When I was a young follow at the time of Mamas Tangi one day all the children went down to the Waiapu river for a swim it was the day she was buried the aunties were not happy we were all covered in mud as we were all playing in it my younger brother was worse his blond hair was all covered in mud and the Tangi was to be held in 10 mins LOL there was no power so it was crank the old pot belle stove up to heat the water for a shower It was a big Tangi . That nite 2 of my close cousin decided they wanted to get there asses kicked they put some sheets on and acted like a kehua they sceared the shit out of a old kuia they were moaning about there sore ass for a while it was so funny.
There was a creek that ran along the riverside we would go catching eels in this creek a lot its gone now washed away by the Waiapu river when she is in flood .
When I stayed at Waiomatatini we were living in Mamas old house it had a wood stove no power it was light the lantern .This house had a beautiful view of the Waiapu river mouth Its not there now one day I would like to build me a house there.
I had a uncle he was the fisherman of Waiomatatini he would let everyone know when the kahawai was running at the Waiapu river mouth we would all go to the river mouth and catch fish .We would salt fish and dry it smoke fish and my favourite was bottled Kahawai .
We would ride our horses to Port Awanui along the way we would get mussels at the port we would gather Paua and walk around the rocks and pick Parengo off the rocks and pick huge Pupus off the rocks this was a wounder full experience gathering seafood from OUR whenua ka pai.
It is because of not having power that I researched solar power 20 years ago I started
this and in the process I learned about mother earths man made climatic change so all the information I put out there on climate change is from a neutral perspective and facts . All the people of Tairawhiti would benefit hugely by having solar power installed there power bills are huge and the last I heard the lines company was going to phase out there service Solar wind and micro hydro would benefit the iwi immensely I would pick solar power in most instances as unless you are good at fixing things and can maintain hydro and wind power were as solar you top up the batteries with water and clean the panels and change batteries you could pay some one to change batteries as its not often one has to do this . I could build my own solar setup for $8000 to server a large family and no power bill this is a dream of my to take this technology to benefit my Tairawhiti iwi . Ka kite ano
Good interesting comment eco maori. You are getting as good as Robert Guyton at keeping us in touch with the natural world and ideas on practicality for the simple living style.
Good thinking about solar. Soon we should have a fund that will be available to be applied to when people have a good and practical idea for those who are unlikely to afford it. For Maori, the politicians might please the broad population, if they teamed up with iwi who have had reparation payments so that both are supporting the local people, the iwi rohe.
From my research crown lead acid batteries are the most reliable cost effective battery to use you have to shop around as the price can vary by 30%.
I think that our government could offer tax rebates for solar and electric cars as there is no up front cost to our government we can’t just let things carry on as they are we will benefit immensely from more elictric cars and renewable energy. Ka kite ano
The sandflys were following me to and from work yesterday and using good people they have infected with there virus to try and break me but kao PS they wont follow me under a toll bridge I know why but it has me asking a lot of questions as should you . I will post these stories on the day before open mike so as not to hamper the wonderful new post on open mikes new day ka pai .
One thing I bet crime is dropping in Rotorua and Tauranga as everyone knows about my storie of being harresed by the police this is well known in Rotorua.
I know My calls for OUR people to keep out trouble is being heard ka pai
Some of the people infected by the sandflys virus think they have ECO Thunder worked out but no your adviser is wrong one has to stop helping the sandflys and treat Me and my whano fairly and humanely then thing will change for the better
take heed people this is not just about me now this is about me getting equality for all people all beings and mother earth and leaving behind a prosperous positive future for all OUR mokos .Ka kite ano
The important piece missing from the DIY battery is the charging circuit. The bit that charges the cells correctly and stops them blowing up and burning down your house.
Hi Draco, with my limited understanding of electrical systems I have only briefly watched a few of these, but I would be surprised if he misses out on a critical safety component. Lithium-ion seems to be less likely to overcharge and catch fire, but it would still be a major omission if that aspect was ignored.
Thanks DTB. Looks like there is a good reason to purchase in bulk from the same supplier. I think this Youtuber and others have done so, and/or used wrecked Teslas to get the 18650s for their power walls.
Even the use of a power wall (or similar) to charge up during the low rate night charge, and use during the peak times might be of use to some, but not at current purchase or power prices.
(The ZCell battery that mpledger posts below, look pretty good in terms of safety and reliability)
eco maori (1) … many thanks for a wonderful story of another aspect of your life, living alongside nature. It must have been an amazing respectful lifestyle, sharing and caring amongst your community. The way life should be.
The damage neoliberalism did to this country by one of the few politicians who never succumbed to its poisonous ideology.
Jim Anderton.
We should heed his words.
“The cost was enormous, and it wasn’t just in economic terms, it was in social terms – mental health, a massive rise in suicides in New Zealand, and a kind of disillusionment with the Government as being on your side,”
And yet the oligarchs who made away with the loot and the treasonous politicians who abetted them are still called ‘Sir’ and ‘Dame’
Their proper position should be in front of a people’s court.
Then trust in politics would return.
Thank you for your wonderful summary of Jim Anderton Ed.
We all saw the real face and true heart of humanity in Jim Anderton, even those who never followed his path to a plan for a Government who would be worked for the interests of the 99% and not just “the economic principals who had forgotten the human principals of their “public service” jobs.
Labour now must hold up Jim Anterton as the example the labour movement must ‘aspire to’ in all they plan as a “kinder gentler, warm, caring, Government” as we voted them to give to us and to ensure that they will be re-elected in 2020.
It’s a bit of a cliche, but Anderton was just “a good bloke”. It never seemed to go to his head, and he never appeared smug or arrogant. Passionate, definitely, but never dismissive or imperious.
The article focuses on EmilyBailey works with the Para Kore or Zero Waste movement and sits on the Taranaki Regional Council’s policy and planning committee as an iwi representative.
It’s about how climate change is a direct threat to Māori, their resources, culture and land.
Chris Hedges in On Contact has an interview with Charles Derber which I’ve now watched twice. 24 minutes. Charles Derber, Author and Sociologist, discusses the failings of the American left through intersectionality.
What left in NZ, is what I took from it. We have a so called left government, and still they won’t mention capitalism as the intersectional commonality of so many of
our problems. Let alone if you bring up militarized capitalism, dead on arrival that topic.
Political economy is a topic you can not mention. Look at the way I was repeatedly attacked on this site for pointing out the failings of the labour party at the political economy level.
Economically wise with a change of government, it’s business as usual. How many deaths/suicides of homeless happened over the Christmas/New Year period? How many people are still living in cars? Why have we stopped talking about this?
Socialism in whatever form you embrace, is a criticism of capitalism. Start being critical of it.
I agree that the mainstream political parties in NZ that are labelled “left” have a pretty weak left wing analysis and policies on many crucial issues of both economic and social justice.
I currently have little faith in any real shift towards economic and social justice via political parties in NZ. A strong flax roots movement is needed.
But, to be strong, it needs an alliance of those focused on both economic and social justice. Splitting them as you seem to be doing, will weaken any broad flax roots movement. That just plays into the hands of the neo-libs and neo-cons.
Before the neocon-neolib (social conservatism linked with an economic liberal rhetoric) alliance gained traction internationally, there seemed to be shifts in NZ and elsewhere to have a more inclusive left. I watched bits of a doco on NZOnscreen yesterday, that focused on shifts in NZ Labour in 1980. It featured Jim Anderton quite a bit, plus the new candidate for Mt Albert, a very young Helen Clark.
