went viral with 4 million hits has caused a few eyebrows to be raised over whether I think light rail is dead. So let me ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Asher, Associate Professor, UNSW Here’s the boldest idea the government’s inquiry into retirement incomes should consider but might not: no longer exempting all of the value of each retiree’s home from the pension assets test. The test would merely exempt part ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Sernack-Chee Quee, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Design, Architecture & Building, University of Technology Sydney 1973 was a remarkable year for Sydney, with the opening of two major cultural icons. The first was the Sydney Opera House. The second, possibly more important ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: In today’s edition: Serious ramifications likely from SkyCity fire, dozens of partnership visas being denied, and yet another police pursuit death.The fire at the SkyCity Convention Centre construction site has continued to burn overnight. Fire crews were forced to abandon the roof, ...
Orange-fronted parakeets will still get protection but some mohua populations miss out as DoC reduces the area of forest being covered by 1080 poison. ...
The main way small countries like New Zealand can lead on climate change is through our ideas. Policies developed here may help other countries with similar issues, writes David Frame. ...
By Rebecca Ananian-Welsh Australians picked up their morning papers yesterday to find heavily blacked-out text instead of front-page headlines. This bold statement was instigated by the “Your Right to Know” campaign, an unlikely coalition of Australian media organisations fighting for press freedom and source protection. A key reform advocated by a ...
Surrounding sites evacuated and one reported hospitalised in serious condition as blaze rips through two floors of the under-construction building in the Auckland CBDLast updated: 6.30pmParts of central Auckland have been brought to a standstill this afternoon after a major fire broke out shortly after 1pm at the Sky City ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phil McManus, Professor of Urban and Environmental Geography: Head of School of Geosciences, University of Sydney In the wake of a shocking ABC report on the dismal end of many racehorses’ lives in slaughterhouses, many Australians are questioning whether the horse racing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohiuddin Ahmed, Lecturer of Computing & Security, Edith Cowan University Machines and the internet are woven into the fabric of our society. A growing number of users, devices and applications work together to produce what we now call “big data”. And this ...
After an unusually nasty campaign for their country, Canada has gone to the polls. They’ve decided that Justin Trudeau will continue as prime minister, but just like in New Zealand, he’ll have to work with coalition politics. What’s happened?After a brutal and at times humiliating campaign, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has ...
“The Prime Minister must publicly support an immediate ban on Gay Conversion Therapy . If I was Jacinda I would feel morally obligated to give more confidence on where I stand, when I have asked for, and received, support from that community.” ...
New abortion law marks significant and needed progress for reproductive rights in New Zealand Amnesty International has today made its submission to the Abortion Legislation Committee in Wellington. The rights at stake in the legislation include the rights ...
Open Mike 06/05/2018 
Tiwai Point's electricity contract is up for renewal. And as usual, they're sticking their hand out, demanding a government subsidy, and threatening to close if they don't get one:The owners of the aluminium smelter said on Wednesday that there were seeking talks with the Government amid a strategic review which ...8 hours ago
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.nz Everyone is going on about reducing our carbon footprint, zero ...10 hours ago
One of the key arguments used by trans ideologists is that some male-bodied people (ie men) are women because they ‘feel’ they are women. To make this hocus-pocus sound a bit more credible, some will argue that such men have a ‘female brain’. But this is thoroughly anti-scientific too. . ...15 hours ago
2 days ago
by the Council of Disobedient Women We call on the Council of Trade Unions to show some fortitude and take a stand with your sisters. Unionists know that there is a material world, otherwise workers could simply identify out of poverty. They could declare themselves Well Paid. Why stop ...2 days ago
Keir Starmer has hinted that Labour might vote in favour of the Johnson government's shoddy deal, with the proviso that a second referendum is attached:Speaking to BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, he said: “We will see what that looks like but it makes sense to say that by whatever ...3 days ago
In 1994, I was the editor for an issue of Planet magazine focused on cannabis, its culture and the prospects for the end of its prohibition. Part of that issue was an interview with 'Ringo', an experienced cannabis dealer.I recently posted my essay from that issue, and I figured it ...4 days ago
Media Statement for Immediate Release 16th October 2019 “Fake News” from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers Despite comments from Auckland City Council CCOs Board Chairs re pay and performance bonuses for top managers—Herald Newspaper Tuesday Oct 15th–there is very little evidence ...7 days ago
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Thanks to a report from the Acting Inspector General of Intelligence and Security following a complaint by Nicky Hager, we have come to find out that the SIS illegally spied on Mr. Hager on behalf of the NZDF after publication of Hager’s 2011 book, Other People’s Wars. The NZDF justified ...1 week ago
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING MYTH 1: Global temperatures are rising at a rapid, unprecedented rate. FACT: The HadCRUT3 surface temperature index, produced by the Hadley Centre of the UK Met Office and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, shows warming to 1878, cooling to 1911, ...1 week ago
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More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...2 weeks ago
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New Zealand First MP Shane Jones has hit back at those who are upset over a change in approach to partnership visas. There has been a specific government directive to stop waiving requirements such as couples needing to have lived together for 12 months - a test Indian couples who have ...11 hours ago
We're rebuilding our hospitals, protecting our oceans, and taking mental health seriously. ...5 days ago
Finance Minister Grant Robertson departs tomorrow for events and meetings in Japan and Vietnam. While in Japan, he will discuss economic and fiscal issues including meeting with the Minister of Finance, Taro Aso, and Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy, Yasutoshi Nishimura. He will meet with the Minister of Education, ...10 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has finally seen off John Setka from the ALP, with the militant construction union leader capitulating and quitting the party. Setka, who lost a court case he brought in his fight ...4 hours ago
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A los of support for the second round of gun law changes seems to boil down to the issue of fairness, writes Laura Walters. ...7 hours ago
After the leak of new transport proposals, critics say the Government risks falling victim to “airport derangement syndrome”. ...9 hours ago
It isn't the first time Tiwai Point's owners have warned they may close the aluminium smelter, but this Government is unlikely to be handing out financial assistance. ...9 hours ago
(Headline abbreviated, original headline: Have your say on the proposed changes to New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension) ...9 hours ago
The headline said it all. Stats NZ has released 2018 census data on New Zealanders’ commuting habits and, guess what, we love a motorised polluter. “Car streets ahead for travel to work and education” was the heading. It should have been “cars rule, all other options drool”.New cycleways are under construction ...10 hours ago
Air New Zealand has revealed it will axe its flagship Los Angeles to London route, resulting in the loss of at least 130 jobs. ...10 hours ago
As global economic risks continue to run high, there is increasing concern about the quality of debt in the corporate bond market. ...11 hours ago
The future of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is under question again as majority owner, mining giant Rio Tinto, is reviewing the plant's future. ...12 hours ago
It was never intended that state owned enterprises should use their monopoly commercial or regulatory power to stifle competition, yet it is at least arguable that is what has happened says Peter Dunne. ...12 hours ago
Otago University academic Chris Brickell wonders whether his new book on LGBT objects ought to be the sort of thing bookshops would want to have on their shelves. ...15 hours ago
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Sky City and Fletcher Building see another "material delay" to opening of International Convention Centre as fire still rages. Plan B needed for APEC in November 2021, says Goff ...17 hours ago
The Sky City Convention Centre fire burns on this morning, with the Prime Minister planning to visit firefighters today. ...20 hours ago
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The hugely disproportionate number of disabled people on benefits is hidden by our low unemployment figures. ...22 hours ago
A thought-provoking read about some of the thinking behind attempts to sow mistrust towards media and institutions of society in general.
