Until we see the text of the TPPA, we won’t know the extent of its impact on our health, environment and sovereignty.
However, we do know we didn’t get any magic beans for our cow.
Thats true Paul. And without knowing any of the details of the deal, in full, we can’t organise protest and action around the very worst aspects of the deal.
Mind you, will a political shitstorm in the States while they are full swing into election campaigning, actually provide the people of the 12 nations with a glimmer of hope that the deal won’t be ratified? (See TPP Roundup post).
The lives of NZer’s and the protections of our environment are beyond our control and are now in the hands of the Americans. They decide, not us. We are now at their mercy.
“Thats true Paul. And without knowing any of the details of the deal, in full, we can’t organise protest and action around the very worst aspects of the deal.”
Without knowing the details – how will you know there is anything to protest about?
Oh thats right. The TPP is a totally benign deal that will in no way affect the citizens of the countries involved in any detrimental way at all.
Thats why we don’t have groups like Doctors For Healthy Trade, It’s Our Future and Action Stations and respected academics like Jane Kelsey spending the last few years…………..oh yeah, there might be a problem with the TPP. And those thousands that tuned out in the streets to protest. Just “rent a crowd” eh?
Well one thing we know already James is that under the TPP NZ can’t ban the sale of NZ property to investors from any of the countries signed to the TPP. So, the action that the OIO took in blocking the sale of the Lochivar Station to overseas buyers wouldn’t be allowed to happen once the TPP is ratified.
A massive free for all NZ land grab by wealthy overseas investors. You OK with that? that whole “tenant in our own land” buzz?
Hi Rosie, could you please give me specific examples of how my life and the protection of my environment is no longer to be within my control? How am I personally now to be at the mercy of the Americans?
Groan. I can’t give you specific examples of how your life will be affected because as yet, we don’t have access to the full text of the deal. Hence my initial comment to Paul re planning protest and action. No plans without knowledge of the text.
Our future as NZer’s is at the mercy of the Americans as they are the ones that trigger the TPP being signed off once they ratify it. It’s out of our hands.
In the meantime maybe don’t plan to buy a house in Auckland or get cancer in the next few years.
Yes, I read it that way too. I was winding music4menz up – the comment made was kind of a smart ar*e one. He/she is asking for definites when there aren’t any, especially without knowing what part of the social hierarchy they fit into, and how vulnerable or not they may be the effects of the TPP, further down the track, should it be ratified.
Also, everyone I know who is into music is a lot cooler than that.
Farrell: “this ruling will lead to new pressures to limit the kinds of indiscriminate surveillance against citizens that many countries — not just the United States — have engaged in over the last 15 years. “
Guyon Espiner this morning has gone up in my estimation. Wouldn’t let Joyce away with turning a TPP interview into an anti labour (‘it’s their fault) rant or trying ‘Look!-The point is…blah blah….’diversions. (Only just stopped short of calling him a liar.)
Or how novopay is going….relax he’ll be back to giving him a spongebath and shaitsu in a few months as Gluon’s just a more subtle govt cheerleader than the likes of Hoskins/Henry etc
@Rodel Agreed. Espiner can be very good with his questioning despite his right-leaning views.
The best part was when he got Joyce to admit that the policy that is in force in Australia, where only permanent residents can buy a house and where overseas people investing in housing must build a house, is allowable under TPPA. So Labour can stick to this policy.
My understanding is a new government can renegotiate the whole thing. Labour has said it will not be bound by some parts of the agreement, if it ever comes into force.
@Pat Not quite that simple. Grant Robertson has explained Labour’s position here (from the Herald today):
“The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) includes a non-discrimination provision which would prevent the New Zealand Government banning foreign nations from buying property in New Zealand.
This provision went against of Labour’s bottom lines for supporting the deal.
Mr Robertson said: “We will take a good look at the agreement and we are reserving the right to review and renegotiate.
“There is always the scope to review them, there are just consequences if we make a law, there are consequences if we go against the agreement.
“We will have to look into what all of those are and balance that up.”
The TPP also includes provisions which allow investors to seek compensation from the Government if it breaches its investment obligations.
This meant if a Government banned foreign investment in housing it could face a legal challenge from overseas investors or companies.”
Any legal challenge to a law made by Parliament would take years.
It’s a trade agreement rather than a treaty. Not sure if they have the same status. But if other signatories have get-outs, as Australia appears to have on housing, then would NZ not be able to argue that should apply here too?
Who exactly would sue NZ in the situation where it changed legislation on housing?
Australia have EXISTING restrictions….it is the change that opens the possibility of the ISDS provisions being enacted.
Am not a lawyer but i imagine a case could be made by say a large real estate company ( or even an investment fund) that has a substantial proportion of its commissions (or portfolio) paid by overseas investors in say the Auckland market if offshore investment in the NZ property market was banned……whether this would be successful or not is irrelevant as it would cost the Gov to defend and even before the policy was made the possibility would have to be considered…am sure sharper minds than mine could come up with a myriad of potential scenarios.
Attention all aficionados of mondo bizarro television:
Jamie “Lock Up His Sisters” Whyte is on Paul Henry this morning!