Clark wanted to include more focus on inequalities that impacted on Maori. Anderton, of course, was focused on stronger left wing principles. There was talk in the doco about a move away from trade unions by a new young generation – which was debatable.
However, at that time, there seemed to be a promise of a more inclusive left that focused on both social and economic justice. And then came Douglas and the neo-liberal traitors within NZ Labour.
So, but the time the 2 rafts of economic and social justice came into power with Clark as PM, and Anderton as deputy, the left was already weakened, and under attack from the media, nationally and internationally.
I’m not asking or prescribing to any splitting. What I’d suggest if we want a broad left movement, we need to include a heavy dose of political economy. This bowing down to liberalism as a economic system which many here do, is the biggest block we have to a flax roots movement.
Intersectionality is a tool we need to use more, not less. What was trumps biggest victory – he won the identity politics game (ugly as it was). We are never going to win by playing the right wing games, even as some have suggested, we play them better.
Hedges wrote an amazing book Death of the Liberal Class
‘The liberal class is facing an untimely demise of its own making. In this provocative new work Chris Hedges explains how liberals sold us out, bankrupted the country and now face a crisis of their own.’
In New Zealand this is the rentier class who sold their principles to get ahead.
Hedges slams five specific groups and institutions — the Democratic Party, churches, unions, the media and academia — for failing Americans and allowing for the creation of a “permanent underclass.”
And lumping in of trade unions with the church and media creates a big problem. Also, the church in NZ is not as influential in politics as NZ.
This is a well-written and hard-hitting book.
…
We are certainly living in a reactionary period in most of the advanced capitalist countries; liberalism (and social democracy) has definitively declined. The working class and other movements of the oppressed have been defeated, although they have not been smashed and terrorized as happened under fascism. But the roots of this defeat cannot be attributed to the misdeeds of the media or the betrayals of the “liberal class.” They may have been bought off; they may lack spine. But they themselves did not give rise to our current problems.
Instead, the crisis goes back to the late sixties and early seventies when the post-war boom came to an end and employers went on an international offensive that through the next thirty years ended up reorganizing capitalism. In the case of the US, capitalist neo-liberalism formed an alliance with a newly-politicized religious fundamentalism (rooted in a reaction to the cultural revolution of the sixties) to build a powerful right wing force.
I think that the middle class was bought off in the 1980s.
Initially the cost of neoliberalism was paid by the working class, but since the GFC austerity has started to eat away at the Middle class’s position.
Too late.
So then, what is it you take from Charles Derber? other than he focuses on the dangers of individualism? And how does this relate to the intersectional politics?
For me. intersectionality is about the systematic oppression (sometimes in the form of economic/financial exploitation) of groups as identified collectively: by race, class, gender, sexuality, able-bodiness, etc. Not much to do with individualism.
He’s not blaming the failure of the left on intersectionality – he’s saying that one aspect of intersectional thinking has fallen away – the focus on capitalism and alternatives to it.
He repeatedly says that there needs to be truly intersectional thinking and that power structures are definitely intersectional. He feels the left has become too splintered, and needs to be more intersectional, not less.
Yes, he criticises “identity politics”, but that’s not the same as criticising intersectionality.
Still an interesting discussion, but he’s pretty dismissive of what he calls identity politics. I do agree with plenty of what he says, but it would have been more interesting to have heard some voices that weren’t from ageing white men, having people speaking about their own beliefs and arguing their own positions rather than just hearing these two guys (who agree with each other) dismissing any views and priorities that don’t match theirs.
How the fuck does the deliberate infringement of an authors copyright fit with Wikileaks stated purpose of being a multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect whistleblowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public?
Oh, that’s right, it’s Assange and his vanity project acting on Trump’s behalf, again.
I noted a Google request for people to behave fairly in relation to books they had in print and available for purchase as read only on your download.
https://improvebooks.com/
Note to myself: Look further into this – appears to use automation – a mega seach engine – to read and copy other sites then offer them free when the other sites advertise a charge for reading ie google
and Google’s response
Celebrity Biographies – The Amazing Life of …and … https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=VjoPDgAAQBAJ
Matt Green – Biography & Autobiography
If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Google Play or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Book One …..
It really boggles my mind how the right operate in relation to Trump.
I read blogs and news from both sides of the fence – right and left – and the cognizant dissonance in relation to Trump is staggering.
He’s one of their tribe, and as such they will defend him no matter what. The pathological lying and incendiary rhetoric, not to mention his dumpster fire diplomacy, well that’s all just “fake news”. It’s those dirty liberals telling lies again.
Reading Kiwiblog comments (I know – bad idea) makes me wonder if they are aware of the hypocrisy.
“Obama played golf 30 times last year! That lazy Kenyan!”
“Trump played golf 112 times last year! BEST PREZ EVER!!!”
That’s what happens when your focus is on winning rather than arguing for your values and beliefs. Think of The Hollow Men, and Bill English swallowing dead rats.
The left is subject to these tribal impulses too. I feel them myself whenever anyone (other than me, naturally) offers criticism (valid or otherwise) of Left-wing figures. I have my doubts about Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party, and then my hackles raise whenever someone else articulates exactly the same doubts.
Eco Maori, when I was young we used to go camping at Bowentown. This was half a dozen families and friends putting up their tents for a three week break at the beach.
There was a reserve on which we could camp, which had a natural fresh water spring on the bay side with a view across to Matakana Island.
Over the sand dune was the 5 miles of Waihi Beach, with white sand and six inches thick yards wide swathes of shells and seaweed pods, this side with a view of Mayor Island.
It was a kai moana paradise, living up to the Bay of Plenty name. My school friend Ron and I would lie on the two yard long boat jetty, and watch the seahorses in the clear water below. Ron telling me the male protected the babies by taking them into his mouth in any danger.
We fished off the rocks, foraged for shell food at low tide, or fished from my father’s home built dingy, rowed out ’till we lined up “the best fishing hole” ready by tide turn.
This paradise could be reached by driving along the firm sand at low tide, then all pushing to get the vehicle over the dune at the Bowentown/ Atheree end. The Bowentown heads gave great views, and the camping area had huge pahutukawa.
In the evening Dad and Mum would “pull the net’ on the ocean beach, a happening which drew crowds near and wide, and from an empty beach there would twenty or more suddenly arrive. Dad was always generous with the plentiful catch of mullet.
Sometimes we would go for a trip to Orakau, the rocky headland at the far end of Waihi Beach. This was along five miles of beach then a long climb up and down to fish off the rocks.
Although now there is easy access and the views are still lovely, I was sad to see no shells, and a huge number of boats fouling the water. No seahorses now, and the spring provides water for toilets.
Worse, many years ago when we had a twelve mile fishing limit for foreign vessels, a Russian fishing fleet cleaned out the stock beach side of Mayor Island. The life cycles have never completely recovered to what they were.
But young people never have seen the shells shoals of fish and living rock pools.
They enjoy the sand and surf, never experiencing the living beach.
Your final two sentences are very poignant, Patricia. Much of the world and the humans living there suffer that effect. The only ‘heroic’ action left to humans is to restore the life that’s so thin on the ground now, I reckon. If we can rally our thoughts and actions to do that, everything will change.
Labour in England has a new landscape to contend with according to psephologist Prof Curtice on Strathclyde.
