It’s Labor Day in the U.S. and a book has been published about Joe Hill – The Man Who Never Died, by William Adler. I think it’s going to be a must read.
Joe Hill – the migrant labourer, an anarchist and union man in the U.S. He was executed in 1915 for a murder he didn’t commit. He appeared to accept the execution would do more for the cause of the working poor than if he’d lived – told his friends don’t mourn for me – organise!” Amazing story
Joe, a Swedish immigrant and wandering troubadour-troublemaker, was a “Wobbly”, an agitating member of the One Big Union, the red flag International Workers of the World, a harum-scarum, mad-as-hell, happy-in-fellowship bunch of hoboes and gypsy workingmen who scared the pants off business leaders, pious church-goers, police chiefs, governors and all right-thinking citizens in the early part of the last century.
I knew the song, as sung by Joan Baez but never knew his story or that of the International Workers of the World. A bit of history here
Yes Labor Day in the US. And a few people in the MSM are just starting to realise how shit it has been over there, and how the outlook is even worse for the US.
immortal words:
“Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”
I suppose an attitude like that is why Abe Lincoln got shot.
“Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”
I suppose an attitude like that is why Abe Lincoln got shot.
When 37% of all consumer purchases are made by the top 5% income earners it’s quite clear that (1) workers are losing and (2) inequality is killing the economy.
The same warnings on inequality are written in different ways , but surely even the money people should be able to work this one out… spread the money around a bit and everyone will do better, yeah?
I am inclined to think Lincoln was shot because his use of greenbacks during the civil war, and because of his apparent intention to continue their use after the war. Still I’m only guessing.
Yeah Rosy, I’m pretty sure the Wobblies exerted a profound influence on early New Zealand Red Fed (and, later, Labour Party) leaders like “Fighting” Bob Semple, Paddy Webb and, perhaps above all, the brilliant (but, unlike the others, never-elected-to-Parliament) Pat Hickey. Hickey had worked for a few years (around 1904-1906) in a mine in Utah, where he was a member of the Western Federation of Miners, which preached class solidarity and revolutionary industrial unionism.
Interesting whistle-blowing going on around the SCF debacle.
Heads should roll, and given the PM’s unequivocal backing of what is now shown to be a wrong-headed and malicious investigation… he too needs to take some responsibility.
But of course responsibility is an unknown concept to these tory pricks.
How about we got back a few steps and get an inquiry as to why SCF was in the scheme against tresaury advice, blinglish and Key ushered them in as soon as they could, further warnings by treasury were ignored and the payout was at 100% plus interest.
How many other finance company investors were afforded such a risk free outcome ?
Natural justice is certainly lacking when it comes to Allan Hubbard. Hubbard has one of the cleanest track records in NZ when it comes to business. I hope that someone carries the torch for him, as the last 15 months of his life was devoted to amassing the evidence to prove he was not corrupt and also to find out who was behind his departure at Aorangi and how they went about it.
RL Treasury warned John Key And Blingenglish that SCF were breaking the covenants of their contract John Key said we will keep backing them . Key has some answering to do.
The findings of an investigator who works at no cost for the supporters of Allan Hubbard are not particularly independent.
it’s like citing a post from The Standard as evidence to support a post on The Standard.
When a genuinely independent review finds fault in the Companies Office, the Securities Commission and the statutory managers, and that independent review stands up to scrutiny, then I’ll take notice.
Until then your call for heads to roll is irresponsible.
it’s like citing a post from The Standard as evidence to support a post on The Standard.
That doesn’t make any sense Joe (Not that I’m surprised by a RWNJ not making sense). Using evidence to support what you say is usually a good practice. Researchers do it all the time.
When a genuinely independent review finds fault in the Companies Office…
There’s no such thing. The only people who are going to investigate are the people are the people with an interest in the outcome. Now, it could be that this investigation is but that would be up to the reviewers to determine.
Last Sunday on Sunday TV 1 at 7.30 pm there was a good example of how devious witnesses can be. I am refering to Mahon who headed the Erebus Inquiry and how Mahon’s comment “an orchestrated litany of lies” was directed at Air New Zealand (Davis, Chippendale…). The Privy Council ruled that Mahon’s conclusion was correct when it came to the cause of the loss of 257 lives, but when it came to Air New Zealand being held accountable, the Privy Council ruled that natural justice was absent, so Air NZ did not have to face the music when it came to being held responsible for TE 901 crashing into Mt Erebus.
According to the bigots there’s no such thing as racism. So if you say anything mean about racists then you’re just attacking a marginalised oppressed minority. Which makes you a bigot. And therefore probably a racist.
Mutu didn’t seek to identify racist attitudes or beliefs – she demonstrated them.
But don’t take my word.
Here’s David Rankin’s view:
“She obviously thinks of herself as the Robert Mugabe of New Zealand politics, and has caused offence to hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders because of her extreme racist views.”
“As a Maori, I welcome white immigrants,” Rankin said. “They are the ones most likely to bring employment opportunities for our communities, and we don’t see the sort of racism Margaret refers to.”
I don’t think Margaret Mutu’s observations were a joke. Provocative? Yes. Accurate? Yes.
Taking a complaint to the ‘Race Relations? Farcical. Calling for her to lose her job? Ridiculous.
The reaction of the usual right wing suspects? Ah. Now that I do regard as a bit of a joke. But that’s the only reason most of you clowns typo error the comments you do, right? To bring a little mirth into peoples’ days, yes?
And Ant R0Bs “No Paul, to hell with racists.”
And redlogics comment
“The left frequently make the mistake of thinking tolerance must always be the highest principle that trumps all others. Well it ain’t. All too frequently it just finishes up as a proxy for being too lazy or apathetic to stand up for what is right.”
Funny how the aruguement has changed depending on the players involved !!!
I made two comments in that thread you link to Herodotus. Care to point out any inconsistences between what I said on that thread and this one and then I’ll get back to you?
No there was nothing in conflict by you from then or now – My intention was just to assist to refresh your memory back then in the discussion. And anyway there is nothing wrong in changing opinions, additional info can help all of us to see where we are wrong or confirm when we are right 🙂
What makes Mutu’s comments deplorable is not her concern about immigration policy but the conclusion she draws that white people are racist.
Far from being condemned like Clydesdale was a week ago on this self-same website, Mutu’s extrenme dogma is applauded. That’s the sort of meta-racism that only comes from hard-line idealogues.
Whatever happened to the notion that migrants should be assessed as individuals, and decisions based on their level of skills, experience, education, contribution to NZ, &c.? Why should ethnic background matter?
Taking a complaint to the ‘Race Relations? Farcical. Calling for her to lose her job? Ridiculous.
I admit I haven’t read what she said, but my son spoke to me about it yesterday, and he was utterly gob-smacked by her comments. On the basis of what he said, losing her job is the very least she should expect.
A stunning graphic indeed. However Joe will no doubt say that the Times is a lying bunch of Left wing idealogues who twist the facts. And that those very rich folk trickle their wealth down to the workers and are the biggest donors etc etc.
Open question; how much an we attribute to the Reagan/Thatcherite right ‘greed is good’ swing, and how much should we point to the huge adoption of IT technology that more or less dates from exactly the same time?
Yesterday I decided to set up a Wikipedia page for The Jackal blogsite so that people searching for it could more readily find information. I also intend to use it to document controversial and significant topics that relate to New Zealand’s blogosphere, the law and politics in general. Little did I know that it’s a veritable minefield of rules and regulations, which will probably ensure an end to The Jackal article on Wikipedia…
Then why is Kiwibog on there? The Jackal doesn’t sell anything. There is a certain amount of promotion with any content on the Internet, even this comment could be considered promoting The Jackal. I’m linking to my site right now… big deal!
Another very capable informed woman who is an excellent communicator on her subject. On radionz this a.m.
10:05 Connie Hedegaard – European Commissioner for Climate Action
Connie Hedegaard is the European Commissioner for Climate Action. She’s in New Zealand leading the EU’s delegation to the Pacific Islands Forum, where she is also meeting Pacific leaders ahead of international climate negotiations. She was Denmark’s first minister for climate and energy, and is now leading the EU’s efforts towards a low-carbon future and the many different forms that takes. What is the EU doing to move towards a low-carbon economy?
A few days ago I wrote an article entitled New Zealand’s Oil Bonanza… Yeah Right! concerning National’s over inflation of potential income from oil and gas extraction in New Zealand. The sheer level of misreporting going on to promote a destructive process that contributes to climate change, (that threatens human existence on earth) was astounding and completely unacceptable…
Im not talking about open Mike, im talking about the actual writers here, it seems racism is okay with the left as long as its a Maori woman that is being racist.
Still I got a laugh when she told the media what the word racist means.
Below is a quote from an email Mana FB admin posted, http://www.facebook.com/ManaParty, they do so occasionally to let people know what keyboard racists there are out there.
“Still cant believe the Mana party even exsists and if you are such a proud people and party, how about you raise your own party funds and not rely on the NZ people. Your entire party is just too out there and hypocritical for the avg kiwi , but I suppose the hard core niggers like yourselves all get off on this. Send all niggers home!!! Regards lee”
So all you tory toe rags like Brett and Grumpy, “lee” rather supports Margaret Mutu’s contention that racism is alive and hating in NZ.
Did you see my post on their facebook page to that letter, saying that belongs in the Trash. Disgusting someone would write something like that to them. That though has nothing to do
with what Margaret said and her position of power, and I stand by my thoughts, that normally sites like the standard would be outrage with the comments that Margaret Mutu said, but because she isa Maori woman you guys just shut up and say nothing and that is racist in itself.
bit of a difference there Grumpy,
an academic commenting on the integration of immigrants into society and the perceived affects upon her culture is hardly the same as big headed broadcasters espousing basic bigotry
Maybe I’ll do a post on racism in NZ Brett. You know, the fact its all pervasive, insidious and overt.
And maybe I’ll compare it to the very similar ‘culture of superiority’ displayed by the English (British) establishment towards their white colonies within the British Isles.
And maybe I’ll throw in a couple of open ended questions; such as why at the mention of a person being Polynesian, the immediate assumption is that they must be brown in spite of the fact that all white people born in NZ are Polynesian too?
Or why it is that NZ is routinely and casually lumped in with Australasia when it is most decidedly not a part of Australasia, but a part of Polynesia?
Or why it is that so many white people still mainatin that they are European in official forms in spite of the fact that they and their parents and even their parent’s parents were born in Polynesia?
Or how it is possible to have a culture, supposedly based on partnership and that spans generations, to continue encouraging/promoting a European identity/ethnicity among the whites within it?
Got any other revealing questions you’d like to add to the list Brett?
