By using the phrase herding kittens you are othering some of the the participants in the conversation yesterday. It trivialises and belittles. Please stop.
I read all the posts of pejorative language yesterday and it occurs to me that we're being a bit precious.
Is it not just the normal and endlessly fascinating evolution of the English language.
I would think most of the participants will be well aware of how the words; damn, bugger, bastard were viewed 6 or 7 decades ago. Then not so long ago was the Gaye alphabet soup stuff and the F word, the C word not so much, but watch this space.
thanks gsays. It was a bit of work, but tbh I enjoyed a lot of the conversation and think it was good. It was great to see Standardistas grappling with a gnarly topic and talking about it and without the personalised stuff and acrimony that used to be a feature here.
Cheers BG. I've had no inspiration to write posts, so am very grateful to the other authors. But feelings a bit of a renewal in teh past few days. The Atlas post probably has something to do with it 😈
Not entirely sure what Mark Mitchell is up to. Still on holiday, perhaps? He has strutted around for the last years, a self proclaimed sheriff who was going to crush the gangs.
But here they are in the $1000 VVIP section of Juicy Fest with Bulldog face tattoos, and gang colours starting fights and barking like dogs.
Here's another who deserves our gratitude. A story on Stuff of a remarkable woman to whom I lift my hat. She spent twenty years, including Christmases, in an Auckland court advocating for, helping, supporting the homeless and dispossessed, the 'returned citizens' and the broken ones. At 72 years of age, she retires to be with her whanau.
One story- a Māori man in the dock is not granted bail since the judge says he has no suitable home address. His calm reply and the interpretation given it by Whaea Michelle Kidd is a short history of generations of New Zealanders.
A sobering challenge or wero such as she gave to the court is given to us also, with her comment on the effects of poverty and inter-generational dispossession for Māori.
She sounds like an admirable woman, working from the heart. The stories relate to all she has helped, without referring to them as solely Māori.
This comment is an opinion, based on her perspective rather than evidence. Not all Māori had access to, or possession of land. What they had – as opposed to non-Māori were networks of kin, and community places to restore and heal.
"“When you dispossess people of their land, there is an intergenerational trauma that should not be denied.”
She spoke of an example where a judge declined bail for a Māori man because he didn’t have a suitable address.
In a calm voice, the man managed to respond: “You took our f…… land, and now I’m going to prison because I don’t have any.”
This recitation is a catechism. This man may know the details of an historical land claim directly related to him, but that detail is unnecessary when it can be used as the sole excuse for his present situation.
That simplistic view, creates an encouragement of passive victimhood which is not helpful to current generations. Bastion Point has living people who are directly affected by government land taking. The historical – and convoluted land confiscations from the latter part of the 1800s, have processes available and although may have direct, immediate and devastating consequences on those elders who were dispossessed, that should lessen over generations. Māori – as with any other people – possess resilience and autonomy, and are currently living in a country where they have the same rights and access to justice as everyone else.
Since that time, intervening generations have had trauma shared across all NZers:
One of my affiliated maraes held a welcome back weekend, full of workshops, which was great. One – however – was a workshop run by a very dedicated woman who worked with youth, who was determined to make the marae the first – and only – support place for young people struggling. The problem that arises though – comes from the fact that further conversation during the weekend is that various forms of abuse committed against young people, were suspected to be done by people holding positions of authority in that same marae.
Healthy systems, with appropriate safeguarding and effective constant review – whether Māori or not – give better outcomes. Māori can have organisations and networks – just like non-Māori – that don't perform as they say on the label.
I have a great deal of respect for the older women in my family, and their amazing ability to nurture and care for others, but am fairly pragmatic in what is achieved in the long run.
This paragraph is an example of emotive writing:
"A recent example was her work with a 501 deported from Australia for breaking the law. Whaea Michelle doesn’t use a number to refer to people. Instead, she calls them “a returned citizen”.
He appeared in the dock as a “staunch Aussie” and was uncooperative when asked questions by the judge.
Whaea Michelle went into the dock with him, leaned towards him, and quietly spoke the words “welcome back to your whenua”.
“He burst into tears and I had to hold him.”
It leaves the reader here. My question is: "…and then what?"
It's missing the complete story, and follow up to this person who has been used as a prop for the main dramatic character. That is not to say that nothing else was done for this man, but THAT aspect is the evidential part of the anecdote and is missing.
Thanks for the response, Molly. You're right that there is a story to be told of what happened to the returned citizen after the court appearance, but for me the story was that even the staunchest have feelings as human beings and that welcoming and compassion open the door to those returning from whatever exile or distancing. In fact, thinking about this, it's better we are left to imagine what happened because that will engage our hope and our compassion and not allow negativity to dominate, if we knew the real outcome, such as "he got what he deserved" or "typical woke judge let him off too lightly."
I do believe there is a place for emotion and emotive writing. We can recognise it. I did, feeling quite choked as I told my wife of the article. The writer was writing about the power of emotion, after all.
As for the power of a retained sense of history, an older woman who was one of several powerful in my upbringing, an Irish nun, once gave me a growling about respect for history. As an adult I made some joking reference to her about some of my ancestors with Scottish names who must have been part of the Protestant Ulster Plantation.
"There are some things," she said, "we don't joke about!"
Because it's not history. It's still part of life- the consequences of history and past actions. The poverty, the dispossession, the loss of culture and respect, the racism, the misogyny, the loss of hope, the crushing personal despair.
That is what we here in Aotearoa have been challenged with, in 2024. In our next term or two of government we will have to meet it.
As mentioned, the growling is both a familiar and loved aspect of relationships with many beloved Nannies. I think the deftness that skill requires benefits from decades of caring and honed practice.
(Some old ladies- no doubt, like Irish nuns – hone other skills, and are just mean).
It seems her retirement comes just as people like her are needed the most, given that this new goverment is determined to use police, courts and prisons to solve social problems.