TV3, Wednesday 7 October 2015
At 7:55 this morning, after a ridiculous interview with “Boobs on Bikes” organiser Steve Crow, Paul Henry made an ominous announcement: “Coming up after the news, the daily panel, today featuring Mary Lambie and Jamie Whyte.”
Mary Lambie is Jim Mora’s wife, and can be relied on for saying something anodyne and unmemorable. So she is about as dependable a guest as it is possible to get.
Jamie “Lock Up His Sisters” Whyte, however, is another can of worms entirely. He is the disgraced former ACT leader who managed in his brief few months in that rôle to come across as the worst ACT leader of them all, displaying an embarrassing level of ignorance about nearly everything and, memorably, positioning ACT as the pro-incest party.
So it’s high quality commentary as usual on Paul Henry’s show!
How does Mary Lambie get a spot on a political panel?
Because she is Mora’s wife?
The fact she is seen as a welcome guest on Henry’s show demonstrates the political bias within the Mora household.
No wonder he gets away with hat awful show the Panel. The Tories must love him.
And hasn’t he ruined Checkpoint?
I agree but hopefully he will be almost gone soon. Once the new programme format starts Mora will be reduced to 1 hour 3-4 pm. Which sort of suits me I do not like the current host/format of 1-4 so switch to BBC. I am in a little quandy with Checkpoint as by taking Campbell on board we lose Mary who IMHO is one of the best talents RNZ have. I don’t see Campbell ever being a strong interviewer and as much as I like him for the Human Interest story we need strong personalities when interviewing people that need to be held to account. Checkpoint is not necessarily the best use of his talent. Which is probably why he got the job.
This past fortnight makes me realise just how good it is to have Kim available she can actually think on her feet and if the subject tries to fluff around she zeros in and kills them.
No wonder he gets away with that awful show the Panel. The Tories must love him.
And hasn’t he ruined Checkpoint?
No, there’s a difference. David Cundliffe was without any doubt, for whatever reason, a failure. By contrast, Whyte’s catastrophic command of ACT, that doomed ferry of the damned, was a disgrace. Someone who progresses instantly from anonymity to being the butt of public ridicule, without achieving even a modicum of respect in between, has been disgraced.
Right from his disastrously inept first public appearance last year, Whyte was obviously the least eloquent and the least informed of all the political leaders on display. He then, almost incredibly, compounded his dire public image by stating his tolerance for incest.
Only the sort of bewildered souls who voted for ACT would countenance “philosophical exploration” about incest.*
Whyte’s performance on Paul Henry this morning confirmed that impression of intellectual mediocrity. He even, foolishly, quoted Margaret Thatcher’s ideological quip about any man of thirty who travels on public transport being a failure, then undermined himself by admitting he travelled by train in London.
* The question must be asked: how far have the people who propound and/or defend such “philosophical explorations” of incest taken these “philosophical explorations”?
Well, I have to admit that I haven’t ever seriously contemplated taking my sister or my mother as a wife. That sort of philosophical exploration is best left to the broader, subtler, more refined type of intellect that is instinctually drawn to the party of Hide, Garrett, Whyte and Seymour.
For God’s sake why do you waste your time. Stop watching/listening to anything on MediaWorks. Choose something with a modicum of intelligence to follow.
I stopped the day Campbell left. And when RNZ start doing much the same on some of their programmes I limit my time there. Thanks goodness for the BBC World Service.
At 7:55 this morning, after a ridiculous interview with “Boobs on Bikes” organiser Steve Crow, Paul Henry made an ominous announcement: “Coming up after the news, the daily panel, today featuring Mary Lambie and Jamie Whyte.”
Sorry, Ron, but the BBC is even worse, more ideologically biased and politically controlled, than TV3 and Radio New Zealand.
You perhaps are thinking of the good BBC, which brought us such gems as Dad’s Army. Since Alastair Campbell and Tony Blair took an axe to it when it dared to tell the truth, briefly, in 2004, it has more than ever become the British state broadcaster—about as trustworthy and independent as Pravda, XinWa or Fox News.
Nope I was thinking of the BBC World Service that is broadcast in Auckland.
I am not worrying about the political side of things but the articles on World Service are very good. Way ahead of anything we get on RNZ.
Morrissey. I worry about you watching Henry. Its pollutant stuff.
Hope you’re taking medication or preventative therapy.
I cant grab the remote fast enough when he appears.
Actually yes I can with practice, but I did hear his manic
child-cackle for a millisecond last night… couldn’t sleep for hours.
so now jonkey nact has signed the corporate takeover of New Zealand via TPPA… (unless good Americans with a social conscience stop TPPA in its tracks)
….i guess we need an new corporate flag to match our new corporate controlled country …Red Peak anyone? ( afterall this is jonkey’s and James Shaw’s favourite choice)
“the Red Peak flag was created by a Xero product design director (Dustin), has had its online campaign coordinated by another Xero associate (Simpson), and was included in the top 40 while the Xero CEO (Drury) was one of the dozen on the selection panel; perhaps we should ask how has the Greens relationship with that company changed recently?
