Interesting story from the Intercept about the use of special ' portals ' in use by both Twitter and Facebook to facilitate manipulation of media by agents of DHS and other agencies .
Fun phrases such as " need to regulate the cognitive infrastructure " are enthusiastically bandied about by the agents involved but its just called censorship in layman's language
I guess there will be quite a few supporters here for this sort of ' intervention 'as our own PM is championing the cause ?
Amazing that some consider "disinformation (false information spread intentionally)" could be harmful – simply amazing. After all, disinformation is in the eye of the beholder ("Perception is Reality") – what possible harm could it actually do?
Imho, the preferred method of countering anyone spreading false information is to provide true information – whether this is always an effective method is up for debate.
Btw, to whoever is putting VFF disinformation flyers in my letterbox – please stop.
Now, folks, let us remind you of some things. We don’t like LPD. We don’t particularly like Democrats. While we support Adam Morfeld in this race, we would be more than happy to slice off his balls with a rusty bread knife if he sexually assaulted someone. And we believe that women should be heard.
Heard, that is, until you realize that this accuser is a Notorious Local Psychopath (NLP) with a years-long track record of trying to shit on anyone who in her own demented mind has crossed her in some way—real or imagined.
One of NLP’s recent targets is a middle school age girl who lives in her apartment building. She claims the middle schooler has threatened to rape her and murder her baby with a sword, but witnesses say it was NLP who threatened the girl. Another target is a man in Wyoming who NLP developed some kind of Fatal Attraction/Single White Female hate boner for. The man runs a YouTube channel about home schooling and frugal living that was started by his wife. He took over after his wife died of cancer. NLP allegedly called and texted him and his children repeatedly. She allegedly claimed to have been in their house when they were not home, and asked whether his wife lost control of her bowels when she died.
I guess there will be quite a few supporters here for this sort of ' intervention 'as our own PM is championing the cause ?
Is this the Christchurch Call you are meaning? This was set in motion by the killing of 51 defenceless people here in NZ. In this she was joined by Macron whose country had suffered from terrorists as well. What on earth is the problem with asking agencies making money from people thoughts to institute basic speech 'hygiene' roles.
Some free speech proponents seem to think free speech means being able to say the most ghastly things about other people, possibly inciting others. Free speech does not mean freedom from consequences.
Have not watched the Intercept. The earlier Youtube link gave me such a fright I have vowed not to watch any other possible RW dribble.
I followed the anti vax agenda from very, very early on and it meant having to read lots of unhinged, anti people media. While I did this dis/mis- information investigation for my own interest and with a purpose I am far from wanting to see it in everyday life.
I also don't think you have introduced it (Intercept) well enough and you certainly have not discussed the topic well enough so people don't have to watch the film to be able to participate.
Yes I did see it. Companion piece to the one about the the 'protest/riot' at parliament
Tory Whanau is head down and bottom up as far as I can see/hear. Which is what I want. Can't bear the 'rah, rah looka me looka me', I have to be in your face every five minutes like her counterpart in Auckland but I guess 'horses for courses'.
Her connections into our community will be invaluable.
I was very impressed that she has chosen one of our local ward councillors as her deputy, Laurie Foon. Laurie is a former owner/designer of a fashion shop in Wellington that used sustainable methods in its fashion long before the slow fashion etc movement became popular. Our ward also elected Nureddin Adurahman who came from Ethiopia as a refugee, to the Council.
Somali and Ethiopian immigrants settled in my community and meet for coffee and 'changing the world' at one of our cafes here in Newtown. So face recognition I am sure for Nureddin will have been a help as he is out and about. .
Tory Whanau is head down and bottom up as far as I can see/hear. Which is what I want. Can't bear the 'rah, rah looka me looka me', I have to be in your face every five minutes like her counterpart in Auckland but I guess 'horses for courses'.
Sorry, but what Planet are you living on ?
Deeply narcissistic Corporate Lobbyist …
… but then that’s precisely your kind of “Left” (LOL) isn’t it . Affluent, power-hungry, highly performative virtue-signaling … inherently, ruthlessly self-interested.
So the personal negativity against me continues. To be frank I am mighty sick of you making up things about me that are so wide of the mark is not funny. I'm still laughing about your All Black comment from the last bout of negativity. So far off the mark it was crazy.
I am sure you do not live in Wellington as I have not heard the terms you are using. Most of the people I have spoken to where I have mentioned this bad so called lobbyist have felt that knowing one's way around the corporate scene is an asset. But then that is Wellington for you.
And Aucklanders have elected a person that so stunningly represents the stereotype …….