15, Fifteen, Judges sit on the bench of the International Court of Justice, ICJ.
The current 15 sitting judges of the ICJ are:
President Joan Donoghue (United States), Vice-President Kirill Gevorgian (Russian Federation), Judge Mohamed Bennouna (Morocco), Judge Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica) and Judge Hilary Charlesworth (Australia). Judge Peter Tomka (Slovakia), Judge Ronny Abraham (France), Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia), Judge Xue Hanqin (China), Judge Julia Sebutinde (Uganda), Judge Dalveer Bhandari (India), Judge Nawaf Salam (Lebanon), Judge Iwasawa Yuji (Japan), Judge Georg Nolte (Germany) and Judge Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant (Brazil).
Under Article 31, paragraphs 2 and 3, of the Statute of the Court, a nation bringing a case to the ICJ that does not have a sitting judge on the ICJ, have the right to appoint 1, One, Judge ad hoc to the hear and decide on that specific case.
Judges ad hoc take part in any decision on terms of complete equality with their colleagues
South Africa have exercised their right under Article 31 and have appointed Justice Dikgang Moseneke as their judge ad hoc.
16, Sixteen, Judges will decide in the South Africa v Israel genocide case.
16 Judges opens up the possibility of a tied vote.
There is 1, One. Presiding President of the ICJ.
In the event of tied vote. the Presiding President gets an extra vote to break the deadlock.
The current President of the ICJ is Judge Joan E. Donoghue. On the strength of this one case, Judge Donoghue's name is likely to become familiar to the world. In the unlikely event that the vote of the judges is tied, and Judge Donoghue has to cast the deciding vote, Judge Donoghue's name will go down in history.
(Information for this comment was compiled from several sources).
Oops! I neglected to notice that Israel also does not have a sitting judge on the ICJ, which means that Israel too has the right to appoint a judge ad hoc to help decide the case.
With four days to go to court, time is running out for them to get their act together.
The clock is ticking
It looks likely from this evidence that Israel will be mounting a minimal defence of the charges being brought against them by South Africa, and instead are trying to use extra legal measures to pressure the court to reject making any order against them.
Inside Israel's plan to quash South Africa's Gaza genocide case
Barak Ravid, Jan 5, 2024
……The cable, sent by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday, illustrates Israel's diplomatic action plan ahead of next week's ICJ hearing: to create international pressure on the court to not issue an injunction that orders Israel to suspend its military campaign in Gaza.
New Zealand along with many other countries would have received one of these diplomatic cables. Which could account for the fact that while New Zealand and 31, Thirty one, other countries submitted their country's legal opinion to the ICJ over the case of Ukraine vs Russia, only two countries, Malaysia and Turkey have made submissions giving their country's legal opinion on the case South Africa vs. Israel.
Our parliamentary reporters and opposition MPs need to be asking the Minister of Foreign Affairs if pressure from Israel influenced his Ministry's decision not to file a submission as an “Intervening State” giving our country’s legal opinion in the case of South Africa vs. Israel.
Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, leader of Sudan’s feared rebel army the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) met President Ramaphosa in Pretoria on Thursday to discuss efforts to end the country’s brutal civil war.
Fighting erupted in April between Dagalo’s RSF and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council
Ramaphosa welcomed the briefing Dagalo gave him and commended the central role of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) under Djibouti’s chair in mediating between the RSF and Burhan’s Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), the presidency said.
He also welcomed the participation of the people of Sudan and civil society society “in finding a lasting solution to the security and political challenges,” it added in a statement.
I hope to be proved wrong.
If South Africa wins its case against Israel at the ICJ and the ICJ impose orders on Israel to stop its genocidal actions in Gaza. The seperation into two opposing global camps may be averted, or even reversed.
But if Israel is successful in its campaign to avoid having any orders imposed on it by the ICJ, the global separation into two opposing and potentially warring camps will be accelerated.
"In the novel Ayn Rand compares this mythology to her view that the leaders of industry collectively held up the world, and had long struggled and suffered under the weight of it. Her response is that they should simply shrug it off, let the world fall to pieces, and thus show who’s really in charge here. That’s the basic plot of the entire novel: that a relatively small cadre of hard-working creators is the only thing keeping industrial society operating, and when most of them agree to go on strike, and withdraw their efforts from society, everything quickly falls apart."
Russia today may be worth watching to determine what happens when (the metaphorical) Atlas shrugs.
The captains of industry (and finance) have largely abandoned Russia in the face of the threat of sanctions and Putins actions….the current coping mechanisms dont appear (from this distance) to be terribly successful. and indicate worse to come.
I struggled through Atlas Shrugged. Most of the novel was a turgid maelstrom of fantastical thinking insofar as private enterprises would deliver social goods better and cheaper than the public sector.
halfway through, the diatribe really doubled down on that. Rand’s writing really went for the extreme end of government failures when explaining why Taggart Industries was the only way forward. A giant behemoth of a corporation, beset by internal bureaucracy and cost pressures, overseen by Dagny, was in essence just an allegory for comparing with a government behemoth, beset by bureaucracy, overseen by a Minister, struggling with cost pressures.
what atlas shrugged completely neglected was that government is not as beset by cost pressures as private sector is. If funds are needed, govt can always get money and spread it out over the longer term (60 years in the case of Interisland iRex project). Whereas private sector, while being able to pay off over a 5-20 year period, still needs to ensure a steady transfer of profit to the shareholders.
In all, after 1071 pages of the most trashy novel I’ve ever read, that so few people have done, its easy to see why the Atlas Network focus on the “private delivers better” claim of the novel, whilst completely ignoring that Rand’s fantastical thinking completely ignored the ability of the state to take a longer term horizon view.
Even the handful of “liberals” i know that think the state needs to be smaller have never read the novel.
