some ministers sound increasingly estranged from their departments when discussing operational failures, as if they are talking about something they’ve seen on the news.
So he's noticed it too!
a broad diagnosis of the problem is that ministers can’t tell the public service what they need, and are then upset when they don’t get it.
Well it is the Labour Party, after all. What we've come to expect.
One of the key criticisms of the public spending watchdog was that the fund had a “complex” framework for assessing potential investments, with three tiers, eight objectives and five principles, which it said were “broad” and “difficult to apply”.
I suppose they could organise group chants: simplify, pacify, stultify, kinda thing. What bureaucracy normally does, in other words.
I suspect it is more that the National sycophants that got planted into senior positions when National was in place and who were heard to say things in Wellington like "we'll only have to wait three years til things get back to normal" when Labour first got in – are hanging out for their friends to get back in power.
Resisting Labour, who while neo-liberal, aren't neo-liberal enough for them, is coming to a point where their resistance is becoming obvious/futile. Labour is pretty slack at replacing these vermin living in the public service who don't believe in the public service. Always have been.
They'll be even more distraught if Labour get back in.
Good grief have you ever been in the PS in Wellington?
Just for info it was a Labour Govt that started the neo-lib madness.
Most PS know which functions are better delivered by the State from tradition but again PS departments work to ensure that the policies and procedures of the Govt of the day are put in place. Officials have traditionally wanted the free and frank procedures to work where PS are able to put up possible pitfalls, possible improvements etc. That is their job but if people/politicians think that by doing this they are being biased it does make doing their job more difficult.
From my experience it has been the understanding of the rule of law, as opposed to policy where some intial misunderstandings may arise. By this I mean a govt comes in with ideas to change this or that, forgetting or not knowing in the first place, that this is controlled by legislation.
It just is not possible to change legislation without going through Cabinet, getting a priority on legislative schedules. I have seen PS try to explain this.
So people get to Parliament and then into Govt without knowing how govts work, how rules are made etc. If a Govt got inot power and purported by policy to chnage legislation then the Courts will strike down this. The instance I remember, told as a cautionary tale, is that of Muldoon and Superannuation. Not only was it illegal but Sam Stubbs from Simplicity has argued it was the worst decsion on policy grounds.
I made the suggestion after the Parliamnetary protest that perhaps what we lack here in NZ are lessons in Civics or demorcracy or how laws are made, how policies are made. .
Some Ministers make jobs easier or more difficult and this applies to all parties.
'I made the suggestion after the Parliamnetary protest that perhaps what we lack here in NZ are lessons in Civics or demorcracy or how laws are made, how policies are made. .'
I well recall back in Rob Muldoon's time as PM it was mooted that civics be taught at secondary school level. He refused point blank to let it happen – he said it was akin to a form of communism. I can't recall his actual words, but the idea was stomped on and never took off.
Labour is pretty slack at replacing these vermin living in the public service who don't believe in the public service. Always have been
And we think that politicians decribing others as bottom feeders is terrible but it is quite Ok to call other people 'vermin'.
The so-called 'Bottom feeders' and 'vermin' are people doing the best for themselves and their children, who go home from work and ask what their kids did at school……who do their best at their jobs.
Please Mods can we pull up on this childish name calling so we can have a clear and civilised run to the election where we discuss issues and do not engage in 'othering'/name calling.
Please Mods can we pull up on this childish name calling so we can have a clear and civilised run to the election where we discuss issues and do not engage in ‘othering’/name calling.
Ok free rein it is then……is that what you mean. I thought Weka was valiantly trying to lift the standard of debate here. Cracking down on name calling seems a fairly simple and innocuous first step or at least be consistent.
I find people being described as vermin or rats is little different from calling someone a bottom feeder. If you do the substitution you will see they are equally dopey and hurtful things to say.
Both are similar in term of powerlessness to respond as well. NB DoS that the annonymous PS giving forth about being shouted at was the exception rather than the rule. Many of those described by Luxon also lack the means/ability/power/sleep to mount a protest at being name-called.
Do you not believe that there are people within the public service who do not believe in the public service and wish to dismantle it? Do you not think National put them in place.
Do you really think that free and frank advice remains. People way more learned than me think it is diminished significantly.
"There has been an absence of free and frank advice offered to ministers in recent years.
"If ministers do not receive free and frank advice there is a real risk that this will promote a tendency to politicise the public service and endanger its independence, thereby adversely affecting the quality of advice given and decisions taken."
I would love to see any advice given by the public sector that for instance that suggests nationalising power companies and the benefits of this despite lots of external evidence and research that shows privatisation did not work or deliver the savings in any area other than rubbish disposal.
Where was the public sector advice to say that buying Pike River mine would not be a prudent use of taxpayer money?
Privatisation is the god that failed. As an object of worship, it has proven expensive for the public and a bonanza for comparatively few investors, often overseas. And in key areas such as council housing, it has proven a singular disaster. Yet, remarkably, it is still the preferred solution of any Conservative government for everything from Royal Mail to housing association homes.
Not sure why you take offence to vermin – if I'd said rats would you have objected? Does vermin carry some stronger context for you?
So by the same token there was actually nothing wrong with Luxon and his comment about bottom feeders or is ok for lefties to call others names but not Ok for righties?
Both framing by Luxon and your diatribe about the PS rely on calling others names. I see no difference.
I would love to see any advice given by the public sector that for instance that suggests nationalising power companies and the benefits of this despite lots of external evidence and research that shows privatisation did not work or deliver the savings in any area other than rubbish disposal.
Where was the public sector advice to say that buying Pike River mine would not be a prudent use of taxpayer money?
PS work to support the agenda of the Govt and a rule of thimb is that when giving advice to a Minister that all options are covered.
I am not aware of there being any current proposal by this Govt to do anything at all to revist the privatisation of the energy industry. If there had been Govt Depts would be providing advice on the pros & cons, options and time scale.
Doing something about energy has been one of my biggest beefs about the squandering of the last election's results ie moving towards bringing them back into the Govt's fold. I think all the horses being frightened by the relentless campaign against 3/5 Waters including disgusting race based arguments and Hipkins focus on getting back in has put scary prospects like energy on the back burner.
If doing something about it becomes a programme of a succesful party then the relevant Govt Depts, when asked, would provide info about doing this.
Govt Depts don't just wake up one morning and decide to provide advice that is not on the programmes of Govt of the day. Of course some ministers and their officials 'chew the fat' and get different perspectives on things but this is not formal advice. Might happen in a landrover going to a location or over meal.
I'm not stopping them, Anne. Biodiversity rules. Trying to stop group learning is unwise – it's how folks survive. I'm surprised anyone still believes cancel culture is a good thing!
And how about you dial back on your contributions. Let other people have a go.