“Labour still thinks of itself as the party of the working class, but in practice it is now almost as accurate to regard it as the party of university educated social liberals. This gives rise to debate in the party about whether it should be trying to recapture the ‘left behind’ working class voters that it appears to have lost – whose views on Brexit are very different from those of the party’s university educated voters.”
Brexit is what highlights this change. Maybe Brexit is responsible for some of the change.
However as an NZ Labour person is has always being a question: to what degree are we a party of the Social Liberals rather than a working class party.
There’s a new cartoon show starting up – Our Cartoon President – should be (gentle) fun. It’s from the makers of The Late Show, so it won’t exactly be radical, but should probably still raise a chuckle. Apparently they won’t be going over past events (no Rex Tillerson, Mooch or Steve Bannon, unless they get actively involved again).
It starts in the US 2 days before Trump’s first State of the Union address. That should provide good fodder! 😋
The federal probe into a 2010 land deal orchestrated by former Burlington College president Jane Sanders, wife of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has deepened. VTDigger has confirmed that a grand jury has been empaneled and has taken sworn testimony in the case.
[…]
The lingering nature of the federal investigation has frustrated the Sanders family.
According to Politico, the federal probe is “clouding” Sen. Sanders’ outlook and has complicated his decision whether to run for president again in 2020. More immediately, Sanders faces re-election to his Senate seat this year and his step-daughter, Carina Driscoll, has announced a bid for mayor of Burlington.
Burlington College borrowed heavily to finance the purchase of 33 acres of lakefront property from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. The deal relied on pledged donations and projections of increased enrollment. In 2015, VTDigger reported that Jane Sanders overstated pledged donations in the loan document. Two donors listed in the document told VTDigger at that time that their listed pledges were greater than what their personal financial records showed they gave.
VTDigger also interviewed the largest confirmed donor listed in the loan application. Corinne Bove Maietta, a member of the renowned Burlington Bove’s Restaurant family, disputed the manner in which her pledge was represented by Sanders in the loan agreement.
Maietta said she agreed to give the college an unspecified amount upon her death as a bequest. Documents show, however, Sanders stated in a loan application that Maietta would contribute a series of cash payments totaling $1 million. The payments were to be completed over a period of time, according to records obtained by VTDigger.
Could have turned it into a piece about the fact that school needed to borrow money to survive in this economy. Even then, they went under.
Or that
“In August 2011, The Daily Beast and Newsweek ranked Burlington College as the number-one school in the United States for free-spirited students.In October 2013, Newsweek named Burlington College as among the 10 colleges in the United States to have the highest rate of participation in student internships in their study field” From the wiki on the school
Yes SPC an interesting read, and I had a demand from Farmers once years ago. They had provided the wrong banking code for the final payment, and demanded I pay twice and collect a refund later.
This seemed questionable, so I went to a local lawyer who was recommended through the Labour Party. A letter from her caused a complete about face., and an assurance my credit rating would not be affected.
However 5 years later when seeking a bank loan to do renovations I was questioned about my debt to Farmers. I promptly rang the lawyer who provided a copy of the letter I had mislaid in a house shift.
Just shows, a loan, even repaid can cause hassles. I have always kept records of full and final payments since then.
This scam of selling off real and made up debt to collectors, sounds very like the banks chopping up good and bad mortgages scam to sell off as derivatives.
Many people have umpty cards and loans, and may be scammed more easily.
I’ve had the same issue. many years ago I needed power for a new rental and it was refused because of a so called debt with a previous farmers card. several hours later and many WTF phone calls from me it was sorted. Thankfully I have an ‘educated timbre’ so everything was ‘an honest mistake’ when questioned. Gotta wonder how someone less forcefull then myself would have managed..
A Quaker organization that received the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize for its work assisting and rescuing victims of the Nazis is among the blacklisted groups whose senior activists have been barred from entering Israel. Peace activists in Israel who have worked with the group expressed surprise at the decision.
The Listener this week is running a story on ‘Puppy Hell . Our Secret Breeding Programme.’
The subtitle to the story ( on page 10) asks the following question.
‘ New Zealand has an unregulated puppy breeding industry where unscrupulous operators can flourish, so why aren’t we following the lead of overseas governments?’
Sally Blundell is the author of this disturbing story.
However, pause for a moment.
Read that question again, replacing the words ‘puppy breeding’ with ‘forestry’ or ‘fishing’ or ‘housing rental’ or Fast food’ or..
The list is endless.
In reality, a more worthwhile question would be ‘why is New Zealand such an unregulated country?’
And of course, the answer is the same as it would be to any of the questions.
Because New Zealand adopted an extreme form of neoliberalism in the 1980s and the country has suffered the consequences of that ideology ever since.
The death of Jim Anderton is a reminder of the revolutionary nature of those changes enacted by Douglas and his treasonous crew.
As the great man said,
“The cost was enormous, and it wasn’t just in economic terms, it was in social terms – mental health, a massive rise in suicides in New Zealand, and a kind of disillusionment with the Government as being on your side,”
We should heed his words.
Until we criticise and tear down the actual economic system , we are trapped with all the awful effects of free market neoliberal capitalism. It may be cruelty to dogs, it may be forestry workers’ deaths, it may be an obese population, it may be soaring suicide rates, it may be terrible working conditions, the root cause of all is neoliberalism.
And by not looking at the big picture, Blundell does what so many liberal thinkers do. They miss the target.
And their article is only useful for wrapping takeaways.
Ed, don’t let’s forget that Anderton was DP in the Clark administration from 1999 to 2002, and stayed on as Minister of Economic Development after that. He certainly didn’t see that government as neoliberal, and I don’t think he would put that label on the current one either. He did lots to help turn back the tide on neoliberalism within the Labour Party, ironically having more success with this after he had stepped away from it. While there were certainly disagreements in the Clark-Anderton-Cullen relationship, he had a positive influence within that government. Paid parental leave, Kiwibank, increases in the minimum wage – thanks, Jim (and Helen, and Michael).
Anderton was always ready to criticise what he saw as unfair or wrong, but he didn’t “tear down the actual economic system” – he helped to (re)build protections and supports that the state should offer its citizens.
China’s put a ban on taking the world’s plastic stuff for recycle and reuse.
The depot in Auckland can only handle some plastics, not all.
Any hope that the gummint will pass a few laws and regulations saying that no plastics can be sold or used here that we can’t recycle?
Any hope that we can set up manufacturing in more towns than Sacred Auckland to use the recycle material instead of adding more carbon to the air for ‘shipping coals to Newcastle’?
Another three processors? Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin or even the wild West Coast. With the best anti-pollution technologies we can develop and keep on refining.
A ‘temporary’ business until we’ve scaled back the profligate use of this muck and cleaned up our fresh and salty waters. Coupled with alternative packaging from starches, which are already available.
And good luck, Wen’an county. Hope the land and waters return to the quality they had before the plastics blight came to town.
While looking up John Wydham on google I came across this from one of his short stories and it’s what I have been thinking lately myself.
Book Review: The Seeds Of Time – John Wyndham – Uncertain Tales https://uncertaintales.wordpress.com/…/book-review-the-seeds-of-time-john-wyndha…
Jan 3, 2015 – Book Review: The Seeds Of Time – John Wyndham. Seeds of Time – John Wyndham.
