"But then came the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC). The Labour government was panicked into introducing the Crown retail deposit guarantee scheme to prevent a collapse in confidence in the banking and finance company sector.
The taxpayer was suddenly underwriting savers in what mostly looked like sound businesses."
Oh dear, simon thinks he has the scoop, claiming to have a leaked cabinet paper re the cannabis referendum….
Turns out the so called leaked paper he has is out of date….. lolololz…. did any of the news agencies check the story before running it? Will news agencies now set the story straight? If not what does that say about NZ media?
"we’ve invited them to work collaboratively multiple times,"
National are not interested in working collaboratively.
Witness the vicious public attacks on the Green Party and the government by Todd Muller over the Zero Carbon Bill.
Not to mention the resulting "flexible" rubber chicken that is the outcome of trying to pander to them.
Anyone who claims they are surprised, after New Zealand's greenhouse emissions continue to rise, after the passing of the Zero Carbon Act, will be a liar.
It's almost like they find some info, think it's a big scoop, do nothing to fact check and then roll with it, just like last Monday and probably the Monday before that and so on.
Meanwhile Stuff appears to be burying the story while both paula bennet and tova o'brien are looking rather foolish on the twitter.
Chloe, why does that not surprise me at all.
“The paper the Nats have got hold of is out of date”
By the way Chloe; – please tell Julie Anne that we all in HB/Gisborne support her call to lower the speed of all "dangerous roads down to an 80 kms speed to lower the deaths on these narrow winding regional potholed roads.
You must push to restore rail passenger services around our provinces too.
Julie Anne also needs to support us and speak for us in the press to reopen the rail services they promised us before the last election to Gisborne .
Simply so we older retired folks can use rail safely to get to our families.
Actually, it's about a ladder-kicking self-promoter angling for a tilt at the practically-vacant caucus leadership by releasing "leaked" out of date information when they would have had the current information if they'd accepted an invitation to actually participate in the process.
Actually it's not. It's about an irrelevant MP from an irrelevant political party claiming to know the leaked material was old but providing zero evidence. Meanwhile, the Greens continue to be Labours lap dog.
When has the Green Party been the largest political party in NZ?
That would be never.
When have the Greens led a government?
That would be never.
The Greens are nothing more than also rans, a repository for benefit frauds, those who misrepresent their work history, or who seem to think reclaiming the ‘c’ word is somehow virtuous. No wonder bugger all people vote for them.
Precisely. National chose to be irrelevant on this issue, that is why their information is out of date. They should be at the table, rather than going through the rubbish bins.
Alluding to past glories does not hide the fact that the fractured remnants of the nat caucus are in the wastelands of opposition.
keep telling yourself that a coalition party's spokesperson on the relevant issue knows less about cross-party work on the issue than a fifth-rate ladder-kicker who was handed a bit of trash.
I wonder if one of Judith's friends gave Bennett the paper, knowing it was out of date?
lol no, that's how national treated its own coalition "partners". Labour are better than that at making and keeping friends. After all, that's why they're in government and Benefit isn't..
Drowsy, National are simply at a predictable stage of an electoral cycle in which people are more consumed with the PM's baby than with her governments failings. It is amusing, because meanwhile nothing much gets changed, which is all good with me. But let me ask you this. At the same stage of the electoral cycle in 2010, where were Labour? Around 31%, according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2011_New_Zealand_general_election.
At the same stage of the electoral cycle in 2010, where were Labour? Around 31%…
Greens were on 9%, so the left parties then were around 40%, about the same as the right parties' current 40%. A situation also known as "Up shit creek with little prospect of winning the next election."
It's actually a little bit sad that many tories don't know how respectful partnerships work between colleagues who are not in complete agreement.
It's as if the only relationship they can envisage in that circumstance is inherently abusive, where the party with the most to lose ends up a manipulated supplicant, forced to endure incessant humiliation and exploitation from the more powerful party.
Irrelevant. Unless you are suggesting the Greens are Labour lacky's?
There are two left-wing parties and two right-wing parties. What matters is the combined support for the two parties, not the proportion of support held by an individual party. It doesn't matter whether a 41% level of support for right-wing parties might be 40% National and 1% ACT, while a 41% level of support for left-wing parties might be 35% Labour and 6% Green. The outlook for election results is the same in both cases – screwed.
Given how the Greens are being treated as the Coalitions lap dog, I doubt Chloe would have a clue.
It's almost comical how the ignorant are often full of confidence that people who know a lot more than them about any given subject actually don't have a clue. Although, on reflection, I might be confusing "comical" with "depressing commentary on the state of humanity."
How are your opinions of relationships between the governing coalition partners relevant to the question of whether Chlöe Swarbrick "would have a clue" about issues of cannabis legalisation?
Because the relationship is so distant that she wouldn't know whether or not the leaked document was current or old. The Greens have been on the outer of so many decisions this government has made they are becoming a joke.
Your theory that the Greens in cabinet don't keep their spokeswoman on this issue up to date on cabinet's deliberations on the subject is an interesting one but not a very likely one.
If a party is considered a "joke" by people who would never vote for it, who in that party would care? I doubt anyone in the ACT Party reads my opinions of David Seymour and thinks "Oh no, this means we're losing our left-wing voter base!"
I don't think the Greens are a joke. I think this government is turning them into a joke.
"We've made it abundantly clear throughout the negotiations that our preferred position was to see legislation passed through parliament before the referendum…"
a major study published a year ago found that Trump's support among non-college-educated whites—arguably the key to his Electoral College success—was driven far more by sexism and racism than by economic anxiety.
Now, a new study that focuses on one key constituency—white people in Iowa who voted for Barack Obama, and later for Trump—comes to that same conclusion.
Yep, it'd pay to be a seething lowlife to back that man. There's no other decent explanation to sink so low except one is bounded by hatred and ignorance and wishing to bestow blame on others for personal limitations.
That'll work. Get a few university elites to tell 'em they're just a bunch of racists. And by the way we can't help or work with racist deplorables. Our work here is done.
I know right. Calling a racist a racist and a sexist a sexist is just plain mean. They should be able to base their lives around falsities, victimising and fear. Calling them out is victimising them.
What these racist wife beaters need is support groups – like the US Republicans.
Grace and decency is all well and good, but you can't meet a bigot in the middle. You can't be nice to racists in the hope that they might be nice to you and fights have always been won by fighting, not cuddling. You may not like it, but it's true.
The town's Open Arms day centre for the homeless says high rents are forcing more people on to the streets as winter approaches – and a number of them have serious disabilities.
"Some are too immobile or in too much pain to get out of their cars to come in for lunch so we take the food out to them in the carpark," manager Sam Cassidy said.
When RNZ paid a visit on Thursday, several regulars were toughing it out in their vehicles, with bedding crammed into the back seats.
One older man was hunched over the driving wheel of his van in obvious discomfort.
The 70-year-old former farm worker has been waiting years for a knee replacement, and he told RNZ he was on morphine for the pain.
Not that it helps much, he said.
"I can't bloody walk at the moment, eh. Might as well cut the leg off and be done with it."
The pensioner left his rental home near Kaikohe last winter when the landlord put the rent up.
"He wanted $200 a week for a leaky home – I couldn't pay that."
He's been living in his van with his small dog, ever since.
I honestly don't know what to say about this.
Elsewhere there's a conversation developing about how badly some folk treat other folk that was triggered by an article featuring an eighty year old fired in an email.
Welcome to 2019, old- timer.
I guess a working eighty year old's dignity deserves greater protection than that of those who perhaps struggle to manage the basics.
But no one deserves to be forced to live in a car.
In pain, injured, living with significant impairments and often mental health and addiction issues.
With a 15 year old son crammed in the back seat of the Suzuki car.
I really don't know…so much for this coalition of kindness, this transformational government claptrap.
These folk aren't feeling the love, that's for sure.
Where are the homes for the homeless Jacinda? You promised.
(And no, sending them off to live in a motel is not the answer.)
Rosemary, I think it's time to go on another media blackout. It's just getting too depressing again. More and more stories like this are going to keep surfacing, but seriously, what's going to change?
Now on the 6 month countdown to the end of my lease and hoping like hell I can get it rolled over. You see, I'm not allowed to drive so I don't have a car to sleep in… why the hell are we having to live (exist) like this??
There is every reason for Robertson to be all over this hands-on approach to moving citizens from welfare to work. He was, after all, the man assigned the task of investigating “The Future of Work” by Labour leader, Jacinda Ardern’s, predecessor, Andrew Little. He knows full well that as artificial intelligence wipes out more-and-more middle-class professional occupations, the whole concept of a “steady, well-paid, nine-to-five job” will become increasingly archaic. The trick, politically, will be to make it possible for the same technological and scientific revolution that is wiping out all these “good” jobs to be harnessed to the task of ensuring that the emerging “gig economy” is both less individually exploitative and more socially beneficial.