“Variety's the very spice [and a fact] of life, that gives it all its flavour.” – Cowper
I like the sound of my own voice – but does that make me a narcissist?
I was on the phone to a friend recently, blathering away as usual, when I realised that there was no one on the other end of the line. How long ago had this happened? I checked my phone and discovered, to my horror, that the call had ended almost five minutes ago.
…
Everyone has some narcissistic traits, he says, but a narcissist is someone who lets it govern their personality. When it tips over into a problem, he says, is when you have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). These people exhibit what Malkin calls the triple E: they are so driven to feel special that they will exploit other people; they are so entitled they think other people should bend to their will; and empathy impairment can make them blind to the feelings of others, usually to the detriment of personal relationships.
Good on you Shanreagh. And Yea I think Tory Whanau will be the Change for the better that Wellington badly needed.
And try to ignore the quite sad, albeit negative commenter.
If you feel possible, I'd like you to keep giving some updates on how you think Wellington is going ? I value your Input. Cheers : )
I'm still smiling & chuffed at Tory getting in, at her deputy being one of our ward councillors and the other ward councillor being Nureddin Abdurahman.
Shanreagh : What is DHS ? Department of Homeland Security set up after 911
This article i neglected to say , my bad ,is called Truth Cops and is by two journalists called Lee Fang and Ken Kippelstein both of whom afaik work for The Intercept .They look fairly credible to me but doubtless the morality police will inform us if it is otherwise !!
The article has nothing to do with the terror attack in CC or terror attacks in the US but rather attempts by gov agencies in the US , putting it in simple terms , to influence and ' shape perspectives '.Obviously and ominously ! these would include ' political perspectives '
Personally for the record i have no axes to grind as far as the anti vax movement in nz goes having got all the requisite jabs myself and far from holding any serious grudges against JA i have regarded anti signage of the aforementioned with a kind of disattached bemusement as ive travelled about although in saying that i'd have to add that fairly serious divisions in our society in general are evident and are of concern .
All of a sudden or so it seems to me there is an unreasonable fear by people that exposure to some information is gonna herald or usher in some sort of breakdown of normal functioning cognitive reasoning which i think is both sad and chickenshit .
Well there you go…..had you included all the stuff about the link first off I may have watched it.
I found though that the previous piece you linked to and I unwittingly read, was of the same ilk ie slightly unhinged as was the anti vax stuff that I did not/could not watch it. I drew an analogy about the vax to show that the last link from you was crazy and I did not need/want to expose myself to any more. My para was not to query whether you or anyone else was anti vax??
The whole thing about perception is slightly naive.
Isn't that what every advertisement, every leader-writer, every editor, every politician, every government works in?
For instance in Wellington last year we were invited to give comments on intensification of residential use. The fact that this was obviously and clearly approved as a concept by Govt and then conveyed to local authorities meant that someone in the intro to the comments had already made up their minds that this was OK and we got this perception loud and clear in the information given.
The whole atmosphere about how people had got some things so wrong around the anti vax/protest time renewed calls for schools syllabuses to include topics about propaganda, information management/perception management and how to fact check etc.
Perception management is widespread. Mostly benign, if you know how to deal with it.
I am not sure if you are referring to social media Shanreigh, but as Gordon Campbell says much has been made of the threat posed by social media. He's not convinced. Interesting coming from a leftie.
One of the problems about shutting down free speech is it forces people underground. Personally I think marginalizing people in this way will more likely lead to radicalization. Yes there should be consequences for free speech and the consequences should be that people get called out, challenged and debated. When I say called out, I don't mean the current propensity to label someone (which in this climate often means de platforming them). First you label them (some popular labels being transphobe, racist, mysogynist) then you don't engage in debate. I think this is highly polarizing.
If you think controlling what people say is going to fix say racism I am going to have to say I very much disagree. Do you think Bluebird foods, who sacked a worker for saying (on their private FB page) in response to Whittakers Te Reo chocolate that she was sick to death of Maori language everywhere she went (not a direct quote) is going to promote race relations? Because I don't think it will.
Besides, who gets to decide what is acceptable or not.
We currently have laws that put limits on free speech. Defamation laws and inciting violence laws. One of the problems with trying to restrict free speech that doesn't mean this criteria, but expresses hatred is that is endemic. This website is not immune.
I hope you are right about Tory W. Time will tell as it will with Wayne B. I wish them both well, god knows both Wellington and Auckland have some pretty big issues that need fixing.
I am not talking about social media. I've got no real views on it.