My thoughts are, the only reason we are different races is becaus eof Contineal drift.
I just hate hypocrisy, and judgign the same behaviour diferently. Because Mutu is a Maori woman, the left wasnt offended by her comments.
In terms of immigration I have always thought that the question what Ethnicity are you, should never be asked, because it shouldnt matter, what matters is what type of person you are.
I think you’ll find that continental drift may have given rise to different species Brett and further, that any drift during the entire span of human existence is negligable.
And I think you’ll find that questions of ethnicity are asked in almost all official forms and that answers are limited by the ‘multiple choice’ nature of possible responses.
You might also find that the whole concept of ‘race’ is a discredited one…that there is simply the human race.
But all that aside, you got any interseting or thought provoking questions up your sleeve to be incorporated into a possible post?
If nationality isn’t asked for (alongside proof), then we are talking open borders; freedom of movement for people.
I’m all for that Brett.
But in the meantime, there are immigration policies. And they’re loaded to favour some over others. (Points being awarded on skill set, wealth, age etc.) So in the present scenario, why not load the policy against racists?
I mean, political beliefs already affect the ability of some people to obtain visas etc, ( and by extension residency) so why not?
No problem, I would be more than happy if a white South African extremist was denied entry to NZ. Just as I would be for Islamic extremist for their hatred of women, gays and infidels. How about you?
(Points being awarded on skill set, wealth, age etc.) So in the present scenario, why not load the policy against racists?
And how would you determine that someone was a racist? By their national origin? Or their colour? Absurd. The most determinedly (to the point of being a tad unbalanced) person I ever met, was a social worker at Social Welfare in the 80s, a long-haired blue eyed blond man from Manchester England. (By a bit unbalanced, I mean that he frequently had dreams, he told me, of being in the centre of a group of angry Maori who chided him for not having done enough for Maori, and he always felt that he deserved it, as giving his life and that of his children would not be enough!
“And maybe I’ll throw in a couple of open ended questions; such as why at the mention of a person being Polynesian, the immediate assumption is that they must be brown in spite of the fact that all white people born in NZ are Polynesian too?”
Obviously you did not see Mutu’s interview??? with the World’s Worst Interviewer on Closeup last night.
Apparently we are all just “visitors” in New Zealand. Makes you wonder, with her mixed anscestry, how she sees herself?
As for being an “academic” obviously Auckland University has a very low threshold for that title.
Okay. Just watched it. She said she wanted a discussion on racism. What it is; how it plays out and what to do about it.
‘The ‘walrus’ in his intro said she wanted a universally applied test that would pick up on racist attitudes. What she said was that she didn’t want people coming into the country who would actively pursue to deny others that which rightfully belongs to them.
I can’t see why anyone would have a problem with that.
As an immigrant, my problem was that although I had to jump through numerous hoops with the immigration service there was no official avenue available for me to seek permission from tāngata whenua to live here.
And when I considered citizenship, there was no official avenue for me to approach tāngata whenua, but there was an obligation to swear allegience to a monarch who resides on the other side of the planet.
When I made moves to seek permission from tāngata whenua, the particular people I talked to near fell over backwards. No one had ever approached them before. I thought it was merely the decent thing to do and was genuinely surprised that nobody else had sought to do it. (Besides being common decency, it would have actually meant something whereas being granted permission by a faceless, anonymous bureaucracy means absolutely nothing and is, to my mind permission being granted by an illegitimate authority.)
Meanwhile, getting back tothe point. Racist attitudes are fairly easy to pick and strangely difficult to disguise. So a test is ‘do-able’.
And Margaret Mutu objects to active racists. Not the everyday armchair type who will move along with the broader ‘cultural times’. And wouldn’t it be a good thing to have fewer active racists impacting on the cultural environments of NZ so that the cultural environment moves that bit more speedily?
You have written some awesome comments about this, and related subjects, Bill – thank you for that and what you have written here – you are a good bloke and I hope you do put up a post because you have some very valuable insights and attitudes.
“Apparently we are all just “visitors” in New Zealand.”
That’s not what she said. She said non-Maori are ‘welcome guests’. In order to understand what she means you have to understand Maori concepts of manawhenua and manaakitanga rather than misinterpreting her words through pakeha constructs.
Or why it is that so many white people still mainatin that they are European in official forms in spite of the fact that they and their parents and even their parent’s parents were born in Polynesia?
Firstly, because official forms no longer give the “Pakeha” option, and second in my case, because although I was born here as was my mother, my father wasn’t.
I am now reading the Herald article linked to, and looking at the picture of Mutu – and laughing! She’s whiter than my mother was!
When poor law, bad judgement and kneejerk hysteria are exposed as an expensive waste of time and resources they resort to desperate measures and end up with applying what we can only imagine are the flimsiest of organised crime charges, though it will be interesting to see what the nature of the organised crime actually was . . . .
The fact that she appears to genuinely believe her own spin against all the evidence to the contrary appears to serve her well. She just chants the same mantra no matter what is put in front of her.
@freedom – Your comment was very enigmatic. Why didn’t you put one descriptive word ie Urewera or similar? I had to go to the link to see what you are on about which I find is what I want to comment on.
A recent Court case has resulted in charges in Operation Eight against the Tuhoe group being dropped but nothing can be revealed about the finding according to radionz! There are still 4 to go including Tame Iti for consorting with criminals or similar.
Makes me wonder why we are over in the USA talking about that dodgy TPPPPTTT? Surely the country that dominates this matter is also criminal. It has broken numerous laws, but hey ho why should we worry about dealing with an entity which only washes the top of its hands. Turn them over and see what is on their palms! Let’s have some practical sense not the present non-sense from this government.
prism, exactly why i wrote what i wrote,
( wouldn’t it be be interesting to know what all the other possible articles were that went through people’s heads 🙂 )
Another serious example of self-regulation and slack and lazy control over high standards for business has just been referred to today. Apparently MAF won’t prosecute bad, sloppy bee keepers after serious outbreaks of problem disease and pests. MAF says that it’s better to work with them, but then the bad practices are just continued with. Isn’t this amazing at a time when we know that the vital bee industry is under threat.
What happens is that this foulbrood disease type spreads and infects other hives. The latest outbreak has resulted in 30 hives having to be burnt in an effort to rid the area of the infection.
This hurts other beekeepers trying to run their businesses in a hygienic, responsible way. Enough of having their hives and business destroyed regularly and some beekeepers will give up all together. Not everybody wants to raise bees, not everybody is a good beekeeper either. When can we get our country back from this disease of neo liberalism, this desire for business to selfishly please themselves in their businesses with as few controls or commitment to good standards as possible.
I read that via a Naomi Klein tweet the other day, she quickly retracted once she was corrected, just thought I should point it out. I wish the article had been true…
I found this while browsing on Stuff… http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5572717/Son-13-ready-to-support-family-and-ill-dad?comment_msg=posted#post_comment
and I am not sure where to begin! The child is an idiot… as I said in my comment which is “awaiting approval”, he’s a prime example of the benefits of home-schooling. He says that when his father dies and if he can’t support his family, ”
“If I can’t support my family, they will have to go on the dole. I don’t want that,”
If things still work as they did when I worked for Social Welfare, the boy’s mother will go on to a widow’s benefit. That’s not “the dole”. Presumably the boy isn’t concerned about the amount – in common with the average non-beneficiary out there he probably thinks benefit levels are 3 times what they really are. He’s probably worried about the “shame”… However a 13 year old boy should not be risking other peoples’ lives by driving a truck – he should be getting an education. Apologies if someone’s already mentioned this – I am havinn connection problems!
I am becoming suspicious of certain news items.I think there is a move instigated by Crosby/Textor to drive a wedge between the Greens and Labour. The Left must not fall into a trap from the Right that would have the Greens and Labour competing against each other. We must never forget that although we sometimes differ we are both on the political Left .Lets both insprire for a Labour /Green government. Which Aotearoa badly needs.
Totally agree and the first thing Labour should do, unless it has another plan, is to accept the Greens’ get children out of poverty for $180million plan. That will cement the political relationship and people will know that Labour means what it says about helping children. This is instant. I know Labour has various other policy but it can I’m sure incorporate this strategy and more importantly, acknowledge Greens’ importance in this by giving the Greens the portfolio to make it happen. That way the Greens will get on with it.
Labour needs to acknowledge both Progressives and the Greens. Jim Anderton added a huge plus to that Government with KiwiBank and if Labour had still been in Government Anderton would have had his affordable dental care bill followed up.
Greens missed out for obvious reasons – United Future and NZ First forced them out and Labour had to deal with them in order to keep National out or we would have been even worse off now.
Perhaps people will begin to finally accept that sustainable living along with 21st century lifestyles can live side by side with thoughtful compromise.
The worst thing New Zealanders can do now is keep NActU in once more term; it is this next term whereby New Zealand loses its future. Labour can reinstate the 75% requirement before Local Government assets can be sold, which it laudably legislated for in 2002.
Why on earth isn’t Labour shouting out about what it has achieved and what it has saved New Zealand from if National had manipulated it into giving out more tax cuts. We’ve already seen the damage that NActU has done in this short time. Be warned; they will speed up if they get in again. Give them time on the sidelines while we bring some worker/employer/government balance back to our community.
Helen Clark gave us time to recoup our losses from the previous Douglas/Richardson cuckoos.
Douglas got back; don’t be surprised if Richardson gets back in too. Where did she get thrown out of after destroying their economy? Iceland? Ireland?
Parliament is waxing lyrical over the Local Government Borrowing Bill – sounds good.
Word of caution; anything Rodney Hide touches turns to lead and our country-wide assets will be seen trotting off to foreign parts on JKeyll and Hide’s little piggy legs.
Auckland has $28 billion of assets which Hide stole from all the greater councils around the city. The jury is out on the worthwhile benefits to the country areas that have been completely left out except for a good library service, but even that carries risks if only one area of the Library can buy books. It was noticeable by the books that the libraries were selling off by the bucketload that anything to do with women’s rights and political books that put another point of view to that of the neo-conservative were being reduced.
The country areas don’t have electric trains expected so Stephen Joyce was lying in Parliament today.
Also, Christchurch’s earthquake was extremely convenient for this government to take public view off the fact they had shut down the democratice ECAN in Canterbury. Brownlee will certainly try to force (he is czar after all) Christchurch Council to sell off its assets.
Should Auckland have an earthquake in the future the LG Borrowing Bill debt, which I admit does save us from PPPs, etc. will be used to force the Councils in debt to sell off LG assets.
