Despite the team of experts putting it straight that Joyce n Billshit have told utter falsehoods re- fiscal hole. The RNZ webpage continues to use a title which still gives the lie oxygen
And in my opinion she’s very soft on Joyce in just calling him intemperate, rather than a liar intent on misleading the public. Going on about the “Havoc Claim” as it’s called in political science…… bullshit! even the political scientist call shit like this what it is – Dirty Politics!!
Oh. Snap. There were no comments on open mike when I started on my comment below on the same OP.
I don’t think she needs to be tougher on Joyce, he is already looking like damaged goods, and Hawyward’s explanation comes across as calm and rational, rather than adding to the Joyce-style hysteria.
Apologies I was of course speaking metaphorically, as it seems he keeps on banging on with his lies. Bit like a child with chocolate covered face adamantly telling mummy he didn’t eat the cake, HONEST!!
Besides, if someone with a penchant for violence were to kick Dildo Joyce in the head, his demonstration of his thickness would mean the kicker more likely to end up with a damaged foot.
Controlling the message via their control over RNZ, wouldn’t hurt labour to attack IMO Joyce and Blinglish have burnt a lot of capital over this.
Frame it as general dishonesty with other examples to depower the numbers meme into more general lying behaviour to get people realising this is what they are, lying deceptive wreckers.
That’s all they know at this stage, it’s called fear mongering, creating doubt in the voters mind.
They really are desperate !! But the sheep will follow sadly
I know in democratic countries you are not supposed to put ex politicians on trial, but I’d happily make an exception for Richard Prebble. What a traitor to the left.
This is a claim that is designed to be so outrageous that it grabs media headlines and temporarily derails opponents, attracting startled media attention in a 24/7 news cycle and confusing voters.
By the time the dust has settled and everyone has read the fine print, it doesn’t matter that the claim didn’t stack up, because from a political strategist’s point of view, the issue was never really about the facts.
The aim was to take the air space from a leading opponent and to sow a seed of doubt in the minds of voters, and hopefully do just enough damage to your opponent that you can sway small but significant margins of voters choosing between parties.
Hayward says this gambit can undermine democracy and turn off potential voters. However, it can, as in the Joyce instance, blow back on the user of the havoc claim, and damage their vote. This happened because Ardern called it out pretty quickly in the leaders debate, and because many economists and mainstream media journalists critiqued the false claim strongly.
Furthermore, Hayward estimates that NZers have become more savvy about political false claims having watched overseas elections, such as in the US.
Well said – my guess is that the Nats want a term in Opposition, hoping that the next Govt will force the Greens and NZF to work together – could be fun
Oh, I expect Joyce will be correct in hind-sight, as the Banking Cartel and International Rating Agencies smash the NZD (floating international lending rate) under a Labour lead Govt.
the dollar will likely fall (but not necessarily crash as it is likely to do under a continuation of the current settings) mainly due to a reigning in of immigration and investment restrictions as stated by Labour….and that will be great for our exporters. The RBNZ has been bemoaning the dollars strength for years and even told Key to put the brakes on immigration to stop the upward pressure…Key of course knew better.
“Prices for flights out of South Florida have skyrocketed as high as more than US$3000 (NZ$4166) per person for domestic flights, which would otherwise cost a fraction of the price during what’s typically one of the slowest times of the year for air travel.”
We see the same response to housing, Christchurch’s earthquake, and so on.
Carolyn_nth
Both those links take me to the same Newsroom post (which I hadn’t seen – so thanks for that). Was there a second piece to which you were trying to link as well?
“Robertson was less clear than Mathers in his initial answer on whether Labour would increase the rate of supported living payments, but when pressed for a ‘yes or no’ answer by moderator Susie Ferguson, said: ‘Yes.'”
Disappointing (and far less convincing) that he had to be “pressed” for an answer.
Moreover, unlike the Greens, Labour didn’t commit to an amount.
We have a chance to choose better, and clearly the Greens are the better choice.
So then the next things it would be nice to know are:
– who would be the Minister for Social Development in a Labour-led government?
– how would they fix the culture at WINZ?
– what relevant experience have they got in effecting cultural change?
– is there budget for it?
> The culture change wouldn’t necessarily need a budget
I don’t want to make this all about money, but I think it is going to cost more, if only because more beneficiaries will get their proper entitlements. But also I think some turnover of personnel will be needed and that is going to come at a cost (golden handshakes, recruitment costs, etc).
> – issue the directives and the staff must follow.
That’s not how life works, you can’t change workplace culture by saying ‘I now direct that everyone behave differently’.
I don’t know what the Nats (and previous Govts did) to stuff up the culture at WINZ so comprehensively but I think it’s going to take a lot of work and time to reverse that. Inspirational leadership will be necessary but not sufficient.
> Carmel Sepuloni is the Social Development go-to for Labour. Seems to be pretty good.
Never been a Minister let alone a Cabinet Minister, never been a senior manager in any form of organisation, never led a culture change project as far as I can see, I have no confidence that she can do the business.
“….never been a senior manager in any form of organisation, never led a culture change project as far as I can see, I have no confidence that she can do the business.”
Anne Tolley, Paula Bennet, Gerry Brownlee…shall I continue?
Right, they lacked management experience when they entered Parliament, they couldn’t fix the culture at WINZ even if they wanted to which they don’t, nor (I fear) can Sepuloni.
Turnover would only be needed in the case of misconduct. And if people end up getting more money, this isn’t a bad thing. If there’s a blowout, it can be handled.
And actually, you can change workplace culture by making reasonable changes to workplace expectations. And if a few folks don’t play along, give them fair opportunity to do their jobs, then go through the disciplinary process.
As for Sepuloni, does CEO of Vaka Tautua count? Google it.
edit: I did it for you
Turnover may only be at the very top. The workers want to be compassionate, most people go into those jobs because of that, not the pay scale. Currently KPI’s encourage meaness. That change will cost nothing.
Everyone currently in a cabinet position had never done it before 2008 and many had not done anything meaningful in this line in their businesses.
Ministers are more akin to a Director than a CEO. And even CEO’s are not in charge of operations as a rule. You are talking about operations. They hire people for this, they do not do it themselves. .
I was subjected to the change from Labour to National management as a ‘Client’. The WINZ staff certainly changed their attitude.
“Bully from the top on down the line” is how the change was applied. That and negative PR about bennies. Some of the better staff left. The new style upset them. Others stayed and thrived with the bullying style.
I was going to have breakfast but getting out of bed seems an insurmountable hurdle. Then I needed to go to the toilet but it’s such a long walk.
So I lay there thinking and then I realised that thinking might mean I have to make an effort to do something.
And then I shat myself, and lay there in my own mess for a while because taking personal responsibility was just too much effort. Then I realised the world is full of people making a difference. Don’t they realise how pointless it is?
Now I need to go to the toilet again. What am I going to do?
[…]
It’s not even as if there’s a clear plan for breakfast, anyway. I mean, I know that there are some eggs, some bacon, some baked beans, and so on in the kitchen. But what about a frying pan?
What if the frying pan needs to be scrubbed? Do people know how much work that will be? Other people think that frying pans should never be clean, but have a patina of cholesterol built up over years. Do we have a clear strategy on this? Why hasn’t frying pan patina been discussed?
Thank you Carolyn,
As a polio victim 1947, I am now needing all the aids. So a fairer way of accessing needs would be great. Some products I need are a heavy burden on the purse.
When I enquired, my Dr”s Nurse offered me a mobility card.
None of my other needs seemed to feature. So clear guidelines? Great
Tolley wants to punish the youth for not having a job. Would it not make better sense to give them free education/training instead. Maybe they haven’t got a job because they have no skills. Without an education or skills they probably have naught to feel good about themselves.
I now understand why the Nats are so anti any kind of free tertiary education, it’s because Joyce pissed around at varsity when it was free for him and he thinks everyone else will do the same.
