National want a quick fix for Auckland. They’re also not prepared to pay for or support the infrastructure the city needs (public transport, good intensive housing, adequate green spaces and amenities) you bozos, it’s not rocket science!)
“The minister has warned that Aucklanders may need to sacrifice quality for affordability.”
This is a joke. It stinks of the 1990s, the decade that gave us leaky homes. It will be a disaster and cost Auckland in the short and long term.
National have ignored Wellington and pushed Christchurch around. Now, like a shonkey salesman they want to strong arm Auckland into one buying one white elephant after another (an unnecessary convention centre, low quality development…).
It stinks alright. The Government is looking for someone else to blame for the housing crisis. And at the same time it is centralising power so that local voices become quieter and quieter.
There is no need to sacrifice quality for affordability. Unless your dream is for a outer ring of shanty towns.
It is noticeable how fst Nick Smith talks. It’s like he’s on speed. His brain is running on the Roger Douglas track – charge forward with your policies, push them through fast, before any opposition can be organised.
He is also really good at presenting the most complex of problems with the most black and white analysis through the use of words and making it sound so simple even though he does not have a frack what he is talking about.
Stop bloody moaning, folks, the solution is already here, move on, face up to the “brighter future”! Get a life, and work and earn your own way, if you want to join the ones in Remmers, in Eastern Suburbs or the better quarters on the North Shore of Auckland, or other cherished residential areas!
The fact that the government is unable to pay its employees, the school teachers, because its rules and rates and regulations around employment and pay are so incredibly complex that nobody not even the government can work it out then surely that is an indicator of something, is it not?
It is probably the biggest failure of the government, as a system, ever. It has created something it doesn’t even know how to work and gets lost in its own maze.
It is frightfully funny and scary at the same time. Why do we give these people so much power if this is all they can achieve?
oh poppycock, all large institutions have complex pay grades, think of the police, defence force, health department and large corporates. BM please engage your brain before I just start calling you Steven Joyce, then we will all know what to expect.
Standard employment pay scales, Jane, nothing difficult there at all. You should have a look at Fonterra’s CEA, makes that one look like a note scribbled on the back of a napkin. Difference is, Fonterra pay correctly, and on time.
A socialist government in a capitalist world. It looks to me the rationing is the outcome of a struggle between the government’s price controls and the combination of pressures from outside the country plus businesses within the country operating on market principles.
And, of course, one should always take an NZ Herald article on such things at face value.
Maybe because the article looks like a direct cut and paste from an anti-government website. Venezuela imports 70% of it’s food so the opportunities for disruption of supply by anti-government agents are huge.
So Jimmie, any thoughts on why the evil dictatorship in Venezuela, you know, the one headed by that tyrant Hugo Chavez, didn’t just collapse ‘before lunchtime’ following his death?
DId you actually read that, Jimmie? It’s about a problem they have with stuff being smuggled into Colombia, a country which is the darling of the neocons. Ask yourself why things can be smuggled from Venezuela to Colombia and subsequently be sold at a profit? Maybe market forces aren’t working too well in the capitalist paradise?
Yes I am aware of that Dv, just taking some artistic licence to poke the system in the ribs. I think the point still stands though – how can it be that hard? Why try to reinvent the wheel all the time?
It is like pretty much all tech – slower and more comvoluted. Ever queued behind people paying by eftpos compared to cash? Is it actually quicker to pay by internet banking than writing and posting a cheque?
Well at least the Dentists will be happy. And as someone who was born in England before the introduction on Fluoride into the water there. I have paid for it, both in monetary terms, and in bad teeth
I think you might find, as I mentioned yesterday, http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-05062013/#comment-643987
the Scandinavians banned it a long time ago, and based on that alone, given they are far ahead of the anglo-file idiots, is enough for me to accept that its the right decision.
I’ll take their position, over people who share yours, every day of the week!!!
Dr. Arvid Carlsson, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology in 2000 for his research on neurotransmitters in the brain. In a 2005 interview, Dr. Arvid Carlsson noted that “fluoridation is against all modern principles of pharmacology. It’s obsolete. I don’t think anybody in Sweden, not a single dentist, would bring up this question anymore.”
TC – Anti science, you mate, are poorly read, as anyone else who foolishly believe, mass medication, is the reason their teeth are good or bad or otherwise!
Answer this – What percentage of the western world, adds flouride to its water supply, and what percentage of NZ towns/cities do the same?
My point is its being removed faster than nations/towns/cities are adding the poison to the water supplies, including in NZ!
Ill take the Scandinavians reasoning for removing it, over your position for adding/leaving it, all day long , champ!
You got a sales pitch, as to why I wouldn’t?
Edit- do they have flouride in the water where you live?
If no – are you out lobbying to get it added, or are you simply chewing on loads of topical application toothpaste, taking note of the, do not swallow, medical warning, to ensure you get enough of the poison into your system!
My non-fluoridated toothpaste doesn’t say not to swallow. Please note I don’t use it because I’m against fluoride but because it’s the only no animal testing toothpaste I can get locally.
Funny how mention of vaccination, iodisation or fluoridisation suddenly turns the most hardened left wing Commissar into a screaming Libertarian. Suddenly it’s all about the patriarchal middle class white privileges of “choice” and “personal responsibility” and never a flying fuck for underprivileged children who benefit from such public health programmes.
I support both fluoridation and vaccination and I’m left.
Funnily those I know who are opposed are firmly right ( as opposed to left ) in their views. They complain of fluoridation as part of the nanny state complex. They are quite clear that if you teeth rot it’s your own damn fault and would have the poor chose between toothpaste or food.
Of course we all know the patriachal daddy state is much much worse and we are seeing that unfold in real time.
I’m not sure how you can assume the anti-fluoride brigade are left in any way shape or form.
Ditto. You only have to read history to see the benefits to the public from the public health risk factors in a society that it eliminates. Sure all of these techniques have individual risk factors – the ones that the rather than scare blogs highlight.
But if people are really concerned about those then I’d suggest concentrating those of like anti-vaccination mind together and running a trial to see what the effects are when they aren’t freeloading on the rest of the populations immunity.
Alternatively they could band together financially to do the R&D to find a viable public health alternative. Say about a thousand per year as an involuntary contribution put in a R&D fund. We will call it a fine?
Anything to show that they are trying to do something about what they see as an issue rather than simply ignoring the statistical benefits to the whole population rather than the individual disadvantages to them and theirs.
Of course extending criminal manslaughter charges related to those that they infect and kill might work as well. No different to drunk driving as far as I can see.
btw, there are some other dietary sources of Fluoride linked below; jolly stuff is everywhere, Oh no! What to nibble on while awaiting that file. 😀 (read Coleridge, or Watch).
Of course fluorine is kind of chemically clingy so you find low levels of it through almost everything naturally – usually as some kind of fluoride. Humans probably require it because we did quite a lot of our developmental evolution doing garbage collection near seashores where there are adequate amounts of it. But we kind of spread into many other places in the world where it was rarer both in water and in diets and where humans found they had health issues because of that. It is much the same as salt was an issue as we moved inland. The old prehistoric salt trade routes were pretty extensive.
When they fluoridate water supplies, they don’t use the same concentrations everywhere. That is because they’re boosting the level of the existing fluoride in the environment up to the level that we naturally require. Yes there may be ill-effects if people overdose on it or are particularly susceptible to to it because of genetics, growth phase, or interactions with the other chemicals in our personal chemical composition (ie we are naturally just a mix of chemicals – mostly dihydride oxide). But the health risks of having rotting teeth are invariably a *lot* higher.
If you don’t wish to participate in the public health measure, then you are perfectly entitled to figure out how to pay for avoiding the mass public health provisions. Moving to where you can use a roof tank is probably the best idea. Unlike skipping vaccinations defluoridation of your diet is unlikely to harm others.
yes, (being the deep well of research that you are Lynn), infections of the gum can be very unpleasant, lead to complications, and Might Just Take Your Life.
Accurate though and I notice that you don’t deal with the public health aspect. Perhaps you haven’t bothered to study it in your narcissistic libertarian pursuits.
There is a reason that almost of the diseases that were endemic when I was a kid (and which I caught) are now quite rare. In fact the rare cases that do show up as an outbreak that do show up are often reported as news. Quite unlike when I was a kid.
The food is no different. The water, sewerage, and waste disposal systems are pretty much the same. The human populations haven’t suffered the levels of deaths that are required to leave a much smaller but more resistant population (ie what happened with the black death in europe or the smallpox and measles in south america). The diseases themselves without treatment are just as virulent as they were, and probably more so. We’re better at preventing them from killing and maiming if they are treated early.
There is exactly one reason that these diseases are no longer causing occasional deaths, frequent maiming and massive productivity losses across the whole population. That is because they no longer have enough susceptible hosts in the human population of this country to cause outbreaks. The reason for that is that most of the possible hosts either had the diseases in their youth like me and are now resistant, or they had (like me with polio) a *vaccine* that induced resistance. That protected not only myself from the pain that Margaret Wilson and others of the previous generation have had to live with throughout their lives, but also protected everyone else around me.
But vaccinations are not perfect. People have varying levels of resistance after vaccinations. So they provide only a *partial* protection for any one person. They just make it harder for diseases to get a foothold. If the surrounding population has a large infected and carrier population then the disease will have a high rate of speciation. Even people who are resistant to a disease will get the sick from new variants.
So vaccinations are only really effective if the whole population is made resistant as a whole community. This pushes the recombination rate of a disease well down because it has a much more limited population for those lucky “accidents” that change their genome. Those libertarians (like yourself) who are so individualistic that they don’t think about the risks they are putting on everyone else provide potential reservoirs for disease populations to speciate and produce new virulent variations.
So as I said, if you don’t vaccinate in a public health program for whatever reason, then you should be isolated and live with those others who also do not. Or pay in some other way for your individualistic stupidity. You are freeloading on the carefully built up resistances in the community and effectively wasting the resources put into the programmes both now and into the future.
Personally I think that any case where the disease DNA is matched (the populations speciation varies infections and can be traced with a high degree of probability) from a unvaccinated; and where it causes injury or death, then it should be treated as a criminal matter like drunken driving. That is a offense where the legal test of mens rea is severely diminished compared the mens actus.
It doesn’t matter what your intent was. The mere act of not vaccinating (or drinking) before getting the disease and passing it others (or driving while drunk and crashing into someone) provides the most of the requirement for a legal intent to cause injury to others. It makes you as much of danger to your community as it would if your were a habitual drunk who likes to drive.
That is an argument that is quite separate to the question of if a particular brand of vaccination or car is safe to use – which is all that I have seen you argue..
well, last time I checked, I was pretty “far left” and I support the Public Health initiatives you identify (love the pic Contrarian); now, according to the wonderful Wendyl Nissen, our natural diet has plenty of fluoride as well; here we go Foods highest in fluoride lots of fruit and veges in there! (oh, and merlot) 😀
A few years back quite a few Auckland righties got their knickers in a twist about iodine. A few of em getting goitre sorted that out.
I know one switching to sea salt sufferer and she basically lost her voice for a few years.
Half the problem with the young un’s these days is that the victims of many of these diseases just aren’t around. Growing up we knew people with polio, children brain damaged by rubella, many of our parents no longer had their own teeth in their 30’s and 40’s and so on. We’ve seen some of our peers get post-polio syndrome and seen their muscle tissue waste away in their fifties.
People older than me would have known even more of these people.
On the other hand, in that time we’ve also seen an increase in heart disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic illness generally that belies the idea that we always get it right when it comes to the health of the population.
Much of the numerical increase is logically due to an increase in population and some due to an ageing population.
Urbanisation brings it’s own woes as well.
The biggest factors in my view is the removal of weekends for families to be together, people to have a break from working, to have time to be part of their communities and play sport etc.
The over commercialisation of food with it’s added sugar and salt esp is a big problem. There’s quite a good doco somewhere about the sugar companies influence in ensuring that the maximum recommended level of sugar in food was not put into WHO guidelines as recommended by the scientists behind the guidelines – including a New Zealander. That limit if imposed would reduce significantly the amount of processed sugar in foods and we’d all be much healthier.
Evolutionary wise we are designed to store the rare amount of sugar we would have come across and equally meat we would only have eaten if we caught it.
Millions of years of evolution say less meat,less sugar and less salt. We have all three available in abundance.
Sure Ssssmith. I’m just pointing out that public health doesn’t always get it right, and neither does scientific consensus. And sometimes individuals do despite that.