‘Ingenious you certainly were – like monkeys. But you neglected your philosophers – to your own ruin. Each new discovery was a toy. You never considered its true worth. You just pushed it into your system – a system …
?
So the latest story is ‘they’ are moving the ‘bad people’ to Guantanamo Bay ? And there is some major shit going down globally, with regards to the Clinton’s et al ?
I haven’t a clue?
But supposedly John Podesta hasn’t tweeted for a month
And you can see H C hasn’t for 5-6 days
Bill ( I didn’t think he new how to use a computer?) 8 – 9 days
Obama 9 – 10 days, and supposedly publishing a 2 year old Christmas photo of him and the girls?
Bill Gates is fine, or has bots doing his stuff?
So yeah, who has gone missing?
Is anyone talking about this? I haven’t been here for a while?
A gender inequality demonstration that is clear, specific and indefensible (UK I know, but I doubt it is any different here), and in a jurisdiction with equality statutes!…a gutsy action by someone that is likely have real personal cost (as opposed to a wardrobe choice)….all power to her.
‘Addressing victims of sexual abuse, Oprah noted that the recent revelations about Hollywood’s endemic sexual misconduct go well beyond the entertainment industry, noting that the issue “transcends transcends any culture, geography, race, religion, politics, or workplace”.
She went on: “So I want tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue. They’re the women whose names we’ll never know. They are domestic workers and farm workers. They are working in factories and they work in restaurants and they’re in academia, engineering, medicine, and science. They’re part of the world of tech and politics and business. They’re our athletes in the Olympics and they’re our soldiers in the military.”
Winfrey then referenced Recy Taylor, a black woman who was abducted in 1944 in Alabama and raped by six men. When her story was reported to the NAACP, Winfrey explained, Rosa Parks investigated her case but was unable, in the Jim Crow era, to prosecute her abusers. “Recy Taylor died 10 days ago, just shy of her 98th birthday,” Winfrey said. “She lived as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men. For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up.”
The 2018 Women’s March is a planned rally and follow-up to the 2017 Women’s March, scheduled to take place on January 20th and 21, 2018. Demonstrations and marches are expected nationwide [in US], primarily on January 20th.[1] Emerging themes of the 2018 events are voting and women running for office.[2] The Women’s Marches are coinciding with Impeachment Marches, also being held worldwide.
This may be rhetorical but here goes: did any of you invest in the $Libra memecoin endorsed and backed by Argentine president and darling of the global Right Javier Milei (who admitted to being paid a fee for his promotion of the token)? You know, the one that soared above ...
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Hi,Before we get into Hayden Donnell’s new column about how yes, Donald Trump is definitely the Antichrist, I wanted to touch on something feral that happened in New Zealand last week.Members of Destiny Church pushed and punched their way into an Auckland library, apparently angry it was part of Pride ...
Despite delays, logjams and overcrowding in our emergency departments, funding constraints are limiting the numbers of nurses and doctors being trained. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, February 18 are:A NZ Herald investigation ...
Now that the US has ripped up the Atlantic alliance, Europe is more vulnerable now than at any time since the mid-1930s. Apparently, Europe and Ukraine itself will not have a seat at the table in the talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin that will ...
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New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
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In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
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 ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
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. ...
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 ...
The purpose was to establish the facts and provide an independent assessment of government agency activity in relation to allegations that personal data may have been misused during the 2023 General Election. ...
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said he is carefully reviewing the referrals raised in the two reports. That work will be done in the context the Privacy Act and the need to ensure individuals’ rights to privacy is protected and respected. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Bhavna Middha, ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University The average Australian household size has decreased from 4.5 people per household in 1911 to 2.5 people in 2024. At the same time, the average house size has increased, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Page Jeffery, Lecturer in Media and Communications, University of Sydney suriyachan/Shutterstock When the Australian government passed legislation in November last year banning young people under 16 from social media, it included exemptions for platforms “that are primarily for the purposes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Leslie Roberson, Postdoctoral research fellow, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland If you’ve ever been stopped by quarantine officers at the airport, you might think Australia’s international border is locked down like a fortress. But when it comes ...
Duncan Sarkies’ latest novel, Star Gazers, is about the collapse of democracy in a society of alpaca breeders. Here are some things his intensive research revealed. 1 How greed works, psychologicallyYes, I guess I already understood greed, but I could never understand why people who already have everything they ...
The proposed cuts would see only two full time Telehealth data and digital roles, and one Planning, Funding and Outcomes (PFO) role remain, reduced from 17 Telehealth support roles (including vacant roles). Roles proposed to be cut include Telehealth ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for Ministers to end funding for Te Kurahuna programmes and workshop grifters that have received millions in taxpayer funding, despite the Government’s supposed focus on cutting costs. ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist, in Avarua, Rarotonga More than 400 people have taken to the streets to protest against Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s recent decisions, which have led to a diplomatic spat with New Zealand. The protest, led by Opposition MP and Cook Islands United Party ...
In the second episode, Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester unearth some truths about dating on a dance floor in South Canterbury. Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club is a brand new documentary series for The Spinoff following award-winning comedians and friends Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they embark ...
The first half of a billion-dollar pipe that will drastically reduce wastewater overflows in the Auckland isthmus is now in operation. As I biked south, I thought about all the poo sloshing beneath my wheels. Tubes of it disgorging from U-bends, into wastewater pipes laid under our streets that become ...
🚐 The vulnerability continues as the pair head to the Hunt Ball in South Canterbury in search of a rich farmer, before getting some sage relationship advice from Brynley’s Dad and Oma. ❣️ Bryn & Ku’s Singles Club follows comedians Brynley Stent and Kura Forrester as they head out on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Garrett, Lecturer in Exercise Science and Physiology, Griffith University Australia’s love affair with the major football codes – the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) – is well documented. However, one aspect that stands out to many observers, ...
The White Lotus is back for season three. Here’s what we made of episode one. The third White Lotus season rinses and repeats – and thank God for that. Turns out there is enough comedic and dramatic juice in resort-set ensemble satires on privilege in the modern world, ...
Founder, journalist and author Tim Burrowes joins Duncan Greive to discuss a torrid decade in Australian media and whether there are reasons to be optimistic amid the carnage. Tim Burrowes is the author of a book and a Substack called Unmade, which are truly essential guides to media in ...
The self-appointed apostle says he could be to Christopher Luxon what Elon Musk is to Donald Trump, and his track record speaks for itself.Who is New Zealand’s answer to Elon Musk? The Herald’s tech insider, Chris Keall, put the question to his LinkedIn acolytes the other day. “If Luxon ...
The last good thing at the supermarket is gone. Mad Chapman mourns the Cadbury mini egg cartons. When life is overwhelming and it feels like every story around you is a bad news story, there are a few things that can be relied upon to instil a sense of calm, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Parker, Honorary Professorial Fellow, Melbourne CSHE, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Judges in Australian courtrooms have a lot of power. They can decide on someone’s guilt and the punishment for it, including lengthy prison time. But what if they get ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Birrell, Researcher, Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Australians are waiting an average of 12 years to seek treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, our new research shows. While ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justine Bell-James, Professor, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland Almost 200 nations have signed an ambitious agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss but none is on track to meet the crucial goal, our new research reveals. The agreement, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philippa Collin, Professor, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University Australian school students’ civics knowledge is the lowest it has been since testing began 20 years ago, according to new national data. Results have fallen since the last assessment in 2019 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Buckley, Senior Research Fellow, Education Research, Policy and Development Division, Australian Council for Educational Research Michael Jung/ Shutterstock There is a persistent gender gap in Australian schools. Boys, on average, outperform girls in maths. We see this in national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Deane, Professor, Queensland University of Technology Australian beef exports to the United States are GST-free and should not be subject to any retaliatory tariff. William Edge/Shutterstock The latest round of proposed tariffs from US President Donald Trump includes a response ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 36-year-old tertiary adviser and bartender shares her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female. Age: 36. Ethnicity: Pākehā. Role: Tertiary adviser, ...
