Is the Speaker on a promise? All that smirking, sly little smiles and glances of admiration to John Key who was as usual impolite, evasive, insulting, abusive, unable to answer perfectly coherent questions but instead goes into incandescent, incoherent rants. Carter did everything but spring up and high five Key at one point. Absolutely appalling. Have noticed a lot less tittering and clapping of flippers from the trained seals lately. Novelty of key’s wit and wisdom wearing off perhaps. Carter is letting our yapping pm away with too much. Bit of man love there.
Watched a section of it last night and in oz such a blatant abuse of the position would be broadcast on primetime news as time and again they behave like juveniles to prevent the govt being made to answer opposition questions.
Carter is a disgrace and has childish tantrums but then none of the nats give a F about democracy so they love it.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 1.1.1
But you really get the feel that Dr Smith raised the bar back, which was good.
Then we get this guy, who actually makes Wilson look not that bad – That makes me shudder, as I agree with you The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell, Wilson was awful.
Begs the question, is it a race to the gutter with this lot?
Our least trusted groups are bloggers and MPs, with only 5% and 8% of New Zealanders expressing complete or lots of trust in them.
Trust in MPs and government ministers appears to have fallen over the last three years, with over half of respondents saying they trust them a lot or a little less. This is followed by bloggers and the media, with net losses of 43% and 40% respectively.
Only 9% of adults find the newspapers and magazines they use totally credible: there is a nett credibility gap overall of -16%.
Only 36% feel their newspapers and magazines are doing as well as they possibly can, and there is a large number planning to stop buying them or who will definitely or might stop using them – equivalent to an audience loss of another 447,785 New Zealanders nationwide.
Can’t say that any of that really surprises me.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 1.1.1.1.1.1
Lockwood was the best we ever had. Given their experience under Wilson, I think the Nats were pissed off at how even-handed he was. So, they weren’t going to make that mistake again.
Yesterdays bias and abuse of the speakers position by Carter was appalling and he should be removed
Key and his shitty liver ,the white coats should have been taking him to detox
Iceland’s embattled prime minister has resigned amid a controversy over his offshore holdings, a Cabinet minister said as outrage over the accounts roiled the North Atlantic island nation.
Susie Ferguson conducts another miserable interview where she fails again to hold the government to account.
Instead she simply allows Joyce to blather on without questioning the bs he spouts.
How does she let him get away with the lies he says?
RNZ. Not good enough.
It really is kind of sad at the moment, but I hope that as we get nearer to a change of government, National Radio will put their teeth back in and start biting the arse of the likes of Joyce and Key. Somebody in the msm has to hold National to account, and if not RNZ, who?
The corporate media, are being exposed as a lost cause, I do love how the RWNJ scream there is a liberal bias. And RNZ is just not enough, I gave up on them when they started to use PR sniper Hooton. Actually, there is another problem, there are more PR people than there are journalists – no wonder no one knows what truth looks like.
That said, more and more people are getting their news off the internet, and checking there sources. OK maybe not the second part. But I know I check way more now.
“As the ripples from the biggest leak in journalistic history continue to spread, academic Brooke Harrington – who spent the better part of a decade investigating wealth management – says the corruption goes well beyond Mossack Fonseca.”
No, he gave up on them. What part of “Matthew Hooton tells lies for money and anyone who employs him diminishes their reputation by doing so” are you having trouble with?
RNZ providing as lot of misinformation today.
Now propaganda about Sanders and Clinton being disseminated.
The ‘Democratic strategist’ Mary Anne Marsh was simply appalling.
Why can’t RNZ do some simple research on the US election rather than relying on such shills for the establishment?
Because of Obama’s black African past a surge of over-zealous and liberal idealism were effective in clinching his election to the presidency. Despite Hillary’s consistent support of American violent and widespread intervention her gender similarly is playing into the hands of distorted idealism.
“…Pol said criminals involved in drugs and human trafficking generated the greatest amount of illicit funds.
But the criminals who had set up trusts in New Zealand were more likely to be involved in large-scale cartels, corruption and professional “trade-based” money-laundering.
One New Zealand trust has already been associated with Unaoil, a Monaco company under investigation for helping multinationals bribe oil ministers and officials in the Middle East.
Woodhouse and Prime Minister John Key had said the OECD had “looked at our foreign trust rules in the past and had no concerns”.
Labour leader Andrew Little said an OECD report published in 2013 showed that was incorrect.
The report said improvements might be needed to laws and regulations to ensure that people who owned shares in companies could be identified where those shares were held by nominees.
Corin Dann on TV1 breakfast news this morning has stated that Australian journalists perusing these Panama files has discovered there have been 60,000 mentions of NZ in the files. That is a hell of a lot of mentions for a supposedly squeaky clean tax regime country. Also he said, more worrying for the Government was that we are the only OECD country to provide the services of tax trusts for overseas customers in the manner the files are disclosing.
Maybe if the Gods smile on us, we may see a resignation of an important public servant in the near future.
And therefore presumably anyone who was in the last Labour govt should also resign, given that the current regime is nearly 30 years old.
Having said that, the zeitgeist moves on. What was OK once may not be OK today.
And there is no doubt a lot more concern about corporate tax avoidance than there used to be.
An interesting aspect is that Europeans seem much more caught up in it than Americans.
I have always thought this is a response to uncertainly about govt trustworthiness, which has much deeper well springs than we can really imagine In New Zealand. Fundamentally we know that our govt, over many decades, is inherently trustworthy.
For instance if your country has been invaded, subject to revolution, people persecuted and subject to pogroms, and property confiscated, either by outright govt theft or by extreme taxes (north of 70%), then you might want your assets in a place that is not accessible to govt.
A large number of European nations have suffered one or more of these fates in the last hundred years. But we have never had experience (in New Zealand) of any of these things, and I would also say neither are we likely to. But many migrants to New Zealand certainly understand these risks.
So the reason why people act in the way they do is not just about avoiding legitimate taxes, there may be much deeper reasons, which are in part sociological, to use offshore havens, or for that matter Swiss bank accounts.
the implications of the panama papers are significantly deeper then tax avoidance and asset suppression,they are the transfer of sovereign power and oversight under the guise of FTA.
Sanders for example railed against the FTA with Panama in 2011
“In fact, combating tax haven abuse in Panama would be a violation of this free trade agreement, exposing the U.S. to fines from international authorities,” he stressed.
The problems that arise from the panama papers are not only about tax avoidance and asset obfuscation ,but also the transfer of sovereign ownership and legislative oversight as Sanders correctly identified with the Panama FTA.
“In fact, combating tax haven abuse in Panama would be a violation of this free trade agreement, exposing the U.S. to fines from international authorities,” he stressed.