Try this for an obvious example (which fits nicely with your thoughts on sugar).
and note that alongside the research, there are swathes of people now adjusting their diets based on rejection of the fat hypothesis and finding significant improvements in their health. Those improvements will be written off as anecdotal, and it will take decades for the research to filter through and influence public health policy. I suspect that eventually public pressure will mean the research gets done more quickly, but at the moment there are too many vested interests.
What I’m suggesting here is a more nuanced approach than the ‘there is a scientific consensus so it must be true’ approach.
btw, I agree with much of what you say about diet and lifestyle, except for the meat bit. We know that there some cultures thrive on high meat diets, with good health outcomes (and little heart disease).
The orthodoxy likes to pretend it is “scientific” but really that is just another belief complex system, one where adherence marks those who are the “in crowd” and those who practice or speak differently as “other”.
Once someone delves into how the original food pyramid and follow up farm bills were constructed by industry lobby groups, and promulgated by the medical profession ad nauseaum, it becomes very hard to take anything presented by these authorities at face value.
EDIT
ahhhh frak, waddya know. Phosphate rock used to create fertilisers used in NZ are a major source of fluoride additives for water. Maybe this explains why our food chain is contaminated with fluoride.
Sources of Fluoride Additives
Most fluoride additives used in the United States are produced from phosphorite rock. Phosphorite is used primarily in the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer. Phosphorite contains calcium phosphate mixed with limestone (calcium carbonates) minerals and apatite—a mineral with high phosphate and fluoride content. It is refluxed (heated) with sulfuric acid to produce a phosphoric acid-gypsum (calcium sulfate-CaSO4) slurry.
The heating process releases hydrogen fluoride (HF) and silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4) gases which are captured by vacuum evaporators. These gases are then condensed to a water-based solution of 23% FSA with the remainder as water.
Approximately 95% of FSA used for water fluoridation comes from this process. The remaining 5% of FSA is generated during the manufacture of hydrogen fluoride or from the use of hydrogen fluoride in the manufacturing of solar panels and electronics.
+1 DoSsss, Ghost and all re left and public health.
I do wonder about the foods highest in fluoride – If we stopped adding fluoride to the water in places where it doesn’t occur naturally, would the fruit and veg from these places have lower levels of fluoride in them? Have there been comparisons between produce from the ‘has’ and ‘hasn’t’ got fluoride areas?
Actually dentists are unhappy. Sure, they want to make a buck, but I suspect most of their profits come from expensive adult-type surgeries, not fillings for kids (who are a pain to deal with, I’m sure).
DavidH
I liked the Spike Milligan comment on British teeth. He came to Britain after having been in India where people’s teeth apparently were better. He said that the people in the streets had teeth that looked like Merry Xmas written in Gothic or something like that.
Shows what a complete farce local body politics are
In 2006 there was a binding referendum held in Hamilton about fluoridation, the result was overwhelming to keep fluoridation.
Completely undemocratic decision by the Hamilton council, these individuals represent no one but themselves.
A democratic decision based on ignorance is still an ignorant decision.
The earliest occurrence of fluoridated drinking water on Earth was found in Russia’s gulags and then Germany’s Nazi prison camps.
“Using the fluoride in the water supplies in their gulags (concentration camps), to make the prisoners stupid, docile, and subservient.” ~ The Crime and Punishment of I. G. Farben by Joseph Borkin
The Canadian father of water fluoridation was the president of the eugenics society of Canada.
Kills all known germ-ans. And anybody or animal in the appropriate doses. Note – It was scientifically measured to be enough to kill – that was its purpose in its use in the war.
There is no difference in health problems between fluoridated and non-fluoridated populations. No statistical correlation, no identified harm and no spikes in the many ailments fluoridation poisoning would lead to.
UT
Can you find any more facts? to damn fluoride in drinking water. They are talking about a measured dose, it must be appropriate for the health of the people. Referring to torture camps where the authorities have no concern about their prisoners wellbeing is not a controlled test. It also is insulting to our population and our authorities to imply that they would behave and we would be subject to, such callous and uncaring treatment.
Prism, mass medication is NEVER acceptable, and the terminology of measured dose, is an oxymoron!
Human reaction to any medication, will vary from individual to individual. Why do you think western medics, ask *what else are you taking*.
Why might they ask that!
Talk of measured doses, en masse, is the stuff of lunacy – The scandinavians understand this concept, and they lead the world in looking after their people, based on knowledge/science/education and understanding. If the Scandinavians have removed it from their water supplies, there is very good cause, that we should be copying them!
I understand you are looking for more info, as you’re one of the more pragmatic commentators on here. My response is not designed to get at you, I’m pointing out some rather basic, principles!
muzza
Stop being so precious. We wouldn’t be here typing probably without the benefit of controls on bacteria and health-diminishing processes.
Sorry about being rude to your well-written post but I just get sick of the scare tactics of those who are negative about improvements that offer advantages if done in a reasonable way.
Prism, its not scare tactics, nor am I being precious.
Adding a toxic by-product to water supplies, removing the right of many people to choose, NOT to injest the posion, is simply a ridiculous scenario to defend!
TC below, attempts to conflate with talk of salt, and overturned referendums.
I’m not talking about the referndum, and the human body requires salt, it does NOT require flouride, to function!
We are adding iodine to salt. That’s mass medication too.
“Adding a toxic by-product to water supplies, removing the right of many people to choose, NOT to injest the posion, is simply a ridiculous scenario to defend!”
The people did choose, you idiot. They voted to keep it.
No , TC. I’m not even talking about the referendum/Hamilton, I have explained that already!
For example, we in AKL, have not had a referendum, nor do locations around the world, that have the posion added into the water, and who may not have a choice other than to injest it, because its a necessity of life!
Your iodine argument, is poor, as is your avoidance of the questions.
“No , TC. I’m not even talking about the referendum/Hamilton, I have explained that already!”
Errr, no you didn’t. The council overturned the wishes of the people who wanted to keep it. So in the Hamilton case, the people made their preference clear.
“Your iodine argument, is poor…”
No, it’s exactly the same. Everytime you salt your food, you medicate yourself.
“as is your avoidance of the questions.”
What questions haven’t I answered?
Why don’t actually address some points i.e. on public health, about how every major public health body and international organisation agree that fluoridation is advantageous to public health and that there have been no major public health problems with water fluoridation? Instead of just making weird hand-waving comments and no addressing a single item of contention.
You got a sales pitch, as to why I wouldn’t? (Listen to the Scandinavians)
Edit- do they have flouride in the water where you live?
If no – are you out lobbying to get it added, or are you simply chewing on loads of topical application toothpaste, taking note of the, do not swallow, medical warning, to ensure you get enough of the poison into your system?
Your contention
Why don’t actually address some points i.e. on public health, about how every major public health body and international organisation agree that fluoridation is advantageous to public health and that there have been no major public health problems with water fluoridation?
Point me to where *every major public health body & internatioanl organisation agree….*
You’re trying to tell us how safe it is, you prove it, and while you’re at it, lobby the Scandinavians, to add it back in to their water supply, clearly the people of those nations, are missing the benefit of all that anglo-moron pseudo, corrupted, public health body and international organisation evidence, you refer to, lap up, swallow and support!
Go on, see if you can make a case for them, that leads to a change to their policy!
It isn’t my job to lobby the Scandinavians. I live in NZ.
Yes, Wellingtons water is fluoridated.
“every major public health body & international organisation agree…”
The CDC
The UN
The WHO
The American Medical Association
and so forth, and so forth.
Your turn:
So, why don’t actually address some points i.e. on public health, about how every major public health body and international organisation agree that fluoridation is advantageous to public health and that there have been no major public health problems with water fluoridation?
Iodine is very nearly as toxic as fluoride from what I can make out. depending on exactly which forms you’re talking about. We have mass medicated with iodised salt all my life, over half a century, but I couldn’t tell exactly when it was introduced. It’s a very similar issue of mass medication for the good of public health.
The CDC
The UN
The WHO
The American Medical Association
and so forth, and so forth.
And you complained to Ugly Truth that the N*zi argument carried no weight, why would you believe the entities above are not simply the same ideology wrapped up in pretty labels, fooling mugs lik yourself – Next you will be quoting the FDA, saying that you hoover up E951, because they passed it as acceptable to injest by human beings – Thanks Donald Fumsfeld for that one, fyi!
Your turn:
So, why don’t actually address some points i.e. on public health, about how every major public health body and international organisation agree that fluoridation is advantageous to public health and that there have been no major public health problems with water fluoridation?
Same answer as above – UN, WHO, CDC – Same people as WTO, IMF, UNESCO, World Bank, and other corrupted, thieving, murderous criminal entities.
*Every Major international organisation* – Is that what the list you provided is? Oops, I think the words *every & major*, were hyperboles bro, and that list means approximately nothing to me, as I said, youre selling the poison, I’m happy for it not to be in the water, the human body does not need it, so the onus on evidence lies with your camp, to prove benefits, and safety, sonny jim!
In any case, drink it up, swallow the toothpaste, take it all into your system, gargles it, swallow it, bath in it actually, it matters not!
Ignore CV’s comments too, nothing to see there, kids are just unlucky these days, throw some more prescription medicine at them, maybe a few more of them, there shots!, that will straighten them out!
on the subject of children’s exposure to media, there was a brief article on te News concerning infants interacting with i-pads; the footage displayed the infants in question prefering the gadget to their primary care-giver when ‘summoned’, a Strange Situation Test indeed; I T has begun Skywalker. (artricle stated no research has been conducted into long-term effects; “…we can rebuild him, we have the technology OSCAR). 😉
muzza
I can’t resist nit picking. It’s fluoride right. And the fluoride is added in small doses. Too much of anything can be toxic and when it is something that requires strict controls for safety like fluoride then they are applied and then the benefits occur.
And then the scare mongers stop and find something else to cogitate about, and there are plenty more really important new things to crusade about. It would be great if anti-fluoride and anti-vaccine people could find a new bandwagon and high-tail it off into the setting sun.
Don’t nit pick Prism, its too important a subject , for such flippancy!
You’re a believer in the *strict controls for safety*. yet you can’t see how flawed that statement is, so until you can understand the issue, leave such subjects alone!
How much raditation, of certian isotops, are safe for the human body, just because some governing body *says so*!
Your dismissal of poisons, which are scientifically known to build up inside the brain, and be toxic on the body, is as brazenly ridiculous, as the fact you have merged it with the subject of, *anti vaccine people*. (The give away of Prisms bias, right there)!
More important issues, than the poisoning of human beings.
Prism, you are a fool, in this instance, and your showing your old school thinking, is past it on certain subject matter!
Thanks muzza for your very extensive analysis of me and summary.
I think the same of you. So guess we are locking horns like a couple of rutting deer – such flippancy.
I think people like yourself are getting confused by the plethora of things to understand in a modern scientific era. You are the one showing your old school thinking which is to be ready to believe any emotional argument and scare tactic instead of to apply yourself as an individual to the argument for the positives which far outweigh the negatives.
Human reaction to any medication, will vary from individual to individual. Why do you think western medics, ask *what else are you taking*.
Why might they ask that!
Probably because the drugs may react with each other. Cleaning compounds have a warning on them not to mix with other cleaning compounds for the same reason.
The scandinavians…
You keep mentioning them but you still haven’t produced any research showing that putting fluoride in water is bad for us.
Chemist Charles Eliot Perkins documented the Nazi use of flouride.
Dr. Phyllis Mullenix investigated the toxicology of flouride and pushblished her work in the Journal of Neurotoxicology and Teratology. She then lost her job.
“Studies in mainstream peer-reviewed medical journals and government reports now document the fact that serious harms are associated with exposure to small amounts of fluoride-including hip fracture, cancer, and intellectual impairment. ” ~ David Hill
“It also is insulting to our population and our authorities to imply that they would behave and we would be subject to, such callous and uncaring treatment.”
You are assuming that they are in full possession of the facts.
“You are assuming that they are in full possession of the facts.”
They get their info from the CDC, WHO etc etc. Who are pretty well know for their access to factual information.
“The Nazi’s used therefore bad” is not an argument.
David Hill is going against the mainstream, well documented and well tested science. There is still no correlation of public health issues between non fluoridated and fluoridated areas.
CALGARY HEALTH SERVICES (undated-some time in the 80s) Dental Hygiene Unit. Science Teaching Unit (originally for Science 25 and later used in similar classes) (back to main text)
CALGARY HEALTH SERVICES (1989) Focus on fluoridation Calgary Herald Oct 8th (back to main text)
CARTON RJ (1993) Affidavit of Dr. Robert J. Carton in support of motion for summary judgement. Case No. 92 CV 579 Safe Water Foundation vs. City of Fond du Lac, State of Wisconsin Circuit Court, Fond du Lac County, Feb 10th (back to main text)
[deleted]
[lprent: It isn’t original thought with you so you already did everything you needed to do when you linked to it. If you are going to quote from it, then a short clearly marked quote is all that is required (like I just did for you) is all that is required. A comment from you explaining why you think people should go down the link is helpful.
