Have discussions or posts on The Standard influenced political parties?
Some posts and discussions have had a lot of thought and effort gone into them, but also are flavoured with originality and appear to be worthy of further investigation. (Others not some much.)
Does anybody have examples where something written here on The Standard has been picked up by a political party? Is it even an objective of the site to be an influencer?
I can’t point to anything specific @Gristle, but there have been several things where policies ‘coincide’ with posts and comments written.
Ditto TDB.
And now on a related issue:
Jacinder Adhern will not approach the PNG Government over Manus Island.
I wonder how it would be if the PNG government were to approach the NZ government – possibly as (say) a French Government initiative offering limited placements in Noumea, Papeete ?
I am pretty certain that the various governments will not do this. They would all know that this would be hugely disruptive on the various bilateral relationships. Any deal will have the involvement of Australia.
The PM has already shown she intends to work with Australia on this issue, not go outside them. The bilateral relationship between NZ and Australian is way too important for the situation of the Manus island refugees to dictate how it runs. Not that Standardnistas seem to agree with that.
I note that there are already three new camps that have been built for the refugees with full support, (accommodation, food etc). Australia has paid, or will pay $150 million for this. The refugees say they will not be safe, but presumably extra security can be arranged.
I suspect that the refugees are using the current opportunity to get maximum publicity, especially in New Zealand, to get an early removal from Manus. But if that doesn’t succeed, which is not looking likely, then I imagine they will go to the new camps.
While I have little faith in any political parties or politicians I don’t think any of them are daft enough to take their policy lead from political blogs which represent only a few very politically motivated wonks.
I was waiting for a comment or two from Dishonourable members of the ‘electronic opposition’. We might even expect the gNats to start to see accusations in parliament from those very powerful Honourable opposition members – policy taken from “that far left Laboour blog The Standard, and a bunch of commies from TDB”. All the while when they continue to take advice from Koiwoiblog and the Tax Payers Union
so you think elected politicians along with their advisors are incapable of weeding out what are effectively submissions with accompanying evidence from a variety of sources, from chaff and bluster? I know there’s little faith in politicians, but its a far better system than most other alternatives.
I prefer the various processes to be as transparent as possible and available to public scrutiny – and venues such as this, or select committees, or advocacy groups who publish their policies all try to do that.
Far better than secretive little deals between politicians and individuals with card access to the parliamentary precincts.
That’s a bit like saying nobody should bother submitting to select committees cause it won’t change anything.
I did complain about the labour party having state housing for life and the 8 hour working day 40 hour working week on the frontage of their website as if they actually believed in these things.
I did notice they disappeared shortly after. Likely co-incidence but what a bunch of wankers abusing what the Labour Party used to believe in and deliver vs the right wing policies they believe in now.
No it’s not at all. All methods are legitimate. Submissions to select committees, visits to electorate offices, comments on posts/blogs (for that broad spectrum drench – ‘The Left’: TS, TDB and No Right Turn as examples), Worker Advocacy Groups, and you know who for ‘The Right’
Most policy leads come “politically motivated wonks,” it’s just that the wonks are their wonks. Taking a lead from a political blog is quite different from using a political blog to be the major/only source of policy ideas.
As an aside, what is it you find in political parties or politicians that cause you to have little faith in them?
Interesting questions but I think it might be more fruitful to ask individual posters & commenters why they do what they’re doing here on TS and with what expectations or goals, if any. There’s the small nitty-gritty stuff and there’s the larger picture …
Donne’s majestic poem is exemplified today as we all find ourselves affected,willingly or not in the trials of the world (and a few triumphs) through hyper-efficient news dissemination.
Unlike a few decades ago we currently stifle in a seething miasma of ideas instantly and widely disseminated via social media . Each thought/observation tossed into the pool finds its home with the like-minded to await endorsement or amplification. Tweeting and re-tweeting, posting and reposting we add to the tangle and it is at once challenging and unnerving.
Greenwald observes “…..journalists… endorse factually false claims that quickly spread and become viral, entrenched into narratives, and thus can never be adequately corrected. Its space constraints mean that tweeted headlines or tiny summaries of reporting are often assumed to be true with no critical analysis of their accuracy,”
As someone observed “you cannot un-ring the bell” First impressions last.
Essential to post our thoughts to enrich the cognitive climate (noosphere) in the belief that good ideas that are seasonally apt will germinate, capture the imagination of the like-minded and spread to outcompete those aligned with degenerative capitalism.
Action is also required, as has been said ‘more than believing in the change you want to see, or even expounding it, we have to be the change‘
You’re arguing for decisive intervention in the nature of the government of the nations from which these unfortunate young men were forced to flee, I take it.
I had more in mind being proactive participating in our new government’s socialistically oriented initiatives.
Taking practical steps that epitomize optimal climate change life style.
Participating in forums where negatives such as ‘attack politics’ are replaced by acknowledging good ideas and praising them.
Being “relentlessly positive” as a mantra that will keep us focused on the best we can become.
Where do ideas come from, where do they originate? In the collective unconscious perhaps?
Why do some ideas resonate? For example, neoliberalism felt good, it sounded good, but did it truly resonate with our whole being? I think it did not; it was a fad, a tempting and seductive one, but one nonetheless.
In this context, I think it is very important that politicians look outside their own ‘zones of comfort & familiarity’. They need to tap into the ‘wisdom of the crowd’. Our 120 MPs or the 63 who are ‘more or less’ in Government won’t have the time or intellectual & spiritual reach of the ‘crowd’ and will thus be exposed to only a limited range of ideas. This is not an intrinsically bad thing but it slows down progress and human evolution. Of course, politicians are under constant pressure to choose between binaries, which locks the mind into certain mind-set. Instead of diverging they need to learn to converge, we all do …
“Have discussions or posts on The Standard influenced political parties? ”
I’d say yes. The David Cunliffe episode was heavily influenced by this publication.
Generally I’m of the view that if you say something that makes sense others might adopt it, and if it’s babble they’ll reject it. I would think numerous seeds have been sown on this ground.
I reckon the Standard has had a major effect on both leadership contests and provides a good insight into what lefties are thinking. It is not so much the posts themselves but the discussion of the posts where often the really interesting ideas come from.
mickysavage
First come the posts! And we are eternally grateful to the authors for sticking in there at the top with their thoughtful and sourced writing.
Then we commenters can build on that, sliding pieces in or out, making additions, questioning strength of argument, likely scenario for each idea posited, looking to the heart of the matter, like a complicated puzzle box.
Agreed ms. In the past I have had one or two Labour politicians start conversations based on something they have seen on TS. Some Labour pollies even commented here until they were driven away by hostile responses. I was one of them during the course of the leadership wars a few years ago which is something I now regret. But in the heat of the moment when emotions are running high……
Agreed.
I noticed over the years, comments and responses from both Darrien Fenton and Clare Curran.
Similarly, TDB has contributions from various advocacy groups and people connected with political parties across Labour, Greens and NZ1 – even MP and Mana.
The ‘Right’ have equivalents, but I’d say they’re generally more secretive and operate with other opaque means of influence over policy.