My own take is that the novel was a great reason why the state needs to take ownership and control of things that actually contribute to a functioning society – transport, ferries, electricity and internet.
my guess is no Randian will respond given how few of them seem to have read the book (although that is based on my limited experience) but even David Seymour has said he hasn’t read the book.
Anyone who believes the private sector is better should read the novel after which they might realise social utilities are actually better retained in state control.
NZs own experience with the railways should be enough for that, but unlikely historical knowledge will be a feature in such analysis!
Listening to RNZ they are playing New Zealand song's and on comes Pauli Faumauina's Land of Plenty it makes me cry to hear the lyrics. Now it’s the country of the Landed Gentry!
Food poverty when we have enough food to feed 40 million
Housing shortage when we have enough land and trees to house a 100 million
The clean rivers all but a few can't be swam in or drink out of now.
thats all happened relatively recently.
I have rewritten the song
Came to this land of vultures praying on the peasants
Came to this land of bad times where food banks are plenty
Came to this land of hate and division.
Where only the landed Gentry have entry!
They are the only ones now that have plenty while the rest of us can't pay the rent today.
The BNZ used Pauli's song to sell us out while the peasants struggle to even get enough food from the ever expanding number of food bank's
”New Zealand has already chosen a rhetorical side based, presumably, on its support for the principles of freedom of navigation and its rejection of the argument that the Houthis are doing the little that they can to resist genocide in Gaza. Should NZ send a warship to join the CTF-153 naval picket fence protecting commercial ships running the gauntlet at Bad-el-Mandeb, then it will have further staked its position on the side of its Western security partners as well as put its sailors in harm’s way. Some will say that it has placed more value on containers than the lives of Gazan children.
That may be a pragmatic decision based on sincere belief in the “freedom of the seas” principle, disbelief in the Houthi’s sincerity when it comes to resisting genocide (or the argument itself), concern about Iranian machinations and the presence of Russia and the PRC in the regional balance of power contest, indirect support for Israel or simply paying, as John Key once said, “the price for being on the team.” Whatever the reason or combination thereof, it appears to the neutral eye that once again NZ has put facilitation of trade ahead of upholding universal human rights in its foreign policy calculations.”
Over time it has become clear that the attacks were against the trade of nations in Europe supportive of Ukraine and thus did not impact on Russia or China etc.
Which makes the claim of the Houthi to be focused on opposition to genocide clearly fallacious. Unsurprising since they began in response to Israeli attacks in Gaza even before serious claims of war crimes, let alone genocide, had occurred.
People spent years calling for some sort of accountability and all it took was a tv drama.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating the Post Office over potential fraud offences after the wrongful prosecution of subpostmasters.
The police confirmed on Friday that it is looking into the handling of the Horizon IT scandal – "such as the monies recovered from subpostmasters as a result of prosecutions or civil actions".
Finished doing the storage hardware updates at 0016 this monday morning. SPC noticed me taking the site offline even if no-one else did.. This was porting the old motherboard off the bleeding edge one that I put in in 2017 to one that was current at the start of last year
Theoretically, the site should be running about 11x faster on data storage operations. For commenters, that means on comments. But my testing says that it is about 6-8x faster. I need to look at other contributing factors like the spam filters. There are other changes to the backup operations that also helped.
The main reason for doing this now was developing the new site theme.
I wanted to test it with the live data of 30 thousand posts and 1.8 million comments. Works on the test set of 500 post / 2800 comment testing data set. However with the relentless scraper activity by bots, that was proving to be hard to do.
The full-site theme editing was just too slow when there was so much background traffic – especially if I turned local and offsite caching off.
Back to work tomorrow so the theme gets the rest of its testing and fixes in unpaid time. So it will be a little longer.
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Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Member’s Bill that will protect women’s spaces. The ‘Fair Access to Bathrooms Bill’ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ continuation of Hon. James Shaw’s cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Council’s District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestine’s participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. It’s a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. “Our servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealand’s ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Government’s focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “An enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “A key part of the coalition Government’s plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. “Despite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Government’s approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me. I’d like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Ladies and gentlemen - In diplomacy, we often speak of ‘close’ and ‘long-standing’ relations. ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
“Instead of following along countries that are investing in death and better ways of killing people faster, we need to invest in life and in making Aotearoa a fair, just and equitable place where everyone has what they need for a dignified life.” ...
MARIAMENO KAPA-KINGI, TPM MP FOR TAI TOKERAU This Government will not waver in its mission to exterminate Māori. CHRISTOPHER LUXON Oh well look you know I don’t think that hard-working Kiwis want to hear language like that. It’s just really unhelpful rhetoric. My Government is genuinely committed to advancing outcomes ...
The body positivity movement started with women confronting the unrealistic expectations and unrepresentative portrayals of them in media and advertising. Men weren’t part of it … their bodies hadn’t been sexualised to the same extremes and they didn’t really need it. But now that’s changed. And in a warped sort ...
A banner notification alerts me to the fact that I’ve received an Instagram message from @felicity.loves. She always comments on my posts. I shouldn’t have opened the message, but clicked on the notification before rationalising this. OMG! Are you in Wellys? X I debate not replying, but Instagram will inform ...
In Melbourne’s hardscrabble western suburbs where AFL – Aussie rules football – is a state religion, Callum Donaldson has been quietly grafting away, four months into an odyssey that he hopes will take him to another promised land: the NRL. It was a solid 2023 for the softly spoken 20-year-old ...
Pacific Media Watch Television New Zealand Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to investigative journalism and Pacific communities in a ceremony at Government House, reports 1News. She has been the Pacific correspondent for 1News since 2002, breaking many ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Tuesday’s budget will respond to the deepening public agitation over Australia’s housing shortages by pouring new money into crisis accommodation for women and children, social housing and infrastructure. A specially-convened national cabinet late Friday ticked ...