Two years ago:
Norman issued a media release yesterday questioning whether Palantir, a firm co-founded by wealthy US technology investor and Xero shareholder Peter Thiel, had been hired by the Government to spy on New Zealanders…”
LOL’s the ultimate slap down of NZ citizens, to have an electronic security and surveillance company logo as it’s own branded flag.
I never got excited about the red peak design. I could never see it as something real and meaningful to consider as long as Key was in control of the flag “process”. Maybe if the flag process had been led by the people instead, it might have been different.
I also couldn’t take it seriously when I spend days staring out the window to a sea of new buildings that make up the relentless suburban sprawl of North Wellington, and all I see is the red peak design in the Tekton logo on the building wrap:
I know it’s not the same but it blurs together if you let your mind enter a numb zone, a zone that lets you slip away from the pain of what has become of our country in recent years.
+100 Rosie…and not another vacuous , ubiquitous Red Peak!..maybe you could take up stained glass window making( books in the library, also do- it- yourself kits)…and design yourself a beautiful colourful window to block the bloody thing out …a maidenhair fern in front of a stained glass window which lets in the refracted light could be just the thing to block out the Tekton red peak logo
Gosh that description of the stain glass window with the maidenhair fern on the windowsill took me right back to the memory of sitting in someones villa restoration in the eighties. A pleasant enough memory 🙂
It’s an environmental wasteland up here on The Development. We have responded by planting native trees and shrubs on our borders. That should block out the sight of the sprawl in a few years and bring life to the area by attracting birds and insects. (+ purple flowers to attract the bees)
If Morning Report is going to discuss significant topics, such as a difference in pay between men and women, why can’t they interview people who are actually talking about the subject rather than an entirely different matter?
This morning the first person spoken to about lower pay for women than men came out with the following –
“A school librarian, who asked not to be identified, said gender bias was unmistakable at her work.
“I have been employed as a teacher in a school and I’m now employed as support staff at a school – I feel like I’m the same person with the same abilities and skills and qualifications and work ethic, but the way I’m treated is significantly different.””
What on earth does her complaint have to do with gender bias? It is solely about the fact that in a school the frontline, teaching, staff were treated differently than people in support roles. It doesn’t have anything at all to do with her sex. If it had we wouldn’t be this complaint at all as she wouldn’t be treated any differently as a female support worker than she was as a female teacher.
Don’t the people trying to produce Morning Report understand that interviews on a topic should have something to do with that topic?
+100…what a hero…enjoyed the tv series Wallander ….must watch out for his books
…”Mankell was known for his rights activisim, and joined the 2010 flotilla trying to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip…
“He said he wanted to create a situation where “Palestinians are not treated like second-class citizens in their own country, a sort of apartheid system.”
Mankell’s collection of dark novels about the Swedish police inspector Wallander brought the author international fame after it was made into a television series by the BBC starring Oscar-nominated actor and director Kenneth Branagh.”
I have just read the front page of the Herald ,Top story the romance of Key’s son Max.No wonder the Herald is giving the paper away free for a few weeks, Wh the hell would pay money for the trash. Once the largest daily paper in NZ it is now reduced to local gossip and Tory propaganda Oh fpo the days when the daily newspaper . was something to look forward too. However at least we have the Standard . Which is not to be missed on any day.
+1 – by the way – my theory is that Max Key (does he even work?) is being groomed to collect the 18 – 29 year old votes next election for Pops. The herald is the propaganda site for the grooming to the public.
( nice for some: thinking here about high suicide rate amongst Maori youth, NZ unemployed and top New Zealand graduates who cant afford to carry on and do university postgrad studies in their own country , even although invited to by their professors , because they are already overburdened with student debt….not to mention the fact that nactional has cut postgrad student loans)
Yeah, and to watch the ejaculate smeared all over TVOne News tonight re The Ponce Key’s top secret trip to Afghanistan…….well, you’d think he’d flown a Tiger Moth low over the mountains of Bamyan, touched down and single-handedly slain 40 baddies……
‘The War-Hero Ponce Key !’ what ? Jeezuz ! TV “Boys’ Own” One !
Just to have ago at Sirdom while we all live in Serfdom
Every time I see JK as initials for the PM i cant help but see Sir John Kirwan in there so to avoid any further unnecessary confusion I propose the PM become the patron of what ever depression group Sir JK is promoting as a way of atoning for his constant alcoholic depressed rhetoric because most of it isnt believed by the real world that the majority of the population live with
Anyone who can smile for the camera and speak the bs he does is really out of it and expect to be believed and if it is the truth well God help us all to 2017
Joins the search…..in a suit ? Hope for the sake of the boy and family and friends we’re not to be reminded of Pike River politics ? Hope it’s not a case of 0800CrosbyTextorDisasterLine. Couldn’t be……there are depths even they wouldn’t plumb, aren’t there ?
“Hope it’s not a case of 0800CrosbyTextorDisasterLine. Couldn’t be……there are depths even they wouldn’t plumb, aren’t there ?”.
Oh God. Quite possibly.
I don’t know a single person in Horowhenua who didn’t vote for Nathan Guy. Then again, I don’t know a single person in Horowhenua who has a good hard think about anything……………… Although I think there is a small smattering of TS readers up that way. No offence intended towards our comrades in the Horowhenua.