It is in this potentially game-changing context that the Ministry of Social Development might finally begin to live up to its name. The expertise it gains in assisting the least qualified and most vulnerable citizens into situations where their strengths can be maximised and their weaknesses worked around will become increasingly useful in a society where the work required to make profits for capitalists will be the preserve of intelligent machines, and the work required to sustain social, cultural and physical environments will be the preserve – and delight – of human-beings.
There is every reason for Robertson to be all over this hands-on approach to moving citizens from welfare to work.
Seeing as around half the children living in poverty come from working households, it would be wiser for the Government to first improve work and wage conditions if they want work to be the solution.
This goes beyond political disappointment. This is about denying via delaying further help to real people struggling in poverty. So no, I'm not here to gloat, I'm seeking solutions. Is a new left party the answer or do you think it will be possible to encourage Labour to act with urgency?
No hope for progressive welfare reform from this government – Sue Bradford.
If we’re ever going to hope for transformative and progressive welfare reform, it is now clear it will need to be championed by a party that is not yet in Parliament.
Using McFlock's handy link, the evidence that voters gave no mandate for radical welfare reform:
1. Parties supporting progressive welfare reform of any description (Labour and Green): 54 seats.
2. Parties opposed to progressive welfare reform of any description (National, NZF, ACT): 66 seats.
Now it's your turn (or Bradford's): what evidence is there that Labour/Green have either a mandate from voters or the numbers in Parliament to enact the radical welfare reform you'd like to see?
McFlock’s handy link fails to back your assertion.
Where is your evidence NZF are opposed?
This report (in the link below) counters your NZF assertion.
New Zealand First has shown support for the overhaul, with Tracey Martin, a New Zealand First MP and Minister, saying the working group would be a great support to the "much needed overhaul" of the welfare system.
The Welfare State must be an umbrella to meet genuine and deserving need. Government has a duty to properly determine those needs and respond to them. That said, social welfare must no longer neglect assisting recipients to become independent of the State.
Note the bit about welfare being for the "deserving," and the importance of making recipients independent of the state. I'm not seeing any support for what the likes of Sue Bradford would call "progressive" reform in that.
You're not making sense. Labour and the Greens are willing to commit to this level of action, and you call it "beyond political disappointment" and "denying help to people struggling in poverty." Sue Bradford describes it as "no hope for progressive reform."
NZ First are also willing to commit to this level of action, and you claim it's evidence of their commitment to progressive reform.
So, is this action demonstrative of commitment to progressive reform or not? If it is, stop bad-mouthing Labour and the Greens over it. If it isn't, accept that NZF's fundamental principles are in opposition to the radical reform you and Bradford would prefer to see.
The Greens, Labour, and NZF are all supportive of the report and are committed to doing more, it's the extremely long delay that goes beyond disappointment.
Now you are suggesting NZF's opposition (which you have failed to prove) is the reason for the hold up. Yet, I've yet to hear the Greens, Labour or NZF claim that. Therefore, where is your evidence for this nonsense?
Labour are largely claiming (such as Incognito is) it is going to take years to formulate policy. Which, is total rubbish.
No, I'm suggesting that the government has no mandate from voters for radical welfare reform and that's why it's taking a cautious approach. The retirees and rural conservatives who vote NZF don't do so because of their enthusiasm for radical leftist policy, and Labour also has a considerable bloc of electoral support that is really not very left-wing. The fact that you and Sue Bradford would like the government to pursue a far more radical agenda than it has a mandate for is worth one vote apiece, so you can expect the government to value your preference on that basis.
No, I'm suggesting that the government has no mandate from voters for radical welfare reform and that's why it's taking a cautious approach.
Here we go again. You've yet to prove that. Merely repeating it doesn't make it so.
Sixty-five percent of New Zealand First supporters wanted the party to go with Labour. Who widely campaigned on addressing poverty and inequality.
Additionally, if it were just Bradford and I that are disappointed Labour wouldn't have a problem. Unfortunately for them, the disappointment is widespread.
Moreover, failing to deliver on more of the recommendations sooner will lead to their fiscal management coming under the spotlight. People will question why they aren't prepared to invest now to save the greater cost and social harm of not doing so.
Of course I can't prove that the retirees and rural conservatives voting NZF weren't doing so in the hope that the party would promote a radical left policy agenda. Likewise, I can't prove there aren't fairies at the bottom of your garden.
However, we can have a high level of confidence that there actually aren't fairies at the bottom of your garden, and likewise we can have a high level of confidence that Winston's retirees and rural conservatives really didn't vote for his party because they felt it would promote their desire for radical left reform.
Voter support for radical welfare reform comes from Green voters, a subset of Labour voters, and (presumably) a subset of NZF voters. Most likely there were also some supporters who gave their support to sub-5% parties, but their votes don't count. I'd question whether the voter support for Bradford-style reform was any higher than voter support for further right-wing restrictions on welfare. In short – no mandate.
I'd argue that the reason why Labour is struggling with welfare reform is simply because none of the mainstream parties have a clue how to go about it.
They're stuck fiddling with a fundamentally broken system. If they had a reform model that was efficient and made sense to the majority of people they would have gotten on with it by now.
The report is not a detailed blueprint for transformative policy. The Government needs to take in the report and design a coherent suite of policies, a policy platform, which addresses as many points raised in the report as possible as well as many others that are completely outside the report. That’s the job of the Government and it is a huge one. One of the obstacles they’ll face is that they’ll have to deconstruct to rebuild. That is never an easy thing to do in politics and comes with risk and upheaval. And it takes time!
People are jumping up & down in a frenzy, impatiently shrieking “Scrap this! Do that! The report!!”. As if saying “make it so” makes it so.
Of course, the Government is out of its depth. But they took on the job and they should bloody well get on with it (AKA let’s do this). And I think they are. I have to think so because otherwise we are utterly stuffed. As with Climate Change …
I see, you are a policy analyst now, in fact, a whole team of senior policy analysts. You know exactly how to take the recommendations of the report and turn them into effective policy. You know how to avoid gaps, overlap, duplicity, unintended consequences, clashes with other existing and/or new policies, compliance issues with the Law, budget blowouts, etc. You know how to get these policies pushed through the political system and Parliament, if any bills or amendments are required. You know all these things and yet you don’t tell us or anybody in Government. All you do is criticise in an unconstructive manner. Your concerns lack credibility IMO.
Again, nobody is expecting them to deliver it tomorrow, but as the report highlights, it requires urgent attention and Labour are not acting with urgency, hence the uproar.
This failure to act with urgency will lead to a lot of avoidable social ills and cost the lives of a number of those struggling. It's shameful.
I see, you want Labour to run around like headless chickens giving the impression of urgency and immediate action while serious policy professionals burn the midnight oil to draft policy. What exactly do you want Labour to do urgently, Mr Policy Analyst? Should they call a National Emergency, cancel all rugby matches and flights in and out of Wellington until all recommendations of the report have been fully tested and implemented? Or should they continue to govern this country whilst absorbing the report and putting a coherent plan together? I hear you roar and bark but very little of substance seems to emanate from you.
I said act with urgency (not headless chickens) as the report recommended. So you do understand this isn't just coming from me a single voice in the crowd? Seems you missed my little tutorial on Labour trolls.
Lifting benefits (and all interrelated criteria) must be done first and foremost.
Again, you offer nothing constructive and of substance. You act like an impatient petulant child chanting “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”. Ad infinitum. You feel bolstered because of other ignorant children chanting the same tune. You understand that repeating your own lines it does not make it happen? You understand that your ‘tutorials’ are simply rants? You understand that engaging Government is a little more nuanced than simply stating demands and ‘huffing & puffing’ when they don’t respond immediately?
For the record, benefits need to be lifted and brought into line with wages and CoL. You see, I even agree with you …
National listed the assets they proposed to sell if they were re-elected in 2011. They did it prior to the election. Well they were elected and they did sell the assets. Your mates in the current Government claimed they were going to buy them back, didn't they?
First of all, there had been plenty of polling which show in excess of 75% of people opposed asset sales. And then there was the 2013 referendum which also indicated asset sales lacked a popular mandate, 67% being opposed. A referendum the corrupt Key Kleptocracy naturally ignored.
"That is untrue Stuart, and you know it."
What I know Alwyn, is that you don't have a leg to stand on and as usual you have resorted to making shit up.
To think, not long ago I was on the verge of rejoining the Labour Party.
Two things made me hold off, despite the promises of transformational change and the grand plans – most of which I am/was in agreement with, and which 'resonated' with coalition partners. I'll probably still have to continue with Labour/left (maybe) because, as always it's becoming evident it might be the least worst option
But, the first thing was when being unintentionally stuck half/quarter way up a himalaya unintentionally doing a Ben Fogle for a few months and receiving a sibling/Jacinda Adern's "selfie' at a gorgeous post-election Martinborough Conference. All around me, and half a world away, people and families had been adversely affected in some way by all the "best practice" of NZ (and OZ, UK, and to a lesser extent, Canadian Immigration policy) – i.e. truly ripped off as a result of false promises, outright lying, lack of basic government oversight, and what amounts to the same sort of 19thCentury colonial thinking. In many cases, those "best practice" policies had been just as devastating as the large international corporate impact on farming and subsistence living right throughout families beneath central and north western Himalyan areas – indebtedness, desperation (leading to) suicides, the works! In fact, quite obviously under the previous gNat junta, it had all been not just enabled, but also encouraged. The bizzniss of shitty immigration, shoddy tertiary education, exploitative work practices, ticket clipping – in some cases worse than one expects from 3rd World places.
