Open mike 07/07/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 7th, 2010 - 27 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

It’s open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

Comment on whatever takes your fancy.

The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

27 comments on “Open mike 07/07/2010 ”

  1. ianmac 2

    I might get smacked for this but twice now on opening online Herald pages, I glanced at the photo of Michael Jackson on the page then realised it was the ——- Australian PM.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=280

  2. prism 3

    Put a comment on Key in Korea but can’t see the number – main number 3 clear, 3.1 visible, next me invisible. Does shadowing get washed out as numbers progress? I think numbering is good idea, helpful tracing. Though a following comment can get pushed down so far by other later ones, that it is hard to find original initiating one.

    • Lanthanide 3.1

      Yes, IMO the child numbers from x.1 downwards are just too hard to see. They need to be bolded/bigger font size/darker grey, any of the three should fix it.

  3. prism 4

    Auckland waterfront spats and spits! Interesting how all these politicians have a precise set of ideas as to how things should look. Their view seems essentially middle class bland showcase with the provenance of the suburbs in The Truman Show.

    The raw gutsy vibrant growth of a port and its trade results in its own vital attraction. Nothing wrong with keeping that. These social-climbing rich guys don’t feel that it represents them and their lifestyles. True. The hard work that goes into making and growing things, freighting them, running the businesses that create the wealth of a country is exciting and interesting and the connected buildings have an attraction. They have a lingering inbuilt memory that’s not as obvious as a smelly woolshed but the buildings housing that industry connect their past, the people who worked there to the present affluent community.

    When I was overseas years ago I noted that Sydney had a waterfront area still with old buildings, Copenhagen had a colourful port area. There is nothing wrong with some industrial-styled buildings for Auckland. An architect can make them exciting and accentuate features which will make them attractive and unique to their place. And rugby types are not known for their fine appreciation of architecture and culture – they are more interested in the inner man and his desire for pleasure not the buildings that surround him.

  4. sean14 5

    Out of interest, was there a post on The Standard regarding Raymond Huo’s blog entry on Red Alert about China and Tibet? I didn’t detect one so I assume the issue was swept quietly under the carpet.

    I note that Phil Goff has told Huo that his posts should reflect Labour policy, even though the blog tells us that what we will read are the individual positions of MPs.

    It all seems pretty hollow considering the outrage expressed by various people on The Standard over the Prime Minister’s supposed sucking up to China after Russel Norman’s free Tibet protest when Goff seems to have gone to great pains to tell Huo off and re-affirm Labour’s commitment to the one China policy. I’m not even sure why Goff told Huo off, I would think the Chinese would love his post.

    Speaking of the evils of sucking up to China in order to secure ever greater amounts of filthy capitalist lucre, which government was it that negotiated the free trade deal with China in the first place?

    [lprent: Can’t remember one myself. The authors write about what they find interesting. Frequently that isn’t the NZLP – NACT is far more fun to poke the borax into.

    In fact I can’t remember writing one myself about the NZLP apart from a few by-election ones for my home electorate. Usually it is the authors who are not NZLP members that tend to write about the NZLP. As a NZLP member, I can express dissatisfaction far more easily and effectively within the party.

    So your point is? Probably that you need to read the last section in the About? ]

  5. sean14 6

    My point is that Labour is as keen to suck up to China as National is, but it only seems to be worthy of comment by posters/readers on The Standard when National is doing it. Hypocrisy abounds.

    However, I fully understand that it’s not my blog and whomever’s it “is” can do what they like, or not, with it.

    • Pascal's bookie 6.1

      I’m not even sure why Goff told Huo off, I would think the Chinese would love his post

      So how does it support your point then?

    • lprent 6.2

      If you look back to yesterday with Julie’s post (actually the day before) you can see the frustration from readers about what authors choose to write about coming from other places than the right as well. In that case she remembered that we we’d left her a login in September 2008 and used it :). Which is why we left her the login.

      Our authors do this stuff in their spare time, we don’t get paid to do it. So it gets done as and when we feel like it. It also gets done when we have some spare time. We make no attempt to get a comprehensive coverage even of the topics we’re interested in. We’re also not a news service – we offer opinions rather than reporting.

      If you really feel strongly about it, then hit the Contribute button and write your own post. If it is reasonably well written and/or makes a good set of points then it will probably get published. That sometimes takes a while because one of us has to have the time to read it, post it, do the basic editing, and publish it. Of course it also depends entirely on the vagaries of who reads the e-mail queue if they think it has any merit…

  6. Olwyn 7

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3892795/PM-Keys-pay-among-worlds-best-report
    http://www.economist.com/node/16525240?story_id=16525240

    Apparently Mr Key is one of the highest paid PMs, which says more I think, about NZ having become a low-wage economy than about his being overpaid.

    • Tigger 7.1

      Why is this an issue since he gives it all (half?) away to charity…apparently…probably not…

    • ianmac 8.1

      Thanks Pete. It could be Anne Tolley because it just slags off teachers rather than address the issue of National Standards.
      Reminds me of a boy in Primary school who punched a small girl in the head. He said it was her fault for putting her head in the way of his fist. And meant it!

      • Pete 8.1.1

        No sweat – The first two paragraphs fail the truth test, which makes it hard to take seriously in any respect – hence why it seemed like Tolley’s doing.

        Shame this is what gets out to those with little interest in politics – which they may well take at face value.

        Your story about the boy in primary school reminds me of a line from one of the Governator’s movies where he whacks a guy of a motorbike and says “I didn’t do anything, the pavement was his enemy”.

  7. zimmer 9

    How is the Cullen Fund going at present?

  8. Mako 10

    More desperate anti-Brown smearing from Slater. His latest allegation is that “Looney Len” wants every school to plant 500 trees a year. A waste of our precious education budget! he wails. Child slave labour! he howls. “Surely one of his backers wouldn’t have interests in nurseries?” he blubbers. And what if the schools don’t have any ROOM for 500 trees? Utter madness!

    And you might well agree, unless you click on the link in his posting, and discover that Brown’s plan (and it’s really proposed only as a “friendly challenge”) is actually for every school to GROW – presumably from seed – 500 plants, which the Council will then match, and plant out along estuaries and creeks to beautify storm water areas and natural waterways. I’m no ecologist, but I think this idea has some merit, and I have no doubt that many school children would enjoy being involved in such a scheme.

    So Team Banksie, STOP MAKING SHIT UP. And learn how to spell “pohutukawa”.

  9. Woop woop

    Pete Betheune is coming home. He received a suspended jail sentence.

  10. deeeer 12

    Lhaws may have something useful to say, despite his incoherent ramblings.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3890933/Mayor-Laws-in-fight-to-save-glass-school

  11. BLiP 13

    tesing – one two three . . . seem to have ended up in moderation for some reason

    EDIT: Now that’s odd, working now. Very strange.

Links to post

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    13 hours ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    Distinguished guests -   It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders.   Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia.   Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order.  “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing  At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin    Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho    Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.    I am delighted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • New diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions.   “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says.    “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today.   “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale.  “It is good ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Trade relationship with China remains strong
    “China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.   Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • $41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
    New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
    The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Judicial appointments announced
    Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
    Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa.  The summit is co-hosted ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
    A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
    Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.    “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
    Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
    The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Taupō takes pole position
    The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners.  “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government backing mussel spat project
    The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government focused on getting people into work
    Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
    The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
    The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
    RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Inflation coming down, but more work to do
    Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
    Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Opinion: It’s time for an arts and creative sector strategy
    I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-04-26T15:53:07+00:00