And therefore presumably anyone who was in the last Labour govt should also resign, given that the current regime is nearly 30 years old.
But the bit that allows secretive tax avoiding trusts is only 4/5 years old and passed by this government.
What was OK once may not be OK today.
Actually, it was never Ok – it was always immoral but the government tried to persuade people that it was fine and dandy so as to help the rich people steal from everybody else.
An interesting aspect is that Europeans seem much more caught up in it than Americans.
The US seems to have a few internal tax havens which means that they don’t have to go offshore for them.
Fundamentally we know that our govt, over many decades, is inherently trustworthy.
Wrong. We don’t know that at all and trust in government has been falling.
For instance if your country has been invaded, subject to revolution, people persecuted and subject to pogroms, and property confiscated, either by outright govt theft or by extreme taxes (north of 70%), then you might want your assets in a place that is not accessible to govt.
You don’t have that right. If you don’t want to pay the taxes of a particular country then your only option is to leave. Anything else is sociopathic BS.
But we have never had experience (in New Zealand) of any of these things,
I think you need to speak more to Māori who do have direct experience of these things over the last century or so.
I was simply pointing out how trust in the government being able to protect civil and economic rights (at a fundamental level) will influence behaviour.
For instance could you blame people in Eastern Europe getting as many of their assets (and indeed themselves) out of their countries following the communist takeovers of the 1940’s.
As for Maori, the issues you refer to primarily relate to the activities of the Crown in the nineteenth century. Since 1893 New Zealand has been a continuous democracy where everyone has had the vote. And a robust respect for the rule of law.
Is it perfect, no. But compared to most of the world, yes.
Then there was Bastion Point in the 70s where hundreds of police surrounded the rightful owners and went on to evict them.
Then when the rule of law compensates an iwi like Rangitāne o Manawatū through the treaty they get given back the Manawatu river, now one of the shittiest, polluted rivers in the world. The few million dollars they get back in the treaty claim was worked out by Metiria Turei as “$27 an acre” for the land taken from them. Sweet deal for over a century of settler profiteering?
A fair point about Maori, particularly in respect of actions in the nineteenth century.
But as a broader point, my perspective is not an unreasonable view of New Zealand in contrast with most other nations in the world, given that we been a comprehensive democracy since 1893.
Continental Europe has obviously been less stable than New Zealand throughout the twentieth century. Ask the people of the former Yugoslavia as recently as twenty years ago.
Sure why not, I’m all for the labour MP who helped pass these acts resigning as well. Individual responsibility and all that.
Notice how you avoid that one, and went on some lame anti communist rant, fear murmuring is so last century.
So this is the defence for defrauding other people of tax revenue, I think you may have to come up with something better than that paranoid delusion. You might convince the public here, but the Aussies I’m talking to – just think we are a bunch of “thieving w*&^%rs”. Other people are look at us with disgust now. Go on, view some of the message boards across the globe. Wake up man, it ant pretty.
“Fundamentally we know that our govt, over many decades, is inherently trustworthy.” And it took the Tories to tear down that edifice. I think maybe you living in a wee bit of a bubble Wayne, I get it. I’m white, it’s easy to indulge in that privilege.
But the reality is really quite different.
Politicians are despised, people don’t vote and then people like you come here and spin. The sociological spin was deeply ironic, considering Marx was one of the founders of sociology. And by the way, I’m anti-authoritarian. So no great fan of Marx or communism myself.
It looks like NZ could be up there with the likes of British Virgin Islands as a tax haven. Redlogix posted this fascinating ABC documentary (45 mins) yesterday about how it all works and some of the major players, although it doesn’t focus on NZ so much. http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2016/04/04/4434529.htm
People need to get across this debate here, a tax haven is where you choose to pay your tax or no tax as the case may be as your your centre of business. interest or business domicile re world wide income. In essence you structure your affairs legally to choose a domicile to pay the minimal tax, your legal and democratic right In NZ case people are just parking money here in trusts not using NZ as there domicile or centre of business interest , NZ tax rates, laws etc are not beneficial like the virgin island, Ireland etc that are real tax havens. I am not sure what the big issue is here, if money is been laundered or hidden here to avoid tax NZ is party to multiple tax treaties and international convention. if there is suspion A NZ trust is been used to evade tax by an offshore tax regime the NZ tax regime won’t protect you
Uh-huh. So some people are far too rich. A mere millionaire probably wouldn’t go to all the cost and bother of squirreling several hundred thousands away out of sight….and out of reach of the tax regime that fills the public purse, that provides the infrastructure and services that society needs.
Any info on any of this money that’s been squirreled away being put towards bettering the common good? I mean, that’s what free market fundamentalism suggests should happen. Don’t need any pesky government determining public expenditure; the rich, using market mechanisms that are their exposal, will see us right.
Not disagreeing Bill I am just highlighting that NZ is not a tax haven ( that keeps been thrown out) , ie it’s not about paying tax in NZ or NZ attracting business as a center of interest due to its low tax regime or that NZ law will protect offshore illegal tax avoidance should a tax avoider be pursued here. it’s simply a story that some people are using our trust regime ( and innovation and benefit of English law separating ownership and control of assets) to potentially hide money
Today I will be on the Raglan Radio Morning Show with host Aaron at 9:35 AM I will be talking about the Panama Papers, John Key’s MO and Soros among others!
people from overseas not paying tax? Not my business.
People from NZ not paying tax? Only my business if they are middle to lower class people without trusts. Rich people with Trusts? Thats not my business.
“Well, there are two features of a tax haven as far as I’m aware.
“One is a very low, or no, tax base and the other is secrecy. We have neither of those things, we have a requirement for all people who earn income in New Zealand to pay tax and we share with other jurisdictions.”
Mr Woodhouse said as these were overseas trusts, they had overseas settlors, assets and income and the New Zealand Inland Revenue (IRD) had no interest in their obligations to pay tax overseas.” Quote End
@Sabine – don’t forget the beneficiaries who are constantly being surveilled in case they might have, shock ‘a relationship’ and apparently 50% of WINZ debts are overpayments by WINZ. The government went to extreme lengths to avoid paying beneficiaries their underpayments however.
Sounds like corporations are also underpaying holiday pay etc etc…. Kiwis are being ripped off constantly, just an accident apparently. Look a panda everyone…
Avoiding and hiding millions or billions via trusts is fine for Key’s Government, (in fact encouraged). Don’t forget the tax payers union are also ‘relaxed’ about multinationals not paying the same tax as NZ based companies. Free market does not seem to matter if the 0.0001% can profit. Paying tax in NZ by the rich listers is now a voluntary exercise.