The change allows for devices that do screening, similar to at drink-drive checkpoints, rather than having to test oral fluid to an evidentiary standard. ...
Almost 40% of those departing NZ long-term are aged 18 to 30. What sort of country will they leave behind, asks Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Young people leading the charge out the door Last year saw ...
New Health Minister Simeon Brown is presiding over a list of resignations from high-ranking health officials that some say is a "bloodbath". What's going on? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Rickerby, Lecturer, School of Product Design, University of Canterbury The Poly-1. MOTAT , CC BY-NC Some 45 years ago, a team of staff and students at Wellington Polytechnic designed and built a desktop computer with an operating system customised for ...
When I was a young follow at the time of Mamas Tangi one day all the children went down to the Waiapu river for a swim it was the day she was buried the aunties were not happy we were all covered in mud as we were all playing in it my younger brother was worse his blond hair was all covered in mud and the Tangi was to be held in 10 mins LOL there was no power so it was crank the old pot belle stove up to heat the water for a shower It was a big Tangi . That nite 2 of my close cousin decided they wanted to get there asses kicked they put some sheets on and acted like a kehua they sceared the shit out of a old kuia they were moaning about there sore ass for a while it was so funny.
There was a creek that ran along the riverside we would go catching eels in this creek a lot its gone now washed away by the Waiapu river when she is in flood .
When I stayed at Waiomatatini we were living in Mamas old house it had a wood stove no power it was light the lantern .This house had a beautiful view of the Waiapu river mouth Its not there now one day I would like to build me a house there.
I had a uncle he was the fisherman of Waiomatatini he would let everyone know when the kahawai was running at the Waiapu river mouth we would all go to the river mouth and catch fish .We would salt fish and dry it smoke fish and my favourite was bottled Kahawai .
We would ride our horses to Port Awanui along the way we would get mussels at the port we would gather Paua and walk around the rocks and pick Parengo off the rocks and pick huge Pupus off the rocks this was a wounder full experience gathering seafood from OUR whenua ka pai.
It is because of not having power that I researched solar power 20 years ago I started
this and in the process I learned about mother earths man made climatic change so all the information I put out there on climate change is from a neutral perspective and facts . All the people of Tairawhiti would benefit hugely by having solar power installed there power bills are huge and the last I heard the lines company was going to phase out there service Solar wind and micro hydro would benefit the iwi immensely I would pick solar power in most instances as unless you are good at fixing things and can maintain hydro and wind power were as solar you top up the batteries with water and clean the panels and change batteries you could pay some one to change batteries as its not often one has to do this . I could build my own solar setup for $8000 to server a large family and no power bill this is a dream of my to take this technology to benefit my Tairawhiti iwi . Ka kite ano
Beautiful post, about living with nature, and the best use of renewable energy. Thanks, eco maori.
Good interesting comment eco maori. You are getting as good as Robert Guyton at keeping us in touch with the natural world and ideas on practicality for the simple living style.
Good thinking about solar. Soon we should have a fund that will be available to be applied to when people have a good and practical idea for those who are unlikely to afford it. For Maori, the politicians might please the broad population, if they teamed up with iwi who have had reparation payments so that both are supporting the local people, the iwi rohe.
I forgot my link here it is thanks Carolyn
https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/news/99859535/our-supercharged-future-electric-vehicles-to-make-up-40-per-cent-of-fleet-by-2040
From my research crown lead acid batteries are the most reliable cost effective battery to use you have to shop around as the price can vary by 30%.
I think that our government could offer tax rebates for solar and electric cars as there is no up front cost to our government we can’t just let things carry on as they are we will benefit immensely from more elictric cars and renewable energy. Ka kite ano
The sandflys were following me to and from work yesterday and using good people they have infected with there virus to try and break me but kao PS they wont follow me under a toll bridge I know why but it has me asking a lot of questions as should you . I will post these stories on the day before open mike so as not to hamper the wonderful new post on open mikes new day ka pai .
One thing I bet crime is dropping in Rotorua and Tauranga as everyone knows about my storie of being harresed by the police this is well known in Rotorua.
I know My calls for OUR people to keep out trouble is being heard ka pai
Some of the people infected by the sandflys virus think they have ECO Thunder worked out but no your adviser is wrong one has to stop helping the sandflys and treat Me and my whano fairly and humanely then thing will change for the better
take heed people this is not just about me now this is about me getting equality for all people all beings and mother earth and leaving behind a prosperous positive future for all OUR mokos .Ka kite ano
The new tesla powerwalls are available in NZ and are supposed to be fantastic batteries.
https://www.tesla.com/en_NZ/powerwall
You (and others) may be interested in watching this Youtube channel, DIY powerwall.
They use recycled 18650 batteries in arrays, which is what they do in the powerwall and the Tesla.
The important piece missing from the DIY battery is the charging circuit. The bit that charges the cells correctly and stops them blowing up and burning down your house.
Hi Draco, with my limited understanding of electrical systems I have only briefly watched a few of these, but I would be surprised if he misses out on a critical safety component. Lithium-ion seems to be less likely to overcharge and catch fire, but it would still be a major omission if that aspect was ignored.
https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/126673/charging-li-ion-batteries-in-parallel
Thanks DTB. Looks like there is a good reason to purchase in bulk from the same supplier. I think this Youtuber and others have done so, and/or used wrecked Teslas to get the 18650s for their power walls.
Even the use of a power wall (or similar) to charge up during the low rate night charge, and use during the peak times might be of use to some, but not at current purchase or power prices.
(The ZCell battery that mpledger posts below, look pretty good in terms of safety and reliability)
for a lazy 10K….battery only
Yep – but they are good. quality cost.
This is the battery my husband likes the look of.
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/redflows-zinc-bromide-zcell-battery-may-have-the-edge-over-lithium-ion/
Lots of really nice properties.
I love your memory stories – thank you eco maori
eco maori (1) … many thanks for a wonderful story of another aspect of your life, living alongside nature. It must have been an amazing respectful lifestyle, sharing and caring amongst your community. The way life should be.
Keep the stories coming eco maori.
The damage neoliberalism did to this country by one of the few politicians who never succumbed to its poisonous ideology.
Jim Anderton.
We should heed his words.
“The cost was enormous, and it wasn’t just in economic terms, it was in social terms – mental health, a massive rise in suicides in New Zealand, and a kind of disillusionment with the Government as being on your side,”
And yet the oligarchs who made away with the loot and the treasonous politicians who abetted them are still called ‘Sir’ and ‘Dame’
Their proper position should be in front of a people’s court.
Then trust in politics would return.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11970987
+ 100 Ed off to mow some lawns ka pai
Thank you for your wonderful post this morning.
Ed;
Thank you for your wonderful summary of Jim Anderton Ed.