How to respond? The final paragraph seems worthwhile:
” If the left is to succeed in replacing the status quo with something better, then it must create an international movement and reject all the worst impulses of postmodernism and once again get behind what German philosopher Jürgen Habermas has called the “project of modernity.” Most importantly, leftists must be careful to avoid political alliances (voluntary or involuntary) with reactionary movements or “anti-modern” ideologues like Dugin. If a true progressive believes in the notion of “progress,” then she would sooner defend the status quo than align with political forces that hope to restore some forgotten “golden age.” ”
https://www.salon.com/2018/05/05/did-philosopher-alexander-dugin-aka-putins-brain-shape-the-2016-election/
Look I loved Habermas, but the last survivors of modernity are a rag-tag battle fleet heading for Elysium’s New Earth.
Forget the idea of trust.
Save what you have of the best of us.
@ Andre
I do not wish to be negative, but the left does not have to do anything like the jargon list which you breezily preach.
The Left has only to approach persons of integrity and goodwill and demonstrate that Capitalism has failed – world wide.
Threadbare capitalism and its greed, has prevented home ownership on a massive scale. It has also put millions of families in the hands of ruthless landlords – charging exorbitant rents.
For instance: From 1915 to 1988 there was a cap on rents that could be charged in the UK. Why was that thrown away? You well know the answer to that. The Capitalists wanted to take from the poor. Thievery. Robbery. Untold Crime.
Capitalism has to be removed from our towns, our communities, our Parliaments. Worldwide. No Capitalist should have any benefit; any access; any property; any status in the real world.
Capitalism has been a total failure.
Yes Capitalism has failed, Observer Tokoroa.
Now we have a bastion of Capitalism here visiting today.
Crooked Hillary Clinton visits Auckland today!!!!
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/05/it-was-a-blur-hillary-clinton-makes-surprise-visit-to-auckland-shop.html
Is she looking for ‘whitewater’????
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitewater_controversy
Doesn’t she know our water is now dirty???
Letter sent by the FMA/Reserve Bank of New Zealand
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1805/S00158/letter-sent-by-the-fmareserve-bank-of-new-zealand.htm
Good luck ‘Reserve Bank’ at getting at the truth of how these Australian banks operate.
Letter from RB.
(brief)
To clarify, we request a written response from your organisation outlining:
• The actions you, your Board and your senior teams have taken to identify and address conduct risk – including any “gap analysis” work against the expectations set out in the FMA’s Conduct Guide
• Any specific plans and actions you have taken (or have underway) to respond to the issues and themes arising from the Royal Commission
• Any other work you have underway or that is planned to proactively identify and address potential conduct and culture risk
Yep. Rather ridiculous that the RBNZ thinks that writing a letter will get the truth.
This is why they’re supposed to have full investigative powers. So that they can go and find the truth whether the banks like it or not.
The letter is quite specifically asking for information and not just a reassurance that ‘she’ll be right, mate’. It is asking for formal responses and thus an early step in and of a formal (and ongoing?) process. I think the (potential) implications are quite clear, especially when reading between the lines.
Labour in the UK make major gains.
The BBC report it differently.
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.co.nz/2018/05/co2-concentrations-exced-410-ppm.html?m=1
Your link is something to do with CO2 concentrations.
Also, Labour were in prime position to sweep the Tories out of local governments left right and centre, but because they are poorly led by a guy who cannot form a sold shit let alone a solid Brexit policy, they made on balance very few inroads.
It’s Tony Blair’s last fan.
Thank you for sharing the views of the treacherous members of the UK plp.
Exactly. The main story of this election is the exit of the Brexit vote led by UKIP. The Tories, Lib Dems, Labour, and Greens all gained seats at the expense of UKIP (God Bless Em and thank Christ their gone – down from 82 seats to 2).
Ed simply repeats the poor and one sided view of his opinion makers. There was a massive 1.5% swing to Labour in London and a pathetic 1% swing to the tories in the country. /sarc
The BBC reported what actually happened – not what someone dreamt up in their head.
Wrong attachment !!
Here is the correct one.
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.co.nz/2018/05/bbc-reporting-of-elections-in-orwellian.html?m=1
And for a more honest appraisal of the election results
“People are showing they won’t be fooled by the BBC’s anti-Corbyn bias.”
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/05/05/people-are-showing-they-will-not-be-fooled-by-the-bbcs-anti-corbyn-bias/
George Galloway on the election on Twitter.
“If there was any journalism left in this country there would be a major analysis in tomorrow’s papers of the giant Goebellian lie spun to the British people over #LocalElections2018 A systemised deception of which any dictatorship would be proud.”
George Galloway is a racist failed Labour political retread who can stick his opinions up his ass.
Two days ago at TS Bill the UK local elections were about to herald a grand revolution overcoming “liberalism”.
Today the result according to you is all the media’s fault and so instead of the revolution of some imagined extremists happening, in reality few useful Councils changing to Labour and people like you are not ready to face the reality that Corbyn is actually pretty incoherent and as a result average in voter appeal, and the Labour successes are more due to vigilant grassroots campaigning.
Two days ago at TS Bill the UK local elections were about to herald a grand revolution overcoming “liberalism”.
No Ad. That’s not what I claimed, and I was pretty damned clear on that front.
You weren’t clear about anything except an obscure allegory about voting and a glacier calving. For the rest, you just need to be more honest about what you were indeed about. And honest that the results jet didn’t go your way.
As usual from the Blairite and Douglas sectors, no actual argument.
Just shoot the messenger.
The fact is that the BBC is partisan against Corbyn.
As are you.
You just loved Labour when it kowtowed to neoliberal ideology.
So who would you have as Labour leader?
James tried to float the anti Semite boat …
Where as most honest or thinking people know Corbyn is concerned about extreme Zionism …. and its documented attempts to influence and take down British politicians …
This is what Corbyn is against
Telling us that a great number of new Labour people were elected is as useful as saying that Labour nearly won the last national election. It’s a nice warm feeling like weeing in the bath.
Which Councils did Labour win, and which did the Conservative win?
A good test is whether Barnet shifts. That will measure whether the anti-semitism controversy has had any effect.
if the UK is anything like NZ there’ll be a large disinterested non voting population – does anyone know the turnout in their council elections ?
You appear to have an anal obsession.
‘ led by a guy who cannot form a sold shit ‘
‘ who can stick his opinions up his ass.’
‘
It’s a nice warm feeling like weeing in the bath.’
Get some help.
Zorb6
Fair comment by you.
Highly emotional comment never convinces of reasoned opinion or knowledge.
It’s not even emotional, though. It’s just motional.
6th May 2018
Watching David Parker this morning on Q+A explain the Legal challenge he is facing over the threat of steel/aluminium tariff about to placed on NZ exports by the US by President Donald Trump has now left me very worried about this ‘legal’ fight he is drawing us all into at the WTO that may carry on for years it was explained to us.
If we are now entering into yet another “Trade agreement” in the TTP 11 are we now about to become more restricted from the same ‘legal’ claims in courts over yet more unfair treatments from other ‘trade agreements’ and is these ‘legal’ claims we will be making to secure our trade agreements going to bankrupt us all because we all know just how very expensive any ‘legal case’ will cost us all as NZ taxpayers.
A statement came out in a warning today from a legal agency that reminds us all that during the beginning of the 1929 depression there were many trade disputes arising when countries begun tightening their imports from other countries in an attempt to preserve the local domestic workforce for political reasons and this bankrupted several countries who sought legal claims over restricting imports of products then.
So has the Labour government actually considered these costs and financial effects to our economy when they finally agree to TPP 11?
I am very worried here that to much haste has been made to get into this deal as I see many cases where we have not secured protection for our own workers and exporters inside the TTP 11 at all as the agreement is very ‘vague’ in its many confusing confusing wordings.
David Parker may be gone in a few years and leave us all with many crippling issues that may ruin us all.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a/episodes
whether we signed TPP 11 or not dosn’t change the drawn out process of a WTO ruling…indeed the ISDS provision (whatever your opinion of it) provides an alternative remedy….no agreement signed, be it the WTO or individual trade agreements are guarantees of compliance or honourable behaviours by any party.
Some agreement and process is better than none when the barriers start to be raised…it is why the WTO was invented in the first place
Pat,
Are you saying that if we have issues with any country inside the TTPA will be disputed both in the ISDS and WHO also?