By Kaneta Naimatu in Suva Journalists in the Pacific region play an important role as the “eyes and ears on the ground” when it comes to reporting the climate crisis, says the European Union’s Pacific Ambassador Barbara Plinkert. Speaking at The University of the South Pacific (USP) on World Press ...
Aldora Itunu is back in the Black Ferns squad after a three-year absence. The last of her 24 internationals was an underwhelming loss to France (7-29) in Castres to conclude the disastrous 2021 Northern Tour. The powerhouse prop won a Rugby World Cup in 2017 and thought she was done. ...
The fight to control major transport policy and projects in Auckland has burst into the open again, with councillors rejecting Mayor Wayne Brown’s latest attempt to steer things more under his influence. Councillors from the left and right broke ranks on the mayor’s bid to control Auckland Transport more directly ...
Exhausted by the general election campaign, horrified by the twilight zone of coalition negotiations, distracted by the silly season and waiting for the honeymoon to begin, Raw Politics has been in hibernation since October. From today, we’re back. Our weekly political video show and podcast returns for ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk Authorities in the small town of Boulouparis have commemorated Armistice Day on May 8 with a new memorial honouring New Zealand soldiers who were stationed in New Caledonia during World War II. The ceremony took place in the township on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Dehm, Senior lecturer, international migration and refugee law, University of Technology Sydney The High Court unanimously ruled today that the Australian government can keep asylum seekers in immigration detention indefinitely in cases where they do not “voluntarily” cooperate with their own ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Munro, Lecturer, Creative Industries and Digital Media, University of South Australia Twenty-four hours after the release of Macklemore’s pro-Palestine protest song Hind’s Hall on social media on May 7, the video had already notched up over 24 million views. In ...
Failing to anticipate the complexity of the consenting system is being cited as the the current builder's shortcomings, an Infrastructure Commission review says. ...
350 Aotearoa is calling the Environment Select Committee’s decision to allow oral submissions from just 40% of individual, unique submitters who asked to speak to the committee ‘a disgraceful blight to democracy’. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Helal, Assistant Dean (Sustainability), The University of Melbourne Dubai skylineAleksandarPasaric/Pexels Since ancient times, people have built structures that reach for the skies – from the steep spires of medieval towers to the grand domes of ancient cathedrals and mosques. Today ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Musole, PhD Law Student, University of New England Girts Ragelis/ShutterstockRecent trends show Australians are increasingly buying wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These electronics track our body movements or vital signs to provide data throughout the day, with ...
Papua New Guinea experienced a significant earthquake on 24 March in East Sepik and there has also been recent flooding there and in surrounding provinces. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yousuf Mohammed, Dermatology researcher, The University of Queensland Maridav/Shutterstock You wake up, stagger to the bathroom and gaze into the mirror. No, you’re not imagining it. You’ve developed face wrinkles overnight. They’re sleep wrinkles. Sleep wrinkles are temporary. But as your ...
The Environment Select Committee has just announced that 60 percent of individuals who asked to speak at the hearings will not be heard. This equates to almost 700 people who made individual submissions and more than 1000 more who made a form submission. ...
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is performing Swan Lake around the country. What kind of dream does the ballet sell?Before going to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet perform Swan Lake, I had about as much familiarity with the plot of this ballet as could be expected from having ...
A new poem by Auckland poet Eamonn Tee. High Tide at Local Maxima It is only going to get worse. The streams will be narrow and fickle. The week will bend and buckle like a pot-bellied waist. You will make it to the weekend with one ...
The New Zealand entrepreneur behind beauty business Ethique is gearing up to launch a new eco-venture. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Our thirst for a tasty bevvy is insatiable, but it comes with a hefty plastic price for the planet: 580 billion ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 James by Percival Everett (Mantle, $38) A retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from ...
By Kamna Kumar in Suva Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Henry Puna stressed the importance of media freedom and its link to the climate and environmental crisis at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day event organised by the University of the South Pacific’s journalism programme. Under the theme “A Planet for ...
Tara Ward previews a new local TV series offering alternative visions of motherhood. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. A woman is clambering up the side of her two-story house, clinging desperately to a drainpipe. Nearby, her child is perched on the ...
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) is supportive of the cross-party approach to climate adaptation announced by the Minister of Climate Change today. ...
The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) and Climate Leaders Coalition (CLC) welcome today’s announcement from Government around a bipartisan inquiry into an enduring climate adaptation framework for New Zealand. ...
The Free Speech Union welcomes the decision by the Department of Internal Affairs, and Minister Brooke Van Velden, to abandon proposals to further regulate online speech. ...
Its new building in Wellington will not be nearly big enough for all its records, and it has also run out of money to build its new storage facility in Levin. ...
BusinessNZ is congratulating the Minister of Climate Change for his work in achieving cross-party consensus for a way forward on climate adaptation. ...
Recent research reveals the repeal of smokefree measures is not only bad for our health, but also the economy. The Government has repealed various smokefree measures to ensure it keeps collecting $1.2 billion a year in tobacco taxes, in order to pay for tax cuts already being delivered to ...
The club’s surprisingly good season is built on the desire to prove a random A-League YouTuber wrong… and a few other factors.“There’s no way that Wellington Phoenix play finals this year. I can’t see it happening at all.” Those are the words of Lachlan Raeside, an Australian football content ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology Apple TV+ As one of billions of bilingual individuals in the world, it disappoints me when a film or TV show with characters of a non-English-speaking background is ...
The under-utilised course is a waste of space, and with a little political will, it could be turned into something better. For the duration of her stay in Wellington, my long-suffering cousin listened to me rant about golf courses. They’re bad for the environment: water intensive and pesticide heavy. They ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leah Ruppanner, Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of The Future of Work Lab, Podcast at MissPerceived, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows US fertility rates dropped 2% in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Corderoy, Medical doctor and PhD candidate studying involuntary psychiatric treatment, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney shop_py/Shutterstock Picture two people, both suffering from a serious mental illness requiring hospital admission. One was born in Australia, the other in Asia. Hopefully, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Treby, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University P.j.Hickox, Shutterstock Peatlands store more carbon per square metre than any other ecosystem on Earth. These waterlogged, mossy bogs beat even dense rainforests for their ability to act as carbon reservoirs. Under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Goss, Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra Government spending on health has been growing so rapidly that a decade ago the then health minister Peter Dutton called it “unmanageable” and “unsustainable”. Health spending grew in real terms by ...