I quite like it that The Penguin, The Sloth, and others are running their agendas openly on other public platforms (NZHearald, Stuff, 7 Blunt, Shock Jock Radio, et al), and blogs. It’s a shame we have to wait for the shady deals and cronyism to gradually leak out – drip drip drip. Though the obvious ‘rightie’ commenters on here can be a total piss off at times – almost to the point of seeing who is ‘on or off shift’ at various times – they kind of expose themselves. (Sometimes it’s bloody obvious when you look at linguistic style, or the things that get their knickers in a twist – they emerge almost on queue. Sometimes one can even smell the fear).
Just today Fran O said “the commentariat” had been vocal in their criticism of JA not making a firm statement on Manus after meeting with Turnbull. Presumably The Standard is a significant part of “the commentariat”.
Hell yeah. Politicians read this site and Farrar’s to stick a finger in the air. They’ll look at Cam’s site to see where the lobby $ is being spent and Martyn’s to see what the fringe are whacking on about.
I’d say stuff directed at Jacinda and Bill in blogs that I’d never say face to face. In the real world I’m a sycophant.
Does the vibe in blogs ever get carried over into policy? As much as anybody setting that policy will deny it, of course what they read and see has an influence on their decisions.
As much as we like to think otherwise, ultimately we make all of our decisions emotionally.
When I consider why I buy the toilet cleaner I do, I have no better justification than ‘I love that little duck guy.’
There was a time not so long ago that politicians kept a finger on our nation’s pulse via newspapers. In search of relevance the modern newspaper has become the go to reference if you’re wondering how the Kardashians got such large bottoms.
Actually I buy toilet based on the experience I’ve had of how well they did the job in the past… and I buy duck stuff because I can get the top off easily with my hands, rather than having to get out the pliers, hold the bottle between my feet and struggle with it – which is my experience with most other toilet cleaners –
“If you’re not a socialist by the age of 20 then you haven’t got a heart..
If you’re not a capitalist by the age of 30 then you haven’t got a brain..
If you’re not a socialist again by the age of 40 then you haven’t got a heart or a brain.”
So what the hell do you reckon went wrong with Chris Finlayson? (I think he has both a heart and a brain, but he’s way past his mid-life crisis)
Bolger and McKinnon are probably busy, still reconsidering their position and their ‘faith’.
And as that old ‘joke’ goes … English is still wondering what caused all his kids – especially after some treasury official couldn’t give him an answer.
Well I no that I said that I would like to see movies on NZ land wars but as I look around our world and see what could happen I change my mind . We could write/make movies about Maori being the first exporters or having some of the first cars many good stories that show OUR mana fuck WAR ,
You no that I said I was assistant manager of a 5000 cow farm well it was not just me.
I had 13 of my iwi /people working with me my wife daughters sons and other family members and we smashed it the farm was running better than it ever had . This other out fit took over the sharemilking and decided that the Maori were not good enough to manage the farm . But they need me to run farm during the dry season I should have looked for another farm for us they paid us a flight down south to keep me there showed me some of there farms down south . And because I had so many people on the farm I stayed. The idiot new manager change all the systems on the farm he changed our feed plan for the cows . He burnt through all the cows rations that were budget to last 2 months in 3 weeks he made me effluent man of course we had a couple of Hongi’s by now as I coud see he was fucking things up our hard work he decided it was best to give me my space. I got a nother job and left thats a whole new story .This new manager gave some one whom I would not have give a job as assistant he was not very skilled my job six month later LOL. And because this outfit let its prejudice opinion make there choices for them and decided to hire someone with all the paper knowledge but his practical skills and people skills were lacking/ shit.
They end up going broke cost them $20. million and more so you see people being raciest cost OUR country Billions open your eyes and hire the right people for the job.
I expected me and my sons to be managing a farm each by now I no they have the skills to do this. But some people have thrown a spanner in my familys future shitting on OUR good name and put us in hardship .
Now with Lawn’s Grass is like any other plant you can train IT to grow slow or feed it to grow fast If you want it to grow slow you cut it short and you can stress it ie scalp it and it will slow down so scalp it in spring and lift the cut when it dries up as in my option my clients want a green clean lawn .So if you want to mow 3 to 4 weeks scalp your lawn and mow it again in five days this will stress it and slow the growth. You see the best skills on can have is observation and growing grass is one of the mains skills a farmer needs Yes Jack you are right lawn is not good for our enviroment it is a luxury not many people around OUR world can afford. See I told you Jacinda Is Intelligent. P.S I’v got a move that’s going to make them shit the bed. Kia Kaha
Panama Papers Mk2: AKA the Paradise Papers, is a breaking story from the International Consortium of Journalists, in collaboration with some MSM organisations int he UK, US and Germany. It is a leak of papers relating to offshore trusts related to the corporation Appleby, now called Estera.
NZ is not mentioned in anything I have read so far. But Cook islands, Samoa, and Oceana get mentions.
The ICoJ article linked above says this:
The leaked cache of documents includes more than half a million files from Asiaciti Trust, a family-run offshore specialist that is headquartered in Singapore and has satellite offices from Samoa in the South Pacific to Nevis in the Caribbean.
It didn’t take me long to find this document, from the Managing Director – Trust Services for the Asiaciti Trust Group, who claims to be a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
Whitney was one of a handful of small firms and barristers, along with Cone Marshall, John W. Hart, OliverShaw, Anchor Trustees and Asiaciti Trust New Zealand, who subsequently met with the then Revenue Minister Todd McClay on December 18, 2014.
I’m sure David Fisher and Matt Nippert will be on it.
Thanks. I can’t access that link without subscribing. What does it have to do with John Key?
I am trying to find when the Paradise Papers were released to the German newspaper. All I can find is that the leaked documents contain material from 1950-2016.
I was trying to see if there is a link between the leaking of the Paradise Papers, and John key’s surprise resignation at the end of 2016.
It seems that after the Paradise Papers were leaked, various news organisations and ICoJ started to investigate them, and are now going public.
I don’t know why that link is not working, it’s opens up for me and I’m not a subscriber but anyway
This bit here:
Leaked documents from the Asiaciti trust group in Singapore show inquiries by Henley & Partners, which runs a business migration program for the government of Malta, about setting up asset protection trusts in the Cook Islands which would thwart attempts by creditors for restitution.
(…)
The files raise questions about the loose oversight role that New Zealand’s government holds over the Cook Islands, a year after the Panama Papers forced changes in how New Zealand foreign trusts operate.
Former Allens Arthur Robinson lawyer James McConvill reported after a 2010 marketing trip for Appleby to Auckland and Wellington that law firms told him that then Prime Minister John Key was leading measures to promote New Zealand as an offshore hub through foreign trusts, which pay no tax on earnings outside New Zealand.
“Apparently the New Zealand Prime Minister is personally pushing the proposal, and it is expected to come into effect in 2011,” Mr McConvill reported. “In numerous meetings I was told that this proposal, if implemented, could lead to a lot of work for Appleby and other offshore firms.”
Cooks Island residents also hold New Zealand citizenship, but Rarotonga runs its own foreign policy.
The Cook Islands was the first country to enact an asset protection law in 1989, under which foreign creditors are barred from challenging the assets of a trust after a waiting period of one to two years. “
Cont’d
Adrian Taylor of Asiaciti told Mr Kalin that “the maximum time limitation period in respect of creditor ‘fraudulent transfer’ actions is two years from the date of transfer of assets into the trust. In some cases that period may be as little as 12 months.”