Why?
If you want to contribute it is as easy as hitting the reply button or making your own post on an issue of the day that you believe needs raising.
I think it is vital for people like Denis Frank and TSmithfield to keep commenting here as without different views we risk becoming an echo chamber and that is not desirable at any time and especially with an election coming up. I value those with an idependent streak, thoughtful views who can see the wood and that the Emperor has no clothes'. Plus it keeps our brains working!
I also think in a small way that if the supporters of a party/wing make comments that may be critical it is better that they are expressed here than stumping a left wing politician who is out on the hustings in 'deepest, darkest Eketahuna', say.
Ditto Anne, I'm beginning to find TS a tad tiresome to wade through these days since Dennis Frank has come back to haunt us. I do enjoy TSmithfield’s considered opinions though I think there is a very concerted and determined effort by the MSM and other commenters to convince voters not to vote Labour/Greens in October. Goodness only know what the Government has had to deal with over the past 6 years, they've every right to feel a bit jaded – the Christchurch massacre, Whakaari/White Island, the Covid 'invasion', the weather bombs which beset parts of the country a few months ago, as well as the effects of global inflation, which despite what Chris Luxon, Nicola Willis et al would have us believe that it's purely a N Z problem. I believe there are some good MPs in the 2020 intake who are biding their time and could well shine if they have the good fortune to be re-elected. It's a bit fraught at times, but I'm keeping the faith.
Wow Philip… is this better… I was probably typing away in a legal office on an Imperial 66 or similar long before you were a wee glint in your father's eye…
Lol Jilly Bee, you keep typing my friend. A rational caring voice is an utter relief.
I would ad that Kat got a flyer from Christopher Luxon, promising a rise every year for pensioners. My antenna went up!! Why??? Was that on his list???
I wondered if they were considering changing it to match the CPI, as for the old GSF. ???
I have both Super and the Government Super Fund I saved into as a Teacher.
The GSF is on the CPI increase and has gone up 40%+ since 2001.
The Super is @ 65% of the average wage and has more than doubled in the same time.
Anything that man mentions is a way? he is going to collect money to do his tax refunds for top earners, and remove tax off Landlords. imo
I like different points of view, but anyone who thinks Whale oil has anything to offer is out on a limb in my book.
Anyone who bags Labour or the Greens casually with "Labour always…' or "That would be the Greens" sweeping generalisations and pokes.
Real pertinent comments are fine, nastiness is not.imo
p u……….I was always under the impression that a new paragraph was required when the subject matter changed……I though my previous post was pretty much dealing with the same subject……
"Ditto Anne, I'm beginning to find TS a tad tiresome to wade through these days…"
Indeed it is sometimes Jilly Bee.
I love the way the young uns automatically assume that because we are old we don't know what we're talking about. We've been around the political traps years longer than they have – we've seen it all before – but nah… we know nuffink. 🙂
I've noted a number of valuable commenters don't visit TS much anymore.
I just disagree with his reckons as to why eg a government which abandoned concrete targets for public service performance….
Education targets resulted in the kids they were inflicted on now struggling to achieve in the education system
It found only 16 per cent of teachers believed National Standards had a positive impact, while two thirds were concerned about the anxiety students felt about their performance and the negative effect this had on their learning.
One principal described it as "soul destroying" for students who make individual progress but remain "below" the standard.
Another said the system had "led to a deterioration in the educational deal our children are receiving".
The report highlighted a number of recurrent concerns, including a belief the system narrows the curriculum as teachers are forced to teach to the standards and they don't accurately reflect student's ability.
Waitlist targets for health resulted in people being kicked off waiting lists and representing years later in a worse state
There has been an ongoing political debate in New Zealand about whether funding injections result in increased and improved service access. Between 2000 and 2006, there was a slight reduction in the total number of people receiving elective treatments (Ministry of Health, 2008). However, the Health Minister suggested that the reduction was a result of more treatments in outpatient settings that were not captured in standard hospital datasets. A clear theme throughout the 7 years of analysis was the constant stories of DHBs having difficulty providing adequate service levels and of patients being removed from waiting lists despite the fact that they had a professionally determined need, as judged by their clinical priority scores, for treatment.
Another theme was the increasing threshold, or required score, for access to elective treatments. Many DHBs, under pressure to provide a response to growing numbers of referred patients, simply raised the number of points required to be eligible for treatment.
‘The figures show the mean score for adults having cardiothoracic surgery has risen from 33.5 in 2001 to 46.4 in 2005. Mean adult general surgery scores have risen from 77.5 to 87.9 and orthopaedic scores from 75.4 to 81.2 over the same period. There has also been a big jump in ophthalmology scores’
Waitlist targets for housing resulted in people being kicked off the waiting list and hiding the size of the problem
When this is placed alongside the wiping of thousands of people off the bottom of Housing New Zealand's waiting lists, the wonder is that National has got this far with little opposition.
One reason is that instead of rushing change, the housing reforms have followed a now familiar process which might be termed the "Bill English Handbook on Managing More Market Reform".
Targets to reduce benefit numbers resulted in people being denied benefits and a toxic environment
The Government has set itself ambitious new targets including 75,000 fewer New Zealanders being on benefits by June 2018 as part of its Better Public Services drive, Finance Minister Bill English and State Services Minister Paula Bennett say.
“AAAP see this treatment of beneficiaries by fraud investigators who are encouraged by MSD to punish beneficiaries as emblematic of the toxic culture of MSD which has turned lethal,” says Vanessa Cole spokesperson for AAAP.
“The former MSD investigator in the case of Wendy Shoebridge revealed that MSD had forced investigation staff to get at least one prosecution, and recover $30,000 in debt per month.
One man with a British accent said he had been in New Zealand for 50 years, but was worried about the growing level of ‘wokeness’, citing grievances such as the growing acceptance of Te Reo Māori usage and gender pronouns.
His answer was peppered with phrases such as “we want to be focused on how we unite the country” and “we should respect each other’s identities”.
Luxon’s take on this hot button issue is endlessly diplomatic. He said he didn’t want to see the divided camps seen in the culture wars overseas, and his answer tiptoed the careful line between either side. But in doing so, he’ll likely please neither camp.
Neither woke nor asleep, somewhere in between. Careful focus on the middle. Well-trained.
But though the Luxon show has become a well-oiled machine in the months on the road, it's still one that’s relatively one-size-fits-all.
“we’ve all been immigrants in some form or another”, he said somewhat curiously.