Just been talking to a mate of mine in Auckland……senior union office-holder……(constantly having to check him about his ever more frequent sorties into the Koru Club !)……his comment on The Ponce Key War Hero’s vile Americanism, “……a God-Damn awful place !” re Iraq. My mate’s response – “Who made it a God-Damn awful place FFS ? True that !
The Times UK
“The newspaper reported that the soft drinks giant, a major sponsor of the Olympics, the Fifa World Cup and the Rugby World Cup, has financial links to more than a dozen British scientists, including government health advisers and others who cast doubt on the commonly accepted link between sugary drinks and the obesity crisis.” http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/health/news/article4581174.ece
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In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...
What Chris Penk has granted holocaust-denier and equal-opportunity-bigot Candace Owens is not “freedom of speech”. It’s not even really freedom of movement, though that technically is the right she has been granted. What he has given her is permission to perform. Freedom of SpeechIn New Zealand, the right to freedom ...
All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
Legislation to enable new water service delivery models that will drive critical investment in infrastructure has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking a significant step towards the delivery of Local Water Done Well, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly say.“Councils and voters ...
New Zealand is one step closer to reaping the benefits of gene technology with the passing of the first reading of the Gene Technology Bill, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins says. "This legislation will end New Zealand's near 30-year ban on gene technology outside the lab and is ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...
Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...
Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...
Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...
MONDAY“Merry Xmas, and praise the Lord,” said Sheriff Luxon, and smiled for the camera. There was a flash of smoke when the shutter pressed down on the magnesium powder. The sheriff had arranged for a photographer from the Dodge Gazette to attend a ceremony where he handed out food parcels to ...
It’s a little under two months since the White Ferns shocked the cricketing world, deservedly taking home the T20 World Cup. Since then the trophy has had a tour around the country, five of the squad have played in the WBBL in Australia while most others have returned to domestic ...
Comment: If we say the word ‘dementia’, many will picture an older person struggling to remember the names of their loved ones, maybe a grandparent living out their final years in an aged care facility. Dementia can also occur in people younger than 65, but it can take time before ...
Piracy is a reality of modern life – but copyright law has struggled to play catch-up for as long as the entertainment industry has existed. As far back as 1988, the House of Lords criticised copyright law’s conflict with the reality of human behaviour in the context of burning cassette ...
As he makes a surprise return to Shortland Street, actor Craig Parker takes us through his life in television. Craig Parker has been a fixture on television in Aotearoa for nearly four decades. He had starring roles in iconic local series like Gloss, Mercy Peak and Diplomatic Immunity, featured in ...
The Ōtautahi musician shares the 10 tracks he loves to spin, including the folk classic that cured him of a ‘case of the give-ups’. When singer-songwriter Adam McGrath returns to Kumeu’s Auckland Folk Festival from January 24-27, he’s not planning on simply idling his way through – he wants the late ...
Alex Casey spends an afternoon on the job with River, the rescue dog on a mission to spread joy to Ōtautahi rest homes.Almost everyone says it is never enough time. But River the rescue dog, a jet black huntaway border collie cross, has to keep a tight pace to ...
Asia Pacific Report Fiji activists have recreated the nativity scene at a solidarity for Palestine gathering in Fiji’s capital Suva just days before Christmas. The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network recreated the scene at the FWCC compound — a baby Jesus figurine lies amidst the ...
By 1News Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver and 1News reporters A number of Kiwis have been successfully evacuated from Vanuatu after a devastating earthquake shook the Pacific island nation earlier this week. The death toll was still unclear, though at least 14 people were killed according to an earlier statement from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Scully, Professor in Modern History, University of New England Bunker.Image courtesy of Michael Leunig, CC BY-NC-SA Michael Leunig – who died in the early hours of Thursday December 19, surrounded by “his children, loved ones, and sunflowers” – was the ...
The House - On Parliament's last day of the year, there was the rare occurrence of a personal (conscience) vote on selling booze over the Easter weekend. While it didn't have the numbers to pass, it was a chance to get a rare glimpse of the fact ...
A new poem by Holly Fletcher. bejeweled log i was dreaming about wasps / wee darlings that followed me / ducking under objects / that i was fated to pickup / my fingers seeking / and meeting with tiny proboscis’s / but instead / i wake up / roll sideways ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Versta/Shutterstock Australians are exposed to some of the highest levels of solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world. While we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Terry, Professor of Business Regulation, University of Sydney Michael von Aichberger/Shutterstock Even if you’ve no idea how the business model underpinning franchises works, there’s a good chance you’ve spent money at one. Franchising is essentially a strategy for cloning ...
If something big is going to happen in Ferndale, it’s going to happen at Christmas. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If there’s one episode of Shortland Street you should watch each year, it’s the annual Christmas cliffhanger. The final episode of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By William A. Stoltz, Lecturer and expert Associate, National Security College, Australian National University US President-elect Donald Trump has named most of the members of his proposed cabinet. However, he’s yet to reveal key appointees to America’s powerful cyber warfare and intelligence institutions. ...
Announcing the top 10 books of the the year at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, $37) The phenomenal Irish writer is the unsurprising chart topper for 2024 with her fourth novel that, much like her first ...