Will we be bankrupt by both legal challenges made to both dispute systems as Canada has sadly found?
Thanks for confirming our worst fears that (Quote) “no agreement signed, be it the WTO or individual trade agreements are guarantees of compliance or honourable behaviours by any party”
Why are we then taking these ‘risks’ even entering into these agreement when they are not binding? Ana if we have no easy way of exiting from them at any time of our choosing?
They are a fools game and danger.
They came with fish hooks are some dark places that could end up destroying us all.
no cleangreen, im saying that having agreements which have provision for trade dispute resolution beats the hell out of gunboat diplomacy and/or war….which incidentally is likely to cost more if finance is your sole concern.
No Pat;
‘Money’ is not my main concern; – but since now our environment is very fragile and about to implode, the money paid to fight legal claims are making it worse to save our environment because we will be bankrupt!!!!!
So that is the concern here.
” i am saying why the hell are we now so sold on joining up to these flawed agreements as you appear to accept but i do not as we can not afford “as a small fish” in a big ocean of sharks to even go there.
Best stay out and be safe.”
Quote; me here;
“Why are we then taking these ‘risks’ even entering into these agreement when they are not binding? ”
And if we have no easy way of exiting from them at any time of our choosing?
They are a fools game and danger.
They came with fish hooks are some dark places that could end up destroying us all.
the real fools game, particularly for a ‘small fish’ would be to engage in a game without any rules…unless you advocate not trading at all?
As to exiting…we can, provided we are willing to accept the consequences….oddly enough much the same consequences as never having joined….and the ‘we’ to which I refer is the voting public.
NZ won’t be facing a legal challenge over the US putting in place tariffs. The US will be.
The interesting thing about the WTO (and the GATT before it) is that it was set up so that FTAs wouldn’t be needed. The rules would have been set at an international and multi-lateral level. Something that FTAs don’t do. In fact, FTAs actually complicate things. I disagree with the WTO as well but it’s better than FTAs.
IIRC, they believe that there won’t be any because people are nice. Or something like that.
We shouldn’t even be trying to protect our exporters. That way lies the same failure as the Great Depression.
Actually developing the economy rather than over producing a limited amount of stuff is a much better option.
Yes Draco; – well said there,
I am diametrically opposed to any FTA (Free trade Agreement) as the term “free” is flawed and a lie to rort the system.
So we need another type of control as you state the FTA was set-up to-supply a fair balance.
So the question is now:
“Why did we even sign up to another set of controls such as the controversial ISDS in the first place then”???????.
I am now suspicious!!!!
Regardless of “free” or not, any trade agreement is essentially a commercial contract. Normal contracts go to the courts for resolution, but if both parties run their own court system, would you be subject to your opponent’s jurisdiction?
So international agreements look for alternative models of dispute resolution.
Well, either that or it’s our alien lizard overlords preparing the way for one world government.
Only if you are happy for all trade agreements to be fundamentally anti democratic.
But there is plenty of evidence that super-national legal juristictions are not needed to facilitate trade. There is not much wrong with requiring international investors to go through the courts where they choose to invest on the other hand, and experience doesn’t indicate international investors need to have influence over what laws politicians can legislate.
History would disagree with that….
“When the war came in 1914, I was very soon impressed with two points. . . . I saw that
you could not separate the idea of commerce from the idea of war and peace . . . . [and]
that wars were often largely caused by economic rivalry conducted unfairly. . . . But
toward 1916 I embraced the philosophy that I carried throughout my twelve years as
Secretary of State . . . . From then on, to me, unhampered trade dovetailed with peace;
high tariffs, trade barriers, and unfair economic competition, with war. Though
realizing that many other factors were involved, I reasoned that, if we could get a freer
flow of trade ‐ freer in the sense of fewer discriminations and obstructions ‐ so that one
country would not be deadly jealous of another and the living standards of all countries
might rise, thereby eliminating the economic dissatisfaction that breeds war, we might
have a reasonable chance for lasting peace.”
Cordell Hull .US Secretary of State 1933-1944
If one country cannot export to another country what unfairness is there?
its not a question of fairness…its a question of best outcomes
Wouldn’t the best outcomes be fair?
And what is the best outcome? One where a nations people become poorer because they no longer have any work?
And it would be nice if you answered my first question rather than trying to bypass it.
what first question would that be?…as far as i can see you have only asked one …about fairness, which has been addressed….the best outcome is one that provides options other than armed conflict….you tell me…is that fair?
I will add however my surprise that both yourself and Nic would appear to advocate laissez faire in international trade.
No, it wasn’t answered or even addressed so I’ll ask again.
If one country cannot export to another country what unfairness is there?
It’s actually a really important point that goes to the very basis of free-trade.
who determined the country couldnt export to the other?
DTB what happens if one country can’t export to another.
1929 should give you some idea DTB other countries follow suit.
“
Doesn’t matter.
Now answer the question.
And that bypasses the question as well.
Your completely unaware of the major treaty which created national tensions leading to WWII?
if youre referring to Versailles then obviously no…as im sure youre also aware of the terms lebensraum and ‘sphere of influence’
What’s anti-democratic? The democratic bit is where the treaty is made by the government. Shouldn’t governments honour the terms of their treaties?
The mechanism I don’t really care about, but I know that using the local court system didn’t do support care workers much good about their back-pay. Maybe overseas traders prefer to use a system that can’t be overruled by a partisan govt acting under urgency.
It should be more than apparent that the TPPA, and similar agreements, are not a democratically proposed set of regulations. Never the less if the NZ government signs it then it will be expected not to contradict its intent in their future law making. This will continue even if we elect a government which is totally against what it stands for, or is doing.
Of course democracy works best when we (the electorate) are able to replace the government with one which has a mandate from the electorate. This mechanism simply doesn’t work for any un-elected super national organisations.
“The mechanism I don’t really care about, but I know that using the local court system didn’t do support care workers much good about their back-pay. ”
And that can happen whenever we elect a government which doesn’t agree with certain interests.
“Maybe overseas traders prefer to use a system that can’t be overruled by a partisan govt acting under urgency.”
I expect they would do, yes.
The question interleaved with your two examples is why you think overseas traders should have stronger protections against law changes than other factions of the electorate? The overseas traders clearly have ready access to alternative jurisdictions, the electorate often do not.
Two successive governments negotiated and signed it. Not sure why the next one would suddenly have a mandate and they didn’t.
Interesting point about the courts, but then on the flipside local traders have a vote on which parties are in a position to change the laws.
It’s a basic principle of natural justice that all are equal before the law. Not so for foreign corporations as they have greater rights. The BoRA and common law supposedly guarantee natural justice. Such a load of shit.
Should foreign shareholders be able to vote in our election, to give them equal rights?
No. They are not citizens.
Should tourists be able to vote in our elections? Just as stupid to say. But while they are here they are entitled to the principles of natural justice and to be equal before the law. But not more equal.
So they should be subject to the whims of law changes that they have no means of affecting? How is that equal rights under the law when compared with locals?
Interesting thing about tourists – if they get in shit here, they are often entitled to diplomatic assistance from their governments, up to and including their governments raising their cases at the highest level of our political system. So they don’t get to vote, but they also have avenues that most NZ citizens don’t have.
The issue I’m trying to point out is that “equal rights under the law” do not necessarily mean “identical”. And if we want to trade in those countries, our rights would actually be identical to their rights when trading in our country. We would be assured of reasonably consistent investment and trading conditions.
So they should be subject to the whims of law changes that they have no means of affecting?
Yes that is how democracy works. Geographical areas are divided off into States and the people permanently living in those areas get to elect representatives who make laws.
The people who own the corporations get to vote for the government in countries where they live permanently. Why should these people get multiple votes all over the world just because they are wealthy? One person one vote not one dollar one vote.
Tourists getting help from their governments is not them having more legal rights under our law.
if we want to trade in those countries, our rights would actually be identical to their rights when trading in our country.