Love how for years Natz have pitted the middle class against the beneficiaries as ‘taking their hard earned savings’ and all along making NZ a secret tax haven mentioned 60 times in the Panama leaks. Co incidence (and that John Key trained as an accountant – I think that is his sole qualification). Does not sound like it.
Yep it’s just like the financial melt down again, when the dodgy high flying CFO’s often with accountancy qualifications pushed entire countries into crisis and then still managed to get their bonuses with taxpayers money… Meanwhile the middle class are homeless, job less and pensionless or without security …. and told lucky they don’t have to fill out the 70+ pages of unemployment benefit application when for example Fonterra lay off 100 workers (while CEO receives 4 million salary).
At a time where our state houses have just been tendered off cheap to offshore companies and corporations… MSM blackout while the Bachelor makes headlines each day… Oh what a joke we have become in NZ!
(and that John Key trained as an accountant – I think that is his sole qualification)
IIRC, he trained as a financier which is a different thing altogether and far more dangerous as they seem to believe that you can make money from money and not have to produce anything.
FYI – tomorrow I have been given 30 minutes by the Local Government and Environment Select Committee to give evidence in person to support my petition calling for an urgent inquiry into Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs).
After trying to illegally steal our Harbour in cahoots with Auckland council Planners, it is pretty clear these COO’s answer to nobody but themselves.
Apparently in a free market companies are supposed to answer to the shareholders (who in the councils case should be the ratepayers) so why are they not accountable to ratepayers?
It sounds like, from what Mr Woodhouse says that we NZ are supplying and allowing a conduit to facilitate these trusts and buggar the morality of it, but yes, that’s okay it’s legal for this country. Now wasn’t that what Kim Dot Com was arguing, that he was just providing the conduit to access entertainment media and that he couldn’t be blamed for people using it in nefarious ways. Look what it has done for Kim Dot Com, extradition probably on the way, this Government doesn’t and isn’t seeing it for being legal at all. How do they explain their hypocrisy over this situation? Pity we don’t have an impeachment mechanism here.
“Pity we don’t have an impeachment mechanism here”
But we do have question time, the General Debate and a media of sorts…
Our government may have a bit of trouble explaining that juxtaposition. In the same way they are going to have to explain to other governments why our trust ownership and taxation rules are out of phase with other jurisdictions allowing tax evasion and laundering.
But we do have question time, the General Debate and a media of sorts…
And that gets on prime time news when?
Our government may have a bit of trouble explaining that juxtaposition.
Well, they would have difficulty explaining that if it go several weeks of prime time news with the journalists asking hard questions. Instead we’re likely to get a few minutes worth, a bit of a giggle between the host and the PM and that will be it.
The people of Rojava…we could open a kind of book on who gets to take them out in the end. Will it be the US, Russia or Turkey? Maybe a combined NATO thing? Maybe Syrian armed forces after the country regains some stability?
I’m picking a slow brutal demise at the hands of Assad’s forces, while the west and Russia sit back and either inform their respective audiences (us) that their hands are tied due to whatever settlement has resulted in Syria, or that Assad is just clearing away the last of any terrorist presence from the country.
Who’d be a fucking democrat?
btw. The Kurds in the vid are all about an independent Kurdistan. That’s inimical to the democratic aspirations in Rojava.
I’m picking Turkey. Look how fast they are to blame them for anything going wrong in Turkey. My guess it will be sold to the west as dealing with Terrorism. The Turkish government is using drones on them daily as it is.
I’m hopeful that the rest of the Kurds will engage with the people of Rojava, I hear they have been. These women were in Iraq, and the Iraq Kurds are talking to the Rojava Kurds. They know the history of the West and Turkey lying to them. That they won’t get an independent Kurdistan, it just won’t happen, they can not be that stupid.
OK believing in Masoud Barzani, is that stupid. Oh crap – I despair.
Panorama BBC have an edition,
“Tax Havens of the Rich and Powerful Exposed
Panorama
The rich and powerful have hidden billions of dollars in tax havens. They thought their financial secrets were safe, but now a huge leak of documents has revealed a world of secrecy, lies and crimes. ”
Explains with case studies how the money laundering/tax evasion works in Britain.
Nice to see at some reporting from this Panama stuff move beyond the stupid shallow gasping over the fact that rich pricks are doing rich prick stuff with regards tax avoidance.
From ‘The Guardian’
Revealed in the leaked documents was the fact that 2,800 Mossack Fonseca companies are connected to more than 6,000 UK title deeds, worth at least £7bn
Maybe Phil Twyford (or who-ever…probably best if it’s ‘who-ever’) would like to get on to it and see how many title deeds in NZ are linked back to Mossack Fonseca companies?
From book Affluenza by Oliver James I’m reading.
On today’s democracy: Dunn asserts that the age of democracy has actually entailed a far greater control of citizens by governments: ‘The world in which we all now live is governed more extensively and more intimately than it has ever been before.’
(Cambridge political theorist John Dunn.)
Democracy, in English-speaking nations today has come to mean the handing over of a vast number of decisions and powers to rulers in return for the freedom to pursue egotistical, hedonistic consumer choices (as Herbert Marcuse predicted it would, back in the 1960s).
I recommend this book, which has theory, ideas and anecdotes with something for everyone to agree and disagree with, which is good mind exercise fodder!
In an age of potentially catastrophic climate change, where the future survival of civilisation and even humanity itself depends on cutting back on fossil fuels, this scandal makes the current tax avoidance scandal that the world seems to be concentrating on, seem petty by comparison.
“The publication of the report, putting Unaoil at the very center of a massive international bribery ring, was met with head scratching by many energy analysts. Despite its seemingly crucial role in so many oil and gas contracts awarded around the world, very few have heard of the company.
The alleged operation was relatively straightforward. The clients – exploration companies, construction and engineering firms, and oilfield service contractors – would pay Unaoil large sums, and Unaoil would secure contracts for them by bribing government officials in the country of interest. Many of Unaoil’s clients claim that they did not know that Unaoil was bribing government officials on their behalf, but the report asserts that some were either willfully blind or were fully aware of the corruption.”
The fact that Unaoil’s “ownership” can be traced back to a shell company registered in New Zealand; Warrants investigation to determine if the Unaoil “Bribe Factory” was one of the “lobbyists” used by the “exploration companies, construction and engineering firms, and oilfield service contractors” in this country?
And further; Were Unaoil one of the oil industry lobbyists that persuaded the National government to pass special laws targetting anti fossil fuel protesters?
zinger? Nah.
Probably followup along the lines of “if NZ isn’t a tax haven in accordance with the pm’s assertions, why are there 60,000 references to NZ in the internal documents of a company that specialises in sheltering clients’ money in tax havens?” and moving on from there.
