The Americanization of New Zealand is entering a new phase…. Get caught out flooding the country with imported unskilled labour and his answer is to introduce time limited benefits as in the USA. I believe that man is corrupt.
It amazes me how ignorant and shallow some “commentators” are
Soper should know that drug-testing of beneficiaries showed an extremely low fail rate.. i.e. they are not taking drugs
Soper should be pushing the free market which he supports and suggest these employers up their pay rates to meet the market..
currently all these whingeing employers are failures
stop whingeing and get on with it
human dna has not changed in the last 40 years
what has changed is the settings within which our dna operate
and those settings are where the problems lie
not in our dna
Because our managers are thick as two planks and won’t employ them unless they have 5+ years experience in the field which they can’t get until they’re employed.
Soper has been a scruffy, dirty looking, malodorous blowhard for years. I’ll never forget the time when Winnie was Minister of Foreign Affairs meeting McCain in Washington. Scruffy jumped in and tried to take over, blasting Winnie about miscellaneous domestic matters. Winnie closed down the interview, at least for Scruffy’s continued involvement. Excellent ! No class Soper ! The dopey wife doesn’t improve matters.
“The hashtags for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and VP pick Tim Kaine sound like a pediatrician’s superheros: #HackingHillary and #CoughDropMan. After Clinton suffered two coughing fits, though, they’re being used to question her health.
From concussions to coughing, Clinton has long been dogged by concerns over her health, and whether it will prevent her from being an effective leader in the White House. On Monday, those questions again came to the forefront of the election cycle after she suffered two coughing fits on the campaign trail…
“Turning reality on its head. Candidate Hillary Clinton claims the woes of the world are due to a vast alt-right conspiracy – and it is run out of Moscow. The fact is Western elites are in a panic. Publics and audiences around the world are no longer convinced by the messages propagated by the corporate mainstream media.
CrossTalking with Matthew Gordon-Banks, Gilbert Doctorow, and Earl Rasmussen.”
“Candidate Clinton’s extended spin of American exceptionalism. Also, have we witnessed a soft unconstitutional coup in Brazil? More on the shifting sands in Syria. Plus, the G-20 confab.
CrossTalking with Dmitry Babich, Mark Sleboda, and Alexander Mercouris.”
An essential read for anyone interested in the future of the Worldwide Left…
‘Labour is engulfed by the same crisis facing its sister parties in Europe. Political commentary tends to focus on politicians, and describe the world as if parties can be pulled here and there by the sheer will of powerful individuals. But Labour’s problems are systemic, rooted in the deepest structures of the economy and society. The left’s basic ideals of equality, solidarity and a protected public realm should be ageless. But everything on which it once built its strength has either disappeared, or is shrinking fast.’….. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/06/does-the-left-have-a-future
An excellent starting point for those interested in a revival of Leftist Policies would be to stop giving the Guardian any sort of credibility.
Their undermining of Bernie, and continued campaign to discredit and ignore Corbyn, which they are proud to admit to, make it clear they are, as advertised on their Wikipedia page, strictly and committedly Centrist.
They would rather eat tacks than give any critical coverage of Hillary, her track record or her policies. Even though that means that their American Politics coverage has to be 99% dedicated to Trump, because, let’s face it, even die hard Hillary fans have nothing to say beyond pointing out she has female reproductive bits.
The Guardian has no reason to undermine their neo liberal world by giving fair voice to the Left.
They are not a reliable source of commentary of the Left.
” … as advertised on their Wikipedia page, strictly and committedly Centrist.”
Cite?
As I read their wikipedia page I find things like “a platform for liberal and left-wing opinions” and “it is no secret we are a centre-left newspaper”. I don’t find “strictly and committedly Centrist”.
So unless an opinion comes from a source that completely meets your personal approval it cannot possibly be valid and worthy of your attention and discussion Siobhan? You can just dismiss it out of hand.
That’s exactly the kind of intolerant bigotry that is destroying The Left as a force capable of adapting to social change. As the article discusses.
I have read the article. The article is, like many articles in the Guardian, not there to encourage the current change and growth in the Left, and for the sake of this conversation, the UK Labour Party.
The likes of Corbyn (and in the States, Bernie) are bringing about change and growth, and it would seem to be The Guardians job to make damned sure that doesn’t happen.
So, there you go, I read and discuss the Guardian on a daily basis. They get ALOT of my attention. I comment on their boards almost every day. Though not so much now that they have shut down conversations on Corbyn and Clinton stories.
But they are not a vehicle of positive Leftist commentary.
Why spend ALOT of your time there then? If change and growth is flowering on the Left, then surely you have more positive places to spend your energy?
The ‘change and growth’ is not that in the wider social sense, of course.
It is a ‘consolidation’ of the Far Left into a more homogeneous form.
In the UK / NZ / Europe the steady decline in general voter support for The Left continues to bleed. Corbyn and Bernie have made no impact on that at all.
I also read the Grauniad most days, it is much better than Stuffed or other rubbish, but I’ve been very disappointed at the treatment of Corbyn.
The article in question also has a pointless dig:
“Corbyn’s “10-point plan to rebuild and transform Britain” is all about “full employment and an economy that works for all”, and promises to restore “security to the workplace”. These visions are either naive or dishonest,…”
Agree. Bigotry looks like shit wherever it occurs.