Don’t waste any more of my time cleaning up behind you after you violate the policy about copy-paste. I tend to get irritated about it. ]
The overwhelming consensus is against Hill’s conclusion (from 1997 I might add – nearly 20 years old) and some of his references date back to the 1940’s.
“Nice list, but so what?”
So you have no clue what “mainstream, well documented and well tested science” is. Here’s a hint: it’s not consensus, either.
Yes, well I have a similarly low opinion of global warming deniers…
and anti-abortionists, anti-vaccinationists, anti-fluoridationists, anti-iodinists, creationists, flat earthers, fundementalist religious types and every other example of head-up-your-arse fringe voodoo quackery
Yes. Paying accurate wages to employees is something that is done all around the world. The complexity of professional pays is also a fact of life all around the world.
Only the current New Zealand Government seems to stuff things up so woefully.
Just don’t forget that Labour selected an Australian IT provider who was clearly in over their head, in preference to a NZ company with a solid track record. For what reason? Cost, the saving of a few dollars over a few years, I would suggest. Well that rationale has proven fucked.
The funding for Mangere Budgeting Service has just been and they are having to make redundant 5 of their 8 staff. This is at a time when applications for a special grant from WINZ is met with a requirement that applicants get budgeting advice. Of course according to this Government poverty is the result of bad budgeting and not a lack of resources.
Head of the Mangere Budgeting Service Darryl Evans is outspoken about poverty and I wonder if he has been targeted. Paula Bennett is claiming that there is extra funds for budgeting in the latest budget but it does not appear to be making its way to the MBS. I suspect that the claim of an increase is just smoke and mirrors.
To really add insult to injury Bennett is saying that the Service gets more now than it did under Labour in 2008. She has obviously forgotten that unemployment then was half of the level that it is now and there was no compulsion to receive budgeting advice.
“The funding for Mangere Budgeting Service has just been [WHAT?] and they are having to make redundant 5…”
Looks like you missed a word out there. If you were going to say “cut”, you are wrong, as their funding has been increased, the problem is that they were already running at a large deficit and the funding increase isn’t enough to meet their needs.
“Paula Bennett is claiming that there is extra funds for budgeting in the latest budget but it does not appear to be making its way to the MBS. I suspect that the claim of an increase is just smoke and mirrors.”
Their funding has been increased by $45,000. Unfortunately they were already in deficit by $155,000. So now they get government funding of $317,000 a year, which is kinda difficult to employ 8 people on for a demanding service such as this, when you also consider overheads like insurance, rent, electricity, office supplies, computers etc.
Same with so many families out there. The basic situation is that their benefits are insufficient to live on, and no number of spreadsheets will change that.
I can’t recall this ever happening before; hosts have gone on leave for 2-3 weeks and been replaced by other presenters, sometimes in a bit of an ad-hoc manner. I suspect in this case Geoff has taken a ‘break’ for something health related so they wanted to do something a bit more formal for his absence.
Yes, it’s possible he’s ‘just on annual leave’, but as I mentioned in my comment, in the past people have gone on annual leave and they haven’t put out special press releases and have managed on just fine with their small roster of stand-ins. Geoff’s also in his 80s, 82 I believe, so it’s not too much of a reach to guess that maybe it’s more than ‘just on annual leave’.
Kim certainly asks the questions. She is very direct and insistent. She has a very strong bullshit detector and shows no mercy to anyone in Public Office. Be interesting if she gets to interview (not available) Mr Key.
Yes, her interview with Catherine Isaac yesterday was very good, with Kim insisting that Isaac actually did strongly personally believe in Charter Schools, therefore she expected answers and not fob-off “read the legislation” answers that Isaac tried to give.
Kim Hill played a magnificent role in the 90s day after day on air battling duplicitous politicians, particularly the dirty NZ1 tight five and certain tory ministers and helped usher in one way or another a change of government. I never begrudged her the sweet Sat morning spot because of her efforts then.
Hope she is back to stay, and it would be good to see her reduce ShonKey to the gibbering idiot the electorate deserves to see him as, if he had the fortitude to front one of her inquisitions, er, interviews.
Budgeting and other beneficiary support and advisory services all over New Zealand seem to increasingly be hitting serious funding issues and crisis, not being able to deliver services while demand by poor beneficiaries and working people have substantially increased.
I have heard from a fair number working at the front line that they are inundated with requests for help and struggle to cope.
In the Budget English and his “muppet puppet” Bennett hailed the additional and “generous” 1.5 million funding for such services, which are though only pittance, when looked at more closely!
WINZ are sending thousands of people to see budget advisors, after applying for special needs grants for food and other urgent needs, due to being unable to survive and feed their kids, as rents are sky-high in much of Auckland, as electricity, water and other basic costs increase every year.
So while whipping beneficiaries left right and centre, and also the working poor needing extra help, Bennett is indeed keeping close purse-strings for the services that are supposed to advise and assist such people.
The true face of the “great budget” by the National led government on the social warfare front:
And already the ‘New Zealand Federation for Family Budgeting Service’s’ seem to rely heavily on volunteers to offer such services, as this quote from their website shows:
“Membership representatives
At the grassroots level, member services are supported by a network of NZFFBS volunteers. Over 30 experienced representatives currently volunteer for the NZFFBS. Categorised as Tangata Whenua, District, and Regional Representatives these people work actively to support members, create opportunities for networking, coordinate communications across the country, and ensure that a consistently high level of quality service is delivered by NZFFBS members.”
So we will get more “welfare” and “support services” USA style, I suppose, and that is what NatACT want to bring in, yes are already bringing in into New Zealand.
I dread to think what all those to be forced into biased assessments by MSD trained “designated doctors” and the MSD “Health and Disability Advisors” under Dr David Bratt, will get as “support”, when they get thrown off health related benefits, to go out and find jobs on the open job market from mid July onwards? They will face sanctions if they cannot find a “sympathetic” doctor taking a stand for them.
Budgeting services are very much bottom of the cliff services, many do only tell people to try and live off what WINZ pay them, and perhaps send them off to pick up a food-parcel, they do not, and will not have the time and resources, to advise people on having been treated unfairly in the high numbers that will come to them.
Grim and horrible prospects for the ones at the very bottom. Thank you Paula, life is good on your salary, I suppose, you look so well nourished and well made up, when facing the media!
Bill English was a lucky dip from Dipton for the National Party. His comments this morning about NZ and its course were so upbeat, conveying the comforting feeling of wellbeing – steady as she goes, all good. FFS
Brian Coffey spokesperson from Ministry of Education is speaking on Radionz and the Principal of Paeroa Central School having to take back a violent and assaulting primary-age boy with ‘extreme behaviour’ badly affecting others. She is responsible for providing a safe environment at the school so is being forced into an impossible situation. If she takes the child back, she knows that she is not providing a safe environment so is open to censure, and it will badly affect the other children’s learning and the happy environment of the school, but if she refuses to accept the child, she will be thrown out of the job also the Board of Trustees sacked if they refuse to take the child back and a Commissioner put in. What an autocratic, military decision. She says that 85 children are being disregarded to favour one who is very disturbed. Hekia Parata says it’s an ‘operational matter’.
The Ministry spokesman aims to ‘reduce the likelihood of violence recurring.’ And there will be a plan to build up the boys skills. And high level of support to stop him threatening to cut up other kids, and punch teachers.
How can teachers provide quality education when they have to cope with this?? It is wrong that the whole school be held hostage by the failures of NZ societal system. The school is being used as a therapeutic tool. That is not the job of the school – it is to provide education to children in a way that is suitable for each age in a good stable learning environment. How can public schools provide good education if they are being made to fill in for the mental health facilities that have been continually removed by past governments?
The sole right wing challenger to Auckland Mayor Len Brown (from the left, the Labour-leaning Mr Brown faces Penny Bright and John Minto; postal voting opens September).
What does the US import have to offer 1.3 million super city inhabitants?
Can you please list your proven achievements to date, where you have taken on Auckland Council, or any of the former 8 Councils in the Auckland region, on any matter, which have resulted in improvements for the public majority of citizens and ratepayers?
Catalonia and the Basque Country, the Basque Country and Catalonia, are two cancers in the body of the nation! Fa**ism, choice of Spain, comes to exterminate them, cutting into the flesh alive and well as a cold scalpel!
Spanish and Portuguese fascism never had to answer for their crimes due to the Cold War, when they were seen as useful to the US. I’ve met quite a few ageing Iberians who look back nostalgically to the days of Franco and Salazar, and younger ones who openly admire those scum. It’s no surprise to see them back, they never went away.
It’s pretty damn scary. The governments and institutions who have imposed austerity have thrown many, many ordinary workers into the arms of these people. They’ve learned nothing from their own history. Especially Merkel.
and then there is the UK, Hungary, Romania, France, Spain, Russia, the opposition to Islam, to same-sex relationships, to immigration, increasing unemployment, …
…Syria, Hezbollah, Turkey, Iraq, soon Afghanistan, the US and China over African resources.
In December 1975 we were heading to Mundaka in the Basque country but the death of Franco meant that there was the real possibility that Spain would go another round in the civil war so we spent an anxious few weeks waiting in Hendaye before we flagged it and went elsewhere.
We returned in October 1976 and made it to Mundaka where I met people who had a living memory of the civil war and were genuinely terrified of the state apparatus and in fear of a return to the bad old days. They lived behind curtains and were very suspicious of us as a group but once they’d worked out who we were it all changed because the young Antipodeans of the International Brigades were still held in high regard.
On the first anniversary of the death of Franco we went to a celebration held behind closed doors just in case the Guardia were in the town and happy birthday to you was sung in English. People were scared witless by the Guardia Civil.
The horror of the civil war was brought home by a visit to Guernica where damage from the 1937 bombing remained unrepaired and I met elderly people who had lived through it. It was a life changing event and an awful lot for 21 year old Taranaki boy to take in and close to forty years later the memory is as vivid as it ever was.
Pre-thruster too vto. The singles and twinnies of the day made for some damn hairy down the line shenanigans to go with the worst beatings before or since.
More info on Professor Mansel Aylward, the “wayward” medical expert from the ‘Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research’, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, UK, an extreme proponent of the “work will make you healthy” (and set you free) philosopy, based on a perverted “bio-psycho social model” for health and disability diagnosis and treatment:
He has been teaching his philosophy, based on the presumption that many claiming to be ill are simply clinging to a form of “illness belief” and not really sick and/or incapacitated, to Paula Bennett, Minister for Social Development here in New Zealand. She made her own convictions clear in her speech to medical professionals on 26 September last year:
Mansel Aylward and Dame C. Black also “advised” a set up Health and Disability Board panel at MSD, responsible for overseeing the implementation of the new welfare reforms to come into effect 15th July 2013.
Aylward will be speaking to a national conference of general practitioners in Rotorua on 21 June, to spread his message there. There are plans to bring in UK style work ability assessments, which will see that thousands of sickness and invalid’s beneficiaries (soon to be “Jobseeker Allowance” and “Supported Living” beneficiaries) will be kicked off their benefits, and coerced into seeking work on the open job market.
Those affected, those working with and advocating sick and disabled beneficiaries better have a look at the cabinet paper C of the government on this:
It does to some degree tell you what is in store (hints it at least). Officially it is all about PC language like “support” and “assist” into work, but it will NOT be nice stuff that is coming!
Aylward is an incredibly dangerous ideologue, at least as disconnected from reality as Monckton. He provides a pseudoscientific basis for the official sadism beloved by Bennett, Collins and the Whale Army. I cannot understand why the Medical Association doesn’t denounce him. His perverted views have caused deaths in Britain and will do so here. He should be charged in a court of law.
The Medical Association is not gutless, they are basically the “union” of medical professionals and practitioners, so naturally they are their advocates, rather than a standards enforcing body.
The Medical Council would have more to say and more clout, but also they are not that interested. NZ doctors also avoid criticising each other, hence no doctor will complain openly about Bratt, and any layperson or “patient” would first have to successfully complain and get a decision out of the Health and Disability Commissioner, before any other steps will be taken by the Medical Council or even a court.
Actually none of all above will see any reason or chance to take any action against Dr Bratt, as he is not delivering any medical service, he is merely a madcap and mean spirited “advisor” for MSD. That means he gets away with it all, and he knows it full well. I am not having you on, that is the way the law is.
Forget the powers of a beneficiary, nobody takes them/us serious enough anyway, they/we are free game for all, the whipping boys and girls of the nation so to say!