Winston likes tax evaders. Lots of paperwork to table in parliament…
This is quite distasteful stuff, heavy suppression orders in place yet almost salacious reporting allowed
In this cases it should be name suppression of the accused, suppression of any and all details of the victims and then, if found guilty, name the offender but leave all details identifying the victims in place and, if found not guilty, leave all suppression orders in place
But this whole reporting from the trial is just sleazy imho
The fact that the complainants were afraid no-one would believe them lends credence to their claims. Women/girls of any age who have been victims of violence where there is no visible or physical evidence available, knows there is a strong chance they will not be believed. It happens all the time.
“In this episode of the Keiser Report Max and Stacy discuss the curious case of Putin’s photo being used to sell #panamapapers when his name is allegedly not even mentioned in the 11 million pages of documents.
They also look at #WikiGreeks as someone leaks the transcript of a conversation between IMF officials hoping for a ‘credit event’ to ‘resolve’ the ongoing Greek tragedy.
In the second half, Max interviews Joel Benjamin and Jamie Griffiths of Debt Resistance UK about the LOBO loans pushing local UK councils to the brink of insolvency.”
Yeah. That news was politely buried in the article I linked. As one comment below the piece noted on the language used by ‘The Guardian’ Cruz apparently “crushed” Trump while Sanders’s bigger percentage win over Clinton was merely Sanders “beating” Clinton…with, I’d add, all the usual qualifiers politely explaining how he’s a lost cause just wasting everyone’s time.
Sanders – 56.5% he wins 45 delegates
Clinton – 43.5% she wins 31 delegates
I read Sanders will need to win by roughly this margin in the all of the remaining primaries to overtake Clinton and beat her with total no. of delegates.
The big one is going to be New York in 2 weeks where 247 delegates are up for grabs. Feel the Bern!
I understand there are still ten delegates to be allocated in Wisconsin to make a total of 86 delegates.
I also heard that Washington state delegates had also not been fully allocated yet (whatever ‘allocated’ in this context means given I thought they were automatically generated from vote percentage).
Are there odds being offered here on the USA elections? Seems a very interesting contest and sports betting seems to be a regular feature in these days.
Sanders needed to win by 16% in order to be on track to beat Clinton. He only won by 13.5%, so he’s still going backwards. Hence why he didn’t “crush” Clinton, whereas Cruz has landed a heavy blow at Trumps chances of winning.
Has anyone ever wondered why Auckland does not have a public/community Television station. A quick count of other areas gives me:
Cue Television
TV Central
Dunedin TV
Canterbury Television
TV Rotorua
Info-Rotorua
East Coast TV
Channel North
Television Hawkes Bay
Mainland TV
South TV
I may have missed some I think Nelson has their own channel.
The one thinsg all these channels can do is show stories of interest to the people that live in the area.
For some reason Auckland misses out. I am sick of commercail TV1,2,3,prime etc with their one size fits all for all of NZ. I want to see stories about Auckland.
In the past TVNZ did their best to stop local TV in Auckland by buying out stations and then closing them down. Remember Max and Horizon Television?
Just wonder if anyone else in Auckland would like to see programmes about Auckland.
hi ron, you can add tararua television to yr mix, too.
a friend and i were talking about the potential of a true local newspaper, as our one here in feilding is being “improved” and folded in with two other ‘local’ papers.
kinda like how the evening standard is 3/4s of the dominion.
slightly different real estate ads though.
Well who knows dog ? I’m not a liar, I’m not an effete simpering dick, I don’t lappishly colonise Richie’s arse to compensate for a lack of testo’, I don’t make giggles about child rapists and murderers, I don’t repeatedly assault young women, I’m not illiterate and most of all I’m not a troll backing an embarrassing disgrace. Quite the reverse of your spectacular fetidness Bowel.
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Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
Open access notablesImproving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society:To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
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Is the Speaker on a promise? All that smirking, sly little smiles and glances of admiration to John Key who was as usual impolite, evasive, insulting, abusive, unable to answer perfectly coherent questions but instead goes into incandescent, incoherent rants. Carter did everything but spring up and high five Key at one point. Absolutely appalling. Have noticed a lot less tittering and clapping of flippers from the trained seals lately. Novelty of key’s wit and wisdom wearing off perhaps. Carter is letting our yapping pm away with too much. Bit of man love there.
Watched a section of it last night and in oz such a blatant abuse of the position would be broadcast on primetime news as time and again they behave like juveniles to prevent the govt being made to answer opposition questions.
Carter is a disgrace and has childish tantrums but then none of the nats give a F about democracy so they love it.
You’ve obviously forgotten what Wilson was like.
Pathetic was Wilson, I agree.
But you really get the feel that Dr Smith raised the bar back, which was good.
Then we get this guy, who actually makes Wilson look not that bad – That makes me shudder, as I agree with you The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell, Wilson was awful.
Begs the question, is it a race to the gutter with this lot?
The populace thinks so:
And talking about the media:
Can’t say that any of that really surprises me.
Lockwood was the best we ever had. Given their experience under Wilson, I think the Nats were pissed off at how even-handed he was. So, they weren’t going to make that mistake again.
PS. “Begs the question” does not mean what you think it means.
Don’t think he was the best but he was pretty good.
Although you’re right, that was a quote.
But then again it’s language and language, just like culture, changes over the decades.
Maybe. Best that I can recall, then.
Yesterdays bias and abuse of the speakers position by Carter was appalling and he should be removed
Key and his shitty liver ,the white coats should have been taking him to detox
Who is next???
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11617590
Iceland’s embattled prime minister has resigned amid a controversy over his offshore holdings, a Cabinet minister said as outrage over the accounts roiled the North Atlantic island nation.
+100 Penny…let the imagination run wild…another PM closer to home?
Susie Ferguson conducts another miserable interview where she fails again to hold the government to account.
Instead she simply allows Joyce to blather on without questioning the bs he spouts.
How does she let him get away with the lies he says?
RNZ. Not good enough.
Yeah, very poor interview. At the end of it, all we got from Joyce was platitudes, when what we need is jobs.
I once thought she was quite good, but she’s now obeying Griffin’s dictats.
It really is kind of sad at the moment, but I hope that as we get nearer to a change of government, National Radio will put their teeth back in and start biting the arse of the likes of Joyce and Key. Somebody in the msm has to hold National to account, and if not RNZ, who?
The corporate media, are being exposed as a lost cause, I do love how the RWNJ scream there is a liberal bias. And RNZ is just not enough, I gave up on them when they started to use PR sniper Hooton. Actually, there is another problem, there are more PR people than there are journalists – no wonder no one knows what truth looks like.