This statement is meaningless when we don’t have the large multinational corporations that can utilize this crap based here.
If we want to change our laws to protect our environment or public health that is our right. If some multinational doesn’t like that they can fuck off.
Actually, we have quite a few companies exporting to and trading with other countries. Big and small. It’s what we, as a nation, do: export.
In exchange for those companies getting more stable legal frameworks with dispute resolution so they can employ people here to sell things there, we give the same conditions to companies from those countries to do the opposite.
Large enough to pay the huge costs it takes to take such legal action? Get off the grass.
There was a reason this was pushed by the USA and other big countries.
ps. note that even David Parker does not want to see this shit in future trade agreements, and EU won’t touch it.
Whatever, dude. We’re not at the bottom of the OECD by any stretch of the imagination. We might not be a “big country”, but we’re sure in the top couple of tiers.
“Not sure why the next one would suddenly have a mandate and they didn’t.”
They all have some kind of a mandate to govern, make and update laws for their period in office.
And they all are bound by the treaties made by previous governments.
No they are not bound by them at all. In New Zealand Parliament is supreme and can do pretty much what it wants. If a new government wants to withdraw from a treaty then it can.
Indeed. Just as it can do with the TPP, so the question becomes what’s the big deal about ISDS clauses in the TPP, then?
Bollocks.
FTAs, and the WTO, are there to ensure equivalency of rules so that a company from one nation can be assured of the same treatment in another. When a company is operating in another country then they’re bound by that other countries rules.
ISDS and other extra-legal systems were set up to bypass that so that the company was no longer truly governed by the rules of country that they were operating in to the point that they could challenge the nation about rule changes that it didn’t like up to and including suing them.
But if a country is stupid enough to promise that it will allow trade under condition X, then changes its laws to condition Y when people have already invested on the basis of X, why shouldn’t the state be required to pay damages?
It’s not a “free trade” issue so much as a guarantee that the rules you promise today will be delivered tomorrow. Sure, they can sue over anything, but if the state signed a reasonable agreement then frivolous suits would fail.
Why should a country even make such an agreement?
But a country should never make such an agreement because new information may require a change in the rules. The only thing that a country can offer a foreign company operating in it’s borders is that it will operate under the same rules that the business native to it operate under.
And that doesn’t require an agreement between countries at all.
But that’s a free trade agreement.
And why would any country open up its markets to companies from another country without expecting something in return?
And presuming we want to keep that thing in return, what if a company feels it’s been disciminated against somehow by some new regulation they think was targeted at them? Like if we put a tax on blue cars, and coincidentally all the cars imported from Latvia were blue and almost all blue cars were Latvian – and undercut local car manufacturers? Is that under the same rules, or is it unfairly targeted?
Without some manner of impartial dispute resolution, the only option is to take or leave the trade agreement. Brexiting, in other words. And disputes by one or two companies can burn the entire deal.
“Brexiting, in other words.”
Yeah, total disaster, UK economy shrunk by 6% already completely down the toilet.
Oh, hang on that’s just what the UK treasury erroneously predicted would happen. Actually, its totally ok when the UK electorate decides they don’t need the EU to dictate laws to their own politicians.
I mean WTF do you have against brexit anyway?
Not much. If they want to shoot themselves in the foot, that’s their problem. I’m sure it’ll all be rosy for England when they get rid of all the immigrants and do their own plumbing. And it’ll probably help the Scottish independence movement.
But I used brexit as the comparison because it seems a bit silly to have a perfectly fine agreement that then falls apart because a myriad of small participants think they’ve been screwed and have no means of redress.
They have no right to expect anything in return except that their companies will be able to sell in NZ.
I know your using hyperbole but such a tax would never come into existence as it simply wouldn’t pass any sort test of justice.
We already have one – the courts.
Except that it wasn’t fine. People were being hurt by it.
It’s an agreement. I give you this in exchange for that. If you disagree, I don’t give you this. So what happens if someone thinks they’re not getting the same market access they’re giving NZ, is shit gets held up in customs. They mimic the barriers that they think NZ is imposing on them.
So to avoid that we go to dispute resolution. If we use our courts, they think the courts are rigged. If we use their courts, we think the courts are rigged. So we agree an independent ISDS process, and put a buffer between a trade dispute and a trade war.
Yeah, you know what they say about everything before the word “but”.
As it is, that’s merely an exaggerated example of what happens. Country A introduces a regulation, Country B decides it’s targeted at Country B’s citizens as an unfair trade barrier. And then Country B does what – appeals to courts controlled by a government that’s specifically targeting them?
HdPA has written a thoughtful piece today. Yes, it is about the Gayford rumours and I think she’s got it about right. It started out as a bit rumour mongering for the sake of it, then was picked up by the dirty political pros and all hell broke loose.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12044756
I suspect the majority of those who didn’t hear the rumours still don’t know what they are, and I’m one of them.
Are HDA and Barry playing a good cop,bad cop routine these days?
Zorb6
Someone the other day was saying just that. Setting up a target; then attacking and defending it; this morning announcing (think herald) that numerous and continuous tweets and comments alleging incorrect behaviour being received that should be made public. Forced to publish about it to clear the air. Police also.
Example of ‘How to hit our leaders without leaving visible bruises’. A lot of media mendaciousness, look our hands are clean. Lots of argy-bargy about it, bringing lots of clicks. From the busy and live media group – look out for – CFC or Clique for Clicks.
Don’t click.
Boycott hdpa and her corporate owners.
100% Ed. agreed.
Rumour mongering for the sake of it? Ok..
There are people who get their kicks in life by spreading rumour and innuendo. Social media has made it easy for them and has spawned a group of dirty political right wing pros who are making a career out of the game. They will lie low for a while… until the next target comes along and then they will be back in business again.
Like it or not Gabby it is a reality and sticking our heads in the sand will only let it continue to fester.
Giving hdpa clicks encourages her.
Can you actually prove this claim of yours?
Can you prove that, in the case of whatever the claims made about Gayford were, that there are “a group of dirty political right wing pros who are making a career out of the game. They will lie low for a while… until the next target comes along and then they will be back in business again.” were actually doing such a thing?
If you can’t prove it then, unfortunately, you are included in the people who, in your own words “get their kicks in life by spreading rumour and innuendo”.
So who are these right wing individuals or are you simply spreading a rumour that such people exist?
So, alwyn, you will admit that Anne was right when (not if) her prediction comes true? Or will you adhere to your obvious right-wing bias?
I already know how contemptuous (and contemptible) your reply will be. I’ve seen some of your previous prevarications.
Don’t be such a silly little chap.
When I read what you say I am forced to ask.
Will you admit that you are completely incapable of realising that you are stupid?
I already know the answer of course. From all your previous comments I know you are a fool and will always adhere to your obvious left-wing bias but are quite incapable of recognising the fact.
There, that suit you?
Now, if you think Anne’s claims are right please produce some evidence for it. Simple saying something, without evidence, doesn’t make it true, particularly when it comes from someone as contemptible as you are.
If you have nothing except wild claims to come out with why do you bother to reply to me. Let Anne and I have a civilised discussion and confine yourself to the side lines. Are you really so desperate to start flame wars?
As predicted. And correct English is ‘Let Anne and ME have a civilised discussion.’ I did not find your tone to Anne all that civilised – accusing her of the very fault she was decrying by making a ridiculous demand. Paralleled by the similar demand (ie, rather silly) I deliberately made of you: When Anne is proven correct, will you admit error? No reply to that, I notice. Just infantile invective.
You say
“When Anne is proven correct, will you admit error?”
I am willing to answer a slightly different question.
“If Anne is proven correct, will you admit she was right?” by saying of course I will agree that she is correct if that happens. I won’t admit that I was “wrong” because I have never said the opposite was, or is, true. I am merely trying to find what the truth is.
Please try and read what I say properly and you won’t look quite so foolish when you accuse me of making statements that I haven’t.