Hence Bratt can carry on playing the mad cowboy doctor in the OK corral.
Gutless is a value judgment, and I know doctors who are far from gutless. In this case, I was thinking about their professional self-interest. Aylward’s and Bratt’s plans make them nothing more than the signers of rejection slips, with no recognition that they might actually have some skills to bring to the table. I know I’d be extremely pissed off in my professional life if the government told me there were new laws of nature that I must now follow and got some moron out from Oral Roberts College of Creation Science to lecture about them.
However, I think xtasy is right. It should be the Medical Council. It should also be mass mobilisation, action in Parliament, and union involvement. These developments should be fought on every front possible.
It’s going to be unpleasant for those with ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It’s a deviation in the body from normal functioning and hard to test for, though its results can be debilitating. It can sometimes passover months or years but till then the body’s physical and mental energy once used up is not renewed easily. The result is apparent laziness.
As can be imagined it’s stressful and becomes more so with a punitive half-bake as this Mansel whatever sounds. They do a lot of this hounding and labelling of invalids as slack or psychologically unsound in Britain. It must have the most judgmental medical personnel in the developed world.
Carter has to go, he is not able to perform and uphold authority as Speaker, as he does apparently fail to, or intentionally chooses to, not abide by Standing Orders and Speaker’s rulings.
There is too much apparent bias, and hence the House got into tumultuous disorder prior to and during question time.
Also is Dunne now the focus of attention, his party being given quasi party status by the Speaker, while in effect and under law it is presently not accepted as a party – represented in Parliament. Dunne is able to continue receiving appropriation for a party that does not exist. Appalling stuff, really!
I think Carter stuffed up big, and it may cost him his position now.
With Tau things would possibly be even worse by now, I dare to presume. He would be out there throwing fists around, to sort his colleagues out, I fear.
“I think Carter stuffed up big, and it may cost him his position now.”
No it won’t. John Key needs that bit of sewage called Dung to keep his majority and Carter will obliged as much as possible and look after his mates on the right. Forget about Parliamentary rules and democracy, this shower of shit of a government will break the rules on the hour and half hour if it suited there goals.
Another day has passed in exciting times, and we see, Peters was right onto it, when he suspected Dunne had something to hide. Dunne continues to hide his emails with Vance, and that has cost him his job as minister, and the trust of Key.
So going back to the Speaker, the Speaker gave a very liberal and under the law questionable determination to allow United Future defacto party status, until Dunne and his underlings deliver proof of 500 membership.
As of today, we know, Carter as Speaker gave lenient and special treatment to Dunne, who has become such a dodgy person sitting in Parliament in his last numbered days, the Speaker himself has now been put in question for his actions, based on giving any credit and trust to Dunne.
The Speaker will be gone by the end of the month, or at least within the coming few months, I am sure!
Why can I not edit my comment above, when the time is still ticking??? Something is wrong, or did I write something yesterday, that breached the rules???
I wanted to state that Carter’s days as Speaker are numbered, as he gave credit and leniency to Dunne, which has been for a person now considered untrustworthy by action, and by the Prime Minister.
Hence Carter will be gone very soon, giving special leniency for Dunne to present evidence of 500 or more members. Some of the ones that may have signed up with UF may as of today withdraw that decision anyway, to create yet more of a mess, I presume.
I am on a benefit and was sent to a budgetting service seminar. I found it really good. The speaker had been in our situation and knew exactly what it was like for us. She was encouraging and realistic. It was comforting as I felt I was not alone listening to her and also being with other people in the same position as me. I got a part-time job shortly after that so things have improved.
Rose – so they now already hold complete budgeting seminars, advising and informing whole groups at one time, that is impressive. The people I know went and saw a budget advisor on a face to face basis. So numbers of beneficiaries must be so large, they now get “mass processing”.
I am happy for you that you found it helpful. I know someone who had to pay so much rent, he would never have enough money to pay for food. WINZ repeatedly, endlessly told him, he was getting all he was entitled to, and there was no chance for him to get more.
So he had to move and stayed in a boarding house with endless issues there (noise, cockroaches, over-crowding, dampness, tiny room, unfriendly cohabitants). As he had serious health issues they worsened extremely, and upon applying for proper housing from Housing NZ, he was there fobbed off endlessly.
We had to go to the media, who wanted to know, finally wrote about it, and bang, suddenly Housing NZ offered him a half derelict home, which at least was a roof over the head with peace and quiet.
You can be grateful you are healthy and able to work, there is little mercy even for the sick and incapacitated. WINZ generally do not care, and they are happy with you, because you went off the benefit a.s.a.p., doing exactly what they want people to do.
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Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Tinting car windows offers numerous benefits, including enhanced privacy, reduced glare, UV protection, and a more stylish look for your vehicle. However, the cost of window tinting can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you understand how much you can expect to ...
The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund — When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayers’ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund — and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
COMMENTARY:By Murray Horton New Zealand needs to get tough with Israel. It’s not as if we haven’t done so before. When NZ authorities busted a Mossad operation in Auckland 20 years ago, the government didn’t say: “Oh well, Israel has the right to defend itself.” No, it arrested, prosecuted, ...
NEWSMAKERS:By Vijay Narayan, news director of FijiVillage Blessed to be part of the University of Fiji (UniFiji) faculty to continue to teach and mentor those who want to join our noble profession, and to stand for truth and justice for the people of the country. I was privileged to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Lowry, Ice Sheet & Climate Modeller, GNS Science Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace hundreds of millions of ...
The government's plan to reintroduce a three strikes regime is being strongly opposed by lawyers, who argue there is no evidence it reduces crime or helps people rehabilitate. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dan Jerker B. Svantesson, Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni E Ferreira, NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, Institute of Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney Last week in a post on X, owner of the platform Elon Musk recommended people look into disc replacement if they’re experiencing severe neck or back pain. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey caught the headlines yesterday, courtesy of a blistering speech condemning the latest GST carve-up. New South Wales, he claimed, would be A$11.9 billion worse off over the ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
While police are "broadly in favour", the government's proposed anti-gang laws are facing pushback from lawyers, rights groups and former gang members. ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived at Kokoda Station, Northern province, at the start of his state visit to Papua New Guinea. Both Albanese and Prime Minister James Marape will meet with the locals and the Northern Provincial government before they begin their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wallace, Professor, School of Politics Economics & Society, Faculty of Business Government & Law, University of Canberra Shutterstock An important principle was invoked by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week in defence of the government’s Future Made in Australia industry ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Security forces reinforcements were sent from France ahead of two rival marches in the capital Nouméa today, at the same time and only two streets away one from the other. One march, called by Union Calédonienne party (a component of the ...
A poll last August found that just 16% of New Zealanders oppose bringing back the ‘Three Strikes’ law. The nationwide poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was commissioned by Family First NZ and carried out by Curia Market Research. ...
The solo show from Ana Scotney is both sprawling and intimate, and a must-see, writes Mad Chapman. In the opening moments of Scattergun: After the Death of Rūaumoko, writer and performer Ana Scotney lays out the groundwork, literally. Silently moving around the square stage, Scotney is not so much dancing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics, Monash University Who makes the words? Why are trees called trees and why are shoes called shoes and who makes the names? – Elliot, age 5, Eltham, Victoria Good question Elliot! Let’s start with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne at amRawpixel.com/Shutterstock Roles of health professionals are still unfortunately often stuck in the past. That is, before the ...
COMMENTARY:By Malcolm Evans Last week’s leaked New York Times staff directive, as to what words can and cannot be used to describe the carnage Israel is raining on Palestinians, is proof positive, since those reports are published verbatim here in New Zealand, that our understanding of the conflict is ...
In the case of New Zealand, the results confirm that there is no popular support for the vicious austerity program being imposed by the National Party-led government, which is backed in all fundamental respects by the opposition Labour Party. ...
The ‘Vampire’ singer has never visited our part of the world, but that might all be about to change. We assess the evidence.Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour is pulling in massive crowds as it whips around the US and Europe, even helping to catapult regular supporting act Chappell Roan ...
Testing of drinking water in rural Canterbury over the weekend by Greenpeace revealed that several public town supplies were reaching levels of nitrate above 5 mg/L - the threshold which a growing body of scientific evidence has linked to increased ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rohan Fisher, Information Technology for Development Researcher, Charles Darwin University It may come as a surprise to hear 2023 was Australia’s biggest bushfire season in more than a decade. Fires burned across an area eight times as big as the 2019–20 Black ...
Responding to the Government’s announcement of changes to resource management laws, Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said: “These changes are a step in the right direction in terms of removing ideological and unworkable ...
More than two years after the Human Rights Council called for the establishment of a national human rights commission, such a body has yet to be formed. ...
Comment:An emergency management system with wide variations in performance, significant capability gaps, funding shortfalls and above all a setup that is not meeting the needs of New Zealanders at times of crisis. The Government’s inquiry into the response to Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in the North ...
Welcome to the whirring wonders of one brain trying to align its actions with its beliefs within a system it thinks is evil. My brain has been spiralling in a woke conundrum ever since I found out a bookshop I’ve never been to was shutting down. Good Books, a bookshop ...
We repeat our call for criminal justice policy to be based on evidence, something the three strikes regime neglects to recognise – with no evidence that it either reduces crime or assists with rehabilitation. ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara With only four more seats in the 50-member Parliament yet to be officially declared, there is no outright winner in the Solomon Islands elections. As of Monday, the two largest blocs in the winner’s circle, independents and the incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh ...
Two/fiftyseven is a multi-purpose space hidden in the heart of Wellington that is paving a way for sustainable building and responsible landlording in Aotearoa and beyond.By 2060 the world is predicted to double its entire building stock, which equates to building an entire New York City every 34 days, ...
Popstars wasn’t just a reality television revolution, it was also a huge moment for Y2K fashion.It’s 25 years since girl group TrueBliss was formed on New Zealand national television, breaking new ground for both the reality television industry and the shiny clothing industry. With the first episode on NZ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Pepping, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Griffith University Marvin / Shutterstock Are all single people insecure? When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William Geary, Lecturer in Quantitative Ecology & Biodiversity Conservation, The University of Melbourne Trismegist san, Shutterstock Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbour vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Lecturer in Marine Science, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Shutterstock/S Curtis Why are we crossing ecological boundaries that affect Earth’s fundamental life-supporting capacity? Is it because we don’t have enough information about how ecosystems respond to change? Or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Crocker, PhD Student in Economics, Deakin University Here’s something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a charity director outlines how she’s saving for retirement and buying secondhand. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 45 Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: Charity director, mum of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophie Yates, Research Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a ...
It’s been called a failed experiment and a judicial straightjacket but the government says the revised three strikes law will be a more workable regime, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Three ...
New Zealand’s Palestinian community and Palestinian Youth Aotearoa are voicing alarm and disappointment with the lack of factual rigour present during the Israeli Ambassador’s appearance as a guest on TVNZ’s Q+A With Jack Tame Sunday (21/04). ...
Both ACT leader David Seymour, who played a key role in drawing up the assisted dying law, and hospice leaders say it's time the legislation was changed. ...
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Nick Smith, like so many Nats, is a bully. He’s also shortsighted.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10888666
National want a quick fix for Auckland. They’re also not prepared to pay for or support the infrastructure the city needs (public transport, good intensive housing, adequate green spaces and amenities) you bozos, it’s not rocket science!)
“The minister has warned that Aucklanders may need to sacrifice quality for affordability.”
This is a joke. It stinks of the 1990s, the decade that gave us leaky homes. It will be a disaster and cost Auckland in the short and long term.
National have ignored Wellington and pushed Christchurch around. Now, like a shonkey salesman they want to strong arm Auckland into one buying one white elephant after another (an unnecessary convention centre, low quality development…).
The next year just got fascinating.
It stinks alright. The Government is looking for someone else to blame for the housing crisis. And at the same time it is centralising power so that local voices become quieter and quieter.
There is no need to sacrifice quality for affordability. Unless your dream is for a outer ring of shanty towns.
Yep, this government is all about big government, picking winners, and marketplace intervention.
Far more so than Helen Clark’s government
It is noticeable how fst Nick Smith talks. It’s like he’s on speed. His brain is running on the Roger Douglas track – charge forward with your policies, push them through fast, before any opposition can be organised.
What you describe, re Smith’s talk. is his mumbling, that of a currupted human being, Prism.
The John Banks school of speed talk.
muzza +1
He is also really good at presenting the most complex of problems with the most black and white analysis through the use of words and making it sound so simple even though he does not have a frack what he is talking about.