Mr Kalin replied: “I will be in touch or may refer the client directly to you. His name is Mr Karkukly from Chicago.”
No further details are available. However, the following day Mr Taylor referred to Mr Kalin in an email exchange with a lawyer with Texas law firm Cantey Hanger.
The US lawyer responded: “I spoke to Chris no more than 30 minutes ago. I know exactly why he is asking about Cook Island entities. I know so because he told me and asked me about it.
“I think it is a great opportunity for Asiaciti, assuming your business sources in Switzerland do not catch wind of it.”
US records indicate only one family named Karkukly lived in Chicago at the time, with several family members involved in setting up a remittance business.
One of these, Ahmad Karkukly, a loans officer with Countrywide Home Loans Inc, was subsequently jailed for his part in a $US17.2 million mortgage fraud which was uncovered in December 2006.
Henley & Partners declined to comment. Its position is that it has never had any involvement whatsoever in the Cook Islands. Asiaciti did not comment.
Henley Trust, which changed its name to Athos Group last year, provides corporate and trust services but had no legal connection with Henley & Partners, the firm maintains.
In December 2012 H&P Trust Company (Switzerland) AG wrote to Asiaciti’s Cook Islands office to introduce Dmitry Fadeev, a Singapore-based Russian who earned $US37 million in a $US1.4 billion sale of Russia’s largest juicing company to Pepsico in 2008.
The enclosed letter was on Henley & Partners stationery and used a Henleyglobal.com email address.
Asiaciti set up the Sakama Trust for Fadeev, to hold 7 million shares in Eagle Holdings Ltd of Anguilla and millions of shares in Panama companies Vinson International SA and Byzantium Global SA.
Henley & Partners also appears in the Appleby files, which show the firm was forced to repay $US468,150 in a legal action by Russian Otkritie Securities over a $US150 million fraud by its London traders.
Ruslan Pinaev, one of the Otkritie traders involved with the fraud had paid Henley $US492,118. Mr Kalin declined to answer if the payment was for a citizenship application.
The Asiaciti files show numerous clients – property developers, doctors, dentists, fund managers – who noted that all income was reported to tax offices.
Kenneth Whitney, the lawyer for former NZ PM John Key, in 2007 set up Catamount Holdings Trust for New York investment banker Neil Winward, formerly of Dresdner Kleinwort.
In other cases, Asiaciti offered a mortgage scheme where clients could in effect lend money to themselves from offshore accounts, and claim interest payments as deductions.
Other Asiaciti trust clients in the Cook Islands include:
Gary A Denkberg, who set up two trusts, and is facing charges of defrauding elderly people in the US of $US30 million.
The family of Kazakhstan senior official Serik Burkitbayev, one-time adviser to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was convicted of corruption in 2009.
Kevin Trudeau, imprisoned for fraud in the US in January over a long-running series of marketing frauds.
Arturo Rafael Frieri Gallo, whose lawyer explained why his name in Italian documents was different from Colombian documents. Italian authorities opened an investigation on him in 2014 in relation to suspected tax evasion of €331 million.
A $US25 million trust for Eduardo Langoria, whose family would later be embroiled in a bitter dispute over the estate of Mexican businessman Eduardo Langoria Senior.
And Kevin W Wessel, who the California District Court ruled “intentionally misrepresented and concealed important facts as part of a fraudulent asset protection scheme” in which clients deposited more than $US6.3 million in what they believed was a Swedish bank called The Alps.
New York lawyer Marie Kaiser-Napoli set up a Cook Island trust in November 2015 called the MEKN 2008 Family Trust, listing its purpose as “to provide a degree of protection from long-term inflation”.
Her husband Paul Napoli and law partner Marc Bern had won hundreds of millions of dollars from class actions for 9/11 responders and others, before their partnership dissolved in a bitterly acrimonious series of lawsuits in 2014 against Bern and Paul’s former mistress.
In 2014, while Israeli real estate developer Moti Zisser was battling attempts by banks to force him into bankruptcy over debt of $US700 million, his son David set up the Cottian trust in the Cook Islands.
At the time David Zisser’s lawyer, Ram Jeanne, said his business “has never had any connection to Motti Zisser, and any attempt to link David Zisser’s business to Motti Zisser has no connection with reality”.
OK. Thanks. I see most mainstream media in NZ are also mentioning the Asiaciti Trust Group. Probably too soon to find a direct link to tax evasion in NZ.
However, there were various concerns expressed in NZ MSM about the Asiaciti Trust connection in relation to the Panama Papers.
A controversial and disgraced prominent Brazilian politician accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes used a New Zealand company as part of a complex arrangement to hide his wealth in secret bank accounts.
…
The New Zealand link is PVCI New Zealand Trust, set up in July 2008 by a Panamanian company of the same name.
Its registered address was New Zealand-based offshore services firm Asiaciti Trust New Zealand, with three directors – Uruguayan lawyer, Luis Maria Pineyrua Pittaluga, and Argentine, Jorge Haiek Reggiardo, and Auckland based Sam Ruha of Asiaciti.
…
After PVCI NZ’s early role in setting up the Singapore companies used to hide Cunha’s alleged gains from graft, it seems to have been largely dormant. Its only New Zealand based link – director Sam Ruha, resigned in 2011.
Asiaciti did not respond to emails asking for comment.
New Zealand Companies Office records show PVCI moved its registered office to Auckland based law firm Cone Marshall in July 2014, and Geoffrey Cone became a director in November 2015 – a few months after Cunha had been indicted.
Cone and Marshall partner Geoffrey Cone
Both Asiaciti Trust and Cone Marshall were among several firms who lobbied the government in 2014 over fears the trust industry would be shut down by Inland Revenue (IRD).
And Matt Nippert at NZ Herald was looking at Asiaciti, in relation to the Panama Papers, and a response from an OIA query made by Nippert. In June 2017, Nippert reported:
An official report has highlighted concerns New Zealand’s charitable sector may be misused to evade tax or launder money after three local charities holding $140 million run by Swiss lawyers refused to disclose to investigators who they acted for.
An Internal Affairs Charities Service investigation dubbed “Operation Timepiece” into the New Zealand-registered Mulligan, Shepherd and Birdy Charitable Trusts found while some donations were made locally to Starship and Plunket, the vast majority of its distributions – almost $5m since 2012 – were directed offshore to a related Swiss entity called Fondation Eagle.
…
The New Zealand connection is the Queen St-based Asiaciti Trust, which provided an office address and directors – Lauren Willis, Megan Wu and Kevin Taylor – for the three trustee companies governing the charities.
Willis, the managing director of Asiaciti Trust New Zealand, said repeatedly in response to questions this week: “I can’t really comment, because this is bound by client confidentiality.”
There’s a lot more detail about this at the Nippert link.
But, I am pretty sure, Nippert and other NZ journos, will be looking very closely at leaks from Asiaciti in the Paradise Papers – look forward to Nippert’s article on this.
Yes there are better moves to improve our environmental foot print .
$ 5000 subsidy on secondhand electric car’s and no rego fees . This will also slow the demand of fule and should make OUR fuel companys more honest and we don’t need to buy new as there are plenty of secondhand cars coming to nz now. get these cars to go through a signture range check and they must only have 30.000 klm on the clock.