Read The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and you will see why I am so cynical about this government and its bovver boy Hide. JKeyll is hiding behind these extremists. Remember.
and dont forget goldman sacks. they have stepped up to asist the PM by sticking their oar in and saying that ‘industry’ is being held back because there is not enough liquidity in the sharemarket so therfore sell the state assets so the rugged individualists can play monopol;y with other peoples money. look there goes the march hare and the mad hatter.
What was that valuable piece of information on the Stock Exchange? That it has nothing to do with the overall financial well-being of New Zealand and New Zealanders – just a place for mostly men with pots of money they’ve stolen off other people to go and play paper wars with.
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The Council of Disobedient Women There is a regular segment in the Speak Up For Women podcasts called “Absolutely Blasted Mad Moment of the Week”. Each podcast the speaker and the host discuss a recent event that is the most insane thing they have seen in the gender critical space ...
Todd Muller - Dishonest National Party leaderIt seems that dishonest Todd Muller is, like many right-wing politicians, entirely morally bankrupt. I mean just look at the National Party’s leaking omni-shambles over the last week or so. They’ve imploded in a spectacular display of backfiring dirty politics, the likes of which ...
TUESDAY JULY 14Yorkshire Airport (Prime, 7.30pm). Bloomin’ ’eck, behind the scenes at Leeds Bradford Airport. Apparently, there is plenty of “northern charm”, although reaction in the UK ranged from “brilliant” to “patronising”. It is narrated by Hugh Dennis, whose middle name might be “Arch”.WEDNESDAY JULY 15Queen: Live at Wembley (Prime, ...
MONDAY JULY 13Bodyguard (TVNZ 1, 8.30pm). It's the final; if you haven't seen this already on Netflix, get ready, the ending is batshit.Unforgotten (Vibe, Sky 006, 8.30pm). I wonder if Sanjeev Bhasksar's character has got rid of that damn backpack in the third season of this cold case drama? Although, come ...
Simon Bridges must be the unluckiest person in New Zealand politics. When he was elected as leader of the National party, he also became Leader of the Opposition – a position, he was entitled to assume, that would require him to “oppose”. But the government he set out to oppose ...
This is a re-post from The Guardian by Damian Carrington Spreading rock dust on farmland could suck billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air every year, according to the first detailed global analysis of the technique. The chemical reactions that degrade the rock particles lock the greenhouse gas into ...
Check out Speak Up For Women’s new podcasts: Episode 3 In this episode Speak Up For Women spokeswoman Ani O’Brien (@aniobrien) is joined by Beth Johnson (@beth_nosnhoj) to discuss the proposal from Statistics NZ to change standard data collection policy to “gender by default” rather than sex. They discuss why the ...
During a recent public consultation on the future of Archives New Zealand, a key report was suppressed. The Ombudsman has ruled that the refusal was unjustified. Sadly, the consultation was over by the time of the the decision has been made. However, the law on the use of the ...
National MP - Michael WoodhouseUnbelievable! Michelle Boag also sent National’s Michael Woodhouse confidential emails about COVD-19 patients, and he continued to publicly attack the Government over these very same breaches of privacy.This is the biggest political self-own since the Act Party’s David Garrett admitted in Parliament that he used a ...
Transcript: National Party policy announcement on roads – 8 July, 2020 Muller: Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for coming. Reporter 1: Is Hamish Walker a racist? Muller: Hang on… you haven’t even said good afternoon to me yet. Reporter 1: Good afternoon Mr Muller. Is Hamish Walker a racist? ...
Back in April, I wrote about trials in Iran of a fixed-dose combination of two existing anti-viral drugs used to treat hepatitis C – sofosbuvir and daclatasvir – that could point to an effective treatment for Covid-19 symptoms.At the time, data from those trials was not available outside the hospitals ...
Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Anja Mizdrak, Dr Jennifer Summers, Prof Michael BakerThe pandemic-related lockdown is possibly the most dramatic public health intervention in NZ history. It helped achieve the elimination of community transmission of the COVID-19 virus in NZ. But it was also associated with 548 fewer total ...
Reprehensible: There is much that could be said about Michael Woodhouse, but what would be the point? Any man who willingly involves himself in a situation as reprehensible as the one depicted in the above photograph has already vouchsafed all that decent people need to know about his character. That there have ...
As the debate over assisted dying rages in the run-up to the referendum at the election on September 19, a persistent problem continues to dog the discussions. That is to say, a prominent spokesperson for a particular group takes a strong public stand in opposition without acknowledging that they don’t ...
No Other Suspects? The mainstream news media was willing to print and broadcast harsh Opposition criticism of the Government, even though they knew that the source of the leaked information was a National Party MP. Even though, by pushing the story up towards the top of every news bulletin they were ...
Sacrificial Lamb: If the stories about Mr Taogaga and the unauthorised release of confidential medical data had been deliberately orchestrated by Labour’s political opponents, their deflection of the news media’s attention away from the Prime Minister’s address to the Labour Party Congress could hardly have been more successful.THE LABOUR PARTY ...
The East is Rent: The consequences of unleashing the young against the old; of elevating ideological rigor above reasoned debate; and of setting the present against the past; was a decade of unprecedented social stress and tension, interspersed with explosions of murderous mob violence and tragic material destruction. More than ...
The Green Party of Aotearoa-New Zealand could go from helping Jacinda Ardern run the country, to being turfed out of Parliament altogether in ten weeks. And that could see the end of Labour in government. Without them, Labour would likely have to do what no party has done since the ...
Remember the government's tyrannicalTerrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill? Remember how it was rammed through Parliament, with a four-day submission period and a select committee process that was a democratic fraud? At the time, the government gave the impression that there was an urgent need for this legislation, that a ...
Attack journalist - Tova O'BrienWe all know that much of the mainstream media in New Zealand is terribly biased. They are in effect another branch of the National Party, and can often be even more prejudiced than their right wing bosses.In fact many right wing politicians moonlight as journalists and ...
Former National Party President - Michelle BoagAfter the complete botch job Hamish Walker made of leaking the private details of COVID-19 patients to the mainstream media last week, the best-case scenario for Todd Muller and the National Party would be if the news cycle went quiet about their involvement.But unfortunately ...
One of the challenges of working on illegal wildlife markets, is you don’t really have scope to talk about your research into illegal wildlife markets. There is some stuff though that willbe coming out on Asiatic black bears in China, and before Covid19, I was delving more into rhinos. Which ...
Some are surprised at this sudden brain implosion on the part of both Michelle Boag, former National Party President, and the National Party in general, in exposing the private, confidential details of COVID patients. Others…? Let’s be blunt: not so much. Too many of that Party have long operated with ...
Michelle Boag - Former National Party PresidentWhen Todd Muller decided not to discipline Hamish Walker for his horribly racist press release last week, you had to wonder if his lack of proper leadership had something to do with a shared belief system? After all, the whiteness of the blue “team” ...
On Twitter today, lawyer Felix Geiringer asked a good question: why are MP's exempt from the Privacy Act? The Act imposes its obligations on "agencies", and s8 of the 2020 Act states that this term does not include... a member of Parliament in their official capacity The 1993 Act, ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzWhat was the climate and sea level like at times ...
So now we know, beyond all doubt. The National party has no interest in joining the “team of five million” in our fight against the pandemic but its priority is to take every opportunity it can to damage the government. The cynicism is breathtaking. It was prepared to leak the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters The massive dust storm that formed over the Sahara Desert in mid-June invaded the southeastern U.S. June 25-28, bringing dangerous levels of air pollution, low visibility, and colorful sunsets. The air pollution event over parts of Texas and the Gulf ...
In 1987, as a British Labour MP, I was elected to the Shadow Cabinet by my colleagues and was asked by the party leader to direct Labour’s campaign in the general election of that year. The election was to take place at the height of Mrs Thatcher’s dominance and we ...
National MP Nicola WillisHousing, which I would argue is a fundamental human right, has long been a problem in New Zealand. Not only do we have some of the most overpriced houses in the entire world, much of the housing stock is substandard and therefore affects not just people’s health ...
If the government has not lined up behind a "Yes" vote in this year's cannabis referendum the way some reformers would have liked, one entirely laudable thing it did do was commission some science around the public's choice.That science landed today, in the form of the report from an expert ...
Associate Professor Sara WaltonAt the heart of the discussion on opening up our borders is the dichotomy of health and the economy – both of which are actually intertwined, like many things with our economy, as this epidemic has shown.If we think about our country as a system, ...
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Josh Gabbatiss This year will see the largest ever drop globally in both investment and consumer spending on energy as the coronavirus pandemic hits every major sector, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The crisis is accelerating the shutdown of older fossil-fuelled ...
A short opinion piece – Friday 26th June 2020 Whilst our Government has treated many financial victims of the current Covid-19 virus with appropriate generosity, the same cannot be said for those of the two earlier “epidemics” in NZ. The “Covid-84” virus (also called “Rogernomics”) spread systemic greed, with the ...
Everyone deserves a a decent life. We know this is possible with a fairer approach to income support and tax Read the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Poverty Action Plan here ...
After a long break, the government is back inserting secrecy clauses in legislation. This time its the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill (No 3), which in its clause allowing Ministers to exempt purchasers of farm land from the usual rules also allows them to exempt an exemption from the publication requirement: ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters acknowledged today the heavy price of trying to lead the National Party today. ‘One’s sympathy goes out to Todd Muller and his family. Todd is a good man, unlike most of his colleagues he does ...
We're keeping New Zealand moving, one progress-packed week at a time. Read below to find out how we're creating jobs, protecting the environment, looking out for the health of New Zealanders', and upgrading our critical infrastructure - and that's only this week. ...
We're keeping New Zealand moving, one progress-packed week at a time. Read below to find out how we're creating jobs, protecting the environment, looking out for the health of New Zealanders', and upgrading our critical infrastructure - and that's only this week. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund is providing up to $19.5 million to boost innovative primary sector businesses and create training and job opportunities for Northland locals through the construction of an innovation and enterprise park at Ngawha, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones ...
The Green Party is today unveiling part one of its plan for a fossil-fuel free Aotearoa, including an immediate ban on new industrial coal boilers. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industry New Zealand First is supporting calls by hunters and the New Zealand Tahr Foundation (NZTF) to halt a large scale cull of Himalayan Tahr by the Department of Conservation in National Parks. The calls are supported by a 40,000 strong petition and the ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First leader Winston Peters today scoffed at suggestions that a team of six political operatives have been dispatched to New Zealand to assist his campaign. ‘As President Ronald Reagan once said, ‘there they go again.’ ‘The clickbait journos can’t ...
New Zealand First is pleased to announce Jenny Marcroft as the party’s election 2020 candidate for the Auckland Central electorate. Jenny spent years working in Auckland Central, having spent a vast proportion of her broadcasting career there. She says she, "knows the place and knows the people." Ms Marcroft says ...