Ah, the boat people thesis. The notion that although it was your ancestors that did it, you can pretend it was actually you. Somehow I can't see this catching on. I agree most people are delusional, and get why he's playing that card, but they're addicted already to quite different delusions. Still, he didn't use the extraterrestrial genetic alteration theory – which has been around so long it has become conservative. Maybe he's weighing that option…
From biodiversity as a vista, into microcosm of that:
We meet in a central London cafe where, for nearly three hours, she guides me through a life story that takes in the aftermath of the Holocaust, life in communist eastern Europe, her family’s migration to Australia, and a life that has mixed academia and activism with plenty of struggle and hardship. But what we talk about the most is neurodiversity, the concept she quietly introduced to the world in 1997.
To quote from the definitive autism history Neurotribes, by the American writer Steve Silberman, “it was in these talks with Blume that she came up with the term neurodiversity”. In the meantime, Singer had decided to write a thesis focused on the online communities she was now part of, and her sense that they were cohering into a new social movement, comparable to those focused on feminism and gay rights.
autistics have begun to elaborate a new kind of identity. They counterpose themselves against those they have dubbed ‘neurotypical’ or NT, a term they have coined to sideline the word ‘normal’ with all its prescriptive connotations. Autistics are beginning to see themselves as a kind of neurological ‘other’ who have existed amongst and been oppressed by the dominant neurological type, the NT, whose hegemony has until now neither been noticed nor challenged.”
Messy. Folks have an inherent right to define their own identity but categories are social entities and language is a commons. When they battle over word-meanings it seems to be due to collective inability to reach consensus on the various categories involved. I suppose it will settle down eventually and a common view of how to handle such biodiversity will gel.
All these different groupings are user-driven, eh? So each group forms a social ecosystem in which users take refuge and then bond in solidarity. I still feel however, that pretending to be a woman when you aren't biologically is delusional. When such people misrepresent themselves to the detriment of women, seems logical they ought to be prosecuted for fraud. I wonder why I haven't heard of any such prosecution.
Can't imagine you had time to watch mica's vessay, which examines the ableist attitude that autistic people cannot decide for themselves they are trans. There is already an ableist attack on autistic persons accessing transition care in some US states.
Gun nuts here will be contemplating their admirable restraint:
The shooting in Shreveport is the 17th mass shooting to be reported across the country since the holiday weekend began on Friday evening, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The total death toll from these shootings stands at 19, and more than 100 others were injured.
The overall effect seems rather scattershot. I guess it's hard, when you're enraged, to shoot accurately. Still, celebrating Independence Day is tedious if you don't take out a few irritants here & there…
You know, the car and contents are insured. But I doubt the wounds of being outted in the Herald as living in a Glen Eden postcode when you've told all your friends you live in Oratia will ever quite heal.
A number of fascinating aspects to this story. Many people have a ‘company car.’
Not many have half million plus models. Not many have half million plus models with close at hand thieves ready to move in if they whip up the road.
The mayor of Wellington having a bit of a bender, getting a bit slurry and generally doing what a lot of people do and then being shat on by the business that was happy to take her money but didn't believe it owes any discretion to it's customers is apparently a scandal of the first order and worthy of days of pearl clutching headlines.
Meanwhile, a bunch of nasty old white boomer uncles getting together to tell jokes in public that have gone down like a cup of cold sick at the family Christmas for the last decade is just boys being boys.
Don't talk to me about there being no structural racism and sexism in this country.
And what is it with old men and their inability to grasp that they've had their day and culture, manners and society moves on? No wonder rugby stadiums are full of appalling retro pop played far too loud – These old pricks run the place and think it still represents the pinnacle of popular culture and they can't hear it at normal volumes without turning up their hearing aids to max, which would never do since it might put them out a bit.
I must admit I find these old bastards odious and interesting in equal measure.
This sort of public posturing works as a rallying cry insofar as it is a structure-of-feeling that is pervasive on the culture war Right in NZ and across the wider Anglosphere: that they have been excluded and marginalised from legitimate power by an illegitimate, parasitic elite. These old buggers are neither cynical nor sincere; they are both. Malloy and Henry and Plunkett and Brown act as a relay, through which the passions of the reactionary crowd they pander to pass and are returned in a louder and more garish form. They say what the crowd thinks.
That is where their power lies, beause the axiomatic received wisdom of an establishment MSM deeply wedded to the institutions that prop up these guys aligns with their world view.
The reason they hate the new elites lies precisely in the fact that they have new power structures and ways of doing things.
Agree – it is a "structure of feeling",and rather than being an emergent form as in the dictionary definition, it is a submergent form that fears it is on the way out. Rather than trying to become the new orthodoxy, it is the old orthodoxy fighting for its life.
As the attitudes and ideological stances you, mostly rightly, oppose, are just as much apparent in many young buggers, David Seymour being an indicative example, characterising them as unique to "boomers" and " old buggers" is not only inaccurate but alienates many who would otherwise agree with you.
Playing into the hands of those who want to take attention away from the fact that it is class, and those who want to steal from society, rather than contribute to it, of all ages.
Making it about "boomers" conveniently takes the focus on the whole new generations of entitled"little Lord Fantleroys"who are intent destroying my grandkids future for the gains of a few..
Agree entirely kjt. A whole bunch of us "boomers" were protesting the American war in Vietnam, and the South African apartheid regime, before we even left High School.
We moved on to the Women's Movement and Gay Liberation in our 20's and then to the Union Movement in our 30's.
We raised the $$$$ for the Rape Crisis Centres and the Women's Refuges, we were marshals and organisers for the 1981 Anti Tour actions.
We are still working for progressive causes in our retirement.
We have never voted for any variety of Tory in our lives.
"Profanity is the sign of a lazy mind." The amount of profanity used by the 'boomer uncles' puts on display some very lazy minds, who sadly think they were being clever.
It would appear that a lot of the profanity was coming from the Mayor and her friend, at least as recounted by one person who was there.
"One man, who asked not to be identified, said he and his 13 and 15-year-old teenagers were sitting near Whanau and her friend and heard a lot of loud swearing: “Lots of words beginning with F.”"
The mayor of Wellington having a bit of a bender, getting a bit slurry and generally doing what a lot of people do and then being shat on by the business that was happy to take her money but didn't believe it owes any discretion to it's customers is apparently a scandal of the first order and worthy of days of pearl clutching headlines.
I'm not sure that's what happened. Afaik the manager responded to media enquiries, they didn't go to the media. Whether the story originally came from staff or patrons, I don't think the business itself can be held responsible for that.
I am just telling you stright how I would have dealt with a staff member if they'd made an unauthorised statement to the media – assuming you run an establishment which offers protection to it's patrons. It potentially can seriously affect business reputation.
Personally, I suspect the staff memeber was probably the stalking horse for a management to gutless to front the media themselves but not happy with recent changes around poedestrianisation in Wellington.
oh I completely agree with you that the business should be protecting customers as well as their own reputation, and that staff shouldn't be speaking to the media.