That said, more and more people are getting their news off the internet, and checking there sources. OK maybe not the second part. But I know I check way more now.
Kathryn Ryan was good though…this interview is interesting
‘Wealth Management researcher on Panama Papers’
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201795957/wealth-management-researcher-on-panama-papers
“As the ripples from the biggest leak in journalistic history continue to spread, academic Brooke Harrington – who spent the better part of a decade investigating wealth management – says the corruption goes well beyond Mossack Fonseca.”
You haven’t listened to RNZ for 13 years?
No, he gave up on them. What part of “Matthew Hooton tells lies for money and anyone who employs him diminishes their reputation by doing so” are you having trouble with?
One Anonymous Bloke
Hugs bro Hugs!
I could not have said it better.
+100
What lies?
The ones where his lips move.
RNZ providing as lot of misinformation today.
Now propaganda about Sanders and Clinton being disseminated.
The ‘Democratic strategist’ Mary Anne Marsh was simply appalling.
Why can’t RNZ do some simple research on the US election rather than relying on such shills for the establishment?
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201795934/chaos-expected-as-us-primary-circus-hits-wisconsin
The ever-insightful J. Pilger.
Because of Obama’s black African past a surge of over-zealous and liberal idealism were effective in clinching his election to the presidency. Despite Hillary’s consistent support of American violent and widespread intervention her gender similarly is playing into the hands of distorted idealism.
http://johnpilger.com/articles/trump-and-clinton-censoring-the-unpalatable
Is this true?
I for one am looking forward to an official statement from the OECD…..
” Woodhouse and Prime Minister John Key had said the OECD had “looked at our foreign trust rules in the past and had no concerns”. ”
http://i.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/78585843/foreign-trusts-hiding-darker-secrets-than-tax-avoidance-says-expert
“…Pol said criminals involved in drugs and human trafficking generated the greatest amount of illicit funds.
But the criminals who had set up trusts in New Zealand were more likely to be involved in large-scale cartels, corruption and professional “trade-based” money-laundering.
One New Zealand trust has already been associated with Unaoil, a Monaco company under investigation for helping multinationals bribe oil ministers and officials in the Middle East.
Woodhouse and Prime Minister John Key had said the OECD had “looked at our foreign trust rules in the past and had no concerns”.
Labour leader Andrew Little said an OECD report published in 2013 showed that was incorrect.
The report said improvements might be needed to laws and regulations to ensure that people who owned shares in companies could be identified where those shares were held by nominees.
The OECD in Paris has been contacted for comment.
…..”
_______________________
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Thanks Penny. Will await outcomes with interest.
Ah, so John Key lied – yet again.
Yes.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1604/S00066/key-misleading-over-oecd-tax-haven-report.htm
Corin Dann on TV1 breakfast news this morning has stated that Australian journalists perusing these Panama files has discovered there have been 60,000 mentions of NZ in the files. That is a hell of a lot of mentions for a supposedly squeaky clean tax regime country. Also he said, more worrying for the Government was that we are the only OECD country to provide the services of tax trusts for overseas customers in the manner the files are disclosing.
Maybe if the Gods smile on us, we may see a resignation of an important public servant in the near future.
I would have thought the whole cabinet should resign over this one.
Individual responsibility and all that…
I’m thinking that the whole cabinet needs to be jailed over this one.
Adam,
And therefore presumably anyone who was in the last Labour govt should also resign, given that the current regime is nearly 30 years old.
Having said that, the zeitgeist moves on. What was OK once may not be OK today.
And there is no doubt a lot more concern about corporate tax avoidance than there used to be.
An interesting aspect is that Europeans seem much more caught up in it than Americans.
I have always thought this is a response to uncertainly about govt trustworthiness, which has much deeper well springs than we can really imagine In New Zealand. Fundamentally we know that our govt, over many decades, is inherently trustworthy.
For instance if your country has been invaded, subject to revolution, people persecuted and subject to pogroms, and property confiscated, either by outright govt theft or by extreme taxes (north of 70%), then you might want your assets in a place that is not accessible to govt.
A large number of European nations have suffered one or more of these fates in the last hundred years. But we have never had experience (in New Zealand) of any of these things, and I would also say neither are we likely to. But many migrants to New Zealand certainly understand these risks.
So the reason why people act in the way they do is not just about avoiding legitimate taxes, there may be much deeper reasons, which are in part sociological, to use offshore havens, or for that matter Swiss bank accounts.
the implications of the panama papers are significantly deeper then tax avoidance and asset suppression,they are the transfer of sovereign power and oversight under the guise of FTA.
Sanders for example railed against the FTA with Panama in 2011
“In fact, combating tax haven abuse in Panama would be a violation of this free trade agreement, exposing the U.S. to fines from international authorities,” he stressed.
http://www.salon.com/2016/04/05/sanders_ardently_opposed_the_trade_deal_that_helped_make_the_panama_papers_scandal_clinton_supported_it/
Gnats – consistently defending tax-evading drug cartels since Key took power.
They started before Key took over.
The problems that arise from the panama papers are not only about tax avoidance and asset obfuscation ,but also the transfer of sovereign ownership and legislative oversight as Sanders correctly identified with the Panama FTA.
“In fact, combating tax haven abuse in Panama would be a violation of this free trade agreement, exposing the U.S. to fines from international authorities,” he stressed.
http://www.salon.com/2016/04/05/sanders_ardently_opposed_the_trade_deal_that_helped_make_the_panama_papers_scandal_clinton_supported_it/
But the bit that allows secretive tax avoiding trusts is only 4/5 years old and passed by this government.
Actually, it was never Ok – it was always immoral but the government tried to persuade people that it was fine and dandy so as to help the rich people steal from everybody else.
The US seems to have a few internal tax havens which means that they don’t have to go offshore for them.
Wrong. We don’t know that at all and trust in government has been falling.
You don’t have that right. If you don’t want to pay the taxes of a particular country then your only option is to leave. Anything else is sociopathic BS.
I think you need to speak more to Māori who do have direct experience of these things over the last century or so.
Draco,
I was simply pointing out how trust in the government being able to protect civil and economic rights (at a fundamental level) will influence behaviour.
For instance could you blame people in Eastern Europe getting as many of their assets (and indeed themselves) out of their countries following the communist takeovers of the 1940’s.
As for Maori, the issues you refer to primarily relate to the activities of the Crown in the nineteenth century. Since 1893 New Zealand has been a continuous democracy where everyone has had the vote. And a robust respect for the rule of law.
Is it perfect, no. But compared to most of the world, yes.
And you were wrong as this government rapidly erodes any trust that the people once had in government.