New Zealanders deserve healthy rivers and lakes that are safe to swim in - but they have been getting worse for decades. That's why, with our latest announcement, we're investing in projects that will help clean up our rivers and lakes and restore them to health, within a generation. ...
This week we moved into the second half of 2020 - and our Government delivered another week of big changes and major progress for New Zealanders. Read below for a wrap of the key things moments from the week - from extending paid parental leave, to making major investments in ...
The Green Party has opposed the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Bill which shortcuts normal consenting processes under the Resource Management Act (RMA), reduces public participation and narrows environmental considerations. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development A regional freight hub for the lower North Island will be built just northeast of Palmerston North, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Government is investing $40 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to designate and buy land and design ...
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson is calling for the introduction of a Guaranteed Minimum Income to lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty and prevent more families entering into further debt with the Ministry of Social Development. ...
There has been renewed focus on New Zealand First acting as a handbrake on the Government after our decision to not support Auckland light rail. We are a handbrake for bad ideas, that istrue, but our track record since 2017 has seen New Zealand First constructively also serve as an ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP New Zealand First’s Fair Residency for Superannuation Bill passed its First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill makes a significant change to NZ Super by raising the minimum residency requirement from 10 to 20 years, after age 20. “Currently, a migrant of ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order A New Zealand First member’s bill in the name of Darroch Ball introducing a six-month minimum prison sentence for assaults on first responders has passed its second reading in Parliament. The new offence of "injuring a first responder or corrections officer with ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Deputy Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First welcomes the launch of the new Criminal Cases Review Commission, gifted with the name from Waikato-Tainui - Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, announced in Hamilton today by Justice Minister Andrew Little. “New Zealand First has long believed in and ...
The Green Party is celebrating over $800m in new funding for green projects, which will get people into jobs while solving New Zealand’s long-term challenges. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is appalled that Meridian seems to have been unnecessarily spilling water from its dams to drive up its profits."While New Zealanders have been coming together in some of our darkest hours, we don’t expect power gentailers to waste water and ...
We wrapped up the first half of 2020 with a busy month, taking additional steps to support New Zealanders as we continue with our economic recovery. We rolled out targeted packages to support key industries like tourism and construction, helped create jobs in the environmental and agriculture sectors, and set ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has welcomed the appointment of Maurice Davis and his deep infrastructure and construction experience to the board of the Infrastructure Commission. Mr Davis (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the seventh and final appointment to the board led by former Reserve Bank Governor ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has expressed his condolences regarding the passing of Niue’s former Premier, Sir Toke Talagi, which occurred today in Niue. “Sir Toke, who was also formerly Niue’s Foreign Minister, made a significant contribution to Niue over a long career. He served as a dedicated Premier of ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has extended New Zealand’s condolences following the death of Niue’s former Premier, Sir Toke Talagi, who has passed away in Niue. “We extend our condolences to his family and to the people of Niue. Sir Toke was an elder statesman of the Pacific and a long ...
Two leaking and run-down community facilities in Gore will receive Government funding to provide jobs for local contractors and long-term benefits to the Gore community and wider region, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. The funding comes from the $3 billion tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2020 for infrastructure. ...
Kia ora tatou Today I am setting out our plan in the event we have a new case of community transmission of COVID-19 in New Zealand. I will take a bit of time to do that, and then I’ll be happy to take questions at the end. Since we moved ...
·$124 million Government investment in recycling infrastructure ·Plans confirmed to increase and expand the waste levy to divert material from landfill, and recycle revenue into resource recovery and waste minimisation ·Innovative construction and demolition facility opened in Auckland with $3.1 million in support from Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF). As ...
A package of wellbeing infrastructure investments in Kaipara which focuses on improving the lives of the elderly and upgrading the iconic Kauri Museum has been announced by Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones today. “These shovel-ready projects will have significant benefits for their respective communities and I’m pleased this funding ...
More support is rolling out for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the COVID Response and Recovery Fund, to help them adapt and innovate to deal with the impact of the virus. The Ministers for Economic Development and Small Business have announced a further $40 million for the Regional Business ...
Stephen Clark, Māori Land Court Judge of Hamilton has been appointed as a District Court Judge with jury jurisdiction to be based in Hamilton, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Judge Clark graduated with an LLB from Auckland University in 1988 and was admitted to the Bar in the same year. ...
The Crown will provide a loan to Hawke’s Bay Airport to ensure it can trade through COVID-19 economic impacts, support the region’s recovery and protect up to 200 jobs. The Crown has a 50 percent shareholding in Hawke’s Bay Airport Limited (HBAL), with Napier City Council holding 26 percent and ...
Four celebrated Māori and Pasifika events will receive up to $100,000 each in funding from the new Creative and Cultural Events Incubator fund, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. The four events that were successful in the inaugural funding round are: Kia Mau Festival, Wellington Māoriland Film Festival, Otaki ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio is pleased to announce the inaugural launch of Kiribati Language Week as part of the 2020 Pacific language Weeks programme. “I am so pleased that this year we are able to provide resourcing support to the Kiribati community in Aotearoa which will ...
Wildlife institutions affected by a loss of visitor revenue during the COVID-19 lockdown are set to receive government support with nearly $15 million of funding available announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. “Eco-sanctuaries, zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks, and wildlife rescue, hospital and rehabilitation facilities provide crucial support for the recovery ...
The Government is expanding and accelerating frontline mental health and wellbeing services at tertiary education institutes (TEI) to help students manage ongoing stresses related to COVID-19. “The lockdown has been hugely disruptive for students. Many of them have had to relocate and move to online learning, isolating them from their ...
The Minister of Police says a major operation against the Mongrel Mob in Waikato will make a big dent in drug harm and violent offending linked to organised crime networks. “Senior leadership of the Waikato Mongrel Mob has been taken out as a result of Operation Kingsville, which resulted in ...
The Government is extending the border exception criteria to enable some offshore victims and support people of the Christchurch mosque attacks to attend the sentencing of the accused beginning on 24 August2020, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “We want to support our valued Muslim brothers and sisters who were directly ...
A project to support volunteer efforts to look after streams and rivers is getting a boost thanks to support from DOC’s Community Conservation Fund announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “The government is backing efforts to look after waterways with $199,400 for the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust from ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter today announced that funding for the COVID-19 Community Fund for women and girls will be doubled, as the first successful funding applications for the initial $1million were revealed. “Women and girls across the country have suffered because of the effects of COVID-19, and I ...
The Government’s books were better than forecast with a higher GST take as the economy got moving again after lockdown, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Crown Accounts for the 11 months to the end of May indicate the year end results for tax revenue will be stronger than forecast. ...
A plan to revitalise New Zealand’s strong wool sector and set it on a new, more sustainable and profitable path was unveiled today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The newly-released report - Vision and Action for New Zealand’s Wool Sector - was developed by the Wool Industry Project Action Group ...
Community efforts to create a Predator Free Whangārei will receive a $6 million boost, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The new funding, through Government company Predator Free 2050 Ltd, will create around 12 jobs while enabling the complete removal of possums over ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that the New Zealand Government is reviewing the settings of its relationship with Hong Kong. “China’s decision to pass a new national security law for Hong Kong has fundamentally changed the environment for international engagement there,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand remains deeply ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced details of a multimillion-dollar investment in Whangārei for infrastructure projects that will help it recover from the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 200 jobs are expected to be created through the $26 million investment from the Government’s rejuvenation package ...
Following a second incident in which a person escaped from a managed isolation facility, security is being enhanced, including more police presence onsite, Minister Megan Woods said. “The actions of some individuals who choose to break the very clear rules to stay within the facilities means that more resourcing is ...
Waste reduction and recycling programmes in Kaipara are set to get a boost with Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today announcing a $361,447 grant from the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Minimisation Fund (WMF) Sustainable Kaipara. “The new funding will allow Sustainable Kaipara to partner with local schools, kura, community ...
The Government will support the Southland economy in the wake of multinational mining company Rio Tinto’s decision to follow through with its long signalled closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. “This day has unfortunately been on the cards for some time now, but nevertheless the final decision is a ...
New tools being developed to help boost Aotearoa’s Predator Free 2050 effort were unveiled today by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. A new rat poison, a camera with predator recognition software to detect and report predators, a new predator lure and a ...
The Coalition Government has approved the purchase of a fleet of Bushmaster vehicles to replace the New Zealand Army’s armoured Pinzgauers, Defence Minister Ron Mark has announced today. The new fleet of 43 Australian-designed and built Bushmaster NZ5.5 will provide better protection for personnel and improved carrying capacity. “The age ...
The Government’s three prevention frameworks to reduce family violence in Aotearoa were launched this week by Associate Minister for Social Development Poto Williams. The frameworks were developed in partnership with communities around New Zealand, and build on the work the Government has already begun with its new family violence prevention ...
The Government is pleased to confirm funding for improvements to radiology and surgical services at Hawke's Bay DHB, Health Minister Chris Hipkins says. "The Minister of Finance the Hon Grant Robertson and former Health Minister Dr David Clark approved funding for Hawke's Bay DHB’s redevelopment of their radiology facilities ...
• New funding for four beds at Napier’s Springhill Residential Addiction Centre • A new managed withdrawal home and community service, and peer support before and after residential care at Tairāwhiti DHB • A co-ordinated network of withdrawal management services throughout the South Island • Peer support in Rotorua and ...
Introduction, seafarers and POAL Good morning everyone, I am delighted to be online with you all today. Before I begin, I have to acknowledge that COVID-19 has disrupted the maritime sector on an unprecedented scale. The work of seafarers and the maritime industry is keeping many economies around the world ...
A $13 million investment from Government will create jobs and improve the resilience of the rail connection between Christchurch and the West Coast, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones and Regional Economic Development Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau say. The funding comes from the tagged contingency set aside in Budget 2020 for infrastructure projects ...
The Government is investing $761 million to assist local government upgrade under-pressure water services across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The announcement was made at the site of the water bore that was found to be the source of the fatal ...
Recognised Seasonal Employers and migrant seasonal workers stranded in New Zealand will be able to continue working and supporting themselves with more flexible hours and roles, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. The time-limited visa changes are: Stranded RSE workers will be able to work part-time (a minimum of 15 hours ...
The Government is making immediate short-term changes to visa settings to support temporary migrants already onshore in New Zealand and their employers, while also ensuring New Zealanders needing work are prioritised, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. We are: Extending temporary work visas due to expire by the end of 2020 ...