Many thing that we can change one Idea I had was to use Mother Nature I.E gravity desgin all cars to shut down and still be safe and automatically free wheel down hill heaps of fuel efficiency to be gained there in my opinion I’M still Loyal to Gull fuel staitions for supporting OUR new coalition government buy dropping there prices on the day they got the reins of POWER. Ka pai
I was not in NZ in the pre-election period so missed these news items. They reflect a Minister of health who just did not have the welfare of the population in his sights. Like other Cabinet Ministers in the last nine years, he did not do his job and not only that, dealt in spinning the facts convenient to their ideology. In effect, they were exercising their power for their own career advancement and that of their lobbyists and political funders. Coleman’s continuing arrogance about the facts of the state of the health care system as they developed in NZ is a sad inditement of National’s record in office.
For those that like action – climate love – a monhly newspaper for Nelson Tasman first one out now – around sustainability and low carbon futures. Bought to you by Charlotte Squire who created happyzine.co nz. Check out the Facebook page for submitting stories or for advertising.
“National MP and shadow leader of the house Simon Bridges said it was normal for places on select committees to be roughly equivalent to the size of Parliament, or around 120 MPs.”
“It’s a really alarming erosion of the Opposition’s democratic rights in our Parliament like we have never seen before. It is an unprecedented situation.” [Bridges said]
Maybe he should build 10 bridges and get over himself.
Hilarious to hear he and his party suddenly care about democratic rights, govt transparency, fairness. Wait til one of them rails about breaches of Privacy!
” Maybe he should build 10 bridges and get over himself.” LOL
It was an elegant move to block any undemocratic and some might even say treasonous moves by the National Party. That a former prime minister is sinking so low with the comments he made, I am certain that, if he continues with his undignified and shameful display, he will be ousted within 6 months.
So Jacinda has delivered on her promise of extending paid parental leave.
Whilst originally was against it – This is something that I agree that Labour got right and National’s arguments didnt make as much ‘real life’ logic as Labours
Now if only they could pay decent non-judgemental non-obligational amounts to raise their children to those predominantly Maori mothers, many of whom don’t have another partners income to fall back on, as they do to those predominantly European mothers who either have a good paying job prior to having their baby or a husbands income.
Plus all the others on benefits as well.
Just bring back completely non-judgemental universal family benefit for fucks sake and stop playing one set of parents off against the other.
The entire National Party of the day were Muldoonists……were he reincarnated with his excesses thrown behind the trickle-down lie the present lot would be again. ‘Born-To-Rule’ pricks.
I once played this over the phone to my octogenarian mother ,… as I wanted to get her opinion on what she thought ,… she thought it was ‘ energetic ‘ … quite a good song ,… then I told her who it was that both wrote it and also the group that sang it…
She was quite composed and conciliatory ,… considering the outcry and the stigma attached,… I guess she is quite the social thinker,… anyways ,… I think this is a good study in human sociology… to really get into the nitty gritty…
“Get On Home” sung by members of the Manson Family – YouTube
Video for charles manson get on home you tube▶ 3:31
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New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
Comment: Crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are making it easier for people to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum without having to handle digital wallets or private keys. These allow investors to buy and sell cryptocurrency through their regular brokerage accounts.This has opened the door for billions of dollars ...
The New Zealand Government says the Cook Islands must share more information about the deals it has signed with China, following the release of an ‘action plan’ in the face of protests in the Pacific nation’s capital.The Cook Islands government has also revealed plans to spend $3 million on a ...
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Comment: The recent attack by Destiny Church front groups on a Drag science show at Te Atatū library crossed a line. This wasn’t the first time that Brian Tamaki, the multimillionaire self-appointed ‘apostle’, has ordered acts of aggression against the queer community. Last year, Drag Story Time events were targeted, ...
Martina Salmon is well versed in the fast-paced action on a netball court, but even she was caught by surprise with the speed at which her career changed tack last year.Staying in the fast lane is only part of her drive this season.Fresh off a nine-day camp in Sydney with ...
Last night I may as well have been in Taihape. Or, closer to home, for me at least, somewhere in the Wairarapa. Or Tūrangi, even – which is near where we used to spend the summer when I was a child. For there was that same gorgeous small town feeling ...
Having Auckland’s food scraps dumped onto your rural backyard sounds scandalous, but in the North Island town of Reporoa there’s no fuss about the thousands of tonnes carted here every week.From the same site as one truck drops the waste, another truck picks up fertiliser to spread on local sheep ...
Negotiating rights over freshwater in Treaty settlement negotiations could have extended negotiations a decade, a Ngāi Tahu leader says.Tribal leaders, and its umbrella body, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, have taken the Attorney-General to court in a bid to have the Crown recognise its rangatiratanga (chiefly authority) over wai māori ...
Analysis: Poor safeguarding of New Zealanders’ data could be a widespread practice within the public service and certainly within the health system, according to the findings of an independent inquiry into allegations of misused census and Covid-19 vaccination information.The Public Service Commission’s review, led by consultant Pania Gray and former ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Stone, Principal Research Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Having dense breasts is a clear risk factor for breast cancer. It can also make cancers hard to spot on mammograms. Yet you ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The National Anti-Corruption Commission will finally investigate whether six people referred to it by the royal commission into Robodebt engaged in corrupt conduct. This follows an independent reconsideration by former High Court judge Geoffrey ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Last week in Europe, the United States sent some very strong messages it is prepared to upend the established global order. US Vice President JD Vance warned a stunned Munich ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank has delivered the expected modest rate cut of a quarter of a percentage point, and we’re set for the predictable frenzy of speculation about an April election. The cut is unlikely to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank cut official interest rates on Tuesday, the first decrease in four years, saying inflationary pressures are easing “a little more quickly than expected”. However, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Reserve Bank has delivered the expected modest rate cut of a quarter of a percentage point, and we’re set for the predictable frenzy of speculation about an April election. The cut is unlikely to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allan Fels, Professor Allan Fels, Professor of Law, Economics and Business at the University of Melbourne and Monash University., The University of Melbourne Australia is creeping towards adding a divestiture power to its Competition and Consumer Act. Under such a law, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arjen Vaartjes, PhD Student, Quantum Physics, UNSW Sydney Dmitriy Rybin / Shutterstock What makes something quantum? This question has kept a small but dedicated fraction of the world’s population – most of them quantum physicists – up at night for decades. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mary Anne Kenny, Associate Professor, School of Law, Murdoch University Australia’s minister for home affairs announced on Sunday that the federal government has struck a deal with Nauru to “resettle” three non-citizens from what’s come to be known as the “NZYQ cohort”. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Fitzpatrick, Professor in International History, Flinders University (From left to right): Neville Chamberlain, Édouard Daladier, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano before signing the Munich Agreement, which gave the Sudetenland to Germany.German Federal Archives/Wikimedia Commons Ukraine ...
The purpose was to establish the facts and provide an independent assessment of government agency activity in relation to allegations that personal data may have been misused during the 2023 General Election. ...