I'm not sure if it's legal to fire someone like that for sometimes like this. Gross misconduct? Depends on what happened (and I'm not a union or employment law bod). I suspect there are other ways of dealing with it, although again, it depends on what happened, and as per usual with MSM bollocks we don't really know.
I was wondering if the business is run by people with little media experience, and possibly English as a second language. I haven't seen anything to suggest that they were gunning for the mayor politically, but who knows. Would the business be affected by changes to urban planning?
The bunch of mostly old blokes in Auckland seemingly got away with their schoolboy behaviour while the Wellington mayor, being female, youngish and Māori, gets no such tolerance. And no male politician was ever put through the disgraceful online bile that Jacinda Ardern was subjected to.
US Supreme Court Justice Brown has done a pretty cool dissenting opinion which, if you read it, has a whole lot of parallels to our own debates about whether Maori get favoured treatment in many areas of society.
So Laura Norder is being called for at the top level:
scientists and experts have called on the world to act, declaring AI an existential threat to humanity on a par with the risk of nuclear war,” the UN chief said.
UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward on Monday (local time) announced the July 18 meeting as the centrepiece of its presidency of the council this month. It will include briefings by international AI experts and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who last month called the alarm bells over the most advanced form of AI “deafening,” and loudest from its developers.
The establishment need their control system to get a grip on upstart rebel developers…
Just as an aside – I am of the view that nuclear power is clearly the best solution we have right now using exisiting technology to reduce carbon emissions, and NZ need to think about SMR (Small Modular Reactor) technologies to help provide baseload.
However, this study tells us that of180 nuclear power construction projects, 195 were late by an average of 64% longer that planned to build and over budget to an average of 117%
Unfortunately RL got banned for a while & he's been urging us toward this. Around 7 years ago here I cited Stewart Brand's book Whole Earth Discipline where he has a chapter on the same theme.
My take from sporadic reading around the industry situation is that inertia prevails but some tech progress does happen – slowly. Still, climate change pressures everyone towards a collective solution and the logic of safe reactors will become inexorable eventually. Those that consume waste nuclear products are Greenest!
'Using their model, Barron and Hill found that nuclear power is likely to be a far less cost-effective, low-carbon energy source than others had suggested. In fact, their models find nuclear waste disposal to be 2.5 to 4 times more expensive than other models have suggested.
These new findings support the argument that nuclear power, despite being a low-carbon energy source, may not be cost effective.'
In so far as I can ascertain, none of the models include the energy required to mitigate/ decommission nuclear plants and their waste products….if you included such I suspect they would end up being net energy negative.
I expect, however, you need to compare to coal-fired plants, rather than to 'green' technologies, like wind or solar.
Bearing in mind, that there is little, if any, prospect of significant wind, solar or hydro capacity in many countries. So their choices are: continue to burn fossil fuels; massively restrict energy use (unlikely to happen); nuclear power.
“Waste disposal and decommissioning costs are usually fully included in the operating costs. If the social, health and environmental costs of fossil fuels are also taken into account, the competitiveness of nuclear power is improved.”
Nuclear power companies are never honest about decommissioning costs which are often massive.
When this is taken into account solar is now cheaper and easier…because of this why would anyone choose nuclear, especially given Ukraine type situations.
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Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, I’ve been asked these questions many times and always answered “yes”, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 – the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes – After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labour’s spokesperson for education 2011 – 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
Seymour describes sushi as too woke for school meals. There are no fish sushi meals recommended by the School Lunches programme. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: The Government will swap out hot meals for packaged sandwiches to save $107 million on school lunches for poor kids. MSD has pulled ...
I don't mind stealin' bread from the mouths of decadenceBut I can't feed on the powerless when my cup's already overfilled, yeahBut it's on the table, the fire's cookin'And they're farmin' babies, while slaves are workin'The blood is on the table and the mouths are chokin'But I'm goin' hungry, yeahSome ...
The Ardern Government’s chickens came home to roost yesterday with the news that the country is short of natural gas. In 2018, Labour banned offshore petroleum exploration, and industry executives say that the attendant loss of confidence by the industry impacted overall investment in onshore gas fields. Energy Resources Minister ...
Hi,If you’ve been digging through the newly launched Webworm store (orders are being dispatched worldwide as I type!) you’ll have noticed the best model we had was Calvin.This is Calvin.Calvin.Calvin is 7, and is the son of my producer over on Flightless Bird, Rob — aka “Wobby Wob”. Rob also ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Climate change is everywhere. And when something's everywhere it can feel like it's nowhere. So how do we get our heads ...
Its a law like gravity: whenever a right-wing government is elected, they start attacking democracy. And now, after talking to their Republican and Tory and Fidesz chums at the International Democracy Union forum in Wellington, National is doing it here, announcing plans to remove election-day enrolment. Or, to put it ...
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
Te Pāti Māori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office. “We are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his government’s first ten days in office,” Deputy Prime Minister and ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Clement, Lecturer in Visual Art and McGlade Gallery Director, Australian Catholic University Tracey Clement, Impossible Numbers.Tracey Clement I slip the needle through a small loop of black thread, pull it tight and snip. Done. I have just tied off the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jochen Kaempf, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences (Oceanography), Flinders University Gonzalo Buzonni/Shutterstock From around 1996 to 2010, Australia was gripped by the millennium drought. As water shortages bit hard, most of Australia’s capital cities built large seawater desalination plants – Sydney, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria O’Sullivan, Associate Professor of Law, Deakin Law School, Deakin University Students have been protesting on university campuses across Australia for several weeks now, calling on their institutions to cut ties with weapons manufacturers supplying arms to Israel. Some have noted their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Hail, Adjunct Associate Professor, Torrens University Australia Wolfilser/ShutterstockThis article is part one of The Conversation’s “Business Basics” series where we ask leading experts to discuss key concepts in business, economics and finance. For the most part, economists continue ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin O’Brien, Associate Professor, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University University campuses around the world have become the site of tiny tent cities in recent weeks, with student activists protesting the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Though the protests on ...
In this extract from The Bulletin, Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the proposed law and the ongoing concern about it. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Where we’re at with the fast-track ...
The revamped school lunch programme is budgeting $3 per lunch, rather than the current $8. But is it really so simple to cut costs? Shanti Mathias investigates. Last week, associate education minister and Act Party leader David Seymour announced the government’s revamped school lunch programme, which will provide food to ...
Exactly 100 years ago, on the eve of another Paris Olympics, young Kiwi Gwitha Shand was the talk of the swimming world. The 19-year-old from Christchurch had broken the world record in the 440-yard freestyle multiple times leading up to the 1924 Olympics, and was described in newspapers as one ...