Professor Peter Skelton CNZM has been appointed as Chief Freshwater Commissioner and Alternate Environment Court Judge Craig James Thompson as Deputy Chief Freshwater Commissioner for the newly established Freshwater Planning Process (FPP). Environment Minister David Parker today also announced the appointment of Chief Environment Court Judge Laurie Newhook as the ...
Auckland Queen’s Counsel Neil Campbell has been appointed a Judge of the High Court, Attorney‑General David Parker announced today. Justice Campbell graduated with a BCom and LLB (Hons) from the University of Auckland in 1992. He spent two years with Bell Gully Buddle Weir in Auckland before travelling to the United ...
The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Poto Williams, is seeking feedback on a proposal to better enable the development and operation of commercial film and video facilities in Christchurch. The Proposal, developed by Regenerate Christchurch in response to a request from Christchurch City Council, asks that powers under section ...
The Government has launched a bold plan to boost primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade, while protecting the environment and growing jobs. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today released Fit for a Better World – Accelerating our Economic Potential, a 10-year roadmap to unlock greater value ...
A new approach to prevent family harm that encourages greater collaboration across government and community groups is being celebrated at the opening of a new facility in Auckland. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today opened the Multi-Disciplinary Family Harm Prevention Hub Te Taanga Manawa in Lambie Road in Manukau. The facility ...
Kiwi ultramarathon runner Sophie Grant has been pushed and yelled at while racing in the Northern Hemisphere, but now she's striking back. Sophie Grant has made a promise to herself. If she or a fellow female ultra runner is blocked from passing, told to slow down, or pushed off the trail ...
Veteran football journo Bruce Holloway on the best Kiwi sports writers US author James Michener once observed that the greatest advantage of being a sports reporter was freedom. “It is not by accident that so many of our good writers once wrote sports, and not politics, or business or city ...
Voters will soon have a say in whether the recreational use of cannabis should become legal. Khylee Quince argues that the result needs to be decisive – one way or the other. A halfway house is a place to stop midway on a journey. In the context of drug law ...
With an All Black on one side of her lineage, and an NBA player on the other, Olivia Williams is a natural-born athlete who wants to be a Tall Fern. Olivia Williams is a New Zealand basketball star on the rise – and it’s no surprise considering her incredible ...
A Newsroom investigation into the plight of RSE workers after lockdown explores the experience of some Solomon Island seasonal workers living on almost nothing who believe they have been blacklisted from returning home because they complained about their situation RSE workers in Hawkes Bay have alleged they are the victims of intimidation tactics from ...
Many people have been led to believe that if 60 percent of the population were infected with Covid-19, the rest would be protected. This is based on a misunderstanding, write Philip Hill and Matthew Parry. Covid-19 presents an unprecedented challenge to the world. With approximately 1 percent mortality in those infected overall and much ...
Vladimir Samoylov explains why New Zealand companies can find it difficult to enforce their intellectual property rights in China In his book To Steal a Book Is an Elegant Offence: Intellectual Property Law in Chinese Civilization, legal scholar William Alford explains that traditionally in China the act of copying another’s ...
People flooded pubs as England celebrated ‘independence day’, but all Elle Hunt wanted was the hairdresser.As unlikely as it recently seemed – and as unsettling as it still feels – something resembling normal life has begun to resume in London. I first felt it when I realised I was running late ...
Our Covid-19 outlook is still one of the most positive in the world. But with new cases emerging in recent weeks, our optimism levels have taken a hit. Jacinda Ardern yesterday delivered a speech announcing the “next steps” for New Zealand’s Covid-19 response, and what will happen in the event of ...
Analysis: The Government's tune on its underused contact tracing app has changed as the Prime Minister and Health Minister begin to plea for New Zealanders to download the tool, Marc Daalder reports Nearly two months after the NZ COVID Tracer app hit the market, the Government has finally decided to ...
Polarising, wicked, indomitable, strong ... but never dull. But do we really know Judith Collins? When The Detail asked young voters what questions they needed answered about the September election, one of them was, ‘who is Todd Muller?’. That question’s now redundant … and 18 year olds might well be ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Morrison government has announced $2 billion – to be augmented by another $500 million from the states – for a skills package to boost training and job creation. A $1 billion JobTrainer program will ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison on Wednesday once again ruled out any consideration of moving to an “elimination” strategy for dealing with COVID-19. He told Triple M Melbourne: “You don’t just shut the whole country down because that ...
Al Jazeera’s documentary on the plight of migrant workers during covid-19 lockdown.ANALYSIS:By Ross Tapsell, of the Australian National University The recent police interrogations of six Al Jazeera journalists in Malaysia – five of whom are Australian – was not about shaping international reportage or a diplomatic rift. Rather, ...
By Barbara Dreaver, 1 NEWS Pacific Correspondent The Cook Islands government’s inaccurate and startling announcement yesterday about a tourism bubble opening with New Zealand as soon as next week has done more harm than good. Clearly a failed attempt at trying to force Jacinda Ardern’s hand into giving a date ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Buckland, Professor in Computer Security, Cybercrime, and Cyberwar, UNSW The Australian Cyber Security Growth Network (AustCyber) on Monday released a report modelling the potential impact of cyberattacks and sustained digital outages on Australia. The Digital Trust Report’s modelling suggests four weeks ...
“A month out from the start of RIMPAC, the US Navy led military wargames, peace groups are calling on Minister of Defence Ron Mark to pull the plug on NZ’s involvement this year with a special video message ” said Valerie Morse, member of the Cancel ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Duffy, Senior Lecturer and Researcher, Monash Business School, Director Corporate Law, Organisation and Litigation Research Group (CLOL), Monash University The revelations in the “palace letters” may well renew enthusiasm for an Australian republic, especially coming on top of recent controversies involving ...
Prepare to go much harder and much earlier if coronavirus appears in the community. Justin Giovannetti reports from parliament where plans have been released for swift regional lockdowns and managed-isolation for domestic cases if Covid-19 ever breaks out of border facilities. New Zealand hasn’t detected any community transmission of the Covid-19 ...
New National leader Judith Collins would scrap the RMA, change climate legislation and reject any asset tax, but is declining to offer further detail on her party's economic policies just yet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Paton Gilmour, Research Scientist: Coral Ecology, Australian Institute of Marine Science Significant coral bleaching at one of Western Australia’s healthiest coral reefs was found during a survey carried out in April and May. The survey took a combined effort of several ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Medland, Sexual health physician, epidemiologist, researcher. (President-elect and vice-president Australasian Society of HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine), UNSW People who expose a police officer or emergency worker to body fluids would be compelled to have their blood tested for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Webb, Professor of Law, University of Melbourne Ripples from the sexual harassment allegations against former High Court Justice Dyson Heydon continue to spread. This week, the Victorian government announced its intention to launch reviews into both sexual harassment in the state ...
ANALYSIS:By Bryan Bruce The selection of Judith Collins by her colleagues as the new leader of New Zealand’s opposition National Party is a last minute throw of the political dice that might just save the Right from splintering at the upcoming election. One of the problems of the political ...
Forest & Bird has won in the Supreme Court against a coal mining company trying to push through an opencast mine near Westport, in a ruling which has implications across the whole of New Zealand. “This is absolutely wonderful ...
New National Party leader Judith Collins has replaced Michael Woodhouse with Shane Reti as the party's spokesperson on health matters Judith Collins is seeking to put the past week of privacy breach scandals behind her, appointing Whangarei MP Shane Reti as National's new spokesperson on health and promoting him to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pep Canadell, Chief research scientist, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere; and Executive Director, Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Fossil fuels and agriculture are driving a dangerous acceleration in methane emissions, at a rate consistent with a 3-4℃ rise in global temperatures this century. Our ...
New National leader Judith Collins has stripped Michael Woodhouse of the health portfolio because of his involvement in the Covid-19 data leak saga, with Dr Shane Reti replacing him ...
An extract from the splendid new book Weed: A New Zealand Story, by James Borrowdale. Books editor Catherine Woulfe writes:Weed is a masterclass in longform feature writing, a clever hopscotch through history, statistics, law, chemistry and neuroscience. Plus it’s packed with people and their yarns. Not many writers could keep their ...
With the Prime Minister’s “no new taxes” pledge long gone, the Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the National Party to commit to scrapping the 500% increase to the Government’s waste levy if elected to Government Reacting to the Government’s ...
While there are increasing examples of a return to some lockdown measures, there is little evidence to demonstrate the success of a second lockdown, because it’s too early to tell, write Maximilian de Courten, Bojana Klepac Pogrmilovic and Rosemary V Calder of Victoria University, Melbourne.The World Health Organisation reported more than ...
E tū is making sure workers’ voices lead the way with the kick-off of a new health and safety programme for Māori, Pasefika, and migrant workers in manufacturing. Funded jointly by the union and a Workplace Injury Prevention grant from ACC, E tū’s ...
From 2005’s Wayne Anderson: Singer of Songs to new Tom Sainsbury comedy Sextortion, via a dead peacock, a trio of escaped circus lions and a sentimental wrist wallet.Orlando Stewart has never made a hit TV show.What he has done, dating all the way back to 2005’s Wayne Anderson: Singer of ...
Latest from the Beehive The government announced more funding for this and that – along with bigger levies for trash disposal – while the Nats were arranging for Crusher Collins to vie with Kindly Jacinda when voters determine who will lead the next government. Mind you, the Greens aren’t averse ...
The third annual Jonesie Awards were hosted at Parliament today, celebrating the best of the worst of Government waste. Watch the video at www.taxpayers.org.nz/2020_jonesies . New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “Every year, ...
Four New Zealand food writers share their thoughts on being non-white in a very white industry – and suggest what they think needs to change.Recently, The Spinoff published a piece by Jean Teng and Charlotte Muru-Lanning about the lack of diversity in New Zealand’s food media scene. It provoked much ...
The SpinoffBy Nalini Baruch, Ashia Ismail-Singer, Melissa Koh and Jennifer Yee Collinson
It is theoretically possible that Judith Collins could be the next Prime Minister but first she must prove she can wield the party into an effective, unified team. ...
Child Poverty Action Group is calling on the Government to nationalise early childhood education provision in response to the challenges presented by COVID-19 and reports of providers prioritising profits over quality of services. CPAG’s latest research ...
A new platform for Members, means 100% of contributions go towards making Spinoff journalism happen. Plus: A merch store!Kia ora,This is the biggest announcement we’ve had since the launch of The Spinoff Members a year ago.For many months now we’ve been ferreting away at a big overhaul of the way ...
Opinion - Judith Collins' first public remarks after becoming leader shows she means to continue in the same way she's always operated as a politician, writes Cat MacLennan*. ...