The Left used to pride itself on it’s open mindedness to diverse ideas, so it’s been sad to watch the trend towards an aggressive intolerance of opinion over the last 10 or so years. Especially when it mostly seems to be Left Wingers being more intolerant of small diversities in LW thought than it is of Right.
The Broad Church increasingly looks like The Spanish Inquisition.
The line of attack “baffled” political analysts, who wondered why Trump would possibly think referencing a largely-unknown European leader would help him win votes in the United States. A Pew survey last year found that “Germany is not on the radar of many Americans,” with more than a third reporting “no opinion” of Merkel at all.
But there is at least one group of Americans well familiar with Merkel, her immigration policies, and her connections to Hillary Clinton: white supremacists.
To white nationalist communities that fervently support Trump, Merkel has been a popular villain. Sites like the Daily Stormer, the White Genocide Project, American Renaissance, and The White Resister have posted constantly about her since the Syrian refugee crisis began escalating earlier this year. They have accused her of making a “deliberate attempt to turn Germany from a majority White country into a minority White country.” They have called her a “crazy childless bitch,” “Anti-White Traitor,” and “patron saint of terrorists.” They have asked in articles about her, “Why would you allow a woman to run a country, unless you were doing it as a joke?”
Yeah, bagging women and refugees will really appeal to the college-educated white voters, especially women, that he so desperately needs.
35% to 40% of College educated US women refuse to support Hillary Clinton, and while they may not support Trump either, they are showing more thinking process than other people around here.
yep joe it is all part of trumps plan to monetize his dimwitted followers. That’s what happens when you have no morals, no plan, no idea, just slogans and bullshit.
For those interested in Internet rights and how a simple copywrite case has now morphed into an extradition case so the ‘right’ judgement in the USA can be bought for it’s billionaire Hollywood backers.
Liveblogging the livestream: the Kim Dotcom appeal
Federal, state and local authorities are investigating the cause of Saturday’s natural gas pipeline explosion that killed five adults and five children and left two other people in critical condition in southeast New Mexico.
[…]
The 30-inch pipeline exploded around 5:30 a.m. Saturday, and left a crater about 86 feet long, 46 feet wide and 20 feet deep. Police say the resulting fire probably lasted 30 to 40 minutes. It reportedly was visible about 20 miles to the north in Carlsbad, N.M.
Virtual Flamethrower
Authorities said one end of the ruptured line became a virtual flame-thrower, showering fire on the victims camped beneath a bridge about 200 yards away.
“The evidence out there at the scene indicates it was horrendously hot,” State Police Capt. John Balderston said. “It incinerated everything in its path. If it burned for as long as we think it burned, that explains the extensive damage to the vehicles and to the property and people.
That does sound like a simple caching issue (which is a lot easier to deal with). But it puzzles me because I didn’t change anything there.
It had not updated for me when I came onto the site just now
Do you mean that it didn’t update when you opened the browser? That could just be the local browser caching. My android browser when it opens doesn’t reload the page, it just shows whatever you had last time if the browser “went to sleep” rather than was off.
When I first open TS page, the most recent comment showing is one from Stuart Munro to Bill, at 9.11pm, 6/9. Today’s Open Mike does not show, and it looks as if there has been no recent activity. Then I open one of the posts, at random, and the newer posts at once appear, along with the most recent comments.
That is caching. And I see that weka got it as well.
Ok that could be due to https as there weren’t any changes overnight. Oh well it could be due to the temp certificate not being trusted fully. New one with better trusts arrived overnight, so I will plug it in tonight. I’ll check later for cache effects…
When I first went on this morning, the front page loaded an old version eg there was no open mike for today. I tried safari and got an up to date one. Then opened a new tab in Firefox and tried again and got the updated one. Odd though as I haven’t seen Ts load from the cache like that in a very long time.
Haven’t noticed anything with comments but haven’t been on much either.
It doesn’t update for me but I just press the home page and refresh and then the 7th comes up. Lprent I still have no search engine tool on my opening page where it used to be – up in the top right corner – is there something malfunctioning on the site, or is it just me? I use Chrome to get in.
By 8:30 this morning there were no updates not even Open Mike.
Using el Capitan.
Spark reported a general fault with the 03 region affecting internet as well.
All OK now.
Whenever I re-open The Standard (after closing the window, closing the browser, or even restarting the confuser) it opens to the state of about 9:29 this morning. When I click on a comment, it seems to update to current.
Running Chrome (Version 53.0.2785.89 m), Windows 10 (OS Build 10.586.545) , Orcon ISP
For what it’s worth, neither the refresh button on the browser nor CTRL f5 brings it up to current, but hitting the “home” button on The Standard’s front page does bring it to current.
If you get to a page that’s behaving weirdly, try refreshing that page now. It may have been cached on your machine in the weird state, and a refresh now may work to get a refresh from the server. It does for me now.
Two completely different sites depending on whether I’m signed in or not.
Not signed in = top comment is Joe 90 on open mike at 11.00am
Signed in = top comment is lprent at 1.11pm
Front page (not signed in) Park up for Government and Eileen Brown headlining and RNZ mayoral debate.