Cheers for the link Trace about the UK, that was interesting, so Tolleys idea has been tried and failed overseas, a bit like national standards etc, failed borrowed policy
went on about how only 430 people have failed under the new testing scheme they do have less than 1% of course tolley made some shit up on the fly to counter it , also a laywer pointed out that these are the very people that will be pushed into a life of crime if the dole is cut ,
Thanks. Given the low numbers revealled when Key tried this on, you wonder where (or to whom) the $72m would go. My guess is nowhere, just like the incentive to teachers to go to lower deciles was kept quiet but was included in bragging about spending on education.
they just had a couple more fallas on ( some guy from Vend? and a newshub producer ) they demolished it as well , line of the day, ”there’s more drug use in the young nats”
+1 BWaghorn, if the interview comes up online will try and remember to post it laters.
I know of a couple of teenagers with a deadbeat dad and an absent mother, they aren’t working, or training etc. They never had a chance to start with. Their parents are uneducated and due to poverty they don’t see any hope for themselves. They can’t afford further education, and they have no dreams because they feel they have no future. And it’s reasons like that why I’m a massive supporter for free tertiary education. To give EVERYONE a chance no matter their past, background or upbringing.
jobs with good wages is what they need , the government needs to be a job creator, we aren’t all equal in our in how we cope with life . if it takes having 10 guys leaning on shovels to get them out of the house and feel some pride so be it.
couldn’t agree more about the government being a job creator/supplier.
the ripple out benefits are positive from seeing adults in the house, leave every day, to go to work.
i maintain that kiwirail should have (be forced to?) award its recent loco contracts within aotearoa. only 25% more expensive.
unfortunately the benefits would not appear on kiwirails balance sheet, but would be real none the less.
My concern is that there is not the well paid jobs even if the worker has the training and the skills. The world is changing from people being employed to people being self employed, contract workers. I don’t know if that is a good thing, but it’s increasingly difficult to get and keep a job these days.
Part of it, is that now everyone wants experience from young people and are unwilling to train them, NZ employers don’t want to pay for top skills from Kiwis when they are trained, it’s cheap and easy to get rid of people as it’s just a process with little costs involved, so a change in management often means that for no apparent reason (or in the case of Ms Harrison, fraud) they go around culling out their rivals to be seen to be doing something.
One of the many reasons for NZ’s low productivity is that there is an adversarial relationship between employee’s and employee’s that stems from the Rogernomics era. There needs to be a rethink on that as well as a way to create new high paid jobs in sustainable areas not just cars, cows, coal and construction with migrant labour being used to mask our appalling wages and labour laws and a system that is producing unequally educated people (illiterate or over qualified) who can’t find jobs, because many of our industries are based on low or very specific skills, with employers who just can’t be bothered training anyone when has become so easy to replace or look over a local worker for an overseas one in an overseas worker pool of billions. with the NZ taxpayer helpfully subsidising their income with working for families, accomodation benefit, free health and schooling, ACC is it all goes wrong and free super after 10 years. What overseas worker is not going to go for that!
Remember that economically NZ made a decision a few decades ago to have low inflation or no unemployment. It chose low inflation. Accordingly there will always be unemployed under this economy. To bash people you need to be unemployed to meet your low inflation target is beyond cruel.
Sue Bradford is right we need to nurture our youth not herd them around like sheep and penalize them If they get a universal wage and offer them starts in a trade that is way better than bills policy we need to nurture there wairua self worth ect teach them the work culture and let them no and give them a bright future.
TOPS should be in that debate as he deserves it Its Just Bill trying to eliminate competition.
Any employers ripping off there workers should be treated the same as a shop lifter as it is still theft and we need to let these people no that it is theft we should name and shame these employers they are a small % of employers but they are getting away with THEFT. Bryce is a good reporter good to see the likes of him back on our TVs more.
Yes, time to stop fines and start imprisoning bosses who do not have contracts and/or pay less than minimum wage. EG kiwifruit growers recently found over 50% jn that position. No howls from the public or media for personal responsibility and consequences…
Agree eco Maori/kiwi (9). Theft of labour is a serious crime in my book as well and should be treated as such, with harsh penalties dished out to unscrupulous employers!
We know what the Natz’s attitude to it is … ignore the issue completely! Be interesting to find out Labour/Greens/NZF perspective on it is and how they would address labour theft.
I like seeing all the positive news about our culture Maori culture. In my view Maori culture Is all of the people of NZ culture Its is part of what makes NZ culture unique its part of what makes us Kiwis.
Lett’s celebrate our unique Maori culture it makes us unique in our world. All cultures in NZ can be celebrated to.
It could also push young addicts to cold turkey and possibly suicide. I doubt their plan is to provide Oasis type help immediately to anyone taking it up.
Push an addict further into poverty… but then Tolley says MSD do not collect the stats on how many on beneficiaries. A dead beneficiary = efficient economy under Nats?
Joyce on RNZ head-to-head debate, when asked directly could not name an economist or indeed anyone,to support his assertion of the $11billion hole in Labour’s proposed budget.
For the dominant RNZ audience, that will be useful.
He could have named English or Bennett as both have supported him.
I intend asking our local MP at a meet the candidate meeting today, if he supports the Joyce outrageous claim.
So ask yourself, how many people in Auckland, and it has 7 places. They stopped the walk in service, because people were getting into fights. Now they just lock you out via the phone.
i read somewhere the other day that total stock numbers have fallen well below the 1991 level s and the stats above seem to back it.
sheep numbers have plummeted while total cattle has stayed static .
this would say that farming is already below it.s 1991 levels .
”Methane is produced in the guts of ruminant livestock as a result of methanogenic microorganisms (belonging to the Archaea). The composition of the animal feed is a crucial factor in controlling the amounts of methane produced, but a sheep can produce about 30 litres of methane each day and a dairy cow up to about 200.”
lifted from google
we have dropped 20 million sheep in that time which release approx 3.3 million cows worth of gas
interesting…the almost static cattle number is a surprise, though the distribution is still an issue (canty dairy herd e.g.) ….take it those methane numbers quoted are robust?
might be a little on the light side due to the cattle herd changing from beef to dairy
i will stand by the fact that nz has reduced its cattle emissions since 1990 till proved otherwise
since 1990 nz population has increased from 3.3-4.7 million
Allometrics suggest that human respiration is around 251g co2 per day.metabolic respiration from decomposers of human excreta is around 50% of respiration emissions it would be statistically significant.
I’m not so sure about that. Not a farming quibble, more a stats quibble. I wouldn’t call it “static”, even if the line’s nearly horizontal.
Look at the scale of the chart.
The numbers in the actual data tables show about 8.8million cows in 1994, 9.6M in 2002, and 10.3Mil in 2014 (an increase of 7% on 2002).
You’re right about the decline of 20mil-odd sheep, though.
Bob McCoskie is simply lying. Hardly surprising, I have noticed that the fuckwits from the Family Fist are chronic liars – I guess that deliberately lying is just part of their moral code.
Bob McCroskie a fundamentalist Mormon when you look into their church and Women’s Rights.
Sexual abuse .
A horid bunch of Misogynists.
McCrosky clean up your own back yard before you start telling everyone else how to live.
And frankly, she’s right. A woman shouldn’t have to pretend that she’s mentally fragile so that she can get an abortion of the basis of a threat to her mental health. It’s degrading and demeaning of women. I doubt that moving it out of the Crimes Act and into the Health arena would have any effect on the numbers of abortions being performed, but it would be more respectful of the women who require an abortion.
McCoskrie has a masters in economics. As far as I know has done little theological training but sees fit to take an ancient book literally. Ridiculous as you actually can’t take it literally it needs to be interpreted. It says little about abortion except making it clear that a fetus is not the same status as a human being. For instance it recommends the death penalty for murder but not for causing a miscarriage. Exodus 21 22-25. What the Bible is very clear and consistent on is that I we should feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Jesus goes so far as to say that people who don’t do this are going to hell. So I guess that since McCoskrie tends to support right wing parties he is going to he’ll.