Maybe primarily but that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t occured this century as well.
Basically, you seem to be making shit up and re-writing history to fit your belief of how things are rather than accepting things as they are.
I think it’s fair to say there are countless examples of Māori having land taken off them in the 20th century too. So much for the rule of law Wayne.
Here’s an example from the 1940s in Waiwhetu: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hutt-valley/69662452/Confiscated-land-returned-to-Waiwhetu-Maori
Then there was Bastion Point in the 70s where hundreds of police surrounded the rightful owners and went on to evict them.
Then when the rule of law compensates an iwi like Rangitāne o Manawatū through the treaty they get given back the Manawatu river, now one of the shittiest, polluted rivers in the world. The few million dollars they get back in the treaty claim was worked out by Metiria Turei as “$27 an acre” for the land taken from them. Sweet deal for over a century of settler profiteering?
Christ on a bike Wayne!
Those things being
Speechless.
Bill,
A fair point about Maori, particularly in respect of actions in the nineteenth century.
But as a broader point, my perspective is not an unreasonable view of New Zealand in contrast with most other nations in the world, given that we been a comprehensive democracy since 1893.
Continental Europe has obviously been less stable than New Zealand throughout the twentieth century. Ask the people of the former Yugoslavia as recently as twenty years ago.
Sheesh Wayne, you’re out there.
Clearly the ONLY reason those things have not happened here yet is the time factor…
…. have you noticed the prevalence of European heritage among our citizens? The very same Europeans that you refer to above?
that really is a Wayne’s World moment for you Wayne
Sure why not, I’m all for the labour MP who helped pass these acts resigning as well. Individual responsibility and all that.
Notice how you avoid that one, and went on some lame anti communist rant, fear murmuring is so last century.
So this is the defence for defrauding other people of tax revenue, I think you may have to come up with something better than that paranoid delusion. You might convince the public here, but the Aussies I’m talking to – just think we are a bunch of “thieving w*&^%rs”. Other people are look at us with disgust now. Go on, view some of the message boards across the globe. Wake up man, it ant pretty.
“Fundamentally we know that our govt, over many decades, is inherently trustworthy.” And it took the Tories to tear down that edifice. I think maybe you living in a wee bit of a bubble Wayne, I get it. I’m white, it’s easy to indulge in that privilege.
But the reality is really quite different.
Politicians are despised, people don’t vote and then people like you come here and spin. The sociological spin was deeply ironic, considering Marx was one of the founders of sociology. And by the way, I’m anti-authoritarian. So no great fan of Marx or communism myself.
It looks like NZ could be up there with the likes of British Virgin Islands as a tax haven. Redlogix posted this fascinating ABC documentary (45 mins) yesterday about how it all works and some of the major players, although it doesn’t focus on NZ so much.
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2016/04/04/4434529.htm
People need to get across this debate here, a tax haven is where you choose to pay your tax or no tax as the case may be as your your centre of business. interest or business domicile re world wide income. In essence you structure your affairs legally to choose a domicile to pay the minimal tax, your legal and democratic right In NZ case people are just parking money here in trusts not using NZ as there domicile or centre of business interest , NZ tax rates, laws etc are not beneficial like the virgin island, Ireland etc that are real tax havens. I am not sure what the big issue is here, if money is been laundered or hidden here to avoid tax NZ is party to multiple tax treaties and international convention. if there is suspion A NZ trust is been used to evade tax by an offshore tax regime the NZ tax regime won’t protect you
Uh-huh. So some people are far too rich. A mere millionaire probably wouldn’t go to all the cost and bother of squirreling several hundred thousands away out of sight….and out of reach of the tax regime that fills the public purse, that provides the infrastructure and services that society needs.
Any info on any of this money that’s been squirreled away being put towards bettering the common good? I mean, that’s what free market fundamentalism suggests should happen. Don’t need any pesky government determining public expenditure; the rich, using market mechanisms that are their exposal, will see us right.
Not disagreeing Bill I am just highlighting that NZ is not a tax haven ( that keeps been thrown out) , ie it’s not about paying tax in NZ or NZ attracting business as a center of interest due to its low tax regime or that NZ law will protect offshore illegal tax avoidance should a tax avoider be pursued here. it’s simply a story that some people are using our trust regime ( and innovation and benefit of English law separating ownership and control of assets) to potentially hide money
Ok it appears people are parking money in New Zealand companies to avoid tax in their own country. How is that not a tax haven or a form of one?
Watch that angle as Oz still posess an independant media, unlike here.
Today I will be on the Raglan Radio Morning Show with host Aaron at 9:35 AM I will be talking about the Panama Papers, John Key’s MO and Soros among others!
+100…and please link here
people from overseas not paying tax? Not my business.
People from NZ not paying tax? Only my business if they are middle to lower class people without trusts. Rich people with Trusts? Thats not my business.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/300718/overseas-trust-activities-not-nz's-concern-minister
Quote: But Mr Woodhouse said that was wrong.
“Well, there are two features of a tax haven as far as I’m aware.
“One is a very low, or no, tax base and the other is secrecy. We have neither of those things, we have a requirement for all people who earn income in New Zealand to pay tax and we share with other jurisdictions.”
Mr Woodhouse said as these were overseas trusts, they had overseas settlors, assets and income and the New Zealand Inland Revenue (IRD) had no interest in their obligations to pay tax overseas.” Quote End
@Sabine – don’t forget the beneficiaries who are constantly being surveilled in case they might have, shock ‘a relationship’ and apparently 50% of WINZ debts are overpayments by WINZ. The government went to extreme lengths to avoid paying beneficiaries their underpayments however.
Sounds like corporations are also underpaying holiday pay etc etc…. Kiwis are being ripped off constantly, just an accident apparently. Look a panda everyone…
Avoiding and hiding millions or billions via trusts is fine for Key’s Government, (in fact encouraged). Don’t forget the tax payers union are also ‘relaxed’ about multinationals not paying the same tax as NZ based companies. Free market does not seem to matter if the 0.0001% can profit. Paying tax in NZ by the rich listers is now a voluntary exercise.
Love how for years Natz have pitted the middle class against the beneficiaries as ‘taking their hard earned savings’ and all along making NZ a secret tax haven mentioned 60 times in the Panama leaks. Co incidence (and that John Key trained as an accountant – I think that is his sole qualification). Does not sound like it.
Yep it’s just like the financial melt down again, when the dodgy high flying CFO’s often with accountancy qualifications pushed entire countries into crisis and then still managed to get their bonuses with taxpayers money… Meanwhile the middle class are homeless, job less and pensionless or without security …. and told lucky they don’t have to fill out the 70+ pages of unemployment benefit application when for example Fonterra lay off 100 workers (while CEO receives 4 million salary).