Front page (signed in) Race Class Global Warming, Racism Resurgent, Park Up etc
Also…when I submitted the Class, Racism post it disappeared and I found myself signed out from the site. (It also wouldn’t preview prior to posting)
Not looking for answers or explanations for any of this – just hoping it helps you track down issues.
edit – now telling me ‘site can’t be reached’ when I try to submit this comment. Have hit the back button. Have edited and will submit one more time before being away for the day…
Yes, I finally managed to see it on Internet Explorer 11 on windows. It was locked on the pages as at this morning.
It looks like something in the caching system jammed up. I have shifted it back to the working configuration, drastically dropped the cache time outs, forces reloads and restarted the server processes.
Some combination is causing the pages to be cached even after they have updates.
Russia’s Green Party has no authentic grassroots public support. Wouldn’t be surprised if all its funding was bought and paid for by foreign based NGOs.
It looks like removing the page / browser cache system entirely has worked. However it looks like there are cached pages in the browser side with long timeouts.
I’ll leave the caching off for a while for those to clear out.
He was dumped by the voters of Whanganui in 2013. Having seen the writing on the wall, he buggered off to Timaru where he got a job as a figure of authority over small boys. That didn’t last long and apparently he has headed further south. Hopefully he will continue heading south until his only neighbours are penguins.
LOL. With climate change an’ all he might be able to set up a little bach and see out his sunset years in comfort in Antarctica.
It’s funny, I saw a faceblab post of his a few weeks ago. He was all angry that that NZ wasn’t over in Syria fighting the good fight against ISIS and Asad. He was under the impression that we said NO to some kind of imaginary invitation to go and fight, and we’re all a bunch of peacenik commies for not going. I think he was getting mixed up with the Iraq war over a decade ago…………
I see the Colin – Jordan Tory scandal show has added a new star today….Phoenix like Christine Rankin has now joined the cast…. (oh how boring is my own life existing on a meagre diet of schadenfreude . ..why wasn’t I born a Tory?)
All we need now are Slater and Graham Capill as extras.
The movie will be great.
James. Yes I agree with you if it is poor lady syndrome..but really what a bunch of deviants..and Colin wanted to be one of our leaders!
I don’t know how but someone in the media should point out to the sleepy New Zealand public and media colleagues that the so called Taxpayers Union is NOT a union, does not have the membership of a union, does not have the democratic voting rights of a union and is completely devoid of the ethical values of a union.
To me it is verging on illegality and copyright theft that they dare to use the word ‘union’ for their nefarious Tory pretenses.
Still fun to hear them bare their souls in public though. ( Did I say ‘souls’…sorry, I meant ‘*@##^^%^ washing’).
Rodel, have you noticed that right wingers use socialist wording (like “unions” etc), to make their organisations more publicly acceptable and appealing?
“It’s important people know this: John Key has just ordered his MPs to vote against a proposal to build 100,000 new affordable homes.
Yet again, he’s rejected a common-sense step to help fix the crisis.
Just this week, the average price of an Auckland home hit a staggering $1,000,000. What chance do young families have of ever making the Kiwi Dream a reality?
John Key has shown he has no intention of building more houses. Today’s vote proves it.” Andrew Little
Shambles sees National oppose affordable housing
Wednesday, 7 September 2016, 4:38 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Andrew Little
Leader of the Opposition
MEDIA STATEMENT
7 September 2016
Shambles sees National oppose affordable housing
National’s shambolic handling of the housing crisis has today resulted in the Government opposing common sense measures to help more Kiwi families into homes, Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little says.
“Despite knowing for the past three years the laws around Special Housing Areas were to lapse next week, Housing Minister Nick Smith has unnecessarily pushed through patch-up legislation under urgency.
“That backfired today when the Government was forced to debate Labour’s comprehensive housing policy. And it resulted in National blocking attempts to build affordable houses and crack down on speculators.
“Labour introduced amendments to Parliament today that would have implemented Labour’s KiwiBuild plan to build 100,000 affordable homes for families to buy, tax speculators who flick properties within five years, and ban foreign speculators from buying existing houses.
“Labour’s comprehensive plan will stabilise house prices and give families a fair shot at the Kiwi dream of owning their own home.
“However, National blocked the KiwiBuild amendment by one vote and is now voting to protect speculators.
“Labour is putting forward concrete plans to fix the housing crisis. Sadly National is putting petty politics ahead of Kiwi families,” Andrew Little says.
National lose control of Parliament, vote down 100 000 affordable homes and media blame Labour???????
The National Party have lost total control of Parliament today in one of the worst cock ups I’ve ever seen.
They went into urgency, denied Question time and then voted down 100 000 affordable homes and voted for the rights of property speculators.
The mainstream media predictably then went and blamed the Greens and Labour for this clusterfuck…
Govt’s housing quick-fix turns into shambles as Labour hijacks debate
An apparently straightforward, quick fix to a housing policy has turned into a shambles for the Government today.
National is attempting to rush through all stages of a housing bill this week, after going into urgency yesterday afternoon.
But the debate has been hijacked by Opposition parties, which have taken advantage of a slip by the Speaker to filibuster the legislation.
…this is NOT the Greens or Labour fault – this is a National Party in absolute meltdown over the Housing Crisis who can’t control the legislative agenda because they are panicking!