Until we see the text of the TPPA, we won’t know the extent of its impact on our health, environment and sovereignty.
However, we do know we didn’t get any magic beans for our cow.
Thats true Paul. And without knowing any of the details of the deal, in full, we can’t organise protest and action around the very worst aspects of the deal.
Mind you, will a political shitstorm in the States while they are full swing into election campaigning, actually provide the people of the 12 nations with a glimmer of hope that the deal won’t be ratified? (See TPP Roundup post).
The lives of NZer’s and the protections of our environment are beyond our control and are now in the hands of the Americans. They decide, not us. We are now at their mercy.
and relying on Congress is fraught as the corporates have the deepest pockets
Yep, they’ll be chucking millions of $$$ at targeted candidates to keep their agenda on track.
“Thats true Paul. And without knowing any of the details of the deal, in full, we can’t organise protest and action around the very worst aspects of the deal.”
Without knowing the details – how will you know there is anything to protest about?
Oh thats right. The TPP is a totally benign deal that will in no way affect the citizens of the countries involved in any detrimental way at all.
Thats why we don’t have groups like Doctors For Healthy Trade, It’s Our Future and Action Stations and respected academics like Jane Kelsey spending the last few years…………..oh yeah, there might be a problem with the TPP. And those thousands that tuned out in the streets to protest. Just “rent a crowd” eh?
Well one thing we know already James is that under the TPP NZ can’t ban the sale of NZ property to investors from any of the countries signed to the TPP. So, the action that the OIO took in blocking the sale of the Lochivar Station to overseas buyers wouldn’t be allowed to happen once the TPP is ratified.
A massive free for all NZ land grab by wealthy overseas investors. You OK with that? that whole “tenant in our own land” buzz?
Hi Rosie, could you please give me specific examples of how my life and the protection of my environment is no longer to be within my control? How am I personally now to be at the mercy of the Americans?
Groan. I can’t give you specific examples of how your life will be affected because as yet, we don’t have access to the full text of the deal. Hence my initial comment to Paul re planning protest and action. No plans without knowledge of the text.
Our future as NZer’s is at the mercy of the Americans as they are the ones that trigger the TPP being signed off once they ratify it. It’s out of our hands.
In the meantime maybe don’t plan to buy a house in Auckland or get cancer in the next few years.
No music4womenz?
All a matter of how you read it Rosie. Could be ‘music 4 me nz’.. 🙂
Yes, I read it that way too. I was winding music4menz up – the comment made was kind of a smart ar*e one. He/she is asking for definites when there aren’t any, especially without knowing what part of the social hierarchy they fit into, and how vulnerable or not they may be the effects of the TPP, further down the track, should it be ratified.
Also, everyone I know who is into music is a lot cooler than that.
The European Court of Justice finds that US surveillance breaches the fundamental rights of European citizens: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/10/06/heres-how-the-facebook-case-has-just-transformed-the-surveillance-debate/
Farrell: “this ruling will lead to new pressures to limit the kinds of indiscriminate surveillance against citizens that many countries — not just the United States — have engaged in over the last 15 years. “
+1
Guyon Espiner this morning has gone up in my estimation. Wouldn’t let Joyce away with turning a TPP interview into an anti labour (‘it’s their fault) rant or trying ‘Look!-The point is…blah blah….’diversions. (Only just stopped short of calling him a liar.)
Did he ask Joyce about the loss of our sovereignty?
Or how novopay is going….relax he’ll be back to giving him a spongebath and shaitsu in a few months as Gluon’s just a more subtle govt cheerleader than the likes of Hoskins/Henry etc
@Rodel Agreed. Espiner can be very good with his questioning despite his right-leaning views.
The best part was when he got Joyce to admit that the policy that is in force in Australia, where only permanent residents can buy a house and where overseas people investing in housing must build a house, is allowable under TPPA. So Labour can stick to this policy.
except they cannot as it is not an already in force policy
My understanding is a new government can renegotiate the whole thing. Labour has said it will not be bound by some parts of the agreement, if it ever comes into force.
afraid not…confirmed this morning by a number of international treaty experts….and admitted by joyce this morning
@Pat Not quite that simple. Grant Robertson has explained Labour’s position here (from the Herald today):
“The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) includes a non-discrimination provision which would prevent the New Zealand Government banning foreign nations from buying property in New Zealand.
This provision went against of Labour’s bottom lines for supporting the deal.
Mr Robertson said: “We will take a good look at the agreement and we are reserving the right to review and renegotiate.
“There is always the scope to review them, there are just consequences if we make a law, there are consequences if we go against the agreement.
“We will have to look into what all of those are and balance that up.”
The TPP also includes provisions which allow investors to seek compensation from the Government if it breaches its investment obligations.
This meant if a Government banned foreign investment in housing it could face a legal challenge from overseas investors or companies.”
Any legal challenge to a law made by Parliament would take years.
[lprent: Use a link please. ]
yes there are consequences…ISDS… http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/286302/labour-told-tpp-property-provision-here-to-stay
It’s a trade agreement rather than a treaty. Not sure if they have the same status. But if other signatories have get-outs, as Australia appears to have on housing, then would NZ not be able to argue that should apply here too?