Nick Smith’s “smart”, affordable, convenient, easy and swift housing solution for Auckland and Christchurch:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/rebuilding-christchurch/8397429/All-the-pod-cons-for-250-a-week
http://www.containersdirect.co.nz/container_housing
http://www.containerarchitecture.co.nz/portfolio/index.html
http://www.ecobob.co.nz/forum/ForumPosts/2652/Re-Living-in-a-shipping-container.aspx?PageNumber=2
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/shipping-containers-refitted-quake-workers-video-5456632
Stop bloody moaning, folks, the solution is already here, move on, face up to the “brighter future”! Get a life, and work and earn your own way, if you want to join the ones in Remmers, in Eastern Suburbs or the better quarters on the North Shore of Auckland, or other cherished residential areas!
Forget this:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/canterbury-earthquake/132487/housing-plan-for-rebuild-workers-scrapped
Greetings
Nick the mighty, smiling “Dick”
Charter schools are apparently perfect for this sort of pupil who is obviously failing in the state system.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/8761374/Boy-threatens-safety-of-schoolmates.
Would the ministry insist on him being enrolled? Yeah … naah!!
The fact that the government is unable to pay its employees, the school teachers, because its rules and rates and regulations around employment and pay are so incredibly complex that nobody not even the government can work it out then surely that is an indicator of something, is it not?
It is probably the biggest failure of the government, as a system, ever. It has created something it doesn’t even know how to work and gets lost in its own maze.
It is frightfully funny and scary at the same time. Why do we give these people so much power if this is all they can achieve?
Teacher pay rates are ridiculously complex, serious amounts of cleaning up and simplification is desperately needed.
oh poppycock, all large institutions have complex pay grades, think of the police, defence force, health department and large corporates. BM please engage your brain before I just start calling you Steven Joyce, then we will all know what to expect.
I read some where that the NZ teacher pay agreement is considered one of the most complex in the world.
Oh good, then you won’t have any trouble backing up that statement with a citation.
Funny how datacom did it just fine
Idle Hands (and other appendages)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10888764
The US government has created a major concentration camp and slave labour tribe within it’s borders. Of course they are mostly blacks and hispanics.
2.3M in prisons (State and Federal)
4.8M on parole or other correctional supervision
The population of the entire cities of Sydney and Melbourne
Have you read the teachers pay agreements?
Secondary school
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/SchoolEmployment/TeachersPrincipals/SecondaryTeachers/CollectiveAgreement/PartFour.aspx
Primary
http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/SchoolEmployment/TeachersPrincipals/PrimaryTeachers/SalaryAndAllowances.aspx
These are just two, there are othe variants.
It does look like a complex system, I have worked on software projects doing payroll including DHB’s and this looks considerable more complex.
Standard employment pay scales, Jane, nothing difficult there at all. You should have a look at Fonterra’s CEA, makes that one look like a note scribbled on the back of a napkin. Difference is, Fonterra pay correctly, and on time.
+1 If it was so difficult, how did Datacom do it without fail for years?
They didn’t.
Thats right Datacom didn’t fail.
I know a teacher who worked several reliving jobs in different schools for a couple of years and never had a problem.
Yes they did, go do a bit of reading.
Best you do some reading yourself BM. A little less making stuff up when you don’t have a clue would also be useful.
BM
Yep have done.
Nothing like the Novapay stuff up
Oh the joys of living in a socialist paradise.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10888569
I notice that Venezuela isn’t held up as a shining socialist utopia as much now as it used to be.
I wonder why?
A socialist government in a capitalist world. It looks to me the rationing is the outcome of a struggle between the government’s price controls and the combination of pressures from outside the country plus businesses within the country operating on market principles.
And, of course, one should always take an NZ Herald article on such things at face value.
Maybe because the article looks like a direct cut and paste from an anti-government website. Venezuela imports 70% of it’s food so the opportunities for disruption of supply by anti-government agents are huge.
Here is a different view: Poor Utilization of the Land Behind Food Shortages in Venezuela
So Jimmie, any thoughts on why the evil dictatorship in Venezuela, you know, the one headed by that tyrant Hugo Chavez, didn’t just collapse ‘before lunchtime’ following his death?
A miracle? Magic? Luck? The fact they still have Maduro as an interim president and there hasn’t been enough time to see what will happen?
DId you actually read that, Jimmie? It’s about a problem they have with stuff being smuggled into Colombia, a country which is the darling of the neocons. Ask yourself why things can be smuggled from Venezuela to Colombia and subsequently be sold at a profit? Maybe market forces aren’t working too well in the capitalist paradise?
Try harder.
Vto the teachers were paid ok until the system shift
Yes I am aware of that Dv, just taking some artistic licence to poke the system in the ribs. I think the point still stands though – how can it be that hard? Why try to reinvent the wheel all the time?
It is like pretty much all tech – slower and more comvoluted. Ever queued behind people paying by eftpos compared to cash? Is it actually quicker to pay by internet banking than writing and posting a cheque?
It’s all a con. A con I tell ya….
Go the pen and paper!
Nice going morons, banning one of the top 10 public health advancements of the last 100 years.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8761398/Health-officials-alarmed-as-fluoridation-voted-out
Well at least the Dentists will be happy. And as someone who was born in England before the introduction on Fluoride into the water there. I have paid for it, both in monetary terms, and in bad teeth
I am sure Muzza will be pleased but I am unhappy that conspiracy theory and anti-science have trumped public health.
I think you might find, as I mentioned yesterday, http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-05062013/#comment-643987
the Scandinavians banned it a long time ago, and based on that alone, given they are far ahead of the anglo-file idiots, is enough for me to accept that its the right decision.
I’ll take their position, over people who share yours, every day of the week!!!
TC – Anti science, you mate, are poorly read, as anyone else who foolishly believe, mass medication, is the reason their teeth are good or bad or otherwise!
Answer this – What percentage of the western world, adds flouride to its water supply, and what percentage of NZ towns/cities do the same?
here you go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoridation_by_country
But what’s your point?
“you mate, are poorly read”
Nope on this I am very well read.
My point is its being removed faster than nations/towns/cities are adding the poison to the water supplies, including in NZ!
Ill take the Scandinavians reasoning for removing it, over your position for adding/leaving it, all day long , champ!
You got a sales pitch, as to why I wouldn’t?
Edit- do they have flouride in the water where you live?
If no – are you out lobbying to get it added, or are you simply chewing on loads of topical application toothpaste, taking note of the, do not swallow, medical warning, to ensure you get enough of the poison into your system!
“My point is its being removed faster than nations/towns/cities are adding the poison to the water supplies”
In the quantities added it is not poisonous which is confirmed by every major medical and public health body.
There has never been a correlation between water fluoridation and major public health problems.
“In the quantities added it is not poisonous which is confirmed by every major medical and public health body.”
Another statement of faith, Contrarian?
Does non-fluoridated toothpaste also have a “do not swallow” warning? The tube I’ve got is fluoridated, so I can’t check.
My non-fluoridated toothpaste doesn’t say not to swallow. Please note I don’t use it because I’m against fluoride but because it’s the only no animal testing toothpaste I can get locally.
Fluoride is tested on humans
Not sure what relevance it has on my choice of no animal testing toothpaste.
Funny how mention of vaccination, iodisation or fluoridisation suddenly turns the most hardened left wing Commissar into a screaming Libertarian. Suddenly it’s all about the patriarchal middle class white privileges of “choice” and “personal responsibility” and never a flying fuck for underprivileged children who benefit from such public health programmes.
@Pop1
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/164908_513366655400015_1282669878_n.png
An oldie but a goodie
oddly, not really, I’m with you two; let ‘the middle class’ check ‘their’ privilege (and consume all the ‘fluoridated’ foods they can afford.
I support both fluoridation and vaccination and I’m left.
Funnily those I know who are opposed are firmly right ( as opposed to left ) in their views. They complain of fluoridation as part of the nanny state complex. They are quite clear that if you teeth rot it’s your own damn fault and would have the poor chose between toothpaste or food.
Of course we all know the patriachal daddy state is much much worse and we are seeing that unfold in real time.
I’m not sure how you can assume the anti-fluoride brigade are left in any way shape or form.
Ditto. You only have to read history to see the benefits to the public from the public health risk factors in a society that it eliminates. Sure all of these techniques have individual risk factors – the ones that the rather than scare blogs highlight.
But if people are really concerned about those then I’d suggest concentrating those of like anti-vaccination mind together and running a trial to see what the effects are when they aren’t freeloading on the rest of the populations immunity.
Alternatively they could band together financially to do the R&D to find a viable public health alternative. Say about a thousand per year as an involuntary contribution put in a R&D fund. We will call it a fine?
Anything to show that they are trying to do something about what they see as an issue rather than simply ignoring the statistical benefits to the whole population rather than the individual disadvantages to them and theirs.
Of course extending criminal manslaughter charges related to those that they infect and kill might work as well. No different to drunk driving as far as I can see.
btw, there are some other dietary sources of Fluoride linked below; jolly stuff is everywhere, Oh no! What to nibble on while awaiting that file. 😀 (read Coleridge, or Watch).
Of course fluorine is kind of chemically clingy so you find low levels of it through almost everything naturally – usually as some kind of fluoride. Humans probably require it because we did quite a lot of our developmental evolution doing garbage collection near seashores where there are adequate amounts of it. But we kind of spread into many other places in the world where it was rarer both in water and in diets and where humans found they had health issues because of that. It is much the same as salt was an issue as we moved inland. The old prehistoric salt trade routes were pretty extensive.
When they fluoridate water supplies, they don’t use the same concentrations everywhere. That is because they’re boosting the level of the existing fluoride in the environment up to the level that we naturally require. Yes there may be ill-effects if people overdose on it or are particularly susceptible to to it because of genetics, growth phase, or interactions with the other chemicals in our personal chemical composition (ie we are naturally just a mix of chemicals – mostly dihydride oxide). But the health risks of having rotting teeth are invariably a *lot* higher.
If you don’t wish to participate in the public health measure, then you are perfectly entitled to figure out how to pay for avoiding the mass public health provisions. Moving to where you can use a roof tank is probably the best idea. Unlike skipping vaccinations defluoridation of your diet is unlikely to harm others.
yes, (being the deep well of research that you are Lynn), infections of the gum can be very unpleasant, lead to complications, and Might Just Take Your Life.
Truly, and utterly contemptuously, the most pathetic argument, ever, is that!
Accurate though and I notice that you don’t deal with the public health aspect. Perhaps you haven’t bothered to study it in your narcissistic libertarian pursuits.
There is a reason that almost of the diseases that were endemic when I was a kid (and which I caught) are now quite rare. In fact the rare cases that do show up as an outbreak that do show up are often reported as news. Quite unlike when I was a kid.
The food is no different. The water, sewerage, and waste disposal systems are pretty much the same. The human populations haven’t suffered the levels of deaths that are required to leave a much smaller but more resistant population (ie what happened with the black death in europe or the smallpox and measles in south america). The diseases themselves without treatment are just as virulent as they were, and probably more so. We’re better at preventing them from killing and maiming if they are treated early.
There is exactly one reason that these diseases are no longer causing occasional deaths, frequent maiming and massive productivity losses across the whole population. That is because they no longer have enough susceptible hosts in the human population of this country to cause outbreaks. The reason for that is that most of the possible hosts either had the diseases in their youth like me and are now resistant, or they had (like me with polio) a *vaccine* that induced resistance. That protected not only myself from the pain that Margaret Wilson and others of the previous generation have had to live with throughout their lives, but also protected everyone else around me.
But vaccinations are not perfect. People have varying levels of resistance after vaccinations. So they provide only a *partial* protection for any one person. They just make it harder for diseases to get a foothold. If the surrounding population has a large infected and carrier population then the disease will have a high rate of speciation. Even people who are resistant to a disease will get the sick from new variants.
So vaccinations are only really effective if the whole population is made resistant as a whole community. This pushes the recombination rate of a disease well down because it has a much more limited population for those lucky “accidents” that change their genome. Those libertarians (like yourself) who are so individualistic that they don’t think about the risks they are putting on everyone else provide potential reservoirs for disease populations to speciate and produce new virulent variations.
So as I said, if you don’t vaccinate in a public health program for whatever reason, then you should be isolated and live with those others who also do not. Or pay in some other way for your individualistic stupidity. You are freeloading on the carefully built up resistances in the community and effectively wasting the resources put into the programmes both now and into the future.
Personally I think that any case where the disease DNA is matched (the populations speciation varies infections and can be traced with a high degree of probability) from a unvaccinated; and where it causes injury or death, then it should be treated as a criminal matter like drunken driving. That is a offense where the legal test of mens rea is severely diminished compared the mens actus.