Finally! For as long as the Campaign Against Foreign Control (CAFCA) has existed - 45+ years - we have called for the closure of Rio Tinto's Bluff smelter (for example, see our historic Comalco comic at https://www.scribd.com/doc/25367862/Comalco-Comic ...
“We are absolutely thrilled with the government’s announcement that it will invest in recycling and change the waste levy. These are bold and important steps that will create employment in communities right throughout the country, reduce emissions ...
Carlson has long been one of our best comedians, and now the world can see it too, writes Sam Brooks. Last year, Urzila Carlson became the first comedian from our shores to perform her own Netflix special, a half hour episode of the Comedians of the World series. Now she’s ...
The US elections are in a bizarre and unsettling phase with President Donald Trump governing by tweets, spraying assaults on the medical profession and continuing to maintain the US has the Covid-19 pandemic under control. Really? No, as state after state (with the notable exclusion of New York) takes a ...
The AUT video … first of this year’s languags series.By Simon Smith of AUT News The Kiribati instalment in the AUT Pacific language video series – “Adapting to a changing world, shaping resilient futures” – has been released. The video, produced by Auckland University of Technology, is narrated in ...
The Government must develop a national plan to prevent and respond to family and sexual violence during and after a pandemic situation says Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Saunoamaali’i Karanina Sumeo. She made the comments in a written submission ...
The Prime Minister says New Zealand has a robust plan in place to tackle any re-emergence of Covid-19 within our borders, Marc Daalder reports New Zealand is ready for a second wave. That's the message Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wanted to get across in a speech to the nation on ...
Allegations of defamation led to a court-mandated apology by Mike Hosking to John Tamihere.This morning Michael Noel James Hosking IV delivered a court-mandated apology to Māori Party co-leader John Tamihere over defamatory comments made by Hosking in 2018.The comments relate to a $600,000 private shareholder payment from Whānau Ora contractor, ...
A new Māori organisation called Te Pātaka Inc is being established to continue providing kai and firewood to assist whānau experiencing hardship from COVID-19 in Te Tau Ihu (top of the South Island). Originally the eight Te Tau Ihu iwi in Marlborough, ...
Analysis by Josh Van Veen – The Democracy Project. New National Party leader, Judith Collins, with prominent Auckland Council (Manurewa-Papakura ward) councillor, Daniel Newman. “I’m with her,” Newman said on hearing of her successful appointment as Leader of the Opposition. When Parliament sits next Tuesday, the ...
LGNZ is welcoming the Government’s announcement of $124 million for onshore recycling and the expansion of the waste levy, but is calling on the Government to match the money with a strategic waste plan to ensure New Zealanders get the best bang for ...
In her first interview with Morning Report as National Party leader, Judith Collins outlined a minor reshuffle, said she's not particularly worried about diversity, and said Michael Woodhouse's fate will be decided today. ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.Today’s contentJudith Collins elected leader of the National Party Richard Harman (Politik): Why National finally called on Collins Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Judith Collins should have been elected as ...
We are now at a crucial time of Climate Change history, since Covid 19 pandemic diverted our Governments from the beginning of the movement of marching together for saving our climate, and now time is upon us to continue our fight to save our ...
Despite changes made to original plans to ‘avoid’ the Hua o te AtuaUrupā, an iwi group says the Waikato Regional Theatre is still set to be built on their burial ground. A group of rangatahi from Kirikiriroa iwi Ngāti Wairere says a big part of the community wasn’t consulted on ...
Trade union activists will go from house to house asking Wellingtonians to pledge their vote in the general election to parties and candidates who support workers’ rights. Unions Wellington launches its election campaign at 6pm on Wednesday July ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maximilian de Courten, Health Policy Lead and Professor in Global Public Health at the Mitchell Institute, Victoria University The World Health Organisation reported more than 230,000 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday — the world’s largest daily increase during the pandemic. The surge ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lotti Tajouri, Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences, Bond University You may remember when US President Donald Trump suggested exposing coronavirus patients to UV (ultraviolet) light – or “just very powerful light” – to help treat them. The use of UV light is not, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sebastian Leuzinger, Professor, Auckland University of Technology CC BY-NDClimate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Raynor, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Transforming Housing Project, University of Melbourne After 3,000 people in nine public housing towers in Melbourne were placed under the harshest coronavirus lockdown in Australia so far, acting Australian Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly referred to the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Bertram, Senior Associate, Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Another year, another round of hostage-taking by the owners of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. As always, Rio Tinto has made the first move, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mia Martin Hobbs, Researcher, University of Melbourne Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, out now on Netflix, tells the story of five Black US veterans who return to Vietnam to hunt for gold and recover the remains of their lost squad leader. Beginning ...
Huljich family sell quarter of Pushpay stake for $123.8m; US markets up on better-than-forecast US bank results; UK orders Huawei gear purged from 5G rollout 2027 ...
Hello, my name is Stewart Sowman-Lund and I’m the new editor of The Spinoff’s Live Updates. Thank you for having a read. If you have any feedback, please get in touch with me at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz.6.45am: Judith Collins, National leaderShortly before 10pm last night, Judith Collins was declared the new leader ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Dramatic leadership change for National, government rolls out millions more in business support, and several police raids ruled unlawful by IPCA.If you didn’t pay attention to the news yesterday from about 7.15am onwards, there’s a bit to catch up on. The ...
Open mike 06/09/2011 
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Supposedly the struggle against climate change is one of this government's priorities. But how can we assess whether government policies and targets are enough to meet that challenge? Are our policies working? Are our targets enough? On the latter question, whether or not they are consistent with the Paris Agreement ...15 hours ago
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When Parliament sits next Tuesday, the Prime Minister will finally meet her match. Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern are opposites in just about every respect. Yet they have the same basic appeal. Ardern and Collins are as much cultural icons as they are political leaders. Each represents a different side ...1 day ago
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It’s Labor Day in the U.S. and a book has been published about Joe Hill – The Man Who Never Died, by William Adler. I think it’s going to be a must read.
Joe Hill – the migrant labourer, an anarchist and union man in the U.S. He was executed in 1915 for a murder he didn’t commit. He appeared to accept the execution would do more for the cause of the working poor than if he’d lived – told his friends don’t mourn for me – organise!” Amazing story
I knew the song, as sung by Joan Baez but never knew his story or that of the International Workers of the World. A bit of history here
Yes Labor Day in the US. And a few people in the MSM are just starting to realise how shit it has been over there, and how the outlook is even worse for the US.
immortal words:
I suppose an attitude like that is why Abe Lincoln got shot.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/labor-day-blues/2011/09/04/gIQAr8fb2J_story.html?hpid=z2
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-fallacy-of-post-industrial-prosperity/2011/09/04/gIQAk4Ob2J_story.html?hpid=z2
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/achenblog?hpid=z2
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-last-labor-day/2011/09/04/gIQA11Ob2J_story.html?hpid=z2
immortal words:
I suppose an attitude like that is why Abe Lincoln got shot.
When 37% of all consumer purchases are made by the top 5% income earners it’s quite clear that (1) workers are losing and (2) inequality is killing the economy.
The same warnings on inequality are written in different ways , but surely even the money people should be able to work this one out… spread the money around a bit and everyone will do better, yeah?
I am inclined to think Lincoln was shot because his use of greenbacks during the civil war, and because of his apparent intention to continue their use after the war. Still I’m only guessing.
Probably both – they attack the private banking system.
If you’re a fan…
Rebel Press of Wellington have just released ‘Remains to be Seen: tracing Joe Hills Ashes in New Zealand’ – available as a book or free PDF
Yeah Rosy, I’m pretty sure the Wobblies exerted a profound influence on early New Zealand Red Fed (and, later, Labour Party) leaders like “Fighting” Bob Semple, Paddy Webb and, perhaps above all, the brilliant (but, unlike the others, never-elected-to-Parliament) Pat Hickey. Hickey had worked for a few years (around 1904-1906) in a mine in Utah, where he was a member of the Western Federation of Miners, which preached class solidarity and revolutionary industrial unionism.
Interesting whistle-blowing going on around the SCF debacle.
Heads should roll, and given the PM’s unequivocal backing of what is now shown to be a wrong-headed and malicious investigation… he too needs to take some responsibility.
But of course responsibility is an unknown concept to these tory pricks.
Well spotted Red. There have been consistent concerns about the process used by the “system”. Surely the “experts” couldn’t have been wrong?
How about we got back a few steps and get an inquiry as to why SCF was in the scheme against tresaury advice, blinglish and Key ushered them in as soon as they could, further warnings by treasury were ignored and the payout was at 100% plus interest.
How many other finance company investors were afforded such a risk free outcome ?
Natural justice is certainly lacking when it comes to Allan Hubbard. Hubbard has one of the cleanest track records in NZ when it comes to business. I hope that someone carries the torch for him, as the last 15 months of his life was devoted to amassing the evidence to prove he was not corrupt and also to find out who was behind his departure at Aorangi and how they went about it.
RL Treasury warned John Key And Blingenglish that SCF were breaking the covenants of their contract John Key said we will keep backing them . Key has some answering to do.
The findings of an investigator who works at no cost for the supporters of Allan Hubbard are not particularly independent.
it’s like citing a post from The Standard as evidence to support a post on The Standard.
When a genuinely independent review finds fault in the Companies Office, the Securities Commission and the statutory managers, and that independent review stands up to scrutiny, then I’ll take notice.
Until then your call for heads to roll is irresponsible.
That doesn’t make any sense Joe (Not that I’m surprised by a RWNJ not making sense). Using evidence to support what you say is usually a good practice. Researchers do it all the time.
There’s no such thing. The only people who are going to investigate are the people are the people with an interest in the outcome. Now, it could be that this investigation is but that would be up to the reviewers to determine.
Last Sunday on Sunday TV 1 at 7.30 pm there was a good example of how devious witnesses can be. I am refering to Mahon who headed the Erebus Inquiry and how Mahon’s comment “an orchestrated litany of lies” was directed at Air New Zealand (Davis, Chippendale…). The Privy Council ruled that Mahon’s conclusion was correct when it came to the cause of the loss of 257 lives, but when it came to Air New Zealand being held accountable, the Privy Council ruled that natural justice was absent, so Air NZ did not have to face the music when it came to being held responsible for TE 901 crashing into Mt Erebus.
No word yet from Eddie about crowning Margaret Mutu as New Zealand’s new “most racist academic”.
What’s racist about seeking to identify racist attitudes/beliefs?
According to the bigots there’s no such thing as racism. So if you say anything mean about racists then you’re just attacking a marginalised oppressed minority. Which makes you a bigot. And therefore probably a racist.
Jeez Bill, a bit of sensitivity please.