New Zealand's largest electricity distributor is warning the country to hurry up with controls around charging electric vehicles or face unnecessary bills running into the billions. ...
New Zealanders have been asked to conserve energy this morning to combat a possible electricity shortfall, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. A call to conserve power New Zealand is facing a possible electricity shortfall, with people up ...
Writer Rebecca K Reilly breaks down the national book awards. What are the Ockhams?The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are our annual national awards for books published for adults, and have existed in this form since 2016. There are four categories: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction. There ...
Wellington City Council should keep its 34% ownership share in Wellington International Airport, argue Unions Wellington spokespeople Finn Cordwell and Ashok Jacob. Insanity, as the saying goes, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Wellington City Council (WCC) is yet again proposing to dispose ...
New Zealand’s largest book publisher has undergone drastic changes this week, leaving its future role in local publishing uncertain. Two of the most recognisable local publishers in New Zealand are among those restructured out of Penguin Random House, it was announced this week. Head of publishing Claire Murdoch will leave ...
Successive governments have tried, and failed, to count Māori. But with the return of social investment, it’s more important than ever to get good data. The post Government looks for a better way to count Māori appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Experts in financing social investment initiatives say New Zealand is in a prime position to tackle social issues via a social investment approach The post What will Willis’ social investment fund look like? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
In 2021 the Public Interest Journalism Fund launched the Te Rito Journalism project, a $2.4 million initiative to boost diversity in New Zealand’s newsrooms. The initiative was in response to the decades-long shortage of Māori and Pacific journalists in the media industry. It was billed as New Zealand’s ...
The Black Ferns Sevens appeared to be a mile behind Australia at the halfway point of the 2023-24 SVNS international circuit. Winless in three tournaments, a cup quarter-final exit in Perth was one of their worst results. To add insult to injury, talismanic skipper Sarah Hirini had been ruled out ...
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Just wanna kick off the day by acknowledging and thanking weka for all the mahi yesterday.
At times it was akin to herding kittens.
Thanks for your time and patience yesty weka, it will be a positive influence on TS.
By using the phrase herding kittens you are othering some of the the participants in the conversation yesterday. It trivialises and belittles. Please stop.
Very offensive to those that identify as cats
Exactly.
The downside to identifying as a cat: https://twitter.com/MattCartoonist/status/1671205803246727185?lang=en
Meooow!
F for Feline, and mice make great play mates.
lol, that's actually quite funny.
Yes, weka and all the moderators do an admirable job of preventing The Standard from becoming a sewer like kiwiblog.
It's been shown on here before, but worth reprising: weka chasing a right wing stoat!
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=weka+chasing+stoat&sca_esv=596241605&sxsrf=AM9HkKmQWO5rU3p0zUMjt5gjSBthx0WV_Q%3A1704568667006&source=hp&ei=WqeZZYqDO4-Svr0Px4iCgAY&iflsig=AO6bgOgAAAAAZZm1a4n4s4YmjrxMY6zYWnx1XxOWjv0V&oq=weka+chasing+&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ig13ZWthIGNoYXNpbmcgKgIIADIGEAAYFhgeMgsQABiABBiKBRiGAzILEAAYgAQYigUYhgMyCxAAGIAEGIoFGIYDMgsQABiABBiKBRiGA0jMTFAAWNYccAB4AJABAJgB1gKgAaQVqgEHMC43LjUuMbgBAcgBAPgBAcICChAjGIAEGIoFGCfCAgQQIxgnwgIREAAYgAQYigUYkQIYsQMYgwHCAhEQLhiABBiKBRiRAhixAxiDAcICCxAAGIAEGLEDGIMBwgIREC4YgAQYsQMYgwEYxwEY0QPCAg4QABiABBiKBRixAxiDAcICEhAjGIAEGIoFGCcYnQIYRhiAAsICCxAAGIAEGIoFGJECwgILEC4YgAQYxwEYrwHCAhEQLhiDARivARjHARixAxiABMICCxAuGIMBGLEDGIAEwgIFEAAYgATCAgsQLhivARjHARiABMICBxAAGIAEGAo&sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a5e7285e,vid:gQ-IJ7-mUXY,st:0
But, thanks to all the moderators!
😂
https://youtu.be/m_MaJDK3VNE?feature=shared
For a laugh, herding cats.
I read all the posts of pejorative language yesterday and it occurs to me that we're being a bit precious.
Is it not just the normal and endlessly fascinating evolution of the English language.
I would think most of the participants will be well aware of how the words; damn, bugger, bastard were viewed 6 or 7 decades ago. Then not so long ago was the Gaye alphabet soup stuff and the F word, the C word not so much, but watch this space.
thanks gsays. It was a bit of work, but tbh I enjoyed a lot of the conversation and think it was good. It was great to see Standardistas grappling with a gnarly topic and talking about it and without the personalised stuff and acrimony that used to be a feature here.
Thanks for all the work Weka. I'd be lost without TS.
(Sitting here in the Karamea Pub….so friendly….pondering the excellent post today on the Taxpayers Union, Koch brothers etc)
Cheers BG. I've had no inspiration to write posts, so am very grateful to the other authors. But feelings a bit of a renewal in teh past few days. The Atlas post probably has something to do with it 😈
Lucky you in Karamea!
Not entirely sure what Mark Mitchell is up to. Still on holiday, perhaps? He has strutted around for the last years, a self proclaimed sheriff who was going to crush the gangs.