“We are now seeing signs of bubbles in more and more parts of the capital market where we wouldn’t have expected them,” he said in Frankfurt, noting property prices in advanced economies had hit record levels.
Making a case for tighter monetary policy a day before ECB governors are expected to unveil plans to reduce money printing due to the stronger economy, he welcomed gradually ending loose monetary policy.
“The central banks must, however, plot a middle way that averts massive losses on the markets,” he cautioned.”
something I hope GR is highly conscious of, especially as we reduce the main driver to our economic growth, immigration at the same time….its going to require one hell of a juggling act.
I think I would need to have a serious disconnect with the reality of life in NZ if I was to believe that less than 1 in every 200 beneficiaries smokes a bit of weed.
Beating people with a bigger stick never improves conditions for anyone. We can’t force people to be the best they can be, it needs to come from within us. We have to want it.
The worst thing we can do is push the disenfranchised further away with Jackboot policies, we’ve watched this approach fail for centuries. The best thing we can do is to get about creating signposted, alluring, climbable pathways to satisfaction and pride….and yep, if the guy is a stoner, forestry or long-haul truck driving is probably not the best path. It appears people are pretty good at working this out for themselves, I think this is what gets us to that suspect less than 1 in 200 has a puff figure.
A long term, sustainable and successful solution to any social problem will invariably have it’s feet planted in love.
Ruth Richardson in 1991 slashed benefits. That was designed to incentivise job seeking ( based on a right wing lie that unemployed do not want to work). Since that time benefits have never recovered. Can we agree it is a failed policy and it is time to try something evidence based?
Secondly, why is ok for white employed people to do drugs? And they do, in great numbers. In my circle it is almost all who vote Nats or Act. The lefties stick with alcohol. That “evidence” is as goid as Tolley’s and Richardson before her and all those in between who did not rectify it.
In addition it waa decided we could have full employment or low inflation. We chose low inflation and now pillory those victims we know cannot get work because of it
In addition it waa decided we could have full employment or low inflation. We chose low inflation and now pillory those victims we know cannot get work because of it
@ tracey (18.2) … no doubt creepy junior is still living off the fat of the land and driving about in his state of the art vehicle, boasting about all his (non) achievements in life, while looking for a photo op, just like Saint Dr Sir daddy!
Are the offspring of former PMs, included in the life time travel perks, or does that only apply to the retired PM and his/her spouse?
I think I would need to have a serious disconnect with the reality of life in NZ if I was to believe that less than 1 in every 200 beneficiaries smokes a bit of weed.
So, I take it that some research into it has come out that you disagree with and you’re falling back on you beliefs that have just been proved wrong?
I don’t need to refer to research Draco, I just go about my day with my eyes and nostrils open. Do you honestly believe that less than 1 in every 200 beneficiaries smokes dope? National average, about 1 in every 12 adults smokes occasionally or more frequently, beneficiary average, 1 in every 225?….I don’t believe it and I think we’re fooling ourselves if we do.
I don’t think it matters beyond determining how best to address the situation and stopping benefit payments or forced rehab will create more problems than are solved.
No, you can assume I don’t accept all research as bona fide. I’m sure you’ve seen research that denies human induced climate change.
Not testing those people that chose not to attend a job interview because drug testing was part of the potential employer’s induction process will of course provide false numbers. I think we’re foolish to accept them as accurate.
I can introduce you to 5 beneficiaries that smoke dope Draco. I don’t know 1200 beneficiaries, I don’t know 100. I suspect most of us could tell a similar story. Cherry picking skewed research does us no favours.
Talking out my arse? Do you honestly believe that less than 1 in 225 beneficiaries smokes weed? It’s not me with 2 sets of vocal chords.
umm d-mac you don’t hang around with beneficiaries all day do you being a employer and working stiff and all so where are your nostrils smelling the weed?
Actually there is real evidence that the poor do less drugs and alcohol than everyone else. I went to a presentation about the growing up in New Zealand study. There were lots of negatives for children from the poorest households. The one positive was they were less likely to suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome. There mother’s couldn’t afford alchohol
“If Ohio is anything like Florida, which also has a drug-testing program, Schaffer will find that the large majority of welfare recipients are neither drug users nor drug dealers. From 2011 to 2012, just 108 of the 4,086 people who took a drug test failed—a rate of 2.6 percent, compared to a national drug use rate of over 8 percent. The total cost to Florida taxpayers? $45,780.
The most colossal failure of this policy was in Arizona, which passed a drug-testing law in 2009. In 2012, an evaluation of the program had startling results: After three years and 87,000 screenings, only one person had failed the drug test, with huge costs for the state, which saved a few hundred dollars by denying benefits, compared to the hundreds of thousands spent to conduct the tests.’
Well folks I don’t know if I am seeing things or if this is not a position for a slave I have just been reading in my local rag.
“Seeking a Nanny/Cleaner”
“Nanny Cleaner required for full-time position. Nanny/Cleaner will be taking care of child, ages 10 months, 10 years & my Aged Mom. Your responsibilities with the children include: driving children to and from school, taking children to the park, reading to children, playing with children in home. Other duties include light cleaning, some meals & occasional laundry. Nanny is required to have at least a month of experience, as well as CPR. First Aid and French is an asset. Attributes such as sense of humour, caring & responsible are a plus.
Hours are 9am – 7pm Monday to Friday. The wage is $500pw & vacation pay is included.”
I have worked this out as 50 hours a week at $10 per hour. Firstly are we allowed to pay beneath the minimum wage these days. Secondly is including the holiday pay into that $500 legal – and if so that would bring down the hourly rate even further.
I have omitted the person and their contacts but needless I must add – it is a male who is requiring these services. He obviously has no idea what it is like to look after children, plus an aged Mum whom he obviously wants this “slave ” to toilet and keep an eye on and cleaning and laundry.
Good luck with his job advertisement but if this is the calibre of work that Tolley is hoping our young people will be going into – poor hours, poor pay, no holiday pay or sick pay – then she needs to vacate her cabinet seat and retire.
Also I heard this morning that there have been thousands of complaints about the very subject above to advocates etc – complaints ranged from termination without any required reason, no security of tenure etc etc. Brave old NZ – she is in a sad state these days.
At the petrol station, chatting to strangers… ‘wow fuel is getting expensive’, they reply.. ‘it sure is’… so I say ” did you know national have introduced 18 new taxes, including six fuel taxes since they took office”.. they reply, ” really, I didn’t know that”, I say…’this year I’m voting for change”, they respond… “sounds like we need change”…’ yes we do.. have a great day’… ‘thanks love you too’
At the Dr’s…. crowded waiting room, talking to more strangers… ‘wow we can vote next week’… someone responds ‘they’ve been making all sorts of promises lately’.. I respond… “I know, and how about that steven joyce, turns out he took 8 Economic Papers at varisty and failed the lot of them”… someone else says ‘did he really?’… yes I say, and he is looking after the money’… another person says.. ‘that’s a worry’. “It sure is, and he has the cheek to say all the qualified economists are wrong and he is right”…. someone else says… ‘the only hole he has is one in his head”.. … then I was called for my appointment…. ‘have a great day everyone, nice to talk with you all’… ‘you too and nice to talk with you as well” they reply.
It’s up to us to inform everyone, every moment we can if we want change.
Their website also links to two generalised pro-life groups. It is also notable that this ad smearing Labour just happens to come from a special needs advocacy group in the context of a campaign in which National has been receiving bad press for its attitudes towards related issues.
“Later tonight will bring a fresh poll, with TVNZ set to release an update from Colmar Brunton that is already being touted as ‘explosive’. The last one certainly was, putting Labour in front of National for the first time in many years.