Self inflicted slap up the side of the head duly administered.
thankyou for pointing out the error of my ways Felix 😉
Mutu didn’t seek to identify racist attitudes or beliefs – she demonstrated them.
But don’t take my word.
Here’s David Rankin’s view:
“She obviously thinks of herself as the Robert Mugabe of New Zealand politics, and has caused offence to hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders because of her extreme racist views.”
“As a Maori, I welcome white immigrants,” Rankin said. “They are the ones most likely to bring employment opportunities for our communities, and we don’t see the sort of racism Margaret refers to.”
and his complaint to Joris de Bres
So why do you treat it as a joke?
‘It’ being?
I don’t think Margaret Mutu’s observations were a joke. Provocative? Yes. Accurate? Yes.
Taking a complaint to the ‘Race Relations? Farcical. Calling for her to lose her job? Ridiculous.
The reaction of the usual right wing suspects? Ah. Now that I do regard as a bit of a joke. But that’s the only reason most of you clowns typo error the comments you do, right? To bring a little mirth into peoples’ days, yes?
So then how do you reconcile this oponion with the post – That you participated in
And Ant R0Bs “No Paul, to hell with racists.”
And redlogics comment
“The left frequently make the mistake of thinking tolerance must always be the highest principle that trumps all others. Well it ain’t. All too frequently it just finishes up as a proxy for being too lazy or apathetic to stand up for what is right.”
Funny how the aruguement has changed depending on the players involved !!!
I made two comments in that thread you link to Herodotus. Care to point out any inconsistences between what I said on that thread and this one and then I’ll get back to you?
No there was nothing in conflict by you from then or now – My intention was just to assist to refresh your memory back then in the discussion. And anyway there is nothing wrong in changing opinions, additional info can help all of us to see where we are wrong or confirm when we are right 🙂
got it in one Herodotus.
What makes Mutu’s comments deplorable is not her concern about immigration policy but the conclusion she draws that white people are racist.
Far from being condemned like Clydesdale was a week ago on this self-same website, Mutu’s extrenme dogma is applauded. That’s the sort of meta-racism that only comes from hard-line idealogues.
Whatever happened to the notion that migrants should be assessed as individuals, and decisions based on their level of skills, experience, education, contribution to NZ, &c.? Why should ethnic background matter?
I admit I haven’t read what she said, but my son spoke to me about it yesterday, and he was utterly gob-smacked by her comments. On the basis of what he said, losing her job is the very least she should expect.
A picture paints a thousand words.
Stunning graphic from the New York times clearly identifying what has been happening over the past 30 years.
It would be great if we had a Kiwi version.
A stunning graphic indeed. However Joe will no doubt say that the Times is a lying bunch of Left wing idealogues who twist the facts. And that those very rich folk trickle their wealth down to the workers and are the biggest donors etc etc.
putting words in other peoples mouths again IM?
That 1980 transition fascinates me.
Open question; how much an we attribute to the Reagan/Thatcherite right ‘greed is good’ swing, and how much should we point to the huge adoption of IT technology that more or less dates from exactly the same time?
What effects do you think IT has had over the last 3 decades?
PS, Some one copy this thread over to the post please.
Oops I/S bet me to it. Hat tip to him.
Will Wikipedia Kill The Jackal?
Yesterday I decided to set up a Wikipedia page for The Jackal blogsite so that people searching for it could more readily find information. I also intend to use it to document controversial and significant topics that relate to New Zealand’s blogosphere, the law and politics in general. Little did I know that it’s a veritable minefield of rules and regulations, which will probably ensure an end to The Jackal article on Wikipedia…
In other words you wanted to use it to boost you traffic? Wiki ain’t a SEO
Then why is Kiwibog on there? The Jackal doesn’t sell anything. There is a certain amount of promotion with any content on the Internet, even this comment could be considered promoting The Jackal. I’m linking to my site right now… big deal!
Was Margaret Mutu’s out-burst coming from her Maori side or her Pakeha side?
You mean she has a “split personality”?
Who would have thought……….??
Another very capable informed woman who is an excellent communicator on her subject. On radionz this a.m.
10:05 Connie Hedegaard – European Commissioner for Climate Action
Connie Hedegaard is the European Commissioner for Climate Action. She’s in New Zealand leading the EU’s delegation to the Pacific Islands Forum, where she is also meeting Pacific leaders ahead of international climate negotiations. She was Denmark’s first minister for climate and energy, and is now leading the EU’s efforts towards a low-carbon future and the many different forms that takes. What is the EU doing to move towards a low-carbon economy?
Denmark???? DENMARK????? You must be f’ing joking!!!!
400,000 Israelis march for social justice
General strike in Italy tomorrow
NZ Press finally and irrevocably confirmed as Tory PR dept and less use than tits on a nun
Watch those sharemarkets today, brothers and sisters, this could be the big one.
….evocative of someone we know perhaps?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/05/going-to-the-store-film_n_949133.html
Right Wing Can’t Count
A few days ago I wrote an article entitled New Zealand’s Oil Bonanza… Yeah Right! concerning National’s over inflation of potential income from oil and gas extraction in New Zealand. The sheer level of misreporting going on to promote a destructive process that contributes to climate change, (that threatens human existence on earth) was astounding and completely unacceptable…
Why no posts from the writers about Margaret Mutu? Theres the odd mention here at open mike, but no actual post about the whole suitation.
It’s open mike, Brett. Knock yourself out.
Felix:
Im not talking about open Mike, im talking about the actual writers here, it seems racism is okay with the left as long as its a Maori woman that is being racist.
Still I got a laugh when she told the media what the word racist means.
Below is a quote from an email Mana FB admin posted, http://www.facebook.com/ManaParty, they do so occasionally to let people know what keyboard racists there are out there.
“Still cant believe the Mana party even exsists and if you are such a proud people and party, how about you raise your own party funds and not rely on the NZ people. Your entire party is just too out there and hypocritical for the avg kiwi , but I suppose the hard core niggers like yourselves all get off on this. Send all niggers home!!! Regards lee”
So all you tory toe rags like Brett and Grumpy, “lee” rather supports Margaret Mutu’s contention that racism is alive and hating in NZ.
Tiger Mountain:
Did you see my post on their facebook page to that letter, saying that belongs in the Trash. Disgusting someone would write something like that to them. That though has nothing to do
with what Margaret said and her position of power, and I stand by my thoughts, that normally sites like the standard would be outrage with the comments that Margaret Mutu said, but because she isa Maori woman you guys just shut up and say nothing and that is racist in itself.
@Brett Dale – I hadn’t heard about Margaret Mutu’s latest controversy Brett. Here’s the latest link I found – http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10749746
Well done to Nga Puhi leader David Rankin.
Rankin’s just some news whoring kupapa chump they trotted out to slag his own people…well done on getting his name in the media again…fuckwit
funny stuff pollywog – you give the same impression
Funny Brett, I thought the same. Remember the outrage over “Cheeky Darkie” and Paul Henry???
bit of a difference there Grumpy,
an academic commenting on the integration of immigrants into society and the perceived affects upon her culture is hardly the same as big headed broadcasters espousing basic bigotry
Freedom:
Oh that is what she was doing, huh????
Grumpy:
Look at my posts in regards to Murray Deaker, I was shocked that he wasnt fired and quite disgusted.
Maybe I’ll do a post on racism in NZ Brett. You know, the fact its all pervasive, insidious and overt.
And maybe I’ll compare it to the very similar ‘culture of superiority’ displayed by the English (British) establishment towards their white colonies within the British Isles.
And maybe I’ll throw in a couple of open ended questions; such as why at the mention of a person being Polynesian, the immediate assumption is that they must be brown in spite of the fact that all white people born in NZ are Polynesian too?
Or why it is that NZ is routinely and casually lumped in with Australasia when it is most decidedly not a part of Australasia, but a part of Polynesia?
Or why it is that so many white people still mainatin that they are European in official forms in spite of the fact that they and their parents and even their parent’s parents were born in Polynesia?
Or how it is possible to have a culture, supposedly based on partnership and that spans generations, to continue encouraging/promoting a European identity/ethnicity among the whites within it?
Got any other revealing questions you’d like to add to the list Brett?
edit. Apologies felix. couldn’t help myself.
BIll:
My thoughts are, the only reason we are different races is becaus eof Contineal drift.
I just hate hypocrisy, and judgign the same behaviour diferently. Because Mutu is a Maori woman, the left wasnt offended by her comments.
In terms of immigration I have always thought that the question what Ethnicity are you, should never be asked, because it shouldnt matter, what matters is what type of person you are.
I think you’ll find that continental drift may have given rise to different species Brett and further, that any drift during the entire span of human existence is negligable.
And I think you’ll find that questions of ethnicity are asked in almost all official forms and that answers are limited by the ‘multiple choice’ nature of possible responses.
You might also find that the whole concept of ‘race’ is a discredited one…that there is simply the human race.
But all that aside, you got any interseting or thought provoking questions up your sleeve to be incorporated into a possible post?
Brett’s proposed new question for the census:
‘What kind of person are you?
a. virtuous, right wing, hard working ordinary New Zealander
b. evil, bludging, leftie traitor’
It’s all we need to know about people.
🙂
(Apologies Brett, I just couldn’t resist it.)
Puddlegum:
I am neither hard working or virtuous.
I still dont think someone should be kept out the country because of their ethnic background, thus I dont think it should be on an immigration form.
As someone who has also worked on three census’s, that was quite funny.
Where does it ask about ethnicity on immigration forms? Far as I’m aware, nationality is what is asked.
BIll:
Nationally shouldnt be asked then.
If National had their way we wouldn’t even have a fucking census
They like to keep the country ignorant about its status after all.
If nationality isn’t asked for (alongside proof), then we are talking open borders; freedom of movement for people.
I’m all for that Brett.
But in the meantime, there are immigration policies. And they’re loaded to favour some over others. (Points being awarded on skill set, wealth, age etc.) So in the present scenario, why not load the policy against racists?
I mean, political beliefs already affect the ability of some people to obtain visas etc, ( and by extension residency) so why not?
No problem, I would be more than happy if a white South African extremist was denied entry to NZ. Just as I would be for Islamic extremist for their hatred of women, gays and infidels. How about you?
reiterating
“…political beliefs already affect the ability of some people to obtain visas etc, ( and by extension residency)…”
Haters of women and gays are already here in NZ
Whats a few more.
Really CV??? Is that Labour Party policy now???