But here they are in the $1000 VVIP section of Juicy Fest with Bulldog face tattoos, and gang colours starting fights and barking like dogs.
So much for the rhetoric.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fights-assaults-mongrel-mob-gang-members-ruin-juicy-fest-wellington-man-says/EZB3GWF3EVBMHI2JGSLW2EKF6E/
Here's another who deserves our gratitude. A story on Stuff of a remarkable woman to whom I lift my hat. She spent twenty years, including Christmases, in an Auckland court advocating for, helping, supporting the homeless and dispossessed, the 'returned citizens' and the broken ones. At 72 years of age, she retires to be with her whanau.
One story- a Māori man in the dock is not granted bail since the judge says he has no suitable home address. His calm reply and the interpretation given it by Whaea Michelle Kidd is a short history of generations of New Zealanders.
A sobering challenge or wero such as she gave to the court is given to us also, with her comment on the effects of poverty and inter-generational dispossession for Māori.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/301031777/whaea-to-the-homeless-who-wasnt-afraid-to-give-judges-a-growling-retires-after-20-years
She sounds like an admirable woman, working from the heart. The stories relate to all she has helped, without referring to them as solely Māori.
This comment is an opinion, based on her perspective rather than evidence. Not all Māori had access to, or possession of land. What they had – as opposed to non-Māori were networks of kin, and community places to restore and heal.
"“When you dispossess people of their land, there is an intergenerational trauma that should not be denied.”
She spoke of an example where a judge declined bail for a Māori man because he didn’t have a suitable address.
In a calm voice, the man managed to respond: “You took our f…… land, and now I’m going to prison because I don’t have any.”
This recitation is a catechism. This man may know the details of an historical land claim directly related to him, but that detail is unnecessary when it can be used as the sole excuse for his present situation.
That simplistic view, creates an encouragement of passive victimhood which is not helpful to current generations. Bastion Point has living people who are directly affected by government land taking. The historical – and convoluted land confiscations from the latter part of the 1800s, have processes available and although may have direct, immediate and devastating consequences on those elders who were dispossessed, that should lessen over generations. Māori – as with any other people – possess resilience and autonomy, and are currently living in a country where they have the same rights and access to justice as everyone else.
Since that time, intervening generations have had trauma shared across all NZers:
Spanish flu – https://nzhistory.govt.nz/te-akomanga/contexts-activities/comparing-pandemics#:~:text=The%20flu%20pandemic%20of%201918,so%20communities%20were%20already%20traumatised.
The World Wars: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/first-world-war-by-numbers
The polio epidemic: https://teara.govt.nz/en/epidemics/page-5#:~:text=New%20Zealand%20experienced%20polio%20epidemics,if%20they%20catch%20this%20disease.
…etc…
One of my affiliated maraes held a welcome back weekend, full of workshops, which was great. One – however – was a workshop run by a very dedicated woman who worked with youth, who was determined to make the marae the first – and only – support place for young people struggling. The problem that arises though – comes from the fact that further conversation during the weekend is that various forms of abuse committed against young people, were suspected to be done by people holding positions of authority in that same marae.
Healthy systems, with appropriate safeguarding and effective constant review – whether Māori or not – give better outcomes. Māori can have organisations and networks – just like non-Māori – that don't perform as they say on the label.
I have a great deal of respect for the older women in my family, and their amazing ability to nurture and care for others, but am fairly pragmatic in what is achieved in the long run.
This paragraph is an example of emotive writing:
"A recent example was her work with a 501 deported from Australia for breaking the law. Whaea Michelle doesn’t use a number to refer to people. Instead, she calls them “a returned citizen”.
He appeared in the dock as a “staunch Aussie” and was uncooperative when asked questions by the judge.
Whaea Michelle went into the dock with him, leaned towards him, and quietly spoke the words “welcome back to your whenua”.
“He burst into tears and I had to hold him.”
It leaves the reader here. My question is: "…and then what?"
It's missing the complete story, and follow up to this person who has been used as a prop for the main dramatic character. That is not to say that nothing else was done for this man, but THAT aspect is the evidential part of the anecdote and is missing.
…as an addendum.. most Nanas are spectacularly good at growling.
It's considered to be both a privilege of old age, and an expected form of affection.
Thanks for the response, Molly. You're right that there is a story to be told of what happened to the returned citizen after the court appearance, but for me the story was that even the staunchest have feelings as human beings and that welcoming and compassion open the door to those returning from whatever exile or distancing. In fact, thinking about this, it's better we are left to imagine what happened because that will engage our hope and our compassion and not allow negativity to dominate, if we knew the real outcome, such as "he got what he deserved" or "typical woke judge let him off too lightly."
I do believe there is a place for emotion and emotive writing. We can recognise it. I did, feeling quite choked as I told my wife of the article. The writer was writing about the power of emotion, after all.
As for the power of a retained sense of history, an older woman who was one of several powerful in my upbringing, an Irish nun, once gave me a growling about respect for history. As an adult I made some joking reference to her about some of my ancestors with Scottish names who must have been part of the Protestant Ulster Plantation.
"There are some things," she said, "we don't joke about!"
Because it's not history. It's still part of life- the consequences of history and past actions. The poverty, the dispossession, the loss of culture and respect, the racism, the misogyny, the loss of hope, the crushing personal despair.
That is what we here in Aotearoa have been challenged with, in 2024. In our next term or two of government we will have to meet it.
As mentioned, the growling is both a familiar and loved aspect of relationships with many beloved Nannies. I think the deftness that skill requires benefits from decades of caring and honed practice.
(Some old ladies- no doubt, like Irish nuns – hone other skills, and are just mean).
Truly inspiring thankyou.
It seems her retirement comes just as people like her are needed the most, given that this new goverment is determined to use police, courts and prisons to solve social problems.