Who exactly would sue NZ in the situation where it changed legislation on housing?
Australia have EXISTING restrictions….it is the change that opens the possibility of the ISDS provisions being enacted.
Am not a lawyer but i imagine a case could be made by say a large real estate company ( or even an investment fund) that has a substantial proportion of its commissions (or portfolio) paid by overseas investors in say the Auckland market if offshore investment in the NZ property market was banned……whether this would be successful or not is irrelevant as it would cost the Gov to defend and even before the policy was made the possibility would have to be considered…am sure sharper minds than mine could come up with a myriad of potential scenarios.
Attention all aficionados of mondo bizarro television:
Jamie “Lock Up His Sisters” Whyte is on Paul Henry this morning!
TV3, Wednesday 7 October 2015
At 7:55 this morning, after a ridiculous interview with “Boobs on Bikes” organiser Steve Crow, Paul Henry made an ominous announcement: “Coming up after the news, the daily panel, today featuring Mary Lambie and Jamie Whyte.”
Mary Lambie is Jim Mora’s wife, and can be relied on for saying something anodyne and unmemorable. So she is about as dependable a guest as it is possible to get.
Jamie “Lock Up His Sisters” Whyte, however, is another can of worms entirely. He is the disgraced former ACT leader who managed in his brief few months in that rôle to come across as the worst ACT leader of them all, displaying an embarrassing level of ignorance about nearly everything and, memorably, positioning ACT as the pro-incest party.
So it’s high quality commentary as usual on Paul Henry’s show!
How does Mary Lambie get a spot on a political panel?
Because she is Mora’s wife?
The fact she is seen as a welcome guest on Henry’s show demonstrates the political bias within the Mora household.
No wonder he gets away with hat awful show the Panel. The Tories must love him.
And hasn’t he ruined Checkpoint?
I agree but hopefully he will be almost gone soon. Once the new programme format starts Mora will be reduced to 1 hour 3-4 pm. Which sort of suits me I do not like the current host/format of 1-4 so switch to BBC. I am in a little quandy with Checkpoint as by taking Campbell on board we lose Mary who IMHO is one of the best talents RNZ have. I don’t see Campbell ever being a strong interviewer and as much as I like him for the Human Interest story we need strong personalities when interviewing people that need to be held to account. Checkpoint is not necessarily the best use of his talent. Which is probably why he got the job.
This past fortnight makes me realise just how good it is to have Kim available she can actually think on her feet and if the subject tries to fluff around she zeros in and kills them.
Its all very utterly utter, pip pip, what what,and please dont get upset Fuck MARYS LEAVING now we really are in the last days
Can’t tell if you’re being satirical or actually showing that level of rabid ignorance.
Whyte was never “disgraced” as far as i know. “Failed” perhaps.
And i would hope you can tell the difference between a philosophical exploration of an idea, and an actual policy platform.
Yes, you’re quite right. Poor hopeless ignorant delusional Jamie is just misunderstood.
No, there’s a difference. David Cundliffe was without any doubt, for whatever reason, a failure. By contrast, Whyte’s catastrophic command of ACT, that doomed ferry of the damned, was a disgrace. Someone who progresses instantly from anonymity to being the butt of public ridicule, without achieving even a modicum of respect in between, has been disgraced.
Right from his disastrously inept first public appearance last year, Whyte was obviously the least eloquent and the least informed of all the political leaders on display. He then, almost incredibly, compounded his dire public image by stating his tolerance for incest.
Only the sort of bewildered souls who voted for ACT would countenance “philosophical exploration” about incest.*
Whyte’s performance on Paul Henry this morning confirmed that impression of intellectual mediocrity. He even, foolishly, quoted Margaret Thatcher’s ideological quip about any man of thirty who travels on public transport being a failure, then undermined himself by admitting he travelled by train in London.
* The question must be asked: how far have the people who propound and/or defend such “philosophical explorations” of incest taken these “philosophical explorations”?
Shit politician perhaps. But he has a broader mind than yours.
Shit politician perhaps.
Shit politician, shit thinker, shit philosopher.
But he has a broader mind than yours.
Well, I have to admit that I haven’t ever seriously contemplated taking my sister or my mother as a wife. That sort of philosophical exploration is best left to the broader, subtler, more refined type of intellect that is instinctually drawn to the party of Hide, Garrett, Whyte and Seymour.
Small things amuse and misuse a small mind a right ridiculous and waste of time and space
For God’s sake why do you waste your time. Stop watching/listening to anything on MediaWorks. Choose something with a modicum of intelligence to follow.
I stopped the day Campbell left. And when RNZ start doing much the same on some of their programmes I limit my time there. Thanks goodness for the BBC World Service.
Sorry, Ron, but the BBC is even worse, more ideologically biased and politically controlled, than TV3 and Radio New Zealand.
You perhaps are thinking of the good BBC, which brought us such gems as Dad’s Army. Since Alastair Campbell and Tony Blair took an axe to it when it dared to tell the truth, briefly, in 2004, it has more than ever become the British state broadcaster—about as trustworthy and independent as Pravda, XinWa or Fox News.