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said he is carefully reviewing the referrals raised in the two reports. That work will be done in the context the Privacy Act and the need to ensure individuals’ rights to privacy is protected and respected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhavna Middha, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University The average Australian household size has decreased from 4.5 people per household in 1911 to 2.5 people in 2024. At the same time, the average house size has increased, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Page Jeffery, Lecturer in Media and Communications, University of Sydney suriyachan/Shutterstock When the Australian government passed legislation in November last year banning young people under 16 from social media, it included exemptions for platforms “that are primarily for the purposes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leslie Roberson, Postdoctoral research fellow, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland If you’ve ever been stopped by quarantine officers at the airport, you might think Australia’s international border is locked down like a fortress. But when it comes ...
Duncan Sarkies’ latest novel, Star Gazers, is about the collapse of democracy in a society of alpaca breeders. Here are some things his intensive research revealed. 1 How greed works, psychologicallyYes, I guess I already understood greed, but I could never understand why people who already have everything they ...
The proposed cuts would see only two full time Telehealth data and digital roles, and one Planning, Funding and Outcomes (PFO) role remain, reduced from 17 Telehealth support roles (including vacant roles). Roles proposed to be cut include Telehealth ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for Ministers to end funding for Te Kurahuna programmes and workshop grifters that have received millions in taxpayer funding, despite the Government’s supposed focus on cutting costs. ...
Have discussions or posts on The Standard influenced political parties?
Some posts and discussions have had a lot of thought and effort gone into them, but also are flavoured with originality and appear to be worthy of further investigation. (Others not some much.)
Does anybody have examples where something written here on The Standard has been picked up by a political party? Is it even an objective of the site to be an influencer?
Clare Curran suggested squatters’ rights as a solution to homelessness 🙂
Clare has since changed her stance. She came home from holiday to discover 2 families living in her place…..I’m kiddin…..sort of.
I can’t point to anything specific @Gristle, but there have been several things where policies ‘coincide’ with posts and comments written.
Ditto TDB.
And now on a related issue:
Jacinder Adhern will not approach the PNG Government over Manus Island.
I wonder how it would be if the PNG government were to approach the NZ government – possibly as (say) a French Government initiative offering limited placements in Noumea, Papeete ?
I am pretty certain that the various governments will not do this. They would all know that this would be hugely disruptive on the various bilateral relationships. Any deal will have the involvement of Australia.
The PM has already shown she intends to work with Australia on this issue, not go outside them. The bilateral relationship between NZ and Australian is way too important for the situation of the Manus island refugees to dictate how it runs. Not that Standardnistas seem to agree with that.
I note that there are already three new camps that have been built for the refugees with full support, (accommodation, food etc). Australia has paid, or will pay $150 million for this. The refugees say they will not be safe, but presumably extra security can be arranged.
I suspect that the refugees are using the current opportunity to get maximum publicity, especially in New Zealand, to get an early removal from Manus. But if that doesn’t succeed, which is not looking likely, then I imagine they will go to the new camps.
Yeah, that’s all those refugess want, eh? Publicity. You’re such an idiot.
Wayne, are you for real? Refugees getting publicity? Am I in gaga land or what?
While I have little faith in any political parties or politicians I don’t think any of them are daft enough to take their policy lead from political blogs which represent only a few very politically motivated wonks.
I was waiting for a comment or two from Dishonourable members of the ‘electronic opposition’. We might even expect the gNats to start to see accusations in parliament from those very powerful Honourable opposition members – policy taken from “that far left Laboour blog The Standard, and a bunch of commies from TDB”. All the while when they continue to take advice from Koiwoiblog and the Tax Payers Union
If government ministers take their policy lead from the Daily blog, Whaleoil, The Standard or Kiwiblog we’re all well fucked.
so you think elected politicians along with their advisors are incapable of weeding out what are effectively submissions with accompanying evidence from a variety of sources, from chaff and bluster? I know there’s little faith in politicians, but its a far better system than most other alternatives.
I prefer the various processes to be as transparent as possible and available to public scrutiny – and venues such as this, or select committees, or advocacy groups who publish their policies all try to do that.
Far better than secretive little deals between politicians and individuals with card access to the parliamentary precincts.
That’s a bit like saying nobody should bother submitting to select committees cause it won’t change anything.
I did complain about the labour party having state housing for life and the 8 hour working day 40 hour working week on the frontage of their website as if they actually believed in these things.
I did notice they disappeared shortly after. Likely co-incidence but what a bunch of wankers abusing what the Labour Party used to believe in and deliver vs the right wing policies they believe in now.
No it’s not at all. All methods are legitimate. Submissions to select committees, visits to electorate offices, comments on posts/blogs (for that broad spectrum drench – ‘The Left’: TS, TDB and No Right Turn as examples), Worker Advocacy Groups, and you know who for ‘The Right’
Most policy leads come “politically motivated wonks,” it’s just that the wonks are their wonks. Taking a lead from a political blog is quite different from using a political blog to be the major/only source of policy ideas.
As an aside, what is it you find in political parties or politicians that cause you to have little faith in them?
Interesting questions but I think it might be more fruitful to ask individual posters & commenters why they do what they’re doing here on TS and with what expectations or goals, if any. There’s the small nitty-gritty stuff and there’s the larger picture …
John Donne – 1624
Donne’s majestic poem is exemplified today as we all find ourselves affected,willingly or not in the trials of the world (and a few triumphs) through hyper-efficient news dissemination.
Unlike a few decades ago we currently stifle in a seething miasma of ideas instantly and widely disseminated via social media . Each thought/observation tossed into the pool finds its home with the like-minded to await endorsement or amplification. Tweeting and re-tweeting, posting and reposting we add to the tangle and it is at once challenging and unnerving.
Greenwald observes “…..journalists… endorse factually false claims that quickly spread and become viral, entrenched into narratives, and thus can never be adequately corrected. Its space constraints mean that tweeted headlines or tiny summaries of reporting are often assumed to be true with no critical analysis of their accuracy,”
ehttps://theintercept.com/2017/11/05/four-viral-claims-spread-by-journalists-on-twitter-in-the-last-week-alone-that-are-false/asily spread”
As someone observed “you cannot un-ring the bell” First impressions last.
Essential to post our thoughts to enrich the cognitive climate (noosphere) in the belief that good ideas that are seasonally apt will germinate, capture the imagination of the like-minded and spread to outcompete those aligned with degenerative capitalism.
Action is also required, as has been said ‘more than believing in the change you want to see, or even expounding it, we have to be the change‘
You’re arguing for decisive intervention in the nature of the government of the nations from which these unfortunate young men were forced to flee, I take it.
No, that’s forcing the change.
I had more in mind being proactive participating in our new government’s socialistically oriented initiatives.
Taking practical steps that epitomize optimal climate change life style.
Participating in forums where negatives such as ‘attack politics’ are replaced by acknowledging good ideas and praising them.
Being “relentlessly positive” as a mantra that will keep us focused on the best we can become.
Great comment(s)!
Where do ideas come from, where do they originate? In the collective unconscious perhaps?
Why do some ideas resonate? For example, neoliberalism felt good, it sounded good, but did it truly resonate with our whole being? I think it did not; it was a fad, a tempting and seductive one, but one nonetheless.