It doesn’t matter what your intent was. The mere act of not vaccinating (or drinking) before getting the disease and passing it others (or driving while drunk and crashing into someone) provides the most of the requirement for a legal intent to cause injury to others. It makes you as much of danger to your community as it would if your were a habitual drunk who likes to drive.
That is an argument that is quite separate to the question of if a particular brand of vaccination or car is safe to use – which is all that I have seen you argue..
well, last time I checked, I was pretty “far left” and I support the Public Health initiatives you identify (love the pic Contrarian); now, according to the wonderful Wendyl Nissen, our natural diet has plenty of fluoride as well; here we go
Foods highest in fluoride lots of fruit and veges in there! (oh, and merlot) 😀
A few years back quite a few Auckland righties got their knickers in a twist about iodine. A few of em getting goitre sorted that out.
I know one switching to sea salt sufferer and she basically lost her voice for a few years.
Half the problem with the young un’s these days is that the victims of many of these diseases just aren’t around. Growing up we knew people with polio, children brain damaged by rubella, many of our parents no longer had their own teeth in their 30’s and 40’s and so on. We’ve seen some of our peers get post-polio syndrome and seen their muscle tissue waste away in their fifties.
People older than me would have known even more of these people.
Just so…
On the other hand, in that time we’ve also seen an increase in heart disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic illness generally that belies the idea that we always get it right when it comes to the health of the population.
Much of the numerical increase is logically due to an increase in population and some due to an ageing population.
Urbanisation brings it’s own woes as well.
The biggest factors in my view is the removal of weekends for families to be together, people to have a break from working, to have time to be part of their communities and play sport etc.
The over commercialisation of food with it’s added sugar and salt esp is a big problem. There’s quite a good doco somewhere about the sugar companies influence in ensuring that the maximum recommended level of sugar in food was not put into WHO guidelines as recommended by the scientists behind the guidelines – including a New Zealander. That limit if imposed would reduce significantly the amount of processed sugar in foods and we’d all be much healthier.
Evolutionary wise we are designed to store the rare amount of sugar we would have come across and equally meat we would only have eaten if we caught it.
Millions of years of evolution say less meat,less sugar and less salt. We have all three available in abundance.
Sure Ssssmith. I’m just pointing out that public health doesn’t always get it right, and neither does scientific consensus. And sometimes individuals do despite that.
Try this for an obvious example (which fits nicely with your thoughts on sugar).
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm
and note that alongside the research, there are swathes of people now adjusting their diets based on rejection of the fat hypothesis and finding significant improvements in their health. Those improvements will be written off as anecdotal, and it will take decades for the research to filter through and influence public health policy. I suspect that eventually public pressure will mean the research gets done more quickly, but at the moment there are too many vested interests.
What I’m suggesting here is a more nuanced approach than the ‘there is a scientific consensus so it must be true’ approach.
btw, I agree with much of what you say about diet and lifestyle, except for the meat bit. We know that there some cultures thrive on high meat diets, with good health outcomes (and little heart disease).
The orthodoxy likes to pretend it is “scientific” but really that is just another belief complex system, one where adherence marks those who are the “in crowd” and those who practice or speak differently as “other”.
Once someone delves into how the original food pyramid and follow up farm bills were constructed by industry lobby groups, and promulgated by the medical profession ad nauseaum, it becomes very hard to take anything presented by these authorities at face value.
EDIT
ahhhh frak, waddya know. Phosphate rock used to create fertilisers used in NZ are a major source of fluoride additives for water. Maybe this explains why our food chain is contaminated with fluoride.
+1 DoSsss, Ghost and all re left and public health.
I do wonder about the foods highest in fluoride – If we stopped adding fluoride to the water in places where it doesn’t occur naturally, would the fruit and veg from these places have lower levels of fluoride in them? Have there been comparisons between produce from the ‘has’ and ‘hasn’t’ got fluoride areas?
Actually dentists are unhappy. Sure, they want to make a buck, but I suspect most of their profits come from expensive adult-type surgeries, not fillings for kids (who are a pain to deal with, I’m sure).
DavidH
I liked the Spike Milligan comment on British teeth. He came to Britain after having been in India where people’s teeth apparently were better. He said that the people in the streets had teeth that looked like Merry Xmas written in Gothic or something like that.
Shows what a complete farce local body politics are
In 2006 there was a binding referendum held in Hamilton about fluoridation, the result was overwhelming to keep fluoridation.
Completely undemocratic decision by the Hamilton council, these individuals represent no one but themselves.
A democratic decision based on ignorance is still an ignorant decision.
The earliest occurrence of fluoridated drinking water on Earth was found in Russia’s gulags and then Germany’s Nazi prison camps.
“Using the fluoride in the water supplies in their gulags (concentration camps), to make the prisoners stupid, docile, and subservient.” ~ The Crime and Punishment of I. G. Farben by Joseph Borkin
The Canadian father of water fluoridation was the president of the eugenics society of Canada.
http://canadianawareness.org/2012/03/water-fluoridation-directly-linked-to-eugenics/
““Using the fluoride in the water supplies in their gulags (concentration camps), to make the prisoners stupid, docile, and subservient.””
Which is why everywhere they fluoridate water the people become stupid, docile, and subservient..oh wait, that’s right – they don’t.
The only difference between communities with fluoridated water and non-fluoridated are the levels of tooth decay.
“The earliest occurrence of fluoridated drinking water on Earth was found in Russia’s gulags and then Germany’s Nazi prison camps.”
Bullshit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_water_fluoridation
Nice work, TC!
Also if we look at IQ by State vs. Fluoridation by State we find no statistical correlation whatsoever:
IQ:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/general-u-s/547133-states-ranked-iq-how-does-yours.html#b
Fluoride in water supply:
http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/DataStatistics/FindDataByTopic/WaterFluoridation/CommunityWaterFluoridationState.htm
And what about the gas they used in the first world war- Clorine
Actually, that was Mustard Gas
It was both
Kills all known germ-ans. And anybody or animal in the appropriate doses. Note – It was scientifically measured to be enough to kill – that was its purpose in its use in the war.
“Which is why everywhere they fluoridate water the people become stupid, docile, and subservient..oh wait, that’s right – they don’t.”
Dosage is everything.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_water_fluoridation
Wikipedia? Same shit as Wikileaks.
“Dosage is everything.”
Exactly, and the dosage in our water is not enough to cause any health issues and none have been documented.
Who told you that?
Ummmm, the CDC, WHO, the UN etc etc.
There is no difference in health problems between fluoridated and non-fluoridated populations. No statistical correlation, no identified harm and no spikes in the many ailments fluoridation poisoning would lead to.
You got nufin’
“Who told you that?”
In a round-about way, you did actually.
Arsenic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic_biochemistry#Organoarsenic_compounds_in_nature
Aunt Agatha Bears no malice Rodrigo, unlike Hawksmoor.
A pity it doesn’t seem to have much effect in our prisons
UT
Can you find any more facts? to damn fluoride in drinking water. They are talking about a measured dose, it must be appropriate for the health of the people. Referring to torture camps where the authorities have no concern about their prisoners wellbeing is not a controlled test. It also is insulting to our population and our authorities to imply that they would behave and we would be subject to, such callous and uncaring treatment.
If fluoride was really being used by governments to pacify and dull the populace you gotta wonder the logic behind fluoridating their own water:
http://www.dcwater.com/waterquality/faqs.cfm
Uh, only poor people drink tap water in DC.
Everyone else drinks perrier. Or evian.
What bullshit.
Prism, mass medication is NEVER acceptable, and the terminology of measured dose, is an oxymoron!
Human reaction to any medication, will vary from individual to individual. Why do you think western medics, ask *what else are you taking*.
Why might they ask that!
Talk of measured doses, en masse, is the stuff of lunacy – The scandinavians understand this concept, and they lead the world in looking after their people, based on knowledge/science/education and understanding. If the Scandinavians have removed it from their water supplies, there is very good cause, that we should be copying them!
I understand you are looking for more info, as you’re one of the more pragmatic commentators on here. My response is not designed to get at you, I’m pointing out some rather basic, principles!
muzza
Stop being so precious. We wouldn’t be here typing probably without the benefit of controls on bacteria and health-diminishing processes.
Sorry about being rude to your well-written post but I just get sick of the scare tactics of those who are negative about improvements that offer advantages if done in a reasonable way.
Muzza also forgets that the council overturned a binding referendum in which the people voted to keep fluoridation.
Prism, its not scare tactics, nor am I being precious.
Adding a toxic by-product to water supplies, removing the right of many people to choose, NOT to injest the posion, is simply a ridiculous scenario to defend!
TC below, attempts to conflate with talk of salt, and overturned referendums.
I’m not talking about the referndum, and the human body requires salt, it does NOT require flouride, to function!
We are adding iodine to salt. That’s mass medication too.
“Adding a toxic by-product to water supplies, removing the right of many people to choose, NOT to injest the posion, is simply a ridiculous scenario to defend!”
The people did choose, you idiot. They voted to keep it.
No , TC. I’m not even talking about the referendum/Hamilton, I have explained that already!
For example, we in AKL, have not had a referendum, nor do locations around the world, that have the posion added into the water, and who may not have a choice other than to injest it, because its a necessity of life!
Your iodine argument, is poor, as is your avoidance of the questions.
True to form, you ignore!
I can see right through you, TC, its rather easy!
“No , TC. I’m not even talking about the referendum/Hamilton, I have explained that already!”
Errr, no you didn’t. The council overturned the wishes of the people who wanted to keep it. So in the Hamilton case, the people made their preference clear.
“Your iodine argument, is poor…”
No, it’s exactly the same. Everytime you salt your food, you medicate yourself.
“as is your avoidance of the questions.”
What questions haven’t I answered?
Why don’t actually address some points i.e. on public health, about how every major public health body and international organisation agree that fluoridation is advantageous to public health and that there have been no major public health problems with water fluoridation? Instead of just making weird hand-waving comments and no addressing a single item of contention.
TC – Mine from above – The questions you ignored!
Your contention
Point me to where *every major public health body & internatioanl organisation agree….*
You’re trying to tell us how safe it is, you prove it, and while you’re at it, lobby the Scandinavians, to add it back in to their water supply, clearly the people of those nations, are missing the benefit of all that anglo-moron pseudo, corrupted, public health body and international organisation evidence, you refer to, lap up, swallow and support!
Go on, see if you can make a case for them, that leads to a change to their policy!
It isn’t my job to lobby the Scandinavians. I live in NZ.
Yes, Wellingtons water is fluoridated.
“every major public health body & international organisation agree…”
The CDC
The UN
The WHO
The American Medical Association
and so forth, and so forth.
Your turn:
So, why don’t actually address some points i.e. on public health, about how every major public health body and international organisation agree that fluoridation is advantageous to public health and that there have been no major public health problems with water fluoridation?
Iodine is very nearly as toxic as fluoride from what I can make out. depending on exactly which forms you’re talking about. We have mass medicated with iodised salt all my life, over half a century, but I couldn’t tell exactly when it was introduced. It’s a very similar issue of mass medication for the good of public health.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine#Toxicity
Over last 100 years, intelligence falling, aspergers/autism/ADHD skyrocketing, move on please folks nothing to see here.
there may be more environmental factors than food at play indicated in the expansion of those spectrums Colonel.
“When i was just a little boy, I asked my mother what will I be, will I be pretty, will I be rich, here’s what she commanded me…” 😉
Oh no doubt. TV before the age of 3 too 😉
(and you think I’m kidding)
And you complained to Ugly Truth that the N*zi argument carried no weight, why would you believe the entities above are not simply the same ideology wrapped up in pretty labels, fooling mugs lik yourself – Next you will be quoting the FDA, saying that you hoover up E951, because they passed it as acceptable to injest by human beings – Thanks Donald Fumsfeld for that one, fyi!
Same answer as above – UN, WHO, CDC – Same people as WTO, IMF, UNESCO, World Bank, and other corrupted, thieving, murderous criminal entities.
*Every Major international organisation* – Is that what the list you provided is? Oops, I think the words *every & major*, were hyperboles bro, and that list means approximately nothing to me, as I said, youre selling the poison, I’m happy for it not to be in the water, the human body does not need it, so the onus on evidence lies with your camp, to prove benefits, and safety, sonny jim!
In any case, drink it up, swallow the toothpaste, take it all into your system, gargles it, swallow it, bath in it actually, it matters not!