Numbers count
15, Fifteen, Judges sit on the bench of the International Court of Justice, ICJ.
The current 15 sitting judges of the ICJ are:
President Joan Donoghue (United States), Vice-President Kirill Gevorgian (Russian Federation), Judge Mohamed Bennouna (Morocco), Judge Patrick Lipton Robinson (Jamaica) and Judge Hilary Charlesworth (Australia). Judge Peter Tomka (Slovakia), Judge Ronny Abraham (France), Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia), Judge Xue Hanqin (China), Judge Julia Sebutinde (Uganda), Judge Dalveer Bhandari (India), Judge Nawaf Salam (Lebanon), Judge Iwasawa Yuji (Japan), Judge Georg Nolte (Germany) and Judge Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant (Brazil).
Under Article 31, paragraphs 2 and 3, of the Statute of the Court, a nation bringing a case to the ICJ that does not have a sitting judge on the ICJ, have the right to appoint 1, One, Judge ad hoc to the hear and decide on that specific case.
Judges ad hoc take part in any decision on terms of complete equality with their colleagues
South Africa have exercised their right under Article 31 and have appointed Justice Dikgang Moseneke as their judge ad hoc.
16, Sixteen, Judges will decide in the South Africa v Israel genocide case.
16 Judges opens up the possibility of a tied vote.
There is 1, One. Presiding President of the ICJ.
In the event of tied vote. the Presiding President gets an extra vote to break the deadlock.
The current President of the ICJ is Judge Joan E. Donoghue. On the strength of this one case, Judge Donoghue's name is likely to become familiar to the world. In the unlikely event that the vote of the judges is tied, and Judge Donoghue has to cast the deciding vote, Judge Donoghue's name will go down in history.
(Information for this comment was compiled from several sources).
Oops! I neglected to notice that Israel also does not have a sitting judge on the ICJ, which means that Israel too has the right to appoint a judge ad hoc to help decide the case.
[deleted]
https://www.newarab.com/news/who-representing-israel-s-africa-gaza-genocide-case
deleted copypasta. Did you read my mod note from yesterday?
It seems from the New Arab article, the Israel defence seems to be in total disarray.
https://www.newarab.com/news/who-representing-israel-s-africa-gaza-genocide-case
With four days to go to court, time is running out for them to get their act together.
The clock is ticking
It looks likely from this evidence that Israel will be mounting a minimal defence of the charges being brought against them by South Africa, and instead are trying to use extra legal measures to pressure the court to reject making any order against them.
Numbers Count:
New Zealand along with many other countries would have received one of these diplomatic cables. Which could account for the fact that while New Zealand and 31, Thirty one, other countries submitted their country's legal opinion to the ICJ over the case of Ukraine vs Russia, only two countries, Malaysia and Turkey have made submissions giving their country's legal opinion on the case South Africa vs. Israel.
Our parliamentary reporters and opposition MPs need to be asking the Minister of Foreign Affairs if pressure from Israel influenced his Ministry's decision not to file a submission as an “Intervening State” giving our country’s legal opinion in the case of South Africa vs. Israel.
Meanwhile, and you couldn't make this shit up if you tried, the President of SA plays footsie with Hemedti, AKA the butcher of Darfur, leader of the Janjaweed militia who participated in the Darfur genocide.
Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, leader of Sudan’s feared rebel army the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) met President Ramaphosa in Pretoria on Thursday to discuss efforts to end the country’s brutal civil war.
Fighting erupted in April between Dagalo’s RSF and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council
Ramaphosa welcomed the briefing Dagalo gave him and commended the central role of the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) under Djibouti’s chair in mediating between the RSF and Burhan’s Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), the presidency said.
He also welcomed the participation of the people of Sudan and civil society society “in finding a lasting solution to the security and political challenges,” it added in a statement.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-01-05-sudans-feared-rsf-rebel-leader-dagalo-meets-ramaphosa/
https://archive.li/fP1dw
The always good Joe90:
"…..the President of SA plays footsie with Hemedti, AKA the butcher of Darfur, leader of the Janjaweed militia who participated in the Darfur genocide."
The world is in danger of separating out into two opposing camps.
Each claiming to be arbiters of morality and law
Neither of which really care about the Rules Based International Order.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_international_order#:~:text=In%20international%20relations%2C%20the%20liberal,liberal%20internationalism%20since%20the%20late
I hope to be proved wrong.
If South Africa wins its case against Israel at the ICJ and the ICJ impose orders on Israel to stop its genocidal actions in Gaza. The seperation into two opposing global camps may be averted, or even reversed.
But if Israel is successful in its campaign to avoid having any orders imposed on it by the ICJ, the global separation into two opposing and potentially warring camps will be accelerated.
Just don't get your hopes up that ICJ rulings will alter Israel's policy or political direction.
May even make them more determined. Particularly if Hamas are called as witnesses
What would happen if Atlas shrugged?
"In the novel Ayn Rand compares this mythology to her view that the leaders of industry collectively held up the world, and had long struggled and suffered under the weight of it. Her response is that they should simply shrug it off, let the world fall to pieces, and thus show who’s really in charge here. That’s the basic plot of the entire novel: that a relatively small cadre of hard-working creators is the only thing keeping industrial society operating, and when most of them agree to go on strike, and withdraw their efforts from society, everything quickly falls apart."
_(ツ)_/
please provide the link.
Russia today may be worth watching to determine what happens when (the metaphorical) Atlas shrugs.
The captains of industry (and finance) have largely abandoned Russia in the face of the threat of sanctions and Putins actions….the current coping mechanisms dont appear (from this distance) to be terribly successful. and indicate worse to come.
The bind being the industrialists build a civilisation that requires their permanent dominance; collapsing is unthinkable!!
Most of civilisation has swallowed that myth.