That poll was taken between Saturday August 26 and Wednesday August 30. The Reid Research poll published on Sunday, which showed Labour at 39.4 percent and National at 43.3 percent, was taken from August 22 to August 30, so is seen as slightly less up-to-date than the Colmar Brunton poll.” https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/07/46589/election-17days
The U.S. military in Afghanistan apologized Wednesday for distributing leaflets featuring an image “highly offensive” to Muslims.
The leaflets dropped Tuesday night over parts of Parwan province showed the Shahada, the Muslim profession of faith, printed on the image of a dog, an animal viewed by many Muslims as unclean.
Yep. In a panic the Nats have removed their arrogant ‘keep moving forward’ poster from the Auckland City Mission. The Auckland City Mission of course looks after people who the Nats have clearly sent backward while they were moving forward.
The placement and then removal of the poster is symbolic of their blind indifference.
Of further interest is that the church has an agreement with the billboard company that no advertising shall be placed with might cause offence. Clearly the National Party does cause offence. 🙂
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In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
“We’re not here to interfere in people’s property rights,” Ngāi Tahu’s Te Maire Tau has told the High Court.Tau, a historian, Upoko (traditional leader) of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and a university professor of history, is the lead witness in a case designed to force the Crown to recognise the tribe’s rangatiratanga ...
Pacific Media Watch Trump administration officials barred two Associated Press (AP) reporters from covering White House events this week because the US-based independent news agency did not change its style guide to align with the president’s political agenda. The AP is being punished for using the term “Gulf of Mexico,” ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific Presenter/Bulletin editor France’s top diplomat in the Pacific region says talks around the “unfreezing” of New Caledonia’s highly controversial electoral roll are back on the table. The French government intended to make a constitutional amendment that would lift restrictions prescribed under the Nouméa Accord, which ...
By bringing these global voices to the fight for free expression in New Zealand, we’ll continue to protect and expand our culture of free speech, says Nathan Seiuli, the Free Speech Union's Events Manager. ...
The issue is no longer a hypothetical one. US President Donald Trump will not explicitly suggest death camps, but he has already consented to Israel’s continuing a war that is not a war but rather a barbaric assault on a desolate stretch of land. From there, the road to annihilation is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cecelia Cmielewski, Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University To be selected as the artist and curator team to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale is considered the ultimate exhibition for an artistic team. To have your selection rescinded, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia is bearing down on the northwest coast of Australia and is likely to make landfall early Friday evening. It’s a monster storm of great concern to Western Australia. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Ireland-Piper, Associate Professor, ANU National Security College, Australian National University A Victorian government decision to allow dingo culling in the state’s east until 2028 has reignited debate over what has been dubbed Australia’s most controversial animal. Animals Australia, an animal welfare ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Overnight, Robert F. Kennedy Jr was confirmed as the secretary of the US Health and Human Services Department. Put simply, this makes him the most influential figure in overseeing the health and wellbeing of more ...
Everything you missed from day five of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard eight hours of submissions.Read our recaps of the previous hearings here.It was another work from home day for the Justice Committee, the only people in Room 3 being security guards, committee ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne Juris Teivans/Shutterstock In Australia, fatal road crashes are climbing again, especially since the pandemic, and despite years of attempts to reduce road trauma, the numbers ...
In its eagerness to appease supporters of Israel, the media is happy to ride roughshod over due process and basic rights. It’s damaging Australia’s (and New Zealand’s?) democracy.COMMENTARY:By Bernard Keane Two moments stand out so far from the Federal Court hearings relating to Antoinette Lattouf’s sacking by the ...
“The reality is we’re getting poorer. The government this year is leaning heavy on chasing economic growth, which is absolutely the right thing to do.” ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Granta, $28) Han Kang’s astounding novel was based on an ...
This new docuseries about two single comedians looking for love is also a joyful celebration of female friendship. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. “How many people do you think are boning right now?” Kura Forrester asks Brynley Stent as the bright ...
A new poem by Freya Turnbull. Hunger Song – After Kaveh Akbar (Untitled With Hunger And Matcheads) I hold my age in ripped fishnet hold an empty vessel oldyoung body cracks like gunshot like killa i was a father ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominik Koll, Honorary Lecturer, Australian National University View of the Pacific Ocean from the International Space Station.NASA Earth must have experienced something exceptional 10 million years ago. Our study of rock samples from the floor of the Pacific Ocean has found ...
Troy Rawhiti-Connell reviews Kia Tupu Te Ara, a documentary chronicling the meteoric rise of Aotearoa’s groundbreaking metal band. “Two brothers attempt to storm the world of thrash metal with the Māori language, despite the fact they’re both still teenagers,” reads the synopsis of Kent Belcher’s documentary, Kia Tupu Te Ara. ...
Three freelance writers have been awarded grants to work on their ambitious journalism projects. In January, The Spinoff announced the Vince Geddes In-Depth Journalism Fund, supported by the Auckland Radio Trust (ART). The fund was established to provide much-needed financial and editorial support to talented freelance journalists, empowering them to ...
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Despite the team of experts putting it straight that Joyce n Billshit have told utter falsehoods re- fiscal hole. The RNZ webpage continues to use a title which still gives the lie oxygen
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/election-2017/338839/fiscal-hole-hit-the-havoc-button
And in my opinion she’s very soft on Joyce in just calling him intemperate, rather than a liar intent on misleading the public. Going on about the “Havoc Claim” as it’s called in political science…… bullshit! even the political scientist call shit like this what it is – Dirty Politics!!
Straight out of the Dr. Joseph Goebbels manual:
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
That senile old git Richard Prebble is also making shit up – featured on the Herald site.
Classy. Very classy.
Oh. Snap. There were no comments on open mike when I started on my comment below on the same OP.
I don’t think she needs to be tougher on Joyce, he is already looking like damaged goods, and Hawyward’s explanation comes across as calm and rational, rather than adding to the Joyce-style hysteria.
Nah, Joyce is the type of person that needs a good kicking before he learns stuff right proper in his ed.
Would we be okay with this being said about a female politician?
Just asking, like.
Apologies I was of course speaking metaphorically, as it seems he keeps on banging on with his lies. Bit like a child with chocolate covered face adamantly telling mummy he didn’t eat the cake, HONEST!!
Besides, if someone with a penchant for violence were to kick Dildo Joyce in the head, his demonstration of his thickness would mean the kicker more likely to end up with a damaged foot.
Respect for owning your slip up. We all veer into inappropriate language from time to time, and should always be ready to be pulled up on it.
Controlling the message via their control over RNZ, wouldn’t hurt labour to attack IMO Joyce and Blinglish have burnt a lot of capital over this.
Frame it as general dishonesty with other examples to depower the numbers meme into more general lying behaviour to get people realising this is what they are, lying deceptive wreckers.
That’s all they know at this stage, it’s called fear mongering, creating doubt in the voters mind.
They really are desperate !! But the sheep will follow sadly
I know in democratic countries you are not supposed to put ex politicians on trial, but I’d happily make an exception for Richard Prebble. What a traitor to the left.
Left? What left?
Prebble
Douglas
Caygill
Goff
Dunne
Bassett
Should probably also go non-politician and imprison Fay and Richwhite as well.
Well, I see Prebble has an OP in the NZ Herald, that even the NZH twitter won’t directly link to:
The comments so far to the tweet are by the unimpressed – calling Prebble irrelevant.
Every time I see an op-ed by Prebble I stop reading it after the ‘by Richard Prebble’.
The man who doesnt know the difference between weather and climate. Sadly he is not alone in that.
He’d have plenty of mates if that’s your criteria.
Yes. I read his Advertorial in the Herald this morning. Typical of him. Shameless by the Herald. Not he calls Ardern, Jacinda.
Bronwyn Hayward is a political academic the mainstream media needs to use more for political analysis. Posted on RNZ last night, she explains the way Steven Joyce used the “havoc claim” gambit in his false allegations of an 11 billion dollar hole in the NZLP budget.