At a time where our state houses have just been tendered off cheap to offshore companies and corporations… MSM blackout while the Bachelor makes headlines each day… Oh what a joke we have become in NZ!
Someone has posted this…
http://www.theguardian.com/news/commentisfree/2016/apr/05/millennials-rent-trap-panama-papers-british-property-housing-young-people
IIRC, he trained as a financier which is a different thing altogether and far more dangerous as they seem to believe that you can make money from money and not have to produce anything.
FYI – tomorrow I have been given 30 minutes by the Local Government and Environment Select Committee to give evidence in person to support my petition calling for an urgent inquiry into Auckland Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs).
Thursday 7 April 2016
9.30 – 10am.
Select Committee Room 2.
Kind regards
Penny Bright
2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.
Good Luck Penny.
After trying to illegally steal our Harbour in cahoots with Auckland council Planners, it is pretty clear these COO’s answer to nobody but themselves.
Apparently in a free market companies are supposed to answer to the shareholders (who in the councils case should be the ratepayers) so why are they not accountable to ratepayers?
It sounds like, from what Mr Woodhouse says that we NZ are supplying and allowing a conduit to facilitate these trusts and buggar the morality of it, but yes, that’s okay it’s legal for this country. Now wasn’t that what Kim Dot Com was arguing, that he was just providing the conduit to access entertainment media and that he couldn’t be blamed for people using it in nefarious ways. Look what it has done for Kim Dot Com, extradition probably on the way, this Government doesn’t and isn’t seeing it for being legal at all. How do they explain their hypocrisy over this situation? Pity we don’t have an impeachment mechanism here.
“Pity we don’t have an impeachment mechanism here”
But we do have question time, the General Debate and a media of sorts…
Our government may have a bit of trouble explaining that juxtaposition. In the same way they are going to have to explain to other governments why our trust ownership and taxation rules are out of phase with other jurisdictions allowing tax evasion and laundering.
And that gets on prime time news when?
Well, they would have difficulty explaining that if it go several weeks of prime time news with the journalists asking hard questions. Instead we’re likely to get a few minutes worth, a bit of a giggle between the host and the PM and that will be it.
Good point Kate. Good for the goose but…
A couple of quick videos from vice news. Both are shorter than 2 minutes.
I’d be impressed if the Russians keep their word on this. Wouldn’t Princess Diana be proud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTm0DgsJts0
Any chance we can support the Kurds against ISIS yet?
The people of Rojava…we could open a kind of book on who gets to take them out in the end. Will it be the US, Russia or Turkey? Maybe a combined NATO thing? Maybe Syrian armed forces after the country regains some stability?
I’m picking a slow brutal demise at the hands of Assad’s forces, while the west and Russia sit back and either inform their respective audiences (us) that their hands are tied due to whatever settlement has resulted in Syria, or that Assad is just clearing away the last of any terrorist presence from the country.
Who’d be a fucking democrat?
btw. The Kurds in the vid are all about an independent Kurdistan. That’s inimical to the democratic aspirations in Rojava.
I’m picking Turkey. Look how fast they are to blame them for anything going wrong in Turkey. My guess it will be sold to the west as dealing with Terrorism. The Turkish government is using drones on them daily as it is.
I’m hopeful that the rest of the Kurds will engage with the people of Rojava, I hear they have been. These women were in Iraq, and the Iraq Kurds are talking to the Rojava Kurds. They know the history of the West and Turkey lying to them. That they won’t get an independent Kurdistan, it just won’t happen, they can not be that stupid.
OK believing in Masoud Barzani, is that stupid. Oh crap – I despair.
😉
FYI:
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160406/1037543197/soros-putin-clinton-cameron-panama.html
How the Putin/Cello player system works is in Panorama @ 13 below.
Panorama BBC have an edition,
“Tax Havens of the Rich and Powerful Exposed
Panorama
The rich and powerful have hidden billions of dollars in tax havens. They thought their financial secrets were safe, but now a huge leak of documents has revealed a world of secrecy, lies and crimes. ”
Explains with case studies how the money laundering/tax evasion works in Britain.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b076vwwy
Oops Sorry. That link to Panorama does not work outside UK . We watched via Apple. Pity. Excellent program.
Google is your friend.
Brilliant Joe. I had felt a little foolish above so you saved my blushes. The Putin connection @8:18.
The Cameron connection @ 16:15.
Nice to see at some reporting from this Panama stuff move beyond the stupid shallow gasping over the fact that rich pricks are doing rich prick stuff with regards tax avoidance.
From ‘The Guardian’
Revealed in the leaked documents was the fact that 2,800 Mossack Fonseca companies are connected to more than 6,000 UK title deeds, worth at least £7bn
http://www.theguardian.com/news/commentisfree/2016/apr/05/millennials-rent-trap-panama-papers-british-property-housing-young-people
Maybe Phil Twyford (or who-ever…probably best if it’s ‘who-ever’) would like to get on to it and see how many title deeds in NZ are linked back to Mossack Fonseca companies?
+1
According to this, 47 entities have been created in NZ.
https://mobile.twitter.com/AFP/status/717200510902734853
+1 Joe. Shocking. Lets have the trust owners names and the addresses of the NZ property!
Can’t do that saveNZ,
It would go against david seymour as the defender of the weak and helpless.
I love politics from the ACT party, it’s so obviously dirty these days.
Well as one Troll has pointed out in defence of the 0.0001% who control 50% of the world wealth.
They are just being sustainable – because imagine the consumption if 50% of people had a fair share of wealth.
My God, we might have to radically shift how we use resources such as housing and water and power and transport and food!
So the right wing discourse is that 0.0001% are taking 50% of the worlds assets for ‘environmental’ reasons apparently.
LOL
From book Affluenza by Oliver James I’m reading.
On today’s democracy:
Dunn asserts that the age of democracy has actually entailed a far greater control of citizens by governments: ‘The world in which we all now live is governed more extensively and more intimately than it has ever been before.’
(Cambridge political theorist John Dunn.)
Democracy, in English-speaking nations today has come to mean the handing over of a vast number of decisions and powers to rulers in return for the freedom to pursue egotistical, hedonistic consumer choices (as Herbert Marcuse predicted it would, back in the 1960s).
I recommend this book, which has theory, ideas and anecdotes with something for everyone to agree and disagree with, which is good mind exercise fodder!
“The World’s Biggest Oil Bribery Scandal”
In an age of potentially catastrophic climate change, where the future survival of civilisation and even humanity itself depends on cutting back on fossil fuels, this scandal makes the current tax avoidance scandal that the world seems to be concentrating on, seem petty by comparison.