As far as racism, sexism and all the other isms. We surely don't need to debate whether these have a place in our world. They don't. We have the Human Rights legislation, the role of human rights flowing from the UN, and brought about by the great distaste and hope the human race never has/had to fight another ware like the world did against the Nazis where their war was against people of a different religion. These are supposed to recognise that it is never Ok to discriminate. Un regulated so-called free speech can do just this.
Clearly though people do slip up or test the boundaries. That does not mean that we need to debate the concept of human rights as a result. We look at the why, why have such views come about, Do we need to care more for the teaching of critical thinking…
Free speech can exist in a world where human rights exist. We do not have to give voice to every distasteful though we have against someone who is different from us. Neither do we need to engage with someone who does as if they had a point worth debating, they don't. We can engage on the basis of trying to correct a misapprehension though.
Good parenting, good education also has an important role.
I don't have a view on the Bluebird person except to say that ill conceived views can cause a lessening of views about the reputation of a corporate. Reputation management ie a subset of perception management, is greatly cared for by corporates. Israel Folau was another who felt his views on homosexuality were worth sharing with the world, his sponsor did not.
There have been employment law cases (that I used to have my finger on) that said this much. Unless the person had tied their FB setting down tightly then a post on FB is a post to the world.
No I am not debating whether racism or sexism has a role in our world. But the reality as you expressed on this site a couple of days back is that NZ is racist. I think it is less racist than what you may think, although I can’t know this for sure, and part of my evidence is the health service and the outpouring of support for the Musleim community after the outrage.
So what do we do about racism? May people criminals? Who defines what exactly is racism? Sexism? I know the woke definition of transphobia and I think it is just a way to shut people down.
"My suggestion was that we call it out, challenge it, question why people have their views (for example why was the bluebird employee sick of Te Reo). Because the hate speech laws will/could make it a crime to say racist or sexist things (who knows how they will define it, when the PM couldn't define it when she said "you know it when you see it").
The first I heard of the Bluebird employee was when Bluebird said they were investigating the worker (she claims she grew up in Northland and doesn’t consider herself racist). Bluebird had a complaint about it from someone who went out of thir way to find out where the woman worked and then complained. So if BB hadn’t have drawn attention to it, it would likely have gone unnoticed. Do you think the woman should have lost her job for what she said? I don’t. And I think BB would be hard pressed to prove reputational damage.
I have only just begun to research CRT, but from what I have read, it doesn’t decrease racism and perhaps may backfire (this intuitively makes sense to me). If anyone can provide me with some links that show otherwise, I would open to reading it.
I think it [NZ] is less racist than what you may think, although I can’t know this for sure…
It's not essential to be a target of racism to perceive racism, but it can help. Of course we can’t shut all racists down, but where’s the harm in making examples of a few high-profile cases? Maybe ask the target(s).
sorry / he said / I've hurt my family / I may have hurt yours /
yes / we scrapped in the car over it / there was yelling / by the time we got to the end of the Mangere motorway / I was crying / who is this redneck with the big brown shoulders sitting next to me / anti PC /darker than me / defending freedom of speech / but I don't want it to be all right /
/ I don't want my kids to have stanzas of darkie memories /
sorry / Paul Holmes said / I could see that he meant it / I felt sad for him / and happy / I signed the petition to say he should get sacked / I am a manager in a govt. department / not Matlock / not the PM / just a member of the chocolate soldier movement / melting in the middle
As Waititi said – "a cheeky giggle" – or, indeed, a "cheeky darkie" – "gives others the message that it's okay."
Holmes 'cheeky darkie' complaints dismissed
The authority did not uphold complaints about Holmes' comments on female journalists. Holmes had asked whether the number of female journalists was making journalism "ignorant and bitchy" and if newspapers were particularly judgmental at certain times of the month.
there will be quite a few supporters here for this sort of ' intervention '
No – not really. People on the left are wary of surveillance, because historically most of it has been directed against people like us. However, to not acknowledge that the US has a problem with domestic terrorism and random shooters, and that the State has an obligation to protect its people, is delusional extremism in itself – often smuggled in under the false flag of 'free speech'. Some sort of difficult balance has to be found.
And people on the left believe that the best counter to misinformation is not censorship, but a well-funded, well-regulated public broadcaster with strong firewalls in place against government interference. But as we have seen National opposes the attempt to create such a thing via the TVNZ-RNZ merger. And clearly, that's because the tide of misinformation in NZ mostly flows in National's favour via the Herald-ZB-Newshub nexus.
That Westworld article was written in 2019. I predict that some 'urine therapy' advocates will have claimed it can ward off 'the Covid' – well whaddayaknow.
