Now the kings and there advisers in NZ are trying to figure out how this lucky uneducated half caste Maori has managed to get this huge internet attention and viewers and how did he figure out he has this attention. And they are trying to replicate
this to try and win this election. YEA RIGHT
For one thing I don’t Believe in LUCK I believe LUCK was invented by some corrupt person people to explain why they had more assets/food to some naive people when in reality the corrupt person was robbing the naive people BLIND.
So I’m not lucky.
I believe in FATE as it was fate that these assholes have been hounding me for so long it was fate that I ended in this place and time it is fate because of these assholes that I scoured the internet for corruptions and posted this information on this website It was fate that I found this website it is fate that Iprent made this wonderful website. It is fate that I took my granddaughter to the doctors and had a conversation with that Kenyan
Doctor and gave him my pseudo name and this website. It was fate that joe90 posted those links on Kenya on this web site so every one could see what I posted was true. So my views on the reality’s of our WORLD are real and original . So I thank all the good people on this site and around the WORLD for there contribution to our fight for a safe fair bright future for every thing in our WORLD
Well I will call it steve looks like what was thrown at him stop lying steve.
That’s the way Hillary and Jack put him in line the neo liberal cheat joyce is
Well it was the Wall Street Journal that compared Jacinda to Trump, on immigration
[lprent: If you want to make an bald assertion about a ‘fact’ – then provide a link or a description about how to find your source. This prevents fuckwits from supplying false facts. I read the WSJ most days and I never saw this. ]
Yeah well, the Muslim comparison is crap. But NZ Labour’s immigration policy is pretty fucked up.
At the time of its release I read it side by side with UKIPs immigration policy and that of UK Labour. Far too consistent with UKIP and a million miles away from U Labour. (A few people hereabouts didn’t appreciate the observations)
Seems I should have just compared it to to the UK Tories whose ideas around limiting low skilled immigrants is causing outrage in the UK if today’s headlines are accurate
So my indentured ancestors would have been buggered. Many of my forbears would not have got in under the new regime. It really does seem to be a pull the ladder up jack policy.
If Chinese (or any other ‘ese’) can come in and run our dairy farms better than New Zealanders (ie without paying their workers peanuts or poisoning town water supplies) then perhaps they should be allowed to.
It looks like free trade means best quality is exported and we get the old fish fried with chip plus a half eaten one coz that’s the level of consumer quality. All the best, fish, meat, milk, fruit, etc goes off shore, and then some, average q uaility, leaving the worst still sellable at world prices by under paid staff who half eat a chip in order to get a feed yet still throw it in with the purchase. Key came into office, opened the doors to dotcomers, English learning students, lowers food quality, mine inspection, diary conversions, there is not one aspect of Keys leadership that has not eroded life in nz… …well okay broadband but that was already… …insulation… ..that was a greens overflow policy…. but the bulk of living standards have fallen and they raised GST too.
Are you sure? Lately I’ve been seriously wondering about who and what you stand for, and who has been tickling your man-fanny. Lately, It appears there’s been a serious lean to the “right”, where your balls are tickled just enough to question your supposedly left leaning values, and your foreskin is in competition with that pompous git that should have an ‘H’ branded on his forehead. Maybe you’ll get what you wish for, but the downside is it’ll come with an ‘H’s proclamation on who it is that should be euthanased.
Actually life for a cow in an open paddock system is not a bed of roses. no shelter, cold wet ground, rain, snow frosts.Long walks on rough gravelled tracks on sore feet because of standing in wet ground, heavy udders swinging, frequently trod on causing horrendous often life treatening injuries. Trying to maintain body weight while producing milk on a grass diet with accompanying explosive diarrhoea.
Dairy cows do better in an enclosed housing system, they adapt well, the revulsion comes from urbanised New Zealanders with a romantic view of how an animal should live.Housing animals makes it easier to control their diet and effulent,no manure trampled into the ground, no leaching of nitrates, composted manure and bedding returned to the soil at a time when heavy rain will not leach it into aquifers or water ways.Potentially a win win situation for cow and the environment.
Absolutely agree that paddocks are cruel environments for animals that naturally live in wooded/forested environments. But then, so is an “enclosed housing system”.
Actually, I doubt if there’s a way to farm animals that doesn’t involve a measure of cruelty. But y’know, we could be much less cruel and far more thoughtful. (But then, why have trees taking up the ground space of potential economic units, hm? 👿 )
Not sure why you think rich people who aren’t Kiwis would be any less greedy than NZers. The responsibility for the wellbeing of NZers and the land here is the governments. It’s not rocket science. Put in good environmental protections and resources into R and D for regenag. Put in good employment law that protects workers rights, and resources that support R and D for ethical business.
The biggest hurdle there, apart from values, is the business models based on perpetual growth. We’re at the limits of growth now, so those models have to exploit people and the earth, because that’s the only way they can now keep growing. Instead we need steady state business models. They exist, which begs the question of why we’re not using them. As far as I can tell that’s down to ignorance, greed, and the need to create. Only the last one is an asset and it could be redirected.
Exactly its ecomonics 101 and the law of diminishing returns combined with greed where a ‘reasonable rate of return’ is ditched for ever increasing profits.
Its cause and effect, newtons third law, with the environment, workers, quality etc amongst those who bear the effect ever increasing profits cause.
Eventually capitalism breaks down as the resources are finite.
That’s why “the practices and rules they’re familiar with” can go take a hike if those practices and rules are inferior to what workers have fought for (at least, those that remain after 30 years of Liberal assault).
Please! Granny Herald. I couldn’t give a fuck about whether Tony Street has a “She-Mullet”, or whether Mike fucks chickens.
If either were to stand for election as our political representatives, I might take a little more notice. Members of a 4th Estate they ain’t. Members of the Legends-in-their-own-Minds Club they are.
Probably the best thing they could do IS ekshully to stand for office. As for those that profess their membership to a MSM 4th Estate, I understand your fear. Don’t try and blame others however for your fuckup – the spin won’t count no matter how many lattes, G&Ts you’ll go without and missed mortgage payments with your wifeys still at home.
Christ! – How did it come to this I sometimes ask. All I can come up with is greed (and in the case of some of them – flatulence)
One wonders how many Super Storms the Gulf states will have to endure before their voters will wake up to the realisation that Global Warming is real and coming to get them. These voters consistently vote for representatives who are paid toadies of the Fossil Fuel cartel. I have little sympathy for them – the science has been clear for years – but either through greed and self interest, or simply wilful ignorance, they have ignored the early warnings of Katrina, and Sandy, and daily flooding in downtown Miami, and continually voted into office, Climate Change denialists, who have obfuscated and delayed for decades, not only US action on reducing GHG emissions, but also Global action. Now they have the ultimate idiot in charge – one wishes them everything they have coming to them.
Well, fossil fuel extraction is quite a large part of Gulf state economies. So I expect wilful ignorance to continue for quite a while yet, since so many paychecks depend on it. Probably up until the point renewables get so cheap there’s no more point in extracting dino-juice from places like offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
Yep I understand that – however just because they want a job doesn’t give them the right to fuck the whole world – because that is what they have done for the past 20+ years.
The US has never been able to go to a Climate Conference in good faith, because the Senate Reps dominated by McConnell et al (himself heavily funded around $1.9m US by the Fossil Fuel industry) would simply vote down any proposal to which the US agreed.
It’ll be hard to avoid schadenfreude when those economies start feeling the pressure from the switch to renewables. Probably at about the same time that climate change really starts to bite hard there. I won’t shed any tears about Russia and other petro-states feeling the economic pain either.
But it will be billions of people across south asia and in africa that will really pay the price.
Wow. Hurricane #Irma is now expected to *exceed* the theoretical maximum intensity for a storm in its environment. Redefining the rules. https://t.co/e4hPjQt159— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) September 5, 2017
With minimum central pressure of 916 mb & winds of 185 MPH, Irma is stronger than Cat 5 San Felipe (929mb/160mph) which destroyed PR in 1928 https://t.co/WiVpeRFswI— John Morales (@JohnMoralesNBC6) September 6, 2017
Yep 93% of it goes into the oceans – and its not going to go away any time soon.
Just transfer from one form (heat in oceans) to another (wind) and (water vapour).
I used to use the analogy of heating up a pan of water on a stove. You add energy (heat) the water starts to move faster and faster until it boils.
This is what I was getting at in my original comment Andre – I wonder if some of them will finally fess up and say – “Sorry we were wrong – these storms are unprecedented, and are the result of Global Warming, and maybe it is because humans have been adding GHG at an alarming rate, and maybe the quantum physicists were right when they said GHG’s trapped black body radiation.”
🙁 not good – as always the Islands will wear the brunt. Cuba – the nation with one of the least Carbon footprints – is also going to experience the full force. As always those who are the least culpable are the ones who pay the price.
Will be thinking of your nephew and others in the days ahead.
“Jonathan Coleman said National would increase elective surgeries over the next four years to 200,000 a year.”
Wow. that’s impressive. Increase from what?
McFlock
Merely maintaining the status quo would be a decrease unless the population were also static or declining. Which isn’t the case, and furthermore; not only is the population increasing, but so is the average age (with associated health needs) along with the boomer bulge. The kind of operations being performed is also important (from your link):
when you take out eye injections, skin lesion removals, and other surgeries that could have been performed outside of hospitals… despite a growing population, [health boards] performed fewer surgeries compared with the previous year.
“and bill’s given us 170,000 new jobs…”
They keep on saying that but to balance that we have to take off the 169,999 jobs that have disappeared or been reclassified. But it looks good; unless you are one of the ones who can’t get a job.
Here we go – BEWARE BEWARE Federated Farmers pulling on their Brethren cardies and leading the scaremongering this time round:
“Let’s tax this. What are we in for, Labour?
Source: Federated Farmers
—
On the cusp of the election, voters are still in the dark about what taxes they
might be hit with if Labour is part of the next government.
A tax (“royalty”) on water is confirmed. But Jacinda Ardern has refused to rule out
a capital gains tax, a land value tax, and an asset and wealth tax – other than to
say the family home is exempt.