Ignore CV’s comments too, nothing to see there, kids are just unlucky these days, throw some more prescription medicine at them, maybe a few more of them, there shots!, that will straighten them out!
on the subject of children’s exposure to media, there was a brief article on te News concerning infants interacting with i-pads; the footage displayed the infants in question prefering the gadget to their primary care-giver when ‘summoned’, a Strange Situation Test indeed; I T has begun Skywalker. (artricle stated no research has been conducted into long-term effects; “…we can rebuild him, we have the technology OSCAR). 😉
So Muzza, still no statistics, no links, no correlation of health problems between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities?
No actual evidence of harm, just throwing out comments about the WTo and World Bank (for some weird reason).
You got nuthin, son
muzza
I can’t resist nit picking. It’s fluoride right. And the fluoride is added in small doses. Too much of anything can be toxic and when it is something that requires strict controls for safety like fluoride then they are applied and then the benefits occur.
And then the scare mongers stop and find something else to cogitate about, and there are plenty more really important new things to crusade about. It would be great if anti-fluoride and anti-vaccine people could find a new bandwagon and high-tail it off into the setting sun.
Don’t nit pick Prism, its too important a subject , for such flippancy!
You’re a believer in the *strict controls for safety*. yet you can’t see how flawed that statement is, so until you can understand the issue, leave such subjects alone!
How much raditation, of certian isotops, are safe for the human body, just because some governing body *says so*!
Your dismissal of poisons, which are scientifically known to build up inside the brain, and be toxic on the body, is as brazenly ridiculous, as the fact you have merged it with the subject of, *anti vaccine people*. (The give away of Prisms bias, right there)!
More important issues, than the poisoning of human beings.
Prism, you are a fool, in this instance, and your showing your old school thinking, is past it on certain subject matter!
Once again, the amounts present in drinking water has never been shown to cause any public health problems.
If you think otherwise evidence is required. Chop, chop.
Thanks muzza for your very extensive analysis of me and summary.
I think the same of you. So guess we are locking horns like a couple of rutting deer – such flippancy.
I think people like yourself are getting confused by the plethora of things to understand in a modern scientific era. You are the one showing your old school thinking which is to be ready to believe any emotional argument and scare tactic instead of to apply yourself as an individual to the argument for the positives which far outweigh the negatives.
What, like the highly toxic chlorine that prevents us all catching typhoid? You, sir, are a prize nob.
Pop Hi I didn’t know when I read of popups on my screen that it was you doing it all. I miss you when you don’t turn up.
“mass medication is NEVER acceptable”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodised_salt
Also the controversy over this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folic_acid#New_Zealand
Probably because the drugs may react with each other. Cleaning compounds have a warning on them not to mix with other cleaning compounds for the same reason.
You keep mentioning them but you still haven’t produced any research showing that putting fluoride in water is bad for us.
Filthy Libertard! How dare your individual liberty impinge on the common good!
“Can you find any more facts?”
Chemist Charles Eliot Perkins documented the Nazi use of flouride.
Dr. Phyllis Mullenix investigated the toxicology of flouride and pushblished her work in the Journal of Neurotoxicology and Teratology. She then lost her job.
“Studies in mainstream peer-reviewed medical journals and government reports now document the fact that serious harms are associated with exposure to small amounts of fluoride-including hip fracture, cancer, and intellectual impairment. ” ~ David Hill
http://www.fluoridation.com/calgaryh.htm
“It also is insulting to our population and our authorities to imply that they would behave and we would be subject to, such callous and uncaring treatment.”
You are assuming that they are in full possession of the facts.
“You are assuming that they are in full possession of the facts.”
They get their info from the CDC, WHO etc etc. Who are pretty well know for their access to factual information.
“The Nazi’s used therefore bad” is not an argument.
David Hill is going against the mainstream, well documented and well tested science. There is still no correlation of public health issues between non fluoridated and fluoridated areas.
“David Hill is going against the mainstream, well documented and well tested science.”
Wrong. Here are his references (from http://www.fluoridation.com/calgaryh.htm):
[deleted]
[lprent: It isn’t original thought with you so you already did everything you needed to do when you linked to it. If you are going to quote from it, then a short clearly marked quote is all that is required (like I just did for you) is all that is required. A comment from you explaining why you think people should go down the link is helpful.
Don’t waste any more of my time cleaning up behind you after you violate the policy about copy-paste. I tend to get irritated about it. ]
Nice list, but so what?
The overwhelming consensus is against Hill’s conclusion (from 1997 I might add – nearly 20 years old) and some of his references date back to the 1940’s.
“Nice list, but so what?”
So you have no clue what “mainstream, well documented and well tested science” is. Here’s a hint: it’s not consensus, either.
“So you have no clue what “mainstream, well documented and well tested science” is. Here’s a hint: it’s not consensus, either.”
Yeah, I do. This paper is extremely out of date and completely out of step with the majority of research worldwide.
Isn’t that what climate change deniers also say?
Populuxel, yes flouride and AGW are similar issues.
Contrarian, put up or shut up.
Yes, well I have a similarly low opinion of global warming deniers…
and anti-abortionists, anti-vaccinationists, anti-fluoridationists, anti-iodinists, creationists, flat earthers, fundementalist religious types and every other example of head-up-your-arse fringe voodoo quackery
So since you have it so right you must be a glowing healthy specimen of manhood
“and every other example of head-up-your-arse fringe voodoo quackery”
Like denial of the existence of the eugenics movement, you mean?
Unlikely, you can read the state of health via words, quite easily in fact!
“Contrarian, put up or shut up.”
What? What the fuck do i have to ‘put up’?
You have asked for anything, you idiot.
Absolute madness.
Hi VTO
Yes. Paying accurate wages to employees is something that is done all around the world. The complexity of professional pays is also a fact of life all around the world.
Only the current New Zealand Government seems to stuff things up so woefully.
Just don’t forget that Labour selected an Australian IT provider who was clearly in over their head, in preference to a NZ company with a solid track record. For what reason? Cost, the saving of a few dollars over a few years, I would suggest. Well that rationale has proven fucked.
The fact that Banks had shares in it was obviously entirely coincidental:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10872534
It wasn’t the government that stuffed up but the private provider. This government isn’t making anything better though.
The funding for Mangere Budgeting Service has just been and they are having to make redundant 5 of their 8 staff. This is at a time when applications for a special grant from WINZ is met with a requirement that applicants get budgeting advice. Of course according to this Government poverty is the result of bad budgeting and not a lack of resources.
Head of the Mangere Budgeting Service Darryl Evans is outspoken about poverty and I wonder if he has been targeted. Paula Bennett is claiming that there is extra funds for budgeting in the latest budget but it does not appear to be making its way to the MBS. I suspect that the claim of an increase is just smoke and mirrors.
To really add insult to injury Bennett is saying that the Service gets more now than it did under Labour in 2008. She has obviously forgotten that unemployment then was half of the level that it is now and there was no compulsion to receive budgeting advice.
The report is at http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/136952/south-auckland-budget-service-cuts-staff
“The funding for Mangere Budgeting Service has just been [WHAT?] and they are having to make redundant 5…”
Looks like you missed a word out there. If you were going to say “cut”, you are wrong, as their funding has been increased, the problem is that they were already running at a large deficit and the funding increase isn’t enough to meet their needs.
“Paula Bennett is claiming that there is extra funds for budgeting in the latest budget but it does not appear to be making its way to the MBS. I suspect that the claim of an increase is just smoke and mirrors.”
Their funding has been increased by $45,000. Unfortunately they were already in deficit by $155,000. So now they get government funding of $317,000 a year, which is kinda difficult to employ 8 people on for a demanding service such as this, when you also consider overheads like insurance, rent, electricity, office supplies, computers etc.
Oops I meant to say CUT.
And right you are Lanth. They have received an increase of $45k but have a shortfall of $155k.
Simply unbelievable.
hardly a ringing endorsement for their service
what part of “underfunded” do you not understand?
Same with so many families out there. The basic situation is that their benefits are insufficient to live on, and no number of spreadsheets will change that.
Anyone wondering why Kim Hill is on Morning Report, here’s the press release:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1305/S00436/kim-hill-returns-to-morning-report.htm
I can’t recall this ever happening before; hosts have gone on leave for 2-3 weeks and been replaced by other presenters, sometimes in a bit of an ad-hoc manner. I suspect in this case Geoff has taken a ‘break’ for something health related so they wanted to do something a bit more formal for his absence.
Perhaps the other senior person usually on RNZ Morning Report is having his annual leave?
Yes, it’s possible he’s ‘just on annual leave’, but as I mentioned in my comment, in the past people have gone on annual leave and they haven’t put out special press releases and have managed on just fine with their small roster of stand-ins. Geoff’s also in his 80s, 82 I believe, so it’s not too much of a reach to guess that maybe it’s more than ‘just on annual leave’.
Kim certainly asks the questions. She is very direct and insistent. She has a very strong bullshit detector and shows no mercy to anyone in Public Office. Be interesting if she gets to interview (not available) Mr Key.
Yes, her interview with Catherine Isaac yesterday was very good, with Kim insisting that Isaac actually did strongly personally believe in Charter Schools, therefore she expected answers and not fob-off “read the legislation” answers that Isaac tried to give.
Kim Hill played a magnificent role in the 90s day after day on air battling duplicitous politicians, particularly the dirty NZ1 tight five and certain tory ministers and helped usher in one way or another a change of government. I never begrudged her the sweet Sat morning spot because of her efforts then.
Hope she is back to stay, and it would be good to see her reduce ShonKey to the gibbering idiot the electorate deserves to see him as, if he had the fortitude to front one of her inquisitions, er, interviews.
Budgeting and other beneficiary support and advisory services all over New Zealand seem to increasingly be hitting serious funding issues and crisis, not being able to deliver services while demand by poor beneficiaries and working people have substantially increased.
I have heard from a fair number working at the front line that they are inundated with requests for help and struggle to cope.
In the Budget English and his “muppet puppet” Bennett hailed the additional and “generous” 1.5 million funding for such services, which are though only pittance, when looked at more closely!
WINZ are sending thousands of people to see budget advisors, after applying for special needs grants for food and other urgent needs, due to being unable to survive and feed their kids, as rents are sky-high in much of Auckland, as electricity, water and other basic costs increase every year.
So while whipping beneficiaries left right and centre, and also the working poor needing extra help, Bennett is indeed keeping close purse-strings for the services that are supposed to advise and assist such people.
The true face of the “great budget” by the National led government on the social warfare front:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/136952/south-auckland-budget-service-cuts-staff
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10888667
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/8652077/Belt-tightening-for-budget-service
And already the ‘New Zealand Federation for Family Budgeting Service’s’ seem to rely heavily on volunteers to offer such services, as this quote from their website shows:
“Membership representatives
At the grassroots level, member services are supported by a network of NZFFBS volunteers. Over 30 experienced representatives currently volunteer for the NZFFBS. Categorised as Tangata Whenua, District, and Regional Representatives these people work actively to support members, create opportunities for networking, coordinate communications across the country, and ensure that a consistently high level of quality service is delivered by NZFFBS members.”
http://www.familybudgeting.org.nz/join-our-federation/
So we will get more “welfare” and “support services” USA style, I suppose, and that is what NatACT want to bring in, yes are already bringing in into New Zealand.
I dread to think what all those to be forced into biased assessments by MSD trained “designated doctors” and the MSD “Health and Disability Advisors” under Dr David Bratt, will get as “support”, when they get thrown off health related benefits, to go out and find jobs on the open job market from mid July onwards? They will face sanctions if they cannot find a “sympathetic” doctor taking a stand for them.
Budgeting services are very much bottom of the cliff services, many do only tell people to try and live off what WINZ pay them, and perhaps send them off to pick up a food-parcel, they do not, and will not have the time and resources, to advise people on having been treated unfairly in the high numbers that will come to them.
Grim and horrible prospects for the ones at the very bottom. Thank you Paula, life is good on your salary, I suppose, you look so well nourished and well made up, when facing the media!
Bill English was a lucky dip from Dipton for the National Party. His comments this morning about NZ and its course were so upbeat, conveying the comforting feeling of wellbeing – steady as she goes, all good. FFS
Brian Coffey spokesperson from Ministry of Education is speaking on Radionz and the Principal of Paeroa Central School having to take back a violent and assaulting primary-age boy with ‘extreme behaviour’ badly affecting others. She is responsible for providing a safe environment at the school so is being forced into an impossible situation. If she takes the child back, she knows that she is not providing a safe environment so is open to censure, and it will badly affect the other children’s learning and the happy environment of the school, but if she refuses to accept the child, she will be thrown out of the job also the Board of Trustees sacked if they refuse to take the child back and a Commissioner put in. What an autocratic, military decision. She says that 85 children are being disregarded to favour one who is very disturbed. Hekia Parata says it’s an ‘operational matter’.