The New Zealand book trade is still reeling after the shock news that Penguin has axed its head of publishing. The redundancy comes just as the biggest week of the year in New Zealand literature is set to take place. The winners of the Ockham national book awards are announced ...
A rest home with a concierge, iced tea fountain, hybrid Jaguars to drive, and caviar on the menu. That’s not imaginary or from some far-flung country – it’s reality here in Aotearoa. Oceania Healthcare just officially opened ‘The Helier’ – a retirement apartment and aged-care complex in the Auckland suburb ...
The USA and China are beefing, Winston Peters is getting sued by some Australian guy, and Helen Clark and Don Brash are friends now? Here’s everything you need to know about Aukus but were too afraid to ask. What is Aukus?Aukus, which stands for Australia, the United Kingdom, and ...
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Funny, that:
So he's noticed it too!
Well it is the Labour Party, after all. What we've come to expect.
I suppose they could organise group chants: simplify, pacify, stultify, kinda thing. What bureaucracy normally does, in other words.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300921772/what-might-lie-beneath-kiri-allans-problem-with-the-bureaucrats
I suspect it is more that the National sycophants that got planted into senior positions when National was in place and who were heard to say things in Wellington like "we'll only have to wait three years til things get back to normal" when Labour first got in – are hanging out for their friends to get back in power.
Resisting Labour, who while neo-liberal, aren't neo-liberal enough for them, is coming to a point where their resistance is becoming obvious/futile. Labour is pretty slack at replacing these vermin living in the public service who don't believe in the public service. Always have been.
They'll be even more distraught if Labour get back in.
Good grief have you ever been in the PS in Wellington?
Just for info it was a Labour Govt that started the neo-lib madness.
Most PS know which functions are better delivered by the State from tradition but again PS departments work to ensure that the policies and procedures of the Govt of the day are put in place. Officials have traditionally wanted the free and frank procedures to work where PS are able to put up possible pitfalls, possible improvements etc. That is their job but if people/politicians think that by doing this they are being biased it does make doing their job more difficult.
From my experience it has been the understanding of the rule of law, as opposed to policy where some intial misunderstandings may arise. By this I mean a govt comes in with ideas to change this or that, forgetting or not knowing in the first place, that this is controlled by legislation.
It just is not possible to change legislation without going through Cabinet, getting a priority on legislative schedules. I have seen PS try to explain this.
So people get to Parliament and then into Govt without knowing how govts work, how rules are made etc. If a Govt got inot power and purported by policy to chnage legislation then the Courts will strike down this. The instance I remember, told as a cautionary tale, is that of Muldoon and Superannuation. Not only was it illegal but Sam Stubbs from Simplicity has argued it was the worst decsion on policy grounds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzgerald_v_Muldoon
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/300327451/the-worst-decision-by-a-new-zealand-politician-ever
I made the suggestion after the Parliamnetary protest that perhaps what we lack here in NZ are lessons in Civics or demorcracy or how laws are made, how policies are made. .
Some Ministers make jobs easier or more difficult and this applies to all parties.
'I made the suggestion after the Parliamnetary protest that perhaps what we lack here in NZ are lessons in Civics or demorcracy or how laws are made, how policies are made. .'
I well recall back in Rob Muldoon's time as PM it was mooted that civics be taught at secondary school level. He refused point blank to let it happen – he said it was akin to a form of communism. I can't recall his actual words, but the idea was stomped on and never took off.
And we think that politicians decribing others as bottom feeders is terrible but it is quite Ok to call other people 'vermin'.
The so-called 'Bottom feeders' and 'vermin' are people doing the best for themselves and their children, who go home from work and ask what their kids did at school……who do their best at their jobs.
Please Mods can we pull up on this childish name calling so we can have a clear and civilised run to the election where we discuss issues and do not engage in 'othering'/name calling.
Please tell us that you are not serious.
Ok free rein it is then……is that what you mean. I thought Weka was valiantly trying to lift the standard of debate here. Cracking down on name calling seems a fairly simple and innocuous first step or at least be consistent.
I find people being described as vermin or rats is little different from calling someone a bottom feeder. If you do the substitution you will see they are equally dopey and hurtful things to say.
Both are similar in term of powerlessness to respond as well. NB DoS that the annonymous PS giving forth about being shouted at was the exception rather than the rule. Many of those described by Luxon also lack the means/ability/power/sleep to mount a protest at being name-called.
Do you not believe that there are people within the public service who do not believe in the public service and wish to dismantle it? Do you not think National put them in place.
Do you really think that free and frank advice remains. People way more learned than me think it is diminished significantly.
"There has been an absence of free and frank advice offered to ministers in recent years.
"If ministers do not receive free and frank advice there is a real risk that this will promote a tendency to politicise the public service and endanger its independence, thereby adversely affecting the quality of advice given and decisions taken."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/95499693/chris-eichbaum–free-and-frank-advice-fast-disappearing
I would love to see any advice given by the public sector that for instance that suggests nationalising power companies and the benefits of this despite lots of external evidence and research that shows privatisation did not work or deliver the savings in any area other than rubbish disposal.
Where was the public sector advice to say that buying Pike River mine would not be a prudent use of taxpayer money?
Or more recently.
https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/public-sector-project/free-frank-and-political-advice-the-state-of-the-public-service
Privatisation is the god that failed. As an object of worship, it has proven expensive for the public and a bonanza for comparatively few investors, often overseas. And in key areas such as council housing, it has proven a singular disaster. Yet, remarkably, it is still the preferred solution of any Conservative government for everything from Royal Mail to housing association homes.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/22/the-guardian-view-on-privatisation-the-god-that-failed
Just for info it was a Labour Govt that started the neo-lib madness.
Pretty sure I covered that off.
Resisting Labour, who while neo-liberal,
Not sure why you take offence to vermin – if I'd said rats would you have objected? Does vermin carry some stronger context for you?
Not sure why you take offence to vermin – if I'd said rats would you have objected? Does vermin carry some stronger context for you?
So by the same token there was actually nothing wrong with Luxon and his comment about bottom feeders or is ok for lefties to call others names but not Ok for righties?
Both framing by Luxon and your diatribe about the PS rely on calling others names. I see no difference.
PS work to support the agenda of the Govt and a rule of thimb is that when giving advice to a Minister that all options are covered.
I am not aware of there being any current proposal by this Govt to do anything at all to revist the privatisation of the energy industry. If there had been Govt Depts would be providing advice on the pros & cons, options and time scale.
Doing something about energy has been one of my biggest beefs about the squandering of the last election's results ie moving towards bringing them back into the Govt's fold. I think all the horses being frightened by the relentless campaign against 3/5 Waters including disgusting race based arguments and Hipkins focus on getting back in has put scary prospects like energy on the back burner.
If doing something about it becomes a programme of a succesful party then the relevant Govt Depts, when asked, would provide info about doing this.