If someone comes up with any evidence of this claim we will be able to accept the words Jesus said.
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.
Don’t you want to be free?
I distinctly wrote “when (not if)” eliminating the possibility upon which you erroneously base your question.
If the truth sets one free, you are obviously still struggling to find it, let alone come to terms with it.
See how easy it is to write your style of punctilious invective with no positive outcome?
You really are thick aren’t you?
Why do you think I didn’t answer the question as you asked it?
If I had you would of course, in your usual stupid manner, have then claimed that I accepted your premise and therefore accepted that National was to blame.
I really am not like you. I would like evidence, and without any it remains an open question about who is to blame.
Isn’t it time for your mummy to put you to bed? You are exhibiting the fractious behaviour typical of young children.
Perhaps in the morning you will justify your statement “When Anne ….”. Surely you have the evidence. You aren’t just making it up are you? You can surely justify your certainty? Or not, as appears to be the case. If nobody comes up with any evidence I will just have to accept that you are lying and that you haven’t the faintest idea who is to blame.
QED. Another bucket-load of tendentious drivel. You need to find a healthier pastime, alwyn.
Tired of hearing; –
‘Prove this’
‘Prove that’ – all the time, – is like a broken clock spring.
Give it a rest!!!!
I feel bad about this.
Normally people welcome the opportunity to consider whether the things they say are accurate and are founded in reality.
If it hurts your head to think about your claims I suggest you stop reading what I say.
Then you can remain in a state of blissful ignorance. I’m sure you will be much happier and will be able to join the ranks of the Lotus Eaters in The Odyssey where
“A single taste of this native fruit made my soldiers forget everything they had ever know; where they were from, where they were going, everything.”
Punctilious and disingenuous reaction to a fair demand. You constantly troll by making silly demands (prove this or that) then pretend sincerity.
Your aim is to disrupt and discourage rather than genuinely question, with an occasional friendly pretence, and no, I am not going to waste my time looking up such an example. I think there are plenty of others here who will support my statement.
“who will support my statement.”
I am sure there are. Have you never heard the immortal words of Mathew Henry?
“None so deaf as those that will not hear. None so blind as those that will not see.”
Here endeth the Second Lesson.
The universally-known quote suits you well. At least you managed to use ‘endeth’ correctly.
Of course I used “endeth” correctly.
Just as the mild mannered reporter Clark Kent has an alter-ego of Superman I am, in my spare time, the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is of course only a part time job as the number of the Faithful is diminishing rapidly but I can still manage the Anglican Services.
You may refer to me in future, if you are one of the faithful, as The Most Reverend and Right Honourable the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Or not, as you wish.
No, you need to be a professor of English at Oxford or Cambridge.
Then you would know when to use ‘me’ instead of ‘I’.
And you would write less cacklemush. You really do need to find a healthier pastime.
@In Vino
I’ll take your word for it. No doubt you were at one of those trade schools.
The last University I studied at was in Cambridge actually, but it was in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I suppose you look down on that home of rebel colonials.
I provide this information to entertain you. You mummy says it is very kind of me as you suffer from a mild case of ADHD and my entertaining you gives her a break.
Now, off to bed diddums.
I could swear you are based in Wellington, in which case you’d be the Archbishop of Wellington to be addressed as His Eminence!?
Eminence is used in for a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic and the Patriarchs of the Orthodox Churches isn’t it?
Do we have a Cardinal in New Zealand at the moment?
Don’t you think the full title of the Archbishop of Canterbury (and York I believe) is much more impressive than just Archbishop though?
Actually I remember when I was a kid in Napier and the head of the Anglican Church in New Zealand lived there. A gentleman name Norman Lesser. He used to sign his name as Norman New Zealand. How is that for swank?
http://www.wn.catholic.org.nz/archbishop/
I’m not particularly fond of titulary but each to their own.
I reckon our PM could sign all her letters with Jacinda 😉
And I bet that that she won’t easily be confused, overlooked, ignored, or anonymised by the world press unlike John Key 😉
I prefer the down to earth attitude of open & honest people, without pretence and snobbery (and poorly masked superiority with matching arrogance).
That’s nice dear.
I’ll bet you really enjoyed those evenings in The Snug at The Rovers Return in the days when you were there drinking stout there with Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner.
Real salt of the earth like you were they?
Do you think our present PM will hit it off with the US President the way Key did with Obama?
Oh dear, Alwyn.
I prefer my coffee strong, black, and no sugar. This neither means I am nor that I want to be a strong long black.
Most people develop a sense of Self when they grow up 😉
“started out as a bit rumour mongering for the sake of it”
No doubt by disgruntled National party leaning people who still cant get over the fact that National lost. They cant get the PM so attacked her partner instead. What happened with the unwritten rule of media leaving politicians partners out of it? Media people like D. Hill Cone and HdPA et al are part of the problem.
National was the most to gain advantage from this negative media hype ‘dirty politics’ Loius.
it follows the same ‘logic’ used by the UN/UK and NATO who put Russia under sanctions following the ‘alleged’ poisoning of a spy they used the logic that it was most likely to be Russia to blame, as they had more to gain than anyone else so we place the same logic on the National party for this latest round of “dirty politics” upon their political opposition the ruling Government of the Labour party.
Sorry national supporters that shows logic national was most to gain here. so must have been involved in some way.
“No doubt by disgruntled National party leaning people”.
Do you have any evidence at all for this claim? Or do you simply say you have “no doubt” because you don’t want to think about it?
A lot of people, particularly in the Police Force, appeared to have “no doubt” that Arthur Allan Thomas murdered the Crewes. They had no evidence so they faked some, at least according to the enquiry into the affair.
If everybody had simply taken your line I suppose Thomas would still be banged up inside.
ps. I am using the UK rather than the Australian meaning of the term.
I wonder if there is any important difference in context between,
The police prosecuting and fabricating a conviction, and a commented accusation on a web site.
No, probably we should always require exactly the same level of certainty and evidence for everything, always.
Louis (5.4) … Absolutely. Well said.
And I do wonder if Clarke Gayford had not been the PM’s partner, whether he would have been viciously attacked in the cowardly way he has been, to get a hit on the PM and Labour. Somehow I think not, which leads me to think it’s political alright!
Thanks for that, Anne.
I was not going to read it but am now pleased that I did after reading your comment. Like you, I think she got it about right, particularly in focusing on the effect on Gayford himself as he – and this – seems to have been lost in the morass of other issues. Perhaps HdPA does have a bit of humanity after all.
I do know what the rumours have been but have no intention of revealing these, as they have been callous and despicable from day one regardless of whom they have been about/applied to.
In Gayford’s case, IMO they have been worse because they were aimed not just at him personally (and/or indirectly at JA and the Labour Party etc) but such rumours also highly affect his future professional career as someone in the public arena as a radio/TV host, MC etc – much more so than someone in a less public profession.
I know from personal experience how much false rumour and innuendo can cost a person both in their professional and personal life. It is insidious and the fallout can continue for years afterwards. It can even become dangerous for the target’s life and limb as it did briefly for a time in my case. I was not a public figure so my experiences didn’t get into the public domain, but these types of individuals never give up – especially when they have someone like Donald Trump et al as role models.
There is no denying that I’m as curious as hell, so I hope one day you will be able to write your story Anne, as it sounds like it is a story that needs to be told.
It is a story of many parts..
full of sound and fury..
signifying nothing.. cos none of it was true. (apols to William Shakespeare)
I suspect it had it’s genesis in my father who as a young British soldier many decades ago had a few interesting “adventures”.
Exactly, Anne. Been there, done that too – re having had false rumour and innuendo personal experience and the personal costs, healthwise etc.
And they are not giving up -KB still getting some triers and blubber now playing the victim not the perpetrator.
Two weeks ago Hooton was posting stuff that suggested he was a perpetrator but then tried to say it was a joke … https://twitter.com/MatthewHootonNZ/status/989372028271538176
Once the Police Commissioner statement came out he was OK with that but still reckoned it was a Labour Party attempt to smear the National Party (and supported Audrey Young’s comments re this).