Yes! I L-G is a nice guy; J A is a nice compassionate lady; I L-G had himself been exploited and knows what's going on; the gNats have left such a shambles that needs to be fixed, and Rome wasn't built in a day.
And then all that leading to the second. Given all the above, and the apparent awareness among Labour politicians of all the problems left by a decade or more of bullshit, of under-funding and under-resourcing, an apparent lack of awareness of those complicit and encouraging the dysfunction.
I think I've given enough time for sufficient 'conversations' out of which there have been a number of 'learnings' (and as I think I heard JA say on RNZ MR last Thursday or Friday ), some 'resonations' – which presumably means agreements.
The Natives are getting restless, and it'd be a big bloody shame for Labour to piss their political capital (which is well on the credit side of the ledger) up against the wall, on the trivial – especially when there are some really easy things that they could be doing that don't require legislative change that'd earn a few brownie points. Perhaps the problem might be that JA and cohorts are too nice – alternatively that they're a little bit naive.
Meantime, in the absence of anything else, it'll be a case of the least worst option, but it's all a bit reminiscent of a staunch Labour father-in-law abandoning the party when it embraced the neo-liberal religion.
Well that, AND simply more and more becoming disengaged and staying away from the polling booth.
The worst part of it all is that it's not as though Labour and its partners don't have a few quite smart cookies within their ranks. Especially when you contrast it all with the current gNat crop on the front bench.
Like I said, from what I can see, the natives are becoming quite restless whilst the bubblistas continue to sup.
In fact, despite Winnie's fatherly oversight and willingness to protect the current star (who deservedly does have all that star status), I would'nt be surprised if there are a few in NZ1 who're beginning to worry about a bit of the namby pamby-ism. After all, NZ1 have made a few 'compromises' as well when they signed up to it all.
We'll see I 'spose. We get the politicians (and the bullshit artists) we deserve……and apparently, we don't know how lucky we are
From left leaning mouthpieces and social advocates on NZ social media.
The Governments inaction over the Welfare Report is going down like a cup of cold sick.
Moreover, their failure to address more of the reports recommendations looks fiscally irresponsible as the savings it produced going forward would outweigh the cost of investing more now.
" their failure to address more of the reports recommendations looks fiscally irresponsible as the savings it produced going forward would outweigh the cost of investing more now."
Labour and the Greens made all this song and dance about their BRR and being fiscally responsible to avoid attacks from the right, only to now act fiscally irresponsible, gifting National more ammo to shoot them down with. Go figure?
Seems they'd rather risk their fiscal reputation than act fiscally responsible and help the poor.
In an alternative universe, only slightly different to this one, Ghahraman would be leading the charge against kneejerk demands for blanket curbs on hate speech. She would be reminding New Zealanders of what it actually involves: radio stations broadcasting instructions to “kill the cockroaches” (i.e. the Tutsis). She would explain how these incitements to genocide were preceded by many months of unrestrained racial vilification across all media.
n that universe, Ghahraman would be calming down her more zealous followers: warning them that unreasoning zealotry is always the problem – never the solution. She would also be reassuring them that New Zealand’s statute books already contain plenty of legal remedies against dangerously hateful expression.
The reason why the Green Party leadership should pay heed to Quin’s biting criticism of Ghahraman’s failure to supply much-needed guidance on this issue, is because he is very far from the only person expressing misgivings about the Greens’ justice spokesperson.
(I like the quote that Trotter picked:
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” ― George Orwell (goodreads)
Super-cynicism there Gabby, but maybe he is saying that Hate Speech is linked to fear or dislike of the truth? Usually it is linked to a false truth, to my mind.
Appreciate your point, Kevin, but let's be clear about this: Bolton is in no way a morally superior or more responsible person than the Sultan of Brunei or anyone else.
Hell, even Prince Jeffie is a saint compared to Bolton.
Behind big oil is the road freight industry and the truck building industry, so they are layered interest groups all pushing to use more oil so their profit rises.
They all hate rail as it uses far less oil and use no tyres that are produced using oil as well, so that is why rail is given the heave ho by these criminals sadly.
The public cheated of building use because of inadequate design allowing for robust and practical use in a coastal position which has led to toxicity and now likely demolishment 20 years later after years of deterioration.
""They're proposing to spend $1.2m on a building worth $1.2m. The only money we should be spending is to run a bulldozer over it.""
This is the second Kapiti Coast council building to be affected. Who were the prime movers involved in enabling the building of these with new unproved systems?
The background to the building of the Paraparaumu Library.
In 1998 the Council agreed to site a new library to the northwest of the Rimu Road council building. This decision reopened questions about a vision for a town centre – and plans for the new library were temporarily put on hold. In April 2001, councillors voted unanimously for the new library concept plan – with a focus for community pride and awareness.
Ironically in April this year there was a meeting there to discuss the problems and hazards of 5g EMF. So while the public are trying to deal with degraded building standards for structures we have been building for centuries, now with perverted methods, they are confronted with new and dangerous future-changing and very likely toxic technology looming over them. Coping with all this, trying to comprehend; how hard, how difficult!
Harry [Harry Dillon, Property consultant with Prendos] questions whether untreated timber framing and various cladding systems should ever have been permissible under New Zealand construction law (use of untreated timber framing in houses has been largely banned since July 2011). The problem was already known in Canada, where it is called “leaky condo syndrome”, he says, and Canadians are now going back to fix what they thought they had already fixed years ago as we are now doing in New Zealand too….
What causes leaky buildings? (See panel.) Harry puts it down to people opting for the cheapest price, and being willing to accept cheaper untreated wood from dominant timber companies. It was also poor design coupled with a drive to maximise the house size on its footprint, typically using Tuscan-styled architecture. Couple these to a general lack of knowledge and skill and a 1991 performance-based building code that permitted “fit-for-purpose” product to be used, and you can have leaky buildings.
The [Canadian] Barrett commission [1998 and 2000] estimated there were serious leaks in about 25 per cent of British Columbia's condominiums (multi-unit apartments or developments) built from 1980-99. Experts later estimated that more than half leaked, and one report put the problem rate as high as 90 per cent….
Canada's experience is effectively the blueprint for New Zealand's leaky building crisis. When the building industry here belatedly woke up to the problem in March, [2002] it called in experts from Vancouver to lead a "weathertightness" conference in Auckland.
So the war on terrorism was started with the death of 3 and a half thousand US citizens lives.
But the US can kill near on 40,000 in Venezuela via sanctions in two year. The real kicker is that media tells us the democratically elected government in Venezuela is evil.
Simply put, which no doubt someone will work out a weaselly way to side track this – the US sanctions would fit the definition of collective punishment of the civilian population as described in both the Geneva and Hague international conventions.
I saw an online interview with a prominent American psychiatrist the other day. He is certain Trump is in the early stages of dementia and regards the Republican Party's refusal to have Trump impeached for this reason alone as bordering on treason.
Great interview from RT with one of the greatest political cartoonists of any period, Steve Bell…about the only thing with any credibility left on The Guardian.
Mondays on Morning Report sounds more like a party political broadcast on behalf of the National Party, who the hell is running RNZ National ? I thought the Silver Fox had gone.
This bad weather that went through America was not well published trump suppressing our reality once again the Papatuanukue has to act NOW to save our decendints future. PLEASE PEOPLE.
We’re talking about an event here of historic proportions, circumstances that nobody ever recalls ever happening in their lifetime,” said Steve Wellman, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture director and third-generation.
The “bomb cyclone” – an intense winter storm – that swept through the US in March followed record-breaking cold in January and unprecedented snow in February. Huge blocks of loose ice jammed waterways, and the Missouri river swelled, topping levees in four states, and breaking DAMS Ka kite ano links below.
He's previously held roles as the Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court and chair of the Waitangi Tribunal – and was appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeal last year.
"It's a big leap from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court, to the last court, and of course being the first Māori always creates expectations that will undoubtedly not be met, but I'll do my best," he said.
"I am kind of excited and a little afraid for how the future will play out.
Justice Williams said it was important that Māori in the courts came to see their culture was valued, and it was up to the system to signal that it valued Māori culture.
He wanted to see more tikanga Māori and culture and identity programmes in prisons, and cultural training also needed to be targeted at officials, he said.
"I think it is happening and it needs to happen quickly, not just the prison population but those who create the prison population – the officials, the corrections officers, the probation officers, all the way through to the judges.
"Once people at the bottom of the pile see that they are valued, my experience is that that brings quite an important shift in attitude amongst those people."
He said it could be as simple as pronouncing Māori names and place names correctly, understanding concepts of whanaungatanga, mana, tapu and local whakpapa Ka kite ano links below.