“For Labour to say they’re not able to be more explicit about what they have in mind
until they have recommendations from the yet-to-be-named members of a tax panel is
something of a cop-out, and certainly doesn’t help voters,” Federated Farmers
Vice-President Andrew Hoggard says.
For farmers, their home and surrounding land also happens to be their business and
livelihood. “Even if an exemption applied to the farmhouse, they’ll cop it from new
taxes far more than their urban cousins.”
The prospect of a land tax in particular is alarming to the rural sector, in that it
would have a severe impact on land extensive businesses and others that are
so-called ‘asset rich and income poor’.
The last time a land tax was considered (2010), the agricultural taxable land base
was $105 billion, meaning a 0.5% land tax would cost farmers $525 million per annum
– a massive hit on the sector, and thus on regional economies and rural towns.
“Farmers already pay whacking rates bills in many parts of the country, often
disproportionate to the services they are delivered or actually use,” Mr Hoggard
said.
“Labour delivered more detailed information on their water tax proposal when pushed
into it by Federated Farmers, Irrigation NZ and other groups.
“Voters deserve more details on Labour’s preferences for other taxes before they go
to the polls.”
ENDS
For more information contact:
Andrew Hoggard, Federated Farmers of NZ Vice-President
Phone: 027 230 7363
Simon Edwards | Communications Advisor, Federated Farmers
Email: sedwards@fedfarm.org.nz, Mobile: +64 (0)21 408 672
I don’t seem to recall the farmers being concerned with all the detrimental effects of all reforms that benefited them. In fact, they seem to have been getting it all their own way since forever.
I think it’s time they stopped whinging and got on with doing the right thing for society.
We all no that bills brother was head of that outfit a couple of years ago .
So the English strings are still on the puppets that lead that outfit and what a coincidence that federated farmers got a good spokes person just before the election.
Well I don’t believe in coincidences as there is usually something sinister that causes those coincidences .
Now I have nothing against farmers that are compliant with our rules to protected our environment.
Is it a coincident that Willy Leferink was on 7 sharp tonight to smooth it over for federated farmers propaganda .
Now i will say it again Jacinda is not going to over tax any industry as thats fucken stupid and Jacinda would not be were she is if she was fucken stupid.
So the labour party is not neo liberals so they are not going to look you people in the face and lie.
They are going tailor there taxes so everyone is paying there fair shear so our country can function in a economically and environmentally sustainable way Cemmon.
Hope my actions did not cause you to much trouble Iprent apologies if It did.
Any effort to even put modest restrictions on farming activities that are detrimental to the environment are looked upon by FF as Stalinist agriculture collectivization, with fears of Ardern sending truckloads of armed agriculture commissars to every family farm in New Zealand to seize at gunpoint.
This drivel goes for six and a half minutes. Here’s a transcript of the first 4 minutes and 23 seconds….
MORA: Ah, Megan Whelan, Story of the Day! MEGAN WHELAN: So Google has released, ahhmmm, its most searched “How To” questions globally, ahhh, which gives us an insight into the things that people struggle with day to day. So the most searched How-To question globally—does anyone want to take a guess? MORA: Oh look. Go on, have a go.
Silence….
MEGAN WHELAN: Anyone? PETER FA’AFIU: No you’re good. MORA: No, all right— VICTORIA STEWART: No, no. MORA: It is hard, it’s hard, it’s hard, actually. MEGAN WHELAN: I thought it would have been something like “How to cook rice”, or something like that. MORA: Oh yeah. VICTORIA STEWART: Ohh yeah. MEGAN WHELAN: Um, that is sort of second. “How to tie a tie”—- MORA:[with mock dismissiveness] No-o! VICTORIA STEWART: Ahhhhh… MEGAN WHELAN: Which I find fascinating! Because not all of the population has to do it, but apparently it’s a thing that those people who do, frequently forget. MORA:[affecting a tone of incredulity] “How to tie a tie” is number ONE!?!? MEGAN WHELAN: “How to tie a tie” is number one! It’s the most searched “How To” question in the world. Ah, “How to kiss” is in second place. MORA: Ahhh! MEGAN WHELAN: Which makes me worry a little bit about the future of humanity. MORA: Ha! VICTORIA STEWART: Ha ha! MEGAN WHELAN: As does number three, which is “How to get pregnant”. MORA: Yes! VICTORIA STEWART: Ooh goodness. PETER FA’AFIU:[snickering] Kkk-k-k-k! MEGAN WHELAN: Number four: “How to lose weight.” MORA: Yeah. PETER FA’AFIU: Oh yeah. MORA: I would’ve thought that’d be RIGHT up the top. MEGAN WHELAN: “How to draw”. MORA: “How to DRAAWW”? MEGAN WHELAN: “How to make money.” VICTORIA STEWART: Ha ha. MEGAN WHELAN: Ha ha. And then sort of “How to cook rice”—“how to make pancakes”. MORA:[very softly, in a tone of bemused wonderment] Pancakes. VICTORIA STEWART: “How to write a cover letter” AND “How to cook French toast.” Ahhhmmm…. MORA: What?!?!? VICTORIA STEWART: Followed by “How to lose belly fat”. Ah, so, ho, we’re very worried about losing weight but also having good breakfasts! MORA: What a STRANGE list! MEGAN WHELAN: Isn’t that a strange list! PETER FA’AFIU: Just trying to figure out how many of those I’ve, uh, ha ha ha ha! MORA: Okay, you can tie a tie. PETER FA’AFIU: Pancakes, yeah. Tie…. MORA: Pancakes? You know how to make money? PETER FA’AFIU: Yeah. MORA: Do you know how to write a cover letter? PETER FA’AFIU: Yes. MORA: Ahh, do you know how to lose fat around your tummy? PETER FA’AFIU: No. MORA: Okay. I won’t ask you the REST! PETER FA’AFIU: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I know how to kiss. I know how to kiss. MEGAN WHELAN: So Simon Rogers, Google’s data editor, one of the things he mentioned is that these “How To” searches have increased a hundred and forty per cent—so more than doubled—since two thousand and FOUR, and MUCH of that interest is directed at how to sort of FIX things, so oftentimes it’s how to fix a lightbulb or replace your window or fix your washing-machine or even the toilet. So I had a look at Google Trends, ahhh, which is how you can search some of this stuff yourself, for New Zealand for the past twelve months— MORA: Aah! MEGAN WHELAN: So related searches, our ones, so this is not the exact data that THAT list is, the global list is, ‘cos it’s not broken down in the same way, but searching “How To” and getting related searches for that for New Zealand, we searched “How to draw”, “How to screenshot”— MORA: Oh yeah. MEGAN WHELAN: And someone has texted in to say that when THEY searched it, they got the auto complete, so often when you google something “how to” it will fill in the sentence for you? They got “How to make SLIME”, which is number THREE in New Zealand. We also searched “How to make slime without borax”, which seems a VERY specific thing—- PETER FA’AFIU: A ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! MEGAN WHELAN: “How to proNOUNCE” is number four—- MORA: “How to pronounce”? MEGAN WHELAN: “How to pronounce”. So, presumably, there is another word following that one. “How to lose weight”, “How to make money”, “How to tie a tie”, then that’s the slime without borax. How to-o-o-o-o-o, oh, er, break a —I can’t read my own HANDWRITING!—I think it was something like “break an iPhone”? Ummmmmm—- VICTORIA STEWART: Easily—- MEGAN WHELAN: Ha ha ha ha! VICTORIA STEWART:—is the way I think of that. Drop it! MEGAN WHELAN: Ha ha. And then, LASTLY, in our New Zealand related searches taught you “How to delete Instagram accounts”. I’m a little bit worried what New Zealanders have been doing on their Instagram accounts that they feel the need to delete them! PETER FA’AFIU: Hyunhh, hyunnhh. MORA: Yeah, exactly. MEGAN WHELAN: Yeahhhh! MORA: The slime thing will be children, ‘cos our twins make slime. MEGAN WHELAN: Yes! PETER FA’AFIU: Same. For me. MEGAN WHELAN: Has that been quite a thing in the last twelve months? MORA: Yeah it has recently. Yeah. MEGAN WHELAN: Right. MORA: So THAT’ll be a current thing, the slime thing. I didn’t know, they don’t know about the borax. MEGAN WHELAN: Yeahhh. MORA: So, we search for the most trivial things as well, don’t we. VICTORIA STEWART: Yes. I think a lot of this is about the sentence construction? So you might find that people searching for recipes aren’t searching—so for me, I wouldn’t google “How to cook pancakes”, I would google “Pancake recipe”— PETER FA’AFIU: Mmmm. VICTORIA STEWART: “EASY pancake recipes”. Ha ha! MEGAN WHELAN: Yeah. Or something like that. Or a specific pancake recipe, which is my favorite pancake recipe, but, errr, so, but I might search “How to tie a tie”, ‘cos that sentence makes more sense than “pancake recipe.” Yeah. MORA: Okay, but, there’s um, very little of, uh, “How can I be nicer?” or “What is the meaning of life?” or those [with mock sententiousness] profound questions…. MEGAN WHELAN: “How can I be nicer?” Okaaayyy….
At that point, I reached the point of maximum disgust, and could take no more of this drivel. The inanity, the determined triviality of this chatter, the complete and utter contempt for the listeners are bad enough, but what really angered me was that last statement by Jim Mora. His suggestion that he cares about “profound questions” is disproven by the subject matter and the tenor of the discussions on his show. And as for “How can I be nicer?”—well, let’s have a look at a few instances of how “nice” Jim Mora is….
Excellent piece by Gordon Campbell that neatly counters Nationals scare tactics…should be required reading before entering the polling booth
‘Its not a new thing. Remember when John Key used to describe Working For Families as “communism by stealth”? Now WFF is core National policy. And Kiwisaver? (Key : “It won’t work. It’s a glorified Christmas Club.”) Now, Kiwisaver too is core National policy. Remember when climate change was just a fanciful notion of those wacky, scary Greens? Now National’s deputy is proudly proclaiming National’s commitment to the Paris agreement.”
i’ve spent a bit of time thinking about the legacy the last labour party left and what the nats legacy is (thinking positive as even the nats can’t be totally useless )
labour ; kiwisaver ,kiwibank . wwf (still would prefer proper wages) ,cullin fund,
china fta.