Nope I was thinking of the BBC World Service that is broadcast in Auckland.
I am not worrying about the political side of things but the articles on World Service are very good. Way ahead of anything we get on RNZ.
Morrissey. I worry about you watching Henry. Its pollutant stuff.
Hope you’re taking medication or preventative therapy.
I cant grab the remote fast enough when he appears.
Actually yes I can with practice, but I did hear his manic
child-cackle for a millisecond last night… couldn’t sleep for hours.
so now jonkey nact has signed the corporate takeover of New Zealand via TPPA… (unless good Americans with a social conscience stop TPPA in its tracks)
….i guess we need an new corporate flag to match our new corporate controlled country …Red Peak anyone? ( afterall this is jonkey’s and James Shaw’s favourite choice)
RED PEAK the logo for Active Security Group
http://www.activesecuritygroup.co.uk/
“the Red Peak flag was created by a Xero product design director (Dustin), has had its online campaign coordinated by another Xero associate (Simpson), and was included in the top 40 while the Xero CEO (Drury) was one of the dozen on the selection panel; perhaps we should ask how has the Greens relationship with that company changed recently?
Two years ago:
Norman issued a media release yesterday questioning whether Palantir, a firm co-founded by wealthy US technology investor and Xero shareholder Peter Thiel, had been hired by the Government to spy on New Zealanders…”
Sharp observation Chooky!!!
LOL’s the ultimate slap down of NZ citizens, to have an electronic security and surveillance company logo as it’s own branded flag.
I never got excited about the red peak design. I could never see it as something real and meaningful to consider as long as Key was in control of the flag “process”. Maybe if the flag process had been led by the people instead, it might have been different.
I also couldn’t take it seriously when I spend days staring out the window to a sea of new buildings that make up the relentless suburban sprawl of North Wellington, and all I see is the red peak design in the Tekton logo on the building wrap:
http://tektonproducts.com/images/Tekton-WPS-Logo-333×99.png
I know it’s not the same but it blurs together if you let your mind enter a numb zone, a zone that lets you slip away from the pain of what has become of our country in recent years.
+100 Rosie…and not another vacuous , ubiquitous Red Peak!..maybe you could take up stained glass window making( books in the library, also do- it- yourself kits)…and design yourself a beautiful colourful window to block the bloody thing out …a maidenhair fern in front of a stained glass window which lets in the refracted light could be just the thing to block out the Tekton red peak logo
Gosh that description of the stain glass window with the maidenhair fern on the windowsill took me right back to the memory of sitting in someones villa restoration in the eighties. A pleasant enough memory 🙂
It’s an environmental wasteland up here on The Development. We have responded by planting native trees and shrubs on our borders. That should block out the sight of the sprawl in a few years and bring life to the area by attracting birds and insects. (+ purple flowers to attract the bees)
good on you Rosie…hope those native trees and shrubs grow fast for you
Yes what say should be highlighted to the max more corporate abuse of our democracy
If Morning Report is going to discuss significant topics, such as a difference in pay between men and women, why can’t they interview people who are actually talking about the subject rather than an entirely different matter?
This morning the first person spoken to about lower pay for women than men came out with the following –
“A school librarian, who asked not to be identified, said gender bias was unmistakable at her work.
“I have been employed as a teacher in a school and I’m now employed as support staff at a school – I feel like I’m the same person with the same abilities and skills and qualifications and work ethic, but the way I’m treated is significantly different.””
What on earth does her complaint have to do with gender bias? It is solely about the fact that in a school the frontline, teaching, staff were treated differently than people in support roles. It doesn’t have anything at all to do with her sex. If it had we wouldn’t be this complaint at all as she wouldn’t be treated any differently as a female support worker than she was as a female teacher.
Don’t the people trying to produce Morning Report understand that interviews on a topic should have something to do with that topic?
The Herald seems to have removed all signs of John Armstrong. I had heard that he has been unwell but…
[lprent: He is quite unwell at present. ]
Okay MS. Wish him well.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/06/worried-imf-world-economic-outlook-report
…no mystery here…too much in the hands of too few
Following on from our low business confidence and our record suicide rates comes the GOOD NEWS.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/72767992/nz-third-best-place-to-die
NZ Third Best Place To Die!!!!!
Thirds good. Gets a medal.
+1
Jeremy Corbyn is not the only decent man to draw the ire of the haters
This sneering piece in the far right wing Times of Israel tries but fails to denigrate the late, great Henning Mankell…..
http://www.timesofisrael.com/swedish-crime-writer-henning-mankell-dies-at-67/
+100…what a hero…enjoyed the tv series Wallander ….must watch out for his books
…”Mankell was known for his rights activisim, and joined the 2010 flotilla trying to break the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip…
“He said he wanted to create a situation where “Palestinians are not treated like second-class citizens in their own country, a sort of apartheid system.”
Mankell’s collection of dark novels about the Swedish police inspector Wallander brought the author international fame after it was made into a television series by the BBC starring Oscar-nominated actor and director Kenneth Branagh.”
Great news about soft drinks: they’re good for you.
According to the General Manager of Coca-Cola New Zealand
“We need to stop demonizing sugar, and Coca Cola can be part of a balanced lifestyle.”