The fact that Unaoil’s “ownership” can be traced back to a shell company registered in New Zealand; Warrants investigation to determine if the Unaoil “Bribe Factory” was one of the “lobbyists” used by the “exploration companies, construction and engineering firms, and oilfield service contractors” in this country?
And further; Were Unaoil one of the oil industry lobbyists that persuaded the National government to pass special laws targetting anti fossil fuel protesters?
Just noticed this statistic.
We have more migrants arriving than children being born in NZ…
Estimated resident population at 31 December 2015: 4,649,700 P
Births December 2015 year: 61,038
Deaths December 2015 year: 31,608
Net migration February 2016 year: 67,391
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/snapshots-of-nz/top-statistics.aspx
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: Given his answer to Oral Question No. 1 yesterday, how does he stand by his statements?
Winston obviously has thought of a zinger to the answer he got yesterday. Never works once the moment has passed.
zinger? Nah.
Probably followup along the lines of “if NZ isn’t a tax haven in accordance with the pm’s assertions, why are there 60,000 references to NZ in the internal documents of a company that specialises in sheltering clients’ money in tax havens?” and moving on from there.
Winston likes tax evaders. Lots of paperwork to table in parliament…
Sanfords used to register their fishing boats in Panama.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11617867
At least shes seen the light
Ongoing trial of the Prominent New Zealander: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/78618365/prominent-new-zealander-trial-cross-examination-reveals-inconsistencies
Starting to look like there might have been more smoke than actual fire. Or at least, not enough evidence / certainty for a conviction.
I suspect if he is not convicted, the suppression orders won’t be lifted.
This is quite distasteful stuff, heavy suppression orders in place yet almost salacious reporting allowed
In this cases it should be name suppression of the accused, suppression of any and all details of the victims and then, if found guilty, name the offender but leave all details identifying the victims in place and, if found not guilty, leave all suppression orders in place
But this whole reporting from the trial is just sleazy imho
Nowhere near as sleazy as the deception of ordinary New Zealanders by your hero Key on the sale of KiwiBank..
The government still retains 100% ownership vto, don’t let emotion and hyperbole get the better of you
what a pile of deceptive bullshit
by your reckoning the government owns everything in the whole country by dint of its over-arching sovereignty
So if the government doesn’t own it who does?
The question is: how does the government own anything at all?
The fact that the complainants were afraid no-one would believe them lends credence to their claims. Women/girls of any age who have been victims of violence where there is no visible or physical evidence available, knows there is a strong chance they will not be believed. It happens all the time.
And from the herald:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11617818
https://www.rt.com/shows/keiser-report/338447-episode-max-keiser-897/
“In this episode of the Keiser Report Max and Stacy discuss the curious case of Putin’s photo being used to sell #panamapapers when his name is allegedly not even mentioned in the 11 million pages of documents.
They also look at #WikiGreeks as someone leaks the transcript of a conversation between IMF officials hoping for a ‘credit event’ to ‘resolve’ the ongoing Greek tragedy.
In the second half, Max interviews Joel Benjamin and Jamie Griffiths of Debt Resistance UK about the LOBO loans pushing local UK councils to the brink of insolvency.”
I see the mainstream is poo poo-ing another Sander’s victory again.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/05/ted-cruz-crushes-donald-trump-wisconsin-primaries
just heard on the tranny, sanders beats clinton in winsconsin by more than 10 points.
nothing to see here, move on.
just the sixth straight victory for sanders.
i wonder if ther panama papers release is likely to hurt either of the democratic candidates?
Yeah. That news was politely buried in the article I linked. As one comment below the piece noted on the language used by ‘The Guardian’ Cruz apparently “crushed” Trump while Sanders’s bigger percentage win over Clinton was merely Sanders “beating” Clinton…with, I’d add, all the usual qualifiers politely explaining how he’s a lost cause just wasting everyone’s time.
Sanders – 56.5% he wins 45 delegates
Clinton – 43.5% she wins 31 delegates
I read Sanders will need to win by roughly this margin in the all of the remaining primaries to overtake Clinton and beat her with total no. of delegates.
The big one is going to be New York in 2 weeks where 247 delegates are up for grabs. Feel the Bern!
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/superdelegates-might-not-save-hillary-clinton/
I don’t claim to fully understand the us electoral system yet , but there is an interesting graph showing when Obama over took Clinton in this link.
I understand there are still ten delegates to be allocated in Wisconsin to make a total of 86 delegates.
I also heard that Washington state delegates had also not been fully allocated yet (whatever ‘allocated’ in this context means given I thought they were automatically generated from vote percentage).
Or, then again, this link suggests that there are 96 delegates to be allocated in total in Wisconsin and reports that the allocation is currently 45 to 36.
Are there odds being offered here on the USA elections? Seems a very interesting contest and sports betting seems to be a regular feature in these days.
Sanders needed to win by 16% in order to be on track to beat Clinton. He only won by 13.5%, so he’s still going backwards. Hence why he didn’t “crush” Clinton, whereas Cruz has landed a heavy blow at Trumps chances of winning.
Has anyone ever wondered why Auckland does not have a public/community Television station. A quick count of other areas gives me:
Cue Television
TV Central
Dunedin TV
Canterbury Television
TV Rotorua
Info-Rotorua
East Coast TV
Channel North
Television Hawkes Bay
Mainland TV
South TV
I may have missed some I think Nelson has their own channel.
The one thinsg all these channels can do is show stories of interest to the people that live in the area.
For some reason Auckland misses out. I am sick of commercail TV1,2,3,prime etc with their one size fits all for all of NZ. I want to see stories about Auckland.
In the past TVNZ did their best to stop local TV in Auckland by buying out stations and then closing them down. Remember Max and Horizon Television?
Just wonder if anyone else in Auckland would like to see programmes about Auckland.
hi ron, you can add tararua television to yr mix, too.
a friend and i were talking about the potential of a true local newspaper, as our one here in feilding is being “improved” and folded in with two other ‘local’ papers.
kinda like how the evening standard is 3/4s of the dominion.
slightly different real estate ads though.
This one never was a Kiwi ! You reckon you could ever have a truly satisfying beer with this simpering, effete, lying, never was a Kiwi ?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11618024
Are you a true Kiwi, North.?
A good beer drinking, rugger bloke, the real men of NZ?
Well who knows dog ? I’m not a liar, I’m not an effete simpering dick, I don’t lappishly colonise Richie’s arse to compensate for a lack of testo’, I don’t make giggles about child rapists and murderers, I don’t repeatedly assault young women, I’m not illiterate and most of all I’m not a troll backing an embarrassing disgrace. Quite the reverse of your spectacular fetidness Bowel.