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I’VE OFTEN WONDERED if South African immigrants passing through towns like Kerikeri and Kaikohe ever wonder how we do it. In their homeland, through the bitter years of Apartheid, keeping the races segregated required pass laws, Alsatian dogs, tear gas, rubber bullets and, all-too-often, live rounds. Not here. Not in ...
Below is the list of gender-critical material which appeared on Redline from July 31, 2019 to September 30, 2019. Sports categories must be by sex, not gender identity Queer theory glossary Woke misogyny and homophobia: a gay critique of trans ideology Another unfortunate experiment? New Zealand’s transgender health policy and ...
Smart Energy Europe: A Plan to provide 100% of ALL ENERGY using Renewable Energy to EuropeIntroductionAll Energy renewable energy systems are often commented on here at Skeptical Science. Many comments suggest that it will be difficult, expensive or impossible to use renewable energy to power the world. To ...
The government released its Action for Healthy Waterways package today, ostensibly with the goal of cleaning up our rivers and making them swimmable within a generation. Doing that, of course, requires confronting the cow in the room: the dairy industry which causes most of the pollution. But while they've imposed ...
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.nzI would like to know if New Zealand’s carbon emissions ...
Simon Lamb, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Timothy Stern, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonBack in the 1970s, scientists came up with a revolutionary idea about how Earth’s deep interior works. They proposed it is slowly churning like a lava lamp, with buoyant ...
Remember KiwiBuild? Previously the government's flagship policy, it was supposed to build thousands of new homes every year for kiwi families. But instead of flooding the market, we've got a pathetic dribble: The Government's former flagship housing policy is so far behind schedule it will take more than 400 years ...
Don Franks Now Covid-19 restrictions allow gatherings of a hundred, an urgent hui needs calling. A special conference of the Council of Trade Unions. Today, workers face the greatest attack on employment, pay and conditions since the depression, we need a strong united union voice. As it stands now, organised ...
George Henderson New Zealand schools have introduced a climate change resource that suggests children “eat less meat and dairy”, even though teachers will not know how much meat or dairy any child in their care has eaten. Opinion pieces in the papers have called for the reduction of meat and ...
Questioning the number of district health boards in New Zealand has got to the extent that “too many DHBs” has become a perceived truth requiring no further elaboration. It is rarely challenged by policy advisers, academics, and journalists. But when one drills down further it becomes clear that the number ...
The emergence of a new National party leader, seemingly out of nowhere, has – not surprisingly – raised a number of questions as to who Todd Mulller actually is and what makes him tick. He has been an MP for some time but seems to have hidden his light under ...
Costa Rica has become the first country in Central America to recognise same-sex marriage: The first same-sex weddings have taken place in Costa Rica, the first Central American country to equalise its marriage legislation. A lesbian couple became the first to tie the knot in a ceremony that took ...
There's a new twist in the Winston Peters secret donation story. It appears that a significant chunk of NZ First's secret laundered donations goes straight into the pockets of the people administering the scheme: Tens of thousands in donor's funds given to the New Zealand First Foundation were spent paying ...
Is Todd Muller the Ned Flanders of the National Party? This is how he’s been characterised by political commentator Gordon Campbell, who suggests the change in leadership is, in Simpsons terms, akin to swapping the scary and cruel Monty Burns for Homer Simpson’s compassionate but conservative neighbour. There’s almost a ...
We all know that many so-called journalists and political commentators in New Zealand work directly or indirectly for political parties or for certain political factions. This was obviously the case when pundit for hire Matthew Hooton launched a campaign against then National Party leader, Simon Bridges, over their numerous polling ...
Let's Roll! The easy victory over a Bridges-led National Party which the Left had every cause to anticipate just a few days ago is no longer in the offing. Our enemy’s position has changed. His numbers are swelling. A rapid thrust to the left, followed by an audacious outflanking manoeuvre ...
New National Party leader Todd Muller has been interviewed about his policies, and has promised to restart offshore fossil fuel exploration if elected: The Bay of Plenty MP rolled former leader Simon Bridges last week, but says the party has not changed its stance on previous promises. "That is ...
Anyone who keeps an eye on evidence around cannabis and public health will be familiar with the Christchurch Health and Development Study. It's one of two local longitudinal studies frequently cited with respect to cannabis and youth development. But in a new article in the New Zealand Medical Journal, it is ...
In the age of covid we are Jacinda’s team of five million, except for some. There has rarely been a more blatant case of discrimination against beneficiaries than Grant Robertson’s announcement yesterday that people who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus will receive weekly payments of $490 per week for 12 weeks and $250 per week for part time ...
It was 75 years ago this month that Germany surrendered and the Allies celebrated VE (Victory in Europe) Day. Millions of people around the world had been killed and many more injured or captured. It was an end to war not just for Europeans, but their allies too, in countries across Africa. But its impact is ...
Well, we are out of lockdown, essentially. I did end up getting the wage subsidy while we were on levels 3 and 4 but I would have been fine if we didn’t. The first day of level 2, the Thursday, the office opened again for the people who weren’t able ...
Watching Todd Muller make his first speech as the newly minted Leader of the Opposition after Simon Bridges’ defenestration on Friday brought to mind a headmaster addressing a school assembly. He showed no particular desire to ingratiate himself with his audience although the occasional flash of self-deprecating humour indicated a ...
The government has announced another income support scheme for people affected by the economic aftershocks of the pandemic: a $490 a week tax-free payment for the newly unemployed, which you can get even if you have a working partner. Which is great, because its supporting people who need help, but ...
The Greens have released their party list, and it contains a few surprises. The one that's getting all the news is that the membership are clearly fans of Chlöe Swarbrick, and she has worked hard to earn that. But they've also favoured incumbent protection over new blood, and in the ...
age credit:Science and Politics – Skeptically.org It seems impossible to keep politics out of science. It’s a pity because politics can end up forcing science to produce the results desired by ...
Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Matthew Parry, Dr Ayesha Verrall, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Martin Eichner (author details*)This blog details a recent modelling study we conducted. In it we estimated that it would take between 27 and 33 days of no new detected cases of COVID-19 for there to be ...
The 2015 Schol Bio paper included a question about a group of birds known as honeycreepers, specifically, the 56 species endemic to the Hawaiian islands. (Or, were endemic: 18, or perhaps 19, are still living; the others are extinct.) Students who’ve already had a look at this paper as part of ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Climate Feedback Article Review... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... What a Week’s Disasters Tell Us About Climate and the PandemicExtreme weather presents an even bigger threat ...
Todd Muller has made a good start to his leadership, though it would obviously be pretty stupid to extrapolate too much from the first couple of days. Nevertheless, as a matter of speculation, it is interesting to think what success on his part might say about the preferences of the ...
A guest post by Hamish Price.“A leader is a dealer in hope.”— Napoléon BonaparteCatholics have a name for potential successors to a dead pope. Papabile. The small coterie of distinguished cardinals who have what it takes to step up. Todd Muller has always been one.I first met Muller at a National ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, May 17 through Sat, May 23, 2020Editor's ChoiceMore than 80 killed in India and Bangladesh as Cyclone Amphan heaps misery on coronavirus-hit areasA man salvages items from ...
Two poor political polls within the same week had seen National for the first time in over a decade dropping major support in the face of a competent and assured COVID-19 health response from the Coalition government. Step forward the relatively unknown Todd Muller, who by Friday afternoon had secured ...
SUNDAY MAY 24The Luminaries (TVNZ 1, 8.30pm). There are an awful lot of indeterminate accents in The Luminaries; even lead Eve Hewson seems undecided about being Irish, and she is Irish. Fair play, accents can go badly wrong, so perhaps not over-egging was a consideration. Marton Csokas, always impeccable, and Himesh Patel ...
SUNDAY MAY 24The Luminaries (TVNZ 1, 8.30pm). There are an awful lot of indeterminate accents in The Luminaries; even lead Eve Hewson seems undecided about being Irish, and she is Irish. Fair play, accents can go badly wrong, so perhaps not over-egging was a consideration. Marton Csokas, always impeccable, and Himesh Patel ...
Let’s be honest; Simon Bridges was a disaster of a political leader. If he wasn’t attempting to criticise the Government’s perfectly good policy initiatives that the public generally supported, he was fudging his lines after getting caught out in yet another lie. When Jami-Lee Ross said Bridges “is a flawed individual ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First is disappointed that the removal of the spousal deductions has had to be delayed by the Ministry fo Social Development, due to COVID19 workload pressures. “New Zealand First has always stood for fairness when it comes to superannuation ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First On the steps of Parliament today the Leader of New Zealand First, Rt Hon Winston Peters received a petition from registered nurse Anna Maria Coervers, requesting an amendment to the Protection for First Responders Bill which will ensure the legislation also include registered ...
It's been a busy seven days as we start to rebuild New Zealand together. From delivering extra support for small businesses, to investing in our artists and arts organisations, to cutting red tape on home DIY projects, we're rolling out our plan to get the economy and New Zealand moving ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters says alert level 2 restrictions have to be discussed during today's Cabinet meeting. Thousands gathered across the country, including at Parliament, yesterday forBlack Lives Matter marcheswhere social distancing and mass gathering rules were flouted. Mr Peters said the breaching of Alert Level 2 rules at ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Owned Enterprises KiwiRail’s Northland rail upgrade steps up another gear today and will help Northland recover from the impacts of COVID-19, State Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters says. The Government is investing $204.5 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to ...
“Today and every day we stand in solidarity with George Floyd’s family, friends and community who feel pain and fear about his untimely death at the hands of Minneapolis police”, said Green Party Co-leader and Māori Development spokesperson Marama Davidson. ...
Fletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Hon Eugenie Sage, Minister of Conservation The West Coast forests of Mount Te Kinga at Kotuku Whakaoho/Lake Brunner are the latest predator free project to receive Government funding, announced Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
The Green Party says major freshwater reforms announced today provide the strongest ever protections of our waterways, to help ensure the next generation can swim in the rivers of Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party has begun the process for a Select Committee inquiry into student accommodation, which has been exposed during COVID-19 as an under-regulated sector that straddles students with unfair debt. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Megan Woods, Minister of Research, Science and Innovation Hon Dr David Clark, Minister of Health Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods, and Health Minister David Clark today announced a COVID-19 vaccine strategy, ...
Budget 2020 is about rebuilding together, supporting jobs, getting business moving and the books back into the black. It’s an integral part of our COVID-19 economic response, and our plan to grow our economy and get New Zealand moving again.Here’s a quick look at the five top things you ...
The Coalition Government has approved $206 million in essential upgrades at Ōhakea Air Base. Defence Minister Ron Mark said the money would be spent on improving old infrastructure. He said safety issues would be addressed, as well as upgrades to taxiways, accommodation and fresh, storm and waste water systems. "This ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First “I am not persisting with this case just for myself, but for all people who have had their privacy breached. Privacy of information is a cornerstone of our country’s democracy. Without it our society truly faces a bleak future. We now ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones has introduced a Bill to Parliament that he says will "force more transparency, integrity and respect" for the domestic wood-processing sector through the registration of log traders and practice standards. The Forests (Regulation of Log Traders and Forestry Advisers) Amendment Bill had its first reading in ...
Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is joining over 300 lawmakers from around the world in calling on the big banks and the IMF to forgive the debt of developing countries, in the wake of the COVID crisis. ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones says concerns that carbon foresters are planting pine trees that will never be harvested are the result of "misinformation". "The billion tree strategy is an excellent idea, unfortunately from time to time it's tainted by misinformation spread by the National Party or their grandees, hiding in scattered ...
The Green Party welcomes funding in the budget to reunite more refugees with their families, ensuring they have the best chance at a new life in Aotearoa New Zealand. ...
This year’s Budget is about rebuilding New Zealand together in the face of COVID-19. Jobs are central to how we’re going to do that.There’s a lot of targeted investment for employment in this year’s Budget, with announcements on creating new jobs, training people for the jobs we have, and supporting ...
Young people in Waikato will be the first to have free access to period products in schools in another step to support children and young people in poverty,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. During term 3, the Ministry of Education will begin providing free period products to schools following the ...
The Minister of Police Stuart Nash has issued the following statement in response to charges filed against three Police officers this morning in the New Plymouth District Court. “Any incident involving a loss of life in Police custody is taken very seriously. The charges today reflect the gravity of the ...
Further temporary changes to NCEA and University Entrance (UE) will support senior secondary school students whose teaching and learning have been disrupted by COVID-19. “The wellbeing of students and teachers is a priority. As we are all aware, COVID-19 has created massive disruption to the school system, and the Government ...
Minister for Racing Winston Peters today announced that the terms for the directors of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) have been extended to 30 June 2021. Due to the COVID-19 crisis the transition period has been extended to ensure that the Racing Industry Bill can complete its progress through ...
The deadline for landlords to include detailed information in their tenancy agreements about how their property meets the Healthy Homes Standards, so tenants can see the home they are renting is compliant, has been extended from 1 July 2020 to 1 December 2020. The Healthy Homes Standards became law on 1 July 2019. The Standards are ...
Justice Minister Andrew Little today announced details of further appointments to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. “I am pleased to announce Paula Rose QSO OStJ as Deputy Chief Commissioner for a term of five years commencing on 15 June 2020,” said Andrew Little. “I am also pleased to announce the ...
The Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF) will pay costs of learners of all ages to undertake vocational education and training The fund will target support for areas of study and training that will give learners better employment prospects as New Zealand recovers from COVID-19 Apprentices working in all industries ...
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will finally start to cut New Zealand’s greenhouse gas pollution as it was originally intended to, because of changes announced today by the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw. The changes include a limit on the total emissions allowed within the ETS, rules to ensure ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List provides an abundance of examples that Pacific people’s leadership capability is unquestionable in Aotearoa. “The work and the individuals we acknowledge this year highlights the kind of visionary examples and dedicated community leadership that we need ...
The Government is backing a new $27 million project aimed at boosting sustainable horticulture production and New Zealand’s COVID-19 recovery efforts, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. “Our horticulture sector has long been one of New Zealand’s export star performers, contributing around $6 billion a year to our economy. During and ...
Applications have opened for 2021 Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships, which will support more Māori and women to pursue careers in forestry science, says Forestry Minister Shane Jones. “I’m delighted Te Uru Rākau is offering Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships for the third year running. These ...
The Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List once again highlights the dedication by many to looking after our native plants and wildlife, including incredible work to restore the populations of critically endangered birds says Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage. Anne Richardson of Hororata has been made an Officer of the New ...
The Government will invest $10 million from the One Billion Trees Fund for large-scale planting to provide jobs in communities and improve the environment, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Forestry Minister Shane Jones have announced. New, more flexible funding criteria for applications will help up to 10 catchment groups plant ...
Organisations that support women are invited to apply to a new $1,000,000 fund as part of the Government’s COVID-19 response. “We know women, and organisations that support women, have been affected by COVID-19. This new money will ensure funding for groups that support women and women’s rights,” said Minister for ...
Healthier waterways are front and centre in a new project involving more than 300 King Country sheep, beef and dairy farmers. The Government is investing $844,000 in King Country River Care, a group that helps farmers to lift freshwater quality and farming practice, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “Yesterday ...
A major funding package for libraries will allow them to play a far greater role in supporting their communities and people seeking jobs as part of the economic recovery from COVID-19. “Budget 2020 contains over $60 million of funding to protect library services and to protect jobs,” says Internal Affairs ...
A jobseekers programme for the creative sector and four new funds have been set up by the Government to help our arts and music industry recover from the blow of COVID-19. Thousands of jobs will be supported through today’s $175 million package in a crucial economic boost to support the ...
Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has welcomed the First Reading of a Bill that will make legislative changes to further improve the veterans’ support system. The Veterans’ Support Amendment Bill No 2, which will amend the Veterans’ Support Act 2014, passed First Reading today. The bill addresses a number of ...
Views sought on Order in Council to help fast track the reinstatement of the Christ Church Cathedral The Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Hon Poto Williams, will be seeking public written comment, following Cabinet approving the drafting of an Order in Council aimed at fast-tracking the reinstatement of the ...
The law setting out New Zealanders’ basic civil and human rights is today one step towards being strengthened following the first reading of a Bill that requires Parliament to take action if a court says a statute undermines those rights. At present, a senior court can issue a ‘declaration of ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today reiterated the deep concern of the New Zealand Government following confirmation by China’s National People’s Congress of national security legislation relating to Hong Kong. “New Zealand shares the international community’s significant and long-standing stake in Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability,” Mr Peters said. “New Zealand ...
Thousands of artists and creatives at hundreds of cultural and heritage organisations have been given much-needed support to recover from the impact of COVID-19, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern announced today. “The cultural sector was amongst the worst hit by the global pandemic,” Jacinda ...
Key New Zealand assets will be better protected from being sold to overseas owners in a way contrary to the national interest, with the passage of the Overseas Investment (Urgent Measures) Bill. The Bill, which passed its third reading in Parliament today, also cuts unnecessary red tape to help attract ...
Setting higher health standards at swimming spots Requiring urban waterways to be cleaned up and new protections for urban streams Putting controls on higher-risk farm practices such as winter grazing and feed lots Setting stricter controls on nitrogen pollution and new bottom lines on other measures of waterway health Ensuring ...
The Government is on the verge of reaching its target of state sector boards and committees made up of at least 50 percent women, says Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter and Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa. For the first time, the Government stocktake measures the number of Māori, ...
The Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister and Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister, Kris Faafoi, has today announced the appointment of Tristan Gilbertson as the new Telecommunications Commissioner and member of the Commerce Commission. “Mr Gilbertson has considerable experience in the telecommunications industry and a strong reputation amongst his peers,” ...
The Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa have agreed to settle the pay equity claim for teacher aides, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This will see more than 22,000 teacher aides, mostly women, being valued and paid fairly for the work they do. “Teacher aides are frontline ...
Subcontractors will have greater certainty, more cashflow support and job security with new changes to retention payments under the Construction Contracts Act says Minister for Building and Construction, Jenny Salesa. A recent review of the retentions money regime showed that most of the building and construction sector is complying with ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have marked the first anniversary of the New Zealand-Singapore Enhanced Partnership with a virtual Leaders’ Meeting today. The Enhanced Partnership, signed on 17 May 2019, provides the framework for cooperation across the four main areas of trade, defence and ...
On 17 May 2019, New Zealand and Singapore established an Enhanced Partnership to elevate our relations. The Enhanced Partnership – based on the four pillars of trade and economics, security and defence, science, technology and innovation, and people-to-people links – has seen the long-standing relationship between our countries strengthen over the ...
State-Owned Enterprises Minister Winston Peters has welcomed KiwiRail’s announcement that it is seeking a preferred shipyard to build two new rail-enabled ferries for the Cook Strait crossing. “This Government is committed to restoring rail to its rightful place in New Zealand. Bigger, better ships, with new technology are yet another ...
Better protection for seabirds is being put in place with a new National Plan of Action to reduce fishing-related captures, Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. The National Plan of Action for Seabirds 2020 outlines our commitment to reduce fishing-related captures and associated seabird ...
Almost $1 billion in interest-free loans for small businesses More than 55,000 businesses have applied; 95% approved Average loan approx. $17,300 90% of applications from firms with ten or fewer staff A wide cross-section of businesses have applied, the most common are the construction industry, accommodation providers, professional firms, and ...
Thousands of children will have healthier lungs after the Government’s ban on smoking in cars with kids becomes law, says Associate Minister of Health Jenny Salesa. This comes after the third reading of Smoke-free Environments (Prohibiting Smoking in Motor Vehicles Carrying Children) Amendment Bill earlier today. “This law makes it ...