National want to be able to take land and never offer it back to the owners they take it from, this will of course hurt Maori and those too poor to fight back. It’s garbage law and it should be debated, not rammed through under urgency.
This is an utter failure of Government, to lose control of the House usually requires them to stand down and call for an election – that’s not going to happen, but this is National’s fault and watching the mainstream media now try and blame the Opposition is sickening.
NZ should be grateful that we have an Opposition prepared to debate + fight tooth and nail in Parliament when the Government cocks up.
oh Wayne, a line for you…..”Sherman continues, “When the meeting was called to order, it was standing room only. I could hear murmuring in the crowd. Oh, they were ready to kill the government.”
There’s a wind that blows out of the South in the drought,
And we pray for the touch of his breath
When siroccos come forth from the North-West and North,
Or in dead calms of fever and death.
With eyes glad and dim we should sing him a hymn,
For depression and death are his foes,
And he gives us new life for the bread-winning strife —
When the glorious Old Southerly blows.
Old Southerly Buster! your forces you muster
Where seldom a wind bloweth twice,
And your ‘white-caps’ have hint of the snow caps, and glint of
The far-away barriers of ice.
No wind the wide sea on can sing such a poean
Or do the great work that you do;
Our own wind and only, from seas wild and lonely —
Old Southerly Buster! — To you!
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
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Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
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In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
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. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
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 ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
How what we produce and what we eat connects us to the world beyond our shores, visualised. Walking around a supermarket or vege shop, it might be obvious that everything on the shelves came from somewhere. But you might ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 7 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The following interview with auto electrician and former caver Stu Berendt, 68, of Charleston on the West Coast, came about because he was part of the caving team that found the rare and amazing fossil remains of the giant Haast eagle, the subject of one of the year’s best books, ...
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Professor Jemma Geoghegan, of the University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka, co-leads a Te Niwha project aimed at understanding how and where avian influenza could affect Aotearoa New Zealand, as the highly infectious H5N1 virus spreads globally. The virus has now spread to all continents except Oceania and was recently ...
Thirty years on from Rwanda’s genocide, is guilt over the atrocities is blinding the world to the true nature of its current leadership? The post The repressive underside of Rwanda’s regime appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Last week, important recommendations for our criminal justice system were made by the international community. Every five years, each member of the United Nations has its human rights practices reviewed. This rolling event – the Universal Periodic Review – is the culmination of a government reporting on its human ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza – H5N1, or bird flu – has been flying around the world since the late 1990s. New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands are so far free of it, but now it’s been discovered in mainland Antarctica and scientists say it’s only a matter of time ...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11704745
I had wondered about soper but this leaves me in no doubt that he works for the national government.
The Americanization of New Zealand is entering a new phase…. Get caught out flooding the country with imported unskilled labour and his answer is to introduce time limited benefits as in the USA. I believe that man is corrupt.
It amazes me how ignorant and shallow some “commentators” are
Soper should know that drug-testing of beneficiaries showed an extremely low fail rate.. i.e. they are not taking drugs
Soper should be pushing the free market which he supports and suggest these employers up their pay rates to meet the market..
currently all these whingeing employers are failures
stop whingeing and get on with it
human dna has not changed in the last 40 years
what has changed is the settings within which our dna operate
and those settings are where the problems lie
not in our dna
pay a man a decent wage for a decent day’s work
frikkin’ cheap-arse bludgers
+1
Because our managers are thick as two planks and won’t employ them unless they have 5+ years experience in the field which they can’t get until they’re employed.
Youth crime is down apparently, prob too stoned & lazy…(sarc).
+1 Draco.
Just an echo chamber for Key.
Soper has been a scruffy, dirty looking, malodorous blowhard for years. I’ll never forget the time when Winnie was Minister of Foreign Affairs meeting McCain in Washington. Scruffy jumped in and tried to take over, blasting Winnie about miscellaneous domestic matters. Winnie closed down the interview, at least for Scruffy’s continued involvement. Excellent ! No class Soper ! The dopey wife doesn’t improve matters.
yep it’s a shame talent isn’t required to rise to the top in nz
Good to see this site running like a rocket again.
Great work LPrent!
+100
The Hillary Report
‘#HackingHillary: Coughing fit causes concern over Clinton’s health, sparks sarcastic viral hashtags’
https://www.rt.com/usa/358447-hacking-hillary-health-questions/
“The hashtags for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and VP pick Tim Kaine sound like a pediatrician’s superheros: #HackingHillary and #CoughDropMan. After Clinton suffered two coughing fits, though, they’re being used to question her health.
From concussions to coughing, Clinton has long been dogged by concerns over her health, and whether it will prevent her from being an effective leader in the White House. On Monday, those questions again came to the forefront of the election cycle after she suffered two coughing fits on the campaign trail…
‘Universal bogeyman’
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/357995-hillary-moscow-mainstream-media/
“Turning reality on its head. Candidate Hillary Clinton claims the woes of the world are due to a vast alt-right conspiracy – and it is run out of Moscow. The fact is Western elites are in a panic. Publics and audiences around the world are no longer convinced by the messages propagated by the corporate mainstream media.
CrossTalking with Matthew Gordon-Banks, Gilbert Doctorow, and Earl Rasmussen.”