Hayward says this gambit can undermine democracy and turn off potential voters. However, it can, as in the Joyce instance, blow back on the user of the havoc claim, and damage their vote. This happened because Ardern called it out pretty quickly in the leaders debate, and because many economists and mainstream media journalists critiqued the false claim strongly.
Furthermore, Hayward estimates that NZers have become more savvy about political false claims having watched overseas elections, such as in the US.
Well said – my guess is that the Nats want a term in Opposition, hoping that the next Govt will force the Greens and NZF to work together – could be fun
Oh, I expect Joyce will be correct in hind-sight, as the Banking Cartel and International Rating Agencies smash the NZD (floating international lending rate) under a Labour lead Govt.
Of course – it’s not as if rating agencies haven’t recognized Bill’s fiscal genius – with downgrades.
the dollar will likely fall (but not necessarily crash as it is likely to do under a continuation of the current settings) mainly due to a reigning in of immigration and investment restrictions as stated by Labour….and that will be great for our exporters. The RBNZ has been bemoaning the dollars strength for years and even told Key to put the brakes on immigration to stop the upward pressure…Key of course knew better.
I imagine the tax shelter ‘industry’ will be feeling a chill too.
Isnt a lower NZD great for exporters and shite for importers and kiwis spending their tax cuts on overseas holidays? Pardon me while I weep
God, I hope so.
Let No Flower of the Spring Pass by Us – Wisdom of Solomon 2:1-24
(Bible quote for the day – but respect for the Bolshevik right to atheism)
Atheism predated Bolshevism by centuries (even millennia depending on your definition of the term):
Knutzen after Ulpian
Capitalist’s response to a crisis:
“Prices for flights out of South Florida have skyrocketed as high as more than US$3000 (NZ$4166) per person for domestic flights, which would otherwise cost a fraction of the price during what’s typically one of the slowest times of the year for air travel.”
We see the same response to housing, Christchurch’s earthquake, and so on.
Where there’s a buck to be made!
Has Trump erected big tents in a safety zone, called them Trump Tents and charging???
To be fair he would only be following the Clinton’s example in Haiti.
From memory I heard stories like that about uber recently as well in another city after another disaster.
air nz put on $50 flights so i and many others could get to ch ch to help with the clean up after the second one i recall
Looks like the Labour Party, in government, would support the Green party policy to re-structure and improve Work and Income.
Turei led the way with great sacrifice to her political career, the Labour Party look to be following.
Good
Another Disability meeting Wagner couldnt be bothered with and Act didnt bother eitber. Speaks volumes.
Carolyn_nth
Both those links take me to the same Newsroom post (which I hadn’t seen – so thanks for that). Was there a second piece to which you were trying to link as well?
Sorry, think I just didn’t format the one link correctly. Just one article.
“Robertson was less clear than Mathers in his initial answer on whether Labour would increase the rate of supported living payments, but when pressed for a ‘yes or no’ answer by moderator Susie Ferguson, said: ‘Yes.'”
Disappointing (and far less convincing) that he had to be “pressed” for an answer.
Moreover, unlike the Greens, Labour didn’t commit to an amount.
We have a chance to choose better, and clearly the Greens are the better choice.
Paigon is my newly discovered word/term of today. Seems appropriate to introduce it here.
This is great, fantastic news.
So then the next things it would be nice to know are:
– who would be the Minister for Social Development in a Labour-led government?
– how would they fix the culture at WINZ?
– what relevant experience have they got in effecting cultural change?
– is there budget for it?
A.
PS I’m not trolling, I honestly want to know what the plan is!
I think most of that is dependent on the size of Labour’s coalition partner and which party it is.
The culture change wouldn’t necessarily need a budget – issue the directives and the staff must follow.
NZ1 would, I suspect, be focussed on the very young and very old, so would maybe have associate ministers in those areas.
Greens have more of a holistic approach, so might be wanting the top slot.
Carmel Sepuloni is the Social Development go-to for Labour. Seems to be pretty good.
> The culture change wouldn’t necessarily need a budget
I don’t want to make this all about money, but I think it is going to cost more, if only because more beneficiaries will get their proper entitlements. But also I think some turnover of personnel will be needed and that is going to come at a cost (golden handshakes, recruitment costs, etc).
> – issue the directives and the staff must follow.
That’s not how life works, you can’t change workplace culture by saying ‘I now direct that everyone behave differently’.
I don’t know what the Nats (and previous Govts did) to stuff up the culture at WINZ so comprehensively but I think it’s going to take a lot of work and time to reverse that. Inspirational leadership will be necessary but not sufficient.
> Carmel Sepuloni is the Social Development go-to for Labour. Seems to be pretty good.
Never been a Minister let alone a Cabinet Minister, never been a senior manager in any form of organisation, never led a culture change project as far as I can see, I have no confidence that she can do the business.
A.
“….never been a senior manager in any form of organisation, never led a culture change project as far as I can see, I have no confidence that she can do the business.”
Anne Tolley, Paula Bennet, Gerry Brownlee…shall I continue?
Right, they lacked management experience when they entered Parliament, they couldn’t fix the culture at WINZ even if they wanted to which they don’t, nor (I fear) can Sepuloni.
A.
If someone else failed to do a job they didn’t want to do, does that mean it is a particularly difficult job?
The Minister isn’t involved in the hands on implementation of a culture change (though are ultimately responsible)….that is the CEOs role.
Turnover would only be needed in the case of misconduct. And if people end up getting more money, this isn’t a bad thing. If there’s a blowout, it can be handled.
And actually, you can change workplace culture by making reasonable changes to workplace expectations. And if a few folks don’t play along, give them fair opportunity to do their jobs, then go through the disciplinary process.
As for Sepuloni, does CEO of Vaka Tautua count? Google it.
edit: I did it for you
> As for Sepuloni, does CEO of Vaka Tautua count?
Hmm yes, that would help
2 1/2 years as CEO, apparently – between terms in parliament.
We shall hope it helps
meh
Seemed to be a fairly weak reservation you had in the first place, which turned out to be complete bunk.
we should be concerned…it would appear that whatever it is that ails Joyce is contagious.
Meet back here in a year or two’s time, by then we’ll know if the problem’s all fixed or not!
dunno about fixed. But I’d expect a significant improvement.
Trump had lots of business and management experience…
Turnover may only be at the very top. The workers want to be compassionate, most people go into those jobs because of that, not the pay scale. Currently KPI’s encourage meaness. That change will cost nothing.
Everyone currently in a cabinet position had never done it before 2008 and many had not done anything meaningful in this line in their businesses.
Ministers are more akin to a Director than a CEO. And even CEO’s are not in charge of operations as a rule. You are talking about operations. They hire people for this, they do not do it themselves. .
I was subjected to the change from Labour to National management as a ‘Client’. The WINZ staff certainly changed their attitude.
“Bully from the top on down the line” is how the change was applied. That and negative PR about bennies. Some of the better staff left. The new style upset them. Others stayed and thrived with the bullying style.
> Some of the better staff left. The new style upset them. Others stayed and thrived with the bullying style.
Interesting. That reinforces for me that there is going to need to be some staff changes
A.
The secret diary of Antoine:
heh.
continued:
Well, I have my doubts but I guess we’ll see when breakfast time comes
It couldhave been turei (if Greens made it back) but Ardern ruled that out and Turei can only return if she wins Te Tai Tonga
Thank you Carolyn,
As a polio victim 1947, I am now needing all the aids. So a fairer way of accessing needs would be great. Some products I need are a heavy burden on the purse.
When I enquired, my Dr”s Nurse offered me a mobility card.
None of my other needs seemed to feature. So clear guidelines? Great
Another 1News Colmar-Brunton tonight…
Tolley wants to punish the youth for not having a job. Would it not make better sense to give them free education/training instead. Maybe they haven’t got a job because they have no skills. Without an education or skills they probably have naught to feel good about themselves.