The special Epidemic Response Committee (ERC) has successfully concluded its role, Leader of the House Chris Hipkins said today. The committee was set up on 25 March by the agreement of Parliament to scrutinise the Government and its actions while keeping people safe during levels 4 and 3 of lockdown. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced four diplomatic appointments: New Zealand’s Ambassador to Belgium, High Commissioners to Nauru and Niue, and Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism. “As the world seeks to manage and then recover from COVID-19, our diplomatic and trade networks are more important than ever,” Mr Peters said. “The ...
New Zealanders will be better protected from online harm through a Bill introduced to Parliament today, says Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin. “The internet brings many benefits to society but can also be used as a weapon to spread harmful and illegal content and that is what this legislation targets,” ...
New Zealand’s world-first plan to eradicate the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis is on track the latest technical data shows, says Agriculture and Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “Two years ago the Government, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand and industry partners made a bold decision to go hard and commit ...
Further support for New Zealanders affected by 1-in-100 year global economic shock 12-week payment will support people searching for new work or retraining Work programme on employment insurance to support workers and businesses The Government today announced a new temporary payment to support New Zealanders who lose their jobs due ...
The Provincial Growth Fund will play a vital role in New Zealand’s post-COVID-19 recovery by creating jobs in shorter timeframes through at least $600 million being refocused on projects with more immediate economic benefits, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The funding is comprised of repurposed Provincial Growth ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Decision coming soon on move to level one, housing market in a weird place, and manslaughter charges laid against officers after custody death. As has been the way with these moves, we got an announcement of what the new alert level ...
The embargo on this year’s list has just been lifted. Here are all the books in the running for a gong. Huge caveat: we are yet to read them all. We’re working on that, snarled-up postal system permitting. So please consider these initial thoughts.We’re very chuffed to see Our Toby ...
A tiny, tourism-focused village asks for help from its local authority which, unusually, is a government department. David Williams reports Queen’s Birthday weekend was bustling at Aoraki/Mt Cook Village as Kiwis swarmed in to support the struggling tourist hotspot, nestled in a national park straddling the South Island’s mountainous spine. ...
Tenants unable to pay rent on commercial leases have been given a lifeline after almost two months of negotiations between Labour and New Zealand First. ...
A maar at the centre of a controversy sits idle in the hands of receivers while Dunedin City Council seeks a valuation and works on purchase funding options While cogs slowly turn in the process for a public purchase of Foulden Maar, scientists are waiting to regain access to the site. ...
Employee-owned businesses tend to perform better than traditionally-owned ones. With Stuff and Countdown recently saying they'll embrace the model, Alex Sims looks at what share schemes look like for employees. Covid-19 has seen the rapid adoption of new ways of working, such as working from home and Zoom meetings. However, these ...
Anna Rawhiti-Connell tells herself to stop being a dick about domestic tourism and visits the Waitomo Caves I have never been a great one at heeding calls. Group participation is what my nightmares are made of. It’s not my own awkward response I worry about, it’s a specific anxiety that ...
As protests sparked by the death of George Floyd unfold across the US, David Mayeda has a message for NZ: 'For those of you who don’t experience racism, be publicly anti-racist - support those of us who do'. Monday evening in Washington D.C. shortly before a 7pm curfew and just before ...
Susie Simcock, the former head of World Squash and a tireless advocate for women's sport, passed away last week. Suzanne McFadden talks to Kiwi sports stars and leaders about a pioneer, mentor, baker and friend. There was the time when Susie Simcock, the first woman to preside at the apex of World Squash, dressed ...
NZ is not beyond the issues of racial discrimination being protested in the US, but we should be mindful of the way we show our solidarity Over the long weekend, approximately 4000 protestors gathered in major centres around Aotearoa to protest against the killing of George Floyd in the US ...
Auckland writer Amy McDaid directs and stars in a film backgrounding her debut novel Fake Baby.Steve Braunias writes: Amy McDaid slaved away at writing her very inventive, very lively debut novel Fake Baby for three, nearly four years, and things were looking good, Penguin Random House had accepted it ...
Victoria University of Wellington's Richard Logan asks how we deal with the problem of being surprised by black swan events Is Covid-19 a ‘black swan’ event? Such an event being one that lies outside the realm of regular expectations, is rare, has extreme impact and is retrospectively predictable. In a complex ...
With half a million members, the New Zealand Made Products Facebook group has become a national phenomenon, thrusting small-time businesses into the national gaze. But what makes a post stand out among thousands of others? When scrolling through the seemingly endless visual extravaganza that is the New Zealand Made Products Facebook ...
Intensive care specialist David Galler remembers the time he tried and failed to save a New Zealander restrained in the same way that caused the death of American man George Floyd. Content warning: This article contains distressing descriptions of police violence and death. Thirty years ago, soon after I started my ...
Transmission Gully has been in the planning stages for over a century. It's been plagued with problems and the pandemic has dealt it another blow. The first shovels broke dirt on the planned Transmission Gully Motorway in 2014. But nearly six years later, the project creating an inland route connecting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government will provide eligible owner-occupiers with a grant of $25,000 to build a new home or extensively renovate an existing one. The scheme – estimated to cost up to $688 million – will not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Purnendra Jain, Adjunct Professor, Asian Studies, University of Adelaide Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will finally hold a virtual summit this week after efforts to meet in person were scuttled by the bushfires and coronavirus. The meeting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna-Sophie Jürgens, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Popular Entertainment Studies and Science in Fiction Studies, Australian National University Bloodsucker, leech, tick – few things have a reputation worse than parasites. But these biological hangers-on also have a comic cultural history. In biology, a ...
By RNZ News The organisers of Black Lives Matter protests in several main centres will not be prosecuted. On Monday, thousands gathered at several events around the country for Black Lives Matter marches in solidarity with protesters in the United States after the police killing of George Floyd. The protests ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Fletcher, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington One of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s favourite exhortations is that we all “be kind” to one another. It’s part of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University A go-slow on spending sent the economy backwards 0.3% in the first three months of this year, only the fourth such decline since Australia was last in recession in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Heidi Zimmer, Research associate, Southern Cross University As bushfires blackened forests last summer, one tree species was protected by a specialist team of firefighters: the Wollemi pine. These trees have a deeply ancient lineage dating back to when dinosaurs walked Gondwana 100 ...
Children's Minister Tracey Martin says she was never officially asked to do anything about the Māori-led inquiry into Oranga Tamariki commissioned by Whanau Ora. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Whittaker, Research Fellow, University of Technology Sydney You probably know the details of the death of George Floyd. He was a doting father and musician. He was killed when a police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for nearly nine ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Greste, Professor of Journalism and Communications, The University of Queensland Here is a line from the latest safety advisory for reporters issued by the US-based Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ): Taking into account the increased levels of violence ...
Aaron Ironside is the new spokesperson for the Say Nope To Dope campaign. Aaron Ironside rose to prominence in the 1990’s as the anchor of Radio Hauraki’s popular Morning Pirates breakfast show. The young rock DJ fully embraced the Sex, Drugs and ...
AgResearch chairman Dr Paul Reynolds said the Government’s capital contribution of $45 million towards a new education, science and innovation precinct in Lincoln is a huge boost for New Zealand’s COVID 19 recovery plan and the contribution to ...
Dunedin writer Victor Billot on America's "President Cheezel". Go Big or Go Home Prezident Cheezel deletes lockdown, deletes the World Health Organization, deletes the memory of George Floyd, then hunkers in his hunker bunker, hunkers with freedom fries at midnight, a lights out party at the House of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Locke, Research Associate, LCT Centre for Knowledge-Building, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Sydney Prime Scott Morrison last week outlined a plan to create jobs and revitalise the economy post COVID-19. Part of this so-called Jobmaker plan includes an ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Willand, Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Stay-at-home orders and the economic crisis have increased the burden of energy costs on lower-income Australians. Poor housing quality and unequal access to home energy efficiency are hurting our most ...
Jacinda Ardern has unveiled details of the changes New Zealanders can expect when we move from level two to level one. What will it mean for businesses, hospitality and day-to-day life? Level one! At last, life is finally back to normal.Not so fast. We’re still in level two, and will be ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kantha Dayaram, Associate Professor, Curtin University The number of Australians working from home has soared during the COVID-19 crisis. Latest data from the Australian Bureau of Stastistics shows 46% of the workforce worked from home in late April and early May. By ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Economic Life, Economics and EconomismKeith Rankin. When things go wrong with economic life, it’s easy to blame economics; that is, the academic discipline called ‘economics’. We all live economic lives, and use metaphors to give meaning to that amorphous thing we call ‘the economy’ ...
National survey asks New Zealanders If They Support Recognition For the Contribution of Our Service Personnel and their Families The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association (RSA) said today that it supports the proposal for a Kawenata which is ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says there will still be strict controls on the border, but all current rules and restrictions on businesses and services will be "essentially lifted" under alert level 1. ...
ANALYSIS:By Philip Russo of Monash University The death of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of police has sparked protests across the United States and inspired many people to reflect on our own history of police violence against Indigenous people in Australia and New Zealand. After thousands marched ...
The New Zealand Police Association is supporting the three officers who are now facing manslaughter charges in relation to the death of a man in the Hawera Police Station cells in June last year. Association President Chris Cahill says the officers ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Associate Professor, Criminology and Justice Studies, RMIT University As we have been cooped up at home during coronavirus lockdown, reports of image-based abuse have skyrocketed. According to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, it received more than 1,000 reports of image-based abuse between ...
In the third part of our series with Kiwibank answering your questions about Covid-19’s impact on New Zealanders’ finances, two readers at different ends of their saving journeys ask what to do with their KiwiSaver account. Melissa Vasta, Kiwi Wealth GM retail and product, responds.Hi Melissa, My KiwiSaver ‘growth’ fund has ...