—-Paul Fitzgerald, General Manager of Coca-Cola New Zealand
Balanced in favour of increasing CocA-Colas profits is about all it will do to you
David Cameron being roasted in an interview over human rights here (1min 22s).
https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/videos/10153264721241939/
Why oh why have we not got a journalist in NZ who will hold Key to account in the same way?
Because all the ones that are left in the MSM support everything that Key and National do no psychopathic it is.
Greatest trademe auction in history.
October 21 2015 (usa) October 22 2015 (Nzl)
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=960950905&permanent=0
Pledge to march
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/72767069/prices-up-99-per-cent-at-fonterra-globaldairytrade-auction
Thats 9.9% not 99% but still not bad, thats four increases in a row since Mr Andrew Little declared a crisis
And are volumes up as well?
I have just read the front page of the Herald ,Top story the romance of Key’s son Max.No wonder the Herald is giving the paper away free for a few weeks, Wh the hell would pay money for the trash. Once the largest daily paper in NZ it is now reduced to local gossip and Tory propaganda Oh fpo the days when the daily newspaper . was something to look forward too. However at least we have the Standard . Which is not to be missed on any day.
The media has gotten so bad you have to wonder if its end days are not far away.
+1 – by the way – my theory is that Max Key (does he even work?) is being groomed to collect the 18 – 29 year old votes next election for Pops. The herald is the propaganda site for the grooming to the public.
re “Max Key (does he even work?)”…this is what he does:
‘Max Key – I’ll get you into Harvard: Prime Minister’s son gets top consulting role’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11513568
http://www.scout.co.nz/Max-Key-grooms-students-for-Ivy-League/tabid/511/articleID/5617/Default.aspx
‘Auckland’s extravagant, young, elite society you need to know about’
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11471687
( nice for some: thinking here about high suicide rate amongst Maori youth, NZ unemployed and top New Zealand graduates who cant afford to carry on and do university postgrad studies in their own country , even although invited to by their professors , because they are already overburdened with student debt….not to mention the fact that nactional has cut postgrad student loans)
hear hear
Yeah, and to watch the ejaculate smeared all over TVOne News tonight re The Ponce Key’s top secret trip to Afghanistan…….well, you’d think he’d flown a Tiger Moth low over the mountains of Bamyan, touched down and single-handedly slain 40 baddies……
‘The War-Hero Ponce Key !’ what ? Jeezuz ! TV “Boys’ Own” One !
John Key has just been so brave. “Prime Minister John Key’s secret trip to Iraq.”
Was he looking for pandas?
Weird story here, but some great journalism, http://thespinoff.co.nz/07-10-2015/media-a-bargain-from-the-block-the-curious-case-of-julie-christies-mansion/
+1
Why did Dan News have to get involved with Glucinas new outfit? I used to like Dan news…
5:07 and all’s well.
Yeah.
My pet theory is that it was a ploy by someone to get easier access to high-demand books held on close reserve 🙂
Fiendish! So all we have to do is round up everyone who borrowed a book yesterday…
Just to have ago at Sirdom while we all live in Serfdom
Every time I see JK as initials for the PM i cant help but see Sir John Kirwan in there so to avoid any further unnecessary confusion I propose the PM become the patron of what ever depression group Sir JK is promoting as a way of atoning for his constant alcoholic depressed rhetoric because most of it isnt believed by the real world that the majority of the population live with
Anyone who can smile for the camera and speak the bs he does is really out of it and expect to be believed and if it is the truth well God help us all to 2017
Missing boy in Levin has National MP, Nathan Guy, joining the search.
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/search-for-missing-boy-continues-near-levin-2015100707?ref=video#axzz3nr5UtXfc
Nathan Guy being there will go down well with locals.
Where is Rob McCann?
Joins the search…..in a suit ? Hope for the sake of the boy and family and friends we’re not to be reminded of Pike River politics ? Hope it’s not a case of 0800CrosbyTextorDisasterLine. Couldn’t be……there are depths even they wouldn’t plumb, aren’t there ?
No. In his running gear.
“Hope it’s not a case of 0800CrosbyTextorDisasterLine. Couldn’t be……there are depths even they wouldn’t plumb, aren’t there ?”.
Oh God. Quite possibly.
I don’t know a single person in Horowhenua who didn’t vote for Nathan Guy. Then again, I don’t know a single person in Horowhenua who has a good hard think about anything……………… Although I think there is a small smattering of TS readers up that way. No offence intended towards our comrades in the Horowhenua.
Just been talking to a mate of mine in Auckland……senior union office-holder……(constantly having to check him about his ever more frequent sorties into the Koru Club !)……his comment on The Ponce Key War Hero’s vile Americanism, “……a God-Damn awful place !” re Iraq. My mate’s response – “Who made it a God-Damn awful place FFS ? True that !
+100
The Times UK
“The newspaper reported that the soft drinks giant, a major sponsor of the Olympics, the Fifa World Cup and the Rugby World Cup, has financial links to more than a dozen British scientists, including government health advisers and others who cast doubt on the commonly accepted link between sugary drinks and the obesity crisis.”
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/health/news/article4581174.ece