We all saw the real face and true heart of humanity in Jim Anderton, even those who never followed his path to a plan for a Government who would be worked for the interests of the 99% and not just “the economic principals who had forgotten the human principals of their “public service” jobs.
Labour now must hold up Jim Anterton as the example the labour movement must ‘aspire to’ in all they plan as a “kinder gentler, warm, caring, Government” as we voted them to give to us and to ensure that they will be re-elected in 2020.
It’s a bit of a cliche, but Anderton was just “a good bloke”. It never seemed to go to his head, and he never appeared smug or arrogant. Passionate, definitely, but never dismissive or imperious.
+100cleangreen
Dena Coster: Living on the Edge: A Māori perspective on the climate crisis
The article focuses on EmilyBailey works with the Para Kore or Zero Waste movement and sits on the Taranaki Regional Council’s policy and planning committee as an iwi representative.
It’s about how climate change is a direct threat to Māori, their resources, culture and land.
Chris Hedges in On Contact has an interview with Charles Derber which I’ve now watched twice. 24 minutes. Charles Derber, Author and Sociologist, discusses the failings of the American left through intersectionality.
So, what did you take from it? And how does it relate to the left in NZ?
What left in NZ, is what I took from it. We have a so called left government, and still they won’t mention capitalism as the intersectional commonality of so many of
our problems. Let alone if you bring up militarized capitalism, dead on arrival that topic.
Political economy is a topic you can not mention. Look at the way I was repeatedly attacked on this site for pointing out the failings of the labour party at the political economy level.
Economically wise with a change of government, it’s business as usual. How many deaths/suicides of homeless happened over the Christmas/New Year period? How many people are still living in cars? Why have we stopped talking about this?
Socialism in whatever form you embrace, is a criticism of capitalism. Start being critical of it.
We have a ‘left’ government that is too scared of taking on the banks.
I agree that the mainstream political parties in NZ that are labelled “left” have a pretty weak left wing analysis and policies on many crucial issues of both economic and social justice.
I currently have little faith in any real shift towards economic and social justice via political parties in NZ. A strong flax roots movement is needed.
But, to be strong, it needs an alliance of those focused on both economic and social justice. Splitting them as you seem to be doing, will weaken any broad flax roots movement. That just plays into the hands of the neo-libs and neo-cons.
Before the neocon-neolib (social conservatism linked with an economic liberal rhetoric) alliance gained traction internationally, there seemed to be shifts in NZ and elsewhere to have a more inclusive left. I watched bits of a doco on NZOnscreen yesterday, that focused on shifts in NZ Labour in 1980. It featured Jim Anderton quite a bit, plus the new candidate for Mt Albert, a very young Helen Clark.
Clark wanted to include more focus on inequalities that impacted on Maori. Anderton, of course, was focused on stronger left wing principles. There was talk in the doco about a move away from trade unions by a new young generation – which was debatable.
However, at that time, there seemed to be a promise of a more inclusive left that focused on both social and economic justice. And then came Douglas and the neo-liberal traitors within NZ Labour.
So, but the time the 2 rafts of economic and social justice came into power with Clark as PM, and Anderton as deputy, the left was already weakened, and under attack from the media, nationally and internationally.
I’m not asking or prescribing to any splitting. What I’d suggest if we want a broad left movement, we need to include a heavy dose of political economy. This bowing down to liberalism as a economic system which many here do, is the biggest block we have to a flax roots movement.
Intersectionality is a tool we need to use more, not less. What was trumps biggest victory – he won the identity politics game (ugly as it was). We are never going to win by playing the right wing games, even as some have suggested, we play them better.
Hedges wrote an amazing book Death of the Liberal Class
‘The liberal class is facing an untimely demise of its own making. In this provocative new work Chris Hedges explains how liberals sold us out, bankrupted the country and now face a crisis of their own.’
In New Zealand this is the rentier class who sold their principles to get ahead.
Thanks, I prefer to read such arguments than spend more time watching videos.
The reviews and analyses of Hedges’ book are mixed.
He doesn’t seem to blame intersectionality as much as failed institutions in the US:
NPR review:
And lumping in of trade unions with the church and media creates a big problem. Also, the church in NZ is not as influential in politics as NZ.
The New Yorker is dismissive of the lack of supporting evidence.
The Socialist Worker has a more in depth and nuanced analysis:
I think that the middle class was bought off in the 1980s.
Initially the cost of neoliberalism was paid by the working class, but since the GFC austerity has started to eat away at the Middle class’s position.
Too late.
List of Charles Derbers books Carolyn_Nth
https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/29320.Charles_Derber
Read some excerpts recentantly from Sociopathic society – will hunt down the link to those for you later today.
Adam, what do you take from these? i actually have other things I need to be doing today, than reading all your links.
The other speaker in the video was Charles Derbers. Just a list of his works – no big reading exercise.
So then, what is it you take from Charles Derber? other than he focuses on the dangers of individualism? And how does this relate to the intersectional politics?
For me. intersectionality is about the systematic oppression (sometimes in the form of economic/financial exploitation) of groups as identified collectively: by race, class, gender, sexuality, able-bodiness, etc. Not much to do with individualism.
He’s not blaming the failure of the left on intersectionality – he’s saying that one aspect of intersectional thinking has fallen away – the focus on capitalism and alternatives to it.
He repeatedly says that there needs to be truly intersectional thinking and that power structures are definitely intersectional. He feels the left has become too splintered, and needs to be more intersectional, not less.
Yes, he criticises “identity politics”, but that’s not the same as criticising intersectionality.
Still an interesting discussion, but he’s pretty dismissive of what he calls identity politics. I do agree with plenty of what he says, but it would have been more interesting to have heard some voices that weren’t from ageing white men, having people speaking about their own beliefs and arguing their own positions rather than just hearing these two guys (who agree with each other) dismissing any views and priorities that don’t match theirs.
Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury” is currently available as a free PDF download over on “Zero Hedge” (by courtesy of Wikileaks.)
Might not last long though . . .
Aagh I love the smell if a bit of theft in the morning
How the fuck does the deliberate infringement of an authors copyright fit with Wikileaks stated purpose of being a multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect whistleblowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public?
Oh, that’s right, it’s Assange and his vanity project acting on Trump’s behalf, again.
/
I noted a Google request for people to behave fairly in relation to books they had in print and available for purchase as read only on your download.
https://improvebooks.com/
Note to myself: Look further into this – appears to use automation – a mega seach engine – to read and copy other sites then offer them free when the other sites advertise a charge for reading ie google
Download celebrity biographies the amazing life of….
https://improvebooks.c/book/celebrity-biographies-the-amazing-life-of-…
Book Celebrity Biographies – The Amazing Life Of… – Famous Actors PDF Free Download, by Matt Green ISBN : , , Ever wondered how …rose to stardom?
and Google’s response
Celebrity Biographies – The Amazing Life of …and …
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=VjoPDgAAQBAJ
Matt Green – Biography & Autobiography
If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Google Play or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Book One …..
An interesting review here, on The Spinoff.
It’s occurred to me that the bar has been raised awfully high for Omarosa’s tell-all…
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/365253-5-stories-omarosa-might-tell-after-leaving-the-white-house
It really boggles my mind how the right operate in relation to Trump.
I read blogs and news from both sides of the fence – right and left – and the cognizant dissonance in relation to Trump is staggering.
He’s one of their tribe, and as such they will defend him no matter what. The pathological lying and incendiary rhetoric, not to mention his dumpster fire diplomacy, well that’s all just “fake news”. It’s those dirty liberals telling lies again.