Here's a good story about the sad state OUR Papatuanukue and her creature are in at the minute if we act now we can pull back from the brink of Extinction .
There is no need to make mitigateing climate change to complex KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Stop using carbon plastic and recycle everything . At this point in time the only environmental engineering that is smart and simple is design everything to minimise waste and the waste of energy just getting rid of the inefficiency can save millions of tons of carbon emissions being pumped into OUR atmosphere.
May be paint our roofs white but major geo engineering project are only going to pump more carbon into our atmosphere they are just a blind from the carbon barron designed to make us think that we can carry on burning carbon and geo engineering is going to save us but know we have to make sacrifices in our way of living to combat climate changes small price to pay to protect our Mokopuna futures.
'The future of life on Earth lies in the balance' – a picture essay
Almost 600 conservation experts have signed a letter by the wildlife charity WWF, published to coincide with UN report into loss of biodiversity
Overfishing
“We are overfishing our oceans at an alarming rate and choking them with plastic and other pollutants. If we want to see healthy seas that will continue to provide us with food, we need to stop this over-exploitation, protect our incredible marine environments and make sustainable fishing the norm, as we see here. Ka kite ano link below
I think that it's good sacking the health board of Waikato hospital it been a bit of a mess there lately.
HUMANS have disrespected our wildlife and environmental for long enough it time for a change in our attitudes and the ways in how we live its a couple of decades out because of oil barron suppression of the truth about human caused climate change.
We all know that trump cannot resist grabbing good publicity from Rakau Ka pai it's good for multicultural tangata all around te Papatuanukue Kia kaha Rakau.
Condolences to the Whanau of the Maori leader who's has pasted his tangi was in Rotorua sorry I miss his name my te reo and Mokopuna are at fault Kia ora .
Just so long as Maori stop being turned into jailbird because weed a medicine is illegal at the minute what a stupid law.
I support the people protesting about tangata not getting the correct treatment for their cancers at the Beehive.
Tangata whenua O tairawhiti the ones that know the correct history are still greaveing so is Eco Maori about the stuff that was served up to us by the Crown if they want Cooks statue removed and put in a museum so be it Kia kaha Ka kite ano
Cameron it cool that you are checking out your whakpapa.
I think you idea about the youth serving one year in the army no. But one year in civil training and the army teaching trades would be awesome for OUR youths Wairua.
I say that teaching the youth about respect in school is a must the early the better 9 yeas old would be good .
A lot of children with behaviour problems get the imbalances of their chemicals make up from birth when the mother is a drug addict pharmaceutical drugs pee ect its stuffs up the children now everyone's wondering why we have heaps of lost wayward children .
I agree with Verity our new government has made changes for the better it ain't perfect but people's lives are getting better slowly. Ka kite ano
There you go Whanau simon and national useing the housing short they created to damage our new government Mana go figure
Farmers have to be included in our climate change mitigatetion as they are big greenhouse gas emitters if we don't get our farmers emissions down we will have a hard time meeting our Paris agreements..
Mike some people have no care of others people wellbeing ripping those poor foreign workers off is unethical respect is need .
I wonder if trumps m8 sold up their shares yesterday .
That ausse bloke who flooded the hotel in Australia it shows me how the hard drugs stuff you up don't touch the shit whanau .
Its a sad day when tangata whenua lose a leader he was a te reo tohunga .
Its gives Eco Maori a sore face seeing our government committing to combat climate change and setting targets for our fast reduction of green House gas emissions I it's about te Mokopuna.
I agree a few small changes can make a whare dry and warm thermal drapes ruggs and blocking drafts I most times end up having to do that mahi to my whare shut all windows at 5 pm to
Ka pai Turanga health checking the Whanau vehicles to make sure they have the pepi car seats installed correctly.
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
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Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
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ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
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Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
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With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
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“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
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There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
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The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
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Fascinating read into the anxious incompetence of supposed sound financial managers, John Key and Bill English.
The pair of them pissed $1B down the drain.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/112420653/was-the-1b-fate-of-scf-sealed-by-this-one-simple-misunderstanding
They made policy in a day, and ditched him in a minute. Not the mates I'd ever want.
two smiles for Muttonbird. absolutely correct.
Show pony ShonKey was a agent of the global elite.
From the same article:
"But then came the 2008 global financial crisis (GFC). The Labour government was panicked into introducing the Crown retail deposit guarantee scheme to prevent a collapse in confidence in the banking and finance company sector.
The taxpayer was suddenly underwriting savers in what mostly looked like sound businesses."
Oh dear, simon thinks he has the scoop, claiming to have a leaked cabinet paper re the cannabis referendum….
Turns out the so called leaked paper he has is out of date….. lolololz…. did any of the news agencies check the story before running it? Will news agencies now set the story straight? If not what does that say about NZ media?
https://twitter.com/_chloeswarbrick/status/1124878753618845696
i don’t see her posting any evidence to back up her claim.
"we’ve invited them to work collaboratively multiple times,"
You reckon that's not true, James?
What would count as evidence?
"we’ve invited them to work collaboratively multiple times,"
National are not interested in working collaboratively.
Witness the vicious public attacks on the Green Party and the government by Todd Muller over the Zero Carbon Bill.
Not to mention the resulting "flexible" rubber chicken that is the outcome of trying to pander to them.
Anyone who claims they are surprised, after New Zealand's greenhouse emissions continue to rise, after the passing of the Zero Carbon Act, will be a liar.
TROLL Jimmy boy. The biggest Billy Goat Gruff is coming.
james aka asswipe
National wont release the paper or say who gave it to them. No evidence.
Maybe Simon had another "slushy" brain fart moment.
It's almost like they find some info, think it's a big scoop, do nothing to fact check and then roll with it, just like last Monday and probably the Monday before that and so on.
Meanwhile Stuff appears to be burying the story while both paula bennet and tova o'brien are looking rather foolish on the twitter.
Probably found it in a rubbish bin and thought they were super dooper secret agents. Didn't occur to them that it might be out of date rubbish.
Chloe, why does that not surprise me at all.
“The paper the Nats have got hold of is out of date”
By the way Chloe; – please tell Julie Anne that we all in HB/Gisborne support her call to lower the speed of all "dangerous roads down to an 80 kms speed to lower the deaths on these narrow winding regional potholed roads.
You must push to restore rail passenger services around our provinces too.
Julie Anne also needs to support us and speak for us in the press to reopen the rail services they promised us before the last election to Gisborne .
Simply so we older retired folks can use rail safely to get to our families.
you speak for “all” do you – but full of your own importance there clean green.
"By the way …"
That's not how portfolio responsibility works.
So how did they get hold of the "out of date" paper?
Who gave it to them?
They retrieved it from the shredder and won't release it because we'd see the pieces sellotaped together so they could read it…
The whisky stains may have been a clue.
Given how the Greens are being treated as the Coalitions lap dog, I doubt Chloe would have a clue.
On said issue Chloe is probably the most versed of all the MP's.
Good on her for calling out paula's shite, once again.
Huh? Paula's 'shite'? This is about an alleged leak, nothing to do with the merits or otherwise of decriminalising drugs.
Actually, it's about a ladder-kicking self-promoter angling for a tilt at the practically-vacant caucus leadership by releasing "leaked" out of date information when they would have had the current information if they'd accepted an invitation to actually participate in the process.
Actually it's not. It's about an irrelevant MP from an irrelevant political party claiming to know the leaked material was old but providing zero evidence. Meanwhile, the Greens continue to be Labours lap dog.
It's about an irrelevant MP from an irrelevant political party claiming to know the leaked material was
oldcurrent but providing zero evidence.When has the Green Party been the largest political party in NZ?
That would be never.
When have the Greens led a government?
That would be never.
The Greens are nothing more than also rans, a repository for benefit frauds, those who misrepresent their work history, or who seem to think reclaiming the ‘c’ word is somehow virtuous. No wonder bugger all people vote for them.
Ah, the "look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" argument as to why paula benefit is anything other than a dumpster-diver.
The issue is 'relevance'.
Precisely. National chose to be irrelevant on this issue, that is why their information is out of date. They should be at the table, rather than going through the rubbish bins.
Alluding to past glories does not hide the fact that the fractured remnants of the nat caucus are in the wastelands of opposition.
So having an opposing opinion to you is 'irrelevance'. You have a history of similar opinions McFlock.
No – a pretender to an opposition throne dumpster-diving to find out what happened at meetings they refused to attend is irrelevant.
I don't even know what Benefit's opinion on MJ is. I just know it won't affect the government decision. Therefore: irrelevant.
So 6.3% of voters is "bugger all people" – how's that working out?
In the context of the comparison you were making, yes, it is bugger all.
keep telling yourself that a coalition party's spokesperson on the relevant issue knows less about cross-party work on the issue than a fifth-rate ladder-kicker who was handed a bit of trash.
I wonder if one of Judith's friends gave Bennett the paper, knowing it was out of date?