And how would you determine that someone was a racist? By their national origin? Or their colour? Absurd. The most determinedly (to the point of being a tad unbalanced) person I ever met, was a social worker at Social Welfare in the 80s, a long-haired blue eyed blond man from Manchester England. (By a bit unbalanced, I mean that he frequently had dreams, he told me, of being in the centre of a group of angry Maori who chided him for not having done enough for Maori, and he always felt that he deserved it, as giving his life and that of his children would not be enough!
funny, I wasn’t aware that human sacrifice was required – lucky it was just a dream
“And maybe I’ll throw in a couple of open ended questions; such as why at the mention of a person being Polynesian, the immediate assumption is that they must be brown in spite of the fact that all white people born in NZ are Polynesian too?”
Obviously you did not see Mutu’s interview??? with the World’s Worst Interviewer on Closeup last night.
Apparently we are all just “visitors” in New Zealand. Makes you wonder, with her mixed anscestry, how she sees herself?
As for being an “academic” obviously Auckland University has a very low threshold for that title.
Okay. Just watched it. She said she wanted a discussion on racism. What it is; how it plays out and what to do about it.
‘The ‘walrus’ in his intro said she wanted a universally applied test that would pick up on racist attitudes. What she said was that she didn’t want people coming into the country who would actively pursue to deny others that which rightfully belongs to them.
I can’t see why anyone would have a problem with that.
As an immigrant, my problem was that although I had to jump through numerous hoops with the immigration service there was no official avenue available for me to seek permission from tāngata whenua to live here.
And when I considered citizenship, there was no official avenue for me to approach tāngata whenua, but there was an obligation to swear allegience to a monarch who resides on the other side of the planet.
When I made moves to seek permission from tāngata whenua, the particular people I talked to near fell over backwards. No one had ever approached them before. I thought it was merely the decent thing to do and was genuinely surprised that nobody else had sought to do it. (Besides being common decency, it would have actually meant something whereas being granted permission by a faceless, anonymous bureaucracy means absolutely nothing and is, to my mind permission being granted by an illegitimate authority.)
Meanwhile, getting back tothe point. Racist attitudes are fairly easy to pick and strangely difficult to disguise. So a test is ‘do-able’.
And Margaret Mutu objects to active racists. Not the everyday armchair type who will move along with the broader ‘cultural times’. And wouldn’t it be a good thing to have fewer active racists impacting on the cultural environments of NZ so that the cultural environment moves that bit more speedily?
You have written some awesome comments about this, and related subjects, Bill – thank you for that and what you have written here – you are a good bloke and I hope you do put up a post because you have some very valuable insights and attitudes.
“Apparently we are all just “visitors” in New Zealand.”
That’s not what she said. She said non-Maori are ‘welcome guests’. In order to understand what she means you have to understand Maori concepts of manawhenua and manaakitanga rather than misinterpreting her words through pakeha constructs.
Firstly, because official forms no longer give the “Pakeha” option, and second in my case, because although I was born here as was my mother, my father wasn’t.
I am now reading the Herald article linked to, and looking at the picture of Mutu – and laughing! She’s whiter than my mother was!
“Why no posts from the writers about Margaret Mutu?”
How about getting off your lazy arse and submitting one for consideration as a “guest post”?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10749743
When poor law, bad judgement and kneejerk hysteria are exposed as an expensive waste of time and resources they resort to desperate measures and end up with applying what we can only imagine are the flimsiest of organised crime charges, though it will be interesting to see what the nature of the organised crime actually was . . . .
The Minister’s claim that the Invercargill Principals, who signed an open letter expressing concerns with National Standards, are part of a Green Party stunt stretches credibility.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/09/just-political-stunt-claims-tolley.html
Sir Anne must be on the right track. She has been elevated in the Nat List rankings. Future PM in the making?
thanks for that ianmac, i will have nightmares now ,
The fact that she appears to genuinely believe her own spin against all the evidence to the contrary appears to serve her well. She just chants the same mantra no matter what is put in front of her.
Typical RWNJ then putting ideology before reality.
She could become Acts education spokes person then
@freedom – Your comment was very enigmatic. Why didn’t you put one descriptive word ie Urewera or similar? I had to go to the link to see what you are on about which I find is what I want to comment on.
A recent Court case has resulted in charges in Operation Eight against the Tuhoe group being dropped but nothing can be revealed about the finding according to radionz! There are still 4 to go including Tame Iti for consorting with criminals or similar.
Makes me wonder why we are over in the USA talking about that dodgy TPPPPTTT? Surely the country that dominates this matter is also criminal. It has broken numerous laws, but hey ho why should we worry about dealing with an entity which only washes the top of its hands. Turn them over and see what is on their palms! Let’s have some practical sense not the present non-sense from this government.
prism, exactly why i wrote what i wrote,
( wouldn’t it be be interesting to know what all the other possible articles were that went through people’s heads 🙂 )
Another serious example of self-regulation and slack and lazy control over high standards for business has just been referred to today. Apparently MAF won’t prosecute bad, sloppy bee keepers after serious outbreaks of problem disease and pests. MAF says that it’s better to work with them, but then the bad practices are just continued with. Isn’t this amazing at a time when we know that the vital bee industry is under threat.
What happens is that this foulbrood disease type spreads and infects other hives. The latest outbreak has resulted in 30 hives having to be burnt in an effort to rid the area of the infection.
This hurts other beekeepers trying to run their businesses in a hygienic, responsible way. Enough of having their hives and business destroyed regularly and some beekeepers will give up all together. Not everybody wants to raise bees, not everybody is a good beekeeper either. When can we get our country back from this disease of neo liberalism, this desire for business to selfishly please themselves in their businesses with as few controls or commitment to good standards as possible.
Nice to see people-power is still alive and well…
http://evolutionnews.co.nz/capitalist-exploitation/a-story-missing-from-our-media-iceland’s-on-going-revolution/
I read that via a Naomi Klein tweet the other day, she quickly retracted once she was corrected, just thought I should point it out. I wish the article had been true…
http://grapevine.is/Features/ReadArticle/A-Deconstruction-of-Icelands-Ongoing-Revolution
The Reykjavik Grapevine seems to provide good factual reading.
I found this while browsing on Stuff…
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5572717/Son-13-ready-to-support-family-and-ill-dad?comment_msg=posted#post_comment
and I am not sure where to begin! The child is an idiot… as I said in my comment which is “awaiting approval”, he’s a prime example of the benefits of home-schooling. He says that when his father dies and if he can’t support his family, ”
“If I can’t support my family, they will have to go on the dole. I don’t want that,”
If things still work as they did when I worked for Social Welfare, the boy’s mother will go on to a widow’s benefit. That’s not “the dole”. Presumably the boy isn’t concerned about the amount – in common with the average non-beneficiary out there he probably thinks benefit levels are 3 times what they really are. He’s probably worried about the “shame”… However a 13 year old boy should not be risking other peoples’ lives by driving a truck – he should be getting an education. Apologies if someone’s already mentioned this – I am havinn connection problems!
I am becoming suspicious of certain news items.I think there is a move instigated by Crosby/Textor to drive a wedge between the Greens and Labour. The Left must not fall into a trap from the Right that would have the Greens and Labour competing against each other. We must never forget that although we sometimes differ we are both on the political Left .Lets both insprire for a Labour /Green government. Which Aotearoa badly needs.
The Pink Postman
Totally agree and the first thing Labour should do, unless it has another plan, is to accept the Greens’ get children out of poverty for $180million plan. That will cement the political relationship and people will know that Labour means what it says about helping children. This is instant. I know Labour has various other policy but it can I’m sure incorporate this strategy and more importantly, acknowledge Greens’ importance in this by giving the Greens the portfolio to make it happen. That way the Greens will get on with it.
Hear hear!
Marsman,
Labour needs to acknowledge both Progressives and the Greens. Jim Anderton added a huge plus to that Government with KiwiBank and if Labour had still been in Government Anderton would have had his affordable dental care bill followed up.
Greens missed out for obvious reasons – United Future and NZ First forced them out and Labour had to deal with them in order to keep National out or we would have been even worse off now.
Perhaps people will begin to finally accept that sustainable living along with 21st century lifestyles can live side by side with thoughtful compromise.
The worst thing New Zealanders can do now is keep NActU in once more term; it is this next term whereby New Zealand loses its future. Labour can reinstate the 75% requirement before Local Government assets can be sold, which it laudably legislated for in 2002.
Why on earth isn’t Labour shouting out about what it has achieved and what it has saved New Zealand from if National had manipulated it into giving out more tax cuts. We’ve already seen the damage that NActU has done in this short time. Be warned; they will speed up if they get in again. Give them time on the sidelines while we bring some worker/employer/government balance back to our community.
Helen Clark gave us time to recoup our losses from the previous Douglas/Richardson cuckoos.
Douglas got back; don’t be surprised if Richardson gets back in too. Where did she get thrown out of after destroying their economy? Iceland? Ireland?
Parliament is waxing lyrical over the Local Government Borrowing Bill – sounds good.
Word of caution; anything Rodney Hide touches turns to lead and our country-wide assets will be seen trotting off to foreign parts on JKeyll and Hide’s little piggy legs.
Auckland has $28 billion of assets which Hide stole from all the greater councils around the city. The jury is out on the worthwhile benefits to the country areas that have been completely left out except for a good library service, but even that carries risks if only one area of the Library can buy books. It was noticeable by the books that the libraries were selling off by the bucketload that anything to do with women’s rights and political books that put another point of view to that of the neo-conservative were being reduced.
The country areas don’t have electric trains expected so Stephen Joyce was lying in Parliament today.
Also, Christchurch’s earthquake was extremely convenient for this government to take public view off the fact they had shut down the democratice ECAN in Canterbury. Brownlee will certainly try to force (he is czar after all) Christchurch Council to sell off its assets.
Should Auckland have an earthquake in the future the LG Borrowing Bill debt, which I admit does save us from PPPs, etc. will be used to force the Councils in debt to sell off LG assets.
Read The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and you will see why I am so cynical about this government and its bovver boy Hide. JKeyll is hiding behind these extremists. Remember.
This tickled me.
http://gizmodo.com/5835821/1-in-10-dead-bosses-are-murdered
and dont forget goldman sacks. they have stepped up to asist the PM by sticking their oar in and saying that ‘industry’ is being held back because there is not enough liquidity in the sharemarket so therfore sell the state assets so the rugged individualists can play monopol;y with other peoples money. look there goes the march hare and the mad hatter.
Randal,
What was that valuable piece of information on the Stock Exchange? That it has nothing to do with the overall financial well-being of New Zealand and New Zealanders – just a place for mostly men with pots of money they’ve stolen off other people to go and play paper wars with.
Aaron Gilmour – for PM – the leadership coup begins
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aaron-Gilmore-for-Prime-Minister/118195268201661
or
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5572501/MP-spoofed-in-faux-Facebook-page,
or even better!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Gilmore
NB none of them are my own work!