Landlords have been given a break – well, a bit of a break – according to the latest bunch of Beehive pronouncements. Other announcements by the Beehive Bugle Brigade tell us: People wanting to train for employment– or retrain – will be given a helping hand. But funding “will ...
“The Government’s bill to regulate vaping won’t bring New Zealand any closer to its smokefree ambition, unless MPs now get in behind the many submitters and intervene to drive down the country’s smoking rates,” says Jonathan Devery, spokesperson ...
Covid-19 has not stopped a North Island Iwi from continuing to ready itself for a vote this year, that if ratified will be one of the largest Treaty settlement to date. Whakatōhea is located in the eastern Bay of Plenty region centred around ...
New Zealand ranks first in a new global food security index produced by multinational real estate company Savills. The company has compiled its Food Security Index as part of its latest global Impacts research, which looks at the factors shaping the ...
“A huge opportunity has been missed to make risk-reduced vaping products more accessible to smokers in order to reach the SmokeFree 2025 goal set by government,” says Nancy Loucas, Director of the Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA). Her ...
Noel Edmonds is a British TV legend with a 50 year career in broadcasting. So why did he move to Matakana and launch a radio station? Like an over-excited Mr Blobby, Tara Ward gave him a call to find out. When Noel Edmonds answers the phone from his home north ...
New statistics released by the New Zealand Police show Māori were disproportionately subject to police proceedings - including court proceedings and receiving warnings - during March and April, Marc Daalder reports As a debate heats up over racial bias in New Zealand policing, new statistics show that Māori were more ...
The Matariki and Puanga stars are due to rise this month, signalling the Māori New Year. Rehua will set in the west at the exact time Puanga rises. So how do we see them and what are the best dates? With thanks to Matua Rereata Mākiha for We often hear about Matariki ...
Here’s The Spinoff’s weekly round-up of data tracking the effects and response of Covid-19 around the world – and how New Zealand stacks up.Our weekly summaries of data and visualisations use Our World in Data’s work on the Covid-19 pandemic, which is freely available for re-use. Not all data is ...
Pacific Media Centre The Vanuatu Council of Ministers has agreed at its meeting held in Luganville, Santo, to postpone the hosting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting due in August 2020, reports the Vanuatu Daily Post. The decision followed the recommendations of the National Task Force based on ...
The National Party leader says the Black Lives Matter protests were a mockery of Covid-19 alert levels, but thinks the country should move to alert level 1 now. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wayne Hope, Professor of Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology How many media analysts predicted it? In 2018 Australia’s Nine Entertainment absorbed Fairfax Media and its New Zealand subsidiary Stuff. Just under two years later chief executive Sinead Boucher bought Stuff from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abby Mellick Lopes, Associate Professor, Design Studies, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney Home cooks have been trying out their skills during isolation. But the way food tastes depends on more than your ability to follow a recipe. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeremy Moss, Professor of Political Philosophy, UNSW Queensland Nationals Senator Matt Canavan on Monday night denied suggestions the government subsidises Australia’s fossil fuel industry. The comments prompted a swift response from some social media users, who cited evidence to the contrary. Canavan ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ralph Sims, Professor, School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Massey University 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 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Marshman, Honorary Principal Fellow, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne Most of Australia’s universities have adequate cash and investment reserves to deal with the immediate impact of a downturn in international student revenue in 2020. But ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sameer Hasija, Associate Professor of Technology and Operations Management, INSEAD “This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away.”– WHO executive director Mike Ryan, May 13 Vaccine or not, we have to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Assistant Professor, School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Later today we’ll know what the bushfires and the coronavirus did to the economy in the three months to March: whether gross domestic product grew (as is usual) or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dawson, Professor and Chair of Anthropology, University of Melbourne June, 1980, Laibach was formed. Soon, they became the musical wing of the Slovenian arts collective Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK), or New Slovenian Art. Comprising visual artists, theatre companies and a unit ...
"George Floyd was not the first, nor will he be the last, to have been denied his human rights as the police officers murdered him. Their names, overseas and in New Zealand are so many, over so many years, and their stories are all so different ...
The National Party is surprised New Zealand immigration officials didn't consult their Australian counterparts before granting a visa to refugee author Behrouz Boochani. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Strotz, Professor, Northwest University, Xi’an The COVID-19 outbreak has put into stark relief the disruption parasites can cause, both in human society and ecosystems. Researchers have long sought to better understand the evolutionary importance of parasites, to help lessen their impact. ...
More than half of a $30 million emergency welfare fund has been spent in just over a month, and many of those in need are foreigners and migrant workers who can't get a home. ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level two – read The Spinoff’s giant explainer about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. ...
Open Mike 06/09/2017 
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The mission of the New Zealand Police is to make this country the safest nation in the world. To achieve that aim, there is one important step the police need to take at the end of this month. When the evaluation of the Armed Response Teams’ trial is completed, the ...11 hours ago
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by The Spark “The system is broken”—the words of a young black man in Minneapolis watching flames destroy a police precinct demonstrators had torched. Broken? Yes, it is! What else could you say about a system whose police for nine minutes casually knelt on a black man’s neck, watching until ...1 day ago
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Now the kings and there advisers in NZ are trying to figure out how this lucky uneducated half caste Maori has managed to get this huge internet attention and viewers and how did he figure out he has this attention. And they are trying to replicate
this to try and win this election. YEA RIGHT
For one thing I don’t Believe in LUCK I believe LUCK was invented by some corrupt person people to explain why they had more assets/food to some naive people when in reality the corrupt person was robbing the naive people BLIND.
So I’m not lucky.
I believe in FATE as it was fate that these assholes have been hounding me for so long it was fate that I ended in this place and time it is fate because of these assholes that I scoured the internet for corruptions and posted this information on this website It was fate that I found this website it is fate that Iprent made this wonderful website. It is fate that I took my granddaughter to the doctors and had a conversation with that Kenyan
Doctor and gave him my pseudo name and this website. It was fate that joe90 posted those links on Kenya on this web site so every one could see what I posted was true. So my views on the reality’s of our WORLD are real and original . So I thank all the good people on this site and around the WORLD for there contribution to our fight for a safe fair bright future for every thing in our WORLD
Well I will call it steve looks like what was thrown at him stop lying steve.
That’s the way Hillary and Jack put him in line the neo liberal cheat joyce is
We were told by our PM that 60% of tenants get support from the Accomodation Supplement, so I infer that 60% of landlords have their “investment” incomes toped up by the government. Think of that next time Andrew King from the Property Investors Assoc espouses why any change in a govt policy and we get his standard scaremongering of increase in rents. And if rents should rise does that not mean that the govt will be paying these increases and not the tenant ?
In a healthy growing economy should not wage increases reduced the need for Accomodation Supplements NOT for Nat to increase this ?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/95651463/insulation-standards-fewer-capital-gains-may-combine-to-hit-tenants-in-the-pocket
https://www.landlords.co.nz/article/6245/nzpif-opposes-wellington-rental-wof
https://www.odt.co.nz/business/labour-housing-policy-flawed-federation-says
JDS watch #1, first in what will be a long series:
– Farrar is now comparing Jacinda to Trump.
Well it was the Wall Street Journal that compared Jacinda to Trump, on immigration
[lprent: If you want to make an bald assertion about a ‘fact’ – then provide a link or a description about how to find your source. This prevents fuckwits from supplying false facts. I read the WSJ most days and I never saw this. ]
A tweet from the Wall Street Journal, which was not even fact checked.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96519787/wall-street-journal-compares-labour-leader-jacinda-ardern-to-donald-trump
Desperate stuff from Tory idiots.
Yeah well, the Muslim comparison is crap. But NZ Labour’s immigration policy is pretty fucked up.
At the time of its release I read it side by side with UKIPs immigration policy and that of UK Labour. Far too consistent with UKIP and a million miles away from U Labour. (A few people hereabouts didn’t appreciate the observations)
Seems I should have just compared it to to the UK Tories whose ideas around limiting low skilled immigrants is causing outrage in the UK if today’s headlines are accurate
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/05/leaked-document-reveals-uk-brexit-plan-to-deter-eu-immigrants.
So my indentured ancestors would have been buggered. Many of my forbears would not have got in under the new regime. It really does seem to be a pull the ladder up jack policy.
http://www.labour.org.nz/immigration
Trotter, quoted in the Wall Street Journal says that he “disagreed with the Wall Street Journal comparison”.
Give it up, Dirk.
If Chinese (or any other ‘ese’) can come in and run our dairy farms better than New Zealanders (ie without paying their workers peanuts or poisoning town water supplies) then perhaps they should be allowed to.
I don’t think NZers want to see cows in crates, not being allowed to walk around a fucking paddock. That was intended by at least one Chinese group.
Better is such a subjective term.
Such ‘operations’ already exist in NZ. My understanding is it’s in order to produce ‘marbled’ beef.
It looks like free trade means best quality is exported and we get the old fish fried with chip plus a half eaten one coz that’s the level of consumer quality. All the best, fish, meat, milk, fruit, etc goes off shore, and then some, average q uaility, leaving the worst still sellable at world prices by under paid staff who half eat a chip in order to get a feed yet still throw it in with the purchase. Key came into office, opened the doors to dotcomers, English learning students, lowers food quality, mine inspection, diary conversions, there is not one aspect of Keys leadership that has not eroded life in nz… …well okay broadband but that was already… …insulation… ..that was a greens overflow policy…. but the bulk of living standards have fallen and they raised GST too.
FarrowFresh and Moore Wilson’s still have the good stuff.
Are you sure? Lately I’ve been seriously wondering about who and what you stand for, and who has been tickling your man-fanny. Lately, It appears there’s been a serious lean to the “right”, where your balls are tickled just enough to question your supposedly left leaning values, and your foreskin is in competition with that pompous git that should have an ‘H’ branded on his forehead. Maybe you’ll get what you wish for, but the downside is it’ll come with an ‘H’s proclamation on who it is that should be euthanased.
I’m sure.
Since you’re not used to dealing with complex positioning, let me be clear that im not interested in your online abuse.
Do not ever respond to me again.