In this context, I think it is very important that politicians look outside their own ‘zones of comfort & familiarity’. They need to tap into the ‘wisdom of the crowd’. Our 120 MPs or the 63 who are ‘more or less’ in Government won’t have the time or intellectual & spiritual reach of the ‘crowd’ and will thus be exposed to only a limited range of ideas. This is not an intrinsically bad thing but it slows down progress and human evolution. Of course, politicians are under constant pressure to choose between binaries, which locks the mind into certain mind-set. Instead of diverging they need to learn to converge, we all do …
More interesting to ask the reverse:
Who here largely spins on behalf of this government?
“Have discussions or posts on The Standard influenced political parties? ”
I’d say yes. The David Cunliffe episode was heavily influenced by this publication.
Generally I’m of the view that if you say something that makes sense others might adopt it, and if it’s babble they’ll reject it. I would think numerous seeds have been sown on this ground.
I reckon the Standard has had a major effect on both leadership contests and provides a good insight into what lefties are thinking. It is not so much the posts themselves but the discussion of the posts where often the really interesting ideas come from.
mickysavage
First come the posts! And we are eternally grateful to the authors for sticking in there at the top with their thoughtful and sourced writing.
Then we commenters can build on that, sliding pieces in or out, making additions, questioning strength of argument, likely scenario for each idea posited, looking to the heart of the matter, like a complicated puzzle box.
Agreed ms. In the past I have had one or two Labour politicians start conversations based on something they have seen on TS. Some Labour pollies even commented here until they were driven away by hostile responses. I was one of them during the course of the leadership wars a few years ago which is something I now regret. But in the heat of the moment when emotions are running high……
Agreed.
I noticed over the years, comments and responses from both Darrien Fenton and Clare Curran.
Similarly, TDB has contributions from various advocacy groups and people connected with political parties across Labour, Greens and NZ1 – even MP and Mana.
The ‘Right’ have equivalents, but I’d say they’re generally more secretive and operate with other opaque means of influence over policy.
I quite like it that The Penguin, The Sloth, and others are running their agendas openly on other public platforms (NZHearald, Stuff, 7 Blunt, Shock Jock Radio, et al), and blogs. It’s a shame we have to wait for the shady deals and cronyism to gradually leak out – drip drip drip. Though the obvious ‘rightie’ commenters on here can be a total piss off at times – almost to the point of seeing who is ‘on or off shift’ at various times – they kind of expose themselves. (Sometimes it’s bloody obvious when you look at linguistic style, or the things that get their knickers in a twist – they emerge almost on queue. Sometimes one can even smell the fear).
One thing for sure is that TS has had no effect on Wayne. He still comes on TV speaking as if he’s a National cabinet minister.
A well-grounded media training and deep-rooted habits perhaps? Wayne should not be our yardstick.
Just today Fran O said “the commentariat” had been vocal in their criticism of JA not making a firm statement on Manus after meeting with Turnbull. Presumably The Standard is a significant part of “the commentariat”.
Hell yeah. Politicians read this site and Farrar’s to stick a finger in the air. They’ll look at Cam’s site to see where the lobby $ is being spent and Martyn’s to see what the fringe are whacking on about.
I’d say stuff directed at Jacinda and Bill in blogs that I’d never say face to face. In the real world I’m a sycophant.
Does the vibe in blogs ever get carried over into policy? As much as anybody setting that policy will deny it, of course what they read and see has an influence on their decisions.
As much as we like to think otherwise, ultimately we make all of our decisions emotionally.
When I consider why I buy the toilet cleaner I do, I have no better justification than ‘I love that little duck guy.’
There was a time not so long ago that politicians kept a finger on our nation’s pulse via newspapers. In search of relevance the modern newspaper has become the go to reference if you’re wondering how the Kardashians got such large bottoms.
Actually I buy toilet based on the experience I’ve had of how well they did the job in the past… and I buy duck stuff because I can get the top off easily with my hands, rather than having to get out the pliers, hold the bottle between my feet and struggle with it – which is my experience with most other toilet cleaners –
so it’s a rational decision.
Rubbish, you buy Harpic because your Mother did.
We all like to think that we’re smart enough to think as you describe but we don’t. We lean towards where our hearts lie.
Too true David Mac. And amusing. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, who is allowed to?
Thanks for the lead. I see that you and Weka have pushed this in the past. Are you aware if Claire Curren picked this approach up from here?
Worth looking at Q&A Ardern v Dann.
Ardern is clear she will pick one or two industries per year and negotiate big wage increases across a whole industry.
Bus drivers was an example.
Harriet Gale at Greater Auckland covers it today.
All power to this PM. Great job so far.
a correction to an old saying;
If you’re not a socialist by the age of 20 then you haven’t got a heart..
If you’re not a capitalist by the age of 30 then you haven’t got a brain..
If you’re not a socialist again by the age of 40 then you haven’t got a heart or a brain.
“If you’re not a socialist by the age of 20 then you haven’t got a heart..
If you’re not a capitalist by the age of 30 then you haven’t got a brain..
If you’re not a socialist again by the age of 40 then you haven’t got a heart or a brain.”
So what the hell do you reckon went wrong with Chris Finlayson? (I think he has both a heart and a brain, but he’s way past his mid-life crisis)
Bolger and McKinnon are probably busy, still reconsidering their position and their ‘faith’.
And as that old ‘joke’ goes … English is still wondering what caused all his kids – especially after some treasury official couldn’t give him an answer.
Well I no that I said that I would like to see movies on NZ land wars but as I look around our world and see what could happen I change my mind . We could write/make movies about Maori being the first exporters or having some of the first cars many good stories that show OUR mana fuck WAR ,
You no that I said I was assistant manager of a 5000 cow farm well it was not just me.
I had 13 of my iwi /people working with me my wife daughters sons and other family members and we smashed it the farm was running better than it ever had . This other out fit took over the sharemilking and decided that the Maori were not good enough to manage the farm . But they need me to run farm during the dry season I should have looked for another farm for us they paid us a flight down south to keep me there showed me some of there farms down south . And because I had so many people on the farm I stayed. The idiot new manager change all the systems on the farm he changed our feed plan for the cows . He burnt through all the cows rations that were budget to last 2 months in 3 weeks he made me effluent man of course we had a couple of Hongi’s by now as I coud see he was fucking things up our hard work he decided it was best to give me my space. I got a nother job and left thats a whole new story .This new manager gave some one whom I would not have give a job as assistant he was not very skilled my job six month later LOL. And because this outfit let its prejudice opinion make there choices for them and decided to hire someone with all the paper knowledge but his practical skills and people skills were lacking/ shit.
They end up going broke cost them $20. million and more so you see people being raciest cost OUR country Billions open your eyes and hire the right people for the job.
I expected me and my sons to be managing a farm each by now I no they have the skills to do this. But some people have thrown a spanner in my familys future shitting on OUR good name and put us in hardship .
Now with Lawn’s Grass is like any other plant you can train IT to grow slow or feed it to grow fast If you want it to grow slow you cut it short and you can stress it ie scalp it and it will slow down so scalp it in spring and lift the cut when it dries up as in my option my clients want a green clean lawn .So if you want to mow 3 to 4 weeks scalp your lawn and mow it again in five days this will stress it and slow the growth. You see the best skills on can have is observation and growing grass is one of the mains skills a farmer needs Yes Jack you are right lawn is not good for our enviroment it is a luxury not many people around OUR world can afford. See I told you Jacinda Is Intelligent. P.S I’v got a move that’s going to make them shit the bed. Kia Kaha
“being racist cost OUR country Billions open your eyes and hire the right people for the job”
Couldn’t agree more. Racist employers simply suck.