‘Bullhorns revolt’
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/358263-clinton-exceptionalism-brazil-coup/
“Candidate Clinton’s extended spin of American exceptionalism. Also, have we witnessed a soft unconstitutional coup in Brazil? More on the shifting sands in Syria. Plus, the G-20 confab.
CrossTalking with Dmitry Babich, Mark Sleboda, and Alexander Mercouris.”
Oh goody, right on time. This morning’s edition of Putin Puppet Talking Points.
lol…ha ha…suggest you read and watch those links …you might learn something
An essential read for anyone interested in the future of the Worldwide Left…
‘Labour is engulfed by the same crisis facing its sister parties in Europe. Political commentary tends to focus on politicians, and describe the world as if parties can be pulled here and there by the sheer will of powerful individuals. But Labour’s problems are systemic, rooted in the deepest structures of the economy and society. The left’s basic ideals of equality, solidarity and a protected public realm should be ageless. But everything on which it once built its strength has either disappeared, or is shrinking fast.’…..
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/06/does-the-left-have-a-future
An excellent starting point for those interested in a revival of Leftist Policies would be to stop giving the Guardian any sort of credibility.
Their undermining of Bernie, and continued campaign to discredit and ignore Corbyn, which they are proud to admit to, make it clear they are, as advertised on their Wikipedia page, strictly and committedly Centrist.
They would rather eat tacks than give any critical coverage of Hillary, her track record or her policies. Even though that means that their American Politics coverage has to be 99% dedicated to Trump, because, let’s face it, even die hard Hillary fans have nothing to say beyond pointing out she has female reproductive bits.
The Guardian has no reason to undermine their neo liberal world by giving fair voice to the Left.
They are not a reliable source of commentary of the Left.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/jul/19/yes-jeremy-corbyn-has-suffered-a-bad-press-but-wheres-the-harm
” … as advertised on their Wikipedia page, strictly and committedly Centrist.”
Cite?
As I read their wikipedia page I find things like “a platform for liberal and left-wing opinions” and “it is no secret we are a centre-left newspaper”. I don’t find “strictly and committedly Centrist”.
The clue is in the word “centre”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrism
So unless an opinion comes from a source that completely meets your personal approval it cannot possibly be valid and worthy of your attention and discussion Siobhan? You can just dismiss it out of hand.
That’s exactly the kind of intolerant bigotry that is destroying The Left as a force capable of adapting to social change. As the article discusses.
I have read the article. The article is, like many articles in the Guardian, not there to encourage the current change and growth in the Left, and for the sake of this conversation, the UK Labour Party.
The likes of Corbyn (and in the States, Bernie) are bringing about change and growth, and it would seem to be The Guardians job to make damned sure that doesn’t happen.
So, there you go, I read and discuss the Guardian on a daily basis. They get ALOT of my attention. I comment on their boards almost every day. Though not so much now that they have shut down conversations on Corbyn and Clinton stories.
But they are not a vehicle of positive Leftist commentary.
Why spend ALOT of your time there then? If change and growth is flowering on the Left, then surely you have more positive places to spend your energy?
The ‘change and growth’ is not that in the wider social sense, of course.
It is a ‘consolidation’ of the Far Left into a more homogeneous form.
In the UK / NZ / Europe the steady decline in general voter support for The Left continues to bleed. Corbyn and Bernie have made no impact on that at all.
I also read the Grauniad most days, it is much better than Stuffed or other rubbish, but I’ve been very disappointed at the treatment of Corbyn.
The article in question also has a pointless dig:
“Corbyn’s “10-point plan to rebuild and transform Britain” is all about “full employment and an economy that works for all”, and promises to restore “security to the workplace”. These visions are either naive or dishonest,…”
That is what I think whenever I read the sewer at kiwiblog or listing to a “speech” (idiotic rant) from The Orange Turd
Agree. Bigotry looks like shit wherever it occurs.
The Left used to pride itself on it’s open mindedness to diverse ideas, so it’s been sad to watch the trend towards an aggressive intolerance of opinion over the last 10 or so years. Especially when it mostly seems to be Left Wingers being more intolerant of small diversities in LW thought than it is of Right.
The Broad Church increasingly looks like The Spanish Inquisition.
Listening to the Auckland mayoral candidates on Nat Rad.
Oh dear.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
I’m sure Goff will be fine. No…?
Why? What it an hour of comms trained sound bytes ?
Didn’t listen to debate..
Quacks like a duck……
The line of attack “baffled” political analysts, who wondered why Trump would possibly think referencing a largely-unknown European leader would help him win votes in the United States. A Pew survey last year found that “Germany is not on the radar of many Americans,” with more than a third reporting “no opinion” of Merkel at all.
But there is at least one group of Americans well familiar with Merkel, her immigration policies, and her connections to Hillary Clinton: white supremacists.