The Green Party spokesperson would know very little on any issue. Labour treat them like shite.
lol no, that's how national treated its own coalition "partners". Labour are better than that at making and keeping friends. After all, that's why they're in government and Benefit isn't..
National didn't need to get from 35% to form a government. The tail (NZF) is most definitely this dog. Meanwhile, the Greens aren’t even in the pound.
And National, the biggest party in parliament – where are they?
Sinking into the swamp, with millstone Simon around their neck.
Drowsy, National are simply at a predictable stage of an electoral cycle in which people are more consumed with the PM's baby than with her governments failings. It is amusing, because meanwhile nothing much gets changed, which is all good with me. But let me ask you this. At the same stage of the electoral cycle in 2010, where were Labour? Around 31%, according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2011_New_Zealand_general_election.
I too find National's current plight amusing, so we can agree on that.
Wonder how much apparent effort the ‘no mates party’ will put into courting the ‘irrelevant’ 6.3% in 2020.
That you’re all good with nothing much changing is a bit of a giveaway – how much longer to you reckon this golden weather can last?
At the same stage of the electoral cycle in 2010, where were Labour? Around 31%…
Greens were on 9%, so the left parties then were around 40%, about the same as the right parties' current 40%. A situation also known as "Up shit creek with little prospect of winning the next election."
It's actually a little bit sad that many tories don't know how respectful partnerships work between colleagues who are not in complete agreement.
It's as if the only relationship they can envisage in that circumstance is inherently abusive, where the party with the most to lose ends up a manipulated supplicant, forced to endure incessant humiliation and exploitation from the more powerful party.
"Greens were on 9%,"
Irrelevant. Unless you are suggesting the Greens are Labour lacky's?
"It's actually a little bit sad that many tories don't know how respectful partnerships work between colleagues who are not in complete agreement."
It's actually a bit sad when supporters of a government support party don't realise when they're getting screwed over. Which is why you're getting headlines like this https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12228385.
Irrelevant. Unless you are suggesting the Greens are Labour lacky's?
There are two left-wing parties and two right-wing parties. What matters is the combined support for the two parties, not the proportion of support held by an individual party. It doesn't matter whether a 41% level of support for right-wing parties might be 40% National and 1% ACT, while a 41% level of support for left-wing parties might be 35% Labour and 6% Green. The outlook for election results is the same in both cases – screwed.
"There are two left-wing parties and two right-wing parties. "
Yep, you're suggesting the Green are Labour's lacky's. Still, there is ample evidence to back you up.
The National party has no mates – they can't even buy a decent lacky.
The National party lament:
Devious thinking!
Given how the Greens are being treated as the Coalitions lap dog, I doubt Chloe would have a clue.
It's almost comical how the ignorant are often full of confidence that people who know a lot more than them about any given subject actually don't have a clue. Although, on reflection, I might be confusing "comical" with "depressing commentary on the state of humanity."
Or you may simply be naively assuming Labour give a rats backside about what the Greens want. Winston Peters has the last say, not the Greens.
How are your opinions of relationships between the governing coalition partners relevant to the question of whether Chlöe Swarbrick "would have a clue" about issues of cannabis legalisation?
Because the relationship is so distant that she wouldn't know whether or not the leaked document was current or old. The Greens have been on the outer of so many decisions this government has made they are becoming a joke.
Your theory that the Greens in cabinet don't keep their spokeswoman on this issue up to date on cabinet's deliberations on the subject is an interesting one but not a very likely one.
If a party is considered a "joke" by people who would never vote for it, who in that party would care? I doubt anyone in the ACT Party reads my opinions of David Seymour and thinks "Oh no, this means we're losing our left-wing voter base!"
Psycho Milt
Great tennis match, your serves and returns are excellent. You are definitely the winner on all points.
I don't think the Greens are a joke. I think this government is turning them into a joke.
"We've made it abundantly clear throughout the negotiations that our preferred position was to see legislation passed through parliament before the referendum…"
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/cannabis-referendum-to-be-a-yes-no-question-govt-confirms/ar-AAAZhmO?ocid=spartandhp
Another fail.
Trump voters were motivated by racism and sexism, not their finances. https://psmag.com/news/new-study-confirms-again-that-race-not-economics-drove-former-democrats-to-trump
Yep, it'd pay to be a seething lowlife to back that man. There's no other decent explanation to sink so low except one is bounded by hatred and ignorance and wishing to bestow blame on others for personal limitations.
That'll work. Get a few university elites to tell 'em they're just a bunch of racists. And by the way we can't help or work with racist deplorables. Our work here is done.
I know right. Calling a racist a racist and a sexist a sexist is just plain mean. They should be able to base their lives around falsities, victimising and fear. Calling them out is victimising them.
What these racist wife beaters need is support groups – like the US Republicans.
Grace and decency is all well and good, but you can't meet a bigot in the middle. You can't be nice to racists in the hope that they might be nice to you and fights have always been won by fighting, not cuddling. You may not like it, but it's true.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/388549/whangarei-people-with-disabilities-join-city-s-homeless
The town's Open Arms day centre for the homeless says high rents are forcing more people on to the streets as winter approaches – and a number of them have serious disabilities.
"Some are too immobile or in too much pain to get out of their cars to come in for lunch so we take the food out to them in the carpark," manager Sam Cassidy said.
When RNZ paid a visit on Thursday, several regulars were toughing it out in their vehicles, with bedding crammed into the back seats.
One older man was hunched over the driving wheel of his van in obvious discomfort.
The 70-year-old former farm worker has been waiting years for a knee replacement, and he told RNZ he was on morphine for the pain.
Not that it helps much, he said.
"I can't bloody walk at the moment, eh. Might as well cut the leg off and be done with it."
The pensioner left his rental home near Kaikohe last winter when the landlord put the rent up.
"He wanted $200 a week for a leaky home – I couldn't pay that."
He's been living in his van with his small dog, ever since.
I honestly don't know what to say about this.
Elsewhere there's a conversation developing about how badly some folk treat other folk that was triggered by an article featuring an eighty year old fired in an email.
Welcome to 2019, old- timer.
I guess a working eighty year old's dignity deserves greater protection than that of those who perhaps struggle to manage the basics.
But no one deserves to be forced to live in a car.
In pain, injured, living with significant impairments and often mental health and addiction issues.
With a 15 year old son crammed in the back seat of the Suzuki car.
I really don't know…so much for this coalition of kindness, this transformational government claptrap.
These folk aren't feeling the love, that's for sure.
Where are the homes for the homeless Jacinda? You promised.
(And no, sending them off to live in a motel is not the answer.)
I despair.
Rosemary, I think it's time to go on another media blackout. It's just getting too depressing again. More and more stories like this are going to keep surfacing, but seriously, what's going to change?
Now on the 6 month countdown to the end of my lease and hoping like hell I can get it rolled over. You see, I'm not allowed to drive so I don't have a car to sleep in… why the hell are we having to live (exist) like this??
They are waiting for a new machine to be developed to solve the problem.
Maybe the Welfare Working Group report will be a game-changer. Chris Trotter on WWG. https://www.interest.co.nz/opinion/99513/chris-trotter-looks-how-sepulonis-welfare-reform-agenda-bumps-against-robertsons
There is every reason for Robertson to be all over this hands-on approach to moving citizens from welfare to work. He was, after all, the man assigned the task of investigating “The Future of Work” by Labour leader, Jacinda Ardern’s, predecessor, Andrew Little. He knows full well that as artificial intelligence wipes out more-and-more middle-class professional occupations, the whole concept of a “steady, well-paid, nine-to-five job” will become increasingly archaic. The trick, politically, will be to make it possible for the same technological and scientific revolution that is wiping out all these “good” jobs to be harnessed to the task of ensuring that the emerging “gig economy” is both less individually exploitative and more socially beneficial.
It is in this potentially game-changing context that the Ministry of Social Development might finally begin to live up to its name. The expertise it gains in assisting the least qualified and most vulnerable citizens into situations where their strengths can be maximised and their weaknesses worked around will become increasingly useful in a society where the work required to make profits for capitalists will be the preserve of intelligent machines, and the work required to sustain social, cultural and physical environments will be the preserve – and delight – of human-beings.
Seeing as around half the children living in poverty come from working households, it would be wiser for the Government to first improve work and wage conditions if they want work to be the solution.
Yes old containers is it GWS?
Govt underwhelms with welfare report response.
Calls again being made for a new political party to better represent the left.
Mouthpieces of the left widely disappointed.
Labour are proving to be unwilling to deliver. The Greens are just bloody hopeless. Is a new party of the left the answer?
Barracuda cruising around waiting for victims to bite and gloat over political disappointments.
This goes beyond political disappointment. This is about denying via delaying further help to real people struggling in poverty. So no, I'm not here to gloat, I'm seeking solutions. Is a new left party the answer or do you think it will be possible to encourage Labour to act with urgency?
No hope for progressive welfare reform from this government – Sue Bradford.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/06-05-2019/no-hope-for-progressive-welfare-reform-from-this-government/?utm_source=The+Bulletin&utm_campaign=be05b653ca-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_01_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_552336e15a-be05b653ca-533756713
No hope for progressive welfare reform from this government – Sue Bradford.