Good move by Grant Robertson at the Labour Party conference to raise "Liz" Luxon's plan to give generous tax relief to the well off and $2-3 a week to those not earning a high income. Robertson gets his point across very well and with humour. Keep it up highlighting the inequity of National's intentions!
Luxon should be embarrassed, but of course is not and appears very smug about his intentions, should National win next year.
Maybe Luxon had introduced a new gender identity i.e lizard. Afterall Bristol University put out a statement for staff about using pro nouns that included Cat gender. I kid you not.
There is a significant decrease in the asset value of the government since the update on the June year,with ACC,NZSF and housing assets depreciating as well as debt increases and higher interest payments coming into the bond tenders.
Party conferences are quite revealing, as they are entirely presented by the parties themselves, not distorted through the media lens.
At every National conference, the leader will be joined on stage by an adoring spouse (usually wife) and children. Whereas Ardern is joined by the Cabinet, and her daughter is nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps the most baseless of all the attacks on the PM is that she parades her family for photo ops and votes. The opposite is true, and always has been. The lie is projection.
Observer not sure I have seen Luxon's wife or kids, but maybe that's because you wouldn't see me at a National Party conference…..
do remember 2017 with Bill English bringing out the family (one who sung some opera) and some wit drew a paralel to the Sound of Music………….
I am not sure voters care too much about families and kids except their own.
The child care subsidy is clever, because likely not to be inflationary. but the rest of us still have to cope with rising food and housing costs. Good to know the middle class aren't overlooked. What about beneficiaries who don't work? Oh well, maybe another time.
ps I may be mistaken here as I haven't read all the details.
Newshub poll at 6 pm. Given the overall trend, probably bad for Labour. But it's the outsiders that are more interesting, are the "plague on both your houses" voters gravitating towards any particular party?
Labour have about a year to turn things around. Judging by the policy announcements made today, doesn't really look like it's making much of an effort.
Waiting for the Budget I suspect. Waste of time putting out the good announcements a year out when in government, runs into the problem of "But what have you done for me lately" at the actual election.
Im not expecting anything big, but the childcare subsidy sounds like something that National could have annonced, and will just end up adding to the profit margins of the likes of Kidicorp, etc.
Disagree with your opinion and National didn't believe in giving people a choice.
"The Minister of Social Development says that as of next July, beneficiaries who fail to take reasonable steps to keep their children in certified early childhood care for at least 15 hours a week, from age 3 until they go to school, will have their benefits halved"
Very grateful to see that sanity has prevailed – and that NZF are well back behind the 5% threshold.
Making the Horizon poll look very much like a rogue result.
NZF is a tick up from polling earlier this year – but certainly doesn't seem to be attracting significant support from any of the 4 larger parties (Lab/Nat/Grn/ACT)
The 'plague on all your houses' vote appears to be staying home….
Random polls this year have given them up to 4% – setting aside the nearly 7% from the Horizon outlier poll.
I'd say their current poll result puts them well within the rest of the polling this year – crucially under 5%.
Do you really want Winston back in parliament? Or is that just a cross you'd be prepared to bear in order to get a Labour/Green coalition over the line?
Yes its a cross I would bear to get Lab/green over the line.
And you ? would you rather a Nat/ Act government just to keep NZF out of parliament? or do you just see NZF as an impediment to Act/Nat forming a government.
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Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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 ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi Māori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground PictureMany Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...
Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...
Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study on populism reveals a pervasive sense of societal and economic decline among New Zealanders. MORE DETAILS AND FULL REPORT HERE Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study ...
https://theintercept.com/2022/10/31/social-media-disinformation-dhs/
Interesting story from the Intercept about the use of special ' portals ' in use by both Twitter and Facebook to facilitate manipulation of media by agents of DHS and other agencies .
Fun phrases such as " need to regulate the cognitive infrastructure " are enthusiastically bandied about by the agents involved but its just called censorship in layman's language
I guess there will be quite a few supporters here for this sort of ' intervention 'as our own PM is championing the cause ?
Amazing that some consider "disinformation (false information spread intentionally)" could be harmful – simply amazing. After all, disinformation is in the eye of the beholder ("Perception is Reality") – what possible harm could it actually do?
Imho, the preferred method of countering anyone spreading false information is to provide true information – whether this is always an effective method is up for debate.
Btw, to whoever is putting VFF disinformation flyers in my letterbox – please stop.
Gosh, there's a panel designed to police misinformation.