The Ministry spokesman aims to ‘reduce the likelihood of violence recurring.’ And there will be a plan to build up the boys skills. And high level of support to stop him threatening to cut up other kids, and punch teachers.
How can teachers provide quality education when they have to cope with this?? It is wrong that the whole school be held hostage by the failures of NZ societal system. The school is being used as a therapeutic tool. That is not the job of the school – it is to provide education to children in a way that is suitable for each age in a good stable learning environment. How can public schools provide good education if they are being made to fill in for the mental health facilities that have been continually removed by past governments?
See logie97 – 2. for link
Seen this?
http://www.nbr.co.nz/ask-john
Who is John Palino?
The sole right wing challenger to Auckland Mayor Len Brown (from the left, the Labour-leaning Mr Brown faces Penny Bright and John Minto; postal voting opens September).
What does the US import have to offer 1.3 million super city inhabitants?
……………………….
___________________________________________________________
My question ( yet to be published)
Hi John!
Can you please list your proven achievements to date, where you have taken on Auckland Council, or any of the former 8 Councils in the Auckland region, on any matter, which have resulted in improvements for the public majority of citizens and ratepayers?
Kind regards,
Penny Bright
Fellow 2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate 🙂
A number of commenters have wondered why the right cannot find any credible candidate to put up for candidacy in the Auukland Mayoral race.
It might be because the right couldn’t do better than Brown.
What does the US import have to offer 1.3 million super city inhabitants?
– About as much as an aussie import I’d suggest
Facile and irrelevant, given that great NZ PMs of history have often been from overseas.
😎
Wants all future intensification to be in Manukau even though it’s failed to become a second CBD for 40 years.
For most part he’s just a stupid restaurant man who’s fronted some stupid restaurant reality TV shows.
All need to know really, stupid restaurant man
“¡Muera la inteligencia! ¡Viva la Muerte!” – they’re back.
Catalonia and the Basque Country, the Basque Country and Catalonia, are two cancers in the body of the nation! Fa**ism, choice of Spain, comes to exterminate them, cutting into the flesh alive and well as a cold scalpel!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/05/spanish-civil-war-monument-court
http://www.helpcatalonia.cat/2013/05/spanish-government-representative-in.html
muerte a la avaricia
Spanish and Portuguese fascism never had to answer for their crimes due to the Cold War, when they were seen as useful to the US. I’ve met quite a few ageing Iberians who look back nostalgically to the days of Franco and Salazar, and younger ones who openly admire those scum. It’s no surprise to see them back, they never went away.
Golden Dawn, BNP
It’s pretty damn scary. The governments and institutions who have imposed austerity have thrown many, many ordinary workers into the arms of these people. They’ve learned nothing from their own history. Especially Merkel.
The IMF is apologising for the damage. It may be too late – the rise of the far right has already happened.
and then there is the UK, Hungary, Romania, France, Spain, Russia, the opposition to Islam, to same-sex relationships, to immigration, increasing unemployment, …
…Syria, Hezbollah, Turkey, Iraq, soon Afghanistan, the US and China over African resources.
Oh no say the MSM, the US dollar is climbing…
IMF apologising, they bloody well knew what would happen, the IMF promoted it, because that is what the IMF represent, its what they are!
Fasc*sm runs this world, what part of that do people not connect, still!
In December 1975 we were heading to Mundaka in the Basque country but the death of Franco meant that there was the real possibility that Spain would go another round in the civil war so we spent an anxious few weeks waiting in Hendaye before we flagged it and went elsewhere.
We returned in October 1976 and made it to Mundaka where I met people who had a living memory of the civil war and were genuinely terrified of the state apparatus and in fear of a return to the bad old days. They lived behind curtains and were very suspicious of us as a group but once they’d worked out who we were it all changed because the young Antipodeans of the International Brigades were still held in high regard.
On the first anniversary of the death of Franco we went to a celebration held behind closed doors just in case the Guardia were in the town and happy birthday to you was sung in English. People were scared witless by the Guardia Civil.
The horror of the civil war was brought home by a visit to Guernica where damage from the 1937 bombing remained unrepaired and I met elderly people who had lived through it. It was a life changing event and an awful lot for 21 year old Taranaki boy to take in and close to forty years later the memory is as vivid as it ever was.
Your description there joe90 mirrors a near identical time spent in that same area some time later from you. It was as real as you describe.
(As was the aim at Mundaka – that long firing lefthander of world class quality….)
Pre-thruster too vto. The singles and twinnies of the day made for some damn hairy down the line shenanigans to go with the worst beatings before or since.
lush
More info on Professor Mansel Aylward, the “wayward” medical expert from the ‘Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research’, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, UK, an extreme proponent of the “work will make you healthy” (and set you free) philosopy, based on a perverted “bio-psycho social model” for health and disability diagnosis and treatment:
http://www.gpcme.co.nz/speakers/aylward_2013.php
http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_210440_en.pdf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/sep/12/private-firms-disability-assessment-regime
http://100greatestbootlegs.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/austerity-kills.html
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum?view=topic&catid=10&id=97090
http://wheresthebenefit.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/models-of-disability.html
He has been teaching his philosophy, based on the presumption that many claiming to be ill are simply clinging to a form of “illness belief” and not really sick and/or incapacitated, to Paula Bennett, Minister for Social Development here in New Zealand. She made her own convictions clear in her speech to medical professionals on 26 September last year:
http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-medical-professionals
Mansel Aylward and Dame C. Black also “advised” a set up Health and Disability Board panel at MSD, responsible for overseeing the implementation of the new welfare reforms to come into effect 15th July 2013.
Aylward will be speaking to a national conference of general practitioners in Rotorua on 21 June, to spread his message there. There are plans to bring in UK style work ability assessments, which will see that thousands of sickness and invalid’s beneficiaries (soon to be “Jobseeker Allowance” and “Supported Living” beneficiaries) will be kicked off their benefits, and coerced into seeking work on the open job market.
Those affected, those working with and advocating sick and disabled beneficiaries better have a look at the cabinet paper C of the government on this:
http://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/newsroom/media-releases/2013/wr-cab-paper-c-health-and-disability.pdf
It does to some degree tell you what is in store (hints it at least). Officially it is all about PC language like “support” and “assist” into work, but it will NOT be nice stuff that is coming!
Aylward is an incredibly dangerous ideologue, at least as disconnected from reality as Monckton. He provides a pseudoscientific basis for the official sadism beloved by Bennett, Collins and the Whale Army. I cannot understand why the Medical Association doesn’t denounce him. His perverted views have caused deaths in Britain and will do so here. He should be charged in a court of law.
“I cannot understand why the Medical Association doesn’t denounce him.”
Because they’re gutless, and professional self-interest is contrary to taking action?
The Medical Association is not gutless, they are basically the “union” of medical professionals and practitioners, so naturally they are their advocates, rather than a standards enforcing body.
The Medical Council would have more to say and more clout, but also they are not that interested. NZ doctors also avoid criticising each other, hence no doctor will complain openly about Bratt, and any layperson or “patient” would first have to successfully complain and get a decision out of the Health and Disability Commissioner, before any other steps will be taken by the Medical Council or even a court.
Actually none of all above will see any reason or chance to take any action against Dr Bratt, as he is not delivering any medical service, he is merely a madcap and mean spirited “advisor” for MSD. That means he gets away with it all, and he knows it full well. I am not having you on, that is the way the law is.
Forget the powers of a beneficiary, nobody takes them/us serious enough anyway, they/we are free game for all, the whipping boys and girls of the nation so to say!
Hence Bratt can carry on playing the mad cowboy doctor in the OK corral.
Gutless is a value judgment, and I know doctors who are far from gutless. In this case, I was thinking about their professional self-interest. Aylward’s and Bratt’s plans make them nothing more than the signers of rejection slips, with no recognition that they might actually have some skills to bring to the table. I know I’d be extremely pissed off in my professional life if the government told me there were new laws of nature that I must now follow and got some moron out from Oral Roberts College of Creation Science to lecture about them.
However, I think xtasy is right. It should be the Medical Council. It should also be mass mobilisation, action in Parliament, and union involvement. These developments should be fought on every front possible.
It’s going to be unpleasant for those with ME or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It’s a deviation in the body from normal functioning and hard to test for, though its results can be debilitating. It can sometimes passover months or years but till then the body’s physical and mental energy once used up is not renewed easily. The result is apparent laziness.
As can be imagined it’s stressful and becomes more so with a punitive half-bake as this Mansel whatever sounds. They do a lot of this hounding and labelling of invalids as slack or psychologically unsound in Britain. It must have the most judgmental medical personnel in the developed world.
Ross Robertson retiring! Thanks for the work Ross.
Go for it Louisa.
More deadwood retirements please.
Pity he’s hanging on till the next election – double dipping is that one.
Fucking chaos in the House. Carter has basically lost control.
Carter has to go, he is not able to perform and uphold authority as Speaker, as he does apparently fail to, or intentionally chooses to, not abide by Standing Orders and Speaker’s rulings.
There is too much apparent bias, and hence the House got into tumultuous disorder prior to and during question time.
Also is Dunne now the focus of attention, his party being given quasi party status by the Speaker, while in effect and under law it is presently not accepted as a party – represented in Parliament. Dunne is able to continue receiving appropriation for a party that does not exist. Appalling stuff, really!
I think Carter stuffed up big, and it may cost him his position now.
Don’t forget Tau Henare put his hand up for this job.
At the time that seemed laughable, but I’m not the only person wondering if he could possibly have been as bad a speaker as Carter.
I’ve said it before, Key’s choice of a compliant idiot as speaker may yet be his undoing.
With Tau things would possibly be even worse by now, I dare to presume. He would be out there throwing fists around, to sort his colleagues out, I fear.
“I think Carter stuffed up big, and it may cost him his position now.”
No it won’t. John Key needs that bit of sewage called Dung to keep his majority and Carter will obliged as much as possible and look after his mates on the right. Forget about Parliamentary rules and democracy, this shower of shit of a government will break the rules on the hour and half hour if it suited there goals.
And of course “there” should have been “their”. It’s been a long day.
halfcrown: Thanks for your comment!
Another day has passed in exciting times, and we see, Peters was right onto it, when he suspected Dunne had something to hide. Dunne continues to hide his emails with Vance, and that has cost him his job as minister, and the trust of Key.
So going back to the Speaker, the Speaker gave a very liberal and under the law questionable determination to allow United Future defacto party status, until Dunne and his underlings deliver proof of 500 membership.
As of today, we know, Carter as Speaker gave lenient and special treatment to Dunne, who has become such a dodgy person sitting in Parliament in his last numbered days, the Speaker himself has now been put in question for his actions, based on giving any credit and trust to Dunne.
The Speaker will be gone by the end of the month, or at least within the coming few months, I am sure!
Why can I not edit my comment above, when the time is still ticking??? Something is wrong, or did I write something yesterday, that breached the rules???
I wanted to state that Carter’s days as Speaker are numbered, as he gave credit and leniency to Dunne, which has been for a person now considered untrustworthy by action, and by the Prime Minister.
Hence Carter will be gone very soon, giving special leniency for Dunne to present evidence of 500 or more members. Some of the ones that may have signed up with UF may as of today withdraw that decision anyway, to create yet more of a mess, I presume.
Good bye Dunny Boy!
I am on a benefit and was sent to a budgetting service seminar. I found it really good. The speaker had been in our situation and knew exactly what it was like for us. She was encouraging and realistic. It was comforting as I felt I was not alone listening to her and also being with other people in the same position as me. I got a part-time job shortly after that so things have improved.
interesting 😎
Rose – so they now already hold complete budgeting seminars, advising and informing whole groups at one time, that is impressive. The people I know went and saw a budget advisor on a face to face basis. So numbers of beneficiaries must be so large, they now get “mass processing”.
I am happy for you that you found it helpful. I know someone who had to pay so much rent, he would never have enough money to pay for food. WINZ repeatedly, endlessly told him, he was getting all he was entitled to, and there was no chance for him to get more.
So he had to move and stayed in a boarding house with endless issues there (noise, cockroaches, over-crowding, dampness, tiny room, unfriendly cohabitants). As he had serious health issues they worsened extremely, and upon applying for proper housing from Housing NZ, he was there fobbed off endlessly.
We had to go to the media, who wanted to know, finally wrote about it, and bang, suddenly Housing NZ offered him a half derelict home, which at least was a roof over the head with peace and quiet.
You can be grateful you are healthy and able to work, there is little mercy even for the sick and incapacitated. WINZ generally do not care, and they are happy with you, because you went off the benefit a.s.a.p., doing exactly what they want people to do.