Now he is writing stuff about how bad rumour-mongering and innuendo is – and never believe political rumours. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12044553
And supplementing it with this – https://twitter.com/MatthewHootonNZ/status/991969249596915717
and this on Facebook
How the worms are squirming…
+100 Veutoviper
I think that it has been handled as well as it could have been by media and by Ardern and Gayford – that Ardern referred to ‘dirty politics’ caused a bit of a stir, but I take it as meaning what was happening was dirty (it was), and it involved politics.
The police statement raises questions about in what situations they might do that again, but it served a useful purpose, it debunked the worst rumour. Even if the rumour was detailed by media I think it more likely it would have reinforced sympathy for Gayford and Ardern.
Some on the left have tried to claim it was a National plot, and some on the right have switched to claiming it was a Labour plot to divert, and to nail National, but I have seen zero evidence any political party was involved. Some individuals circulating the rumours may have supported a party or had some connection to a party, but I doubt very much it was party driven.
Since the police statement spiked the main accusation attempts have been made to switch to promoting the ‘Streisand effect’, but that hasn’t got legs because the MSM haven’t published any details.
And there have been attempts to promote the other ‘rumour’ I’ve heard which seems to be about supposed historic behaviour – this is also dirty, and if this is persisted with it could open a big can of worms – past behaviour, especially as it now easily recorded and later dredged up from the Internet, could be slung around at just about any MP.
I have detailed some attempts to promote the rumours and attack Gayford:
https://yournz.org/2018/05/06/a-record-of-some-rumourmongering/
Uhm, isn’t withholding the ‘juicy’ details actually promoting the Streisand effect!?
Only if the details get widely circulated as a result, but they haven’t, the MSM have not given the rumour promoters what they wanted.
And most of those who have found out online are likely to to see it as fake accusations/smears.
Since the police statement most in media are stating that there was no foundation, and even those intent on inflicting damage have dropped that (which suggests they knew it was false) and switched to other lines of attack.
You provided the answer I was looking for @ 5.7.1.
The exact details of a rumour are not necessarily the most damaging and most certainly not enough to keep a story alive in MSM. Think of it as the dance of the seven veils or a series of which episodes end with cliff-hangers and whodunits; people keep coming back for more and add their own ‘facts’ and fantasies to it, often without realising it.
All this leads to a heightened state of collective and individual confusion in which fake cannot be easily distinguished from reality. This further feeds and perpetuates the rumour mill and complicates and prolongs clearing people from ‘obviously’ false accusations/smears.
The Police statement took the much-needed oxygen away from the rumour mill.
MSM happily played along with keeping alive the rumour mill because it would have resulted in more clicks, etc. Did National speak out strongly against it and condemned it?
The only party leader to try and score political points off the story that I’ve seen is Winston Peters, in his usual style of implying without saying specifically who he thought might be responsible – insinuations without evidence.
I have not heard these rumours/innuendo/insinuations and neither has anyone I know. But given the history of Dirty Politics being run out of the ex PMs office and the evidence in Hagers book of key Nat MPs involvement, it is hard to believe the dirty politics machine has not been at it again. There is plenty of evidence WO has been targeting the PMs partner for months (see 5.6 above). The fact that there are various versions of the rumours would suggest attempts to try any which way to get publicity. And as HDPA says, the calls to the media to draw attention to them are just one part of the strategy. Disgusting.
Yes, Bridges had to tell his MPs not to spread reprehensible lies about their opponents’ families.
Seriously, who the fuck needs to be told that?
Thank you; I no longer read the NZH and thus had not seen that.
I could be wrong but it appears that this was a response from Simon Bridges after after the PM had mentioned dirty politics or Dirty Politics – hard to tell from a verbal account. In any case, it is hardly a condemning statement, is it? At least he didn’t go all sanctimonious like John Key holding his flock to “the highest standards”.
I noticed that you cherry-picked the least interesting part of my comment 😉
I noticed that it was your only question.
I don’t think the MSM played along to keep the rumours alive. They seemed reluctant to give them what they craved, mainstream coverage. As it turned out I think the mostly got the balance right with the help of the police and the lawyer letter that exposed it but minimising the oxygen.
Interesting. So, you think the rumour mill was mostly driven and fed by social media? I mean until the statement signed off by the Police Commissioner it was not given the much-needed oxygen in and by MSM and they actively tried to quell the story?? I have some difficulty with this because there were many articles in MSM keeping it alive. But we don’t all have to agree on degree & extent, do we?
1 – to Gayford/Ardern.. = zero -to Media/National.
Anne, I chanced on one tweet that was horrific, and if that is what they have been spreading it was evil.
I wrote saying how strong the young couple have been, and good on the police for giving Clarke Gayford a Police Clearance.
Further, HDA, and her husband and friends are trying to say “It grew out of gossip” because police and the law may well be doing a “timeline” which may prove uncomfortable for some I would think.
Reading three recent articles including hers….. the new meme is “Just gossip” not “Dirty Politics”
Tui Tui IMO. You can not play with dirt without getting dirty.
I think it likely started as dirty rumours and grew through embellishment and accumulating promoters, possibly in part organised by certain people, into a dirty campaign.
That’s my assumption too. It probably started out fairly low key then the DP enablers got into the act and it took off…
Duplicity is very determined to sell the line that the rumours were amateur.
Let us have them investigated properly, and the identities of the perpetrators revealed, and we can determine to what extent that ‘pleasant fiction’ is true.
Let us have them investigated properly, and the identities of the perpetrators revealed, and we can determine to what extent that ‘pleasant fiction’ is true.
I agree it probably started out in a relatively minor way by a bunch of National supporters who couldn’t accept they lost an MMP election, but it was picked up by the pros and became an orchestrated tsunami of lies and innuendo.
There has been sufficient evidence around since 2014 that a group of shadowy people have been fermenting mischief designed to destroy the Labour Party and using unlawful means to achieve their aims. The damage done is not only to the targets, but potentially to the democratic processes of the country.
Remember Rawshark? He was the hero who outed the culprits to Hager and for their endeavours the police went after them. Now it’s time for the police to make amends and go after the culprits and leave the messengers alone. The SIS and the GCSB will know who they are. They should spill the beans.
+1000 Anne.
Rumours are statements
If defamatory statements have been made then a crime has been committed.
In the case of Clarke Gayford his entire life and career was set to be savaged and ravaged.
Those who rumoured and made statements about him should explain their behaviour in Court.
I presume that Lawyers for Gayford will seek redress for this the most vile treatment ever thrown at a New Zealand citizen.
Who will have gained from this crime ? certainly not Labour.
One thing we do know: the truth will seep out. The persons who so blatantly wanted Clarke Gayford to be castrated will weep and whimper in court.
I am not sure that the divine ZB stars, and the Herald scriblers, are totally clean. But they are rapidly finding ways to say “I’m innocent. Don’t blame me “.
“But they are rapidly finding ways to say “I’m innocent. Don’t blame me “
Yes, very telling that, like Deb Hill
Cone’s back flip just prior to the release of the Police statement & lawyers letter.
.
“If defamatory statements have been made then a crime has been committed.”
Defamation is a civil matter, not criminal.
Unless the rumours continue I think it will end here. Going to court is costly and can publicise what they are trying to shut down.
If the defamation included statements involving the Police being involved when clearly that is not the case??? What then???
Still civil – the police made it clear that as far as they were concerned there was no criminal investigation or charges.
Let it go, Pete – release your grip – if you cut off the blood supply for too long, it’ll atrophy and drop off. Ease up, old chum, take a holiday, refresh, LET IT GO!
I think you’ve jumped in without thinking, again.
Perhaps you could take note yourself of what you’ve ranted.
Yuk a bit creepy Robert man of your age intercoursing with Pete on such matters
Hi there Pete George
The Police were so concerned at the viciousness of the “rumours” that they initiated a review of Clarke Gayford’s record.