I now understand why the Nats are so anti any kind of free tertiary education, it’s because Joyce pissed around at varsity when it was free for him and he thinks everyone else will do the same.
We know what will happen. We do not need a crystal ball.
http://metro.co.uk/2012/02/29/government-scraps-benefit-sanctions-from-work-experience-schemes-335905/
Cheers for the link Trace about the UK, that was interesting, so Tolleys idea has been tried and failed overseas, a bit like national standards etc, failed borrowed policy
But it hits the hot buttons of those soft middle white voters…
garner to his credit has just demolished tolleys shiney new policy
If you have time can you say more or post a link. I cannot watch because I refuse to honour Richardson with my eyes and ears.
went on about how only 430 people have failed under the new testing scheme they do have less than 1% of course tolley made some shit up on the fly to counter it , also a laywer pointed out that these are the very people that will be pushed into a life of crime if the dole is cut ,
Thanks. Given the low numbers revealled when Key tried this on, you wonder where (or to whom) the $72m would go. My guess is nowhere, just like the incentive to teachers to go to lower deciles was kept quiet but was included in bragging about spending on education.
they just had a couple more fallas on ( some guy from Vend? and a newshub producer ) they demolished it as well , line of the day, ”there’s more drug use in the young nats”
Love it!
Here’s the link from Garner interviewing Tolley this morning.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/09/nats-accused-of-going-after-the-brash-trash.html
+1 BWaghorn, if the interview comes up online will try and remember to post it laters.
I know of a couple of teenagers with a deadbeat dad and an absent mother, they aren’t working, or training etc. They never had a chance to start with. Their parents are uneducated and due to poverty they don’t see any hope for themselves. They can’t afford further education, and they have no dreams because they feel they have no future. And it’s reasons like that why I’m a massive supporter for free tertiary education. To give EVERYONE a chance no matter their past, background or upbringing.
Any legitimate job training is welcomed by me. Cut a swathe tgrough heaps of PTEs first.
jobs with good wages is what they need , the government needs to be a job creator, we aren’t all equal in our in how we cope with life . if it takes having 10 guys leaning on shovels to get them out of the house and feel some pride so be it.
couldn’t agree more about the government being a job creator/supplier.
the ripple out benefits are positive from seeing adults in the house, leave every day, to go to work.
i maintain that kiwirail should have (be forced to?) award its recent loco contracts within aotearoa. only 25% more expensive.
unfortunately the benefits would not appear on kiwirails balance sheet, but would be real none the less.
My concern is that there is not the well paid jobs even if the worker has the training and the skills. The world is changing from people being employed to people being self employed, contract workers. I don’t know if that is a good thing, but it’s increasingly difficult to get and keep a job these days.
Part of it, is that now everyone wants experience from young people and are unwilling to train them, NZ employers don’t want to pay for top skills from Kiwis when they are trained, it’s cheap and easy to get rid of people as it’s just a process with little costs involved, so a change in management often means that for no apparent reason (or in the case of Ms Harrison, fraud) they go around culling out their rivals to be seen to be doing something.
One of the many reasons for NZ’s low productivity is that there is an adversarial relationship between employee’s and employee’s that stems from the Rogernomics era. There needs to be a rethink on that as well as a way to create new high paid jobs in sustainable areas not just cars, cows, coal and construction with migrant labour being used to mask our appalling wages and labour laws and a system that is producing unequally educated people (illiterate or over qualified) who can’t find jobs, because many of our industries are based on low or very specific skills, with employers who just can’t be bothered training anyone when has become so easy to replace or look over a local worker for an overseas one in an overseas worker pool of billions. with the NZ taxpayer helpfully subsidising their income with working for families, accomodation benefit, free health and schooling, ACC is it all goes wrong and free super after 10 years. What overseas worker is not going to go for that!
+1
Remember that economically NZ made a decision a few decades ago to have low inflation or no unemployment. It chose low inflation. Accordingly there will always be unemployed under this economy. To bash people you need to be unemployed to meet your low inflation target is beyond cruel.
This article might interest you. It shows what a health relationship between Union and Management can achieve. It is a long read, but a good read.
https://hbr.org/1979/07/quality-of-work-life-learning-from-tarrytown
Thanks Tracey
Sue Bradford is right we need to nurture our youth not herd them around like sheep and penalize them If they get a universal wage and offer them starts in a trade that is way better than bills policy we need to nurture there wairua self worth ect teach them the work culture and let them no and give them a bright future.
TOPS should be in that debate as he deserves it Its Just Bill trying to eliminate competition.
Any employers ripping off there workers should be treated the same as a shop lifter as it is still theft and we need to let these people no that it is theft we should name and shame these employers they are a small % of employers but they are getting away with THEFT. Bryce is a good reporter good to see the likes of him back on our TVs more.
Yes, time to stop fines and start imprisoning bosses who do not have contracts and/or pay less than minimum wage. EG kiwifruit growers recently found over 50% jn that position. No howls from the public or media for personal responsibility and consequences…
Agree eco Maori/kiwi (9). Theft of labour is a serious crime in my book as well and should be treated as such, with harsh penalties dished out to unscrupulous employers!
We know what the Natz’s attitude to it is … ignore the issue completely! Be interesting to find out Labour/Greens/NZF perspective on it is and how they would address labour theft.
I like seeing all the positive news about our culture Maori culture. In my view Maori culture Is all of the people of NZ culture Its is part of what makes NZ culture unique its part of what makes us Kiwis.
Lett’s celebrate our unique Maori culture it makes us unique in our world. All cultures in NZ can be celebrated to.
Susie just did a pretty good job at making Tolley squirm re her latest round of beneficiary bashing. Hopefully audio up in due course.
The Drug Foundation says cracking down on young beneficiaries who use drugs, could push them from cannabis onto methamphetamine because it’s harder to detect.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201857588/beneficiary-drug-crackdown-could-push-users-to-meth
It could also push young addicts to cold turkey and possibly suicide. I doubt their plan is to provide Oasis type help immediately to anyone taking it up.
Push an addict further into poverty… but then Tolley says MSD do not collect the stats on how many on beneficiaries. A dead beneficiary = efficient economy under Nats?
Joyce on RNZ head-to-head debate, when asked directly could not name an economist or indeed anyone,to support his assertion of the $11billion hole in Labour’s proposed budget.
For the dominant RNZ audience, that will be useful.
He could have named English or Bennett as both have supported him.
I intend asking our local MP at a meet the candidate meeting today, if he supports the Joyce outrageous claim.
yep, well done that man!(Robertson) in point blank calling Dildo (Joyce) the liar that he is on RNZ. Video link here
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/338857/video-finance-debate-national-vs-labour
If you need another reason to not vote for national this one should help.
This service is now down to 7 place on a Friday.
https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/dentistry/general-dentist/auckland-dhb-oral-health-service-regional-1/
So ask yourself, how many people in Auckland, and it has 7 places. They stopped the walk in service, because people were getting into fights. Now they just lock you out via the phone.
@Adam – shocking.
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/environment/environmental-reporting-series/environmental-indicators/Home/Land/livestock-numbers
i read somewhere the other day that total stock numbers have fallen well below the 1991 level s and the stats above seem to back it.
sheep numbers have plummeted while total cattle has stayed static .
this would say that farming is already below it.s 1991 levels .