Govt Depts don't just wake up one morning and decide to provide advice that is not on the programmes of Govt of the day. Of course some ministers and their officials 'chew the fat' and get different perspectives on things but this is not formal advice. Might happen in a landrover going to a location or over meal.
Oh yes, Ben Thomas. National Party lackey from way back. A subtle stab in the back from a Nat posing as a non partisan political commentator.
How come you never point out these little anomalies Dennis Frank?
And how about you dial back on your contributions. Let other people have a go.
I'm not stopping them, Anne. Biodiversity rules. Trying to stop group learning is unwise – it's how folks survive. I'm surprised anyone still believes cancel culture is a good thing!
Why?
If you want to contribute it is as easy as hitting the reply button or making your own post on an issue of the day that you believe needs raising.
I think it is vital for people like Denis Frank and TSmithfield to keep commenting here as without different views we risk becoming an echo chamber and that is not desirable at any time and especially with an election coming up. I value those with an idependent streak, thoughtful views who can see the wood and that the Emperor has no clothes'. Plus it keeps our brains working!
I also think in a small way that if the supporters of a party/wing make comments that may be critical it is better that they are expressed here than stumping a left wing politician who is out on the hustings in 'deepest, darkest Eketahuna', say.
Ditto Anne, I'm beginning to find TS a tad tiresome to wade through these days since Dennis Frank has come back to haunt us. I do enjoy TSmithfield’s considered opinions though I think there is a very concerted and determined effort by the MSM and other commenters to convince voters not to vote Labour/Greens in October. Goodness only know what the Government has had to deal with over the past 6 years, they've every right to feel a bit jaded – the Christchurch massacre, Whakaari/White Island, the Covid 'invasion', the weather bombs which beset parts of the country a few months ago, as well as the effects of global inflation, which despite what Chris Luxon, Nicola Willis et al would have us believe that it's purely a N Z problem. I believe there are some good MPs in the 2020 intake who are biding their time and could well shine if they have the good fortune to be re-elected. It's a bit fraught at times, but I'm keeping the faith.
Jilly bee…meet space-bar ..!
Please..!
Wow Philip… is this better… I was probably typing away in a legal office on an Imperial 66 or similar long before you were a wee glint in your father's eye…
Lol Jilly Bee, you keep typing my friend. A rational caring voice is an utter relief.
I would ad that Kat got a flyer from Christopher Luxon, promising a rise every year for pensioners. My antenna went up!! Why??? Was that on his list???
I wondered if they were considering changing it to match the CPI, as for the old GSF. ???
I have both Super and the Government Super Fund I saved into as a Teacher.
The GSF is on the CPI increase and has gone up 40%+ since 2001.
The Super is @ 65% of the average wage and has more than doubled in the same time.
Anything that man mentions is a way? he is going to collect money to do his tax refunds for top earners, and remove tax off Landlords. imo
I like different points of view, but anyone who thinks Whale oil has anything to offer is out on a limb in my book.
Anyone who bags Labour or the Greens casually with "Labour always…' or "That would be the Greens" sweeping generalisations and pokes.
Real pertinent comments are fine, nastiness is not.imo
@ jb..
Did the imperial 66 not have a space bar…?
How on earth did you paragraph…back in those byegone days…?
p u……….I was always under the impression that a new paragraph was required when the subject matter changed……I though my previous post was pretty much dealing with the same subject……
No no j.b….
That all stems from when paper was very expensive…so cramming as much in as possible made economic sense…
What the internet has wrought for us is unlimited free paper…so words/sentences can now breathe..
I don't think/use paragraph as such..
I think each new sentence deserves the respect of a new line..all of its own..
And when I can I scorn the false honorific of the capital letter…
I mean..why..?.. exactly..?
And going on your reckons on my age…..you must be about 115…(!)
Well done you..!
You are holding up well…
With a double carriage return, Phillip ure..
The "space bar" was – and still is – used to insert a space.
The modern space-bar gives you a new/fresh line…
"Ditto Anne, I'm beginning to find TS a tad tiresome to wade through these days…"
Indeed it is sometimes Jilly Bee.
I love the way the young uns automatically assume that because we are old we don't know what we're talking about. We've been around the political traps years longer than they have – we've seen it all before – but nah… we know nuffink. 🙂
I've noted a number of valuable commenters don't visit TS much anymore.
@ anne…
Did you read the piece from thomas before your dennunciation..?
If you did… could you please point out just what you found wrong with it..?
As I read it as detailing the failings of the beaurocrats..in a govt agency..
And if anything a defence of allen…on the grounds of extreme provocation..
I just disagree with his reckons as to why eg a government which abandoned concrete targets for public service performance….
Education targets resulted in the kids they were inflicted on now struggling to achieve in the education system
It found only 16 per cent of teachers believed National Standards had a positive impact, while two thirds were concerned about the anxiety students felt about their performance and the negative effect this had on their learning.
One principal described it as "soul destroying" for students who make individual progress but remain "below" the standard.
Another said the system had "led to a deterioration in the educational deal our children are receiving".
The report highlighted a number of recurrent concerns, including a belief the system narrows the curriculum as teachers are forced to teach to the standards and they don't accurately reflect student's ability.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/national-standards-no-positive-impact-on-achievement-say-teachers/PJVHTVPTCYRHOKSHL7JRBC7PDY/
Waitlist targets for health resulted in people being kicked off waiting lists and representing years later in a worse state
There has been an ongoing political debate in New Zealand about whether funding injections result in increased and improved service access. Between 2000 and 2006, there was a slight reduction in the total number of people receiving elective treatments (Ministry of Health, 2008). However, the Health Minister suggested that the reduction was a result of more treatments in outpatient settings that were not captured in standard hospital datasets. A clear theme throughout the 7 years of analysis was the constant stories of DHBs having difficulty providing adequate service levels and of patients being removed from waiting lists despite the fact that they had a professionally determined need, as judged by their clinical priority scores, for treatment.
Another theme was the increasing threshold, or required score, for access to elective treatments. Many DHBs, under pressure to provide a response to growing numbers of referred patients, simply raised the number of points required to be eligible for treatment.
‘The figures show the mean score for adults having cardiothoracic surgery has risen from 33.5 in 2001 to 46.4 in 2005. Mean adult general surgery scores have risen from 77.5 to 87.9 and orthopaedic scores from 75.4 to 81.2 over the same period. There has also been a big jump in ophthalmology scores’
Waitlist targets for housing resulted in people being kicked off the waiting list and hiding the size of the problem
When this is placed alongside the wiping of thousands of people off the bottom of Housing New Zealand's waiting lists, the wonder is that National has got this far with little opposition.