If in the the course of that they found that some persons were encouraging persons to get rid of Gayford – would that be a civil case ?
Or are you unable to think that far ahead Pete ?
Or, to put it another way: Do police have the authority and the duty of protecting citizens from harmful Criminals ?
Which crime? Harassment perhaps.
I think that ‘fear for your safety’ is quite a high bar.
It’s a curiosity of the Gayford rumours, that though they were uncivil, their object was clearly political.
I look forward to some competent journo or one of the many armed forces and police personnel equipped with Palantir tracking down and exposing those responsible – not to defend Clarke’s sensibilities, but to defend our democratic institutions from a malicious incursion.
100% Stuart,
The intelligence can track this and find the people responsible and we will expect this of them as I worked for a global communication company in the 1990’s and there are methods to track where any activities can be looked back to where they originated, so the tools are there for the police to call on when they wish.
“Who will have gained from this crime”
It is a common observation that overuse of the cui bono? (“who benefits?”) style of thinking leads to conspiracy theories. They appeal strongly to people who desire to feel special, according to research by Roland Imhoff, a German social psychologist. Joseph Uscinski,
However, it also provides a better explanation than “I’m too busy to read my own website” for why Farrar left defamatory comments up on his blog until the media approached him about it.
It is a huge task monitoring and moderating a blog. Farrar has a hands off approach, relying on reporting, but those who attack don’t report themselves obviously.
It’s long been an issue at KB. I did a bit of confronting new claims there yesterday (Labour conspiracy) and instead of providing evidence I knew there would be none) the rest of the day was spent attacking. It’s at least as bad as ever and I’ve experienced a lot there over the years (rarely do now).
Farrar is taking a big legal risk. He also damages his credibility and reputation (or doesn’t repair it), and through association makes National an easy target too.
It’s his operation. Fuck him if he can’t be bothered to monitor what goes on with his site.
And if those comments were up for that long, then none of his regular readers chose to “report” defamation. Says a lot about his clientele, and the need for him to do his job.
But it sounds similar to John Banks, who ISTR failed to knowingly sign a false statement through the cunning artifice of not knowing what the statement said.
I suppose the “I’m too lazy or stupid to do my job properly” defense will be seen again from the tory machine.
“overuse of the cui bono? (“who benefits?”) style of thinking leads to conspiracy theories”
And underuse of it leads to inanity.
Hi Bewildered
I think along with overuse of “who benefits” is the child like ready answer of the majority of human beings.
We lay blame or praise depending on our personal feelings. Not on rational logic.
That is because Logic is not taught in school. Hence we end up with all sorts of non sequiturs.
In the case of Clarke Gaylord, there are four persons at the core. One is the Leader of the Opposition. Two is the Prime Minister. Three is Clarke Gaylord. Four is the Police
The Police were alerted to all sorts of very evil aspersions against Clarke. Those aspersions grew rapidly over an unknown period. More and more.
The Police, without consulting anybody but themselves, went through their records on Clarke and found no negative entry. Clarke was free of any crime.
So The Prime Minister, Jacinda Adern being the Partner of Clarke Gaylord was unlikely to have run up all the vile untrue “rumours” about Clarke. She had been with him for some years.
That left just one other key area of interest. Namely, The Leader of the Opposition, Simon Bridges. He would be well and truly aware of John Key’s cabal of Smut managers and Destroyers managed within the Beehive and beyond. For 9 years.
John Key’s nick name was the Silent Assassin. Although I don’t know why, because unlike Trump he worked through others.
You can make up your own mind, but the The Country Women’s Association is unlikely to have attempted to castrate Clarke Gaylord. Nor the Good Sisters of the Poor.
Most Likely, Enthusiasts have tried to rub Clarke out. Thereby taking Jacinda the PM out. Leaving National and their strong Media supporters very very pleased. National are highly skilled in this arena.
“In the case of Clarke Gaylord, there are four persons at the core. ”
Nope. There is no public evidence of either Labour or National conspiracies that have been claimed.
You have left out Whale Oil, who has run nasty attack posts targeting both Ardern and Gayford since last September/October, and continuing, including a still running (today) daily smear.
There have also been veiled references to the rumour in posts (still up) and open and hint references to the rumours in comments (some have been deleted after this weeks legal fright).
Slater has been seen as toxic in most National circles since Dirty Politics exposed him.
I haven’t see any evidence that Slater has done anything beyond WO.
However I have good reason to believe that someone who has had close links to Slater in the past (they have both been involved in attempted legal hits on me) has tried to spread Gayford rumours.
But there are obviously others involved to some extent, eg on Twitter. And on Kiwiblog. And there’s a horrible website who has been making outlandish accusations for years that has been pushing fake rumours.
Or it simply a malicious rumour that got legs as a result of Clarke profile; it’s happened before re a certain Ab rumour comes to mind,with today’s trolls, social media ; celebrity profile it’s does not take long for news to travel and morph very quickly; just look at social media bulling at the teenage level, not a stretch to see such extrapolating to a national level in regard to network effect This to me from a balance of probability and rationale level is far more likely than a
Grand centrally controlled conspiracy
Dunno about centrally controlled.
But I bet if someone had repeated those rumours but made Simon Bridges the target, Farrar would have moderated the fuck out of them toot sweet.
toot suite n’est pas?
wees.
They sound like a couple of plonkers beewee. They work with Jason Evil?
love your work Gabs
How about Slimon Lush beewee, love his works?
The conspiracy is strong in you Gabs, all power to your delusions, makes for light relief reading, yours truly Beewee 😊
Observer Tokoroa (6) … yes jumping off the “Not me” mark far too quickly to claim innocence IMO. Why say anything at all, if not involved?
Yes Mary-a
I do not think we have as a nation realised just how shocking this assualt on Clarke Gayford has been.
Simon Bridges is clambering away every otherday that it was unbeknown to him. He says he has told his mighty team of midgets not to do nasty things.
Given that John Key spent 9 years doing seriously dirty stuff against persons he hated, it is good of Simon to clean up some of the mess. Bill English never fixed anything that we know of.
However, I guess it will take many moons to clean up national. Not one of them has studied the word – Honesty. Another word they choke on Humility. It makes them giggle.
Some of us think they have shot themselves in their whatisname this time.
100% Observer Tokoroa;
we should remember who has actually been found to use ‘dirty politics’ mostly over the last 9yrs?
Read Nicky Hargar’s book “Dirty Politics” to get that answer.
Thanks Clean Green
I congratulate you on the rebuild of the East Coast Rail! Marvellous!
Honourable men and women do not use dishonesty and outright lies to destroy any persons reputation.
Dirty Politics will continue to give third degree burns to the National Caucus for some time to come. Not only that, the main Media are heavily intertwined with the Key / English / Collins /Farar/ Slater / Ede / Hooton – combo.
Noon Radionz news – Environment Minister David Parker announced that the pressure on the land and waterways by farmers overstocking will be managed by measuring the leachate from farm pollution and legislating this down. The largest way to carry this forward will be by farmers reducing stock numbers. Government will not pay compensation for this implementation.
(I can’t find any printed report of this on RadionzRNZ 1 hour after hearing report but there is info of car fire in Dunedin carpark. Our news broadcaster is still addicted to sensation stuff.)
But read SCOOP:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1805/S00065/qa-minister-david-parker-interviewed-by-corin-dann.htm
I was thinking that those not farming efficiently will probably find that the results of less stock will be balanced out by not having to buy imported feed, not have sickness passed on from stock held in close overstocking, less fertiliser required, less pollution ponds or whatever they use to try and reduce runoff. It’s just time for some of the large industrial off-farm owners to up their game, and for casual she’ll be right farmers who are trying to cash in on the white oil and running bigger entities than they can effectively and willingly manage.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/environment/351845/oxford-research-director-calls-for-nz-farming-sustainability
And here is grizzle from 12/4/2018 by Gnashional about irrigation FYI.