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https://twitter.com/SeeingRedNE/status/1588980116272467968
Now, folks, let us remind you of some things. We don’t like LPD. We don’t particularly like Democrats. While we support Adam Morfeld in this race, we would be more than happy to slice off his balls with a rusty bread knife if he sexually assaulted someone. And we believe that women should be heard.
Heard, that is, until you realize that this accuser is a Notorious Local Psychopath (NLP) with a years-long track record of trying to shit on anyone who in her own demented mind has crossed her in some way—real or imagined.
One of NLP’s recent targets is a middle school age girl who lives in her apartment building. She claims the middle schooler has threatened to rape her and murder her baby with a sword, but witnesses say it was NLP who threatened the girl. Another target is a man in Wyoming who NLP developed some kind of Fatal Attraction/Single White Female hate boner for. The man runs a YouTube channel about home schooling and frugal living that was started by his wife. He took over after his wife died of cancer. NLP allegedly called and texted him and his children repeatedly. She allegedly claimed to have been in their house when they were not home, and asked whether his wife lost control of her bowels when she died.
https://seeingrednebraska.com/fascism/klin-broadcasts-scurrilous-rape-accusation-to-benefit-republican-incumbent-pat-condon/
Is this the Christchurch Call you are meaning? This was set in motion by the killing of 51 defenceless people here in NZ. In this she was joined by Macron whose country had suffered from terrorists as well. What on earth is the problem with asking agencies making money from people thoughts to institute basic speech 'hygiene' roles.
Some free speech proponents seem to think free speech means being able to say the most ghastly things about other people, possibly inciting others. Free speech does not mean freedom from consequences.
Have not watched the Intercept. The earlier Youtube link gave me such a fright I have vowed not to watch any other possible RW dribble.
I followed the anti vax agenda from very, very early on and it meant having to read lots of unhinged, anti people media. While I did this dis/mis- information investigation for my own interest and with a purpose I am far from wanting to see it in everyday life.
I also don't think you have introduced it (Intercept) well enough and you certainly have not discussed the topic well enough so people don't have to watch the film to be able to participate.
PS who is DHS, who are the ‘other agencies’?
Hi Shanreagh. How are things with new Mayor Tory ? Hope she gets a good go at it : ) Re your comment #2 did you see the NZ Doco about…Haters in nz ?
Was some I did not know…good to see exposed. And see the Investigative Reporters/Researchers (and quite brave actually with threats against them)
Yes I did see it. Companion piece to the one about the the 'protest/riot' at parliament
Tory Whanau is head down and bottom up as far as I can see/hear. Which is what I want. Can't bear the 'rah, rah looka me looka me', I have to be in your face every five minutes like her counterpart in Auckland but I guess 'horses for courses'.
Her connections into our community will be invaluable.
I was very impressed that she has chosen one of our local ward councillors as her deputy, Laurie Foon. Laurie is a former owner/designer of a fashion shop in Wellington that used sustainable methods in its fashion long before the slow fashion etc movement became popular. Our ward also elected Nureddin Adurahman who came from Ethiopia as a refugee, to the Council.
Somali and Ethiopian immigrants settled in my community and meet for coffee and 'changing the world' at one of our cafes here in Newtown. So face recognition I am sure for Nureddin will have been a help as he is out and about. .
https://policy.nz/2022/wellington-city-council-paekawakawa-southern-general-ward/candidates/nureddin-abdurahman.
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Sorry, but what Planet are you living on ?
Deeply narcissistic Corporate Lobbyist …
… but then that’s precisely your kind of “Left” (LOL) isn’t it . Affluent, power-hungry, highly performative virtue-signaling … inherently, ruthlessly self-interested.
So the personal negativity against me continues. To be frank I am mighty sick of you making up things about me that are so wide of the mark is not funny. I'm still laughing about your All Black comment from the last bout of negativity. So far off the mark it was crazy.
I am sure you do not live in Wellington as I have not heard the terms you are using. Most of the people I have spoken to where I have mentioned this bad so called lobbyist have felt that knowing one's way around the corporate scene is an asset. But then that is Wellington for you.
And Aucklanders have elected a person that so stunningly represents the stereotype …….
give it a rest mate. Taking potshots at commenters crosses a line.
“Variety's the very spice [and a fact] of life, that gives it all its flavour.” – Cowper
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-disorders/narcissistic-personality-disorder.htm
Good on you Shanreagh. And Yea I think Tory Whanau will be the Change for the better that Wellington badly needed.
And try to ignore the quite sad, albeit negative commenter.