One reason is that instead of rushing change, the housing reforms have followed a now familiar process which might be termed the "Bill English Handbook on Managing More Market Reform".
https://www.cpag.org.nz/media-releases/why-are-we-only-seeing-band-aid-responses
Targets to reduce benefit numbers resulted in people being denied benefits and a toxic environment
The Government has set itself ambitious new targets including 75,000 fewer New Zealanders being on benefits by June 2018 as part of its Better Public Services drive, Finance Minister Bill English and State Services Minister Paula Bennett say.
“AAAP see this treatment of beneficiaries by fraud investigators who are encouraged by MSD to punish beneficiaries as emblematic of the toxic culture of MSD which has turned lethal,” says Vanessa Cole spokesperson for AAAP.
“The former MSD investigator in the case of Wendy Shoebridge revealed that MSD had forced investigation staff to get at least one prosecution, and recover $30,000 in debt per month.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1612/S00117/investigation-is-proof-winz-s-toxic-culture-is-lethal.htm
Dumpty goes west: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/luxon-goes-west
Neither woke nor asleep, somewhere in between. Careful focus on the middle. Well-trained.
Ah, the boat people thesis. The notion that although it was your ancestors that did it, you can pretend it was actually you. Somehow I can't see this catching on. I agree most people are delusional, and get why he's playing that card, but they're addicted already to quite different delusions. Still, he didn't use the extraterrestrial genetic alteration theory – which has been around so long it has become conservative. Maybe he's weighing that option…
From biodiversity as a vista, into microcosm of that:
She's a paradigm-shifter:
Singer has recently lost respect with many in the autistic community because of her support for a gender-critical position. Mica at ponderful discusses where GC and trans autistic people disagree.
Messy. Folks have an inherent right to define their own identity but categories are social entities and language is a commons. When they battle over word-meanings it seems to be due to collective inability to reach consensus on the various categories involved. I suppose it will settle down eventually and a common view of how to handle such biodiversity will gel.
All these different groupings are user-driven, eh? So each group forms a social ecosystem in which users take refuge and then bond in solidarity. I still feel however, that pretending to be a woman when you aren't biologically is delusional. When such people misrepresent themselves to the detriment of women, seems logical they ought to be prosecuted for fraud. I wonder why I haven't heard of any such prosecution.
Can't imagine you had time to watch mica's vessay, which examines the ableist attitude that autistic people cannot decide for themselves they are trans. There is already an ableist attack on autistic persons accessing transition care in some US states.
Gun nuts here will be contemplating their admirable restraint:
The overall effect seems rather scattershot. I guess it's hard, when you're enraged, to shoot accurately. Still, celebrating Independence Day is tedious if you don't take out a few irritants here & there…
You know, the car and contents are insured. But I doubt the wounds of being outted in the Herald as living in a Glen Eden postcode when you've told all your friends you live in Oratia will ever quite heal.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/grant-theft-auto-new-850k-rolls-royce-ghost-stolen-from-glen-eden-womans-home/E73RDLY3YZB27PNKICDNG3IE5E/
A number of fascinating aspects to this story. Many people have a ‘company car.’
Not many have half million plus models. Not many have half million plus models with close at hand thieves ready to move in if they whip up the road.
The mayor of Wellington having a bit of a bender, getting a bit slurry and generally doing what a lot of people do and then being shat on by the business that was happy to take her money but didn't believe it owes any discretion to it's customers is apparently a scandal of the first order and worthy of days of pearl clutching headlines.
Meanwhile, a bunch of nasty old white boomer uncles getting together to tell jokes in public that have gone down like a cup of cold sick at the family Christmas for the last decade is just boys being boys.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wayne-brown-leo-molloy-sir-graham-henry-guy-williams-judith-collins-front-foul-mouthed-charity-debate/UK3KQPBGL5FJJLVH37KU7V6R4A/
Don't talk to me about there being no structural racism and sexism in this country.
And what is it with old men and their inability to grasp that they've had their day and culture, manners and society moves on? No wonder rugby stadiums are full of appalling retro pop played far too loud – These old pricks run the place and think it still represents the pinnacle of popular culture and they can't hear it at normal volumes without turning up their hearing aids to max, which would never do since it might put them out a bit.
Whatever did your Grandparents do to you?
I must admit I find these old bastards odious and interesting in equal measure.
This sort of public posturing works as a rallying cry insofar as it is a structure-of-feeling that is pervasive on the culture war Right in NZ and across the wider Anglosphere: that they have been excluded and marginalised from legitimate power by an illegitimate, parasitic elite. These old buggers are neither cynical nor sincere; they are both. Malloy and Henry and Plunkett and Brown act as a relay, through which the passions of the reactionary crowd they pander to pass and are returned in a louder and more garish form. They say what the crowd thinks.
That is where their power lies, beause the axiomatic received wisdom of an establishment MSM deeply wedded to the institutions that prop up these guys aligns with their world view.
The reason they hate the new elites lies precisely in the fact that they have new power structures and ways of doing things.
Agree – it is a "structure of feeling",and rather than being an emergent form as in the dictionary definition, it is a submergent form that fears it is on the way out. Rather than trying to become the new orthodoxy, it is the old orthodoxy fighting for its life.
An elite fighting for life, and making sure it takes down others with it.
As the attitudes and ideological stances you, mostly rightly, oppose, are just as much apparent in many young buggers, David Seymour being an indicative example, characterising them as unique to "boomers" and " old buggers" is not only inaccurate but alienates many who would otherwise agree with you.
Playing into the hands of those who want to take attention away from the fact that it is class, and those who want to steal from society, rather than contribute to it, of all ages.
Making it about "boomers" conveniently takes the focus on the whole new generations of entitled"little Lord Fantleroys"who are intent destroying my grandkids future for the gains of a few..
@kjt..
I agree with your observation that it is about class…and not about age…
And that making it about age..is just a self-serving distraction from the real problems…
Tho' those in that story re mayor and others…really are from the obnoxious end of the boomer spectrum…
And I guess the most charitable description of their attempts at humour…
..is gauche…
Totally agree.
Agree entirely kjt. A whole bunch of us "boomers" were protesting the American war in Vietnam, and the South African apartheid regime, before we even left High School.
We moved on to the Women's Movement and Gay Liberation in our 20's and then to the Union Movement in our 30's.
We raised the $$$$ for the Rape Crisis Centres and the Women's Refuges, we were marshals and organisers for the 1981 Anti Tour actions.
We are still working for progressive causes in our retirement.
We have never voted for any variety of Tory in our lives.
Sounds like my life.
Though I have to throw in some Maori causes as well…..
true. I thought" three old tur.s." lol Brown Malloy and Plunket!!
"Now now Trish they can't help it!!" muck in=muckout.
Like button! Agree wholeheartedly with this, ka pai
I totally agree Sanctuary.