To white nationalist communities that fervently support Trump, Merkel has been a popular villain. Sites like the Daily Stormer, the White Genocide Project, American Renaissance, and The White Resister have posted constantly about her since the Syrian refugee crisis began escalating earlier this year. They have accused her of making a “deliberate attempt to turn Germany from a majority White country into a minority White country.” They have called her a “crazy childless bitch,” “Anti-White Traitor,” and “patron saint of terrorists.” They have asked in articles about her, “Why would you allow a woman to run a country, unless you were doing it as a joke?”
https://thinkprogress.org/donald-trumps-new-attack-on-hillary-echoes-white-supremacist-websites-70579c9d7e50#.sxvd5bsrn
Trump is going after Merkel because well educated Americans know who Merkel is, and are aware of the new surge in unwanted boat people into Europe.
And potential Trump supporters amongst them know the disruption and unpopularity that Merkel’s immigration policies are bringing to Germany.
Merkel’s own party is sinking in the polls even in her own home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Where her mainstream party just polled third behind the anti-immigrant AfD.
Yeah, bagging women and refugees will really appeal to the college-educated white voters, especially women, that he so desperately needs.
/
35% to 40% of College educated US women refuse to support Hillary Clinton, and while they may not support Trump either, they are showing more thinking process than other people around here.
agreed
‘ ”I’m not with her’: why women are wary of Hillary Clinton —
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/23/women-female-voters-us-election-hillary-clinton
+100 CV…and has Merkel once criticised the causes of the refugee crisis?!
…not that I am aware of
….many of these poor refugees want to go back home to peaceful countries of their origin…now destabilised and wartorn.
what caused the MIddle East crisis?…who has caused destabilisation in Afghanistan and North Africa…Libya?!…Iraq ?…Iran?
….these are the real questions and Merkel has never addressed them…therefore is she complicit?
Inconvenient questions that the politicians don’t want asked, but which the public is starting to understand the answers to.
yep joe it is all part of trumps plan to monetize his dimwitted followers. That’s what happens when you have no morals, no plan, no idea, just slogans and bullshit.
You just described the Brighter Future!!
You really could just swap the word “Key” for “Trump” – they are entirely interchangeable in your comment.
For those interested in Internet rights and how a simple copywrite case has now morphed into an extradition case so the ‘right’ judgement in the USA can be bought for it’s billionaire Hollywood backers.
Liveblogging the livestream: the Kim Dotcom appeal
http://thespinoff.co.nz/politics-media/05-09-2016/liveblogging-the-livestream-the-kim-dotcom-appeal/
Why people don’t like pipelines.
Federal, state and local authorities are investigating the cause of Saturday’s natural gas pipeline explosion that killed five adults and five children and left two other people in critical condition in southeast New Mexico.
[…]
The 30-inch pipeline exploded around 5:30 a.m. Saturday, and left a crater about 86 feet long, 46 feet wide and 20 feet deep. Police say the resulting fire probably lasted 30 to 40 minutes. It reportedly was visible about 20 miles to the north in Carlsbad, N.M.
Virtual Flamethrower
Authorities said one end of the ruptured line became a virtual flame-thrower, showering fire on the victims camped beneath a bridge about 200 yards away.
“The evidence out there at the scene indicates it was horrendously hot,” State Police Capt. John Balderston said. “It incinerated everything in its path. If it burned for as long as we think it burned, that explains the extensive damage to the vehicles and to the property and people.
http://bients.com/pipeline-explosion-kills-10-campers-n-m/
Could anyone who has had a problem with comments not updating on screen this morning tell me
1. Operating system (XP, Vista, 10, el capitian etc).
2. Browser
3. Likely to be behind a corporate style caching system system.
I’ve just changed it to remove http2 as the most likely cause. So tell me if it is now fixed.
It works on everything that I have tested to date in the test browser stacks. But there are a lot of combinations
Thanks.
It had not updated for me when I came onto the site just now. But it updates at once if I click on one of the posts.
That does sound like a simple caching issue (which is a lot easier to deal with). But it puzzles me because I didn’t change anything there.
Do you mean that it didn’t update when you opened the browser? That could just be the local browser caching. My android browser when it opens doesn’t reload the page, it just shows whatever you had last time if the browser “went to sleep” rather than was off.
When I first open TS page, the most recent comment showing is one from Stuart Munro to Bill, at 9.11pm, 6/9. Today’s Open Mike does not show, and it looks as if there has been no recent activity. Then I open one of the posts, at random, and the newer posts at once appear, along with the most recent comments.
That is caching. And I see that weka got it as well.
Ok that could be due to https as there weren’t any changes overnight. Oh well it could be due to the temp certificate not being trusted fully. New one with better trusts arrived overnight, so I will plug it in tonight. I’ll check later for cache effects…
I’m getting the lost comments thing now too (or listing from cache), but on the Mavericks Firefox, not my iPhone which seems fine.
Except the name and email fields are blank on the ph now.
When I first went on this morning, the front page loaded an old version eg there was no open mike for today. I tried safari and got an up to date one. Then opened a new tab in Firefox and tried again and got the updated one. Odd though as I haven’t seen Ts load from the cache like that in a very long time.
Haven’t noticed anything with comments but haven’t been on much either.
Mavericks, Firefox.
It doesn’t update for me but I just press the home page and refresh and then the 7th comes up. Lprent I still have no search engine tool on my opening page where it used to be – up in the top right corner – is there something malfunctioning on the site, or is it just me? I use Chrome to get in.
By 8:30 this morning there were no updates not even Open Mike.
Using el Capitan.