If you feel possible, I'd like you to keep giving some updates on how you think Wellington is going ? I value your Input. Cheers : )
Will do, though not much to report lately.
I'm still smiling & chuffed at Tory getting in, at her deputy being one of our ward councillors and the other ward councillor being Nureddin Abdurahman.
Shanreagh : What is DHS ? Department of Homeland Security set up after 911
This article i neglected to say , my bad ,is called Truth Cops and is by two journalists called Lee Fang and Ken Kippelstein both of whom afaik work for The Intercept .They look fairly credible to me but doubtless the morality police will inform us if it is otherwise !!
The article has nothing to do with the terror attack in CC or terror attacks in the US but rather attempts by gov agencies in the US , putting it in simple terms , to influence and ' shape perspectives '.Obviously and ominously ! these would include ' political perspectives '
Personally for the record i have no axes to grind as far as the anti vax movement in nz goes having got all the requisite jabs myself and far from holding any serious grudges against JA i have regarded anti signage of the aforementioned with a kind of disattached bemusement as ive travelled about although in saying that i'd have to add that fairly serious divisions in our society in general are evident and are of concern .
All of a sudden or so it seems to me there is an unreasonable fear by people that exposure to some information is gonna herald or usher in some sort of breakdown of normal functioning cognitive reasoning which i think is both sad and chickenshit .
I prefer my info UNpasturised !!
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Well there you go…..had you included all the stuff about the link first off I may have watched it.
I found though that the previous piece you linked to and I unwittingly read, was of the same ilk ie slightly unhinged as was the anti vax stuff that I did not/could not watch it. I drew an analogy about the vax to show that the last link from you was crazy and I did not need/want to expose myself to any more. My para was not to query whether you or anyone else was anti vax??
The whole thing about perception is
slightlynaive.Isn't that what every advertisement, every leader-writer, every editor, every politician, every government works in?
For instance in Wellington last year we were invited to give comments on intensification of residential use. The fact that this was obviously and clearly approved as a concept by Govt and then conveyed to local authorities meant that someone in the intro to the comments had already made up their minds that this was OK and we got this perception loud and clear in the information given.
The whole atmosphere about how people had got some things so wrong around the anti vax/protest time renewed calls for schools syllabuses to include topics about propaganda, information management/perception management and how to fact check etc.
Perception management is widespread. Mostly benign, if you know how to deal with it.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL2211/S00004/on-inflating-the-threat-posed-by-social-media.htm
I am not sure if you are referring to social media Shanreigh, but as Gordon Campbell says much has been made of the threat posed by social media. He's not convinced. Interesting coming from a leftie.
One of the problems about shutting down free speech is it forces people underground. Personally I think marginalizing people in this way will more likely lead to radicalization. Yes there should be consequences for free speech and the consequences should be that people get called out, challenged and debated. When I say called out, I don't mean the current propensity to label someone (which in this climate often means de platforming them). First you label them (some popular labels being transphobe, racist, mysogynist) then you don't engage in debate. I think this is highly polarizing.
If you think controlling what people say is going to fix say racism I am going to have to say I very much disagree. Do you think Bluebird foods, who sacked a worker for saying (on their private FB page) in response to Whittakers Te Reo chocolate that she was sick to death of Maori language everywhere she went (not a direct quote) is going to promote race relations? Because I don't think it will.
Besides, who gets to decide what is acceptable or not.
We currently have laws that put limits on free speech. Defamation laws and inciting violence laws. One of the problems with trying to restrict free speech that doesn't mean this criteria, but expresses hatred is that is endemic. This website is not immune.
I hope you are right about Tory W. Time will tell as it will with Wayne B. I wish them both well, god knows both Wellington and Auckland have some pretty big issues that need fixing.
I am not talking about social media. I've got no real views on it.
As far as racism, sexism and all the other isms. We surely don't need to debate whether these have a place in our world. They don't. We have the Human Rights legislation, the role of human rights flowing from the UN, and brought about by the great distaste and hope the human race never has/had to fight another ware like the world did against the Nazis where their war was against people of a different religion. These are supposed to recognise that it is never Ok to discriminate. Un regulated so-called free speech can do just this.
Clearly though people do slip up or test the boundaries. That does not mean that we need to debate the concept of human rights as a result. We look at the why, why have such views come about, Do we need to care more for the teaching of critical thinking…
Free speech can exist in a world where human rights exist. We do not have to give voice to every distasteful though we have against someone who is different from us. Neither do we need to engage with someone who does as if they had a point worth debating, they don't. We can engage on the basis of trying to correct a misapprehension though.
Good parenting, good education also has an important role.