"Profanity is the sign of a lazy mind." The amount of profanity used by the 'boomer uncles' puts on display some very lazy minds, who sadly think they were being clever.
I agree with this but I also think the issue with profanity is wider than 'boomer' uncles, unless some 'boomer uncles' have slipped in here……..
Name calling and profanity at a person are sides of the same disrepect of the views of others…she said prudishly.
Are people so angry when they write here or enage in debate that they have to use profanity? Worrying if so.
One person's profanity…is another's salty seasoning..
An underlining..
Tho' brown..when given a small road cone said he would insert in in someone's rear end..( his actual words are a more salty version of mine..)
And having pictures of media people pasted into urinals..so people can piss on them…
Have these old right-wing idjits reverted to early adolescence..?
Why is the media not all over this..?
And just focusing on the wellington mayor non-story..?
It would appear that a lot of the profanity was coming from the Mayor and her friend, at least as recounted by one person who was there.
"One man, who asked not to be identified, said he and his 13 and 15-year-old teenagers were sitting near Whanau and her friend and heard a lot of loud swearing: “Lots of words beginning with F.”"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/wellington/132466793/tory-whanau-saga-we-shouldnt-expect-anyone–to-be-a-complete-saint
Alwyn must be a hot favourite for today's pearl-clutching award…surely..?
I'm not sure that's what happened. Afaik the manager responded to media enquiries, they didn't go to the media. Whether the story originally came from staff or patrons, I don't think the business itself can be held responsible for that.
The story directly quoted a staff member. When I was the bar manager of a similar establishment that would have got you fired.
We of course would never support firing someone for answering a journalists questions however.
it's always so interesting seeing lefties advocating firing people. Especially when commenting on a labour movement aligned blog.
Do we know how the manager has dealt with the issue internally? Can they even get more staff at the moment?
I am just telling you stright how I would have dealt with a staff member if they'd made an unauthorised statement to the media – assuming you run an establishment which offers protection to it's patrons. It potentially can seriously affect business reputation.
Personally, I suspect the staff memeber was probably the stalking horse for a management to gutless to front the media themselves but not happy with recent changes around poedestrianisation in Wellington.
oh I completely agree with you that the business should be protecting customers as well as their own reputation, and that staff shouldn't be speaking to the media.
I'm not sure if it's legal to fire someone like that for sometimes like this. Gross misconduct? Depends on what happened (and I'm not a union or employment law bod). I suspect there are other ways of dealing with it, although again, it depends on what happened, and as per usual with MSM bollocks we don't really know.
I was wondering if the business is run by people with little media experience, and possibly English as a second language. I haven't seen anything to suggest that they were gunning for the mayor politically, but who knows. Would the business be affected by changes to urban planning?
otoh, I did see Slater's name crop up yesterday. Didn't read the piece, but it's possible it's just a straight out Dirty Politics job.
Not so long ago a nat mp got sacked for being drunk in charge of an ego!!
LMAO
The bunch of mostly old blokes in Auckland seemingly got away with their schoolboy behaviour while the Wellington mayor, being female, youngish and Māori, gets no such tolerance. And no male politician was ever put through the disgraceful online bile that Jacinda Ardern was subjected to.
US Supreme Court Justice Brown has done a pretty cool dissenting opinion which, if you read it, has a whole lot of parallels to our own debates about whether Maori get favoured treatment in many areas of society.
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/kbj-dissent-affirmative-action/
You can't quite 'search and replace' the term black for Maori, but you do get the idea.
We have to go a way back to Lord Cooke of Thorndon to get a senior judge going straight into this territory here.
For the longer version pertinent to NZ, refer to Professor Walker's Struggle Without End.
So Laura Norder is being called for at the top level:
It's a British tory initiative:
The establishment need their control system to get a grip on upstart rebel developers…
Just as an aside – I am of the view that nuclear power is clearly the best solution we have right now using exisiting technology to reduce carbon emissions, and NZ need to think about SMR (Small Modular Reactor) technologies to help provide baseload.
However, this study tells us that of180 nuclear power construction projects, 195 were late by an average of 64% longer that planned to build and over budget to an average of 117%
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=9374057
In the meantime, renewables continue to fall in cost. IMHO, the future lies in base hydro and nuclear with reenewables being used as much as possible.
Unfortunately RL got banned for a while & he's been urging us toward this. Around 7 years ago here I cited Stewart Brand's book Whole Earth Discipline where he has a chapter on the same theme.
My take from sporadic reading around the industry situation is that inertia prevails but some tech progress does happen – slowly. Still, climate change pressures everyone towards a collective solution and the logic of safe reactors will become inexorable eventually. Those that consume waste nuclear products are Greenest!
"over budget to an average of 117%".
That sounds pretty good to me. That certainly looks better than the road in Tauranga.
"The new forecast of $292m is up from $262m a year ago, almost three times the original 2015 estimate"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/493202/tauranga-s-1-point-7km-highway-link-cost-blows-out-to-300m
Or consider the proposed cycleway from Wellington to Petone. It was originally estimated at $94 million and is now up to $312 million
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/129345651/cost-blowout-for-harbour-pathway-between-wellington-and-hutt-valley
A mere 117% sounds like a bargain.
Taking a whole life-cycle approach to costing nuclear power:
'Using their model, Barron and Hill found that nuclear power is likely to be a far less cost-effective, low-carbon energy source than others had suggested. In fact, their models find nuclear waste disposal to be 2.5 to 4 times more expensive than other models have suggested.
These new findings support the argument that nuclear power, despite being a low-carbon energy source, may not be cost effective.'
In so far as I can ascertain, none of the models include the energy required to mitigate/ decommission nuclear plants and their waste products….if you included such I suspect they would end up being net energy negative.
I expect, however, you need to compare to coal-fired plants, rather than to 'green' technologies, like wind or solar.
Bearing in mind, that there is little, if any, prospect of significant wind, solar or hydro capacity in many countries. So their choices are: continue to burn fossil fuels; massively restrict energy use (unlikely to happen); nuclear power.
“Waste disposal and decommissioning costs are usually fully included in the operating costs. If the social, health and environmental costs of fossil fuels are also taken into account, the competitiveness of nuclear power is improved.”
https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/economic-aspects/economics-of-nuclear-power.aspx
Nuclear power companies are never honest about decommissioning costs which are often massive.
When this is taken into account solar is now cheaper and easier…because of this why would anyone choose nuclear, especially given Ukraine type situations.
Meta introduces Threads – a rival to Twitter – log in is via Instagram.
500 character limit.
It should probably help Twitter with its data management problems, if not the bottom line.
Musk fans using Instagram will be pulled over …those not on Instagram will have to go through their personal data regime to get on.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66112648