Spark reported a general fault with the 03 region affecting internet as well.
All OK now.
That could be an explanation for you, but probably not for nakiman
Whenever I re-open The Standard (after closing the window, closing the browser, or even restarting the confuser) it opens to the state of about 9:29 this morning. When I click on a comment, it seems to update to current.
Running Chrome (Version 53.0.2785.89 m), Windows 10 (OS Build 10.586.545) , Orcon ISP
For what it’s worth, neither the refresh button on the browser nor CTRL f5 brings it up to current, but hitting the “home” button on The Standard’s front page does bring it to current.
Andre – It does for me too.
+1 re-Andre
It’s now 3:45pm and no updating of comments. No search or reply facilities.
If you get to a page that’s behaving weirdly, try refreshing that page now. It may have been cached on your machine in the weird state, and a refresh now may work to get a refresh from the server. It does for me now.
Yes, I tried that just now and it has worked. Fingers crossed….
Confuser, lovely auto correct.
No auto-correct, my machine does more confusing than computing.
Ah.. That may be a problem with http vs https – which I was loking at last night. I will reset it back to back to https only
lprent (9) Bit slow updating earlier. But I tapped the refresh button and it managed to update itself. All good now.
Ok I have just changed the system to force https.
I think that will get rid of the caching problems. It was getting caught between being http and https.
Two completely different sites depending on whether I’m signed in or not.
Not signed in = top comment is Joe 90 on open mike at 11.00am
Signed in = top comment is lprent at 1.11pm
Front page (not signed in) Park up for Government and Eileen Brown headlining and RNZ mayoral debate.
Front page (signed in) Race Class Global Warming, Racism Resurgent, Park Up etc
Also…when I submitted the Class, Racism post it disappeared and I found myself signed out from the site. (It also wouldn’t preview prior to posting)
Not looking for answers or explanations for any of this – just hoping it helps you track down issues.
edit – now telling me ‘site can’t be reached’ when I try to submit this comment. Have hit the back button. Have edited and will submit one more time before being away for the day…
Yes, I finally managed to see it on Internet Explorer 11 on windows. It was locked on the pages as at this morning.
It looks like something in the caching system jammed up. I have shifted it back to the working configuration, drastically dropped the cache time outs, forces reloads and restarted the server processes.
Some combination is causing the pages to be cached even after they have updates.
I will have
Test – add a comment
Last comment – honest. Just adding info. Not signed in and using chrome on windows 7.
Test – adding another comment.
Test another comment
An additional test comment. 🙂
Career criminal has friends in high places.
The signers are indeed Russian environmental activists so it seems to be legitimate.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1789659071273663&id=100006887614791
screencap – http://archive.is/UeXOX/image
Russia’s Green Party has no authentic grassroots public support. Wouldn’t be surprised if all its funding was bought and paid for by foreign based NGOs.
Test the cache with another comment
It looks like removing the page / browser cache system entirely has worked. However it looks like there are cached pages in the browser side with long timeouts.
I’ll leave the caching off for a while for those to clear out.
Fuck, when did Michael Laws shift down south? He’s standing for the Otago Regional Council 🙁
Poor Otago. Oh well at least he didn’t move to Auckland.
he got run outta town?
what Lprent says.
He was dumped by the voters of Whanganui in 2013. Having seen the writing on the wall, he buggered off to Timaru where he got a job as a figure of authority over small boys. That didn’t last long and apparently he has headed further south. Hopefully he will continue heading south until his only neighbours are penguins.
LOL. With climate change an’ all he might be able to set up a little bach and see out his sunset years in comfort in Antarctica.
It’s funny, I saw a faceblab post of his a few weeks ago. He was all angry that that NZ wasn’t over in Syria fighting the good fight against ISIS and Asad. He was under the impression that we said NO to some kind of imaginary invitation to go and fight, and we’re all a bunch of peacenik commies for not going. I think he was getting mixed up with the Iraq war over a decade ago…………
Heh, super mayor of the Auckland Island archipelago.
pity the little penguins.
phenguins…
lucky you, I wonder how long before he has a little following of black jacket wearing tragics like he had in whanganui
I just thought my thumbs had poor circulation…
Oh shit, that’s fucked a favourite part of the country of mine.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/19473099@N05/29221759970/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/19473099@N05/29321758696/in/dateposted-public/
I see the Colin – Jordan Tory scandal show has added a new star today….Phoenix like Christine Rankin has now joined the cast…. (oh how boring is my own life existing on a meagre diet of schadenfreude . ..why wasn’t I born a Tory?)
All we need now are Slater and Graham Capill as extras.
The movie will be great.
Got to admit that the Colin Craig case is popcorn worth reading.
I really feel for the poor lady who (supposedly) on the wrong end of his attention.
On the bright side for all here – no need to worry about him campaigning again – he’s political toast.
Honey trap ?
😆
1. He isn’t worth it.
2. When was the last time a religious politician needed help to expose his character?
James. Yes I agree with you if it is poor lady syndrome..but really what a bunch of deviants..and Colin wanted to be one of our leaders!
I don’t know how but someone in the media should point out to the sleepy New Zealand public and media colleagues that the so called Taxpayers Union is NOT a union, does not have the membership of a union, does not have the democratic voting rights of a union and is completely devoid of the ethical values of a union.