No mandate from voters for radical welfare reform from this government – Psycho Milt.
Where is your evidence for that?
here
Using McFlock's handy link, the evidence that voters gave no mandate for radical welfare reform:
1. Parties supporting progressive welfare reform of any description (Labour and Green): 54 seats.
2. Parties opposed to progressive welfare reform of any description (National, NZF, ACT): 66 seats.
Now it's your turn (or Bradford's): what evidence is there that Labour/Green have either a mandate from voters or the numbers in Parliament to enact the radical welfare reform you'd like to see?
McFlock’s handy link fails to back your assertion.
Where is your evidence NZF are opposed?
This report (in the link below) counters your NZF assertion.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/05/welfare-reform-government-announces-law-changes.html
Well, duh – if it wasn't willing to support these limited actions that you're turning your nose up at, the actions wouldn't be happening.
The party's fundamental principles state:
The Welfare State must be an umbrella to meet genuine and deserving need. Government has a duty to properly determine those needs and respond to them. That said, social welfare must no longer neglect assisting recipients to become independent of the State.
Note the bit about welfare being for the "deserving," and the importance of making recipients independent of the state. I'm not seeing any support for what the likes of Sue Bradford would call "progressive" reform in that.
That (what you posted) doesn't counter their stated support of the "much needed overhaul."
You're not making sense. Labour and the Greens are willing to commit to this level of action, and you call it "beyond political disappointment" and "denying help to people struggling in poverty." Sue Bradford describes it as "no hope for progressive reform."
NZ First are also willing to commit to this level of action, and you claim it's evidence of their commitment to progressive reform.
So, is this action demonstrative of commitment to progressive reform or not? If it is, stop bad-mouthing Labour and the Greens over it. If it isn't, accept that NZF's fundamental principles are in opposition to the radical reform you and Bradford would prefer to see.
But he is not here to concern troll Winston First.
The Greens, Labour, and NZF are all supportive of the report and are committed to doing more, it's the extremely long delay that goes beyond disappointment.
Whereas, you've claimed NZF opposes the overhaul. Which, evidently isn't so.
Now you are suggesting NZF's opposition (which you have failed to prove) is the reason for the hold up. Yet, I've yet to hear the Greens, Labour or NZF claim that. Therefore, where is your evidence for this nonsense?
Labour are largely claiming (such as Incognito is) it is going to take years to formulate policy. Which, is total rubbish.
No, I'm suggesting that the government has no mandate from voters for radical welfare reform and that's why it's taking a cautious approach. The retirees and rural conservatives who vote NZF don't do so because of their enthusiasm for radical leftist policy, and Labour also has a considerable bloc of electoral support that is really not very left-wing. The fact that you and Sue Bradford would like the government to pursue a far more radical agenda than it has a mandate for is worth one vote apiece, so you can expect the government to value your preference on that basis.
Here we go again. You've yet to prove that. Merely repeating it doesn't make it so.
Sixty-five percent of New Zealand First supporters wanted the party to go with Labour. Who widely campaigned on addressing poverty and inequality.
Additionally, if it were just Bradford and I that are disappointed Labour wouldn't have a problem. Unfortunately for them, the disappointment is widespread.
Moreover, failing to deliver on more of the recommendations sooner will lead to their fiscal management coming under the spotlight. People will question why they aren't prepared to invest now to save the greater cost and social harm of not doing so.
lol
2/3 NZ1 voters supported Labour's welfare policies? OK, let's be generous and take that interpretation. 6 of NZ1's 9 seats go left.
labgrnNZ1(left):46+8+6 = 60
NACTNZ1(noreform):56+1+3 = 60
60:60 is not a mandate for radical welfare reform.
Of course I can't prove that the retirees and rural conservatives voting NZF weren't doing so in the hope that the party would promote a radical left policy agenda. Likewise, I can't prove there aren't fairies at the bottom of your garden.
However, we can have a high level of confidence that there actually aren't fairies at the bottom of your garden, and likewise we can have a high level of confidence that Winston's retirees and rural conservatives really didn't vote for his party because they felt it would promote their desire for radical left reform.
Voter support for radical welfare reform comes from Green voters, a subset of Labour voters, and (presumably) a subset of NZF voters. Most likely there were also some supporters who gave their support to sub-5% parties, but their votes don't count. I'd question whether the voter support for Bradford-style reform was any higher than voter support for further right-wing restrictions on welfare. In short – no mandate.
I'd argue that the reason why Labour is struggling with welfare reform is simply because none of the mainstream parties have a clue how to go about it.
I doubt that is the hold up.
They're stuck fiddling with a fundamentally broken system. If they had a reform model that was efficient and made sense to the majority of people they would have gotten on with it by now.
The report highlights what is required. Therefore, it's not that they don't have a clue.
They aren't stuck fiddling, they are stalling.
The report is not a detailed blueprint for transformative policy. The Government needs to take in the report and design a coherent suite of policies, a policy platform, which addresses as many points raised in the report as possible as well as many others that are completely outside the report. That’s the job of the Government and it is a huge one. One of the obstacles they’ll face is that they’ll have to deconstruct to rebuild. That is never an easy thing to do in politics and comes with risk and upheaval. And it takes time!
People are jumping up & down in a frenzy, impatiently shrieking “Scrap this! Do that! The report!!”. As if saying “make it so” makes it so.
Of course, the Government is out of its depth. But they took on the job and they should bloody well get on with it (AKA let’s do this). And I think they are. I have to think so because otherwise we are utterly stuffed. As with Climate Change …
I never stated the report is a detailed blueprint. But it is a comprehensive report that outlines what is required.
Nevertheless, I understand formulating policy will take time, but it shouldn't take years. Hence, the widespread disappointment and public uproar.
If Labour were wise and wanted to keep supporters onside, they will offer more in the up coming Budget.
The last thing Labour will want is a new left party forming out of the growing disappointment (TPP, CGT, welfare reform etc…).
I see, you are a policy analyst now, in fact, a whole team of senior policy analysts. You know exactly how to take the recommendations of the report and turn them into effective policy. You know how to avoid gaps, overlap, duplicity, unintended consequences, clashes with other existing and/or new policies, compliance issues with the Law, budget blowouts, etc. You know how to get these policies pushed through the political system and Parliament, if any bills or amendments are required. You know all these things and yet you don’t tell us or anybody in Government. All you do is criticise in an unconstructive manner. Your concerns lack credibility IMO.
Again, nobody is expecting them to deliver it tomorrow, but as the report highlights, it requires urgent attention and Labour are not acting with urgency, hence the uproar.
This failure to act with urgency will lead to a lot of avoidable social ills and cost the lives of a number of those struggling. It's shameful.
I see, you want Labour to run around like headless chickens giving the impression of urgency and immediate action while serious policy professionals burn the midnight oil to draft policy. What exactly do you want Labour to do urgently, Mr Policy Analyst? Should they call a National Emergency, cancel all rugby matches and flights in and out of Wellington until all recommendations of the report have been fully tested and implemented? Or should they continue to govern this country whilst absorbing the report and putting a coherent plan together? I hear you roar and bark but very little of substance seems to emanate from you.
I said act with urgency (not headless chickens) as the report recommended. So you do understand this isn't just coming from me a single voice in the crowd? Seems you missed my little tutorial on Labour trolls.
Lifting benefits (and all interrelated criteria) must be done first and foremost.
Again, you offer nothing constructive and of substance. You act like an impatient petulant child chanting “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”. Ad infinitum. You feel bolstered because of other ignorant children chanting the same tune. You understand that repeating your own lines it does not make it happen? You understand that your ‘tutorials’ are simply rants? You understand that engaging Government is a little more nuanced than simply stating demands and ‘huffing & puffing’ when they don’t respond immediately?
For the record, benefits need to be lifted and brought into line with wages and CoL. You see, I even agree with you …
There wasn't any mandate for asset sales either. Didn't seem to trouble the pollies.
That is untrue Stuart, and you know it.
National listed the assets they proposed to sell if they were re-elected in 2011. They did it prior to the election. Well they were elected and they did sell the assets. Your mates in the current Government claimed they were going to buy them back, didn't they?
Well how is that going?
First of all, there had been plenty of polling which show in excess of 75% of people opposed asset sales. And then there was the 2013 referendum which also indicated asset sales lacked a popular mandate, 67% being opposed. A referendum the corrupt Key Kleptocracy naturally ignored.
"That is untrue Stuart, and you know it."
What I know Alwyn, is that you don't have a leg to stand on and as usual you have resorted to making shit up.
Good luck with that Chairman.”encourage Labour to act with urgency?”
No Labour is being run by the treasuy surely you can see that.
So where to for the left from here, cleangreen?
If Labour’s response to the Welfare Report results in a big slide in their polling, do you think that will encourage them to change?
To think, not long ago I was on the verge of rejoining the Labour Party.