Reading Kiwiblog comments (I know – bad idea) makes me wonder if they are aware of the hypocrisy.
“Obama played golf 30 times last year! That lazy Kenyan!”
“Trump played golf 112 times last year! BEST PREZ EVER!!!”
hypocrisy!!!
Seems more like stupidity!!
One generally implies the other in my book
Laziest prez ever!
https://www.axios.com/scoop-trumps-secret-shrinking-schedule-1515364904-ab76374a-6252-4570-a804-942b3f851840.html?
That’s what happens when your focus is on winning rather than arguing for your values and beliefs. Think of The Hollow Men, and Bill English swallowing dead rats.
The left is subject to these tribal impulses too. I feel them myself whenever anyone (other than me, naturally) offers criticism (valid or otherwise) of Left-wing figures. I have my doubts about Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party, and then my hackles raise whenever someone else articulates exactly the same doubts.
Eco Maori, when I was young we used to go camping at Bowentown. This was half a dozen families and friends putting up their tents for a three week break at the beach.
There was a reserve on which we could camp, which had a natural fresh water spring on the bay side with a view across to Matakana Island.
Over the sand dune was the 5 miles of Waihi Beach, with white sand and six inches thick yards wide swathes of shells and seaweed pods, this side with a view of Mayor Island.
It was a kai moana paradise, living up to the Bay of Plenty name. My school friend Ron and I would lie on the two yard long boat jetty, and watch the seahorses in the clear water below. Ron telling me the male protected the babies by taking them into his mouth in any danger.
We fished off the rocks, foraged for shell food at low tide, or fished from my father’s home built dingy, rowed out ’till we lined up “the best fishing hole” ready by tide turn.
This paradise could be reached by driving along the firm sand at low tide, then all pushing to get the vehicle over the dune at the Bowentown/ Atheree end. The Bowentown heads gave great views, and the camping area had huge pahutukawa.
In the evening Dad and Mum would “pull the net’ on the ocean beach, a happening which drew crowds near and wide, and from an empty beach there would twenty or more suddenly arrive. Dad was always generous with the plentiful catch of mullet.
Sometimes we would go for a trip to Orakau, the rocky headland at the far end of Waihi Beach. This was along five miles of beach then a long climb up and down to fish off the rocks.
Although now there is easy access and the views are still lovely, I was sad to see no shells, and a huge number of boats fouling the water. No seahorses now, and the spring provides water for toilets.
Worse, many years ago when we had a twelve mile fishing limit for foreign vessels, a Russian fishing fleet cleaned out the stock beach side of Mayor Island. The life cycles have never completely recovered to what they were.
But young people never have seen the shells shoals of fish and living rock pools.
They enjoy the sand and surf, never experiencing the living beach.
This is what happens when you ignore public opinion under MMP. Take note pro TPP Labour:
https://www.rt.com/news/415235-germany-grand-coalition-talks-poll/
When did Angela Merkel ignore public opinion?
Your final two sentences are very poignant, Patricia. Much of the world and the humans living there suffer that effect. The only ‘heroic’ action left to humans is to restore the life that’s so thin on the ground now, I reckon. If we can rally our thoughts and actions to do that, everything will change.
Labour in England has a new landscape to contend with according to psephologist Prof Curtice on Strathclyde.
“Labour still thinks of itself as the party of the working class, but in practice it is now almost as accurate to regard it as the party of university educated social liberals. This gives rise to debate in the party about whether it should be trying to recapture the ‘left behind’ working class voters that it appears to have lost – whose views on Brexit are very different from those of the party’s university educated voters.”
https://whatukthinks.org/eu/has-brexit-reshaped-british-politics/
Brexit is what highlights this change. Maybe Brexit is responsible for some of the change.
However as an NZ Labour person is has always being a question: to what degree are we a party of the Social Liberals rather than a working class party.
https://whatukthinks.org/eu/has-brexit-reshaped-british-politics/
Doesn’t Labour always have that issue?
I view it less as a quandary and more as a perpetual source of renewal within the party.
Someone’s got to keep those ruffians’ cardies straight and clean 😉
There’s a new cartoon show starting up – Our Cartoon President – should be (gentle) fun. It’s from the makers of The Late Show, so it won’t exactly be radical, but should probably still raise a chuckle. Apparently they won’t be going over past events (no Rex Tillerson, Mooch or Steve Bannon, unless they get actively involved again).
It starts in the US 2 days before Trump’s first State of the Union address. That should provide good fodder! 😋
What, Bernie blackened by a financial matter?
Unpossible….
The federal probe into a 2010 land deal orchestrated by former Burlington College president Jane Sanders, wife of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has deepened. VTDigger has confirmed that a grand jury has been empaneled and has taken sworn testimony in the case.
[…]
The lingering nature of the federal investigation has frustrated the Sanders family.
According to Politico, the federal probe is “clouding” Sen. Sanders’ outlook and has complicated his decision whether to run for president again in 2020. More immediately, Sanders faces re-election to his Senate seat this year and his step-daughter, Carina Driscoll, has announced a bid for mayor of Burlington.
Burlington College borrowed heavily to finance the purchase of 33 acres of lakefront property from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. The deal relied on pledged donations and projections of increased enrollment. In 2015, VTDigger reported that Jane Sanders overstated pledged donations in the loan document. Two donors listed in the document told VTDigger at that time that their listed pledges were greater than what their personal financial records showed they gave.
VTDigger also interviewed the largest confirmed donor listed in the loan application. Corinne Bove Maietta, a member of the renowned Burlington Bove’s Restaurant family, disputed the manner in which her pledge was represented by Sanders in the loan agreement.
Maietta said she agreed to give the college an unspecified amount upon her death as a bequest. Documents show, however, Sanders stated in a loan application that Maietta would contribute a series of cash payments totaling $1 million. The payments were to be completed over a period of time, according to records obtained by VTDigger.
https://vtdigger.org/2018/01/07/grand-jury-empaneled-burlington-college-case/
Doing the alt-rights work again I see joe90.
Could have turned it into a piece about the fact that school needed to borrow money to survive in this economy. Even then, they went under.
Or that
“In August 2011, The Daily Beast and Newsweek ranked Burlington College as the number-one school in the United States for free-spirited students.In October 2013, Newsweek named Burlington College as among the 10 colleges in the United States to have the highest rate of participation in student internships in their study field” From the wiki on the school
Just an observation
Did you miss the bit about alleged loan fraud and deliberate misrepresentation.
Of course you did.
As I said, hearsay, and blowing allegations into news are the tactics of the alt-right.
You should try breitbart, they always looking for tools.
Always with the names.
Sad.
btw, other than grammar, editing without acknowledgement is fucking poor form
“btw, other than grammar, editing without acknowledgement is fucking poor form
Now you are just making things up.
Is joe90 right wing?
The American debt scam.
Using information to create fake debt to on-sell to multiple collecting agents.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11971228
A form of a more well known scam – when banks placed bad debts into bundles of assets for on-sale.
Yes SPC an interesting read, and I had a demand from Farmers once years ago. They had provided the wrong banking code for the final payment, and demanded I pay twice and collect a refund later.
This seemed questionable, so I went to a local lawyer who was recommended through the Labour Party. A letter from her caused a complete about face., and an assurance my credit rating would not be affected.