I don't have a view on the Bluebird person except to say that ill conceived views can cause a lessening of views about the reputation of a corporate. Reputation management ie a subset of perception management, is greatly cared for by corporates. Israel Folau was another who felt his views on homosexuality were worth sharing with the world, his sponsor did not.
There have been employment law cases (that I used to have my finger on) that said this much. Unless the person had tied their FB setting down tightly then a post on FB is a post to the world.
No I am not debating whether racism or sexism has a role in our world. But the reality as you expressed on this site a couple of days back is that NZ is racist. I think it is less racist than what you may think, although I can’t know this for sure, and part of my evidence is the health service and the outpouring of support for the Musleim community after the outrage.
So what do we do about racism? May people criminals? Who defines what exactly is racism? Sexism? I know the woke definition of transphobia and I think it is just a way to shut people down.
"My suggestion was that we call it out, challenge it, question why people have their views (for example why was the bluebird employee sick of Te Reo). Because the hate speech laws will/could make it a crime to say racist or sexist things (who knows how they will define it, when the PM couldn't define it when she said "you know it when you see it").
The first I heard of the Bluebird employee was when Bluebird said they were investigating the worker (she claims she grew up in Northland and doesn’t consider herself racist). Bluebird had a complaint about it from someone who went out of thir way to find out where the woman worked and then complained. So if BB hadn’t have drawn attention to it, it would likely have gone unnoticed. Do you think the woman should have lost her job for what she said? I don’t. And I think BB would be hard pressed to prove reputational damage.
I have only just begun to research CRT, but from what I have read, it doesn’t decrease racism and perhaps may backfire (this intuitively makes sense to me). If anyone can provide me with some links that show otherwise, I would open to reading it.
It's not essential to be a target of racism to perceive racism, but it can help. Of course we can’t shut all racists down, but where’s the harm in making examples of a few high-profile cases? Maybe ask the target(s).
https://divyaiwrites.home.blog/2019/06/07/critical-response-to-eating-dark-chocolate-and-watching-paul-holmes-apology-by-karlo-mila/
As Waititi said – "a cheeky giggle" – or, indeed, a "cheeky darkie" – "gives others the message that it's okay."
No – not really. People on the left are wary of surveillance, because historically most of it has been directed against people like us. However, to not acknowledge that the US has a problem with domestic terrorism and random shooters, and that the State has an obligation to protect its people, is delusional extremism in itself – often smuggled in under the false flag of 'free speech'. Some sort of difficult balance has to be found.
And people on the left believe that the best counter to misinformation is not censorship, but a well-funded, well-regulated public broadcaster with strong firewalls in place against government interference. But as we have seen National opposes the attempt to create such a thing via the TVNZ-RNZ merger. And clearly, that's because the tide of misinformation in NZ mostly flows in National's favour via the Herald-ZB-Newshub nexus.
Owning Twitter has led to some surprisingly revelatory tweets from the big man
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Just a bit of fun, and without wanting to lower the tone:
That Westworld article was written in 2019. I predict that some 'urine therapy' advocates will have claimed it can ward off 'the Covid' – well whaddayaknow.
Thank goodness Wikipeedia isn't for sale – yet.
Good move by Grant Robertson at the Labour Party conference to raise "Liz" Luxon's plan to give generous tax relief to the well off and $2-3 a week to those not earning a high income. Robertson gets his point across very well and with humour. Keep it up highlighting the inequity of National's intentions!
Luxon should be embarrassed, but of course is not and appears very smug about his intentions, should National win next year.
Liz Luxon…….Has Grant Robertson just misgendered Christopher luxon???????
Where's Elizabeth Kerekere when you need her?
Liz can be short for Lizard you know!
Visubversa LOL!
Visubversa Quite Clever that!!
Maybe Luxon had introduced a new gender identity i.e lizard. Afterall Bristol University put out a statement for staff about using pro nouns that included Cat gender. I kid you not.
It's a Liz Truss lite Luxon (shared love of tax cuts) thing.
Yes, boringly, that was the way I took it! But Liz short for lizard, and misgendering are much more creative.
Labour to address cost of living catastrophe with policy announcements.
Will the announcements be targeted so as not to increases inflation?
Will the announcements be debt funded (increasing fiscal risk and debt inflation)?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/130388925/live-jacinda-ardern-set-to-announce-cost-of-living-policy-as-labour-conference-closes
There is a significant decrease in the asset value of the government since the update on the June year,with ACC,NZSF and housing assets depreciating as well as debt increases and higher interest payments coming into the bond tenders.