”Methane is produced in the guts of ruminant livestock as a result of methanogenic microorganisms (belonging to the Archaea). The composition of the animal feed is a crucial factor in controlling the amounts of methane produced, but a sheep can produce about 30 litres of methane each day and a dairy cow up to about 200.”
lifted from google
we have dropped 20 million sheep in that time which release approx 3.3 million cows worth of gas
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/environment/environmental-reporting-series/environmental-indicators/Home/Land/livestock-numbers
interesting…the almost static cattle number is a surprise, though the distribution is still an issue (canty dairy herd e.g.) ….take it those methane numbers quoted are robust?
http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/greenhouse-gases/agricultural-greenhouse-gases/methane-emissions
might be a little on the light side due to the cattle herd changing from beef to dairy
i will stand by the fact that nz has reduced its cattle emissions since 1990 till proved otherwise
https://muchadoaboutclimate.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/how-much-methane-does-a-cow-actually-produce/
since 1990 nz population has increased from 3.3-4.7 million
Allometrics suggest that human respiration is around 251g co2 per day.metabolic respiration from decomposers of human excreta is around 50% of respiration emissions it would be statistically significant.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.1330660313/abstract
plus the cars the come etc but that’s another story
I’m not so sure about that. Not a farming quibble, more a stats quibble. I wouldn’t call it “static”, even if the line’s nearly horizontal.
Look at the scale of the chart.
The numbers in the actual data tables show about 8.8million cows in 1994, 9.6M in 2002, and 10.3Mil in 2014 (an increase of 7% on 2002).
You’re right about the decline of 20mil-odd sheep, though.
Testing…
WTF, just saw this on my FB feed.
I don’t remember this policy announcement, can someone please tell me when it was released? /sarc
http://bobmccoskrie.com/?p=20234#sthash.I9f8emZU.dpbs
“Down’s syndrome advocacy group condemn Jacinda Arden’s pledge to introduce abortion up to birth for disabilities “
Bob McCoskie is simply lying. Hardly surprising, I have noticed that the fuckwits from the Family Fist are chronic liars – I guess that deliberately lying is just part of their moral code.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/05/jacinda-ardern-decriminalise-abortion-new-zealand-election
She said that abortion should be decriminalized. A quite different thing.
Yeah, you should read the FB comments to McC. Many are pointing out as usual, he’s making shit up to fit his world view.
I am not surprised.
Bob McCroskie a fundamentalist Mormon when you look into their church and Women’s Rights.
Sexual abuse .
A horid bunch of Misogynists.
McCrosky clean up your own back yard before you start telling everyone else how to live.
And frankly, she’s right. A woman shouldn’t have to pretend that she’s mentally fragile so that she can get an abortion of the basis of a threat to her mental health. It’s degrading and demeaning of women. I doubt that moving it out of the Crimes Act and into the Health arena would have any effect on the numbers of abortions being performed, but it would be more respectful of the women who require an abortion.
And prove that mental illness to 2 different doctors. Imagine you live in a rural area where seeing 1 is hard enough?
McCoskrie has a masters in economics. As far as I know has done little theological training but sees fit to take an ancient book literally. Ridiculous as you actually can’t take it literally it needs to be interpreted. It says little about abortion except making it clear that a fetus is not the same status as a human being. For instance it recommends the death penalty for murder but not for causing a miscarriage. Exodus 21 22-25. What the Bible is very clear and consistent on is that I we should feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Jesus goes so far as to say that people who don’t do this are going to hell. So I guess that since McCoskrie tends to support right wing parties he is going to he’ll.
“We are now seeing signs of bubbles in more and more parts of the capital market where we wouldn’t have expected them,” he said in Frankfurt, noting property prices in advanced economies had hit record levels.
Making a case for tighter monetary policy a day before ECB governors are expected to unveil plans to reduce money printing due to the stronger economy, he welcomed gradually ending loose monetary policy.
“The central banks must, however, plot a middle way that averts massive losses on the markets,” he cautioned.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11918620
something I hope GR is highly conscious of, especially as we reduce the main driver to our economic growth, immigration at the same time….its going to require one hell of a juggling act.
I think I would need to have a serious disconnect with the reality of life in NZ if I was to believe that less than 1 in every 200 beneficiaries smokes a bit of weed.
Beating people with a bigger stick never improves conditions for anyone. We can’t force people to be the best they can be, it needs to come from within us. We have to want it.
The worst thing we can do is push the disenfranchised further away with Jackboot policies, we’ve watched this approach fail for centuries. The best thing we can do is to get about creating signposted, alluring, climbable pathways to satisfaction and pride….and yep, if the guy is a stoner, forestry or long-haul truck driving is probably not the best path. It appears people are pretty good at working this out for themselves, I think this is what gets us to that suspect less than 1 in 200 has a puff figure.
A long term, sustainable and successful solution to any social problem will invariably have it’s feet planted in love.
Ruth Richardson in 1991 slashed benefits. That was designed to incentivise job seeking ( based on a right wing lie that unemployed do not want to work). Since that time benefits have never recovered. Can we agree it is a failed policy and it is time to try something evidence based?
Secondly, why is ok for white employed people to do drugs? And they do, in great numbers. In my circle it is almost all who vote Nats or Act. The lefties stick with alcohol. That “evidence” is as goid as Tolley’s and Richardson before her and all those in between who did not rectify it.
In addition it waa decided we could have full employment or low inflation. We chose low inflation and now pillory those victims we know cannot get work because of it
QFT.
I wonder how Max Key is doing.
@ tracey (18.2) … no doubt creepy junior is still living off the fat of the land and driving about in his state of the art vehicle, boasting about all his (non) achievements in life, while looking for a photo op, just like Saint Dr Sir daddy!
Are the offspring of former PMs, included in the life time travel perks, or does that only apply to the retired PM and his/her spouse?
I bet he can afford illegal drugs. Does it say the same thing about his parents, if he does, that it says about parents of the poor?
So, I take it that some research into it has come out that you disagree with and you’re falling back on you beliefs that have just been proved wrong?
I don’t need to refer to research Draco, I just go about my day with my eyes and nostrils open. Do you honestly believe that less than 1 in every 200 beneficiaries smokes dope? National average, about 1 in every 12 adults smokes occasionally or more frequently, beneficiary average, 1 in every 225?….I don’t believe it and I think we’re fooling ourselves if we do.
I don’t think it matters beyond determining how best to address the situation and stopping benefit payments or forced rehab will create more problems than are solved.
Isn’t it possible they can’t afford it like the white privileged folks born to the wealthy?
No, you actually need to refer to research because otherwise you’re wrong.
As you don’t refer to research we can safely assume that you’re talking out your arse and know absolutely nothing.
No, you can assume I don’t accept all research as bona fide. I’m sure you’ve seen research that denies human induced climate change.
Not testing those people that chose not to attend a job interview because drug testing was part of the potential employer’s induction process will of course provide false numbers. I think we’re foolish to accept them as accurate.
I can introduce you to 5 beneficiaries that smoke dope Draco. I don’t know 1200 beneficiaries, I don’t know 100. I suspect most of us could tell a similar story. Cherry picking skewed research does us no favours.
Talking out my arse? Do you honestly believe that less than 1 in 225 beneficiaries smokes weed? It’s not me with 2 sets of vocal chords.
Tui, right there!
Most definitely. That was another three paragraphs of BS.
You cannot expand you’re anecdote to the entire population.
They can’t afford it, so, yes.
OK we’re going to have to agree to disagree then Draco, I’ll take your anecodal point. I’m in the Far North, much of it isn’t purchased, it’s grown.
But… I’m still calling you out, I bet you know 3 beneficiaries that like a puff, now name another 750 that don’t.
I don’t know any beneficiaries that smoke marijuana or use any other drugs.
And eve if I did it’d still be anecdotal. That’s why we have research – so that we don’t make decisions upon anecdotal BS.
umm d-mac you don’t hang around with beneficiaries all day do you being a employer and working stiff and all so where are your nostrils smelling the weed?
Actually there is real evidence that the poor do less drugs and alcohol than everyone else. I went to a presentation about the growing up in New Zealand study. There were lots of negatives for children from the poorest households. The one positive was they were less likely to suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome. There mother’s couldn’t afford alchohol
http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-myth-of-welfare-and-drug-use
“If Ohio is anything like Florida, which also has a drug-testing program, Schaffer will find that the large majority of welfare recipients are neither drug users nor drug dealers. From 2011 to 2012, just 108 of the 4,086 people who took a drug test failed—a rate of 2.6 percent, compared to a national drug use rate of over 8 percent. The total cost to Florida taxpayers? $45,780.