However 5 years later when seeking a bank loan to do renovations I was questioned about my debt to Farmers. I promptly rang the lawyer who provided a copy of the letter I had mislaid in a house shift.
Just shows, a loan, even repaid can cause hassles. I have always kept records of full and final payments since then.
This scam of selling off real and made up debt to collectors, sounds very like the banks chopping up good and bad mortgages scam to sell off as derivatives.
Many people have umpty cards and loans, and may be scammed more easily.
I’ve had the same issue. many years ago I needed power for a new rental and it was refused because of a so called debt with a previous farmers card. several hours later and many WTF phone calls from me it was sorted. Thankfully I have an ‘educated timbre’ so everything was ‘an honest mistake’ when questioned. Gotta wonder how someone less forcefull then myself would have managed..
They’re lashing out.
A Quaker organization that received the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize for its work assisting and rescuing victims of the Nazis is among the blacklisted groups whose senior activists have been barred from entering Israel. Peace activists in Israel who have worked with the group expressed surprise at the decision.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.833556
The Listener this week is running a story on ‘Puppy Hell . Our Secret Breeding Programme.’
The subtitle to the story ( on page 10) asks the following question.
‘ New Zealand has an unregulated puppy breeding industry where unscrupulous operators can flourish, so why aren’t we following the lead of overseas governments?’
Sally Blundell is the author of this disturbing story.
However, pause for a moment.
Read that question again, replacing the words ‘puppy breeding’ with ‘forestry’ or ‘fishing’ or ‘housing rental’ or Fast food’ or..
The list is endless.
In reality, a more worthwhile question would be ‘why is New Zealand such an unregulated country?’
And of course, the answer is the same as it would be to any of the questions.
Because New Zealand adopted an extreme form of neoliberalism in the 1980s and the country has suffered the consequences of that ideology ever since.
The death of Jim Anderton is a reminder of the revolutionary nature of those changes enacted by Douglas and his treasonous crew.
As the great man said,
“The cost was enormous, and it wasn’t just in economic terms, it was in social terms – mental health, a massive rise in suicides in New Zealand, and a kind of disillusionment with the Government as being on your side,”
We should heed his words.
Until we criticise and tear down the actual economic system , we are trapped with all the awful effects of free market neoliberal capitalism. It may be cruelty to dogs, it may be forestry workers’ deaths, it may be an obese population, it may be soaring suicide rates, it may be terrible working conditions, the root cause of all is neoliberalism.
And by not looking at the big picture, Blundell does what so many liberal thinkers do. They miss the target.
And their article is only useful for wrapping takeaways.
Ed, don’t let’s forget that Anderton was DP in the Clark administration from 1999 to 2002, and stayed on as Minister of Economic Development after that. He certainly didn’t see that government as neoliberal, and I don’t think he would put that label on the current one either. He did lots to help turn back the tide on neoliberalism within the Labour Party, ironically having more success with this after he had stepped away from it. While there were certainly disagreements in the Clark-Anderton-Cullen relationship, he had a positive influence within that government. Paid parental leave, Kiwibank, increases in the minimum wage – thanks, Jim (and Helen, and Michael).
Anderton was always ready to criticise what he saw as unfair or wrong, but he didn’t “tear down the actual economic system” – he helped to (re)build protections and supports that the state should offer its citizens.
Do you see my point about articles like the puppy story which miss the big picture?
+1 Ed
and leaky buildings….
All the same….
And Pike River – the consequence of a deregulated mining industry.
The message of the Iranian protesters is one we could all take to heart. No longer should we choose politically between bad and worse.
https://rdln.wordpress.com/2018/01/03/no-longer-should-there-be-a-choice-between-bad-and-worse-mass-protests-break-out-in-iran/
Oprah Winfrey’s acceptance speech for the Cecil B DeMille lifetime contribution award at the Emmys (9m): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyBims8OkSY
As Sir Alex would say, it’s squeaky bum time for a lot of rich, powerful men.
China’s put a ban on taking the world’s plastic stuff for recycle and reuse.
The depot in Auckland can only handle some plastics, not all.
Any hope that the gummint will pass a few laws and regulations saying that no plastics can be sold or used here that we can’t recycle?
Any hope that we can set up manufacturing in more towns than Sacred Auckland to use the recycle material instead of adding more carbon to the air for ‘shipping coals to Newcastle’?
Another three processors? Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin or even the wild West Coast. With the best anti-pollution technologies we can develop and keep on refining.
A ‘temporary’ business until we’ve scaled back the profligate use of this muck and cleaned up our fresh and salty waters. Coupled with alternative packaging from starches, which are already available.
And good luck, Wen’an county. Hope the land and waters return to the quality they had before the plastics blight came to town.
While looking up John Wydham on google I came across this from one of his short stories and it’s what I have been thinking lately myself.
Book Review: The Seeds Of Time – John Wyndham – Uncertain Tales
https://uncertaintales.wordpress.com/…/book-review-the-seeds-of-time-john-wyndha…
Jan 3, 2015 – Book Review: The Seeds Of Time – John Wyndham. Seeds of Time – John Wyndham.
‘Ingenious you certainly were – like monkeys. But you neglected your philosophers – to your own ruin. Each new discovery was a toy. You never considered its true worth. You just pushed it into your system – a system …
?
So the latest story is ‘they’ are moving the ‘bad people’ to Guantanamo Bay ? And there is some major shit going down globally, with regards to the Clinton’s et al ?
I haven’t a clue?
But supposedly John Podesta hasn’t tweeted for a month
And you can see H C hasn’t for 5-6 days
Bill ( I didn’t think he new how to use a computer?) 8 – 9 days
Obama 9 – 10 days, and supposedly publishing a 2 year old Christmas photo of him and the girls?
Bill Gates is fine, or has bots doing his stuff?
So yeah, who has gone missing?
Is anyone talking about this? I haven’t been here for a while?
Bill posted a comment on his Twitter yesterday, but still nothing from HC or Barack ?
A gender inequality demonstration that is clear, specific and indefensible (UK I know, but I doubt it is any different here), and in a jurisdiction with equality statutes!…a gutsy action by someone that is likely have real personal cost (as opposed to a wardrobe choice)….all power to her.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/08/carrie-gracie-letter-in-full
Oprah Winfrey at Golden Globes.
‘Addressing victims of sexual abuse, Oprah noted that the recent revelations about Hollywood’s endemic sexual misconduct go well beyond the entertainment industry, noting that the issue “transcends transcends any culture, geography, race, religion, politics, or workplace”.
She went on: “So I want tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue. They’re the women whose names we’ll never know. They are domestic workers and farm workers. They are working in factories and they work in restaurants and they’re in academia, engineering, medicine, and science. They’re part of the world of tech and politics and business. They’re our athletes in the Olympics and they’re our soldiers in the military.”
Winfrey then referenced Recy Taylor, a black woman who was abducted in 1944 in Alabama and raped by six men. When her story was reported to the NAACP, Winfrey explained, Rosa Parks investigated her case but was unable, in the Jim Crow era, to prosecute her abusers. “Recy Taylor died 10 days ago, just shy of her 98th birthday,” Winfrey said. “She lived as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men. For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up.”
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/08/golden-globes-2018-three-billboards-ebbing-missouri-oprah-winfrey
Women’s March, Jan 20-21, 2018.
Also some planned outside the US.
Women’s march
power to the polls – anniversary
London march: Times Up