Party conferences are quite revealing, as they are entirely presented by the parties themselves, not distorted through the media lens.
At every National conference, the leader will be joined on stage by an adoring spouse (usually wife) and children. Whereas Ardern is joined by the Cabinet, and her daughter is nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps the most baseless of all the attacks on the PM is that she parades her family for photo ops and votes. The opposite is true, and always has been. The lie is projection.
Observer not sure I have seen Luxon's wife or kids, but maybe that's because you wouldn't see me at a National Party conference…..
do remember 2017 with Bill English bringing out the family (one who sung some opera) and some wit drew a paralel to the Sound of Music………….
I am not sure voters care too much about families and kids except their own.
The child care subsidy is clever, because likely not to be inflationary. but the rest of us still have to cope with rising food and housing costs. Good to know the middle class aren't overlooked. What about beneficiaries who don't work? Oh well, maybe another time.
ps I may be mistaken here as I haven't read all the details.
I thought she said all preschool children whose parents pay let them qualify.? I too may have been mistaken.
A copy of her speech would be good .
Newshub poll at 6 pm. Given the overall trend, probably bad for Labour. But it's the outsiders that are more interesting, are the "plague on both your houses" voters gravitating towards any particular party?
Labour have about a year to turn things around. Judging by the policy announcements made today, doesn't really look like it's making much of an effort.
Waiting for the Budget I suspect. Waste of time putting out the good announcements a year out when in government, runs into the problem of "But what have you done for me lately" at the actual election.
You cant make such a judgement though. Don't recall the party's conference ever being a platform to announce a slew of big policies.
Im not expecting anything big, but the childcare subsidy sounds like something that National could have annonced, and will just end up adding to the profit margins of the likes of Kidicorp, etc.
Disagree with your opinion and National didn't believe in giving people a choice.
"The Minister of Social Development says that as of next July, beneficiaries who fail to take reasonable steps to keep their children in certified early childhood care for at least 15 hours a week, from age 3 until they go to school, will have their benefits halved"
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/single-mums-slam-plan-to-enforce-childcare/Q7VV7P7RB5DJ5GSWK3ET46PHCI/
National do not think that parents should stay home and look after their children, unless they are super wealthy.
True that. Often wondered how many within the National party are proponents of eugenics.
Very grateful to see that sanity has prevailed – and that NZF are well back behind the 5% threshold.
Making the Horizon poll look very much like a rogue result.
NZF is a tick up from polling earlier this year – but certainly doesn't seem to be attracting significant support from any of the 4 larger parties (Lab/Nat/Grn/ACT)
The 'plague on all your houses' vote appears to be staying home….
Unfortunately, under National, most workers can forget about getting any decent form of payrise until after 2030.
NZF support has doubled 3.3 up from 1.6 – so is on track to feature in 2023.
A National and Act government is not the sort of sanity Im looking for. – each to their own.
Random polls this year have given them up to 4% – setting aside the nearly 7% from the Horizon outlier poll.
I'd say their current poll result puts them well within the rest of the polling this year – crucially under 5%.
Do you really want Winston back in parliament? Or is that just a cross you'd be prepared to bear in order to get a Labour/Green coalition over the line?
Yes its a cross I would bear to get Lab/green over the line.
And you ? would you rather a Nat/ Act government just to keep NZF out of parliament? or do you just see NZF as an impediment to Act/Nat forming a government.
Just can't stand 'what's in it for Winston' – with his dodgy ethics and pork-barrel politics.
But comfortable with National's dodgy ethics and pork barrel politics.
I understand
No more than with Labour's dodgy ethics and pork barrel politics.
I used to think that the Greens were the only ethical party in parliament – but then James Shaw supported the 'Green' private school….
But Winston is several levels ahead of any of his contemporaries in the fine art /sarc/ of wheeler-dealing.
The shape of things to come?
Collapse of snow crab fisheries not saved by quota style management.
Marine Biologist: Why 11 Billion Snow Crabs Disappeared – YouTube
https://twitter.com/rorybremner/status/1588955381061111808?cxt=HHwWgMC-wYOgjY0sAAAA
https://twitter.com/NoContextBrits/status/1588631974121730048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1588631974121730048%7Ctwgr%5E8f22c8de2a4bfe5d0482e74e61535386d73d1098%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theforum365.com%2Findex.php%3Fapp%3Dcoremodule%3Dsystemcontroller%3Dembedurl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FNoContextBrits%2Fstatus%2F1588631974121730048%3Ft%3D7RjsF4_FFmHEDTJ2jqL3vA26s%3D19