The most colossal failure of this policy was in Arizona, which passed a drug-testing law in 2009. In 2012, an evaluation of the program had startling results: After three years and 87,000 screenings, only one person had failed the drug test, with huge costs for the state, which saved a few hundred dollars by denying benefits, compared to the hundreds of thousands spent to conduct the tests.’
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-irwin/20-things-poor-people-really-do_b_4533691.html
Plastic fibres found in tap water around the world, study reveals
Exclusive: Tests show billions of people globally are drinking water contaminated by plastic particles, with 83% of samples found to be polluted
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/06/plastic-fibres-found-tap-water-around-world-study-reveals
Eww.
Well folks I don’t know if I am seeing things or if this is not a position for a slave I have just been reading in my local rag.
“Seeking a Nanny/Cleaner”
“Nanny Cleaner required for full-time position. Nanny/Cleaner will be taking care of child, ages 10 months, 10 years & my Aged Mom. Your responsibilities with the children include: driving children to and from school, taking children to the park, reading to children, playing with children in home. Other duties include light cleaning, some meals & occasional laundry. Nanny is required to have at least a month of experience, as well as CPR. First Aid and French is an asset. Attributes such as sense of humour, caring & responsible are a plus.
Hours are 9am – 7pm Monday to Friday. The wage is $500pw & vacation pay is included.”
I have worked this out as 50 hours a week at $10 per hour. Firstly are we allowed to pay beneath the minimum wage these days. Secondly is including the holiday pay into that $500 legal – and if so that would bring down the hourly rate even further.
I have omitted the person and their contacts but needless I must add – it is a male who is requiring these services. He obviously has no idea what it is like to look after children, plus an aged Mum whom he obviously wants this “slave ” to toilet and keep an eye on and cleaning and laundry.
Good luck with his job advertisement but if this is the calibre of work that Tolley is hoping our young people will be going into – poor hours, poor pay, no holiday pay or sick pay – then she needs to vacate her cabinet seat and retire.
Also I heard this morning that there have been thousands of complaints about the very subject above to advocates etc – complaints ranged from termination without any required reason, no security of tenure etc etc. Brave old NZ – she is in a sad state these days.
Was it board and lodging provided? If not it is a bit rude to get someone to manage a 10mth old! as well as an aged Mum.
Some immigrant desperate for work will take it.
It should say board included, if it does… but it would be odd to include board for a 5 day a week job. I use “job” loosely.
At the petrol station, chatting to strangers… ‘wow fuel is getting expensive’, they reply.. ‘it sure is’… so I say ” did you know national have introduced 18 new taxes, including six fuel taxes since they took office”.. they reply, ” really, I didn’t know that”, I say…’this year I’m voting for change”, they respond… “sounds like we need change”…’ yes we do.. have a great day’… ‘thanks love you too’
At the Dr’s…. crowded waiting room, talking to more strangers… ‘wow we can vote next week’… someone responds ‘they’ve been making all sorts of promises lately’.. I respond… “I know, and how about that steven joyce, turns out he took 8 Economic Papers at varisty and failed the lot of them”… someone else says ‘did he really?’… yes I say, and he is looking after the money’… another person says.. ‘that’s a worry’. “It sure is, and he has the cheek to say all the qualified economists are wrong and he is right”…. someone else says… ‘the only hole he has is one in his head”.. … then I was called for my appointment…. ‘have a great day everyone, nice to talk with you all’… ‘you too and nice to talk with you as well” they reply.
It’s up to us to inform everyone, every moment we can if we want change.
Good on you Cinny!
Those conversations are worth way more than any social media campaign or brain farts like minister Joyce uttered.
Well done.
the first of the coronal mass ejections from the sept 4 m5 eruptions has arrived,
there is a significant forbush decrease at the southpole neutron monitors
http://www.bartol.udel.edu/~pyle/thespnplot.png
Good chance of auroras in the south tonight despite the moon.
If you are feeling a bit down, or a bit blue, this interview with Maggie Gyllenhaal will perk you right up. Time stamp 10.16sec
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96594496/advocacy-group-impersonates-labour-makes-false-abortion-claims
this lot need locking up , surely this is illegal
Saving Downs make religious lobby groups look rational – doesn’t suprise me that they’d do something this stupid.
Their website also links to two generalised pro-life groups. It is also notable that this ad smearing Labour just happens to come from a special needs advocacy group in the context of a campaign in which National has been receiving bad press for its attitudes towards related issues.
“Later tonight will bring a fresh poll, with TVNZ set to release an update from Colmar Brunton that is already being touted as ‘explosive’. The last one certainly was, putting Labour in front of National for the first time in many years.
That poll was taken between Saturday August 26 and Wednesday August 30. The Reid Research poll published on Sunday, which showed Labour at 39.4 percent and National at 43.3 percent, was taken from August 22 to August 30, so is seen as slightly less up-to-date than the Colmar Brunton poll.”
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2017/09/07/46589/election-17days
are the voters abandoning ship?
one lives in hope, but polls fluctuate wildly these days…
and then there are polls
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96597780/a-firsttime-maori-party-mp-may-end-up-being-kingmaker-and-a-minister
I hope the MP get squashed by the electorate. I hope, before voting, they remember whose been propping up national for the last nine years.
Labour doing deals with them will be like bargaining with Dunne or Rimmer for their vote. Yucky.
Kinda interesting that again it’s released on the eve of a debate.
Here’s the link for info on how to watch the debate tonight.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96599625/how-to-watch-the-stuff-election-debate-on-your-telly
EDIT.. Just saw this… “The High Court has been told that Gareth Morgan’s party is on 1.9 per cent in the latest 1 News Colmar Brunton poll due to be released this evening, up nearly 1 per cent.”
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/latest-polling-has-gareth-morgans-top-party-up-1-9-per-cent-but-still-not-enough-eligible-tvnz-leaders-debate
Interesting… some of his supporters were cock-a-hoop earlier this week that they would get well over 6%.
Seymour gets so much coverage for a one-,man party attracting .4% of party vote….
Sixteen years on and they’re as clueless as they ever were.
The U.S. military in Afghanistan apologized Wednesday for distributing leaflets featuring an image “highly offensive” to Muslims.
The leaflets dropped Tuesday night over parts of Parwan province showed the Shahada, the Muslim profession of faith, printed on the image of a dog, an animal viewed by many Muslims as unclean.
http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-afghanistan-usmilitary-apology-20170906-story.html
Work and Income contact family living for years in boarding house after media coverage to get them (hopefully) on social housing register.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/338910/ministry-contacts-family-living-in-lodge-for-seven-years
Reactionary government creates a reactionary public service sector.
Labour have a lot of work to to to make things right again.
It can be done but will need the political will.
Haha. National have taken down the billboard on wall of the City Mission.
Yep. In a panic the Nats have removed their arrogant ‘keep moving forward’ poster from the Auckland City Mission. The Auckland City Mission of course looks after people who the Nats have clearly sent backward while they were moving forward.
The placement and then removal of the poster is symbolic of their blind indifference.
Of further interest is that the church has an agreement with the billboard company that no advertising shall be placed with might cause offence. Clearly the National Party does cause offence. 🙂
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/09/national-billboard-removed-from-city-mission.html
How come Poll results never get leaked?
I bet Wayne Eagleson gets plenty of warning.
They do sometimes tracey. UMR’s polling for the Labour Party has been leaked a bit lately and helped spur the resignation of Andrew Little.
I was thinking of the “independent” polls rather than the party polls.
NZ First uses UMR as well, so they may have leaked it.
one news teaser ad just now said a clear leader has emerged. hold on to your knitting
…but can they govern alone…. do-do-do-do
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/96592417/gareth-morgan-taking-tvnz-to-court
this is just plane wrong , hopefully he gets to 3% in the poll