I struggled through Atlas Shrugged. Most of the novel was a turgid maelstrom of fantastical thinking insofar as private enterprises would deliver social goods better and cheaper than the public sector.
halfway through, the diatribe really doubled down on that. Rand’s writing really went for the extreme end of government failures when explaining why Taggart Industries was the only way forward. A giant behemoth of a corporation, beset by internal bureaucracy and cost pressures, overseen by Dagny, was in essence just an allegory for comparing with a government behemoth, beset by bureaucracy, overseen by a Minister, struggling with cost pressures.
what atlas shrugged completely neglected was that government is not as beset by cost pressures as private sector is. If funds are needed, govt can always get money and spread it out over the longer term (60 years in the case of Interisland iRex project). Whereas private sector, while being able to pay off over a 5-20 year period, still needs to ensure a steady transfer of profit to the shareholders.
In all, after 1071 pages of the most trashy novel I’ve ever read, that so few people have done, its easy to see why the Atlas Network focus on the “private delivers better” claim of the novel, whilst completely ignoring that Rand’s fantastical thinking completely ignored the ability of the state to take a longer term horizon view.
Even the handful of “liberals” i know that think the state needs to be smaller have never read the novel.
My own take is that the novel was a great reason why the state needs to take ownership and control of things that actually contribute to a functioning society – transport, ferries, electricity and internet.
Well described, James!
I wonder how any "smart" Randian might respond to your critique.
Thanks Robert.
my guess is no Randian will respond given how few of them seem to have read the book (although that is based on my limited experience) but even David Seymour has said he hasn’t read the book.
Anyone who believes the private sector is better should read the novel after which they might realise social utilities are actually better retained in state control.
NZs own experience with the railways should be enough for that, but unlikely historical knowledge will be a feature in such analysis!
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-atlas-shrugged
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrug#:~:text=The%20shrug%20emoticon%2C%20better%20known,character%20tsu%20from%20Japanese%20katakana.
Listening to RNZ they are playing New Zealand song's and on comes Pauli Faumauina's Land of Plenty it makes me cry to hear the lyrics. Now it’s the country of the Landed Gentry!
Food poverty when we have enough food to feed 40 million
Housing shortage when we have enough land and trees to house a 100 million
The clean rivers all but a few can't be swam in or drink out of now.
thats all happened relatively recently.
I have rewritten the song
Came to this land of vultures praying on the peasants
Came to this land of bad times where food banks are plenty
Came to this land of hate and division.
Where only the landed Gentry have entry!
They are the only ones now that have plenty while the rest of us can't pay the rent today.
The BNZ used Pauli's song to sell us out while the peasants struggle to even get enough food from the ever expanding number of food bank's
Hello….??
Yes….I am BACK everyone!!! Ready to take on this abomination of the 6th National government.
Is the coalition on the wrong side of history again?
From Kiwipolitico.
https://www.kiwipolitico.com/2024/01/about-the-houthi-red-sea-blockage/
”New Zealand has already chosen a rhetorical side based, presumably, on its support for the principles of freedom of navigation and its rejection of the argument that the Houthis are doing the little that they can to resist genocide in Gaza. Should NZ send a warship to join the CTF-153 naval picket fence protecting commercial ships running the gauntlet at Bad-el-Mandeb, then it will have further staked its position on the side of its Western security partners as well as put its sailors in harm’s way. Some will say that it has placed more value on containers than the lives of Gazan children.
That may be a pragmatic decision based on sincere belief in the “freedom of the seas” principle, disbelief in the Houthi’s sincerity when it comes to resisting genocide (or the argument itself), concern about Iranian machinations and the presence of Russia and the PRC in the regional balance of power contest, indirect support for Israel or simply paying, as John Key once said, “the price for being on the team.” Whatever the reason or combination thereof, it appears to the neutral eye that once again NZ has put facilitation of trade ahead of upholding universal human rights in its foreign policy calculations.”
Watch the oil futures graphs closely, and you'll see if we should be interested.
Over time it has become clear that the attacks were against the trade of nations in Europe supportive of Ukraine and thus did not impact on Russia or China etc.
Which makes the claim of the Houthi to be focused on opposition to genocide clearly fallacious. Unsurprising since they began in response to Israeli attacks in Gaza even before serious claims of war crimes, let alone genocide, had occurred.
People spent years calling for some sort of accountability and all it took was a tv drama.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating the Post Office over potential fraud offences after the wrongful prosecution of subpostmasters.
The police confirmed on Friday that it is looking into the handling of the Horizon IT scandal – "such as the monies recovered from subpostmasters as a result of prosecutions or civil actions".
https://news.sky.com/story/post-office-investigated-by-police-over-potential-fraud-offences-13042832
Edit:
@flaminhaystacks
THREAD
Seema Misra who is married to Davinder, took over the Post Office in West Byfleet, Surrey, in 2005
She noticed the Horizon computer system showed a shortfall of £80 on her first day of training
The trainer told her the accounts were never exact
https://twitter.com/flaminhaystacks/status/1743545499104244208
More on the PO shortfalls scandal
https://twitter.com/flaminhaystacks/status/1742094530713632768
Finished doing the storage hardware updates at 0016 this monday morning. SPC noticed me taking the site offline even if no-one else did.. This was porting the old motherboard off the bleeding edge one that I put in in 2017 to one that was current at the start of last year
Theoretically, the site should be running about 11x faster on data storage operations. For commenters, that means on comments. But my testing says that it is about 6-8x faster. I need to look at other contributing factors like the spam filters. There are other changes to the backup operations that also helped.
The main reason for doing this now was developing the new site theme.
I wanted to test it with the live data of 30 thousand posts and 1.8 million comments. Works on the test set of 500 post / 2800 comment testing data set. However with the relentless scraper activity by bots, that was proving to be hard to do.
The full-site theme editing was just too slow when there was so much background traffic – especially if I turned local and offsite caching off.
Back to work tomorrow so the theme gets the rest of its testing and fixes in unpaid time. So it will be a little longer.