Panama Papers Mk2: AKA the Paradise Papers, is a breaking story from the International Consortium of Journalists, in collaboration with some MSM organisations int he UK, US and Germany. It is a leak of papers relating to offshore trusts related to the corporation Appleby, now called Estera.
The Guardian has several articles on it today, including “What are the Paradise Papers”.
The ICoJ has much on it, including this article.
NZ is not mentioned in anything I have read so far. But Cook islands, Samoa, and Oceana get mentions.
The ICoJ article linked above says this:
It didn’t take me long to find this document, from the Managing Director – Trust Services for the Asiaciti Trust Group, who claims to be a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
https://www.parliament.nz/resource/0000059335
It’s a submission to the proposed changes in 2007, to Trusstee laws.
NZ Business directory for this trust group.
The New Zealand Herald has a 2016 article on such trusts, and has a brief mention of Asiaciti
I’m sure David Fisher and Matt Nippert will be on it.
New Zealand is donkey deep in it, thanks to John Key
Paradise Papers: Link to firm that sued murdered Malta journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia http://www.afr.com/news/policy/tax/paradise-papers-link-to-firm-that-sued-murdered-malta-journalist-daphne-caruana-galizia-20171105-gzf1v0#ixzz4xbmZKQyR
Thanks. I can’t access that link without subscribing. What does it have to do with John Key?
I am trying to find when the Paradise Papers were released to the German newspaper. All I can find is that the leaked documents contain material from 1950-2016.
I was trying to see if there is a link between the leaking of the Paradise Papers, and John key’s surprise resignation at the end of 2016.
It seems that after the Paradise Papers were leaked, various news organisations and ICoJ started to investigate them, and are now going public.
I don’t know why that link is not working, it’s opens up for me and I’m not a subscriber but anyway
This bit here:
Leaked documents from the Asiaciti trust group in Singapore show inquiries by Henley & Partners, which runs a business migration program for the government of Malta, about setting up asset protection trusts in the Cook Islands which would thwart attempts by creditors for restitution.
(…)
The files raise questions about the loose oversight role that New Zealand’s government holds over the Cook Islands, a year after the Panama Papers forced changes in how New Zealand foreign trusts operate.
Former Allens Arthur Robinson lawyer James McConvill reported after a 2010 marketing trip for Appleby to Auckland and Wellington that law firms told him that then Prime Minister John Key was leading measures to promote New Zealand as an offshore hub through foreign trusts, which pay no tax on earnings outside New Zealand.
“Apparently the New Zealand Prime Minister is personally pushing the proposal, and it is expected to come into effect in 2011,” Mr McConvill reported. “In numerous meetings I was told that this proposal, if implemented, could lead to a lot of work for Appleby and other offshore firms.”
Cooks Island residents also hold New Zealand citizenship, but Rarotonga runs its own foreign policy.
The Cook Islands was the first country to enact an asset protection law in 1989, under which foreign creditors are barred from challenging the assets of a trust after a waiting period of one to two years. “
Cont’d
Adrian Taylor of Asiaciti told Mr Kalin that “the maximum time limitation period in respect of creditor ‘fraudulent transfer’ actions is two years from the date of transfer of assets into the trust. In some cases that period may be as little as 12 months.”
Mr Kalin replied: “I will be in touch or may refer the client directly to you. His name is Mr Karkukly from Chicago.”
No further details are available. However, the following day Mr Taylor referred to Mr Kalin in an email exchange with a lawyer with Texas law firm Cantey Hanger.
The US lawyer responded: “I spoke to Chris no more than 30 minutes ago. I know exactly why he is asking about Cook Island entities. I know so because he told me and asked me about it.
“I think it is a great opportunity for Asiaciti, assuming your business sources in Switzerland do not catch wind of it.”
US records indicate only one family named Karkukly lived in Chicago at the time, with several family members involved in setting up a remittance business.
One of these, Ahmad Karkukly, a loans officer with Countrywide Home Loans Inc, was subsequently jailed for his part in a $US17.2 million mortgage fraud which was uncovered in December 2006.
Henley & Partners declined to comment. Its position is that it has never had any involvement whatsoever in the Cook Islands. Asiaciti did not comment.
Henley Trust, which changed its name to Athos Group last year, provides corporate and trust services but had no legal connection with Henley & Partners, the firm maintains.
In December 2012 H&P Trust Company (Switzerland) AG wrote to Asiaciti’s Cook Islands office to introduce Dmitry Fadeev, a Singapore-based Russian who earned $US37 million in a $US1.4 billion sale of Russia’s largest juicing company to Pepsico in 2008.
The enclosed letter was on Henley & Partners stationery and used a Henleyglobal.com email address.
Asiaciti set up the Sakama Trust for Fadeev, to hold 7 million shares in Eagle Holdings Ltd of Anguilla and millions of shares in Panama companies Vinson International SA and Byzantium Global SA.
Henley & Partners also appears in the Appleby files, which show the firm was forced to repay $US468,150 in a legal action by Russian Otkritie Securities over a $US150 million fraud by its London traders.
Ruslan Pinaev, one of the Otkritie traders involved with the fraud had paid Henley $US492,118. Mr Kalin declined to answer if the payment was for a citizenship application.
The Asiaciti files show numerous clients – property developers, doctors, dentists, fund managers – who noted that all income was reported to tax offices.
Kenneth Whitney, the lawyer for former NZ PM John Key, in 2007 set up Catamount Holdings Trust for New York investment banker Neil Winward, formerly of Dresdner Kleinwort.
In other cases, Asiaciti offered a mortgage scheme where clients could in effect lend money to themselves from offshore accounts, and claim interest payments as deductions.
Other Asiaciti trust clients in the Cook Islands include:
Gary A Denkberg, who set up two trusts, and is facing charges of defrauding elderly people in the US of $US30 million.
The family of Kazakhstan senior official Serik Burkitbayev, one-time adviser to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was convicted of corruption in 2009.
Kevin Trudeau, imprisoned for fraud in the US in January over a long-running series of marketing frauds.
Arturo Rafael Frieri Gallo, whose lawyer explained why his name in Italian documents was different from Colombian documents. Italian authorities opened an investigation on him in 2014 in relation to suspected tax evasion of €331 million.
A $US25 million trust for Eduardo Langoria, whose family would later be embroiled in a bitter dispute over the estate of Mexican businessman Eduardo Langoria Senior.
And Kevin W Wessel, who the California District Court ruled “intentionally misrepresented and concealed important facts as part of a fraudulent asset protection scheme” in which clients deposited more than $US6.3 million in what they believed was a Swedish bank called The Alps.
New York lawyer Marie Kaiser-Napoli set up a Cook Island trust in November 2015 called the MEKN 2008 Family Trust, listing its purpose as “to provide a degree of protection from long-term inflation”.