Actually life for a cow in an open paddock system is not a bed of roses. no shelter, cold wet ground, rain, snow frosts.Long walks on rough gravelled tracks on sore feet because of standing in wet ground, heavy udders swinging, frequently trod on causing horrendous often life treatening injuries. Trying to maintain body weight while producing milk on a grass diet with accompanying explosive diarrhoea.
Dairy cows do better in an enclosed housing system, they adapt well, the revulsion comes from urbanised New Zealanders with a romantic view of how an animal should live.Housing animals makes it easier to control their diet and effulent,no manure trampled into the ground, no leaching of nitrates, composted manure and bedding returned to the soil at a time when heavy rain will not leach it into aquifers or water ways.Potentially a win win situation for cow and the environment.
Absolutely agree that paddocks are cruel environments for animals that naturally live in wooded/forested environments. But then, so is an “enclosed housing system”.
Actually, I doubt if there’s a way to farm animals that doesn’t involve a measure of cruelty. But y’know, we could be much less cruel and far more thoughtful. (But then, why have trees taking up the ground space of potential economic units, hm? 👿 )
Not sure why you think rich people who aren’t Kiwis would be any less greedy than NZers. The responsibility for the wellbeing of NZers and the land here is the governments. It’s not rocket science. Put in good environmental protections and resources into R and D for regenag. Put in good employment law that protects workers rights, and resources that support R and D for ethical business.
The biggest hurdle there, apart from values, is the business models based on perpetual growth. We’re at the limits of growth now, so those models have to exploit people and the earth, because that’s the only way they can now keep growing. Instead we need steady state business models. They exist, which begs the question of why we’re not using them. As far as I can tell that’s down to ignorance, greed, and the need to create. Only the last one is an asset and it could be redirected.
Exactly its ecomonics 101 and the law of diminishing returns combined with greed where a ‘reasonable rate of return’ is ditched for ever increasing profits.
Its cause and effect, newtons third law, with the environment, workers, quality etc amongst those who bear the effect ever increasing profits cause.
Eventually capitalism breaks down as the resources are finite.
And if they feel culturally safer employing compatriots and applying the employment practices and rules they’re familiar with, then why not.
Workers died to win whatever rights we have.
That’s why “the practices and rules they’re familiar with” can go take a hike if those practices and rules are inferior to what workers have fought for (at least, those that remain after 30 years of Liberal assault).
+ 100 to Bill and Weka
They can’t. We really do seem to be the best at farming. Which is probably why China allows Fonterra to have farms in China.
Yes Obama is calling out that neo liberal dick head that is why Obama is on my list of people I admire
and aspire to.
Please! Granny Herald. I couldn’t give a fuck about whether Tony Street has a “She-Mullet”, or whether Mike fucks chickens.
If either were to stand for election as our political representatives, I might take a little more notice. Members of a 4th Estate they ain’t. Members of the Legends-in-their-own-Minds Club they are.
Probably the best thing they could do IS ekshully to stand for office. As for those that profess their membership to a MSM 4th Estate, I understand your fear. Don’t try and blame others however for your fuckup – the spin won’t count no matter how many lattes, G&Ts you’ll go without and missed mortgage payments with your wifeys still at home.
Christ! – How did it come to this I sometimes ask. All I can come up with is greed (and in the case of some of them – flatulence)
One wonders how many Super Storms the Gulf states will have to endure before their voters will wake up to the realisation that Global Warming is real and coming to get them. These voters consistently vote for representatives who are paid toadies of the Fossil Fuel cartel. I have little sympathy for them – the science has been clear for years – but either through greed and self interest, or simply wilful ignorance, they have ignored the early warnings of Katrina, and Sandy, and daily flooding in downtown Miami, and continually voted into office, Climate Change denialists, who have obfuscated and delayed for decades, not only US action on reducing GHG emissions, but also Global action. Now they have the ultimate idiot in charge – one wishes them everything they have coming to them.
Well, fossil fuel extraction is quite a large part of Gulf state economies. So I expect wilful ignorance to continue for quite a while yet, since so many paychecks depend on it. Probably up until the point renewables get so cheap there’s no more point in extracting dino-juice from places like offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
Yep I understand that – however just because they want a job doesn’t give them the right to fuck the whole world – because that is what they have done for the past 20+ years.
The US has never been able to go to a Climate Conference in good faith, because the Senate Reps dominated by McConnell et al (himself heavily funded around $1.9m US by the Fossil Fuel industry) would simply vote down any proposal to which the US agreed.
It’ll be hard to avoid schadenfreude when those economies start feeling the pressure from the switch to renewables. Probably at about the same time that climate change really starts to bite hard there. I won’t shed any tears about Russia and other petro-states feeling the economic pain either.
But it will be billions of people across south asia and in africa that will really pay the price.
Here is a list of the Senators and their most recent funding by Fossil Fuel industry:
http://www.iflscience.com/environment/republicans-urged-trump-exit-paris-funded-fossil-fuel-companies/
Off the chart.
There is no category 6… Seem like they might have to add one.
Yep – and its heading straight for the Gulf States clipping Southern Florida on the way.
FEMA is expected to run out of money this week as Hurricane Irma approaches. The Disaster Relief Fund has just $1.01 billion on hand, less than half of the $2.14 billion that was there last Thursday morning – a spend rate of $9.3 million an hour.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-05/fema-is-almost-out-of-money-as-hurricane-irma-threatens-florida
All that missing heat.
http://firsthandweather.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/sst.png
Yep 93% of it goes into the oceans – and its not going to go away any time soon.
Just transfer from one form (heat in oceans) to another (wind) and (water vapour).
I used to use the analogy of heating up a pan of water on a stove. You add energy (heat) the water starts to move faster and faster until it boils.
“Mother of All Storms” by Barnes is starting to look a little less like fiction and a little more like science.
This is what I was getting at in my original comment Andre – I wonder if some of them will finally fess up and say – “Sorry we were wrong – these storms are unprecedented, and are the result of Global Warming, and maybe it is because humans have been adding GHG at an alarming rate, and maybe the quantum physicists were right when they said GHG’s trapped black body radiation.”
I find it touching that you seem to think southern repugs might retain even a vestigial sense of shame and responsibility.
With a nephew living and working in the Turks and Caicos Islands, this is all getting a bit worrisome.
🙁 not good – as always the Islands will wear the brunt. Cuba – the nation with one of the least Carbon footprints – is also going to experience the full force. As always those who are the least culpable are the ones who pay the price.
Will be thinking of your nephew and others in the days ahead.
My question is simple, is it because they are Muslims, is that we are not talking about it?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/02/rohingya-fleeing-myanmar-tales-ethnic-cleansing
Probably not.
https://thestandard.org.nz/search/Rohingya+/?search_comments=true
Thanks joe90, that makes me feel a little better.
Not completely, because no one commented on your post *sigh*
The Karen aren’t regularly commented about, either.
Much happening in Chechnya or North Ossetia lately? Everyone happy in North Korea? Eritrea?
Lots of places in the world where people are being shat on in large numbers.
Joyce isn’t the only one being caught lying with dodgy figures.
Our Minister of Health, Jonathan Coleman, has been caught promising to raise elective surgery numbers to a level he claimed we achieved last year.
“Jonathan Coleman said National would increase elective surgeries over the next four years to 200,000 a year.”
Wow. that’s impressive. Increase from what?
” Last year, we planned to deliver 186,000 surgeries; we actually delivered 200,000.“
The National party: calling the status quo an increase.
McFlock
Merely maintaining the status quo would be a decrease unless the population were also static or declining. Which isn’t the case, and furthermore; not only is the population increasing, but so is the average age (with associated health needs) along with the boomer bulge. The kind of operations being performed is also important (from your link):
nah, it’s an increase, Coleman said so. And Joyce spotted $11b hole in Labour’s budget, and bill’s given us 170,000 new jobs…/sarc 🙁
“and bill’s given us 170,000 new jobs…”
They keep on saying that but to balance that we have to take off the 169,999 jobs that have disappeared or been reclassified. But it looks good; unless you are one of the ones who can’t get a job.
Yeah, but they ain’t rich so national doesn’t care.
Ardern’s anger at Trump comparison will push English off TVNZ front slot, which takes English’s policy announcement to 2nd slot.
Mean play but good game.
Here we go – BEWARE BEWARE Federated Farmers pulling on their Brethren cardies and leading the scaremongering this time round:
“Let’s tax this. What are we in for, Labour?
Source: Federated Farmers
—
On the cusp of the election, voters are still in the dark about what taxes they
might be hit with if Labour is part of the next government.
A tax (“royalty”) on water is confirmed. But Jacinda Ardern has refused to rule out
a capital gains tax, a land value tax, and an asset and wealth tax – other than to
say the family home is exempt.
“For Labour to say they’re not able to be more explicit about what they have in mind
until they have recommendations from the yet-to-be-named members of a tax panel is
something of a cop-out, and certainly doesn’t help voters,” Federated Farmers
Vice-President Andrew Hoggard says.
For farmers, their home and surrounding land also happens to be their business and
livelihood. “Even if an exemption applied to the farmhouse, they’ll cop it from new
taxes far more than their urban cousins.”
The prospect of a land tax in particular is alarming to the rural sector, in that it
would have a severe impact on land extensive businesses and others that are
so-called ‘asset rich and income poor’.
The last time a land tax was considered (2010), the agricultural taxable land base
was $105 billion, meaning a 0.5% land tax would cost farmers $525 million per annum
– a massive hit on the sector, and thus on regional economies and rural towns.
“Farmers already pay whacking rates bills in many parts of the country, often
disproportionate to the services they are delivered or actually use,” Mr Hoggard
said.
“Labour delivered more detailed information on their water tax proposal when pushed
into it by Federated Farmers, Irrigation NZ and other groups.
“Voters deserve more details on Labour’s preferences for other taxes before they go
to the polls.”