Two things made me hold off, despite the promises of transformational change and the grand plans – most of which I am/was in agreement with, and which 'resonated' with coalition partners. I'll probably still have to continue with Labour/left (maybe) because, as always it's becoming evident it might be the least worst option
But, the first thing was when being unintentionally stuck half/quarter way up a himalaya unintentionally doing a Ben Fogle for a few months and receiving a sibling/Jacinda Adern's "selfie' at a gorgeous post-election Martinborough Conference. All around me, and half a world away, people and families had been adversely affected in some way by all the "best practice" of NZ (and OZ, UK, and to a lesser extent, Canadian Immigration policy) – i.e. truly ripped off as a result of false promises, outright lying, lack of basic government oversight, and what amounts to the same sort of 19thCentury colonial thinking. In many cases, those "best practice" policies had been just as devastating as the large international corporate impact on farming and subsistence living right throughout families beneath central and north western Himalyan areas – indebtedness, desperation (leading to) suicides, the works! In fact, quite obviously under the previous gNat junta, it had all been not just enabled, but also encouraged. The bizzniss of shitty immigration, shoddy tertiary education, exploitative work practices, ticket clipping – in some cases worse than one expects from 3rd World places.
Yes! I L-G is a nice guy; J A is a nice compassionate lady; I L-G had himself been exploited and knows what's going on; the gNats have left such a shambles that needs to be fixed, and Rome wasn't built in a day.
And then all that leading to the second. Given all the above, and the apparent awareness among Labour politicians of all the problems left by a decade or more of bullshit, of under-funding and under-resourcing, an apparent lack of awareness of those complicit and encouraging the dysfunction.
I think I've given enough time for sufficient 'conversations' out of which there have been a number of 'learnings' (and as I think I heard JA say on RNZ MR last Thursday or Friday ), some 'resonations' – which presumably means agreements.
The Natives are getting restless, and it'd be a big bloody shame for Labour to piss their political capital (which is well on the credit side of the ledger) up against the wall, on the trivial – especially when there are some really easy things that they could be doing that don't require legislative change that'd earn a few brownie points. Perhaps the problem might be that JA and cohorts are too nice – alternatively that they're a little bit naive.
Meantime, in the absence of anything else, it'll be a case of the least worst option, but it's all a bit reminiscent of a staunch Labour father-in-law abandoning the party when it embraced the neo-liberal religion.
, despite
It will no doubt be the position of a number on the left.
Well that, AND simply more and more becoming disengaged and staying away from the polling booth.
The worst part of it all is that it's not as though Labour and its partners don't have a few quite smart cookies within their ranks. Especially when you contrast it all with the current gNat crop on the front bench.
Like I said, from what I can see, the natives are becoming quite restless whilst the bubblistas continue to sup.
In fact, despite Winnie's fatherly oversight and willingness to protect the current star (who deservedly does have all that star status), I would'nt be surprised if there are a few in NZ1 who're beginning to worry about a bit of the namby pamby-ism. After all, NZ1 have made a few 'compromises' as well when they signed up to it all.
We'll see I 'spose. We get the politicians (and the bullshit artists) we deserve……and apparently, we don't know how lucky we are
Charman, where did you get that load of crap. Hosking or Hooton ?
From left leaning mouthpieces and social advocates on NZ social media.
The Governments inaction over the Welfare Report is going down like a cup of cold sick.
Moreover, their failure to address more of the reports recommendations looks fiscally irresponsible as the savings it produced going forward would outweigh the cost of investing more now.
" their failure to address more of the reports recommendations looks fiscally irresponsible as the savings it produced going forward would outweigh the cost of investing more now."
Absolutely.
Labour and the Greens made all this song and dance about their BRR and being fiscally responsible to avoid attacks from the right, only to now act fiscally irresponsible, gifting National more ammo to shoot them down with. Go figure?
Seems they'd rather risk their fiscal reputation than act fiscally responsible and help the poor.
yes WTB
"Penny wise pound foolish"
So who are these left leaning mouthpieces chairman, speak up we are waiting.
Sue Bradford
Max Rashbrooke
Susan St John
Martyn Bradbury
Bryan Bruce
The Salvation Army
God, You are Pathetic.
A post on TDB on hate speech, George Orwell, Phil Quin, Stuff and Golriz Ghahraman by Chris Trotter in April 2019. I think Trotter makes good points. (For those who didn't see it earlier.) https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/04/15/recognising-hate-speech-when-you-see-it/
In an alternative universe, only slightly different to this one, Ghahraman would be leading the charge against kneejerk demands for blanket curbs on hate speech. She would be reminding New Zealanders of what it actually involves: radio stations broadcasting instructions to “kill the cockroaches” (i.e. the Tutsis). She would explain how these incitements to genocide were preceded by many months of unrestrained racial vilification across all media.
n that universe, Ghahraman would be calming down her more zealous followers: warning them that unreasoning zealotry is always the problem – never the solution. She would also be reassuring them that New Zealand’s statute books already contain plenty of legal remedies against dangerously hateful expression.
The reason why the Green Party leadership should pay heed to Quin’s biting criticism of Ghahraman’s failure to supply much-needed guidance on this issue, is because he is very far from the only person expressing misgivings about the Greens’ justice spokesperson.
(I like the quote that Trotter picked:
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” ― George Orwell (goodreads)
So the Trotsker reckons hate speech is the truth? Lovely.
Super-cynicism there Gabby, but maybe he is saying that Hate Speech is linked to fear or dislike of the truth? Usually it is linked to a false truth, to my mind.
So now we have Fake Truth. ?
Hmmmm, despotic leader, implementation of sharia based law, shit loads of oil…
Anyone told John Bolton?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/05/brunei-says-it-will-not-enforce-lgbt-gay-sex-death-penalty-after-backlash?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Appreciate your point, Kevin, but let's be clear about this: Bolton is in no way a morally superior or more responsible person than the Sultan of Brunei or anyone else.
Hell, even Prince Jeffie is a saint compared to Bolton.
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/brunei-sultans-salacious-family-secret/news-story/8ba6a2827705c8a699f01335487b2649
To morrissey. Bolton is a 'industry armament agent' initiating more war,
The sooner we find an alternative to oil, the better. Not just for environmental reasons, but political as well.
Where would all these evil dictatorships be without the oil to prop up their insanity?
Agreed peter,
Behind big oil is the road freight industry and the truck building industry, so they are layered interest groups all pushing to use more oil so their profit rises.
They all hate rail as it uses far less oil and use no tyres that are produced using oil as well, so that is why rail is given the heave ho by these criminals sadly.
It’s World Press Freedom Day
https://newmatilda.com/2019/05/05/where-is-julian-assange-on-world-press-freedom-day-and-whats-torture-got-to-do-with-it/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork
The public cheated of building use because of inadequate design allowing for robust and practical use in a coastal position which has led to toxicity and now likely demolishment 20 years later after years of deterioration.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/110570207/at-least-16-years-of-leaks-revealed-for-kapiti-library-now-closed-due-to-mould (February 2019)
and
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/112427024/its-a-writeoff-kpiti-coast-council-reveals-yet-another-leaky-mouldy-building (May 2019)
Councillor Scott serves up the indigestible facts on the Paraparaumu library.
""They're proposing to spend $1.2m on a building worth $1.2m. The only money we should be spending is to run a bulldozer over it.""
This is the second Kapiti Coast council building to be affected. Who were the prime movers involved in enabling the building of these with new unproved systems?
In February, it was revealed 16 years of known leaks led to last year's closure of the Waikanae library due to toxic mould. About 27,000 books were decontaminated but its reopening date remains unclear.
The background to the building of the Paraparaumu Library.
In 1998 the Council agreed to site a new library to the northwest of the Rimu Road council building. This decision reopened questions about a vision for a town centre – and plans for the new library were temporarily put on hold. In April 2001, councillors voted unanimously for the new library concept plan – with a focus for community pride and awareness.
Fletcher Construction received the contract to build the new library designed by Warren and Mahoney Architects. The new Paraparaumu Public Library opened in November 2002. https://www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/libraries/my-library/about-the-library/history-mission-statement/
Ironically in April this year there was a meeting there to discuss the problems and hazards of 5g EMF. So while the public are trying to deal with degraded building standards for structures we have been building for centuries, now with perverted methods, they are confronted with new and dangerous future-changing and very likely toxic technology looming over them. Coping with all this, trying to comprehend; how hard, how difficult!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_homes_crisis
https://www.prendos.co.nz/leaky-buildings-hide-their-secrets/
Harry [Harry Dillon, Property consultant with Prendos] questions whether untreated timber framing and various cladding systems should ever have been permissible under New Zealand construction law (use of untreated timber framing in houses has been largely banned since July 2011). The problem was already known in Canada, where it is called “leaky condo syndrome”, he says, and Canadians are now going back to fix what they thought they had already fixed years ago as we are now doing in New Zealand too….