To me it is verging on illegality and copyright theft that they dare to use the word ‘union’ for their nefarious Tory pretenses.
Still fun to hear them bare their souls in public though. ( Did I say ‘souls’…sorry, I meant ‘*@##^^%^ washing’).
“ethical values of a union”.
oh thats tooooo funny.
Rodel, have you noticed that right wingers use socialist wording (like “unions” etc), to make their organisations more publicly acceptable and appealing?
You’re pulling our legs, surely?
No.
The NZ taxpayers union is a perfect example of it.
Check, mate!
His wife must be hurting. That’s sad. Hopefully she knows him well enough to make sense of it.
Yes Christine is very pure too and no form. H-h-hummpphh !
Williams is apparently calling Carrick Graham and Hooton, McVicar and Nicky Hager as well.
Chris-I think Hager will be able to hold his own against them.
Pity the others hadn’t held their own.
“It’s important people know this: John Key has just ordered his MPs to vote against a proposal to build 100,000 new affordable homes.
Yet again, he’s rejected a common-sense step to help fix the crisis.
Just this week, the average price of an Auckland home hit a staggering $1,000,000. What chance do young families have of ever making the Kiwi Dream a reality?
John Key has shown he has no intention of building more houses. Today’s vote proves it.” Andrew Little
Shambles sees National oppose affordable housing
Wednesday, 7 September 2016, 4:38 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Andrew Little
Leader of the Opposition
MEDIA STATEMENT
7 September 2016
Shambles sees National oppose affordable housing
National’s shambolic handling of the housing crisis has today resulted in the Government opposing common sense measures to help more Kiwi families into homes, Leader of the Opposition Andrew Little says.
“Despite knowing for the past three years the laws around Special Housing Areas were to lapse next week, Housing Minister Nick Smith has unnecessarily pushed through patch-up legislation under urgency.
“That backfired today when the Government was forced to debate Labour’s comprehensive housing policy. And it resulted in National blocking attempts to build affordable houses and crack down on speculators.
“Labour introduced amendments to Parliament today that would have implemented Labour’s KiwiBuild plan to build 100,000 affordable homes for families to buy, tax speculators who flick properties within five years, and ban foreign speculators from buying existing houses.
“Labour’s comprehensive plan will stabilise house prices and give families a fair shot at the Kiwi dream of owning their own home.
“However, National blocked the KiwiBuild amendment by one vote and is now voting to protect speculators.
“Labour is putting forward concrete plans to fix the housing crisis. Sadly National is putting petty politics ahead of Kiwi families,” Andrew Little says.
<a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1609/S00128/shambles-sees-national-oppose-affordable-housing.htm
National lose control of Parliament, vote down 100 000 affordable homes and media blame Labour???????
The National Party have lost total control of Parliament today in one of the worst cock ups I’ve ever seen.
They went into urgency, denied Question time and then voted down 100 000 affordable homes and voted for the rights of property speculators.
The mainstream media predictably then went and blamed the Greens and Labour for this clusterfuck…
Govt’s housing quick-fix turns into shambles as Labour hijacks debate
An apparently straightforward, quick fix to a housing policy has turned into a shambles for the Government today.
National is attempting to rush through all stages of a housing bill this week, after going into urgency yesterday afternoon.
But the debate has been hijacked by Opposition parties, which have taken advantage of a slip by the Speaker to filibuster the legislation.
…this is NOT the Greens or Labour fault – this is a National Party in absolute meltdown over the Housing Crisis who can’t control the legislative agenda because they are panicking!
National want to be able to take land and never offer it back to the owners they take it from, this will of course hurt Maori and those too poor to fight back. It’s garbage law and it should be debated, not rammed through under urgency.
This is an utter failure of Government, to lose control of the House usually requires them to stand down and call for an election – that’s not going to happen, but this is National’s fault and watching the mainstream media now try and blame the Opposition is sickening.
NZ should be grateful that we have an Opposition prepared to debate + fight tooth and nail in Parliament when the Government cocks up.
Martyn Bradbury. TDB
<a href="http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/09/07/national-lose-control-of-parliament-vote-down-100-000-affordable-homes-and-media-blame-labour/
oh Wayne, a line for you…..”Sherman continues, “When the meeting was called to order, it was standing room only. I could hear murmuring in the crowd. Oh, they were ready to kill the government.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/07/how-great-paradox-american-politics-holds-secret-trumps-success
theres your Havelock North moment….FU
There’s a wind that blows out of the South in the drought,
And we pray for the touch of his breath
When siroccos come forth from the North-West and North,
Or in dead calms of fever and death.
With eyes glad and dim we should sing him a hymn,
For depression and death are his foes,
And he gives us new life for the bread-winning strife —
When the glorious Old Southerly blows.
Old Southerly Buster! your forces you muster
Where seldom a wind bloweth twice,
And your ‘white-caps’ have hint of the snow caps, and glint of
The far-away barriers of ice.
No wind the wide sea on can sing such a poean
Or do the great work that you do;
Our own wind and only, from seas wild and lonely —
Old Southerly Buster! — To you!
Henry Lawson, 1909
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/84027448/live-wild-weather-sweeps-across-new-zealand