(Note Richard Tindiller’s malicious choice of photo showing Damien Connor with his mouth skewed – seems like a deliberately provocative choice of image from a number he would have snapped.)
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/country/354912/national-takes-swipe-at-govt-over-axeing-irrigation-schemes
After mismanagement (no management) of rural matters by Gnashional for years, Labour needs to keep in mind the pressure that small farmers have been under while they have been played like pawns on a chessboard. Money is needed in the rural areas by them, to assist them recover, make changes etc.
Labour please extend your help to the farmers trying to manage from the waves of change and toothy-grinning johnnies selling packages that are sure-fire modernising systems, which have shown increasing failure of promise.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/country/355310/rural-mental-health-service-to-end-after-funding-shortfall
Last is what many probably know. Bill English gets job with huge Australian corporate that owns NZ businesses. (It started off as a farmer co-op over there.)
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/356412/bill-english-joins-board-of-australia-retail-giant
Mr English has been appointed to the board of the retail giant Wesfarmers, which owns KMart, Bunnings Warehouse and Target, among many other businesses and is one of Australia’s largest listed companies.
In a board announcement to the Australian stock exchange, Wesfarmers’ chairman Michael Chaney says he’s pleased with the appointment, given Mr English’s experience and Wesfarmers’ extensive interests in New Zealand.
The retail giant started life as a farming cooperative in Western Australian in 1914.
Mr English still working in the Farming sector, as for his whole career, I see.
Nutrient run-off monitoring has been underway for some time, even under the past National government. Although it is done by Regional Councils rather than at a Government level and may not be that consistent around the country. And the process has certainly got the attention of farmers. A large farm I do work on has a monitoring programme with regular water sampling and a fencing programme to keep the station’s stock away from the rivers.
How the Regional Councils would get on once it comes to enforcement could be interesting, and this may have something to do with what David Parker is saying. Legislation might make enforcement a lot simpler.
Graeme
What you say is an indication of the way that not having a level playing field because of uneven monitoring and enforcement is slowing down improvements in limiting run off for the whole country. We may not even know how many farmers are not complying with regulations, or whether the stats provided are factual. The few that are doing well may be held up to indicate what all are doing, while others dawdle or avoid.
And many of the rural councils will be stacked by the local farmers being the majority sector, and they are likely to have family connections, who won’t follow the law. The councillors may even keep to the law themselves but be unable to persuade their relatives and friends to sharpen up. And then there are the out of towners, or overseas absentee landlords who have big money, and just put their fingers to their noses!
It needs outsiders bringing an objective overview, and also to set up an exemplar area that others can be measured against so that there is competition and a desire to not be at the bottom of a league table.
Concur totally grey.
I have a bit of contact with the technical side of our Regional Council with the water schemes I manage and have found them well meaning but woefully under resourced, both financially and intellectually. They also seem totally subservient to consultants, generally the applicant’s.
The deemed permit renewal process can best be described as a moving target and I’m glad my schemes are on consents and I won’t be directly involved.
Reform of the Regional Councils is urgently required, maybe with either a unitary approach or their environmental functions coming under a Ministry.
“Reform of the Regional Councils is urgently required, maybe with either a unitary approach or their environmental functions coming under a Ministry.”
I totally agree Graeme.
The RWNJs are, of course, blaming this on Jacinda Ardern and the new government:
We must accept that this was always going to happen and that it’s going to get worse. At some point in the not too distant future we will be closing our borders the same way that Australia has.
We simply don’t have the room or the resources to simply take everyone who will try to get here.
SHAME.
Another distorted New York Times report on Gaza focuses on ‘blazing kites’ instead of Israeli snipers….
http://normanfinkelstein.com/2018/05/05/der-sturmer-times-strikes-again/
Needs its own post
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/04/29/106495/a-chance-to-reverse-nzs-humiliating-welfare-system
Agreed!
Is it just me or is the responsible Minister mostly missing in action?
Good Morning the Am Show Duncan I agree with Denis O’Relly lets get gangs working if you are working you are to busy to get in trouble its not rocket science China makes sure that most of there citizens are working or they would have problems with there unemployed. I see were this is coming from??????????’
What Stormy Daniels said was hard case I no you don’t believe in climate change but a storm is coming.
Amanda I say the best system was Ngtai Ruawaipu all of my tipunas actions were guided by sustainability if there choices were going to affect the sustainability of the Hapu in a negative way than that path was not taken hence we are here today.
I would not take my mokopunas to a Restaurant unless it was designed to have mokopunas a play area for them mokopunas need constants entertainment .
Here we go Count Down Super Markets is taking the lead and starting 10 of there Super Markets plastic bag free for there shoppers Many thanks to Count Down Supper Markets starting the trend we have seen All the plastic waste poisoning OUR Wild life and Environment hears the link.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/103623308/countdown-chooses-10-supermarkets-to-go-plastic-bag-free-rest-to-follow P.S Eco Maori says us green Tangata should support Count Down with this Brave move.
I agree with Chris Trotter statement Duncan about the gangs are being used as a attack on Maori Mana they just have not figured that phenomenon out the powers that be don’t want to shear the Mana of Aotearoa with Maori this I see.
Thanks for the ——– I have plenty of hair at the minute .Ki Kaha Maori Tangata .
Ka kite ano
If McDonalds Family Restaurants were serious about Te Tangata health they would drop there machines that cause Tooth decay and Obesity in te Mokopunas
and serve non sugar refreshments like water the soft drinks machines make the mokopunas want more sugar on there other foods like weat bix ect
Ka kite ano
What ecomaori says:
I agree with Denis O’Relly lets get gangs working if you are working you are to busy to get in trouble its not rocket science ,
I remember a story of someone visiting a town that had been badly hit by business closures. He was driven through the main streets by the local cop who was greeted with a wave by various young men on building sites and in workshops. The policeman said ‘See those guys, they were all going through the Court till recently – in trouble because they had no jobs, nothing to keep them occupied. Look at them now, happy to be working and with earned money in their pockets.”
I hope Shane can pull it off. He can do it if anyone can get things moving for the regions and the young Maori who want some structure in their life, a job with wages that to rely on and get home, his or her living and personal life on track.
Good evening Newshub I heard a bit of bazzing noise .
Mike Ruaumoko looks so beautiful at night thats Papatuanuku recycling her self in Hawaii.
Many thanks Marama Davidson and the Green party for pushing for REO to be compulsory subject Ka pai e hoa Mana wahine I have changed my views on this subject as I see more of Maoris reality Eco Maori wants all mokopuna to learn Te reo . Ka kite ano P.S I see a lot of evidence that the STATE never admits they are wrong ???????? When one has manuhiri you all ways treat them with respect
The Crowd Goes Wild
Jonelle Prices win at the Badminton on that amasing Mare Molly what a beautiful horse Mana Wahine .
Mulls I watched a bit of soccer on the weekend my mokopuan she was playing on a bigger field than she use to she kicked a boy he started crying and that put her off her game a bit it was a draw 1 all.
That was a good conversion it gave me a sore face .
It was a good weekend of sports for Eco Maori .
Ka kite ano
All women and men who want respect and freedom between all humans will want to say a small prayer of mourning for this 16 year old woman and her family.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/356785/key-arrest-in-india-over-girl-burned-alive
It will be interesting to see what the Indian police do about this outrageous killing. In a society that has such lax attitudes towards harm to females and perhaps to different classes, the death penalty carried out in a proper, quick and clean manner may be needed to respond to this extreme hostility to decent and good citizens.
Dhanu Bhuiyan and his accomplices are accused of burning the 16-year-old alive on Friday in the state of Jharkhand.
She was killed after her parents complained to village elders that she had been raped, according to police.
The elders had told two accused rapists to do 100 sit-ups and pay a 50,000 rupee ($NZ1060) fine as punishment.
The power held by elders in villages that hold them in an era of vicious and oppressive cruelty to women, must be cut out by the roots in the same determined way that thuggism was last century.