What causes leaky buildings? (See panel.) Harry puts it down to people opting for the cheapest price, and being willing to accept cheaper untreated wood from dominant timber companies. It was also poor design coupled with a drive to maximise the house size on its footprint, typically using Tuscan-styled architecture. Couple these to a general lack of knowledge and skill and a 1991 performance-based building code that permitted “fit-for-purpose” product to be used, and you can have leaky buildings.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=2847786 Lessons our Builders should have learned. September 2002
The [Canadian] Barrett commission [1998 and 2000] estimated there were serious leaks in about 25 per cent of British Columbia's condominiums (multi-unit apartments or developments) built from 1980-99. Experts later estimated that more than half leaked, and one report put the problem rate as high as 90 per cent….
Canada's experience is effectively the blueprint for New Zealand's leaky building crisis. When the building industry here belatedly woke up to the problem in March, [2002] it called in experts from Vancouver to lead a "weathertightness" conference in Auckland.
So the war on terrorism was started with the death of 3 and a half thousand US citizens lives.
But the US can kill near on 40,000 in Venezuela via sanctions in two year. The real kicker is that media tells us the democratically elected government in Venezuela is evil.
Simply put, which no doubt someone will work out a weaselly way to side track this – the US sanctions would fit the definition of collective punishment of the civilian population as described in both the Geneva and Hague international conventions.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1905/S00001/40000-dead-venezuelans-under-us-sanctions-media-ignores.htm
Simon's scapegoat resigns.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/nationals-emotional-junior-staffer-resigns
NZEI vice president Liam Rutherford says the results send a clear message to the Government, now is the time to do something.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/05/public-overwhelmingly-backs-more-money-for-teachers-poll.html
Conflict with Iran another step closer.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/06/us-deploys-aircraft-carrier-and-bombers-after-troubling-indications-from-iran
Jesus Christ!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12228263
I saw an online interview with a prominent American psychiatrist the other day. He is certain Trump is in the early stages of dementia and regards the Republican Party's refusal to have Trump impeached for this reason alone as bordering on treason.
Sorry, I don't know where I saw it.
Great interview from RT with one of the greatest political cartoonists of any period, Steve Bell…about the only thing with any credibility left on The Guardian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hUvCwO9o5A
I enjoy their reporting on the football.
Mondays on Morning Report sounds more like a party political broadcast on behalf of the National Party, who the hell is running RNZ National ? I thought the Silver Fox had gone.
Crap ring Jacinda.
Send him back to the shops.
1.5 e colour, VVS1, or better.
Come on team.
Didn't pick you for a fashionista!
Recycling (a family heirloom) might be preferable to consumerism – walking the talk
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
https://youtu.be/tgIqecROs5M
This bad weather that went through America was not well published trump suppressing our reality once again the Papatuanukue has to act NOW to save our decendints future. PLEASE PEOPLE.
We’re talking about an event here of historic proportions, circumstances that nobody ever recalls ever happening in their lifetime,” said Steve Wellman, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture director and third-generation.
The “bomb cyclone” – an intense winter storm – that swept through the US in March followed record-breaking cold in January and unprecedented snow in February. Huge blocks of loose ice jammed waterways, and the Missouri river swelled, topping levees in four states, and breaking DAMS Ka kite ano links below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/27/us-farmers-count-cost-of-catastrophic-bomb-cyclone-in-midwest P. S Hope the hard working farmers are given the correct tools to servive this
Ka pai Hohepa I hope your voice can rise above the many others Ki Kaha
Last week, he was announced as the newest member of the the country's highest bench.
He's previously held roles as the Chief Judge of the Māori Land Court and chair of the Waitangi Tribunal – and was appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeal last year.
"It's a big leap from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court, to the last court, and of course being the first Māori always creates expectations that will undoubtedly not be met, but I'll do my best," he said.
"I am kind of excited and a little afraid for how the future will play out.
Justice Williams said it was important that Māori in the courts came to see their culture was valued, and it was up to the system to signal that it valued Māori culture.
He wanted to see more tikanga Māori and culture and identity programmes in prisons, and cultural training also needed to be targeted at officials, he said.
"I think it is happening and it needs to happen quickly, not just the prison population but those who create the prison population – the officials, the corrections officers, the probation officers, all the way through to the judges.
"Once people at the bottom of the pile see that they are valued, my experience is that that brings quite an important shift in attitude amongst those people."
He said it could be as simple as pronouncing Māori names and place names correctly, understanding concepts of whanaungatanga, mana, tapu and local whakpapa Ka kite ano links below.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/388649/first-maori-on-the-supreme-court-bench-wants-a-focus-on-his-culture
https://youtu.be/DgGr_n4fgyI
Here's a good story about the sad state OUR Papatuanukue and her creature are in at the minute if we act now we can pull back from the brink of Extinction .
There is no need to make mitigateing climate change to complex KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Stop using carbon plastic and recycle everything . At this point in time the only environmental engineering that is smart and simple is design everything to minimise waste and the waste of energy just getting rid of the inefficiency can save millions of tons of carbon emissions being pumped into OUR atmosphere.
May be paint our roofs white but major geo engineering project are only going to pump more carbon into our atmosphere they are just a blind from the carbon barron designed to make us think that we can carry on burning carbon and geo engineering is going to save us but know we have to make sacrifices in our way of living to combat climate changes small price to pay to protect our Mokopuna futures.
The Guardian picture essay
'The future of life on Earth lies in the balance' – a picture essay
Almost 600 conservation experts have signed a letter by the wildlife charity WWF, published to coincide with UN report into loss of biodiversity
Overfishing
“We are overfishing our oceans at an alarming rate and choking them with plastic and other pollutants. If we want to see healthy seas that will continue to provide us with food, we need to stop this over-exploitation, protect our incredible marine environments and make sustainable fishing the norm, as we see here. Ka kite ano link below
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/07/the-future-of-life-on-Earth-lies-in-the-balance-a-picture-essay P.S we need to invest heavily into combating climate change
https://youtu.be/gOsM-DYAEhY
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
https://youtu.be/IuwxZSIS__4
They are saving carbon now Whanau
Kia ora Newshub.
Congratulat on the new pepi tama.
I think that it's good sacking the health board of Waikato hospital it been a bit of a mess there lately.
HUMANS have disrespected our wildlife and environmental for long enough it time for a change in our attitudes and the ways in how we live its a couple of decades out because of oil barron suppression of the truth about human caused climate change.
We all know that trump cannot resist grabbing good publicity from Rakau Ka pai it's good for multicultural tangata all around te Papatuanukue Kia kaha Rakau.
Ka kite ano
Kia ora Te ao Maori News
Condolences to the Whanau of the Maori leader who's has pasted his tangi was in Rotorua sorry I miss his name my te reo and Mokopuna are at fault Kia ora .
Just so long as Maori stop being turned into jailbird because weed a medicine is illegal at the minute what a stupid law.
I support the people protesting about tangata not getting the correct treatment for their cancers at the Beehive.
Tangata whenua O tairawhiti the ones that know the correct history are still greaveing so is Eco Maori about the stuff that was served up to us by the Crown if they want Cooks statue removed and put in a museum so be it Kia kaha Ka kite ano
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/5Yj4j_lZMBo
It gives me a sore face when I see all the tangata whenua teeth Kia kaha
Kia ora The AM Show.
Cameron it cool that you are checking out your whakpapa.
I think you idea about the youth serving one year in the army no. But one year in civil training and the army teaching trades would be awesome for OUR youths Wairua.
I say that teaching the youth about respect in school is a must the early the better 9 yeas old would be good .
A lot of children with behaviour problems get the imbalances of their chemicals make up from birth when the mother is a drug addict pharmaceutical drugs pee ect its stuffs up the children now everyone's wondering why we have heaps of lost wayward children .
I agree with Verity our new government has made changes for the better it ain't perfect but people's lives are getting better slowly. Ka kite ano
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
https://youtu.be/CFwm3Vi66A4
Thanks to all the tangata that Tau toko Eco Maori from here and around the Papatuanukue
Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
https://youtu.be/IPfJnp1guPc
Whanau everythings cool just fixing the Waka
Kia ora Newshub .
There you go Whanau simon and national useing the housing short they created to damage our new government Mana go figure
Farmers have to be included in our climate change mitigatetion as they are big greenhouse gas emitters if we don't get our farmers emissions down we will have a hard time meeting our Paris agreements..
Mike some people have no care of others people wellbeing ripping those poor foreign workers off is unethical respect is need .
I wonder if trumps m8 sold up their shares yesterday .
That ausse bloke who flooded the hotel in Australia it shows me how the hard drugs stuff you up don't touch the shit whanau .
Ka kite ano
Kia ora Te ao Maori News
Its a sad day when tangata whenua lose a leader he was a te reo tohunga .
Its gives Eco Maori a sore face seeing our government committing to combat climate change and setting targets for our fast reduction of green House gas emissions I it's about te Mokopuna.
I agree a few small changes can make a whare dry and warm thermal drapes ruggs and blocking drafts I most times end up having to do that mahi to my whare shut all windows at 5 pm to
Ka pai Turanga health checking the Whanau vehicles to make sure they have the pepi car seats installed correctly.
Ka kite ano