ENDS
For more information contact:
Andrew Hoggard, Federated Farmers of NZ Vice-President
Phone: 027 230 7363
Simon Edwards | Communications Advisor, Federated Farmers
Email: sedwards@fedfarm.org.nz, Mobile: +64 (0)21 408 672
Should Labour get in, they choose which lobbyists they ever see. Passes revoked, frozen out, no invites or facetime, no policy initiatives.
Standard stuff for The Terrace.
I don’t seem to recall the farmers being concerned with all the detrimental effects of all reforms that benefited them. In fact, they seem to have been getting it all their own way since forever.
I think it’s time they stopped whinging and got on with doing the right thing for society.
I’m meeting with them on Friday. I’ll pass on your view, Draco, if you wish 🙂
Go for it.
We all no that bills brother was head of that outfit a couple of years ago .
So the English strings are still on the puppets that lead that outfit and what a coincidence that federated farmers got a good spokes person just before the election.
Well I don’t believe in coincidences as there is usually something sinister that causes those coincidences .
Now I have nothing against farmers that are compliant with our rules to protected our environment.
Is it a coincident that Willy Leferink was on 7 sharp tonight to smooth it over for federated farmers propaganda .
Now i will say it again Jacinda is not going to over tax any industry as thats fucken stupid and Jacinda would not be were she is if she was fucken stupid.
So the labour party is not neo liberals so they are not going to look you people in the face and lie.
They are going tailor there taxes so everyone is paying there fair shear so our country can function in a economically and environmentally sustainable way Cemmon.
Hope my actions did not cause you to much trouble Iprent apologies if It did.
Fonterra will have to get more value for there products man I bet they wish they brought Nestle when they had the chance .
Any effort to even put modest restrictions on farming activities that are detrimental to the environment are looked upon by FF as Stalinist agriculture collectivization, with fears of Ardern sending truckloads of armed agriculture commissars to every family farm in New Zealand to seize at gunpoint.
NewstalkZB is shallow, trivial, and nasty radio.
But is it any worse than Jim Mora’s light chat show?
The Panel preshow, RNZ National, Tuesday 5 September 2017
Jim Mora, Peter Fa’afiu, Victoria Stewart, Megan Whelan
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/201857382/the-panel-pre-show-for-5-september-2017
This drivel goes for six and a half minutes. Here’s a transcript of the first 4 minutes and 23 seconds….
MORA: Ah, Megan Whelan, Story of the Day!
MEGAN WHELAN: So Google has released, ahhmmm, its most searched “How To” questions globally, ahhh, which gives us an insight into the things that people struggle with day to day. So the most searched How-To question globally—does anyone want to take a guess?
MORA: Oh look. Go on, have a go.
Silence….
MEGAN WHELAN: Anyone?
PETER FA’AFIU: No you’re good.
MORA: No, all right—
VICTORIA STEWART: No, no.
MORA: It is hard, it’s hard, it’s hard, actually.
MEGAN WHELAN: I thought it would have been something like “How to cook rice”, or something like that.
MORA: Oh yeah.
VICTORIA STEWART: Ohh yeah.
MEGAN WHELAN: Um, that is sort of second. “How to tie a tie”—-
MORA: [with mock dismissiveness] No-o!
VICTORIA STEWART: Ahhhhh…
MEGAN WHELAN: Which I find fascinating! Because not all of the population has to do it, but apparently it’s a thing that those people who do, frequently forget.
MORA: [affecting a tone of incredulity] “How to tie a tie” is number ONE!?!?
MEGAN WHELAN: “How to tie a tie” is number one! It’s the most searched “How To” question in the world. Ah, “How to kiss” is in second place.
MORA: Ahhh!
MEGAN WHELAN: Which makes me worry a little bit about the future of humanity.
MORA: Ha!
VICTORIA STEWART: Ha ha!
MEGAN WHELAN: As does number three, which is “How to get pregnant”.
MORA: Yes!
VICTORIA STEWART: Ooh goodness.
PETER FA’AFIU: [snickering] Kkk-k-k-k!
MEGAN WHELAN: Number four: “How to lose weight.”
MORA: Yeah.
PETER FA’AFIU: Oh yeah.
MORA: I would’ve thought that’d be RIGHT up the top.
MEGAN WHELAN: “How to draw”.
MORA: “How to DRAAWW”?
MEGAN WHELAN: “How to make money.”
VICTORIA STEWART: Ha ha.
MEGAN WHELAN: Ha ha. And then sort of “How to cook rice”—“how to make pancakes”.
MORA: [very softly, in a tone of bemused wonderment] Pancakes.
VICTORIA STEWART: “How to write a cover letter” AND “How to cook French toast.” Ahhhmmm….
MORA: What?!?!?
VICTORIA STEWART: Followed by “How to lose belly fat”. Ah, so, ho, we’re very worried about losing weight but also having good breakfasts!
MORA: What a STRANGE list!
MEGAN WHELAN: Isn’t that a strange list!
PETER FA’AFIU: Just trying to figure out how many of those I’ve, uh, ha ha ha ha!
MORA: Okay, you can tie a tie.
PETER FA’AFIU: Pancakes, yeah. Tie….
MORA: Pancakes? You know how to make money?
PETER FA’AFIU: Yeah.
MORA: Do you know how to write a cover letter?
PETER FA’AFIU: Yes.
MORA: Ahh, do you know how to lose fat around your tummy?
PETER FA’AFIU: No.
MORA: Okay. I won’t ask you the REST!
PETER FA’AFIU: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I know how to kiss. I know how to kiss.
MEGAN WHELAN: So Simon Rogers, Google’s data editor, one of the things he mentioned is that these “How To” searches have increased a hundred and forty per cent—so more than doubled—since two thousand and FOUR, and MUCH of that interest is directed at how to sort of FIX things, so oftentimes it’s how to fix a lightbulb or replace your window or fix your washing-machine or even the toilet. So I had a look at Google Trends, ahhh, which is how you can search some of this stuff yourself, for New Zealand for the past twelve months—
MORA: Aah!
MEGAN WHELAN: So related searches, our ones, so this is not the exact data that THAT list is, the global list is, ‘cos it’s not broken down in the same way, but searching “How To” and getting related searches for that for New Zealand, we searched “How to draw”, “How to screenshot”—
MORA: Oh yeah.
MEGAN WHELAN: And someone has texted in to say that when THEY searched it, they got the auto complete, so often when you google something “how to” it will fill in the sentence for you? They got “How to make SLIME”, which is number THREE in New Zealand. We also searched “How to make slime without borax”, which seems a VERY specific thing—-
PETER FA’AFIU: A ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
MEGAN WHELAN: “How to proNOUNCE” is number four—-
MORA: “How to pronounce”?
MEGAN WHELAN: “How to pronounce”. So, presumably, there is another word following that one. “How to lose weight”, “How to make money”, “How to tie a tie”, then that’s the slime without borax. How to-o-o-o-o-o, oh, er, break a —I can’t read my own HANDWRITING!—I think it was something like “break an iPhone”? Ummmmmm—-
VICTORIA STEWART: Easily—-
MEGAN WHELAN: Ha ha ha ha!
VICTORIA STEWART:—is the way I think of that. Drop it!
MEGAN WHELAN: Ha ha. And then, LASTLY, in our New Zealand related searches taught you “How to delete Instagram accounts”. I’m a little bit worried what New Zealanders have been doing on their Instagram accounts that they feel the need to delete them!
PETER FA’AFIU: Hyunhh, hyunnhh.
MORA: Yeah, exactly.
MEGAN WHELAN: Yeahhhh!
MORA: The slime thing will be children, ‘cos our twins make slime.
MEGAN WHELAN: Yes!
PETER FA’AFIU: Same. For me.
MEGAN WHELAN: Has that been quite a thing in the last twelve months?
MORA: Yeah it has recently. Yeah.
MEGAN WHELAN: Right.
MORA: So THAT’ll be a current thing, the slime thing. I didn’t know, they don’t know about the borax.
MEGAN WHELAN: Yeahhh.
MORA: So, we search for the most trivial things as well, don’t we.
VICTORIA STEWART: Yes. I think a lot of this is about the sentence construction? So you might find that people searching for recipes aren’t searching—so for me, I wouldn’t google “How to cook pancakes”, I would google “Pancake recipe”—
PETER FA’AFIU: Mmmm.
VICTORIA STEWART: “EASY pancake recipes”. Ha ha!
MEGAN WHELAN: Yeah. Or something like that. Or a specific pancake recipe, which is my favorite pancake recipe, but, errr, so, but I might search “How to tie a tie”, ‘cos that sentence makes more sense than “pancake recipe.” Yeah.
MORA: Okay, but, there’s um, very little of, uh, “How can I be nicer?” or “What is the meaning of life?” or those [with mock sententiousness] profound questions….
MEGAN WHELAN: “How can I be nicer?” Okaaayyy….
At that point, I reached the point of maximum disgust, and could take no more of this drivel. The inanity, the determined triviality of this chatter, the complete and utter contempt for the listeners are bad enough, but what really angered me was that last statement by Jim Mora. His suggestion that he cares about “profound questions” is disproven by the subject matter and the tenor of the discussions on his show. And as for “How can I be nicer?”—well, let’s have a look at a few instances of how “nice” Jim Mora is….
Excellent piece by Gordon Campbell that neatly counters Nationals scare tactics…should be required reading before entering the polling booth
‘Its not a new thing. Remember when John Key used to describe Working For Families as “communism by stealth”? Now WFF is core National policy. And Kiwisaver? (Key : “It won’t work. It’s a glorified Christmas Club.”) Now, Kiwisaver too is core National policy. Remember when climate change was just a fanciful notion of those wacky, scary Greens? Now National’s deputy is proudly proclaiming National’s commitment to the Paris agreement.”
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2017/09/06/gordon-campbell-on-nationals-fake-news-onslaught/#more-4932
i’ve spent a bit of time thinking about the legacy the last labour party left and what the nats legacy is (thinking positive as even the nats can’t be totally useless )
labour ; kiwisaver ,kiwibank . wwf (still would prefer proper wages) ,cullin fund,
china fta.
nats ; seriously i got nothing ,