Her husband Paul Napoli and law partner Marc Bern had won hundreds of millions of dollars from class actions for 9/11 responders and others, before their partnership dissolved in a bitterly acrimonious series of lawsuits in 2014 against Bern and Paul’s former mistress.
In 2014, while Israeli real estate developer Moti Zisser was battling attempts by banks to force him into bankruptcy over debt of $US700 million, his son David set up the Cottian trust in the Cook Islands.
At the time David Zisser’s lawyer, Ram Jeanne, said his business “has never had any connection to Motti Zisser, and any attempt to link David Zisser’s business to Motti Zisser has no connection with reality”.
Read more: http://www.afr.com/news/policy/tax/paradise-papers-link-to-firm-that-sued-murdered-malta-journalist-daphne-caruana-galizia-20171105-gzf1v0#ixzz4xd8XZaTD
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What’s the connection between Asiaciti and Key’s lawyer Whitney? -The above quote looks like they’re connected, but I don’t understand how.
OK. Thanks. I see most mainstream media in NZ are also mentioning the Asiaciti Trust Group. Probably too soon to find a direct link to tax evasion in NZ.
However, there were various concerns expressed in NZ MSM about the Asiaciti Trust connection in relation to the Panama Papers.
eg: the RNZ Panama Papers investigation group reported in May 2016:
And Matt Nippert at NZ Herald was looking at Asiaciti, in relation to the Panama Papers, and a response from an OIA query made by Nippert. In June 2017, Nippert reported:
There’s a lot more detail about this at the Nippert link.
But, I am pretty sure, Nippert and other NZ journos, will be looking very closely at leaks from Asiaciti in the Paradise Papers – look forward to Nippert’s article on this.
https://web.archive.org/web/20171105215023/http://www.afr.com/news/policy/tax/paradise-papers-link-to-firm-that-sued-murdered-malta-journalist-daphne-caruana-galizia-20171105-gzf1v0
Ah. thanks – the good old wayback machine.
Yes there are better moves to improve our environmental foot print .
$ 5000 subsidy on secondhand electric car’s and no rego fees . This will also slow the demand of fule and should make OUR fuel companys more honest and we don’t need to buy new as there are plenty of secondhand cars coming to nz now. get these cars to go through a signture range check and they must only have 30.000 klm on the clock.
Many thing that we can change one Idea I had was to use Mother Nature I.E gravity desgin all cars to shut down and still be safe and automatically free wheel down hill heaps of fuel efficiency to be gained there in my opinion I’M still Loyal to Gull fuel staitions for supporting OUR new coalition government buy dropping there prices on the day they got the reins of POWER. Ka pai
“Gravity design” is already here. Eco mode in a BMW disengages the driveshaft down hill.
Ten Reasons We Got Rid of National
No. 2: The likes of Dr. Jonathan Coleman
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10413574
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/96135652/coleman-skips-election-health-forum
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11922070
I was not in NZ in the pre-election period so missed these news items. They reflect a Minister of health who just did not have the welfare of the population in his sights. Like other Cabinet Ministers in the last nine years, he did not do his job and not only that, dealt in spinning the facts convenient to their ideology. In effect, they were exercising their power for their own career advancement and that of their lobbyists and political funders. Coleman’s continuing arrogance about the facts of the state of the health care system as they developed in NZ is a sad inditement of National’s record in office.
For those that like action – climate love – a monhly newspaper for Nelson Tasman first one out now – around sustainability and low carbon futures. Bought to you by Charlotte Squire who created happyzine.co nz. Check out the Facebook page for submitting stories or for advertising.
Good one mm. She was on RNZ with Jesse this arfo.
Good one Marty; I listened to Charlotte’s interview and liked what I heard. How do I get a copy of Climate Love? Nelson’s a way off 🙂
Email.me again and I’ll send some down. Yep it was a great interview – Charlotte’s happy.
Simon bridges in the news today:
“National MP and shadow leader of the house Simon Bridges said it was normal for places on select committees to be roughly equivalent to the size of Parliament, or around 120 MPs.”
“It’s a really alarming erosion of the Opposition’s democratic rights in our Parliament like we have never seen before. It is an unprecedented situation.” [Bridges said]
Maybe he should build 10 bridges and get over himself.
Philip Lyth @philiplyth
Simon Bridges crying foul over changes to select cites? In Aug, he was Minister moving the motion for the change.”
Hilarious to hear he and his party suddenly care about democratic rights, govt transparency, fairness. Wait til one of them rails about breaches of Privacy!
” Maybe he should build 10 bridges and get over himself.” LOL
tracey 12.03
+1
It was an elegant move to block any undemocratic and some might even say treasonous moves by the National Party. That a former prime minister is sinking so low with the comments he made, I am certain that, if he continues with his undignified and shameful display, he will be ousted within 6 months.
Gotta love the USA
https://www.facebook.com/events/505748039803791/
http://www.newsweek.com/americans-scream-helplessly-sky-donald-trump-election-anniversary-690889
Copywrite infringement was not even a crime in NZ which was the supposed reason for this Hollywood raid with armed defenders, Helicopters and FBI.
Dotcoms Announce Settlement of Lawsuit Against NZ Police
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2017/11/04/dotcoms-announce-settlement-of-lawsuit-against-nz-police/?utm_content=bufferad378&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
NZ PM gives finger to Turnbull. Fanstastic.
https://resources.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/images/1/m/o/t/j/4/image.related.StuffLandscapeSixteenByNine.620×349.1mox34.png/1509866724565.jpg
So Jacinda has delivered on her promise of extending paid parental leave.
Whilst originally was against it – This is something that I agree that Labour got right and National’s arguments didnt make as much ‘real life’ logic as Labours
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/11/jacinda-ardern-commits-to-extending-paid-parental-leave-by-a-month.html
Now if only they could pay decent non-judgemental non-obligational amounts to raise their children to those predominantly Maori mothers, many of whom don’t have another partners income to fall back on, as they do to those predominantly European mothers who either have a good paying job prior to having their baby or a husbands income.
Plus all the others on benefits as well.
Just bring back completely non-judgemental universal family benefit for fucks sake and stop playing one set of parents off against the other.
DoSS
+100
More revelations about where the rich and powerful hide their money.
http://digg.com/2017/paradise-papers-explainer
A good long history as well which I think adds much more value.
“The papers cover the period from 1950 to 2016.”
Pity they don’t have the details of those who were tossing money into SCF in those last few weeks before bailout + interest.
A rather strained fit by Paul Thomas. ‘Winston the Muldoonist’.
http://www.noted.co.nz/currently/politics/the-last-muldoonist-has-his-final-stand-in-government/
The entire National Party of the day were Muldoonists……were he reincarnated with his excesses thrown behind the trickle-down lie the present lot would be again. ‘Born-To-Rule’ pricks.
I once played this over the phone to my octogenarian mother ,… as I wanted to get her opinion on what she thought ,… she thought it was ‘ energetic ‘ … quite a good song ,… then I told her who it was that both wrote it and also the group that sang it…
She was quite composed and conciliatory ,… considering the outcry and the stigma attached,… I guess she is quite the social thinker,… anyways ,… I think this is a good study in human sociology… to really get into the nitty gritty…
“Get On Home” sung by members of the Manson Family – YouTube
Video for charles manson get on home you tube▶ 3:31